84: Entering the real estate industry

At ten o'clock in the morning,

Little Night was putting Tieguanyin tea leaves into the Zisha teapot,

the aroma of the tea diffusing through the office along with the steam.

Just as Li Zhan picked up his teacup,

AZu pushed the door open and entered, followed by a middle-aged man in a sharp suit.

"AZu, you've come at the right time."

Li Zhan set down his teacup and glanced at the middle-aged man behind AZu.

"We have more and more brothers now; the gym on the fifth floor is clearly no longer enough.

Find an abandoned factory as soon as possible and convert it into a training base."

AZu nodded and sat down on the sofa,

while the middle-aged man remained standing respectfully to the side.

AZu looked at Li Zhan,

"That's easy to handle.

While I was organizing the assets in the South City, I discovered a company called Zhengyang Real Estate under Seventh Uncle's name."

He turned and signaled the middle-aged man to step forward,

"The training base matter can be handled by them.

This is the person in charge of Zhengyang Real Estate; he also has important matters to report to you today."

The middle-aged man took half a step forward and bowed slightly,

"Hello, Brother Zhan. I am Chen Ziqiao."

He was about forty-five or forty-six years old,

with slightly graying temples and a steady, shrewd gaze behind gold-rimmed glasses.

His whole being exuded a temperament that blended scholarly air with that of a business elite.

Li Zhan sized him up for a few moments, his fingers tapping twice on the coffee table,

"Sit.

What thoughts do you have regarding the training base?"

Chen Ziqiao did not sit down immediately.

Instead, after a moment of contemplation, he took a set of blueprints out of his briefcase,

"We have a client who has an abandoned electronics factory in Shatou, covering twenty mu, with the factory structure intact.

Originally, the client wanted us to help dispose of it.

Now that Brother Zhan wants to build a training base, we can just buy it for our own use."

He leaned over to spread the blueprints on the coffee table, his finger pointing to the location of the main factory building,

"The two floors above ground can be converted into a gym and a ring,

while the basement can be used for a shooting range and tactical training rooms. It can be completed in a month."

AZu took over the conversation,

"However, Manager Chen is here today mainly for another project left behind by Seventh Uncle."

He opened another folder and took out an aerial photograph,

"There is a 180-mu plot of land in South City that Seventh Uncle and Ninth Master fought over for half a year..."

Chen Ziqiao pushed up his glasses, his finger pointing to the coastal area on the map,

"This land borders the tidal flats to the south and hills to the north, with a government appraisal value of 23 million."

His voice was calm and steady, "But land reclamation and foundation treatment will require an additional investment of 8 million."

Sunlight from outside filtered through the blinds, casting mottled shadows on the blueprints.

Li Zhan picked up his teacup, the steam blurring his expression,

"Continue."

"Calculated at a floor area ratio of 2.5,

developing it into a sea-view residential area and a commercial complex would yield a net profit of at least two hundred million."

Chen Ziqiao suddenly lowered his voice,

"However, after Seventh Uncle's downfall, Ninth Master hooked up with Vice Mayor Liu's son..."

AZu sneered from the side,

"That old fox knows he can't compete with us, so he brought in a 'princeling' to try and use his influence."

Li Zhan gently rubbed the rim of his teacup.

He had heard of this plot of land back when he was at Phoenix City.

Back then, Seventh Uncle had sent Mad Dog Luo to cause trouble specifically for the development rights of this land.

Now, after going in circles, this land was placed before him once again.

"Ninth Master, that old fox..."

Li Zhan narrowed his eyes and looked at Mingyuan,

"Is it only Ninth Master and that princeling competing with us now?"

Chen Ziqiao pushed up his glasses,

"There were several other parties before,

but they were all forced out by Seventh Uncle and Ninth Master using various means.

The government is going to release the 'Land Use Rights Auction Announcement' in the next couple of days.

Late December is their final window to complete the annual land sale targets."

Li Zhan nodded and turned to Little Night, saying, "Call Shui Sheng over."

A moment later, Shui Sheng walked quickly into the office.

Li Zhan signaled him to sit and lit a cigarette himself,

"Shui Sheng, talk to Manager Chen later about this project and get a clear picture of everything.

Especially that princeling; I want detailed information on him."

He turned back to Chen Ziqiao,

"Arrange for the training base immediately. Ask AZu for the funds."

After speaking, he waved his hand, "Go out and discuss it."

After the others left, Li Zhan walked to the window and looked at the distant skyscrapers.

This land came at just the right time; it would be his first step into the real estate market.

As for that princeling...

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth...

——

At noon,

in a small Chaoshan eatery on the Xiaobian Old Street,

Li Zhan and Captain Zhao sat in the innermost private room.

On the table were platters of marinated meats, steamed grouper, and several bottles of chilled beer.

Captain Zhao picked up a piece of marinated goose and dipped it in garlic vinegar,

"In a week at most, things will be finalized at the Sub-bureau."

He tilted his head back and gulped some beer, "Director Li is a sure bet this time."

Li Zhan peeled a shrimp unhurriedly, his fingertips stained with some soy sauce,

"Then let's make the move in a few days."

He looked up at Captain Zhao, "I mean, make the move two days before Director Li takes office."

Captain Zhao's hand, holding his chopsticks, stopped mid-air, "Oh?"

"That way, even if there's a stir, it has nothing to do with Director Li."

Li Zhan put the shrimp meat into his mouth, the corners of his lips turning up slightly,

"When he officially takes office, he can 'set three fires' to show his authority.

I'll prepare some people for him to turn in, and incidentally, we can clean up the underground market in Chang'an."

Captain Zhao was silent for a moment, then grinned and raised his glass,

"You sure have a good head on your shoulders, kid."

The glass cups made a crisp clinking sound. "I'll give Director Li a heads-up later."

The two of them drained their glasses.

Captain Zhao wiped the beer foam from his mouth,

"What kind of tricks are you planning this time?

I remember you always like to pull off some unexpected stunts."

Li Zhan picked up a napkin and wiped his hands,

"As the Art of War says: when strength is insufficient, win through surprise; when strength is ample, push forward with overwhelming force."

His gaze suddenly became sharp,

"Before, when I lacked strength, I had no choice but to use small schemes.

Now that the timing, location, and people are all on my side, I can just steamroll through..."

Captain Zhao was stunned by this sudden burst of momentum,

then laughed loudly, the flesh on his face shaking,

"I didn't expect you to be so well-versed in the Art of War,"

He refilled his glass and raised it mid-air, "Then I'll wish you all the best."

Li Zhan clinked glasses with him, the glass reflecting his deep eyes,

"Phoenix City has been getting very close to the Chaoshan Gang lately. I suspect Ninth Master is looking for a way out for himself."

"Do you need me to cooperate with anything?" Captain Zhao lowered his voice.

"Just stay put."

Li Zhan set down his glass and asked seemingly casually,

"By the way,

Vice Mayor Liu's son... how much do you know about him?"

Captain Zhao's chopsticks stopped mid-air, "Young Master Liu?

He's a tough character."

He leaned in closer, "On the surface, he runs an investment company, but secretly he controls many underground casinos in Dongguan.

He does plenty of real estate development too.

Last year, a developer competed with him for land and had his legs broken the next day."

A cold glint flashed in Li Zhan's eyes, "That arrogant?"

"His old man might join the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee next year."

Captain Zhao's eyes narrowed, "I advise you not to go head-to-head with him.

He's a big shot in Dongguan.

But his range of activity is mainly in the city; he probably wouldn't look twice at a small place like ours."

The sunlight outside was suddenly blocked by dark clouds, and the private room grew dim.

Li Zhan unhurriedly peeled a shrimp, "I heard he's recently taken an interest in a plot of land in South City?"

"You're quite well-informed." Captain Zhao wiped his mouth,

"But that land isn't clean; lives have already been lost over it before.

What, you're interested too?"

Li Zhan dipped the shrimp in soy sauce and gave a meaningful smile,

"I'm just curious..."

After several rounds of drinks, the dishes on the table were mostly finished.

Li Zhan wiped his mouth,

stood up, and pulled out a black suitcase from the corner of the room, pushing it toward Captain Zhao.

"Last month's share."

Li Zhan patted the suitcase, "Help distribute it on Director Li's side."

Captain Zhao grinned, the flesh on his face piling up,

"Thanks then."

He deftly took the suitcase, weighed it, and nodded with satisfaction.

The two of them walked out of the private room one after the other.

At the entrance of the eatery, Captain Zhao suddenly lowered his voice,

"By the way, I heard Young Master Liu often goes to the private club on the top floor of the Emperor Hotel every Friday."

Li Zhan's pace faltered slightly,

a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling on his lips,

"Got it."

The afternoon sun shone obliquely at the eatery's entrance.

Captain Zhao walked toward the front door and soon disappeared into the crowd at the street corner.

Li Zhan checked his watch; it was only a little after two in the afternoon.

Dongguan in early December was still warm,

and several bauhinia trees at the alley entrance were in full bloom,

forming a sharp contrast with the cold light reflected from the glass curtain walls of the distant skyscrapers.

He adjusted his shirt collar,

turned, and walked toward the back alley where his black mercedes-benz was parked.