Chapter 1086: I Know the Way

Xu Chunliang raised his wrist to check the time, clearly not interested in continuing to talk with Wang Hongfeng.

Wang Hongfeng, a seasoned veteran in the business world, was quick to pick up on this, and laughed, “I should be on my way too.” At that moment, a woman dressed in black approached them from a short distance away, and Wang Hongfeng introduced her as his Japanese wife, Shinobu Yamamura.

After a brief greeting, Wang Hongfeng and his wife left the lounge, seemingly very affectionate on the surface.

Hua Zhuyue said, “He turned out to be the son-in-law of a Japanese.”

Xu Chunliang replied, “Mu Tian Group has always had a Japanese capital background. They initially wanted to cooperate with Uncle Tong, but he refused because Weishan Island was a place where the Japanese were fought off back in the day, and he couldn’t tolerate the return of those who had been driven away, let alone cooperate with them.”

Hua Zhuyue laughed, “President Tong is indeed quite stubborn, but it’s people like him who are the backbone of China.”

Xu Chunliang asked, “Do you want to come to my place?”

Hua Zhuyue shook her head and whispered, “I’ll have my assistant drive you.”

Xu Chunliang said, “No need, I know the way.”

Hua Zhuyue sweetly said, “Are you upset? Why don’t you stay?”

Xu Chunliang nodded happily.

Hua Zhuyue suddenly changed the topic, “I’ll get you another room.”

Xu Chunliang stood up, “In that case, I’ll go home.”

Once outside the hotel, he saw his car already waiting at the entrance—arranged by Hua Zhuyue to have her assistant drive him and the car back.

The assistant dropped off Xu Chunliang at his home, left the keys, and departed.

As Xu Chunliang opened the door, Hua Zhuyue sent over a kiss emoji, which made him smile as he replied with a little naughty image, causing Hua Zhuyue to respond with a tempting gesture; it felt like a battle of masters, thrilling!

After resigning as the Director of the Preparatory Office, Xu Chunliang felt quite relaxed. His current two positions basically had no real work, and no one from the Infectious Disease Hospital monitored his attendance. He could come and go as he wished; however, out of respect for his current bosses, Xu Chunliang was happy to show his face whenever he had the time.

Xu Chunliang’s Capital City licensed Cayenne naturally attracted a lot of attention, and though other employees might face gossip for driving such a luxury car to work, no one said anything about him, as everyone knew he was wealthy. Another reason people kept quiet was due to the fact that everyone knew Xu Chunliang wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

After work today, Xu Chunliang even took the opportunity to drive Pan Junfeng home. When Pan Junfeng heard that the car was given to Xu Chunliang by his mother, he was curious about what Xu Chunliang’s mother did for a living. Based on the license plate, she was likely in the Capital City and quite powerful.

Xu Chunliang discovered that Pan Junfeng and Qin Zhengyang lived in the same residential neighborhood, which was part of a complex developed by Da Heng.

After Pan Junfeng got out of the car, Xu Chunliang didn’t leave right away but called Qin Zhengyang. Qin Zhengyang happened to be at home, and when he heard Xu Chunliang was nearby, he invited him over.

As Xu Chunliang parked, he saw Qin Zhengyang’s wife, Li Wenjing, the principal of Qingchun Road Primary School, coming back carrying groceries.

Xu Chunliang greeted her, “Sis.”

Li Wenjing, delighted to see him, said, “Chunliang, you haven’t visited us for a while.”

Xu Chunliang extended his hand to help her with the groceries, “I just dropped off a colleague who lives in your neighborhood.”

“A female colleague?”

Xu Chunliang joked, “Sis, you’re teasing me. It’s my unit’s boss.”

Li Wenjing opened the door, while Qin Zhengyang was already busy in the kitchen, “Wen Jing, later when Chunliang comes over, go buy two dishes of braised food; we’ll have a couple of drinks.”

Xu Chunliang laughed, “No need to trouble yourself; I drove here.”

Only then did Qin Zhengyang realize he had arrived and wiped his hands before coming over, “So what if you drove? Get a driver to take you home. I’ve been incredibly busy lately; I’ve finally got off work at a decent hour today, so you must have a couple of drinks to unwind with me.”

Li Wenjing said, “Okay, you guys chat, Zhengyang, don’t bother with anything else; leave the rest to me.”

Xu Chunliang said, “No trouble; let’s eat out.”

Qin Zhengyang replied, “Outside is too crowded; it’s quieter at home.”

Xu Chunliang then remembered that Qin Zhengyang is now Secretary Wang’s top aide and attracts attention wherever he goes; indeed, it’s not suitable for him to be out and about with the crowd.

Li Wenjing went out to buy groceries, while Qin Zhengyang invited Xu Chunliang to the living room.

Xu Chunliang didn’t come empty-handed; he brought two boxes of tea and a set of cosmetics, which Hua Zhuyue had placed in his trunk—over ten sets for maintaining personal relationships.

Qin Zhengyang said, “I haven’t finished what you gave me last time.”

Xu Chunliang said, “Try them.”

Qin Zhengyang picked up the cosmetics and looked at them. Although he didn’t understand them, he knew they weren’t cheap: “Why don’t you just take this back.”

Xu Chunliang said: “Why so cautious between us brothers?”

Qin Zhengyang put it aside. Given their relationship, refusing would seem hypocritical.

Qin Zhengyang said: “I heard you’ve withdrawn from the new hospital project. Are you planning to devote yourself entirely to the command center?”

Xu Chunliang said: “I withdrew because the new hospital’s affairs are becoming increasingly complicated, and I don’t want to get involved.”

Qin Zhengyang laughed: “Retreating at the height of success is a wise move, Zhai Pingqing from Kangjian Group is quite a character. His investment in your new hospital received the support of several city leaders.”

Xu Chunliang said: “Who wouldn’t support when money is being delivered? In the past, when Huayuan Group invested in Changxing Hospital, everyone supported it too, but what happened in the end? Didn’t it turn out to be a complete mess.”

Qin Zhengyang handed him a cup of tea: “You don’t seem too fond of Kangjian.”

“I have no issue with them; I mainly doubt their motives. Have you heard of any investors who personally manage even the infrastructure?”

Qin Zhengyang said: “I have heard of it. Many investors do that nowadays; they do it to minimize costs and prevent waste.”

“There’s nothing I can say if that’s how you see it.”

Qin Zhengyang laughed: “Then share your thoughts.”

“What do businessmen value most?”

“Profit!” Qin Zhengyang replied without hesitation.

“If we look at it from Kangjian Group’s perspective, investing in the new hospital might not align best with their interests. Zhai Pingqing has such good relations with the civil affairs sector; elder care and funeral services are much more profitable than the traditional medical industry. So why invest so much to seize such a small piece?”

Qin Zhengyang said: “Maybe they want to transition. The current economic situation isn’t optimistic. Even if his business is profitable now, any changes in the civil affairs sector could greatly affect him. Traditionally speaking, his business relies heavily on external factors. What if circumstances change?”

Xu Chunliang thought of the possibility that Secretary Zhou might replace Ye Changyuan in the Disaster Reduction Committee, which is part of the civil affairs sector. If Secretary Zhou took the position, given their relationship, they might really lock horns with Zhai Pingqing.

Qin Zhengyang noticed he was a bit distracted: “What are you thinking about?”

Xu Chunliang smiled: “I’m thinking about the land for the hospital; does the city have any new plans for that area, which is why so many are eyeing our new hospital?”

Qin Zhengyang shook his head: “Besides the ongoing negotiations for the China-Korea Industrial Park, there are no major projects.”

“Anyway, I don’t think he’d give up high-return industries to settle for traditional medicine. With fifty billion in his hand, where can’t he invest? Why choose Dongzhou?”

Qin Zhengyang also found it a bit unusual. Dongzhou’s economy in Pinghai isn’t particularly outstanding due to geographic and traditional industry reasons. Although efforts are being made to transition, Dongzhou’s overall medical level ranks within the top three in the province, meaning local hospitals are very competitive. Investing in a hospital in Dongzhou isn’t exactly wise.

At this moment, Li Wenjing returned from shopping. The cold dishes were ready-made, so she put them directly on the table, asked them to enjoy the drinks, and went to the kitchen to prepare a few side dishes.

Qin Zhengyang opened a bottle of Qinghualang Zodiac liquor.

After a couple of drinks, Xu Chunliang continued the earlier topic: “Let’s put the hospital matters aside for now. As the saying goes, let the bullets fly for a while.”

Qin Zhengyang asked: “Do you have other things to do?”

Xu Chunliang talked about Da Heng’s situation. Qin Zhengyang was quite pleased to hear that Blue Star Group was interested in taking over Da Heng’s project. The city no longer held much hope for Da Heng’s Yiyang Hot Spring Town project.

Qin Zhengyang understood Xu Chunliang’s intention: to strike while the iron was hot. But instead of letting Da Heng linger neither dead nor alive, it’s better to find someone to take over. If Blue Star could rejuvenate that land, it would be wonderful for both Weishan Island and Dongzhou.

Regarding Secretary Wang asking him to also oversee command center work, Qin Zhengyang remained cautious. Weishan Island’s national-level tourism resort project was a cultural and tourism priority launched under Secretary Zhou. Although Secretary Wang mentioned it at the time, he hadn’t emphasized it further afterward.

Qin Zhengyang remembered clearly that Secretary Wang intended for him to be nominally in charge, with Xu Chunliang handling actual tasks. Whether Secretary Wang was just saying it casually or he genuinely planned a two-pronged approach, couldn’t be confirmed yet.

Qin Zhengyang said: “I can’t give you an answer on this yet; I need to consult Secretary Wang’s opinion first.”

Xu Chunliang said: “I estimate there won’t be any issues on his end. Qiao Rulong has officially resigned. He was the one who initially proposed the Dongzhou Cultural Lineage project. According to normal procedure, the successor might not continue down his path with the same effort.”

Qin Zhengyang nodded. That’s how it is within the system: when a predecessor leaves, the successor seldom enhances the predecessor’s achievements, and it’s the same abroad. Human nature dictates that no one thinks they’re less capable than others.

Qin Zhengyang said: “You don’t think much of the Dongzhou Cultural Lineage project?”

Xu Chunliang laughed: “Brother, don’t set me up. If this gets to Secretary Wang’s ears, he’d definitely give me a hard time.”

Qin Zhengyang laughed: “You’re so close to him; how could that happen?”

Xu Chunliang said: “Let’s not speculate about the leader’s thoughts.”