Chapter 148 - 106: Zhao Neng: President Zhang, I Beg You, Just Acquire Us

Chapter 148: Chapter 106: Zhao Neng: President Zhang, I Beg You, Just Acquire Us

However, it was clear that the man was extremely dejected and looked terrible.

"President Zhang, I’m sure you recognize this gentleman!" Liu County said with a smile as he entered Zhang Lin’s office.

Zhang Lin looked at Zhao Neng and said with a wide grin, "Of course I recognize him. Isn’t this President Zhao of Kailin Investment? At the business conference, President Zhao even went out of his way to offer me his guidance. I learned so much from it!"

"..." Hearing this, Zhao Neng felt his cheeks twitch.

’Wasn’t this a slap in the face?’

Back then, he had spoken so arrogantly, thinking victory was in his grasp and that he could easily crush his opponent. Who would have thought he’d be the one to be so thoroughly defeated? And now, he had to come here, completely humiliated.

However, he wasn’t in the mood to argue. He just said dejectedly, "President Zhang, I know when I’m beaten. I’m here to surrender. My company contracted 40,000 mu of land for 60 million in rent. We invested 75 million in the campground, with a base cost of over 50 million, and 25 million in the Flower Sea, with a base cost of 20 million. I hope President Zhang can acquire these properties!"

Zhang Lin looked at Zhao Neng as if he were an idiot. "President Zhao, when did we ever make a bet? What’s all this talk about surrendering? And besides, these properties are useless to me. Your campground is a pile of shit. How am I supposed to operate that? And your Flower Sea is another pile of shit. The best I could do is open it to tourists for free, and even then, I doubt anyone would pay to see it. As for the land, Li Yuan Farm can’t use that much right now."

These words made Zhao Neng furious.

’After all, he had poured a lot of effort into building them.’

Even Liu County thought Zhao Neng was being a bit of an idiot. He reminded him, "President Zhao, if you’re here to negotiate in good faith, then let’s talk business sincerely. If not, I’m heading back. After all, I’m only here on behalf of the Secretary."

Hearing this, Zhao Neng sighed. ’Couldn’t my brother-in-law’s uncle come? No, he couldn’t make it. He was busy dealing with people from Ming City.’

’If I don’t handle this properly, I’m going to be in deep trouble later, especially since my other businesses are all in You City.’

"President Zhang, how about a steep discount... 65 million!" Zhao Neng finally gritted his teeth and named a price. ’Even if he belittles my campground and Flower Sea, I can’t go any lower.’

Zhang Lin waved his hand dismissively. "President Zhao, you don’t seem to have heard me. Your properties are useless to me. 40,000 mu of land? How long would it take me to develop all that? Am I supposed to acquire it just to let it sit there and burn money on rent? You can handle that kind of business yourself, President Zhao!"

Hearing this, Zhao Neng’s expression turned incredibly grim.

But he had no way to refute it. ’If things weren’t so dire, why would I be putting myself through this?’

At this point, Liu County interjected with a placating smile, "President Zhang, President Zhao, how about this? If President Zhang takes over the lease, the county will provide support by waiving the rent for one year. And President Zhao, perhaps you could also take another step back. What do you say?"

The last part of his question was delivered in a flat, non-negotiable tone.

Zhao Neng’s brow furrowed instantly.

He knew exactly what that meant. Gritting his teeth again, he said, "40 million! I can’t go any lower!"

million really wasn’t expensive. For all that land Kailin Investment had, plus two projects, it was a bargain.

’Although the campground and Flower Sea were useless in Kailin Investment’s hands, it would be a different story in mine. I can build a path to connect them to my farm. I could immediately divide the campground into premium and standard sections, raise the price for the new Flower Sea, and offer a 50-yuan combo ticket to see both my Flower Sea and theirs.’

’It would be a booming success.’

So, he smiled and said, "President Zhao, out of respect for Liu County, I can acquire these properties. However, my farm’s account doesn’t have enough cash on hand. You’ll have to give me about ten days to raise the funds!"

Zhao Neng nearly ground his teeth to dust. ’F*ck! If I could wait ten days, would I be forced to take such a massive loss?’

’The deal has to be done today.’

He could only say again, helplessly, "President Zhang can sign a promissory note. You can make the payment later when your funds are more liquid!"

’This is completely outrageous!’

’I’m already selling it for nothing, and he won’t even pay in full. The worst part is, I’m the one who has to be all meek and accommodating.’

’Fuck!’

"Then we’ll do as President Zhao says," Zhang Lin said, beaming.

After that, things moved quickly. With the county acting as guarantor, Li Yuan Farm and Kailin Investment signed the relevant contracts at top speed. Li Yuan Farm would pay 20 million upfront and owe another 20 million for the acquisition of Kailin Investment’s campground, Flower Sea, and the lease for the 40,000 mu of land.

After signing the contract, Zhao Neng left without saying a single word.

He felt that if he said another word, he might actually spit up blood. His heart was bleeding.

After Zhao Neng left, Liu County said with a smile, "President Zhang, now that you’ve taken over the campground and the Flower Sea, you need to take good care of those 200-plus employees. Their salaries, of course, should match those at your farm."

This was his primary concern.

After all, over 200 jobs were at stake.

Zhang Lin smiled. "Don’t worry, Liu County. Having a ready-made staff saves us a lot of trouble!"

"Then you won’t need to limit the number of tourists, right?" Liu County added.

"I think we can start accepting 15,000 tourists a day starting tomorrow," Zhang Lin replied, giving his assurance.

By adding a campground and another Flower Sea, accommodating an extra 5,000 tourists would be no problem at all.

Liu County was very satisfied with the outcome. At the cost of sacrificing one man’s interests—Zhao Neng’s—the troubles facing You City were resolved. The Secretary would get through this crisis unscathed and wouldn’t interfere in these matters again. Li Yuan Farm had profited immensely from the deal, expanding its operations and increasing its daily tourist capacity from 10,000 to 15,000.

To put that in perspective, all of You City’s scenic areas combined had an average of only 20,000 visitors per day last year.

In other words, Li Yuan Farm alone was about to match the capacity of all of You City’s other attractions combined.

After seeing Liu County off, Zhang Lin immediately called Lin Mengyao and his team for a meeting. Now that they had taken this huge bite out of Kailin Investment, it was time to make the necessary arrangements.