Chapter 284 - 279: The Difference Between Industry and the Internet, the Qi Family’s Father-in-law Makes a Grand Entrance

Wu Yun shook his head. "Li Dongliang called me today."

Wu Yun only said that one sentence, but Wang Hai understood and didn’t bring up the matter again. Instead, he asked with great curiosity, "President Wu, how many people does your Little Red Car Company have?! I reckon its valuation will soon be on par with Old Mao’s company!"

Hearing the question, Wu Yun pretended to ponder and calculate. His mind, however, was focused on the system panel, where the total number of employees for the Little Red Car Company was displayed at a glance. Including the informal street promotion staff, the company’s nationwide headcount had just barely broken 1,000.

"We only have seven to eight hundred official employees."

Liu Shengbo and Mao Fei exclaimed in amazement, "That’s all?!"

Wang Hai turned to Mao Fei and asked, "Old Mao, how many people does Long Mang have in total this year?"

Mao Fei thought for a moment. "This year, our numbers have surpassed 8,000!"

"Based on Long Mang’s stock price today, the entire Long Mang Group’s market cap should be around 12.5 billion." The Sichuan Long Mang is a publicly listed company, so its stock information was easy to look up.

The contrast between traditional industry and the internet was immediately apparent. Wu Yun understood why Wang Hai had deliberately brought up this topic.

"But these internet companies have much better conditions for development! They’re all in big cities, unlike us, who are either in the deep mountains and old forests or in remote areas," Liu Shengbo said with a smile.

Wang Hai joked, "Old Liu! You want to open your factories in the big cities? The higher-ups would probably have your head on the same day!"

"Uncle Wang! You guys in traditional industries must get a lot of perks, right? Could you tell me about them? After all, I’ve got one foot in this circle now!" Wu Yun was very curious. He had only ever read online that for people of the same net worth, a tycoon in traditional industry held a much higher status than an internet tycoon.

After the comparison they had just made, Wu Yun was starting to understand some of the reasons why.

Just then, a waiter brought a cup of hot tea for Wu Yun, who smiled and said, "Thank you."

Wang Hai had a very good impression of Wu Yun, not only because Wu Yun was his son’s friend, but also because of his humble and steady demeanor.

"Alright, I’ll lay it out for you."

"First of all, when we build a factory, we definitely need to buy or lease land. That directly increases the local government’s fiscal revenue. During construction, any materials that can be sourced locally are definitely purchased locally. This indirectly boosts the local GDP."

"After the factory is built, besides technical positions, there are also a large number of regular jobs, which solves a major part of the local employment problem! When people’s incomes rise, local consumption is also stimulated."

"This creates a virtuous cycle. So, tell me, would the local government welcome us or not?"

Seeing Wu Yun nod, Wang Hai continued, "Every region has its own policies. There are tax exemptions and subsidies, all sorts of things. Generally speaking, it’s all to attract us to set up factories."

"Our chemical plants are part of a relatively high-pollution industry, so they can only be located in remote areas or on the outskirts of cities. These places usually don’t have high fiscal revenues, so they try all sorts of methods to attract investment."

Wang Hai glanced left and right, then lowered his voice. "So, if anyone tries to touch people like us, the local authorities will be the first to object! Of course, that’s on the condition that we abide by the law. We can’t be like Liu Han and act with complete disregard for it."

"As major local taxpayers and pillars of industry, we are very welcome there."

Liu Shengbo, sitting beside them, chimed in, "But it’s undeniable that the internet makes money fast! President Wu, your idea of walking on two legs is a good one! If it weren’t for us old folks not understanding the internet, we’d also want to try and get a piece of the pie."

"Haha! President Wu, if you have a good project that’s short on funds, give us a call. We’re investors too, you know!" Wang Hai said with a loud laugh.

Just as the four of them were chatting, a group of people arrived at the entrance. Leading them were a handsome, middle-aged man with a scholarly air and a plain-looking, slightly chubby middle-aged man.

"President Qi! Old Zhang! This way, please!"

After the two sat down, their entourages were led to designated seats.

"Old Zhang! I never thought—what a coincidence! I can’t believe you had time to come today. In past years, weren’t you always out chasing down payments?" The handsome middle-aged man was none other than Qi Guo, who asked with a chuckle.

The man called Old Zhang replied with a smile, "Business was decent this year. All the clients paid their installments on time! At least I can have a good New Year this time, without worrying about people showing up at my door!"

Qi Guo had been in an excellent mood lately, not only because the hot sales of his real estate development had sent his net worth soaring, but also for another reason.

Zhang Fan, who knew Qi Guo fairly well, naturally understood some of the reasons. "Old Qi, from the looks of it, you must have made a killing on that last project!"

Qi Guo waved it off with a laugh. "It was alright! But no matter how much I earn, I can’t compete with my daughter!"

Qi Guo didn’t want to discuss his business too much with Old Zhang. If he accidentally let something slip and others found out about his plans, he’d never have a moment’s peace.

It just so happened that Old Zhang also had a daughter, so he took the opportunity to show off a little.

"Oh? What did your Feifei do? Did she earn a few hundred million or something?" Zhang Fan asked, his face a mask of astonishment.

"She found a great boyfriend, that’s what!"

Qi Guo was extremely satisfied with Wu Yun, not just because of Wu Yun’s own abilities, but also because of his attitude toward Qi Fei.

Although they had never met, in Qi Guo’s heart, he already considered Wu Yun his son-in-law.

Zhang Fan was rather surprised. He knew how much Qi Guo doted on his ethereal daughter. Many who had come knocking, hoping to arrange marriages and become in-laws, were all rejected by Qi Guo, with no exceptions made even for close friends and relatives.

Zhang Fan’s daughter was the same age as Qi Fei, but the gap between them was just too vast. Sometimes, Zhang Fan even resented his own genes for not passing down a beautiful face to his daughter.

"Whose young master is your Feifei’s boyfriend? By the looks of it, Old Qi, you’re very satisfied!" Zhang Fan asked.

Qi Guo chuckled. "I hear from Qi Fei that he’s a self-made entrepreneur. But from what I know, Feifei’s partner’s net worth has already far surpassed the two of us combined!"

Then, Qi Guo briefly introduced Wu Yun, making Zhang Fan’s eyes turn red with envy.

"What about your daughter!?"

Hearing Qi Guo’s question, Zhang Fan’s face filled with disgust. "Ugh, don’t even ask! She recently found a boyfriend from an ordinary family. And fine, ordinary is one thing, but he’s studying civil engineering! How much can you possibly achieve in the future with that!?"

"You and I are both veterans of the industry. We know that after graduation, even if you struggle for ten years and manage to become a project manager for a large-scale project, how much is your annual salary? You’re still just a high-level wage earner!"

"Even if he strikes out on his own, without capital, how many projects would it take to make a qualitative leap?! Is my daughter supposed to just suffer with him? Is she going to be sitting at home all day, living like a widow? You know what those guys on the project sites are like, don’t you?"

Although Qi Guo felt that Zhang Fan was just looking down on the boy, he knew he would have thought the same way in his position. So, he nodded in agreement. "Old Zhang, what are you planning to do then?"

Zhang Fan grinned. "While they haven’t been dating for long! I’ve arranged a blind date for my daughter! Now this is a match where I’m the one marrying up!"

As soon as Zhang Fan finished speaking, he saw Qi Guo staring blankly at a booth in the main hall.