Chapter 450 - 385: Young Master Wu! My Mouth Has Always Been Loose, It Needs Sealing

Wang Gang slapped his forehead, pointing at his tanned face and griping, "A true tycoon. Invests tens of millions without ever bothering to take a look. Meanwhile, look at us! Our faces have gotten several shades darker!"

But then Wang Gang changed his tune. "That said, when it comes to construction quality, between us and the supervisors checking everything, there haven’t been any problems at all. Our partnership has been quite pleasant!"

Li Dongliang, on the other hand, sensed the hidden meaning in Wu Yun’s words. "Young Master Wu," he asked, "do you have something else in mind?"

Wu Yun nodded. "Yeah, I’m actually thinking of getting into a high-tech industry. I think new energy vehicles will definitely be the next big thing! So I want to build another big factory."

Wang Gang was stunned. "Young Master Wu! Are you saying you want to develop new energy vehicles!?"

The others stared at him in shock. Getting into the auto industry was a notorious money pit, after all! You only had to look at Lifan. They were doing perfectly well with motorcycles, but the moment they ventured into cars, it dragged their entire enterprise into the ground.

Wu Yun smiled and said, "How could I do that! I just want to build a battery factory—for lithium batteries, and maybe even hydrogen batteries!"

"Either way, I think there’s a lot of potential in this field for the future!"

Li Dongliang asked, "Young Master Wu, how much are you planning to invest? If the investment is large enough, acquiring land won’t be like it was for us, where we had to pull strings."

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Yun said, "I plan to invest at least one billion!"

"COUGH COUGH COUGH—"

Ye Wentao coughed a few times, sputtering out the tea that had gone into his lungs. His face flushed red as he said, "Young Master Wu! Brother! If you’re really going to make an investment that big, just go straight to the local government. They’ll absolutely have people who can get it all handled for you, smooth as silk!"

Li Dongliang added, "That’s right, an investment that large would be welcomed with open arms anywhere! Young Master Wu, are you sure you’re going to invest that much?"

Wu Yun nodded. Ever since deciding to pursue a two-pronged approach, Wu Yun was no longer prepared to wait for their joint environmental company to mature. ’That’s too slow!’

Thanks to the foresight granted by his rebirth, Wu Yun knew a great deal about new energy vehicles. Moreover, since battery range is the core component of any EV, he felt that developing lithium batteries—or even researching hydrogen batteries—held immense potential.

Besides, the high market capitalization of an internet company could evaporate overnight, but building factories and running an industrial enterprise—those were solid, tangible assets!

That was why, a while back, Wu Yun had gone straight to the System’s marketplace and bought all the development data for lithium and hydrogen battery technology for the next ten years, including a full suite of technical documents. It had cost him a cool fifty million.

Furthermore, after meeting his mother and learning about his family’s situation, his resolve to increase his investments had only grown stronger.

"Exactly! My plan is to invest an estimated one billion for the initial factory construction and equipment purchases!" Wu Yun confirmed with a nod.

Li Dongliang and Ye Wentao exchanged a glance. In the end, it was Ye Wentao who spoke up. "Young Master Wu, could you give us an opportunity? Let us make some introductions to our elders for you!"

Neither of them mentioned anything about asking for shares. That would have been absurd. An investment of this magnitude was completely beyond the influence of juniors like them who only engaged in minor ventures. Wu Yun could easily bypass them and approach the local government directly.

Thus, they understood. The fact that Wu Yun had brought this up with them meant he intended to give them an opportunity.

Li Dongliang asked, "Young Master Wu, do you have any specific requirements for the factory site?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Wu Yun replied, "It just needs to have good transportation access! And cheap land would be best! So I’m thinking, let’s put it right here in the Jiqing-Xinglong Industrial Park! After all, I’m already familiar with it. The area is well-connected; aside from not having a railroad, everything else is very convenient!"

At this, Ye Wentao was overjoyed. "Young Master Wu, thank you for supporting my work!" he said with gratitude.

As it turned out, Ye Wentao was currently a mid-level manager in the Kaijiang Investment Promotion Department. He was already on the verge of a promotion, thanks to bringing in Wu Yun and Wang Gang’s joint environmental company on top of his other achievements.

Now, if Wu Yun let him be the one to facilitate this introduction, another step up the ladder was practically guaranteed.

Ye Wentao’s heart swelled with excitement. ’These are my own connections!’ Other than relying on his family to get his foot in the door and join the investment department, he had gotten this far entirely through his own efforts, painstakingly building his personal network.

Wang Gang chimed in with a laugh, "Wentao, that’s not how you do things! You can’t just offer verbal thanks without some practical action!"

As if waking from a daze, Ye Wentao quickly raised his glass. "My thanks, Young Master Wu!"

With that, he downed three glasses in a row!

"Bravo! What a drinker!" Wu Yun said, clapping with a smile. "We’re all friends here. It’s only natural that we help each other out!"

"Eat, everyone, eat! Let’s talk while we eat!" Wang Gang urged. After all, he had organized today’s gathering, so he took it upon himself to play the host.

Wu Yun picked up a palm-length rib. As he took a bite, the fragrant aroma of plantain filled his senses.

"Young Master Wu," Wang Gang asked after swallowing a shrimp, "you asked about the construction quality of Huaxia Industrial Construction Group earlier. Do you want them to handle the construction of the next factory? For an investment this huge, to not go through the bidding process to drive down costs... it would just go to show that you have far too much money!"

Wu Yun nodded, then gave a mysterious smile. "You all remember President Bai from Huaxia Industrial Construction Group, right?"

After hearing this, they all nodded. Li Dongliang asked in surprise, "Why? Does he have really strong connections? Is he forcing you into this decision? If you’re facing some difficulty, you can tell us. I can ask my dad for help."

Wu Yun nodded and said with a resigned air, "He does! His connections are rock-solid. His daughter is my girlfriend!"

"PFFT—"

"PFFT—" Beside him, Cao Junlong and Zhou Cheng sprayed the tea from their mouths!

"Holy shit! Young Master Wu, aren’t Qi Fei and Wen Meng your girlfriends? When did President Bai’s daughter enter the picture?" Wang Gang asked, looking as if he’d discovered a new continent, his expression pure gossip.

"Er... who says you can only have two girlfriends?" Wu Yun asked with a shrug.

The others all gave Wu Yun a thumbs-up. Wang Gang sighed wistfully, "Ah, to be young again! My body can only support me having one girlfriend nowadays."

Cao Junlong smirked. "Brother Gang, you want me to recommend a good traditional Chinese medicine doctor? The results are guaranteed to be amazing!"

Li Dongliang delivered the killing blow, "You’ve tried him, Old Cao? You seem to know all about it!"

"Hahaha!"

Wang Gang didn’t shy away from the topic at all. Instead, he grabbed Cao Junlong and said, "Old Cao, we’re fellow sufferers! Come! Let’s have a drink!"

After the jokes subsided, Wang Gang looked puzzled. "Young Master Wu, last time we had dinner with President Bai, I didn’t get the impression that he knew you."

Wang Gang recalled how Bai Yang had been calling him "President Wu" left and right, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

"He still doesn’t know that his daughter and I are dating. She was my high school classmate!" Wu Yun explained.

Cao Junlong chuckled. "Young Master Wu, if President Bai finds out, I wonder if he’ll murder you! After all, you’ve been taking advantage for so long. Do you think it’s that easy to get one over on your future father-in-law?"

"Hahahaha!"

Wu Yun rubbed his forehead in resignation. "That’s exactly why I want to give the project to my future father-in-law! Otherwise, when he finds out, he’ll probably kick me to the curb!"

Li Qiuliang suppressed a laugh. "Looks like we’re in for a good show tomorrow!"

Wu Yun retorted with a laugh, "All of you had better keep your mouths shut tomorrow!"

Cao Junlong threatened with a grin, "Young Master Wu! I have a very loose tongue. It’ll need to be sealed!"

"That’s right, that’s right! Ours are pretty loose too!"

Thanks to that last topic, the atmosphere at the table remained lively, with Wu Yun as the center of attention.

The conversation once again centered on Wu Yun. It had been a while since they had all gathered, so everyone was curious about his current situation.

And Wu Yun, for his part, naturally revealed a few tidbits, leaving everyone present in a state of constant astonishment.

"Young Master Wu! When are you going to take us for a spin in your private jet, so we can post it on our timelines and show off a little?"