10120 New Urban Farmers Chapter 165: The Final Winner! (Third Update)

Five days later, General Manager Chu, General Manager Zheng, and General Manager Yang came to Bu Men to negotiate with Liu Neng and Zhang Pu.

They didn't expect Liu Neng's company to close down so suddenly, even though it had been an empty shell before. They'd heard it had existed for several years. With the company closing and being deregistered, Liu Neng would lose millions.

But more importantly, the coercion plan of President Chu and others failed before it could even begin.

The news was met with unease first by the smaller mine owners and businessmen. They had been stuck here for half a month without any benefit, and were also at risk of having their capital tied up and their operations stalled.

Because there is only one company in the entire country that buys jade slag, and no other company has been heard of. Once this company stops buying jade slag, the stockpiled jade slag will be worthless, and in fact, it will result in a loss of money. It's not worth it at all.

So some people, instead of just thinking about it, took action and approached Liu Neng again.

Following Zhang Guodong's instructions, Liu Neng told the first group of people who came to the door, "The boss's jade slag purchases are limited and cannot continue indefinitely. So you first group are relatively lucky. The purchase price is still 400 yuan per kilogram. The next batch will only be 300 yuan or even lower!"

The other party's expression changed drastically upon hearing this; the purchase price had dropped so quickly and so drastically. They were all somewhat relieved. Luckily, they had arrived early; otherwise, how much less money would they have made?

There's no need to fight over money!

Besides, the other party can understand why Liu Neng is doing this. There's only one like it in the entire country of China. If you sell the jade slag, that's a lot of money; if you don't, then it really is just a pile of worthless junk, as the other party says.

As soon as the initial message got out, the price indeed increased in the second and even third batches. The price eventually dropped, although it was still high, but the decrease compared to the original purchase price was too large.

But Liu Neng refused to back down.

Now that his company has been deregistered, he has nothing to worry about and is wholeheartedly following Zhang Guodong. Even without a physical company, he can still do investments and such. Besides, illegal businesses can't last long; one wrong move and he could get caught.

He took Zhang Guodong's words to heart. Anyway, this time the Hongtan mine made over 100 million, so losing a few million was acceptable; it would at least cleanse his name completely, and the cost wasn't too high.

In five days, Liu Neng acquired 130 tons of jade slag, which piled up like a small mountain.

Not only was Liu Neng dumbfounded as he stared at the jade slag, but Zhang Guodong was also secretly worried about how Elder Yi could refine hundreds of tons of jade slag by himself. He wanted to refine it according to Elder Yi's best cauldron standards. The amount of jade slag required was astronomical, and he didn't know how much time it would take to refine it.

Zhang Guodong initially thought that extracting a few kilograms of jade essence would be simple, but now he realized that it was no simple matter for Elder Yi to make that medicine furnace; it took him several years to create it.

“You can’t control the price you negotiate. I’ll take your purchase price, which is 330 yuan per kilogram. Whatever you can negotiate down, that’s your profit!” Zhang Guodong said to Liu Neng beside him, watching trucks unloading jade slag at a rented vacant lot in the suburbs. “Also, the Hongtan mine is about to be depleted. Have you decided what kind of business you want to pursue?”

Liu Neng was secretly delighted.

The purchase price of jade scraps is about to break 300, and it's also getting closer to the quantity Zhang Guodong requested, so the price can naturally be pushed down further.

Whatever amount he can squeeze out is his profit. He doesn't mention any contracts; he's just been following Zhang Guodong's lead in this business. This kind of business is stable, with low risk and high profit.

Since they started working together, Zhang Guodong has certainly not treated him unfairly.

"Boss, after we finish acquiring this jade scrap, I'd like to take a break and rest for a while before thinking about it further," Liu Neng said after a moment's thought. "Also, I'd like to go to Xiqin Province with you, Boss."

"Oh? Come with me? Hehe, it's up to you. But I'm not good at business and I don't care much about money. It's fine if you want to come and relax!" Zhang Guodong looked at him in surprise, then smiled.

Doesn't this mean he'll have someone to run errands for him in the future?

"It's alright, I'd also like to visit Xiqin Province," Liu Neng quickly replied.

Just then, Liu Neng's phone rang again.

"Go ahead, I don't need you to accompany me. Besides, if you can get some benefits for Mayor Li, then do so. These people are big spenders; when they gather together, their power is considerable!" Zhang Guodong said with a slight smile. He knew that the representatives of those big jade and merchant groups had probably arrived, but he didn't need to show up again.

They can afford to wait it out, but they can't. In the end, they will have to bow down to themselves.

Liu Neng's negotiations with the other party were difficult and forceful. Liu Neng, holding the upper hand, immediately put pressure on them: "Our boss has already acquired 80% of the jade slag he needs. Once that's enough, we'll stop acquiring more! That means we might stop after acquiring another 100 tons."

This threw President Chu and his team into a panic.

This news from Liu Neng was like sending them into an abyss. What they thought was a long-term source of income was about to be cut off! It had become a one-off deal.

These dozen or so people have stockpiled no less than two hundred tons of jade slag! The reserves of jade slag currently being produced are also nearly three hundred tons. Given time, they could produce even more.

But circumstances are beyond our control, so the extra jade scraps will have to be lost?

"Mr. Liu, everyone knows that integrity is essential in business. Jade slag is a new sales channel. But you say you're only buying 100 tons? Who are you trying to convince? Let your boss come out; we need to have a proper talk!" President Chu said with a gloomy face.

Integrity?

Liu Neng scoffed, feeling much better. The tables had turned; now it was his turn. These people would have to act according to his wishes. "President Chu, esteemed executives," Liu Neng said, shrugging. "Our boss agreed to let me represent him in the negotiations only because of Mayor Li's influence. Otherwise, to be frank, we wouldn't need your support; we could still receive enough goods. You all should understand that. This is what the boss instructed; I'm just a mouthpiece!"

His helpless expression was very convincing. However, those present were all shrewd individuals who would naturally analyze how much of his statement was true and how much was false.

"Then, Mr. Liu, what's your purchase price this time? We have 100 tons!" General Manager Zheng said, frowning.

"General Manager Zheng is generous, but of the 100-ton quota, the other executives only get 50 tons. The remaining 50 tons will be given to those who come later!" Liu Neng said.

"What do you mean, 'you'!"

"I think you should all go back and think about it first. I'll also convey your thoughts to the boss." Ignoring the other party's anger, Liu Neng continued.

"It's good to think about it!" President Chu said first. "Everyone, shall we go?"

President Chu was clearly the representative of this group of about ten people. As soon as he spoke, the others suppressed their anger and left.

"As you all can see, we have to beg Mayor Li, otherwise the jade slag will just rot in our hands!" As the host, President Chu said this upon returning to his room at the Grand Fortune Hotel.

"Will it be useful?" some people worry.

"I think it might work. Liu Neng said that acquiring 100 tons might stop, but he didn't completely rule it out!" General Manager Yang interjected with a wry smile. "Moreover, the other party's background is very mysterious. Perhaps only connections at a higher level would be effective. Mayor Li's appearance was to attract investment, and the other party's actions indicate that they have connections with Mayor Li. Now, we are faced with either losing several hundred million or tens of millions, or begging Mayor Li to at least recover our losses and make a small profit. A small profit? How much can that be?" Everyone was very unwilling.

After spending twenty days in Du Ruo, they were only making a small profit, which was indeed hard for them to accept. But perhaps this was the best possible outcome?

"Actually, there's another option. If we invest in Chengdu, we might be able to turn a bad situation into a good one! Overall, Chengdu's investment environment is quite good, and the investment projects are also very good. Moreover, there are government tax incentives and the returns are very high. Of course, the returns will take two to three years, which is a medium-term investment, but it is relatively stable and has a high rate of return," Mr. Yang added.

Mr. Chu and his team had reviewed the investment project, but they hadn't conducted any in-depth investigation.

"Mr. Yang, do you agree to our investment here?" Mr. Chu asked, looking at him meaningfully.

"I'm just saying whether you invest or not has nothing to do with me, Mr. Chu. Don't forget I also have tens of millions of yuan worth of jade scraps waiting to be sold," Mr. Yang said, his expression slightly changing.

"I can also tell you that the money I plan to invest here will rust in the bank, and I don't want to lose millions of jade scraps and then lose even more!"

Mr. Yang was furious, but his words truly resonated with everyone.

"Alright, this is just a casual remark. Everyone, please rest for the night and think it over carefully. We'll vote tomorrow morning to make a decision. I hope everyone will reach a consensus by then!" President Chu nodded, then frowned as he saw that the others seemed somewhat interested.

As soon as Mr. Yang and the others left, Mr. Zheng said angrily, "I think Mr. Yang has been bribed!"

President Chu glanced at him and said calmly, "Whether we bribe him or not, it seems we have no other choice now. He's right. We either have to cut our losses and lose tens of millions while losing some money, or we can recoup our losses and invest in Sichuan, turning a bad situation into a good one!"

"You figured it out too? That bastard actually colluded with Liu Neng!" President Zheng said angrily.

"So what if they see it? Who hasn't seen it? But do we have a choice right now?" President Chu said helplessly.

But that's ultimately humiliating. Mr. Zheng said, "So you've decided to go and make connections with that executive vice mayor tomorrow?"

President Chu remained silent.

On the other side, Zhang Guodong called Li Daolin to congratulate him, saying, "Congratulations, Brother Li!"

Li Daolin was indeed busy, but in a good mood. These jade merchants were indeed wealthy and had great investment potential to be tapped. In twenty days, he finalized an investment of 600 million yuan. Although it was very different from a formal large-scale investment promotion conference, seizing this chance opportunity and managing to raise 500 million yuan was a remarkable achievement.

He has indeed owed Zhang Guodong another great favor in this matter, and now he can never repay Zhang Guodong's debt of gratitude.

"Guodong, thanks to you this time, we've raised almost 500 million yuan. We can finally give the Party Secretary and the Mayor an explanation!" Li Daolin said with a smile.

She seemed to be in a good mood.

"Brother Li, I'm giving you a heads-up. There might be another group of people coming to see you tomorrow. These people are all incredibly wealthy, each one worth ten. If you can get some extra money, it's entirely possible for you to raise a billion dollars."

"Oh?" Li Daolin asked in surprise. "You can even attract 400 million in investment?"

Note: Third update! The amount of jade slag consumed by the Great Medicine Cauldron is extremely large, so the Heavenly Dao has created many people, but this is necessary. Also, let me clarify that the protagonist does not intend to abandon the company or become a businessman. This is only necessary for the sake of the Great Medicine Cauldron.

As you might be able to tell, the Heavenly Dao is completing its third volume and then starting a new one.

Hopefully, Volume 4 will be better. Some issues in Volume 3 can also be corrected.