Chapter 264 I'm Doing This for Your Own Good: Defeating Them One by One

The door of the black Volga opened, and bodyguards carried the wheelchair out of the car.

In the dead of winter, when everyone was speaking with their backs to the wind to avoid getting a belly full of cold air, everyone gasped in surprise at the sight of this.

Good heavens, even the mournful-looking President Zhou was speechless, utterly dumbfounded. He stretched out his hand, unsure where to point, and stammered, "President...President Wang, what's this?"

Wang Xiao sighed: "Sigh, we were caught in a plane crash and buried in the snowy mountains of Greece for two days. Luckily, we survived and only lost a leg."

Here it comes again.

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao took a deep breath.

A broken leg, on most people, is like an Achilles' heel, a fatal weakness. But on the boss, it's a powerful weapon.

Mr. Zhou's chest, which had been held high with righteous indignation, inexplicably slumped halfway down, and he could only say guiltily, "Oh dear, we didn't know anything about this."

If he had received prior notice, he wouldn't have been so loud just now, acting as if he was deliberately bullying a female comrade.

Wang Xiao smiled slightly: "I'm sorry, I should have gotten out of the car to greet the leaders and General Manager Zhao, but I'm really having trouble moving around. Where would be a good place for us to talk?"

Mr. Zhou said modestly, "You're too kind, please go—"

He looked back, his gaze finally settling on the machinery factory's office building. He composed himself and said, "Let's talk at the machinery factory; it's their land anyway."

Wang Xiao nodded slightly and said softly, "Okay."

Well, to put it another way, it means, "I grant your permission."

Fortunately, Mr. Zhou wasn't that sensitive. He voluntarily followed behind the wheelchair and didn't feel like he was a follower.

As a gay man, it's only right that he protects his female comrades.

Unfortunately, Boss Zhao didn't have his good attitude; his face was as dark as if a storm was brewing. The ice shards under his feet crunched loudly.

He followed Wang Xiao to the meeting room on the first floor of the machinery factory's office building, his mood low, but Wang Xiao wouldn't let him in: "President Zhao, may I talk to President Zhou first?"

Mr. Zhao wanted to disregard gentlemanly manners and refuse outright, but the workers from the machine factory had already caught up with him.

They were all arrogant and domineering, treating him like a class enemy: "Let General Manager Zhou in. Boss Wang, you talk to him."

As they spoke, hundreds of eyes stared at Boss Zhao, as if they would tear him apart if he dared to disagree.

"Alright! What's all this commotion about!" The factory manager's face was no better than the darkening sky. "I think you're all getting too ambitious!"

He only showed a slight smile when he turned to Boss Zhao.

To be fair, he preferred to sell the old factory site to Boss Zhao, for no other reason than that he had a strong aversion to speculators.

That's right. No matter how many accolades this General Manager Wang has, in the eyes of the factory director, she's just a pushover.

Who would become a middleman? Ha, either thugs or drifters. Any decent person wouldn't go into this line of work.

It's this group of people who have turned a perfectly good market into a mess.

Without them, how could the machinery factory possibly have trouble selling its products? In the past, purchasing agents would line up at their factory gate, begging to pick up their goods.

This Mr. Wang, in particular, is even more despicable. He has the factory workers completely bewitched, and they are obsessed with going abroad.

The factory manager was thoroughly annoyed by this man, so he found the Singaporean tycoon particularly agreeable: "Mr. Zhao, come in and have a cup of tea. Don't worry, we won't be easily swayed. I won't, and Mr. Zhou certainly won't!"

Unfortunately, once President Zhou entered the meeting room, he didn't have such strong confidence.

From the moment he entered the house, he kept reminding himself not to be fooled and to make sure that he could keep the fifty acres of land belonging to Boss Zhao's machinery factory.

Unexpectedly, Wang Xiao, who had stopped using his wheelchair, didn't mention it at all. He simply nodded and gestured to the head of the development company: "President Zhou, let's talk here. Xiao Gao, get a cup of tea."

Well, they've turned the tables on us.

Mr. Zhou didn't bother arguing with the woman and immediately stated his position: "Mr. Wang, you really can't be so selfish."

Wang Xiao slightly raised her hand, resting her elbow on the armrest of the wheelchair, and smiled gently: "President Zhou, Yuntai District has a very glorious history."

Mr. Zhou was completely baffled, unable to figure out what she was up to, and could only casually agree, "That's right."

Yang Tao immediately chimed in: "Yuntai District has an excellent geographical location, known as a land port. While Haidian and Chaoyang were still wastelands, Yuntai was already full of machinery factories, timber factories, cotton spinning and electrical appliance factories, and oil nozzle and pump factories. In the 1950s and 60s, all the best engineers in Beijing flocked to Yuntai."

As she spoke, she took out some data to show President Zhou, “Look, from 1958 to 1980, Yuntai’s industrial output value accounted for 42% of Beijing’s at its peak!”

President Zhou's rhythm was immediately disrupted.

He didn't understand why Boss Wang was talking to her subordinates about Yuntai's glorious achievements.

But the person was praising Yuntai. As a native of Yuntai, he couldn't very well glare at them.

Moreover, he is indeed quite proud.

"That's right, Yuntai was developed quite early, and everyone wants to come to Yuntai."

He felt this was a good opportunity and quickly seized the chance to emphasize, "So you can't be so selfish and try to take all the land at once. Good things are something everyone wants."

Wang Xiao chuckled softly: "I think Yuntai, like Shanghai Puxi, has a very good foundation and its ancestors were wealthy."

Mr. Zhou was initially smiling, but when he heard the phrase "his ancestors were wealthy," he felt a little uncomfortable.

"What, you mean we don't feel bad about selling our ancestors' land? We're just following national policy."

"No, no, no." Wang Xiao waved his hand. "You misunderstood. What I mean is, it's precisely because it's developed so well that the country can only develop Pudong when it wants to implement the Yangtze River Delta economic strategy."

Mr. Zhou was stunned by her words and subconsciously said, "That's because Puxi has already..."

The words "That's enough" were on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't get them out.

What does "good enough" mean? Does it mean there's no room for further development?

Thinking of this, he felt a chill run down his spine, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

As the head of the Yuntai District Development Company, he certainly wouldn't be so narrow-minded as to think that Puxi is a world-class city.

Not to mention distant places, even nearby Tokyo and Shanghai are decades ahead of it.

Is this considered good enough?

However, Puxi, which was far from being world-class, was easily overtaken when the central government launched the development of Shanghai, and the opportunity fell to Pudong.

So when will we have another such good opportunity, and will it fall to Puxi again?

Wang Xiao, however, seemed oblivious to his astonishment, nodded, and finished his sentence: "It's just too good to be true. It's all factories and residential areas. If you want to develop new industries, with so many factories and so many people, where are you going to relocate them?"

"Relocation is too costly and troublesome. It's better to find a place in the suburbs nearby. There is plenty of open space in the countryside. Only with open space can we have room to operate and develop new industries."

“Pudong is like this, Suzhou Industrial Park is like this, and I originally thought that Yuntai District had the same plan.”

After regaining his composure, President Zhou immediately emphasized, "Yes, that's our plan: to vacate the old factory buildings and build hotels, develop the tertiary industry, and transform the business."

Wang Xiao chuckled softly: "Forgive my ignorance, but this is the first time I've heard of a hotel being able to drive the development of a regional industrial chain."

Mr. Zhou retorted instinctively, "Then if you build an electronics city, it won't necessarily affect the economy of the entire district."

“Why not?” Wang Xiao said seriously. “The Fairchild Semiconductor Company, founded by the Eight Outstanding Geniuses, has provided Silicon Valley with so many talents. Why can’t my R&D center be Fairchild Semiconductor? And why can’t Yuntai District be the next Silicon Valley?”

Mr. Zhou was stunned. He had no idea who the Eight Traitors were, and he had never heard of Fairchild Semiconductor Company.

Fortunately, he knew about Silicon Valley and could find something to refute Wang Xiao: "Alright, what Silicon Valley? If there really is a Silicon Valley, our China's Silicon Valley is in Zhongguancun!"

As it turned out, Yang Tao was young and inexperienced, and she actually burst out laughing when she heard the sound.

She covered her mouth, waving her hands frantically, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just—"

She laughed even harder. "Zhongguancun is just a vegetable market. What does it have to do with Silicon Valley?"

Even though Zhongguancun has nothing to do with Yuntai District, nor with Mr. Zhou's personal life, Mr. Zhou still frowned and said, "Comrade, what you said is inappropriate. Zhongguancun is the leading city in the computer industry. How did it become a vegetable market?"

Yang Tao suppressed a laugh, took out an electronic newsletter from her briefcase, pushed it in front of President Zhou, and said, "Look at this."

What to look at? Look at the data given by the Electronic News in January of this year: "There are currently 1,480 technology companies in Zhongguancun, of which 58% are trading companies with registered capital of less than 500,000 yuan and no independent products, and less than 200 have real R&D capabilities."

Before Mr. Zhou could finish reading and comment, Yang Tao added insult to injury: "Mr. Zhou, the speed at which a computer can be assembled in Zhongguancun is faster than slicing mutton at Donglaishun, but the CPU is Intel, the memory is Samsung, and even the case screws are made in Dongguan—is this what you call Silicon Valley? I doubt Silicon Valley in the US would want this dog in sheep's clothing."

Just kidding.

From the moment the former factory workers from those 200 acres of land approached her, she had been waiting for the day when she would have to confront General Manager Zhou head-on.

She went to great lengths to obtain these materials.

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao gasped inwardly. Good heavens, Yang Tao's mouth is three-tenths as good as the boss's!

Indeed, a scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation.

But Yang Tao wasn't finished yet, and continued to belittle her opponent: "Last year, Sitong still had to use the Japanese Brother movement for its typewriters—Mr. Zhou, tell me, is that real technology or just foreign comprador work? And this is Silicon Valley?"

She then unleashed her ultimate weapon, presenting data directly to the public: "The average R&D investment ratio of Zhongguancun enterprises is less than 3%, while that of Hsinchu Science Park reached 12% during the same period. Even if they are not shell companies, what core businesses do legitimate companies in Zhongguancun have besides electronics markets and agency trading? Only three cents out of ten dollars are used effectively. Silicon Valley does not do business this way."

Mr. Zhou was a complete novice in the electronics industry. He was overwhelmed by the barrage of data and rapid-fire statements, and even blurted out, "You mean, if Zhongguancun can't become Silicon Valley, then our Gimbal can?"

Good heavens! With the windows closed, he was afraid the northwest wind outside would be too strong and cause him to lose his tongue.

Wang Xiao nodded firmly: "Of course."

With a flick of her wrist, Yang Tao quickly spread out a map of Yuntai District.

"Look at this, Yuntai District has a solid foundation for the electronics industry. In the 1950s, Yuntai built a military electronics factory. In the past two years, due to the military-to-civilian conversion, the electronics factory has had a tough time. However, with our R&D center in place, putting everything else aside, how could the electronics factory possibly fail to survive?"

"The electronics factory is just the beginning. Starting with the electronics factory, other supporting enterprises will follow suit."

"What is Silicon Valley? It is having its own R&D that makes it Silicon Valley. It is being able to form a matrix of industries that makes it Silicon Valley."

Mr. Zhou's heart started racing.

Only those who lived through the 1980s and 90s can understand the magic of "high technology" in this era.

Otherwise, Shen Taifu would not have been able to easily raise 1 billion yuan illegally in just six months by relying on the "internal feedback controllable silicon cascade speed controller".

It's worth noting that in 1993, when his case occurred, the total issuance of corporate bonds nationwide was only 2.006 billion yuan.

Now, President Zhou has drunk the potion of "China Silicon Valley," and he's completely dizzy, with his ambition growing wildly.

The 20-square-meter room was still too small. It was stuffy from the heat of the three cast-iron radiators. He also complained that the heat made his mouth dry and his blood churning. He subconsciously loosened the tie inside his jacket.

But he was not a greenhorn; he was a worldly man.

He immediately grasped the key point: "Zhongguancun has a greater advantage than us in developing the electronics industry. They have everything readily available; they can start R&D as soon as they turn a corner."

"But they won't change course because quick money is too easy to make."

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "I know you look down on speculators and think they're just buying and selling during a period of social transition."

"Hey, hey, hey—" President Zhou stubbornly denied it, "That's not true, I..."

“No.” Wang Xiao shook his head. “What I mean is that people who have been doing buying and selling for a long time find it difficult to settle down and run a business and engage in production themselves.”

“I spend 40 yuan to produce the same product and sell it for 50 yuan. It takes both mental and physical effort.”

"But if I spend 40 yuan to buy the goods and sell them for 50 yuan, wouldn't that be much easier?"

“That’s how Zhongguancun is now. It’s used to making quick money. If it wants to change, it’s like Puxi wanting to develop new industries, but it has to be completely overhauled, with the entire city being demolished and rebuilt. The cost is too high. It’s better to just use land in Pudong.”

Mr. Zhou felt like he had been led back to square one: "Didn't you say that our Yuntai District is like Puxi in Shanghai?"

“That was true before, but now Yuntai’s factory is being relocated,” Wang Xiao said earnestly. “While the land is now available, we should immediately develop emerging electronic industries and achieve industrial transformation. I dare to make a bold prediction: this is Yuntai’s best opportunity, and perhaps its only one for the next thirty or forty years. If we miss this chance, it will be completely marginalized and will never recover.”

She wasn't exaggerating.

Thirty years later, no, twenty years later, the Yuntai will no longer be a top choice in Beijing.

Wang Xiao pointed at the map: "Now that I've acquired the land in Yuntai, I definitely want Yuntai to thrive so that everyone can make money together."

For a moment, President Zhou felt a strange sensation. Was she a cadre from Yuntai District, or was he?

How come her planning for the gimbal is even more detailed than his?

But the strange feeling quickly vanished, because his blood was boiling.

Now that he's middle-aged, he never imagined he'd have such a passionate moment. China's Silicon Valley, the real Silicon Valley.

Suddenly, snow fell from a withered branch outside the window, creating a small dent on the dusty windowsill, startling Mr. Zhou and bringing him back to his senses.

He desperately told himself to stay calm, he had to stay calm.

He strategically reached for his cigarette case in his pocket, but upon glancing at the woman opposite him, he realized it wasn't appropriate to smoke.

So he had no choice but to take a sip of tea. Although his tongue was a little slurred, he still pointed out the key point: "This won't work. You need to move from two sectors to three. There are instructions from above. The third sector is the tertiary industry. Others can run hotels, but you can't."

Wang Xiao didn't even need to make a move; Yang Tao had already produced the official government document—the "Decision on Adjusting the Industrial Layout of Urban Areas" issued by Beijing Municipality last year.

She pointed to the third point and emphasized: "We encourage the use of idle factory buildings to build high-tech research and development institutions, and our research center fits the bill perfectly."

The wooden door to the reception room was fitted with frosted glass, and the inside of the glass was covered with water droplets due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside, vaguely revealing the dark shadows of people moving inside.

The metal hinges creaked dryly as the door was pushed open.

Almost at the same time the door opened, Boss Zhao rushed out of the factory manager's office, staring intently into Boss Zhou's eyes.

The latter subconsciously shifted his gaze to Wang Xiao.

Seeing this, Boss Zhao's heart sank, and he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Wang Xiao nodded reassuringly to President Zhou, indicating that he would take care of it.

She dragged President Zhou into cheating on Boss Zhao, and if she doesn't do a good job of comforting him, then she's really a scoundrel.

So Wang Xiao extended his hand to Boss Zhao, nodded slightly, and smiled: "Boss Zhao, let's talk."

Boss Zhao's face turned ashen, and he turned to leave in a huff.

But Wang Xiao firmly controlled him with one sentence: "Let's talk about how to build the hotel."

Mr. Zhao was finally losing his temper and turned around to sneer, "You even have a hotel?"

Wang Xiao nodded slightly: "Of course, if you wish, you can have more than one hotel."

As she spoke, she raised her hand, making an inviting gesture.

Mr. Zhao wouldn't be intimidated by a young girl like her. He walked towards the reception room, and when he sat down on the sofa, he looked at Wang Xiao suspiciously: "More than one hotel? Could it be that Mr. Wang is planning to give up a few more factory buildings? No need for that, I'm not that greedy."

Tsk tsk, who says men aren't petty? He's a big boss who spends tens of millions of dollars, and look at him, he's making crickets in front of everyone.

Fortunately, Wang Xiao was magnanimous and didn't hold it against him. Instead, she was quite concerned about whether the other person's money was wasted: "Actually, I've never understood why you chose to build a hotel in the Second Ring Road?"

Boss Zhao's expression changed drastically: "What do you mean?"

Yang Tao pulled out the yellowed document and flicked the red header of "City Planning and Construction Document [1992] No. 118" with her fingertip, making the paper make a crisp sound.

"Look at this written agreement, even erecting a flagpole inside the Second Ring Road requires a report. What can 30 meters do?" She suddenly imitated the sweet, cloying tone of a real estate agent. "Ten-story view suites, with a view of the boiler room's massive chimney right outside your door, how impressive!"

Wang Xiao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This girl actually has this trick up her sleeve.

She cleared her throat and put on a serious expression: "I just think 10 stories is too short. Let's not talk about making it a landmark in Beijing, but it shouldn't be the standard that a high-end star-rated hotel should have."

Mr. Zhao composed himself and said, "You don't need to worry about that. How the hotel is built is my business."

Wang Xiao shook his head: "I suggest you don't try to use connections to break through the height restrictions. Let me put it this way, when it comes to connections in Beijing, I probably have just as many as you do. But this matter is truly unmanageable. Who's going to guarantee anything to you right now? You'd better be careful, lest you end up throwing money in only to have the hotel construction halted halfway through. By the way, who's your partner?"

The 40-watt incandescent light bulb hanging from the ceiling had blackened ends, casting a fence-like shadow on the coffee table and making Mr. Zhao's face appear half-lit and half-shadowed. He subconsciously denied it: "I don't have any partners."

“Impossible!” Wang Xiao shook his head decisively. “For hotels catering to foreigners, in Beijing, Chinese capital must hold at least 51% of the shares. Without a Chinese partner, you simply cannot complete the necessary procedures.”

Mr. Zhao revealed a mocking expression: "What? Mr. Wang is planning to become my partner?"

Ha, so after all that, you just wanted to steal food from his bowl!

She actually dared to nod shamelessly!

Wang Xiao nodded, but then emphasized, "Yes, but not in Beijing, but in Pudong. Because I think building a hotel in Pudong would be more profitable."

"Shanghai, in modern history, has always been the economic center of China, which is different from Beijing's positioning. Suzhou, which is now the Suzhou where Singapore has invested in building an industrial park, sees itself as Shanghai's backyard."

"For high-end hotels to do well, in China today, high-level business people are the main customers, and the customer base will be more stable."

"Moreover, there are no height restrictions when investing in and building hotels in Pudong. You can build as many floors as you want."

"Furthermore, Pudong is currently China's open experimental zone, with the fewest restrictions in all aspects."

Mr. Zhao suddenly interrupted her: "I don't need you as a partner."

Wang Xiao laughed, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair: "Two things. First, I'm going to use 50 acres of land to build your hotel, which is mine. Second, I have 3,000 acres of land in Pudong, 1,500 acres of which I got from a company in Canada."

Boss Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly.

He believed that he could get the 50 mu of land if he went to Pudong with real money.

But the problem is with this Ms. Wang in front of me. She claims to own 3,000 mu of land, and 1,500 mu of it was acquired from Canadians.

What does this mean? It means she has connections in Shanghai, and quite strong ones at that.

She has connections from south to north.

In the red China, dealing with so many government departments requires connections.

The ballast of the old-fashioned fluorescent light hummed, casting a cold, bluish light on her porcelain-white face, flickering like the perpetually snow-capped mountains of Greece. Yet she raised her head, facing...

He smiled slightly: "Mr. Zhao, are you interested in cooperating?"

Mr. Zhao didn't give a definite answer. He leaned back again, staring at her, and said, "Then please tell me, Ms. Wang, what do you mean by 'more than one hotel'?"

Wang Xiao's smile deepened: "I enjoy making friends. Coincidentally, I have some friends in Jinning, Xiaozhou, as well as in Russia, Romania, and Hungary. I just wonder if Mr. Zhao would be interested in opening a few more hotels?"

————————

Wang Xiao: Look at how much I worry about all day long.

Furthermore, the 1994 "Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries" explicitly listed high-end tourist hotels as a restricted category B project, prohibiting wholly foreign-owned enterprises in principle and requiring them to be established through Sino-foreign joint ventures or cooperative ventures, with an operating period generally not exceeding 30 years. This policy aimed to safeguard Chinese control over key service industries. Regarding the foreign ownership restrictions on hotels in Beijing in February 1994, although A Jin could not find direct documentary evidence, based on the general policies and industry practices in the early stages of reform and opening up, it is speculated that the foreign ownership ratio in joint venture hotels at that time may not have exceeded 49%.