Soon, it was time for the auction of the 20-acre plot of land in Wangfujing, numbered 009.
The auction will begin at 10:00 AM.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Jiang Ning began to get ready. To make it look festive, she specially chose a red dress with slightly puffy, wide shoulders and a fitted waist and hips, which was the most popular style in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
She put on a dress and high heels, and as she walked, her long, flowing hair swayed, exuding charm.
Luo Guangming had to go on a business trip due to unforeseen circumstances, so she represented the company in the bidding process.
Lin Chen and Gao Baoliang also wore shirts and black pants to protect her.
A group of people arrived at the entrance of the Land and Resources Bureau around 9 a.m. and, guided by the staff, entered the bidding hall.
The hall features a dais, a panel of judges, and an area for clients participating in the bidding process.
Jiang Ning held the bidding documents in her hand, found a seat and sat down. Lin Chen and Gao Baoliang sat next to her.
Before long, she noticed that Chen Hao had led Lin Tao into the hall, followed by a familiar figure, Xu Jie.
Chen Hao and Lin Tao found a seat in the front row, but Xu Jie was nowhere to be seen in the blink of an eye.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt inexplicably flustered.
However, when someone on the podium started speaking, she turned her attention to the bidding meeting.
It was probably the first time the Land and Resources Bureau had held such an auction, and the people on the stage were very nervous. They even stumbled over their opening remarks.
After the opening remarks, the director of the Land Bureau gave a speech, mentioning that this bidding process was based on advanced experience learned from abroad, and that all future land sales would follow this method, and so on.
After he finished speaking, another staff member explained the bidding process.
Jiang Ning had participated in many bidding conferences in her previous life, so she was used to it.
To be honest, the process of this conference was rather rudimentary. The evaluation process was conducted by a few construction experts invited by the Land and Resources Bureau, which was not very convincing.
However, it's always the first time, so there are bound to be shortcomings. Her goal is simply to win the bid.
Her bid was priced at 52 million, more than 10 million higher than the initial 40 million.
This is to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
The tender documents were very detailed. They conducted a thorough investigation of the land, which contained a large abandoned factory. This auction was for clean land, and the demolition of the buildings on it would require government demolition.
After the staff finished explaining the process, they began collecting the bid documents.
The tender documents were required to be sealed with a seal; if the seal was broken, the tender would be considered invalid, which was quite strict.
Gao Baoliang happened to be near the location where bid documents were submitted, so Jiang Ning gave him the bid documents and asked him to submit them.
He had only taken a couple of steps when Xu Jie suddenly appeared, spilling water from a kettle he was holding onto the tender documents in his hand, the water still steaming.
Gao Baoliang was furious. The wet file folder was torn, and the water had soaked the tender documents inside, rendering the tender documents invalid.
Jiang Ning jumped up, only to find that Xu Jie had already vanished.
She almost ground her back teeth to powder; it turns out that business warfare at this time is so simple!
There were more than a dozen companies participating in the bidding this time. They watched as the bidders ahead of them submitted their bids and passed the review, but this happened to them.
Her eyes swept across the room and she saw the sly smiles on Chen Hao and Lin Tao's faces.
Her fists clenched tightly, and her eyes almost spit fire.
Lin Chen stood up, patted her on the shoulder to calm her down, and then quickly went out to get a new tender document from the car.
When he returned, he was just in time for the last submission.
Jiang Ning met Chen Hao's gaze and saw the confusion and anger in his eyes.
They never expected that Jiang Ning had already prepared two bid documents in case of unforeseen circumstances.
After Gao Baoliang saw that the tender had been submitted, he greeted Lin Chen and then went back first.
His pants were also wet from being splashed with water.
After he left, the tense bidding and announcement process began.
No matter how well the tender documents are prepared, the highest bidder wins.
After all the bids were submitted and the prices were announced, Jiang Ning smiled with satisfaction.
Chen Hao's price was significantly higher than other companies, at 50 million, while Jiang Ning's was 2 million higher, making him the clear winner.
Just as the Land Bureau leaders were announcing the list of winning bidders, Chen Hao suddenly stood up and said in his Cantonese-accented Mandarin:
"Our company is willing to add three million, can you give us the land?"
This was the first time the staff had encountered such a situation, and they were all at a loss, exchanging glances and unsure how to respond.
Jiang Ning, not to be outdone, stood up as well.
"This is a bidding process, not an auction. If everyone did it like this, why make it so complicated? We could just have a direct auction. You're raising the bid, but do you think other companies are weaker than you and won't raise their bids too?"
Her words were immediately echoed by everyone.
"Exactly, you're trying to steal the bid. What if I offered 55 million? Would that mean I get it then?"
"Bidding is a game of strategy. Whose fault is it if you didn't quote a higher price from the start?"
"The rules on the mainland are not suitable for you. You should go back to Hong Kong!"
They were already frustrated by being suppressed by a Hong Kong businessman, and now they finally found a way to vent their anger.
The staff quickly signaled for everyone to be quiet and insisted on awarding the contract to the highest bidder, announcing that Fuqiang Group had won the bid.
Upon hearing the result, Jiang Ning hugged Lin Chen.
"Congratulations, Mr. Lin."
"Congratulations, Chairman Jiang."
The next step is to pay the deposit. Only the winning bidder needs to stay; all other bidders can withdraw.
Many people came over to shake hands with Jiang Ning and congratulate her before leaving the venue.
They knew that although the land auction was unsuccessful, there was still a chance for future cooperation. In the business world, as long as there are common interests, people can be friends.
Chen Hao and Lin Tao looked at Jiang Ning, who had a smile on her face, with eyes that seemed to be filled with venom.
She had ruined his bank loans and seized his land; you can imagine how depressed he was.
Jiang Ning and Lin Chen took the money to pay the deposit, and the leaders from the Land and Resources Bureau came up to shake hands with them.
"I didn't expect you to win the bid on the first try. The price was much higher than our reserve price. I hope we can cooperate well in the future."
Jiang Ningyang smiled and said, "Boss, you'd better speed up your demolition work. We're about to enter the exploration phase and build the hotel first."
The leader raised an eyebrow. "You're planning to build a hotel? I've heard that hotels now have different star ratings. What star rating are you planning to build?"
Jiang Ning: "Naturally, it's a five-star hotel, fifty floors."
The leader shook Jiang Ning's hand again, "Then I look forward to the opening of your hotel."
As Jiang Ning was paying the money, Chen Hao and Lin Tao walked out of the Land and Resources Bureau and headed towards their car.
Just as Lin Tao opened the driver's side door, a water truck drove by, splashing them with murky wastewater.
He jumped up and started cursing, but Gao Baoliang had already driven away in his water truck.
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