Hearing their conversation, Lu Feng turned around and glanced at them. All three of them laughed. If anyone was the most daring in front of Lu Feng, it would be Zhu Lidong. Within Jiafeng Group, he was definitely the person who had followed Lu Feng the longest.
"Alright, alright, please take your seats. Everyone has worked hard in the first half of the year," Lu Feng said politely.
Just as everyone was about to sit down, the door to the private room was pushed open, and Vice Mayor Liu walked in. When he saw Lu Feng, he smiled and extended his hand, saying, "President Lu is a rare guest. It's so hard to see you these days!"
Lu Feng stepped forward and shook hands with him, looking at Vice Mayor Liu, who was now slightly overweight, and said, "You probably don't want to see me, do you? If we meet often, that Director Zhang would probably have made me leave long ago."
“The people below don’t know how to handle things. You know how it is with these guys. They act one way in front of you, but they’re completely different once they step outside this door.” Vice Mayor Liu shook Lu Feng’s hand and said, “We’re old friends, so you can understand this kind of thing, right?”
"I understand! I understand! Please take a seat. Please forgive any neglect if I have been slighted." Lu Feng turned around and pulled out a chair to greet him politely.
Vice Mayor Liu sat down, and the other management staff present greeted him politely. The waiter began to serve the dishes, including several bottles of Moutai. Vice Mayor Liu glanced at Wei Yandan and said to Lu Feng, "President Wei is a capable assistant in your group. She has consulted me a lot this year about Jiafeng's tax issues. An ordinary person would never have received such a large discount."
"It's mainly because of your care; my personal abilities have also grown under President Lu's guidance." Wei Yandan spoke tactfully, sandwiched between the two.
"Taxes?" Lu Feng hissed as he exhaled a breath of cold air and asked Wei Yandan, "Didn't they say it was a three-year or two-year tax exemption? We still have to pay taxes?"
"The tax rebates are for other factories. The headquarters' tax is a comprehensive tax, which has certain reductions and exemptions. The R&D company does not pay taxes and receives subsidies. This year, we basically had 40% of our taxes waived," Wei Yandan replied.
"Is that so?" Lu Feng looked at Vice Mayor Liu, lit a cigarette, and said, "That's not quite right. I remember when you went to Suzhou for inspection, you told me about a three-year tax exemption?"
"No, no, absolutely not. I certainly can't make decisions on such a big matter, let alone make any promises to you. In the past few years, Jiafeng Development has actually paid very little tax. If President Lu had still been developing in Suzhou back then, I believe Jiafeng wouldn't be where it is today," Vice Mayor Liu retorted slowly and deliberately.
“You’re right. If I were in Suzhou, it might be like Shenzhen today. I believe you know better than I do how many industrial chains and companies Jiafeng has driven.” Lu Feng looked at Wei Yandan and said, “President Wei, when it comes to running a business, you need to have a big picture perspective. We’ve helped one place, but we also need to consider other cities. Relocating the headquarters is a big deal, but it’s not that big. We can just submit a proposal to the board of directors and I can sign it off. Our headquarters isn’t that big of a place. If just anyone comes and acts all high and mighty, the roof won’t be able to support it.”
"Yes, yes, I will keep it in mind." Wei Yandan could only nod repeatedly.
Seeing that Vice Mayor Liu was silent, Lu Feng raised his glass and said, "Let me toast you. In the future, if there is anything Jiafeng needs to do, just give me a call. Don't be shy. Local enterprises provide impetus for local development, which is only right. It's just that we are a private enterprise, so we may not be as efficient as local state-owned enterprises. Please don't hold it against us."
Vice Mayor Liu smiled but didn't say anything. Sitting there, Lu Feng kept trying to sow discord among him. He picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp.
At the dinner table, we talked about the local development in recent years and the problems that the local area is facing. For the current leaders, a local area is just a local area. If the city I manage is doing well, it doesn't matter how other cities are doing. A city is like a class. If it does well, it's the teacher's achievement. If it does poorly, it's the same.
Local finances are under great pressure, and the state-owned enterprises below them are demanding too much, which has already started to cause problems. For the past six months, the finance department has been keeping a close eye on Jiafeng, ensuring that taxes are paid on time, and some subsidies are being delayed.
Lu Feng was well aware of the ins and outs of the situation. This was still a developed region. In some northern cities, wage payments had been delayed, or even only paid every two or three months. This problem persisted until the end of the 1990s when the global financial crisis affected the country, causing prices to soar and currency to depreciate.
The two words that Vice Mayor Liu said most often to Lu Feng at the dinner table were "understanding" and "being considerate." He said that Lu Feng should be considerate of the local area, the employees, and the market. He meant that Lu Feng should be considerate of everyone.
Lu Feng was all too aware of the developments over the past few years. Soft-hearted bosses ended up bankrupting themselves along with their employees, while ruthless capitalists engaged in massive layoffs and relentlessly suppressed wages, thus weathering the most difficult period.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Vice Mayor Liu finally remembered his business and asked Lu Feng, "I heard you've made a major breakthrough in research and development?"
"Which aspect are you referring to? We've made so many breakthroughs in R&D this year. It hasn't been easy for me either; I've been frantically raising investment, doing R&D, and messing around outside. And what's the result? Some trashy experts in some trashy media outlets are calling me a traitor every day. I came back yesterday, and this morning I read a newspaper saying I transferred assets and even got a US green card." Lu Feng threw his cigarette butt into the ashtray and took a deep breath. Clearly, he was quite unhappy with these accusations.
“You have to take this a little easier to understand. People can say whatever they want. It was the Science and Technology Commission that called to inquire about your major breakthrough in integrated semiconductors.” Vice Mayor Liu said to Lu Feng, “This is a big deal. You should know that the 909 Project in China is at a critical juncture right now.”
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
