Chapter 98 How Time Changes
Lin Ruoyan explained with a smile, "What everyone just said is objective fact. It's true that we can't build a school building in two months. But who says we can't enroll students without a school building? The Cy District Education Bureau just wants to meet the enrollment requirements. If Thomas agrees to cooperate, there's still room for maneuver. The key is whether our investment is worthwhile. We have to figure it out for ourselves."
The directors present were all professionals. Based on their past experience, they quickly estimated the data Lin Ruoyan wanted. If they could start working on the plan this month, and the school building did not have a basement and had no more than six floors above ground, then the entire civil engineering project could be completed before the freezing weather and heating could be installed.
With heating on, interior renovations can be completed during the long northern winter, and there's even a month or two left for the odor to dissipate. While environmentally friendly materials are undoubtedly used in the construction, the international school students who actually use the school buildings still have concerns about newly renovated buildings.
The best time for the new school building to start operation is after the Spring Festival next year. If we work fast and build the upper floor, we can start the interior decoration of the lower floor. The drawings can be of the three-sided project type, or the design drawings are ready-made. We can start construction in August or September, and it is not impossible for the school to start after Christmas.
Lin Ruoyan knew that state-owned enterprise compounds had plenty of ready-made school designs. With minor changes tailored to the site and some innovations in the exterior, it was perfectly possible to have the blueprints ready so construction could begin in August. Regarding the formalities, if the relevant CY District authorities gave the green light, it would be feasible to start construction after Christmas, similar to the international school term schedule.
She asked the president's office to compile a plan with pictures and texts based on the professional opinions submitted by various departments, and to print and bind it today. She needed this to talk to Thomas and others.
When Thomas and his team entered the high-end office building where Lin's Real Estate was located, they had already gained a comprehensive understanding of the company's strength and were determined to deepen their cooperation in the future. After all, Lin's influence in Beijing was much stronger than Fang Yue's in the south, and Lin's sold luxury homes.
The children of luxury home buyers tend to attend international schools, which provide a very suitable source of students.
They were invited thinking they were just to visit the company and sign a specific cooperation agreement, but they didn't expect Lin Ruoyan to take out a plan for a new project.
Last time, Lin Ruoyan just casually mentioned that she had connections in the district. In just one day, she was able to find such a large piece of land?
This area is ideally located within the eastern expansion of the CBD, where many major corporations are concentrated. The children of future multinational executives may live all over the country and likely follow their parents to Beijing for school, with the possibility of studying abroad in the future. Wouldn't it be more convenient for them to attend elementary and middle school in the CBD, where their parents work?
Lin Ruoyan not only introduced the land, but also proposed a bold plan, which was to officially open the new campus after Christmas.
It's said that this place is just flat land, and building a school building will take time. Thomas and his team have seen how long it takes to properly build a school, especially abroad. Building a small four- or five-story building of several hundred square meters can take more than a year, let alone a school building of this scale. Mr. Lin, are you kidding?
Lin Ruoyan smiled and said, "The speed of construction in China is different from that abroad. The workers are very diligent and have accumulated a lot of technical experience over the years, so the building efficiency is extremely high. In addition, the Cy District also needs our help. We will give them a fast track in the approval process, and there will definitely be someone who can speak with them at the Education Bureau in the future. This kind of win-win cooperation is rare. All you need to overcome is the problem of enrolling students in advance in the name of the new campus and placing them in the Cy District, and then how to handle and accommodate these students in the first two or three months after enrollment."
Thomas was more intelligent than the other school directors. They lowered their heads and exchanged opinions. Some of them could actually speak Mandarin, but in the end, Thomas represented them and expressed their opinions.
"We already have a campus in Beijing, but it's in the suburbs, near the international airport. It currently has space for over 300 students. If the new campus can open smoothly after Christmas, recruiting and temporary placement won't be a problem. We actually have a sufficient number of students on hand. We didn't recruit all of them before, and we weren't sure if we could continue to develop long-term in Beijing. Now, being able to deeply cooperate with your company may be a great opportunity."
Big international education brands are more successful in the economically active southern regions. Beijing is the capital, and has abundant public education resources. They don't have many connections in the Education Bureau, and they are unsure about expanding rashly. At that time, they didn't even dare to think about opening another campus in the short term.
Now, Lin Ruoyan not only has the right land in a prime location, but also has a professional team capable of implementing a comprehensive construction plan, and the district government has given her the green light. This is all her capital for cooperation. Perhaps she is not as good as those large state-owned enterprises, but those large state-owned enterprises want too much and will not easily cooperate with foreign capital.
Thomas was the first to grasp this point and, on behalf of the others, pushed for a joint collaboration on the new campus project. After reaching a consensus, the foundation was laid for further detailed discussions on the respective responsibilities and obligations of both parties, as well as investment and equity ratios.
Lin Ruoyan suggested that she could afford the land and building costs, and if Thomas and his team didn't want to invest too much initially and only focused on recruiting teachers and students, they would definitely want to retain a controlling stake in the international school.
Lin Ruoyan smiled and said, "That's easy. You own 51% of the new campus's equity, and I own 49%. However, since I contributed more in the early stages, how about equal shares with different voting rights? You guys focus on education, and I'll build the building and make some money. I also have a few small requests. Do you think you can meet them?"
Once this concept was proposed, the problems on both sides were resolved. The agreement was that for the first ten years, the dividend distribution would be 20:80, with Lin's Real Estate receiving 80% of the profits. After ten years, the profits would be distributed according to the equity ratio. Lin Ruoyan also promised not to interfere in the school's affairs, but would simply serve as an honorary trustee and obtain a graduation certificate from the school, becoming a legitimate alumnus.
Anyway, she couldn't really go abroad to study even if she got the certificate. It was just a nice piece of paper. How could these school directors not agree to exchange such an honor for the transfer of shares of Lin Real Estate?
When Lin Ruxu knew about this, he was full of admiration. Before returning home, Lin Ruoyan had only dropped out of high school. Now she has invested in a school and become a school director. She has also obtained a diploma from a well-known international school. Her academic qualifications have suddenly become much more glorious.
In fact, many prestigious universities abroad offer donations to students, allowing them to become famous alumni. As for how many years of study are required to graduate, some schools have strict requirements while others are more relaxed, but it's still possible to get into prestigious schools.
With my sister's abilities, even if she didn't study at a prestigious foreign university, she has already run the real estate company successfully, right?
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