Chapter 389: Big Tiger

In his previous life, Party Secretary of Qingshui City Zhou Zhixiang was a well-known 'big tiger' in Dongjiangsheng; when he was caught, the amount of embezzlement reached over ten billion. This is only the data reported by the media; the actual situation may be even more severe.

In Zhou Zhixiang's corruption case, over eighty percent were related to real estate projects.

Chen Yang recalled that from 2002 to 2003, Qingshui City had at least ten real estate projects under construction. Half of them were old residential communities with the most convenient living and transportation in the city.

Because violent forced demolitions occurred frequently, many ordinary people blocked the gates of the municipal Party committee and government to demand an explanation, and some even went to the province to petition. But nothing changed.

Chen Yang only later learned that Zhou Zhixiang was the protective umbrella behind those developers.

Moreover, behind him there was an even greater protective umbrella.

Facing such a person, Chen Yang certainly would not dare to offend him lightly. Seeing Kong Jie's solemn expression, he immediately assured:

"Big leader, rest assured, I will definitely not delay the development of Qingshui City. Once the new factory is built, I will directly turn the old factory into staff housing. This also counts as a contribution to the urban construction of our Qingshui, right?"

Kong Jie let out a sigh of relief. As long as Chen Yang doesn't cause trouble, the other issues are easy to discuss.

"Since you want to convert the old factory buildings into staff housing, I will find a plot of land in the southern part of the city for you to build a new factory!"

"Big leader, no need to look, the address of the new feed factory can be placed opposite the meat industry company!" Chen Yang had already chosen the site for the new factory even before he was to take over the Qingshui City feed factory. But at that time Kong Jie disagreed, so he opted for a location near the feed factory.

"Okay!" Kong Jie felt some guilt toward Chen Yang and immediately agreed to his request. After all, the new feed factory is closer to Double Phoenix Town, making it more convenient to serve the pig farms there.

After obtaining Kong Jie's promise, Chen Yang immediately went home and got in touch with Yexin.

Zhang Daguo is a common enemy of him and Yexin. The other side suddenly received backing from big capital, so they had to be on guard.

However, Yexin also doesn't know which deity is supporting Zhang Daguo, so she told Chen Yang to hold his troops for now.

Chen Yang still has confidence in Yexin's network in Dongjiangsheng. As long as she is willing to step forward, the capital behind Zhang Daguo will surely not remain hidden.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. If it were merely a financial showdown, in Dongjiangsheng, aside from banks and the Provincial State-owned Assets Commission, there would be no opponent that Chen Yang would fear.

Of course, Chen Yang also understands. Since they can pull strings with Zhou Zhixiang's connections, they certainly possess more than just 'capital' as an identity. This requires Yexin to join him in advancing and retreating together.

While waiting for Yexin's investigation results, Chen Yang also called Liu Shijie.

"Brother Jie, regarding the Clear River Building project, has Party Secretary Zhou ever approached you?"

"He did, and he asked me to buy materials from the building materials company run by his relatives."

"Are the materials okay?"

"Rest assured, I definitely wouldn't joke about your matter. It just means buying their materials will be slightly above market price."

"That's fine. You must guarantee the project quality; if the budget is insufficient, you can tell me."

"Good! You suddenly asked about this—could it be that he also talked to you?"

"No, I had a plot of land taken by Zhang Daguo; after inquiring, I only then learned it was done through Party Secretary Zhou's connections."

"This Zhang Daguo is quite capable! He managed to pull through all this. Since he has Party Secretary Zhou as his backer, you need to be careful."

"Rest assured, I currently have no intention of seeking trouble with Zhang Daguo."

"That's good! You just need to endure for now; after Party Secretary Zhou's term ends, you can go settle accounts with Zhang Daguo!"

Chen Yang actually just wanted to see whether the current Zhou Zhixiang had changed from his previous life. He didn't expect it to be the same.

If that's the case, Chen Yang no longer needs to worry. After all, only a few years remain before Zhou Zhixiang faces double regulation. During this period, even if he cannot deal with the opponent, he can first flee to the south to lay low.

In the evening, Yexin's investigation also yielded results.

"You little brat, you've probably gotten into big trouble this time. The financial backer behind Zhang Daguo is Zhou Zhixin, chairman of the Zhixin Group and also a shareholder of Xingcheng Heavy Industry. Moreover, he is the younger brother of your Qingshui City Party Secretary Zhou Zhixiang."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang suddenly recalled the incident where he and Qi Yunxiang were sniped while trading Xingcheng Heavy Industry stocks earlier.

It is obvious that this Zhou Zhixin is a friend of Wu Junhui; because of that connection, he would short him in Xingcheng Heavy Industry's stock.

If it weren't for the effect of Qi Yunxiang's short essay, Chen Yang would have wanted to withdraw completely from Xingcheng Heavy Industry's stock at that time, which would probably have been very difficult.

Chen Yang was unaware of the existence of this younger brother of Zhou Zhixiang, and Zhou Zhixin was not mentioned in the anti-corruption news of his previous life. He also does not know how strong the other side is economically. However, he knows that Zhou Zhixiang's backer is the current Provincial Party Standing Committee member.

Moreover, Liu Jianghua had previously warned him not to get involved in Xingcheng Heavy Industry's stock, which obviously also indicates he knew Zhou Zhixin's background.

Such a person must absolutely not be offended.

"Big sister, we have no grudge with this Director Zhou before; why would he help Zhang Daguo to oppose us?"

"You're foolish? Zhang Daguo is the largest real estate developer in Qingshui City. He has pushed the city's construction forward—wouldn't that help Zhou Zhixiang advance further?"

"Then we could also participate in Qingshui City's construction! Can Zhang Daguo's wealth compare to ours?"

"You don't understand—when we invest in real estate projects in Qingshui City, the profits definitely belong to the company. When Zhang Daguo invests in real estate projects, the profits he makes may not necessarily be his own!"

Chen Yang immediately understood. Zhou Zhixiang wants both political achievements and money. No wonder he managed to embezzle over ten billion in just two years.

In his previous life, the local real estate developers of Qingshui City, like the Zhang Group, ultimately fell into severe financial crises. Besides the overall slump in the real estate industry, another possibility is that they were drained ahead of time by Zhou Zhixiang.

Chen Yang asked Yexin: 'Big sister, do you think Zhou Zhixin might intentionally come to Qingshui City to target me?'

Yexin thought for a moment and comforted Chen Yang: 'Lin Wei's maternal grandfather still wields great influence in Dongjiangsheng. Zhou Zhixin surely has looked up your information; even if he dislikes you, he won't show it openly.'

"However, Qingshui City is still dominated by the Zhou surname in terms of authority. You just need to be a bit careful—there's no mistake about that."

"Okay!" Since Chen Yang now knows the other party's identity, he knows how to respond.

He is now one of the most active entrepreneurs in Qingshui City. Since Zhou Zhixiang wants quick results, he certainly cannot rely solely on the Zhang Group's strength; he also needs the several companies under the populace to lend support.

At this moment, the one who least wants Chen Yang to run into trouble is Zhou Zhixiang.

After realizing this principle, Chen Yang's mood improved somewhat.