Chapter 513: Adjusting Deputy Mayor Zheng's Responsibilities

Sun Changqing heard that Zheng Weimin was up to mischief behind the scenes again, and his face instantly darkened.

"Chen Yang, you don't need to handle this; I'll take care of it."

Chen Yang saw Sun Changqing voluntarily take over the matter, and his mood lightened considerably.

He had to deal with Zheng Weimin while also guarding against retaliation from Deputy Mayor Zheng. If Sun Changqing stepped in, it would mean beating Zheng Weimin to his face, and the other side probably wouldn't dare to speak.

Of course, Sun Changqing had been navigating the officialdom for years; even if he wanted to teach Zheng Weimin a lesson, he wouldn't be so direct. There must be a better way.

Since Zheng Weimin was already being dealt with, Chen Yang didn't want to bother Sun Changqing any further and immediately got up to take his leave.

Sun Changqing immediately called out to Chen Yang, telling him not to rush off, and asked solemnly: "Can the first and second phases of the East River New City project be sped up?"

Chen Yang feigned difficulty in replying: "Mayor Sun, if we speed up the schedule, we can't guarantee the project's quality. If a safety accident occurs later, I couldn't bear that responsibility."

Sun Changqing said rather displeased: "Chen Yang, you little brat, one moment you're building a school, the next you're doing demolitions on East River Second Bridge—can't you focus your efforts on the East River New City project first?"

Chen Yang said helplessly: "Mayor Sun, if I don't finish the school first, any future changes could affect the owners' children's education, offending a large group of people!"

"Especially those indigenous residents; if they kick up a fuss, the third and fourth phases of the project probably couldn't continue."

Sun Changqing frowned slightly, thinking that if the demolition households caused trouble, even he as mayor would have a headache. After a moment's thought, he told Chen Yang: "For such a large project, you should arrange a few more construction companies. For example, the branch campuses of the Four Famous Schools could easily be put out to tender with other builders."

Chen Yang gave a wry smile: "Mayor Sun, you're putting me in a tough spot! Sunlight Real Estate and Wu's Real Estate have put in a lot of effort for my company's construction over the past two years. Now that there are benefits, I'm pushing them aside—who would dare to deal with me in the future?"

Sun Changqing simply didn't believe Chen Yang's excuse. Having four companies' work handled by two is obviously just delaying the schedule.

However, Chen Yang, after all, is a meritorious figure in Xingcheng's rapid economic development. If he were to lose his temper outright, it would seem unfeeling.

After thinking for a while, Sun Changqing immediately had an idea: "Chen Yang, as long as you're willing to subcontract the Four Famous Schools branch campuses project and focus on the East River New City project, I can approve a few more plots of land for your other real estate ventures."

After taking on the East River New City and East River Second Bridge urban renewal projects, Chen Yang no longer had much interest in new real estate.

But he also couldn't directly refuse Sun Changqing.

So he said to Sun Changqing: "Mayor Sun, if you insist on speeding up the East River New City project, I can only first go talk to the heads of Sunlight Real Estate and Wu's Real Estate. If they have no objections, I'm also willing to follow your advice."

Sun Changqing immediately nodded in agreement. He believed the heads of Sunlight Real Estate and Wu's Real Estate wouldn't dare to oppose him.

Indeed, it was exactly as Sun Changqing had expected. After hearing Chen Yang's relay, Liu Shijie and the person in charge of Wu's Real Estate both gave up the contract to build the Four Famous Schools branch campuses.

As repayment, each of them obtained a project for a commercial-residential community exceeding 100,000 square meters located in the southern part of the city.

Three days later, Sun Changqing adjusted the division of labor at the Xingcheng Municipal Government meeting, assigning Deputy Mayor Zheng to oversee local chronicles and archives management.

As soon as the news came out, Zheng Weimin's real estate company became bustling. Contractors, material suppliers, and senior executives from major banks all came running to collect debts, even the vegetable vendors who delivered produce to the construction site stood outside Zheng Weimin's office demanding payment.

Zheng Weimin thus personally experienced what it means when the tree falls and the monkeys scatter.

To stabilize the company's image, he could only take out the remaining over 100 million yuan in cash to clear the debts first.

He had thought the matter would be temporarily settled, but unexpectedly the company's foreman suddenly demanded an advance of three months' wages for the workers before work could resume.

Meanwhile, the material suppliers demanded that his company pay first before they would deliver the goods.

As for the banks, they were willing to continue lending to Zheng Weimin, but required new collateral.

Zheng Weimin's land had already been mortgaged to the banks; the only thing left that could be mortgaged was the unfinished buildings on the land.

Thus, he gritted his teeth and signed a new loan agreement.

Upon hearing the news, Chen Yang immediately called Zhu Junhao to his office.

"Chen Yang, you finally figured it out?" Zhu Junhao thought Chen Yang had summoned him to discuss transferring Yexin's shares, and he looked quite happy.

Chen Yang shook his head: "Mr. Zhu, Ms. Ye has already said that if you dare to meddle with her shares, you'll have your embarrassing moments posted online for the whole nation to see."

Zhu Junhao immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing Zhu Junhao back down, Chen Yang continued: "Mr. Zhu, Zheng Weimin's company is now severely short of funds. If you're interested in taking it over, I believe he would be very grateful to you."

Zhu Junhao immediately hesitated.

Zheng Weimin's company has fallen to this state, and he bears great responsibility.

If he were to acquire the other company now, it would clearly be kicking someone when they're down. He, Zhu Junhao, would not stoop to such a thing.

"Chen Yang, don't stir up trouble! My relationship with Zheng Weimin is rock-solid; how could I possibly take advantage of his misfortune?"

Chen Yang curiously asked: "Since you're so close to Zheng Weimin, why don't you help him cover all his outstanding debts?"

Zhu Junhao was instantly speechless. Because he had donated that money, it was as good as throwing it into the sea.

"Chen Yang, I'm not interested in Zheng Weimin's affairs for now. My current focus is the building materials project for East River New City. This was originally meant for me to handle; you should return it to me."

Chen Yang shook his head: "The material supply for the building materials project was arranged by Mayor Sun; I don't have the authority to decide."

Upon hearing that, Zhu Junhao's mood instantly turned gloomy. Since Wang Haifeng's incident, Sun Changqing has been managing him even more strictly than before.

Running to Sun Changqing at this moment to demand a project is purely asking for trouble.

Seeing Zhu Junhao silent, Chen Yang added: "If you could take over all of Zheng Weimin's projects, you'd not only relieve him but also expand your project operations—that's a surefire profit."

Zhu Junhao still remained silent.

Chen Yang saw him not nodding and said: "Your disagreement doesn't matter. Zheng Weimin's company is basically beyond saving now."

"If you take it over now, you're actually rescuing him. If someone else steps in and checks the accounts, Zheng Weimin's problems will only become worse."

Zhu Junhao still shook his head. His funds have all been used to fill the deficit, leaving no spare money to rescue Zheng Weimin.