Chapter 930

The old man put down the newspaper and picked up the teacup beside him, taking a sip.

“Just a while ago you were strongly opposing—why did you suddenly agree?”

Gu Minglan said with a stiff tone: “My requirements were a bit too low.”

The old man paused, then understood: “Zhou Andong’s personal assets are already 1 billion?”

“More than that!” Gu Minglan took a deep breath: “At the end of last year, when the pound depreciated, Zhou Andong shorted the pound in Britain, and also bought stocks at the bottom—within a few months, he made over 2 billion U.S. dollars.”

“How much?” The old man seemed not to have heard clearly and asked again.

Gu Minglan said: “At the end of last year, Zhou Andong shorted the pound and made over 2 billion U.S. dollars.”

The old man fell silent for a long while, then suddenly burst into laughter—his hearty chuckle startled the secretary and guards outside.

The leaders had been frowning all these days; now that he was laughing so happily, they knew something good must have happened, and their own spirits lifted instantly.

“Remarkable!” The old man sighed with deep admiration. “Our Chinese people have actually made 2 billion U.S. dollars in the capitalist Western financial markets—remarkable, truly remarkable.”

Hearing the old man’s words, a ray of light pierced through Gu Minglan’s inner gloom, and she suddenly felt much brighter.

“In my opinion, it’s just boldness and good luck.”

“That’s wrong,” the old man shook his head seriously. “The financial market holds immense complexity—it’s not enough to just be bold and lucky.”

Look at those domestic financial experts—they talk eloquently at meetings, but who among them dares to trade foreign exchange overseas? Not a single one.”

For no apparent reason, Gu Minglan felt a faint surge of happiness: “I told Qiūqiū—she and Zhou Andong will come over right after dinner.”

The old man nodded. He was growing increasingly interested in Zhou Andong and eagerly awaited whether Zhou Andong could surprise him.

Just after seven, Zhou Andong, Jian Qiu, Zhao Ping, and Jian Mingfan arrived; Gu Minglan still gave Zhou Andong no good face.

“Grandpa’s in the study—go in.”

Jian Mingfan tried to follow them in, but Zhao Ping pulled him back: “Why are you everywhere? Stay right here and behave.”

Jian Mingfan muttered in dissatisfaction, leaned back on the sofa, and turned on the TV with the remote.

Zhao Ping shot her son a glare, then sat beside Gu Minglan and began chatting.

“Grandpa!” As soon as they entered the study, Zhou Andong bowed respectfully and addressed him with proper deference.

The old man studied Zhou Andong—this was a grandfather’s scrutiny of his grandson-in-law—and slowly, a smile appeared on his face.

“Sit down!”

Jian Qiu quietly exhaled in relief, hurried around behind the old man, and began massaging his shoulders with eager attentiveness.

“Grandpa, we plan to buy the land of the First Machine Tool Factory and build the headquarters of Qiūdōngfang. Once completed, it will be the largest building in the world.”

The old man smiled: “I don’t handle these matters—you need to go to Chaoyang or directly to the city government to negotiate.”

“We went to Chaoyang this morning to meet Jin Kang,” Jian Qiu briefly recounted the conversation. “We also intend to buy the land of the Metal Structure Factory to build a city complex.”

At once, the old man’s energy surged.

“You plan to build a city complex in Beijing?”

“Yes!” Jian Qiu said. “We’ll create a business district composed of specialty shopping streets, kindergartens, high-end business clubs, a large shopping plaza, and a central green space, among other facilities. It will include five-star hotels, 5A office towers, large-scale themed commercial zones, and international business apartments.”

The old man had always been a staunch supporter of reform and opening-up; seeing his granddaughter and grandson-in-law earn money abroad and return to invest domestically filled him with genuine joy.

“The call for reform and opening-up has already sounded. You’re still young, capable, and full of drive—whether China can once again stand atop the world depends on your generation.”

Zhou Andong straightened his chest: “Grandpa, rest assured—I will uphold the great banner of reform and opening-up, advance the economy without pause, and achieve outstanding results on the path of reform and opening-up…”

“Hahaha…”

The old man laughed heartily—Zhou Andong’s words had struck right at his heart.

Zhou Andong glanced smugly at Jian Qiu; Jian Qiu rolled her eyes at him.

“Shouting slogans won’t help,” the old man said with a sly smile at Zhou Andong.

Zhou Andong’s eyelid twitched violently; his smug expression vanished instantly, and a bad premonition settled in his chest.

“Our country now faces a major challenge—and I want to see if you can solve it.”

Zhou Andong licked his dry lips, his smile looking more like a grimace: “Grandpa, are you joking? A national problem—how can a small businessman like me solve it?”

He shrugged his shoulders: “Look at me—my shoulders are so thin, I can barely carry two buckets of water—how could I possibly shoulder a national problem?”

The old man enticed him: “If you solve this problem, your relationship with Qiūqiū will face no resistance in the Jian family—and within reasonable limits, I’ll grant you one request.”

Zhou Andong’s heart thudded violently. His relationship with Qiūqiū—if Gu Minglan didn’t oppose it, no one in the Jian family, not even the old man, could stop it.

But the old man offering him a promise—that forced him to think carefully. In China, the number of people who had ever received a promise from Old Man Jian could be counted on one hand.

Jian Qiu’s eyes brightened too. She looked at Zhou Andong and said: “Why not hear what Grandpa has to say?”

Zhou Andong said: “Go ahead—I’ll see if I can solve it. If I can’t, don’t force me.”

The old man picked up the cold teacup beside him, drank a sip of chilled tea, then paused in thought before speaking.

“Since reform and opening-up, our country has experienced two bouts of inflation—one in 1988, the other now. I assume you’ve felt it too.”

Zhou Andong nodded, his eyes flicking to the cigarettes on the desk. He licked his dry lips.

Jian Qiu noticed and, in perfect sync, picked up the cigarettes, walked over to Zhou Andong, lit one for him, then tucked the half-pack into her small handbag.

The old man’s lips twitched slightly—he pretended not to have seen.

“Especially consumer goods, which affect the interests of over a billion people—the state is preparing to regulate them. But some scarce commodities must be purchased on the international market.”

“For example, sugar—if we buy it on the international market, prices will surge sharply. If we force purchases, the losses would be enormous, because our foreign exchange reserves are limited—we can’t afford to drain them.”