Chapter 124: From Opponents to Allies!

Tang Ye and Xu Xiangchun arranged to meet at Jinding Mansion.

Tang Ye parked his car and sent a message to Xu Xiangchun!

He waited in the car for a while.

A young woman wearing a black professional suit walked briskly toward the parking space.

"Hello, may I ask if you are Town Mayor Tang?"

"That's right, I am! Secretary An, we have met before."

On the eve of the city's investment promotion banquet, Tang Ye had met the woman once; she was Xu Xiangchun's Secretary and had been dining in another private room at the time.

Jinding Mansion had been acquired by the Northeast Chamber of Commerce a few years ago, and Zhao Disheng had formed a connection with Xu Xiangchun at that time.

Jinding Mansion had been transformed into an entertainment complex; besides fitness, beauty, and sauna services, it was said to have an extremely hidden underground casino.

Of course, a casino like this was only open to certain people; without status and capital, one could not enter this circle.

Although it was not peak business hours, the underground parking lot was filled with various luxury cars, and men and women in bright, stylish clothing and various designer brands were entering and exiting from time to time.

Secretary An led Tang Ye to the door of a room on the eighteenth floor.

"Please go in and wait a moment; Chairman Xu is attending an event and will arrive in about fifteen minutes."

Tang Ye thought to himself that this Xu Xiangchun had quite an ego, acting as if he were a national leader.

Tang Ye walked into the room and gave it a faint sweep.

The room's decor style imitated the late Qing Dynasty, complete with zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting; although the screens were faded, one could tell the items were old and not products made on a modern assembly line.

Ten minutes or so later, accompanied by hearty laughter, Xu Xiangchun pushed the door open and entered, "Sorry, Town Mayor Tang, for keeping you waiting. I was just attending a calligraphy appreciation meeting; the Host was the Chairman of the Hanzhou Calligraphy Association, and I left early."

Tang Ye smiled slightly, "It is I who arrived early. I am an impatient person; arriving twenty minutes early has disrupted your schedule, my apologies! Chairman Xu is a man of refined taste."

"Just feigning refinement," Xu Xiangchun said with a self-deprecating smile, then immediately added in a joking tone, "Town Mayor Tang, you have truly impressed me. The situation in Tianling County has been changing rapidly, and Wei Jian was such a powerful County Magistrate, yet he fell because of you. A young hero, truly impressive!"

Tang Ye hurriedly said modestly, "Chairman Xu, please don't listen to rumors. The talk outside is just hearsay. The city leaders already had a clear idea of County Magistrate Wei's mistakes; I am just a small pawn, how could I have such great ability?"

Xu Xiangchun said with seven parts sincerity and three parts flattery, "Town Mayor Tang, it is not our first day knowing each other. You don't need to be modest. You have both courage and strategy; given time, you will surely achieve great things. Your future is limitless!"

Tang Ye took the purple clay teacup handed over by Xu Xiangchun, "Please don't flatter me so. I haven't thought about having any future; I only hope to do my best in my current job."

Xu Xiangchun laughed in spite of himself, "I like chatting with capable people. I can learn a lot from them. I especially like chatting with officials, because those who can enter this profession are all elites who have been sifted through the waves, selected through brutal competition."

Tang Ye smiled faintly, "I have some understanding of your entrepreneurial history. You were once a force to be reckoned with in the stock market and made many good friends; some officials even made a fortune because of the inside information you provided. However, this method might not work in Tianling County, because Party Secretary Du is a person of principle."

Xu Xiangchun was slightly taken aback, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes.

Tang Ye was clearly mocking him for failing his bet on Wei Jian.

Xu Xiangchun quickly adjusted his mood, "Town Mayor Tang, you took the initiative to meet me today, is it just to say these things? I thought there would be a surprise!"

Tang Ye smiled, "Discuss principles first, then talk business. Knowing each other's bottom lines and discussing cooperation within a framework leads to a higher success rate."

"What business?" Xu Xiangchun looked at Tang Ye with interest.

Tang Ye took a proposal out of his briefcase.

"Please take a look at this proposal!"

Xu Xiangchun took the proposal and flipped through it from beginning to end, reading it extremely seriously and carefully.

Tang Ye was not in a hurry at all, waiting for Xu Xiangchun to finish patiently.

His plan was to have the Northeast Chamber of Commerce and Haihua Group join forces.

To turn from opponents into allies.

Tang Ye's idea was very bold!

"Are you overestimating my magnanimity? I am a person who holds grudges," Xu Xiangchun said expressionlessly as he closed the project proposal.

Tang Ye smiled faintly, "It seems Chairman Xu is not satisfied with my proposal, then I won't disturb you further."

Tang Ye stuffed the proposal back into his briefcase and stood up to leave.

Xu Xiangchun frowned, then immediately laughed out loud, "Town Mayor Tang, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I just received a painting this morning; how about you join me in appreciating it?"

After speaking, Xu Xiangchun walked into the inner room.

Tang Ye heard the sound of the safe's password being unlocked.

Afterward, Xu Xiangchun took out a painting, placed it on the desk, and slowly unfolded it.

Tang Ye had dabbled a bit in calligraphy and painting, "This is Master Chen's 'Painting of Empty Mountains After Rain'. Master Chen is a master of ink; the variations in the density of the ink and the transitions in the thickness of the lines appear natural and rich in layers. The entire painting is fresh and elegant, simple yet vivid, as if it makes one feel as if they are in the empty mountains after the rain, with the top solid and the bottom void, creating an ethereal artistic conception."

Jiang Jinpeng liked calligraphy and painting very much, and Master Chen's calligraphy works, in particular, were highly praised by him.

That was why Tang Ye was able to provide such an accurate critique!

"I didn't expect Town Mayor Tang to be an expert. Master Chen passed away the year before last, and now his works are rising in value every year. Last year, Christie's auctioned a painting of similar size for 2.28 million. If you like it, I can let you have it; take it back and enjoy it!"

Tang Ye shook his head, a trace of mockery appearing in his eyes, "Chairman Xu, you are not gifting a painting, but stuffing a time bomb into my arms. I don't want to have nightmares every day. Since you are sincere about discussing the project with me, why not spend this money where it counts? If you are willing to help Pinghu renovate the primary and middle schools, I might promise to make some adjustments and concessions in the distribution of benefits."

Xu Xiangchun stared at Tang Ye for a long time, "Town Mayor Tang, you are an ambitious cadre; it is admirable! I agree to your request and can help you renovate the schools. But, I have one requirement: the Northeast Chamber of Commerce must be the main bidding entity."

"Excuse me!"

Tang Ye sighed helplessly and walked slowly toward the door.

Just as Tang Ye reached the corridor, thinking the negotiation had failed and he needed to find another way.

Xu Xiangchun leaned out, "Town Mayor Tang, please stay. We will do as you say. We are willing to cooperate with Haihua Group to win this project together."

Tang Ye slowly turned around, walked toward Xu Xiangchun, and held out his hand, "Chairman Xu, that is wonderful. I believe that with your and Haihua Group's strong alliance, you will surely be the final winners."

A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Xu Xiangchun's mouth, "I might as well tell you, we originally intended to give up on Pinghu, and in two days, the funds raised would have been returned to those shareholders."

Tang Ye held Xu Xiangchun's hand and shook it vigorously, "Chairman Xu, so our reaching a cooperation agreement now is just right.

You lack funds, which is why you chose to seek financing from a Korean consortium. Instead of working with foreigners, why not work with domestic enterprises?

The unpleasantness that occurred before was actually exposing the problems early, allowing for timely loss mitigation.

Three or five years from now, when the hotel is officially open for business, I believe you will definitely not regret the decision you made today."

Tang Ye had accurately calculated Xu Xiangchun's mindset.

Rather than letting the raised funds return the way they came, it is more practical to keep them in one's own hands.

Although, compared to before, the Northeast Chamber of Commerce is no longer the main bidding entity, and the profit distribution will be somewhat less.

But, after all, it is a business deal that is sure to make a profit without any risk, and the rate of return is also extremely impressive!

Arriving at the underground parking garage.

Tang Ye dials Zhu Junting's phone number inside the car.

"Good news, I have found a way for you to resolve your predicament!"