Chapter 822: The Nine Hundred Million Wasteland

After the auction ended and He Yuzhu and his party finished the paperwork, they went straight back to the hotel.

In early autumn in Qiongzhou, the heat had not yet dissipated, and the cicadas outside the hotel window chirped one after another.

Wu Wanli did not return to his unit and followed He Yuzhu directly into the room. After sitting down, he stood up again and asked with slight worry: "Little He, you threw out nine hundred million the moment you made a move. Can you really develop this place? You aren't really just speculating on land, are you? Developing this plot of land costs far more than just buying it..."

He Yuzhu leaned back on the sofa, squinted, and laughed mockingly: "To think we are comrades-in-arms, and you, kid, actually don't trust me?"

"Nine hundred million, not nine hundred thousand!" Wu Wanli emphasized his tone, his brows knitting together.

"I know you came to scout for information." He Yuzhu picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Then I'll let you put your heart at ease."

He dialed the phone of his eldest son, He Mu, directly. "I am your father. You get me nine hundred million. I'll give you an account number; transfer it to me in three days."

The person on the other end of the phone was clearly stunned for a moment: "Dad, what did you buy that's so expensive? You aren't short on money yourself, are you? Why are you asking me for money?"

"If you're short on money, go find your Uncle Xu Tian and get it. I have a large sum of money placed with him," He Yuzhu said nonchalantly.

He Mu understood immediately, knowing his father had once again obtained a sum of money of unknown origin from abroad and wanted to spend it domestically, so he replied crisply: "Dad, don't worry, I'll handle it right away!"

Hearing this phone call, Wu Wanli's tense shoulders relaxed, and only then did he completely believe that He Yuzhu's land purchase was settled.

He Yuzhu put down his phone and said sternly: "Old Wu, now you can put your heart at ease, right?"

Wu Wanli nodded hurriedly.

"Old Wu, don't work at the Land Bureau anymore. Take medical retirement and come work for me. I guarantee your salary will be several times what it was before."

Wu Wanli's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask: "Are you serious? To tell you the truth, I've wanted to retire for a long time."

"Of course. Our company is unfamiliar with the place here, so it's a struggle to get work started. With you here, it will be different." He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder.

Wu Wanli smiled. "I'll listen to you. I'll resign in a few days!"

After seeing Wu Wanli off, the room became quiet. Dajinya finally couldn't sit still, leaned forward, and couldn't help but ask: "Master He, I've looked at your actions today over and over, but I couldn't see the method behind them. Could you explain it to me?"

He Yuzhu didn't rush to answer, but instead lit a cigarette and asked slowly: "Do you know why I drove up the price of that small plot of land?"

Wang Pangzi snatched the conversation and said excitedly: "In my opinion, Master He's operation today can be called a classic! First, drive up the price of a small plot to make everyone think Master He is very rich and wants every plot. That way, those bosses get nervous. They bid desperately, but in the end, Master He walked away lightly, without taking a single cloud with him... As a result, those people were even more confused. No one could guess Master He's intentions. Therefore, when the subsequent land was auctioned, no one really dared to bid against Master He; everyone was afraid of spending nine hundred million and having the land stuck in their hands..."

He Yuzhu waved his hand and said with a smile: "I don't have such deep, hidden intentions; I was just taking a shot in the dark."

Dajinya still felt in his heart that the fifty mu of land was bought too dearly, but with Wang Pangzi's flattery beforehand, he didn't want to be the bad guy, so he didn't say anything more.

Xu Damao, however, couldn't hold back and asked bluntly: "Zhuzi, what are you going to use those three thousand mu of wasteland for?"

He Yuzhu flicked the ash from his cigarette and said unhurriedly: "You don't think it's good there now. But in the future, when that wharf becomes busy, like the Shiliupu Matou in Shencheng, will you still think the land nearby is no good?"

"But how many years will that take?" Xu Damao pressed.

He Yuzhu shook his head. "Damao, don't forget, Shencheng is different from here; this is an island. Without a wharf, this island can't even begin to talk about development. Therefore, this should be the place for priority development..."

"That is indeed true; it seems I thought too simply." Xu Damao nodded repeatedly.

Wang Pangzi clapped his hands with a smile: "Master He is truly amazing!"

Hu Bayi also praised sincerely: "Master He did a beautiful job this time."

At the same time, Zhao Jing returned to his hotel and immediately dialed Cheng Shao's phone, reporting the situation here in full detail.

On the other end of the phone, after hearing this, Cheng Shao was furious, his voice changing pitch: "This bastard is truly a bad seed! If it weren't for him, we could have taken down these plots for a third of the price. Now it's good, it's completely impossible to make money!"

Zhao Jing hesitated for a moment, lowered his voice, and said: "Cheng Shao, Boss Li's two assistants are very dissatisfied with us taking the land at such a high price. They explicitly stated that they will not continue to invest money in this project."

Cheng Shao scolded angrily: "That old fox! When he was begging me to do things, everything was fine; now that he doesn't need me, he wants to burn the bridge after crossing it? No way!"

Zhao Jing said cautiously again: "Cheng Shao, this time I went around spreading the word about He Yuzhu having several wives... I estimate that in the future, no one in the industry will dare to cooperate with him."

Cheng Shao didn't pick up on that topic and instead asked: "Do you know where this kid got the money?"

"Does it even need to be said? He used the Liushi Trading Company to bid for the land, so naturally, this company must be paying for it, right?" Zhao Jing replied.

Three days later, Lou Xiaoe flew to Qiongzhou according to He Yuzhu's phone arrangements.

He Yuzhu handed the overall planning blueprints to her, and he entrusted all subsequent construction matters to her—she had thousands of workers under her, and she was quite proficient in the construction industry.

After settling these things, He Yuzhu took Xu Damao and his party back to Shencheng.

Wang Pangzi hosted a banquet at home to entertain everyone. Upon hearing that Pangzi and the others were going to build a hotel, Lingzi was startled: "Building a four-star hotel? That will cost a lot of money! Is your money enough?"

Wang Pangzi waved his hand dismissively and said nonchalantly: "Remove that 'is it' part. We will have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future; you just wait to enjoy the blessings!"

Lingzi still couldn't quite see through He Yuzhu, so she appeared very polite and kept addressing him as "Sir."

He Yuzhu saw her reserve, and to dispel her wariness, he took the initiative to raise his glass and smiled: "Sister-in-law, don't worry about Pangzi losing everything one day. When the Qiongzhou hotel is built, if you are willing, you can go be the Manager."

Upon hearing this, Lingzi was indeed much more at ease, but she was still a bit embarrassed: "I can manage a small restaurant, but I can't manage a big hotel."

He Yuzhu waved his hand and said with a smile: "If I say you can, you can; even if you can't, you can."

A smile bloomed on Lingzi's face, and she raised her glass to thank him repeatedly.

He Yuzhu stayed in Shencheng for a few more days, then returned to Si Jiu Cheng.

As soon as he arrived, he was summoned by Secretary Liu to the Second Reception House.

Secretary Liu poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile: "You did a good job this time. I didn't expect you, all by yourself, to drive up the land prices in all of Qiongzhou by fifty percent. However, what do you intend to do with those three thousand mu of land?"

He Yuzhu smiled and said: "Leader, Qiongzhou is an island, and my plot of land is land around the wharf. If you want Qiongzhou to develop, the first step is to build the wharf well. Therefore, I don't consider it a loss. I plan to have the Chip Factory, the clothing factory, and even the Food Factory open branch companies over there."

Secretary Liu was very happy after hearing this and said: "Zhuzi, if you are short on money, you can go to the bank for a loan; developing that place will cost a lot of money."

He Yuzhu said with a smile: "The one taking the lead this time is Liu Shi Trading; they have money, so you can rest assured."

Secretary Liu suddenly became solemn and said: "We are also rushing to formulate new policies for Pingzhou, but we have encountered some resistance in the process. Some people said 'if it's not developed in three years, it will be reclaimed,' and I estimate no one would be willing to buy such land. So we discussed and set it at seven years."

He Yuzhu nodded, pondered for a moment, and responded: "That can be considered reasonable. Three years is indeed a bit short, but it cannot exceed seven years. In case someone takes it for twenty years and makes no contribution at all, yet can make this money multiply dozens of times, that kind of thing really cannot be allowed to happen."