Chapter 853: The Competition Begins

Xu Damao said with great excitement: "Zhuzi! Those residential buildings we built are selling like hotcakes! They weren't even topped out yet, and they were already completely reserved. And those apartments in prime locations—so many people have been chasing me to ask about them, just hoping to snag one. When they heard we were only renting and not selling, oh my, those disappointed faces—it was something else. Some people even approached me privately, willing to pay a premium, with the cash ready to go!"

He Yuzhu picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and said calmly: "Damao, don't be happy too soon. The reason houses are selling well now is that the industry is overheated, a result of hot money entering the market. By the end of this year or early next year, the real estate industry will likely undergo a major shift. National regulatory policies will become stricter, and the next few years will likely be in a slump."

The smile on Xu Damao's face froze instantly, and he hurriedly asked: "Then... then what should we do? We can't just sit here waiting to die and lose money, right?"

He Yuzhu set down his teacup, his tone remaining steady: "The few plots of land we have left that haven't been developed yet are in decent locations. We'll build them all into apartments specifically for rent. The worse the housing market gets, the more people will need to rent. This business will be a steady profit."

Xu Damao's eyes darted around quickly, and he immediately grasped the logic: "Then we might as well take advantage of the current hot market and sell off those plots in more remote locations. Anyway, we've already developed over thirty percent, which fully complies with land transfer regulations; it's not against the rules at all."

He Yuzhu glanced at him, secretly admiring how sharp the kid was, and nodded with a smile: "That operation is fine. After three or four years, when land prices hit rock bottom, we can buy the land back at a low price, and we'll be able to make another profit on top of that."

Hu Bayi, who hadn't said much, looked up at this moment and spoke slowly: "Master He, I also think we should indeed sell off a portion of the land to recoup funds. The prices of those plots have already doubled anyway. With the market being poor, cash is king."

He Yuzhu made the decision immediately: "It's settled then."

The core reason he agreed to the brothers' plan this time was that Secretary is about to retire. Once this great backer leaves, with him holding so much land, it would inevitably attract envy, and there's no telling if someone might intentionally target their businesses.

The idea from Xu Damao and the others was precisely the safest path at the moment.

He Yuzhu couldn't make it back to Si Jiu Cheng for the New Year this time, so the He Family's Spring Festival lacked a bit of its usual liveliness.

On the fifteenth day, the whole He Family gathered together for a reunion dinner.

After the meal, He Zheng grabbed Ma Rui in the courtyard just as he was planning to sneak away.

"Ma Rui, are you fooling around with those two girlfriends of yours every day? Why haven't I seen you at all during the New Year period?"

Ma Rui said with a helpless look: "Brother, stop spreading rumors about me. I don't have two girlfriends at all; my only girlfriend is Yang Jing."

He Zheng chuckled and said: "Look at how scared you are. I was just joking with you. Why do you always hide from me?"

Ma Rui had been avoiding He Zheng lately because he always loved to put on an older brother's airs, lecturing him whenever he got the chance, which made his head spin.

Ma Rui was naturally free-spirited and unrestrained, and he hated nothing more than someone nagging in his ear. Furthermore, everything He Zheng said was baseless gossip.

It was true that he was close with Liu Wei, but the two of them were completely innocent, with not a shred of ambiguity between them.

He had explained it several times, but He Zheng wouldn't listen at all, bringing it up every time they met.

"Brother, don't worry! I have always walked through the flowers without a single petal sticking to me. I understand the rules of our big family—whoever gets involved in that kind of bad stuff gets kicked out of the house," Ma Rui explained helplessly.

He Zheng grinned and laid his cards on the table: "I'm treating you this way not to harm you, but because my dad intends to focus on grooming you to be the successor of the He Family! You must not ruin your own reputation."

Ma Rui's pupils shrank instantly, and he was startled; only then did he understand why He Zheng was always keeping an eye on him.

He hurriedly waved his hands: "Brother, I can't carry this burden! The He Family's business is yours to begin with; I will never get involved in the He Family's business."

He Zheng shook his head: "You've got it wrong! I don't want to take over my dad's position at all. If you can step up, I'd be more than happy."

Ma Rui blurted out: "If Uncle really intends that, then I might as well just go find a few more wives."

He Zheng shook his head: "I'm telling you the truth; believe it or not."

Ma Rui returned home and found his mother, He Yushui, saying with a mournful face: "Mom, does Uncle really want to groom me? I don't want to take over the He Family's business. Mainly because I... besides, my small shoulders can't carry such a large industry as the He Family's."

He Yushui leaned back on the sofa and spoke slowly: "Your uncle does indeed want to cultivate you, but not to have you take over traditional industries like real estate and trade."

Ma Rui looked stunned: "Then what does Uncle want me to do?"

He Yushui's eyes held a smile as she said slowly: "Your uncle said that the future world belongs to mobile phones and video websites; that is the core industry of the future era."

She paused and recounted to Ma Rui, word for word, the future scene that He Yuzhu had once described to her.

After listening, Ma Rui slumped back into his chair, unable to recover for a long time.

His brain was buzzing, as if someone had suddenly pushed open a door to a new world for him, with a scale so grand it left him breathless.

"Mom," he swallowed, his voice a bit hoarse, "how much of what Uncle said... is actually true?"

He Yushui raised her hand and patted him lightly: "You brat, stop it! Ever since I can remember, everything your uncle has said and done has never once gone wrong!"

Ma Rui fell into silence.

A moment later, he suddenly looked up, his eyes shining brilliantly: "According to what you said, we must start laying the groundwork in these industries early?"

Seeing that he understood immediately, He Yushui was full of gratification: "Your uncle also talked to me about your advertising company. He said, don't get stuck on content production when doing advertising; that's not a long-term strategy."

"Then what should I grasp?"

"Grasp the media," He Yushui said, enunciating each word, "Build your own media channels."

Ma Rui frowned: "Mom, please explain more clearly; I'm a bit confused."

He Yushui leaned forward slightly and counted on her fingers to break down the logic: "Billboards on airport expressways, prime locations in the city—you can completely negotiate cooperation with the city and erect your own billboards; also trains, elevators, buses—all of these can become media..."

These words were like a key, instantly prying open Ma Rui's closed mindset.

He suddenly realized that his previous understanding of the advertising industry was simply ridiculously narrow.

It turned out the business opportunities had been right under his feet all along, only he had never looked at them seriously.

Ma Rui stood up with a start, grabbed his coat, and rushed out: "Mom, I'm not coming home tonight. I'm going straight back to the company! I'm calling all the brothers over to hold a meeting overnight!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already darted out like a rabbit, his hurried footsteps fading away down the hallway.

He Yushui looked at the still-swinging door, couldn't help but chuckle, and whispered to herself: "Big Brother still has his ways. These two boys finally have some sense of competition."