How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 581

My Piece is Said. Anyone Object?

Zhao Zun, accompanied by his secretary and other municipal government officials, entered the conference room. Everyone quickly stood up to greet him with flattering remarks, but Yang Chen remained seated, acting as if he didn’t even notice Zhao Zun’s arrival.

Li Yingying subtly kicked Yang Chen’s foot, signaling him with a look to stand up.

*Not* giving Zhao Zun any face, and still expecting to discuss that piece of land?

If Zhao Zun wasn’t Zhao Guang’s father and hadn’t been secretly digging up dirt on Starlight Defense to create problems, Yang Chen might have shown him some respect.

But since Zhao Zun had already tried to sabotage Starlight Defense, Yang Chen wasn’t inclined to play nice.

Zhao Zun said with a smile, “Hello everyone, no need to be so formal. Please, sit down.”

Yang Shuo immediately jumped at the chance to speak. “Old Li, who is this young man? He seems a bit…uninformed.”

Li Guo looked embarrassed and was about to make excuses for Yang Chen, but Yang Chen cut him off. “We’re here to talk business, not to brown-nose [ingratiate oneself]. All the flattery in the world won’t help if you can’t close the deal.”

Zhao Zun chuckled. “This young man makes a good point. I want to see your offers, nothing else matters. Old Mr. Li, who is this person from your company?”

Li Guo: “He doesn’t officially hold a position in our company. He’s a friend of my granddaughter.”

Zhao Zun: “Oh, I see. So you brought someone with no skin in the game to such an important business meeting? Aren’t you worried he’ll be a hindrance?”

Li Guo: “Young people need opportunities to learn. If he marries my granddaughter and doesn’t have any business sense, our family’s business would suffer, wouldn’t it? It’s alright if young people are inexperienced; I have the patience to guide him.”

*The old man’s values are truly upright. Children raised by parents with upright values will also have upright values, which is why the Li family as a whole is so easy to get along with.*

Zhao Zun: “Haha… I understand, I understand. Alright, let’s not waste any more time and get started. The land by Xuanwu Lake is highly coveted. Over 100 companies have expressed interest. Frankly, we weren’t initially planning commercial development there. We envisioned it as a green space to enhance the Xuanwu Lake View community and protect the scenic area. However, the real estate market is currently sluggish, and we need some strong projects to stimulate it. So, we’ve decided to develop that land. We were initially going to hold a public auction, but since you companies have put in the effort to come here, we’re willing to give you a chance. We’re holding this meeting to discuss it first. If we can agree on a satisfactory price, the land is yours. If not, we’ll proceed with the public auction. Today’s process is simple: each of you will present your best offer. The highest bidder that meets our criteria will get the deal. If the best offer still doesn’t meet our expectations, we’ll wait for the public auction. Finally, I want to emphasize that everything hinges on the bid, not on the company or individual. There will be no backroom deals or predetermined outcomes.”

Each company representative quickly huddled with their team members to discuss strategy.

Li Guo said to Yang Chen, a bit embarrassed, “I thought we’d be negotiating with skillful arguments, but it seems I was wrong. According to him, it all comes down to who’s willing to spend the most. I was hoping to give you some experience, but my plan fell through.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… Thank you for your consideration, Old Mr. Li. I think this is good. The highest bidder wins; it’s very fair. If we had to rely on each representative’s persuasive skills, it would leave room for corruption.”

Li Yingying: “But this way, we almost certainly have no chance. Construction Bureau Three, Baoli Real Estate, and Dayang Construction are all working with Yang Shuo. Their offer will definitely be the highest.”

Yang Chen: “Let’s hear what they propose first.”

After a quick discussion, Yang Shuo spoke on behalf of their alliance.

The land can accommodate 10 buildings. If they cut back on green spaces, parking, communal fitness areas, and small parks, they might squeeze in 12 buildings, but that would compromise the community’s quality, making it difficult to sell at the same price as the neighboring Xuanwu Lake View, which goes for 50,000 yuan per square meter [approximately $7,000 USD per square meter].

Each building has 33 floors and 4 units per floor, with a construction area of roughly 26,000 square meters [approximately 280,000 square feet]. With 10 buildings, the total construction area would be around 260,000 square meters [approximately 2.8 million square feet]. At the current price of 50,000 yuan per square meter, the total sales revenue would be around 13 billion yuan [approximately $1.8 billion USD].

According to official data, land costs typically account for 15%-30% of housing prices, averaging 23.2%. Assuming this data is accurate, the land price should be between 1.95 and 3.9 billion yuan [approximately $270 million to $540 million USD].

However, Yang Shuo offered 5 billion yuan [approximately $690 million USD] and promised that their alliance would also participate in the spring land auction next March and would definitely secure at least one plot.

The reason they dared to offer such a high premium was, of course, because they had the backing of large corporations like Construction Bureau Three, Baoli Real Estate, and Dayang Construction.

As everyone knows, projects by established developers can command higher prices than those by smaller developers. People are willing to pay a premium for the brand name.

So, even calculating based on a total construction area of 260,000 square meters, they can slightly increase the price by two or three thousand yuan, and the premium will be recovered.

However, small local developers like the Li Group don’t have that advantage. They have to calculate based on the most conservative estimates, and the highest price they can offer is just over 4 billion yuan [approximately $550 million USD], far short of the 5 billion yuan mark.

Moreover, due to limited financial resources, if they acquire this land, they definitely won’t be able to participate in the land auction next March, let alone guarantee that they will secure at least one plot.

So, Yang Shuo’s offer effectively shut out smaller developers like the Li Group, making it pointless for them to even bid.

Zhao Zun laughed heartily. “It seems your group is determined to win. This offer is very generous, and I have great confidence in you. What about the others? What are your offers? You can also form alliances. We encourage multiple developers to jointly develop the land.”

The more developers involved, the lower the risk of unfinished projects.

If one company falters, the others can step in and continue.

“They’ve already offered 5 billion yuan, what’s the point of us bidding? We can’t sacrifice infrastructure and build two more buildings, can we? That wouldn’t pass inspection, and even if it did, the quality wouldn’t match Xuanwu Lake View, so we couldn’t sell it at a good price.”

“We can’t compete even if we join forces. They have the backing of big brands and can sell at a premium. We don’t have that luxury. They can make a profit even at that price, but if we offered that price, we’d probably lose money even if we cut corners.”

“You guys are too much, we give up.”

“Young Master Yang, you’re playing too hard, aren’t you? At least give us a chance to bid. You came in with a sky-high price; how are we supposed to compete?”

…

Yang Shuo laughed triumphantly. “We’re also considering that you all got up early to come here, so you must be tired. If we finish early, you can go back and catch up on some sleep. Old Mr. Li, are you not going to make an offer?”

Li Guo rolled his eyes and ignored him.

“Yang Chen, you came all the way here, aren’t you going to say something? You were so confident earlier that you were determined to win. Why are you so quiet now?” Yang Shuo deliberately taunted.

Yang Chen: “What should I say? The Li Group’s size means they can’t compete. It’s pointless for me to say anything more.”

Yang Shuo: “Haha… You’re blaming the Li Group for not being strong enough, instead of admitting your own incompetence. Li Yingying, do you see that? He’s the kind of person who shirks responsibility.”

Li Yingying: “It’s our fault that we can’t compete; what does it have to do with him? Whether he takes responsibility or not is irrelevant. What matters is that I like handsome men with great physiques. Does that bother you?”

“Haha…” Everyone laughed.

Those developer representatives who didn’t even get a chance to bid were holding back their anger. Wouldn’t they seize this opportunity to vent?

“Oh, I didn’t realize Young Master Yang had feelings for Miss Li.”

“You didn’t know? I heard they went on a blind date. Apparently, Miss Li wasn’t interested.”

“That’s a bit awkward. Watching the girl you like sitting next to another man must be tough.”

“Haha…”

“Young Master Yang, don’t be discouraged. If this project goes well, maybe Miss Li will change her mind.”

“By the time the project is finished and the funds are recovered, Miss Li and this handsome guy’s child will be in elementary school.”

“Haha…”

Yang Shuo was furious. He slammed the table and pointed at those people, shouting, “What the hell are you talking about? Shut your mouths if you can’t say anything decent!”

“He’s already triggered? Tsk tsk tsk… He has a terrible temper!”

“No wonder Miss Li doesn’t like you. If I were her, I wouldn’t either.”

“He gets angry so easily. Who knows if he’ll be abusive at home in the future?”

“Haha…”

Yang Shuo was about to explode. He reached for the ashtray on the table, but Yan Haoming, the chairman of Dayang Construction, and Wang Xin, the representative of Baoli Real Estate, who were sitting on either side of him, stopped him.

Yan Haoming: “We’re here to talk business, not to argue. Calm down.”

Wang Xin: “That’s right. You have to let the losers vent their frustration; otherwise, they’ll explode. Be magnanimous; we won, after all.”

A sneer appeared on Yang Shuo’s face, and he glared at Yang Chen again before sitting down.

Li Guo felt there was no reason to stay any longer, so he got up to say goodbye to Zhao Zun and the others, and left the venue with Yang Chen and Li Yingying.

Yang Shuo deliberately mocked, “Old Mr. Li, take care! Don’t bother competing for our projects next time. There’s no need to waste your energy running around for nothing.”

Li Guo didn’t want to dignify a junior with a response, but Li Yingying, who believed that all the men in Jinling were infatuated with her, couldn’t stand Yang Shuo provoking her grandfather like this.

“Yang Shuo, shut your stinky mouth and stop being such a pest!” Li Yingying snapped.

Li Guo: “Yingying, there’s no need to argue with him. We are indeed not as strong as others. The more we say, the more it looks like we’re sore losers. Let’s go.”

Yang Shuo: “Haha… Old Mr. Li is still very insightful. It’s just that his judgment is a bit off. He actually thinks a ride-hailing driver can help you negotiate. Everyone might not know, but Old Mr. Li’s future son-in-law is a ride-hailing driver.”

Everyone started whispering.

“Ah? Really?”

“Impossible! Isn’t Li Yingying very picky? She’s rejected so many wealthy young men. How could she end up with a ride-hailing driver?”

“Oh dear, that’s terrible. I wonder how those young masters who have feelings for Li Yingying will feel when they hear this news. Does it mean they’re not as good as a ride-hailing driver in Li Yingying’s eyes?”

“In that case, Young Master Yang, you’re even more tragic. You can’t even compare to a ride-hailing driver.”

“Haha…”

…

Yang Shuo looked mortified and sat down angrily.

Yang Chen and the others walked out of the municipal government building.

Li Yingying comforted him, “Grandpa, don’t be upset. If we can’t get this project, we can participate in the spring land auction next year. There are some good plots; we can compete for them.”

Li Guo smiled and replied, “I’m not angry. We’re not as strong as others; there’s nothing to say. Alright, I’m going back. You guys go have fun. Be safe.”

Li Yingying: “Then goodbye, Grandpa. Tell the driver to drive carefully on the way.”

Li Guo nodded and was about to leave when a group of people approached, looking powerful and imposing.

Li Yingying: “Wow, who are these people? They look very important. The leader has such a commanding presence. She’s the epitome of a perfect female executive in my mind.”

The perfect female executive in Li Yingying’s eyes was Xue Yinong, who had just arrived, and the people behind her were all staff from Jinjiang Development Group.

Xue Yinong walked up to Yang Chen and started to hug him, but then she thought it wasn’t appropriate with so many people watching.

So she shook hands with Yang Chen normally and greeted him, “Mr. Yang, are we late?”

Yang Chen: “No, you’re right on time.”

The staff behind her immediately bowed to Yang Chen and greeted him.

“Hello, Mr. Yang!”

Yang Chen waved at them and said, “Hello everyone, thank you for your hard work. Go talk to the mayor, and we’ll meet in the conference room later.”

Xue Yinong: “Okay, I’ll go talk to Mayor Gao now.”

Xue Yinong passed by Li Yingying, and Li Yingying instantly felt overshadowed.

Li Guo asked in shock, “Xiao Yang, who are these people?”

Yang Chen: “People from Jinjiang Development in Haicheng [a major city in China]. I said I was determined to get that land, and I will. You guys go back first and wait for my news.”

Li Yingying: “You… aren’t you a ride-hailing driver?”

Yang Chen: “I am a ride-hailing driver, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have other identities, does it?”

Li Guo: “Xiao Yang, oh, no, President Yang, what other identities do you have? As far as I know, Jinjiang Development is a development company founded by Mr. Yang of the Starlight Group with a few friends. They are currently working on large projects worth tens or even hundreds of billions. Your surname is Yang; could it be…”

Yang Chen: “Yes, I am Yang Chen, the owner of the Starlight Group.”

Li Yingying: “Ah? You… you are Yang Chen, the owner of the Starlight Group? You… I need a moment… Oh my god…”

Yang Chen looked at the time and said, “You guys go back first and wait for my news.”

After speaking, Yang Chen walked back towards the building.

Li Guo hurriedly snapped out of it and said to his granddaughter, “Yingying, hurry, go after Mr. Yang. If we can partner with Mr. Yang, our family could become one of the top families in Jinling. Hurry, we must seize this opportunity!”

Li Yingying nodded and quickly chased after him.

At this moment, Li Yingying’s heart was filled with unease, nervousness, and embarrassment.

She had repeatedly boasted in front of Yang Chen that she was the dream girl of all the men in Jinling and even blamed Yang Chen, a ride-hailing driver, for not being interested in her.

Now she finally understood why Yang Chen wasn’t interested, and she realized how ridiculous she had been.

What kind of women hasn’t Mr. Yang of the Starlight Group encountered?

If he wanted, he could have any girl in the world.

It was laughable that she was flaunting that she was the dream of all the men in Jinling.

“Mr. Yang, I’m sorry. I was so ignorant before. Please forgive me. I was just a naive girl who didn’t know any better,” Li Yingying said with an embarrassed expression.

Yang Chen: “It’s okay; it’s good to be confident. And you do have the qualities to be confident. It’s just that I personally don’t fall in love so easily.”

Li Yingying: “I understand, I understand. Are there many girls around you every day?”

Yang Chen: “No, others know me as a ride-hailing driver. They look down on me, so why would they flock to me? Some girls are so materialistic these days. How can you talk about love without money?”

Li Yingying: “I’m not materialistic… hehe…”

As they were talking, they returned to the conference room.

At this time, Yang Shuo and the others were chatting happily. When they saw Yang Chen coming back, they immediately quieted down.

“Why are you back again?” Yang Shuo asked.

Yang Chen: “That’s a stupid question. Of course, it’s to discuss the land. What else could it be?”

Zhao Zun: “Didn’t the Li Group say they couldn’t afford to bid? Are you going to bid again?”

Li Yingying: “No, no, no, our family really can’t afford the 5 billion yuan bid. It has nothing to do with our family.”

Yang Shuo: “Then why are you back?”

Yang Chen: “I’m here representing Jinjiang Development Group. It has nothing to do with the Li Group.”

Everyone sat up straight because they all knew that the controlling shareholder of Jinjiang Development Group was Yang Chen, the owner of the Starlight Group.

Wang Xin, the representative of Baoli Real Estate, said, “You represent Jinjiang Development Group? In what capacity do you represent Jinjiang Development Group?”

Yang Chen: “Controlling shareholder, is that okay?”

Chen Youwei, the representative of Construction Bureau Three, stood up excitedly and said, “Are you Mr. Yang?”

Yang Chen: “Yes, I am Yang Chen.”

“Ah!” Everyone exclaimed.

Yang Shuo: “Haha… What are you pretending for? Don’t believe his nonsense. I can vouch that he’s a ride-hailing driver. I even swapped identities with him for a day. I swear to God I’m not lying.”

Yan Haoming, the chairman of Dayang Construction, said, “But it’s said that Mr. Yang of the Starlight Group enjoys driving a ride-hailing car in his free time.”

Yang Shuo: “…”

Zhao Zun thought to himself, *No wonder he was so arrogant and didn’t stand up when I came in. So he’s Mr. Yang of the Starlight Group. But he has no proof. Should I believe him?*

At this time, Gao Hongwei, the mayor of Jinling, arrived with Xue Yinong.

Zhao Zun quickly got up to greet him.

Gao Hongwei nodded with a smile and said to Xue Yinong, “President Xue, which one is Mr. Yang?”

Yang Chen stood up with a smile, and Xue Yinong quickly introduced, “Mayor Gao, this is Mr. Yang Chen, the controlling shareholder of our Jinjiang Development Group, and also Mr. Yang Chen, the owner of the Starlight Group you’ve heard so much about.”

Gao Hongwei: “Oh, Mr. Yang, I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”

Yang Chen: “Mayor Gao, you’re too kind.”

Zhao Zun quickly shook hands with Yang Chen and said, “Mr. Yang, I’ve heard so much about you.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… Hello, Deputy Mayor Zhao. I met your son in a bar a few nights ago. He brought some friends to beat me up.”

The smile on Zhao Zun’s face instantly vanished.

Zhao Zun: “You… you’re that ride-hailing driver?”

Yang Chen: “Yes. Don’t you think this world is small? There are so many ride-hailing drivers, and the ride-hailing drivers you meet are all me.”

Zhao Zun: “Heh… hehe… It’s… it’s very coincidental.”

Yang Chen: “Alright, let’s talk business. We can discuss personal matters later.”

Gao Hongwei’s expression was a little strained, but now was not the time to settle personal scores. Business was the priority.

Zhao Zun reported the offers from each company, or rather, the offer from Yang Shuo and his alliance.
Xue Yinong looked at Yang Chen, waiting for him to speak.

Yang Chen: “We will only offer 4 billion yuan for this land.”

Yan Haoming: “Hehehe… Mr. Yang, we offer 5 billion yuan, and you offer 4 billion yuan. What does that mean?”

Yang Chen: “It means that this land is only worth 4 billion yuan at most. Any higher price would require cutting corners and other shady practices. Moreover, I just bought the neighboring Xuanwu Lake View. I can lower the price to 50,000 yuan per square meter, or even 30,000 yuan per square meter [approximately $4,200 USD per square meter]. This amount of money is nothing to me. Benefiting the people is what I want to do. If I lower the price to 30,000 yuan per square meter, your 5 billion yuan bid will result in losses no matter how you develop the land.”

Yan Haoming: “Ah? So the mysterious rich man who bought Xuanwu Lake View is Mr. Yang. You bought it for 120,000 yuan per square meter [approximately $16,800 USD per square meter] and sell it for 50,000 yuan per square meter. What are you trying to achieve?”

*The rewards given by the system didn’t cost a penny. Even if I sell it for 1 yuan per square meter, I’m still making money. What do they know?*

Yang Chen: “I said, I’m benefiting the people. Jinling shouldn’t have housing prices of 120,000 yuan per square meter. It’s simply exploiting people. They want to imitate Tomson Riviera [a luxury residential complex in Shanghai], but can they? Tomson Riviera is located in the most prosperous financial center of Dragon Country [China]. What does Xuanwu Lake have? Just a Xuanwu Lake. There’s no comparison.”

Gao Hongwei: “Haha… Mr. Yang’s criticism is valid. Jinling shouldn’t have houses priced at 120,000 yuan per square meter. But Mr. Yang can’t do this either. It’s not good to disrupt market prices so drastically.”

Yang Chen: “As far as I know, the relevant departments just issued an announcement allowing developers to lower prices to avoid bankruptcy. I am now lowering prices to avoid bankruptcy, which is in line with the spirit of the policy.”

Yang Shuo: “This isn’t lowering prices to avoid bankruptcy. This is practically giving it away for free!”

Yang Chen: “This is my prerogative. I have too much money to spend. Is it wrong to benefit the people?”

Yang Shuo: “…”

*When it comes to money, no one in the entire Dragon Country dares to say a word in front of Yang Chen. Even coughing is inappropriate because they are not worthy.*

Yang Chen: “What I’m saying is, don’t think you can secure this project by offering a high price. Whether it succeeds depends on my mood. You can succeed if I want you to succeed. If I don’t want you to succeed, forget about it. My piece is said. Anyone object?”

Everyone exchanged glances, and no one dared to object.

Li Yingying looked at Yang Chen with admiration, thinking, “So manly! I knew the man I, Li Yingying, chose would be extraordinary. Hehe…”