Chapter 389: A Massive-Scale Investment

To Zhao Xiao'an, Yang Xiaofei's words were a blatant provocation.

She hated herself. 'Why didn't I get involved in the family's decision-making? Why did I stay so detached from our important affairs?'

Zhao Xiao'an disliked fighting for power and profit, and she was even more unwilling to spend time and energy on mundane things like investing and making money. She had even mocked Yang Xiaofei for it, saying that such worldly affairs had tainted a perfectly good person with the stench of money. According to her, Yang Xiaofei always put profit first, losing the innocence and magnanimity a young person ought to have.

But now, Yang Xiaofei was acting in perfect concert with Wang Chenning on this matter, and all Zhao Xiao'an could do was stare helplessly.

From Yang Xiaofei's words, however, Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian sensed that the relationship between her and Wang Chenning was far from simple. At the very least, Yang Xiaofei was quite taken with him. 'It looks like,' they thought, 'we'll have to consider Yang Xiaofei as important as Zhao Xiao'an from now on—maybe even more so.'

Meanwhile, Wang Jiangxing and his colleagues were once again shocked by Wang Chenning's immense influence.

'So Wang Chenning can't just influence Li Fuzhen, Li Yanxian, and Zhao Xiao'an,' they realized. 'Even Yang Xiaofei defers to him like this.'

This young man wasn't just incredibly lucky with the ladies; he also possessed real leadership abilities.

Wang Jiangxing's thoughts went even further. If Wang Chenning were to combine the political influence of the Zhao family and the economic might of the Yang family, his future would be truly beyond prediction.

As long as the Zhao and Yang families were willing to cultivate him, given his current influence, the heights he could reach in the future would be unmatched.

And so, their estimation of Wang Chenning rose yet again.

The meeting after dinner proceeded harmoniously.

After Wang Jiangxing had the heads of various departments describe the current situation in Qiantang and outline the preferential policies for investment, Wang Chenning stated his position.

He said that he had an excellent impression of Qiantang and that he recognized the personal charisma and administrative capabilities of its officials. He was willing to make a substantial investment in Qiantang. Furthermore, he was willing to act as a spokesperson for Qiantang and West Lake, and to promote the beautiful city in various ways, free of charge.

Just as Wang Chenning mentioned endorsing West Lake, an official—acting on Wang Jiangxing's orders to monitor tourism metrics—reported on the evening's changes in various tourism-related products.

In the last two days, all train and plane tickets to Qiantang from across the country had been sold out. Search queries for Qiantang's major hotels had surged a hundredfold, and reservations were nearing capacity. Ticket pre-orders and related searches for West Lake and its surrounding attractions had also increased by several dozen times.

In short, ever since Wang Chenning posted on Weibo inviting everyone to visit West Lake for a chance encounter with him, the number of tourists planning or considering a trip to Qiantang had multiplied.

One could only imagine the tourism revenue these visitors would bring to Qiantang.

After hearing his subordinate's report, Wang Jiangxing personally thanked Wang Chenning for promoting Qiantang. He then asked if Wang Chenning could spare some time to film a few promotional videos, and Wang Chenning readily agreed.

Next, Wang Chenning had Lv Qinglan and Wu Jingyi present his latest investment plan.

Wang Chenning had numerous investment plans. He was collaborating with Luo Yuqing, Yang Xiaofei, Li Mingchao, and others in Yandu, with a model where he provided the technology and they provided the capital.

In Seoul, he collaborated with Shanxing Group and the Pu family; in Tokyo, he worked with the Tian family and several other renowned figures in traditional medicine. The arrangement was the same: he provided the technology, and they provided the funding.

These joint ventures had already been announced, and most were either in production or about to be. Their total value exceeded twenty billion US dollars, and they were projected to turn a profit within a year, with a guaranteed annual profit growth of thirty percent.

He planned to invest roughly ten billion US dollars in Qiantang, with an initial investment of no less than one billion. At first, he would focus on the pharmaceutical industry, but he could later expand into other sectors, including culture, film and television, and the service industry.

Lv Qinglan then gave a brief overview of the operations of Cyan Bird Media, Li Garden Hall, and Qingyun Hall, all of which Wang Chenning already securely controlled.

After listening to the reports from Wang Chenning's two assistants, Wang Jiangxing immediately expressed his willingness to engage in comprehensive cooperation with him across these industries.

After both sides had stated their positions and discussed some of the preferential policies, they immediately finalized the details of the investment.

Yang Xiaofei, who was generally perceived as a tough negotiator with a long list of demands, maintained the same attitude once the actual talks began. She deferred to Wang Chenning's opinions on everything, at most raising questions or making requests about minor details.

After nearly an hour and a half of discussion, all the details were settled, and both parties signed the formal cooperation agreement.

The total scale of this investment agreement was thirty billion US dollars. Lingyang Group would be responsible for twelve billion, Wang Chenning for ten billion, and the aunt-and-nephew duo of Li Fuzhen and Li Yanxian for eight billion.

An investment of this magnitude was practically a record for the largest in the history of Zhijiang Province.

After solemnly signing his name on the cooperation agreement, even Wang Jiangxing, a man who had seen countless major events, was deeply moved.

He gave an emotional speech, stating that he was extremely optimistic about this partnership with the capital represented by Wang Chenning, Yang Xiaofei, and Li Fuzhen. He hoped their cooperation would continue to be a pleasant one. He promised that Zhijiang would do its part as a dedicated service provider, making every effort to transform this investment into tangible results and ensure a win-win outcome for all.

Representing the investors, Wang Chenning, Yang Xiaofei, and Li Fuzhen announced that they would jointly establish a brand-new company. Its registered capital would reach one hundred billion, and its headquarters would be located in the Binjiang District of Qiantang.

Afterward, Wang Chenning announced the news on his Weibo account, and Wang Jiangxing had the official Zhijiang Weibo account release the news simultaneously.

As soon as the news broke, it immediately caused a massive uproar online.

It wasn't just netizens who were buzzing about it; many people within the establishment were green with envy.

This was especially true for Zhijiang's neighbors—Zhonghai, Jiangdong, Wan Province, and Gan Province. Many people there lamented, 'Why didn't Wang Chenning happen to wander into our territory?'

They were already scheming, trying to figure out how to lure Wang Chenning, Yang Xiaofei, Li Fuzhen, and their associates onto their own turf.

The investment negotiation meeting didn't conclude until ten o'clock that night, with both parties leaving fully satisfied.

After returning to their hotel, Wang Chenning gathered his entire team for a debriefing.

He told them that the fruits of his research over the past several years were more than enough to support the production capacity required by the agreement they had just signed.

However, he stressed that he needed to generate even more results to maintain his monopoly. He had the ability to do so, but he needed opportunities that matched the value of what he could create. Therefore, he urged everyone present to fight for more opportunities for the group, and by extension, for him to innovate.

"For example," he said, "that national-level laboratory that's still pending approval. We need to secure it as soon as possible."

"Moreover, I need to recruit more talent. I'm going to build an even stronger team."

"And I hope," he added, "that all of you here today will join my team!"

Wang Chenning's words shocked them all once again!