A Ticket

After breakfast, Ferral called Lin Qi to say he would be coming over later, so Lin Qi didn't rush to leave.

Around ten o'clock, Ferral rushed to Lin Qi's place.

He glanced at Catherine with some curiosity, and after Lin Qi introduced them, he greeted Catherine, while she went back to her room upstairs.

Ferral didn't talk about the girl after Catherine left. It was Lin Qi's private life, and in the Bayer Federation, respecting other people's privacy and private lives was a very important courtesy. He just paid a little attention to the girl.

Then he brought some things Lin Qi wanted, some replies from the mayor.

"The mayor of the prefecture you want has agreed. He can give you 500 acres, but you need to provide at least 1,800 jobs locally, or 3,000 jobs within the state!"

The Bayer Federation has such standards for purchasing non-residential land: providing a certain number of jobs or completing some economic plan.

If the landowner fails to meet these standards, the "illegal" land under his name will be confiscated and then auctioned off or left idle again.

Of course, this also includes all the real estate on the land, so most entrepreneurs and factory owners will spend money to invite some famous designers to design a plan for themselves before acquiring land.

Plan your industry scale in three different periods: short-term, medium-term and long-term, and then sign a land transfer contract with the local City Hall in this way—a phased transfer.

This way, factory owners and business owners won't be under too much pressure on certain issues, such as the availability of necessary job positions and the payment of corresponding compensation.

Lin Qi originally wanted more than 500 acres, but now the mayor has more than doubled his plan, which means there is no room for negotiation.

Faced with the unexpected demands, Lin Qi reacted decisively. "I can't handle these requirements in a short time."

Lin Qi's reaction did not surprise Ferral. With 1,800 jobs and each worker paid 200 yuan a month, the monthly wage alone would amount to 360,000 yuan. Even if Lin Qi could come up with that money now, he would be finished next month.

"This is just a medium- to long-term goal set by the mayor. You have two years to address this labor shortage," Ferral said, lowering his voice slightly. "Actually, you only need to solve two-thirds of it, since you've already solved two-thirds of the problem!"

This is where the value and benefit of an advisor lies; he understands the mayor's bottom line better than Lin Qi, and how to solve two-thirds, or 1,200 jobs.

If Lin Qi hires 1,200 workers to work on this land, even if he fails to meet the subsequent targets, the mayor will not easily fire him, because these 1,200 workers and their families will cause unrest in the City Hall.

Lin Qi nodded thoughtfully. Ferral didn't realize that the information he revealed had leaked some more important intelligence, such as that the current predicament in Sabine City was more serious than Lin Qi had imagined.

But at the same time, it also made things more confusing for him. He didn't have many opportunities or information to clear the fog, and naturally he didn't know that the severity of the situation did not come from the development of the overall social situation, but from the Listoan Group and their president Neo.

After a brief pause, Ferral brought up the second matter. "The mayor would like to have dinner with you this Sunday evening. Please adjust your schedule accordingly."

Monday to Friday are workdays, and even after get off work, there are often one or two social engagements scheduled, which are unavoidable.

Saturday is a day off, but Saturday evening is more like a traditional "weekend," so dinner on this day is also taken advantage of.

Sunday, the "first day" of the week, is the only day the mayor can control. He can only spare a time for dinner on this day to talk with Lin Qi. Otherwise, it might be at least two weeks before he can find a time to have dinner with Lin Qi.

After Lin Qi nodded again, Ferral took an envelope from his pocket and handed it over.

"What's this?" Lin Qi flipped through the envelope. The seal wasn't closed, so he opened it and took a look. Inside was a small card that looked like a postcard, which he then took out.

This is a card that looks "expensive," with a slight metallic feel. The strong contrast between black and bright gold gives it an air of nobility and mystery.

The document only contained a time, a location, and two signatures; nothing else.

"This is an invitation card to an auction. Only with this card will you be qualified to enter the auction," Ferral said, his tone carrying a subtle, peculiar emotion.

Lin Qi smiled. "What's it auctioning off? Second-hand goods?"

"You could say that!" Ferral did not refute. Anything that goes up for auction means it is a second-hand item, even if it may never have been opened.

This is an auction to divide up Heng Hui Group's assets. Heng Hui Group's local properties will be auctioned off in accordance with Federal law. Part of the proceeds will be used to pay huge fines, and the other part will go into the local treasury.

As for how much these assets will ultimately fetch at auction, that's entirely a matter of uncontrollable market forces; sometimes the price will be higher, and sometimes it will be lower.

After all, even Grand Duke like Heng Hui Group has to resort to tax evasion to operate. Perhaps some assets that people consider high-quality aren't actually high-quality? Well, those are just minor issues. The important issue is that Lin Qi wants to participate in this auction, but he doesn't have the qualifications to raise his paddle.

Ferral's idea was to let him infiltrate and experience the cruelty, ruthlessness, bloodshed, and madness of Upper Class society, so that he could experience the most authentic side of this society.

Ferral was a good man. He felt that Lin Qi needed to experience this atmosphere. In his opinion, Lin Qi might seem very "magical," but he was ultimately too unsophisticated. His background prevented him from experiencing the true face of society.

Without experiencing this aspect, it's like living in a less real world, which doesn't help his development and growth.

Only when he realizes the cruelty and brutality involved will he become more cautious and mature.

Before being injured, wolves treat attacks from their own kind as play. Only when they are injured do they realize that sometimes "play" can be deadly, and only then can their ferocity be aroused.

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow and carefully kept the card safe. Lin Qi never wanted to disappoint or offend anyone who showed kindness.

Ferral left shortly after saying this. His staff had been very busy lately. Listoan Neo's attitude had put the City Hall and the mayor in a very passive position, and the mayor had no intention of compromising.

Once the two sides split and the Listoan Group withdraws from Sabine City, the problems he leaves behind must be resolved, or it will become a disaster, affecting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of families!

In fact, neither the mayor himself nor Neo, the president of the Listoan Group, anticipated that the situation would deteriorate to this extent.

The uncompromising attitudes of both sides have created a basis for their inability to compromise. In other words, neither side is willing to back down first. This is no longer a small issue where one person has to give in and the matter is settled.

If the mayor chooses to concede, he can indeed keep the Listoan Group, but he will also ruin his political career.

President Neo could make concessions, but such concessions would cost him his position as president, and the Board of Directors might even trigger a share buyback mechanism to take away his shares.

This is no longer a farce orchestrated to distribute benefits; it has become a display of power, where someone must submit!

Judging from the current situation, the mayor is clearly unwilling to bow down to the Listoan Group, and he does not believe that his future is limited to the title of "mayor".

He was unwilling to back down, and neither were Neo and the Listoan Group willing to compromise. In the wilderness, yielding was not a virtue, but a sign of weakness.

After watching Ferral leave with a serious expression, Lin Qi called Catherine from his room and asked her to come down.

In some large houses, each room has a telephone. To prevent them from interfering with each other when used at the same time, a semi-automatic switchboard is used in such houses.

It's not as complicated as people imagine. Each phone has a unique number, but they can also connect directly to other phones in the same segment from the exchange by dialing a "semicolon," thus enabling short dialing.

"Finished talking?" Catherine came downstairs after changing her clothes. She didn't see the man who looked very powerful from before.

It's actually quite a novel feeling when a man she knew so well suddenly becomes a complete stranger in certain ways.

Lin Qi nodded perfunctorily, then said, "Remember what we talked about last night?" The girl nodded, and Lin Qi continued, "Do you have any goals?"

"For example, what major do you want to study, or is there a university you'd like to attend?" he said, walking towards the entrance. "Let's fill our stomachs first, and then we'll go check out the university you want to go to!"

He stood in the doorway, looking at Catherine, who couldn't help but laugh, "Is this what life in Upper Class is like?"

Seeing the confusion in Lin Qi's eyes, the girl smiled and said, "You spend every day eating and chatting?"

Lin Qi paused for a moment, then expressed his agreement with the girl's point of view, "I'm glad you have a completely new perspective on my life now!"