At an interest rate of 5.3 percent, he only needed to pay the bank a little over a million a year.
Once Tencent went public, would a million or so even count as money?
After the contract was signed, Bank Manager Li went out to handle the paperwork. When he returned, he told Lin Chao Ci, "Rest assured, Mr. Lin. I've already sent someone to hurry things along. The loan will reach your account within two hours at the latest!"
Lin Chao Ci nodded. He knew the man would never pass up a chance to curry favor. Of course, as long as it stayed within the rules, Lin Chao Ci was happy to accept.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Bank Manager Li, Lin Chao Ci left the bank.
Back in his chairman's office, he settled onto the comfortable sofa.
Lin Chao Ci began considering his next investment target.
Tencent, Wangzhu, Qiandu, and Soumao would all become formidable companies, but they were still developing and could not offer much of a return yet.
As for registering copyrights, domain names, songs, and the like... those could make him a fortune too, but not now.
Lin Chao Ci's company had no core business. It was a little like the shell companies of later years, but that was not what he wanted.
He was still a patriot at heart. He wanted to help ordinary people, create more jobs for them, and develop businesses that actually produced things.
"Sixteen million to fund the Penguin Company leaves me with over three million. Put that money to good use, and the returns could be endless!"
Lin Chao Ci closed his eyes in thought, carefully recalling the industry giants from his previous life.
Baijiu? Worth considering, but I'd have to buy a formula and set up my own factory. The investment would take longer to pay off. I could build one later.
Bottled water? Plenty of people still couldn't get enough to eat. It was too early for that move. It would have to wait until at least the 2010s.
Real estate, new energy, heavy metals, car manufacturing, high tech... each had advantages and drawbacks. None was particularly suitable.
"Wait! I've got it! I've got it! Women were the biggest consumer force in the future! Tops, trousers, cosmetics, handbags, jewelry..."
"Take that foreign luxury goods company. Not only did it go public, but its owner even became the richest person in the world for a few months. After that, he stayed in the top ten..."
Lin Chao Ci's eyes lit up as a brilliant idea came to him.
Starting in this industry now would give him an advantage, bring quick returns, and offer tremendous future potential.
It met all his needs perfectly.
It could also create jobs for huge numbers of ordinary people, with factories, recruitment, and economic growth wherever he went.
And it would help build his father's record of achievements.
The more Lin Chao Ci thought about it, the better the idea seemed. He pressed a button on his desk, notifying his secretary, Fang Miaoke, who was waiting outside. She knocked and entered.
"Did you need me, boss?"
Fang Miaoke had watched firsthand as Lin Chao Ci made money from both Tencent and the bank without putting up anything himself.
Her opinion of her boss had changed somewhat.
"Find me a garment factory in the province. State-owned or private, either is fine! Keep the acquisition price under five hundred thousand. Then put out a recruitment notice. I want designers, garment specialists, artists..."
Lin Chao Ci laid out his instructions in short order.
Fang Miaoke listened and took notes. Since she had become his secretary, she had to do the job properly.
Sister Li had told her that every word the boss said mattered. She needed to write it down, keep thinking it over, and keep studying it.
"Understood. By tomorrow afternoon at the latest..."
Fang Miaoke nodded and gave him a firm deadline based on what was realistically possible.
Lin Chao Ci nodded. This little ditz was just like she had been in his previous life: patient, eager to learn, and talented.
With careful training, she would definitely become one of his greatest pillars of support.
"Beep, beep, beep!"
It was nearly time to leave work when the phone in Lin Chao Ci's pocket sounded.
It was a message from his father.
Lin Chao Ci glanced at it. His father wanted him home early, saying he had something to discuss with him.
Lin Chao Ci shook his head with a chuckle. His father had really latched onto him. Other people relied on their fathers and went to them whenever they were unsure what to do. Only his own foolish father relied on his son and came to him for answers.
Lin Chao Ci replied to his father, saying he would head back immediately.
Lin Chao Ci stretched and glanced at the dusky sky.
The sky had not yet been polluted. It was beautiful, birdsong could often be heard, and stars were visible through the clouds.
Lin Chao Ci rode home in the car.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw his father leisurely eating dinner.
"Oh! You've gotten smarter this time, Dad. You knew I'd eat first when I got home, so you're not putting on that aloof act in the study!"
Lin Chao Ci took his seat with a teasing smile and gave his father an amused look.
His father was too thick-skinned to feel embarrassed. Feigning composure, he said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I just got back and happened to be hungry. Can't I even have a meal without you making comments...?"
Lin Chao Ci said no more, letting the subject drop as he focused on his meal.
No talking while eating or in bed.
Talking while eating made it easy to choke.
The two ate at a leisurely pace for a little over ten minutes, then went to the study together.
Lin Chao Ci poured them each a cup of tea, then sat on the sofa, lazily staring into space without starting a conversation.
His father had assumed his son would get bored and ask first. Instead, he waited and waited... and waited! His son simply sat there without saying a word.
After waiting far too long, Lin Jianguo finally spoke first. "I went to the provincial offices today. The secretary told me my responsibilities after the promotion have been confirmed. I'll be in charge of water resources, agriculture and rural affairs, rural revitalization, commerce, and market regulation!"
"I'll oversee the Provincial Water Resources Bureau, the Provincial Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, the Provincial Commerce Bureau, the Provincial Market Regulation Bureau, the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and the Provincial Public Resources Trading Center!"
"It sounds like a lot of power, but they're all idle posts!"
"And I didn't even make it onto the standing committee. The local faction vetoed me. They said I was too young and didn't have enough achievements, and that the Ding Qiushan incident happened within my jurisdiction!"
His father, Lin Jianguo, shook his head helplessly.
He truly wanted to do something for the people, but the departments he had been given... sigh!
The Water Resources Bureau—the higher-ups had already decided to put all the money into a new dam... there was nothing he could do. There was no money left, and everyone was busy with the new dam.
The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau—the province had recently been putting its money into developing industrial zones, and industrialization had been the priority for years...
The Commerce Bureau... anyone could attract investment.
The Market Regulation Bureau... that one was all right.
The Supply and Marketing Cooperative... it was fading into history.
The Public Resources Trading Center... it provided venues for transactions. The name said it all.
Having spent so long in official circles, Lin Chao Ci understood immediately. His father had clearly been sidelined. Every department under him was peripheral.
In his previous life, when Ding Qiushan moved up to a ministry-level post and went to the province, he had not joined the standing committee either. But the departments he oversaw had all wielded real power: the Development and Reform Commission, the Statistics Bureau, the Industry Bureau...
Compared with his father's assignments, the difference was obvious.
Most importantly, Lin Chao Ci knew very well that an embankment built by the Water Resources Bureau a few years earlier had suffered from serious corner-cutting. When heavy rain fell that May, it would collapse outright.
Several villages would be flooded, more than a dozen people would go missing, three would die, and thousands would be left homeless, with losses running into tens of millions.
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