Ning Guoliang had been parachuted into Chuning County three years ago. He had originally planned to spread his wings and prove himself to his old man.
But developing a small county town in such a remote mountainous region was easier said than done.
Apart from some land resources in the mountains and hills, the entire county had nothing else. He had no idea where to begin attracting outside investment. This eighteenth-tier little county had nothing anyone could want; only someone with water in their brain would invest here.
So Ning Guoliang worried himself into a headache every day. Three years had passed, and he still had no achievements to show for it. Whenever he remembered what his old man had told him back then-"If you can achieve anything, sows can climb trees"-he seethed.
But the facts really did bear that out. At that thought, Ning Guoliang shook his head and sighed again.
Just as Ning Guoliang was sighing, his phone rang. "Qin Baichuan? What's that fellow calling me for?" he muttered when he saw the caller ID.
He answered. "Qin Baichuan, how come you have time to call me? What's up? Want to treat me to a drink?" His hearty voice carried a smile.
Hearing the familiar voice, Qin Baichuan smiled on the other end too. "Guoliang, in a minute, you'll probably want to treat me to a drink. Hahaha!"
Ning Guoliang froze for a moment, then asked in puzzlement, "Have you got some good news? Hurry up and spit it out. Keep dragging your feet, and next time I visit, I'll drink that bottle of Moutai you've treasured for twenty years."
Qin Baichuan had put that twenty-year-old bottle of Moutai away back when they were in college and had treasured it ever since. Ning Guoliang's words immediately made him anxious.
"Look, Old Ning, I've got good news for you, and you're still after my liquor? Do you want to hear it or not?" The moment he heard his old friend wanted to drink the liquor he had treasured for twenty years, Qin Baichuan threatened him.
"All right, all right. Look how stingy you are. I don't even want it. Hurry up and tell me the good news. If it really is good news, I'll treat you to some fine liquor."
"Old Ning, what fine liquor could you possibly have? How about letting me try the good stuff your old man has treasured for forty years?" The moment Ning Guoliang offered to treat him, Qin Baichuan thought of his father's prized liquor, and his mouth began to water.
"Qin Baichuan, if you want to die, don't drag me down with you! You've even got your eye on my dad's liquor? Aren't you afraid he'll break your legs?" A roar came from the other end of the phone.
What sort of man was his old man? He cared for nothing else, only his drink. If Ning Guoliang dared touch those treasured old bottles, even being his son would not save him from having his legs broken.
Ning Guoliang's roar immediately brought Xiangnan Province's top leader to Qin Baichuan's mind, and he shuddered. Then he said sheepishly, "Hahaha, I wouldn't dare. Just joking, just joking. But I really do have good news for you today."
As Qin Baichuan's voice gradually grew serious, Ning Guoliang sat up straight too. "What good news?"
"I know a promising young man who wants to invest in our county. Wouldn't you call that good news?"
"Oh? How much?" Ning Guoliang knew Qin Baichuan would not shoot without a target. This old classmate of his was quite reliable. If someone wanted to invest and he had contacted Ning Guoliang right away, he must have wanted to hand him a political achievement. That meant it could not be a small investment.
As for how much the investment would be, Qin Baichuan really did not know. All he knew was that if the God of Wealth beside him casually invested a tenth of his deposits, it would count as a substantial political achievement in an eighteenth-tier little county like Chuning County.
Who would invest in an eighteenth-tier little county like this, which had nothing anyone could want? Even an investment of a hundred million yuan would rank among the county's major investments.
Just as Qin Baichuan was wondering how to answer, Li Rui, who stood beside him and had also heard the voice on the phone, said, "At least ten billion yuan. Further investment will depend on the situation."
"Old Ning, ten billion yuan. That's no small investment, is it?" Qin Baichuan said smugly.
"What? Ten billion?" The moment Qin Baichuan finished, two identical exclamations rang out at once. One came from Ning Guoliang on the other end, while the other came from Qin Baichuan himself.
"Mr. Li, you didn't misspeak, did you? Are you sure you mean ten billion, not one billion?" Qin Baichuan finally came back to his senses.
What did an investment of ten billion yuan mean? The entire annual GDP of Chuning County was only thirteen billion. Besides, Mr. Li here only had a little over 9.9 billion left in his bank. Could he have even more funds elsewhere? At that thought, Qin Baichuan grew even more shocked.
Meanwhile, Ning Guoliang was so shocked that he knocked over the teacup beside him. Hearing the cup shatter, the assistant outside immediately knocked. Still stunned, Ning Guoliang naturally did not respond, so the assistant pushed the door open and entered. Only after the assistant called him "County Magistrate" did Ning Guoliang come to his senses, then wave the assistant out.
"Old Qin, I want to speak to Mr. Li myself. Hand him the phone." Li Rui then took the phone, discussed matters with Ning Guoliang, and arranged to meet at the county offices that afternoon before hanging up.
An investment this large was not something he, a county magistrate, could finalize alone. Even if the political credit went to him, the county's entire leadership team would still have to meet to discuss it.
The county town was not far from Li Family Village, only a little over twenty kilometers away, or half an hour's drive along the county road. However, Li Rui did not plan to drive his McLaren P1. That car was only suited for showing off. He was going to the county offices to discuss business, and a car like that was too ostentatious.
Riding in the Land Rover Range Rover driven by Li Yi, he followed Qin Baichuan's police car into the county town.
That afternoon, at the county offices, Li Rui met Ning Guoliang, a vigorous middle-aged man with a keen gaze like an eagle's.
After they met, the county magistrate, whom he had expected to be very stern, displayed extraordinary enthusiasm. He brewed his treasured fine tea for Li Rui and praised him as someone found only in heaven, with no equal on earth.
Only after half an hour of tea and conversation did they get down to business. They discussed matters for nearly another hour, and Li Rui told Ning Guoliang his investment plans, mixing truth with falsehood-an initial investment of ten billion yuan, another fifty billion later, and so on-leaving the county magistrate, who was eager to prove himself to his old man, so excited that he could barely speak coherently.
The initial ten-billion-yuan investment was real, but the later fifty-billion investment was false. After all, he had a system and already had nearly a hundred billion yuan in funds. What was a fifty-billion investment to him? If he had not been afraid the county magistrate would take him for a madman, he might have said five hundred billion.
With this investment, how could my old man not see me in a new light? An investment exceeding ten billion yuan was a major one even across all of Xiangnan Province. Ning Guoliang secretly rejoiced.
If the later fifty-billion-yuan investment Li Rui spoke of really materialized, he would have the confidence to move not just into the municipal leadership, but even the provincial leadership. At that thought, Ning Guoliang nearly pulled Li Rui into becoming sworn brothers. This man was his benefactor. If not for his position, he definitely would have made him his sworn brother.
But even if they could not become sworn brothers, Ning Guoliang treated Li Rui as a friend despite their difference in age, calling him "little brother" at every turn with extraordinary warmth. Li Rui, too, followed the pole upward like a snake.
The county magistrate before him was no ordinary county magistrate. His old man was Xiangnan Province's top leader. No need to ask how he knew; the answer was that Qin Baichuan had told him. Information like that generally could not be found online. Of course he had to cling to such a thick thigh.