Simon Xu dragged Chloe Cheng along, his face full of anger as they stormed toward the Whitewood Grand Hotel.
Whitewood Grand Hotel, reception lounge.
The investment and willingness to set a precedent here are all thanks to Simon Xu, not Max Xu. This lounge is located on a high floor of the Whitewood Grand Hotel. As the best hotel in Whitewood County, its decor is exceptionally refined, built to the standards of big city hotels.
Back when it was first built, Magistrate Ma and others gave it strong support, all to leave a good impression on investors like Simon Xu coming to Whitewood County.
If all they saw here were those hundred-yuan roadside motels, then any boss with a bit of money—like Simon Xu—wouldn’t be interested in investing in Whitewood County.
There’s a coffee table set up in the lounge, and the windows are wide open, letting the wind pour in. The view here is extremely broad—standing at the window, you can see not only the Whitewood Hills Resort, but also the construction site of the Whitewood Modern Plaza, which Simon Xu is considering investing in.
There are four people sitting in the lounge.
Two men and two women.
Kevin Cheng sat at the side, pouring tea. Next to him was a middle-aged man with a bulging belly.
“Old Xu, unless something unexpected happens, Director Chen from the finance bureau should be back soon. Yesterday, for your sake, my wife Lisa Liu even made a special trip to Director Chen’s home.”
“Director Chen is very interested in your two-million investment. Plus, you know the plaza is still under construction—it’s only a projected handover date for now. When it comes to price and policy incentives, you can definitely ask for a bit more.”
Kevin Cheng smiled as he handed the freshly poured cup of tea to the man in front of him.
“Then I really have to thank you and your wife! In a few days, let’s go on a trip together—your kid’s on break too, right?” Simon Xu laughed heartily.
He chose Whitewood because he saw the future opportunities for development in Whitewood County.
In this era of rapid economic growth, the richer people are, the more they know how to enjoy life—and fear death. Although Whitewood County’s economy isn’t much yet, if the government really commits to building an eco-tourism project, the future returns could be considerable.
“Come on, we’re all old classmates here.” Kevin Cheng waved his hand dismissively.
Lisa Liu also smiled warmly. “Having you invest in Whitewood is an amazing thing for us. Didn’t Magistrate Ma say he’d do everything he could to support you?”
“Yesterday, Director Chen said over the phone that he’s planning to introduce you to the boss of the Whitewood Modern Plaza project so you can discuss the specifics together.”
Lisa Liu’s tone was gentle.
Hearing this, Simon Xu’s face immediately lit up. “We’ll get a chance to meet that boss?”
“I heard from Magistrate Ma that the total budget for that project is a full five hundred million, and the funding is all in place!”
Simon Xu rubbed his hands together, looking even more excited.
Having five hundred million in assets and being able to put up five hundred million in cash are two very different things.
Simon Xu was considered pretty successful in his career, earning about ten million a year. But if you asked him to come up with fifty million in liquid cash, he probably couldn’t do it.
“Of course. And my wife Lisa Liu was the one in charge of the contract for this project!” Kevin Cheng said proudly.
Lisa Liu just smiled without saying anything.
Actually, the contract never really went through Lisa Liu. She was only responsible for printing it, but calling it her ‘handling’ wasn’t exactly wrong.
“I really envy how capable you are. I just stay home and take care of the kids,” said the woman sitting next to Lisa Liu with a smile.
Her name was Susan Xu—Max Xu’s mother and Simon Xu’s wife.
“My husband and I discussed before, you two have been in Whitewood County for so long, you must be tired of it by now.”
“And I think Chloe Cheng is a pretty good kid. Our Max really likes her too. So, once this project is finalized, why don’t I have Simon Xu pull some strings and see if we can transfer you two from Whitewood County to River City? That way, our families can look out for each other.”
Susan Xu’s words made Kevin Cheng and Lisa Liu feel a rush of excitement inside.
To them, the Xus were already real wealthy people. Following in their footsteps might not make them super rich, but it was still way better than staying in Whitewood.
Not long after, the door was pushed open.
“Director Chen.”
Outside the door, Director David Chen from the finance bureau walked in with his briefcase, smiling.
Lisa Liu quickly stood up.
“Ah, Lisa, you’re here too! This time it’s all thanks to you for bringing Mr. Xu in to invest. You’ve done a great job!”
Director Chen started off by praising Lisa Liu, making her feel delighted inside.
Before, because of Evan Lin’s incident, Lisa Liu wasn’t well-liked in the bureau. Now, by helping connect Director Chen and Simon Xu, she’d made a real contribution and was finally able to show off a bit at work.
People who used to look down on her had all changed their attitude lately.
“Hello, hello! You must be Mr. Xu?”
Director Chen stepped forward and quickly reached out to shake hands with Simon Xu.
Simon Xu smiled and shook hands. “Yes, Director Chen. Let’s get straight to the point—I plan to invest two million first, and rent three storefronts in the Whitewood Modern Plaza.”
“If things go well, I’ll not only increase my own investment, I’ll also introduce my friends to invest here! The total investment will never be less than five million!”
Simon Xu spoke with conviction.
Director Chen’s smile grew even wider. “Whitewood County’s development depends on bosses like you. Magistrate Ma already told me to give you my full support! If you need anything, just ask.”
“Yesterday, I called the boss of the plaza. He said he’s coming to Whitewood today for some business. Tonight, I’ll set up a meeting so you can discuss the rent!”
Director Chen was also straightforward and to the point.
At their first meeting, both sides were very pleased with the negotiations.
Director Chen was even a bit excited.
The biggest headache for Whitewood County was always attracting outside investment. After all, it’s not a big place and resources are limited—no one’s ever made serious money here before.
Now that Simon Xu was willing to come and invest two million at once, it might not be a huge sum, but for Whitewood County it was definitely substantial. Most importantly, it set a good precedent and was a huge boost for future development.
“Why don’t we sit down and talk first?”
Kevin Cheng spoke up at that moment.
He had barely finished speaking.
Bang!
The previously closed door was suddenly shoved open.
“Max! What happened to your face?”
Susan Xu, who had been smiling a moment ago, immediately stood up. When she saw Max Xu walk in, her face changed dramatically. She rushed over, took a close look, and besides the nasty smell, what stood out most were the deep palm prints on both sides of Max’s face.
“Mom! I ran into a guy pestering Chloe, and he called over a dead fatso who just beat me up without warning!”