Chapter Thirty-Nine: Competition

  Although Changfu is over 500 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Shu, Wang Peiyuan is from the province and although he doesn't travel back and forth often, he knows several team leaders who came down from the province this time.

  "Mayor Wang, let me introduce you," said Qin, the director of the Provincial Economic and Trade Commission, who was naturally aware of Wang Peiyuan's background and was being very courteous. He smiled as he introduced: "This is Mr. Liu Fusheng from Hong Kong Fei Yuan Investment Company, this is Executive Director Zhu Jianjun, and this beautiful lady is Assistant Chen Yaxin to Director Zhu."

  Wang Peiyuan smiled brightly and stretched out his hands, saying: "Mr. Liu, Manager Zhu and Assistant Chen, you are indeed young and promising, very welcome to come to Changfu as guests, I hope Changfu can leave a good impression on you."

  Liu Fusheng, who had previously received a hint from his boss, warmly shook hands with Wang Peiyuan and said in a somewhat awkward tone, mixed with a strong Cantonese accent: "You are Mayor Wang, I have long admired your great name."

  His Mandarin was learned only after entering Fei Yuan company, the boss is a mainland Chinese, not learning good Mandarin is inconvenient for communication, how can he better develop in the future? It's because he has such thoughts and spirituality that Zhu Jianjun chose him this time.

  In comparison, Chen Ya-xin's Mandarin is much more standard, although there is still a hint of Hong Kong flavor. Her parents are both from northern mainland China and only moved to Hong Kong in the 50s and 60s, so even though she was born and raised in Hong Kong, her family has always maintained the habit of speaking Mandarin at home.

  The moment they shook hands, a few rolls of film were naturally killed. It was just an instant, but it was destined to be an eternal instant.

  After some small talk, Liu Fusheng asked: "Mayor Wang, may I ask if Secretary Leng Yunying came today? It's because we heard that Changfu has Mayor Wang and Secretary Leng Yunying, so we became interested and decided to come take a look."

  Wang Peiyuan was not surprised at all, after all, the Hong Kong company's visit to Changfu for inspection was notified by Leng Yunyi in advance, and it was natural that they knew and wanted to see Leng Yunyi. However, other personnel behind Wang Peiyuan, including officials from the provincial government and Shu, did not know how merchants from thousands of miles away in Hong Kong would know a humble district-level secretary like him, and even elevate him to such a high position? Was there something special about this district secretary, or was it possible that the merchant was invited by him? Thinking of this, Leng Yunyi's weight in their hearts seemed to have increased significantly.

  "Haha, this is Mr. Liu, the secretary of Suqi District Committee, Leng Yunyao." Wang Peiyuan smiled and introduced Leng Yunyao to Liu Fusheng and others. Leng Yunyao had been standing behind Wang Peiyuan with other personnel from the city, and at this moment, without instructions, he couldn't come forward and steal the spotlight from the mayor, even if their relationship was good, some rules had to be followed.

  Liu Fusheng and Chen Yaxin both sized up Leng Yunying, the district committee secretary who had been repeatedly instructed to pay attention to and respect. He was tall, with a hint of white at his temples, but his eyes were bright and spirited, clearly a man of great ability.

  "Mr. Liu, hello." Leng Yunya grasped Liu Fusheng's hand and smiled slightly.

  "Director Leng, hello!" Liu Fusheng enthusiastically shook Director Leng's hand and said with a smile: "I've long heard that Su Qi of Changfu has a practical and capable Secretary Leng. We have great interest and confidence in investing in Su Qi and Changfu!" His enthusiasm was even greater than towards Mayor Wang. Although he didn't know why his boss attached so much importance to this district secretary, since it was the boss's intention, he wouldn't randomly speculate about it and would just carry out the task properly.

  If it were someone else, Mayor Wang might have felt a sense of estrangement, after all, the limelight was stolen by his subordinates, not every leader can remain calm. However, when it comes to Leng Yunyue, he didn't have any thoughts about it and instead praised: "Secretary Yunyue is a very good comrade, always selflessly working, under his governance, various aspects of Su Qi District are all doing exceptionally well."

  In Hong Kong, the guests and merchants were full of praise, which was only surprising to everyone. However, Wang Peiyuan's next words shocked many officials. Generally speaking, in official circles, people usually leave room for maneuver when speaking. It is extremely rare for someone like Wang Peiyuan to openly praise a subordinate in public. If the person he praised had any problems, he would also be held accountable. What does this indicate? What direction does it show? Everyone was very clear that Leng Yunyi's rapid rise was an unstoppable trend. As for Leng Yunyi, people were envious and resentful, but there was nothing to say. Setting aside his relationship with Leng Qingcheng, who else could work so well every day and even invite merchants from Hong Kong? If it were someone else, they wouldn't have such great abilities.

  Leng Yun didn't know what Leng Binghan had said or done to make the Hong Kong businessmen understand, but at this time he still smiled slightly and said calmly: "Mayor Wang and Mr. Liu are overpraising me, everything I have done is under Mayor Wang's leadership, adhering to the Party's line and policy, relying on grassroots cadres and the masses, there's nothing worthy of praise."

  For the reception of Hong Kong businessmen this time, Changfu Municipal Committee and Municipal Government mobilized 14 vehicles, including a Crown sedan borrowed from a local steel company for use by Hong Kong guests. The Crown car is not extremely high-end, but in Changfu in '86, it was also a rare good car. Moreover, cars of this grade were already beyond the standard, and the government had no right to use them, but in order to raise the level and satisfy the Hong Kong businessmen, Wang Peiyuan took the lead in borrowing from the local steel company.

  According to the rules, it should be accompanied by the director of Changfu City Economic and Trade Bureau to sit in this Crown car with Hong Kong businessmen. However, under the insistence of Liu Fusheng and Zhu Jianjun, Cold Yunying finally accompanied Liu Fusheng and Zhu Jianjun to sit in the back seat, and Chen Yaxin sat in the co-pilot position. The police car opened the way, and the motorcade went straight to the Changfu City Committee Guest House.

  The luxurious hall on the second floor of the municipal guest house, Wang Peiyuan held a grand welcome banquet for Hong Kong businessmen and cadres from the province. The leaders of the four major teams of Changfu Municipal Committee, Municipal Government, People's Congress, and CPPCC, as well as relevant departments, all attended the event. Wang Peiyuan first gave a welcoming speech on behalf of the municipal committee and government, followed by a speech by Hong Kong businessman Liu Fusheng expressing gratitude to the Changfu Municipal Government for their work, then came a round of toasts.

  Wang Peiyuan finished drinking with Zhu Jianjun and then asked Leng Yunfei to accompany him well. Originally, this should be the work of the Municipal Economic and Trade Bureau, but who let Hong Kong businessmen have a good impression on Leng Yunfei? Can only borrow Leng Yunfei's help. As a mayor, there are too many things to pay attention to and worry about, not only do you need to accompany Hong Kong merchants, but also people from the province and Shudu City who come down cannot be ignored, even if your own level is high and your tone is strong, but on the surface, you still have to get by. Being remembered by others and privately making some trouble is not a good thing.

  One after another, they toasted and toasted until it was the turn of Director Zheng from the Sichuan Metropolitan Bureau of Commerce. Wang Peiyuan smiled and said: "Director Zheng is busy with a million things, how did you have time to come to this small place in Changfu?"

  This time, the provincial economic and trade commission's visit is normal, after all, it's about investment within the province. However, the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Economy and Trade's move is obvious to everyone - they want to poach investors from Hong Kong and bring them to Chengdu for investment. Isn't this a slap in the face to Wang Peiyuan? Although Wang Peiyuan smiled, he was seething with hatred towards them.

  Director Zheng didn't seem to understand Mayor Wang's intention, and chuckled: "Mayor Wang is being polite, Changfu is developing well now, even Hong Kong businessmen want to come and investigate, we naturally also need to learn from them."

  "Director Zheng, you're being too polite. Our small prefecture-level city is inexperienced, how can our investment promotion work be compared to that of a provincial capital? Director Zheng, your work has always been impeccable, unlike us. It's not easy to find an investor who meets your standards." Wang Peiyuan added with a hint of sarcasm: "However, Director Zheng is a distinguished guest, and it's rare for him to come to Changfu. Director Liu, you must treat Director Zheng well and learn from them!"

  When Wang Peiyuan spoke, he deliberately emphasized the words "good hospitality", and Liu Jinsong from Changfu City Economic and Trade Bureau naturally understood the meaning behind it. He smiled at Wang Peiyuan and said: "Mayor, don't worry, since Director Zheng and his party have come to visit us, we will definitely 'treat them well'!"

  In recent years, the Bureau of Commerce and Trade has not had any significant work, and its status has gradually become marginalized. Now that a Hong Kong businessman has finally come to visit, Director Liu is eager to make a good impression. If the Hong Kong investor really invests, it would be a great political achievement for him, and his own career advancement might depend on this one stroke of luck. Therefore, he and Wang Peiyuan have the same idea in mind - they won't let anyone else steal their thunder. He has already made up his mind to arrange for someone to accompany the people from Shu City Bureau of Commerce and Trade throughout the entire process, not giving them any opportunity to sabotage this investment promotion work.

  Director Zheng and his team didn't mind either, coming to someone else's turf to poach customers, they had long been prepared to be squeezed out.

  As the provincial capital city's economic and trade bureau, they have always felt superior to others and looked down on Changfu and other remote small places. If it weren't for this time when a Hong Kong businessman specifically wanted to come to Changfu for inspection, even if the Changfu government invited them, they wouldn't have come. They couldn't understand how this Hong Kong businessman knew about Changfu, this remote small place, and how he decided to come here for inspection. Until today, when they arrived in Changfu, it seemed that they finally understood a little bit, and it turned out that the root of the matter was Su Qi District's Party Secretary Leng Yunrui. It seems that Leng Yunrui has some influence on the Hong Kong businessman's choice, can he break through with his help?

  As the provincial capital city's economic and trade bureau, an investment of 300 million Hong Kong dollars is a lot, but they have seen it before, and it's not enough to make them lower their status to come to Changfu to fight for food. However, the political significance of this investment is too great, so great that they cannot give up on it. If this 300 million can really be invested in Chengdu, then the reputation of the Sichuan Provincial Economic and Trade Bureau and Director Zheng will rise to the central government, entering Zhongnanhai. With such a huge temptation, how can they ignore it?

  When they were still in Shu Du, Zheng Chuzhang and others had made efforts more than once to persuade the Hong Kong businessmen to change their minds and invest in Shu Du. For this purpose, not only did they show great enthusiasm for Liu Fusheng and others, but also promised some preferential conditions. However, the Hong Kong businessmen seemed to have eaten iron pills and were determined not to give in, insisting on coming to Chang Fu to take a look before making a decision. They had no choice but to follow with thick faces.

  Apart from some undercurrents between the Changfu Municipal Government and the Shudu Metropolitan Bureau of Economy and Trade, the entire banquet was a great success, with a lively and harmonious atmosphere throughout. However, Liu Fusheng and his team kept mentioning Leng Bingxue at the banquet and hoped that she could accompany them for the entire inspection tour in Changfu.

  Wang Peiyuan naturally agreed immediately, in fact, even if they didn't mention it, Wang Peiyuan would have thought of a way to play this card. After all, Changfu can't compare with Shudu, whether it's geographical location or other conditions are not on the same level. The sudden appearance of the Shudu Metropolitan Trade Bureau has already made Wang Peiyuan feel a strong sense of crisis. In terms of hardware conditions, Changfu can't compete with Shudu. At this moment, he can only take a different approach and pin his hopes on the instigator, Leng Binghan. If Leng Binghan could bring them here, then could he also keep them in Changfu?

  Wang Peiyuan immediately sent a car to pick up Leng Binghan, and the school didn't need to be mentioned anymore. With just one phone call, he was excused from classes. It wasn't just that it was Leng Binghan who was being excused, even if it were someone else, Mayor Xie would personally make the call, and Principal Zhang wouldn't dare say a second word. What surprised him, however, was how Leng Binghan had gotten involved with government affairs, as the reason for his excusal from classes was to assist with government work, and he was excused for a week.