Gu Lou finished speaking and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Zhang Liunian shook his head and continued to survey the hilltop. A moment later, he left with Uncle Yi and others. They encountered Gu Lou bowing and scraping to a middle-aged man, giving the impression of a lackey meeting his boss.
Zhang Liunian stopped and looked at the middle-aged man. He was wearing a kung fu outfit, a pair of old-fashioned glasses on his head, and holding a cigar. His demeanor suggested he was no ordinary person.
"Brother Liunian, where are we going now?" Zhang Qian asked, noticing his stillness and approaching him.
Zhang Liunian snapped back to reality and said, "To Hongde Village."
Compared to Fude Village, Hongde Village was merely on the outskirts. However, the outskirts would soon be integrated into the main development. Once the railway station project was announced, the land in Fude Village would increase in value by hundreds of times, and the land in Hongde Village would also see a tenfold increase.
Therefore, he could not let go of such a ready opportunity to make money.
Moreover, he also wanted to build his own department store and residential complex, which required acquiring more land.
The group arrived at Hongde Village, and Zhang Liunian was direct, stating his intention to buy land.
The village head of Hongde Village did not object. On the contrary, he was delighted that someone had come to buy land.
He had heard about Fude Village selling its land and had been wondering why their village hadn't made any moves. Today, the first buyer had arrived, and it was an old acquaintance, a customer from last year who hadn't succeeded in his purchase.
"How much do you want, and in which direction?" the village head asked enthusiastically, eager to sell the land.
"The area bordering Fude Village, I want it all," Zhang Liunian declared generously, indicating his desired location.
Upon hearing this, the village head's mouth hung open for a long time. He wanted the entire area near Fude Village? That comprised one-third of their village's land, including hills, arable land, ponds, and more. If it were all taken, it would cost at least seven to eight million. Was he sure he could afford such a large tract of land?
"Are you serious? That area is huge, from the top to the bottom. I estimate it would cost at least seven to eight million. Do you have that much budget?" the village head asked, his lips trembling, unsure if it was from excitement or fear.
"Don't worry about the money. The question is whether you are willing to sell."
Zhang Liunian intended to spend all the money he obtained from Zhu Lao Si in Pengcheng, so a few million was not a concern for him.
He could even come up with tens of millions if he wanted.
"Sell, why wouldn't we sell?" The village head of Hongde Village knew that after selling their land, the villagers of Fude Village had collectively entered a life of prosperity. Although it might only be a decade of good times, it was enough to make them envious.
If they could sell for so much money, the villagers of Hongde Village could also live a good life for the next ten years.
"Alright, let's go measure the area and divide it now. I'll pay in full then."
"Good."
By evening, Zhang Liunian had acquired the land in Hongde Village near Fude Village for eight million.
Meanwhile, Gu Lou had just finalized a second in-depth cooperation with Chen Jiayuan.
"After this is done, 80% of all your Gu family's profits must belong to me. Also, the sixty million I lent you must be repaid within five years, otherwise, all of the Gu family's factories and companies will become the private property of my Chen Jiayuan."
Chen Jiayuan looked at the profit reports of all the Gu family's factories and companies on the table, as well as the loan agreement just signed.
Gu Lou's heart ached, but to avoid imprisonment and the disappearance of the Gu family from Pengcheng, he decided to become Chen Jiayuan's employee.
At least this way, he would still hold the position of the top factory owner in Pengcheng. Even if he didn't earn much, he had to stand firm like this, refusing to give those people a chance to step all over him, especially the Sun family and that Zhang Liunian.
"I understand," Gu Lou said, his voice weak, but he was willing to accept such harsh conditions, solely because he still harbored a sense of defiance.
Chen Jiayuan had no sympathy for him. They were both businessmen, and business was business. Without profit, he wouldn't help. It was the same as last time.
Last time, Gu Lou had to fork out ten million for them to help him. This time, he was directly asking for the Gu family's golden goose.
He was surprised that the other party had agreed. Since that was the case, why wouldn't he help?
After all, the Gu family had dozens of factories, large and small, and a construction site. Although the site was hollowed out underneath, and few people in the country could develop it well, he could!
Therefore, no matter how he looked at it, this deal would not be a loss for him.
"The contract also states that we Hong Kong merchants want to establish a Pengcheng Bank to attract people to deposit their money. You need to bring at least fifty bosses to deposit money, and you must take the lead. This is an additional condition. If you fail, our transaction will be exposed to everyone in Pengcheng, do you understand?" Chen Jiayuan pointed to a line of text at the back of the contract, reminding and threatening Gu Lou to comply.
Gu Lou had already prepared for the worst-case scenario. Even working for Chen Jiayuan was acceptable, so he wouldn't refuse such a request.
However, if this bank was also a scam, he would be in trouble when it was exposed.
"Could it be another scam!" Gu Lou asked anxiously.
"So what if it's a scam? Do you not want to do it anymore?" Chen Jiayuan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gu Lou, his expression clearly indicating that if he dared to refuse, Chen Jiayuan could destroy him.
This made Gu Lou's scalp tingle and his heart tremble. Dealing with a tiger indeed had no good outcome. "No, I'll do it. But you also know that I am a member of the National Chamber of Commerce. If this is also a scam, my identity will be exposed, and I will never be able to help you again."
"We won't need you to. By then, we won't fear a National Chamber of Commerce, and you can completely switch to joining our Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce." Chen Jiayuan was indeed contemplating a scam, but this scam would require years of groundwork.
And Gu Lou was a crucial piece in it. If he didn't cooperate, Chen Jiayuan would make him understand the consequences of defying him.
"But..." At that time, his reputation would be utterly ruined. Who would buy from him? Gu Lou didn't voice his thoughts, but they echoed silently in his mind.
Chen Jiayuan seemed to read his mind and sneered, "Just say yes or no."
"Yes, I will," Gu Lou agreed quickly, seeing that Chen Jiayuan was about to get angry.
Satisfied, Chen Jiayuan said, "That's right. Here is the deposit slip for sixty million. You can go to the bank and withdraw it."
"Okay."
Gu Lou excitedly held the deposit slip, intending to withdraw the money immediately to repay the bank loan and appease the affected workers, thereby stabilizing the situation. He then thought of something else and said, "There's one more thing I'd like to ask for President Chen's help. My son was harmed to death by a man named Zhang Liunian. I want to pay for his life. Do you think twenty thousand is enough?"