Chapter Thirty What's Called a Cow? Raising Sharks in an Aquarium

  A person with blood and energy, neither seeks to be valued by others nor is concerned about being ignored. Ye Haodong understands this sentence as being unmoved by fame or shame, insisting on taking myself as the mainstay. So no matter how others treat him, he remains consistent, making choices that best serve his own interests.

  Zhu Sān ér met with Ye Hǎo Dōng in a secluded location in the old city district. That day, they had a very enjoyable conversation, and after personally meeting Ye Hǎo Dōng, Zhu Sān ér finally understood why his younger brother held this seemingly inexperienced young man in such high esteem. Ye Hǎo Dōng not only taught him how to operate and acquire recycling stations but also shared with him the secrets of utilizing his unique advantages to rapidly expand his business scale and make it bigger and stronger. In total, he summarized four key points: first, focus on the goal of monopolizing the entire Gangcheng scrap metal recycling market; second, use the resources at hand to quickly integrate small and medium-sized recycling stations in the surrounding areas through cooperation; third, increase the purchase price to ensure a sufficient supply of goods and make a name for oneself by rapidly occupying the market; and lastly, most importantly, never personally participate in any illegal activities, and under the premise of achieving one's goals, try to push the limits of the law as much as possible without giving the government departments an excuse to crack down on them.

  It took more than two hours to finish the meal, and three bottles of white wine were consumed. When leaving, Zhu Saner supported the drunk Zhu Mingfu, and made a fist at Ye Haodong: "Sorry, brother, after listening to your words today, I feel that my previous years have been lived in vain. In short, I accept this kindness from you, brother. Before parting, there's something I want to remind you of, but I don't know if you're willing to listen."

  Ye Haodong said seriously: "Please speak clearly, Third Brother."

  "Regardless of what you think, brother, I'm telling you that you're already a part of the underworld now. You've also offended Er Xinzi, one of the top figures in Steel City's underworld, who is notorious for being ruthless and has a deep background. He's been imprisoned three times but always manages to get off with light punishment. My friends in Xinjiang told me he's coming back soon, so you'd better be careful about his revenge. If you trust me, it's best if you lay low for a while until I can clear the way and free up some manpower. Then, I'll have a good talk with him and negotiate on your behalf, and once that's settled, you can come back."

  "Yè Hào Dōng: 'When will he be released? Is there a specific date?'"

  "Probably around mid-June."

  Ye Haodong nodded: "Alright, I'll listen to you then and go hide for a while."

  Zhu San'er was delighted to see him listen to advice, and the two of them parted ways with great pleasure.

  In front of the Xin Guang District Government, a group of laid-off workers who had been besieged here were excited. The employees of the He Kou Paper Mill finally couldn't hold back their anger and organized another collective petition to speak out, as a result, something unexpected happened. Tens of state-owned small enterprises in the district that faced closure heard about this and spontaneously organized together with the employees of the He Kou Paper Mill to make trouble. Now the higher-ups have heard about this, the municipal party committee and government are extremely outraged, ordering Xin Guang District to quickly come up with a solution, they must suppress the situation before it gets out of hand.

  Ye Haodong found Secretary Fang Wentao's office with his own draft contract in hand under such circumstances.

  Having read Ye Haodong's new contract in less than an hour, Fang Wentao furrowed his brow, took a puff of smoke and exhaled slowly: "You plan to fully acquire the Hekou Paper Mill?"

  "Yeah, I've always been the one in charge at that factory, so I'm used to being my own boss. Cooperating with the government is good and all, but it feels like there's a constraint on me, like I have a straitjacket on."

  "Fang Wentao: 'In your agreement, you mentioned that you are willing to take over all the debts and workers of the He Kou paper mill. Additionally, you are also willing to sign a guarantee that within three months, you can revive the He Kou paper mill. If you fail to do so, are you willing to unconditionally withdraw from the He Kou paper mill and leave the 3,000 tons of pulp stored in your factory to the He Kou paper mill?'"

  Ye Haodong nodded: "Yes, as long as the district can agree to those conditions of mine."

  Wang Wentao thought for a moment: "It's not enough for me to say it alone, this needs to be discussed at the Standing Committee meeting and reported to the city. Only when the city gives its approval will it count. However, I'm really curious to see what kind of life-saving method you, a business prodigy, can come up with."

  Ye Haodong: "So you mean you're in favor of this agreement?"

  Fang Wentao: "Yes, that's what I'm saying. But I want to ask you, you mentioned packaging the shed renovation plan and selling it to Song Hao, then using that money to repay the bank loan. Who will take care of the resettlement of the 400 laid-off workers in the district? Also, is there a guarantee for the construction period of the shed renovation project as required by the district?"

  Ye Haodong: "All these will be clearly stated in the transfer contract. I can responsibly tell you that those 400 people will be resettled by me, and I also promise that within three years, I will work with the district to resettle the same number of laid-off workers. Originally, the shed reform and resettlement project attached by the district should be a great benefit policy for the person taking over the river mouth factory, but due to the enormity of this project and the district's strict requirements for the construction period, there are very few people in Quanjing Steel City who can take it on. Moreover, after taking over, they will be busy with real estate development and cannot afford to bear the interests and prospects of the river mouth factory and hundreds of employees. Such a thing may only be done by someone like Yugong with great determination. Therefore, I propose this method, which can solve the problem of the river mouth factory's overdue bank loan, and also use Song Hao's strength to solve the shed reform problem in a timely manner. By separating these two things, it can also avoid the contradiction that the person taking over cannot afford to take care of both."

  Fang Wentao couldn't help but laugh: "Your plan, in the end, is to let the district indirectly package the renovation project of the shed area to Song Hao, and then use the money from selling land to repay the 300 million bank loan for the Hekou Paper Mill. In the end, you only pay out 30,000 tons of pulp and a few promises, but you want to freely contract the paper mill with an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons for five years."

  "Firstly, the things I took out now have a market value of nearly 20 million. Secondly, I promised to revive the paper mill without selling any equipment or laying off any workers, and also promised to arrange jobs for 400 laid-off employees after the new factory is put into production, and guarantee their future benefits. If I fail to fulfill any of these promises, I will unconditionally withdraw from the contract and leave the pulp I have stockpiled as collateral to the paper mill."

  Fang Wentao had contact with Ye Haodong through Song Hao, and at his age, he naturally counted as a senior. He pointed to Ye Haodong's head: "Hmph, you young man won't be able to do it later, don't blame the district for not being polite, when that time comes, you'll have nowhere to find regret medicine, if you regret now, take this thing back and it's still possible."

  Ye Haodong smiled and relaxed: "I've never thought about regretting things, you might also know a bit about my story. I'm a poor boy who started from scratch and fought my way to the top. Even if I lose everything, what's the worst that could happen? I'll just start over again. Among these people who might take over the Hekou Paper Mill, am I not the one who fears failure the least?"

  Fang Wentao couldn't help but smile as he looked at his young face. The kid was right, being young is good, no matter what mistakes you make, there's still a chance to turn back.

  Three days later, Ye Haodong's acquisition agreement was formally approved by the district government.

  Song Hao's home was located in the villa area of Dongshan Scenic Area, No. 9-5, which was the largest and highest one. Ye Haodong easily found this place, before coming here he called Song Hao first, when he arrived at the door, only to find that Song Hao had already come out to welcome him.

  In the luxurious living room, a huge aquarium surprisingly raised a coral shark. A pile of materials that Ye Hao Dong couldn't recognize was used to build a luxurious decoration that made people's eyes dizzy, but the most eye-catching thing was still the aquarium. It was really shocking!

  Once you've set your sights on something, you'll dare to take action and have a very high success rate. In the West, many businesspeople like to keep one of these at home, as its spiritual qualities are very instructive for businessmen.

  Ye Haodong thought: "It's not that I don't have the money to burn, when I'm rich, I'll raise a whale at home, that's what it means to be first-rate!" But he didn't know that in America, a business tycoon had already done this.

  After the host and guests took their seats, Song Hao handed a cigarette to Ye Haodong, who waved his hand in refusal. He could tell that Song Hao didn't smoke because the ashtray on the table was very clean, so clean that the label hadn't even been removed yet.

  Song Hao: "Old Fang has called me, and in principle I am willing to take over the renovation of Guangming Street's shantytown. However, the price must be reasonable. Regardless of your relationship with Xiao Du or our age difference, when it comes to business, I won't show courtesy even if you're my junior."

  Ye Haodong stretched out four fingers and curled up his little finger.

  "Three billion five hundred million, the new light district requires resettlement of four hundred laid-off workers, I am responsible for resettling them, you are only responsible for completing demolition and basic construction within the specified construction period."

  Because of this, the new Guang district has relaxed its requirements for the construction period and no longer emphasizes that workers must move into their new homes before the end of the year.

  "Great! You're young, but you know how to let go. Facing the possibility of huge profits, you didn't bat an eye. I'm impressed, kid. As your uncle, I won't let you lose out. I'll add another million on top. The condition is that after Song Chao is released from prison, he has to stick with you for a while. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble."

  Ye Haodong smiled bitterly: "Don't I have a choice?"

  Song Hao glared at him: "You little brat, you've got a good deal and now you're trying to act smart? I paid you to take care of my son, how dare you be unwilling?"

  Huaxia Bank Steel City East Branch

  Director Xiao Yalong of the Divorce Department wore glasses and had a gentle appearance, with slender fingers fiddling with a steel pen, making a serious listening gesture.

  Ye Haodong sat opposite him with a mouthful of white foam already formed at the corner of his mouth.

  Xiao Yalong said slowly and calmly: "Originally, that loan was supposed to be repaid in installments, but due to the Hekou Paper Mill's repeated failure to repay on time, their credit record with the bank became very bad. You know, starting this year, we began implementing the Huaxia People's Bank headquarters system, setting up a banking regulatory bureau, and after the new mechanism was established, they are extremely opposed to all kinds of bad debts. The superior authorities are tightly controlling these matters, and Hekou Factory's poor record made them lose their eligibility for installment repayment. If this time Hekou Factory cannot repay the entire loan on time, the bank will exercise its power and auction off Hekou Factory's complete set of German equipment and 20,000 tons of copperplate paper stored in the warehouse."

  Yeh Hao Dong's face turned sour as he joked: "If you can sell that pile of stuff in the warehouse, it's best to do it quickly. Those things are just going to swindle people."

  Xiao Yalong's face was expressionless: "When necessary, we will."

  Ye Haodong: "So there's no room for negotiation? For example, I'll pay back 25 million first, and you give me three months. Three months later, I guarantee to pay back the principal and interest all at once."

  Xiao Yalong: "Little... Little Ye, you know, the reason I can see you today is mainly because of Song's face here, but he only told me to give you a chance to meet, but didn't ask me to agree to any conditions. If you're so eager to repay less than 50 million first, then I'd like to know what method you have to revive the River Mouth Factory? If your method sounds feasible to me, I might consider your idea."

  Ye Haodong: "Trade secret!"

  Xiao Yalong spread his hands: "Love is helpless!"

  Ye Haodong took out the check he had just picked up from Song Hao, signed his name, filled in the specific amount, and handed it over to Xiao Yalong.

  Just as they were about to leave, Xiao Yalong suddenly said, "Wait a minute."