Chu Jixiong hung up the phone with a dark expression, picked up the teacup from the coffee table, and took a huge gulp, paying no mind to the tea that trickled down the corner of his mouth.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, pulled open the drawer of the coffee table, took out a USB token, and handed it to Shen Jingxi. "Xiao Shen, transfer one million to that kid's card, and charge it to my personal account."
Shen Jingxi immediately opened her laptop, plugged in the token, and her slender fingers flew across the keyboard. The transfer was completed in no time.
She closed the computer and asked with a seemingly casual air, "President Chu, you and your eldest son have a really great relationship!"
"How did you figure that out?" Chu Jixiong leaned back against the sofa, picked up his teacup, and gently blew on the surface, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
Shen Jingxi smiled faintly. "Even when your eldest son jokes around with you like that, you don't get mad. It shows you still dote on this child quite a bit."
Chu Jixiong chuckled softly and shook his head. "Only you would think that."
He set down the teacup, let out a long sigh, and spoke with a hint of helplessness and guilt in his voice: "Ever since his mother passed away, this boy has held a grudge against me. I really do owe him a debt, which is probably why I let him turn into such a lawless, spoiled wretch."
Shen Jingxi lowered her eyelids to conceal the flash of calculation deep in her eyes, thinking to herself, *The blame for this outcome doesn't rest entirely on you; your dear junior wife probably played a major role as well.*
"This kid called us the moment we decided to develop the Western Suburbs project. Seems his sources are pretty well-informed." Chu Jixiong stroked the teacup in his hand, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.
Uncle Zhou, who was brewing tea nearby, stiffened at those words. The teapot in his hand almost slipped to the floor, but he quickly regained his composure and went back to pouring tea.
"Still, this isn't a bad thing. At least the boy isn't fighting alone, and he's got some schemes of his own. That actually puts my mind more at ease." A trace of relief colored Chu Jixiong's tone, as if he were somewhat satisfied with Chu Chen's performance.
Dropping the subject, he turned to look at Shen Jingxi and asked, "Xiao Shen, do you really think the Western Suburbs project is better than the South Suburbs one?"
Shen Jingxi's expression tightened. Shoving her chaotic thoughts aside, she answered solemnly, "Judging from all the data, yes. After all, the municipal government's development focus for the next few years is indeed shifting toward the Western Suburbs."
Only then did Chu Jixiong's mind settle. He rubbed his chin and muttered thoughtfully, "Then why is that kid so dead set on our project running into trouble?"
After a brief moment of reflection, Shen Jingxi answered prudently, "Maybe it's just youthful defiance—he wants to win an argument, seeing as he favored the South Suburbs project."
"True enough. The kid's only a sophomore and kept failing his classes anyway—what does he know!" Chu Jixiong scoffed, clearly not taking Chu Chen's words to heart.
Uncle Zhou silently placed a fresh cup of tea in front of Chu Jixiong, his eyes fixed respectfully downward as if he had heard nothing at all.
Meanwhile, back at the University Town, Chu Chen slipped his phone into his pocket, a confident curve touching the corner of his mouth.
"One million. That's enough starting capital."
He picked up his phone, found Blondie's number, and dialed.
"Hey, Blondie, help me look into something."
"Brother Chen, what is it? Just say the word!" Blondie's irrepressibly excited voice came through the phone.
"Among our gang, are there any guys who live in the South Suburbs?"
"The South Suburbs? Yeah, we've got a few. What's up, Brother Chen?"
"Ask them if there are any properties out there up for sale lately—places with a large lot size and cheap prices."
"Buy a house? Brother Chen, you wanna buy property in the South Suburbs??" Blondie's voice was filled with disbelief. "Wait, why would you want to buy a place in a dump like the South Suburbs?!"
Chu Chen rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Just ask like I told you, too many questions!"
"Alright, alright, I'll ask right now, right now!"
In less than ten minutes, Blondie called back.
"Brother Chen, I found out. A few of the guys live over in the South Suburbs, and they said there seem to be some factory buildings up for transfer recently."
"Factory buildings?" Chu Chen's eyes lit up. "Great, tell them to get to the school gate right now. I need to talk to them."
Factories were great! Factories had huge footprints!
"Got it, Brother Chen, hold on just a sec, I'll have 'em rush over!"
Before long, three boys with multicolored hair and flashy clothes came running over in a flurry.
"Brother Chen!"
"Hey, Brother Chen!"
"Brother Chen, you were looking for us?"
The three subordinates stood panting in front of Chu Chen, bowing and greeting him.
"Yeah." Chu Chen swept his gaze over them. "What were your names again?"
"I'm Wang Haoxuan, Brother Chen," a tall, thin boy rushed to say.
"I'm Qian Fugui!" another short, chubby boy offered a sycophantic smile.
"I'm Zhong Chengfeng." The last boy was of medium build, but his eyes were sharp and nimble.
"Alright, I've got your names down," Chu Chen nodded. "Let me ask you, are there any factory buildings up for transfer in the South Suburbs recently?"
"Yes, yes, Brother Chen, there is stuff like that," Wang Haoxuan said hurriedly. "I've got a buddy who keeps an eye on the factories out there. He says the prices are dirt cheap, just that the location's a bit out of the way."
"Brother Chen, are you planning to buy a factory in the South Suburbs?" Qian Fugui asked with an astonished look. "I heard you made a ton of cash delivering food today. Are you planning to start a company?"
"Start a company?" Before Chu Chen could speak, Wang Haoxuan shouted out first. "No way, seriously? Brother Chen, you're starting a company? Bring your little brother along with you!"
"Bring your head!" Zhong Chengfeng smacked the back of Wang Haoxuan's head. "A dump like the South Suburbs is old and chaotic—how is that any place to start a company? Brother Chen's definitely got other plans!"
"What do you know!" Qian Fugui said with a mysterious expression. "A place like that is perfect for underground syndicates like us!"
"Underground syndicates?!" Chu Chen frowned and raised his hand to rap Qian Fugui on the head. "What are you talking about! We're an association! Law-abiding citizens, every one of us!"
"You're right, Boss, heh heh." Qian Fugui rubbed his head and chuckled stupidly, completely unbothered by the knock, feeling instead that it brought them closer together.
Unable to take these two clowns any longer, Zhong Chengfeng chimed in, "Brother Chen, I remember there's a factory near my house that used to make toys. It's massive. But later on, the boss started gambling and mortgaged the place off."
"Then that owner went under and ran the factory into bankruptcy. Now he's just trying to sell off the land to claw back some cash," Zhong Chengfeng scratched his head. "Though who'd want to go all the way out to the South Suburbs? That place has been abandoned forever."
"Where is that lot? How far is it from your house?" Chu Chen was quite intrigued. "How big is the land area?"
"It's right on the street behind my house, ten minutes' walk," Zhong Chengfeng answered honestly. "I'm not sure about the exact acreage, but I heard it's at least an acre!"
"How much is that piece of land?" Chu Chen pressed on, calculations already spinning in his head.
"I wouldn't know about that," Zhong Chengfeng said, looking blank. "I only heard my dad talking about it. One of his old coworkers used to work at that factory."
Wang Haoxuan's eyes rolled as he quickly jumped into the conversation. "Brother Chen, have you thought about residential houses? A lot of people moved away from our area, and the houses are all empty. They're super cheap."
Chu Chen pondered for a moment. "Here's what we'll do: this weekend, go back and ask around to see if anyone's selling houses or factories. Make a list of them, and if the price is right, I'll buy."
The three subordinates nodded repeatedly and agreed with enthusiasm.
Chu Chen calculated silently in his mind. He currently had over two million on hand; after setting aside some living expenses, the amount he could actually mobilize was around two million.
Property prices in the South Suburbs were probably around two thousand per square meter, and factories were even cheaper. An acre of land should be securable for about a million, and the remaining money would be enough to buy a few houses as well.
Once the South Suburbs were developed, those houses and plots of land would at least multiply tenfold in value!