There were a total of seven bidders, consisting of famous and large domestic and foreign construction groups. The company's latest product was the newest addition to the company's portfolio of products and services.
The bids for the construction of XlouS's headquarters were almost finalized, with three state-owned companies and two foreign builders.
"Mr. Ren, can you reveal some information regarding the location, so we can quickly prepare for the project? The representative of Shanghai Construction Group said with a smile. Being able to successfully take a share in this large order, he was naturally elated. No one present thought the deal would be settled so soon.
Ren Hong pondered, looked at the crowd, and said, "Wanning is my first choice! But the exact address has yet to be determined. In three days, I will personally go to inspect the area, and the company will notify all of you as soon as it is established!"
The representative of Shanghai Construction Group had just left XlouS and immediately made a phone call. "Old Yang, what are you doing?"
"What do you want? I'm busy as hell now. To tell you the truth, recently a large emerging mainland company has alarmed me and the city government. It is worth billions of dollars and interested in entering our city. I'm busy preparing to fly to the capital. Well, you are also aware that Wanning competitiveness is still rather weak compared to other cities. But we still need to go all out. After all, this large company's…"
Upon hearing a long sigh from the voice on the phone, the representative of Shanghai Construction Group smiled and said, "Old Yang, I just stepped out of that company!"
"Stepped out? What are you talking about? Are you referring to that company, XlouS?" All of a sudden, the man was baffled.
"That's right! It is that company. Meanwhile, Shanghai Construction Group took one of the big projects." He grinned.
"What? Old Meng! Do you know where the company is headquartered? Is it Wanning?" The voice on the phone sounded unusually urgent.
But could he be blamed for being urgent?
"The exact address hasn't been decided, but all I can say is that three days later the chairman of this company is planning to visit Hainan to personally inspect it. His first choice is Wanning, so don't say I didn't remind you, buddy!"
There was a brief silence on the phone, and then came a cheerful response: "Hahaha, this young chairman seems to have a soft spot for our city. Old Meng, I owe you a meal! Talk to you soon!"
Three days later, Ren Hong flew from the capital to Hainan, accompanied by a personal bodyguard, an assistant, and a famous foreign geological survey team he had hired.
After getting off the plane from Hainan airport, he rented a commercial helicopter to fly to Wanning.
Clearly, Wanning learned that Ren Hong personally came to survey its city and immediately sent relevant personnel to the airport to receive him. However, Ren Hong and his group disguised themselves and didn't inform the Wanning government, so they could only wait in vain.
Ren Hong didn't know that the Wanning government was informed of his arrival. It was a sunny morning. The helicopter shuttled across the sky and along the way, Ren Hong overlooked the land and was briefly distracted by the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. The helicopter continued to glide forward and eventually entered Wanning.
Ren Hong wore his usual black short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of sun goggles, looking down on this beautiful piece of land.
"Land there!" Ren Hong pointed to the reservoir below.
The pilot landed in the vicinity of the reservoir according to his instructions. The group arrived at Nanqiao town and the reservoir was undoubtedly Nanwang Reservoir.
Upon landing, Ren Hong stepped out of the helicopter and went up on a gentle slope. The view before him was richly colorful and comfortable to the eyes, and just ahead was Nanwang Reservoir. It was exactly noon and a sunny one. After observing the scenery of the reservoir, he shifted his gaze away and turned to the spread of land behind him.
At that moment, the foreign geological survey team he had hired surveyed the place. And a few hours later, three trucks loaded with the relevant equipment entered the Nanwang area.
Many drilling equipment were operating at once. Ren Hong sat inside the temporary tent by the side, took out a colored paper, and held it up before him. He closed one eye and gestured at the paper.
On the paper were five buildings made up of five letters—XlouS. The paper corresponded to the background of the land, while the five buildings seemed to be standing above it.
"Perfect!" Ren Hong flicked the piece of paper. After putting on the sun goggles, he sauntered out of the tent, looked around, and soon, an off-road vehicle in the distance suddenly caught his eyes. It seemed to be heading toward them.
Ren Hong observed it for a while longer and confirmed that it was indeed coming in the direction he was. Five minutes later, the vehicle arrived at the temporary tent, and as soon as his personal bodyguard caught sight of it, he went quickly to Ren Hong's side. Soon after, a few men in formal attire got out of the car one after another.
"Mu, are they one of ours?" Ren Hong asked his assistant.
"No, our people are already here. They look like public servants instead." Mu shook her head and replied.
"Public servants?" Ren Hong watched suspiciously as the group of people walked toward them.
"May I ask if Mr. Ren Hong is here?" A man with a gray tie and a white shirt saw the three of them standing outside the tent and asked.
"You guys are…" Ren Hong didn't admit it right away. He couldn't remember knowing anyone in Hainan.
The man soon responded, "Oh, we are from the local merchants bureau from downtown. I am the person-in-charge, Yang Hua. I learned that Mr. Ren came to Hainan for an inspection. I contacted your company and didn't get a response, so I went to the airport to receive you. Unfortunately, I missed you there too. So after some inquiry, we learned that you came to Nanqiao town and came right away. May I know…"
"I am Ren Hong!" He said and took off the sun goggles, revealing his young face.
Yang Hua was stunned at the sight of this young man. Despite that, he was suddenly elated, offering to shake hands. "So Mr. Ren is right in front of me, how clumsy and disrespectful I was!"
"All's good, Mr. Yang. The sun is too strong, let's head in and talk instead." Ren Hong struck an inviting pose and smiled.
After knowing that these people were the city government's merchants bureau, Ren Hong had it all figured out. It seemed like they were indeed eager about the company's entry. However, it was also within reason because this was undoubtedly the first major event where a company worth billions of dollars was moving into their city. One had to know that once the entry was successful, the city's economic growth would be as though adding a brand new engine. Likewise, this was also a great tax and political achievement, so them being eager was within reason.
"Mr. Ren, this is…" After Yang Hua entered the tent, he looked at Ren Hong with a puzzled gaze.
"Oh! Those guys are the foreign geological survey team I hired." Yang Hua was stunned and delighted at the same time. He couldn't help but say, "Mr. Ren is planning to relocate your company to Wanning?"
Clearly, Ren Hong's every move was almost a sign that he was preparing to start construction.
"Truth be told, the company does intend to favor Wanning, but I'm just not sure what your side thinks about it?" Ren Hong said unhurriedly.
"Of course you're incredibly welcome!" Yang Hua said immediately without thinking, but soon he heard the other meaning of it. It was apparent that Ren Hong asked with the intention of obtaining preferential policies. Regarding that, the city government had already negotiated. Yang Hua instantly added: "The government promises that once your company settles in the city, we will give your company two years of tax exemption and give preferential policies for the construction site of your company's headquarters."
Ren Hong pondered and replied, "If the company has confirmed to settle in the city, can the government give more preferential policies on taxation?"
"Can you tell me more of your idea, Mr. Ren?" Upon realizing that Ren Hong wasn't satisfied with the two-year tax-free offer, Yang Hua couldn't help but probe.
"Five years!" Ren Hong stretched out his hand. Well, he didn't have much of a choice either. Although the company seemed to be very profitable in the eyes of outsiders and was indeed earning a lot, he knew that the company would be spending a whole lot more money in the future. In fact, he was determined to set up the company's headquarters in Hainan. He certainly didn't believe that the tax exemption would be extended to five years. But in such a situation, fighting for a little more was always beneficial.