"How do you think about it? Tell me!" Li Dingshan's greatest strength was his willingness to consider multiple perspectives and listen to different opinions. He wasn't particularly autocratic. Xia Xiang had always been a reticent person, always keeping his head down and working diligently. It was rare for him to offer an opinion even when asked, often stammering and unable to form a complete sentence. Therefore, Li Dingshan always viewed Xia Xiang as a technical talent, good at straightforward technical work but not suited for the more flexible and adaptable demands of interpersonal relationships. So, when he heard Xia Xiang take the initiative to discuss the prospects of the LCD screen project, Li Dingshan was quite surprised.
"The LCD screen project is very forward-looking, with an attractive prospect at first glance. It will be built in the bustling train station square, where there are at least 200,000 people passing by every day. The coverage is extensive, and it can broadcast 24 hours a day. In a sense, every moment is money..."
Seeing that Li Dingshan's expression remained unchanged, Xia Xiang secretly admired his foresight. However, what Li Dingshan hadn't anticipated was that starting from 1999, the internet would rapidly develop, becoming the fourth major media after television, radio, and newspapers by 2010, attracting billions of viewers and a large number of advertisers. This meant that traditional outdoor advertising, such as signboards, could barely maintain, while new forms like outdoor LCD screens, though novel, failed to attract much attention from the hurried crowds.
In a few years, LCD screens would be everywhere in Yan City, but they would mainly show news and weather forecasts, with very few advertisements. This showed that advertisers did not favor this form of advertising. Based on Xia Xiang's personal experience, he had passed by these screens many times and found that in the noisy streets, it was impossible to hear the audio, significantly reducing the audio-visual effect.
Moreover, who would stand still on a busy street, staring intently at an LCD screen? And in the train station, most people were travelers in a hurry, with little interest in what was being shown on a large screen. Media without appeal would ultimately be abandoned by advertisers.
Xia Xiang began by gently presenting his analysis. Seeing Li Dingshan's increasingly serious expression, he knew he had hit a nerve. Li Dingshan had never been completely blind to the potential issues with the LCD screen project, but since he and Li Kailin were in agreement, and someone was willing to fund it, he decided to give it a try.
Unexpectedly, Xia Xiang, who usually kept silent, now raised a significant doubt, which made Li Dingshan look at him with new respect.
Xia Xiang continued, "The internet, as a new medium, has the greatest advantage in interaction and communication. I believe it will bring about huge changes. Since it attracts attention, it will also attract advertising investment..."
The implication was that outdoor LCD screens had no advantages left.
After listening, Li Dingshan was silent for a long time, only taking off his glasses and carefully cleaning them before suddenly smiling. "Xia, your major is civil engineering. Why are you suddenly coming up with such profound insights? And why have you rarely shared your opinions before, but today you've said so much?"
To leverage Li Dingshan's network and gain his attention, Xia Xiang couldn't remain as quiet and diligent as before. He needed to show his capabilities.
"Since I'm here, I want to contribute to the company's development. And since the company is putting all its hopes on the LCD screen project, I've done some research and learned about some policies, and I'm a bit worried. Besides, with your ability, you shouldn't be limited to just this project..."
Xia Xiang dared to speak his mind directly to Li Dingshan because he knew that despite his pride, Li Dingshan was also a lonely and troubled person. His company had started with great enthusiasm but faltered within two years. Even Wen Yang, who had always been respectful, now acted insincerely. After all, Wen Yang, a former staff member of the Provincial Youth League, had come to the company with high hopes, only to end up disappointed, which naturally bred resentment.
Among the remaining employees, Jia He lacked education and couldn't help with the company's operations. Xiao Jia was too close to Wen Yang and uninterested in company affairs, likely due to some unclear relationship with Wen Yang. As for Teng Qiang, his failure in the first business deal and suspected embezzlement made Li Dingshan indifferent to him.
Thus, Xia Xiang was the easiest to approach. Unfortunately, the old Xia Xiang lacked insight and eloquence. Though he knew about Li Dingshan's connections, he never thought of how to use them. Now, with years of experience and societal exposure, the new Xia Xiang was a different person.
"If this project fails, the company won't be able to sustain itself!" Li Dingshan said frankly, looking into Xia Xiang's eyes, full of confusion and doubt.
Xia Xiang didn't avoid Li Dingshan's gaze. He had no choice; time was running out. If Li Dingshan missed this opportunity, he might have to wait years until Song Chaodu regained influence. With a solid foundation in local politics, he could take advantage of a wave of officials' downfall, and with a bit of performance, promotion to deputy director would be natural. With Song Chaodu's support, a leap to director was possible.
Opportunities must not be missed.
"Mr. Li, I heard from a classmate that Director Li might be transferred to the city branch. Has he mentioned anything?" Xia Xiang didn't believe that Li Kailin hadn't heard the rumors. He was probably keeping it secret to get more benefits from Li Dingshan, or for some other hidden reason.
Xia Xiang, with a hint of malice, had no good impression of Li Kailin. As a bank manager, it was common to seek personal gains, but he felt Li Kailin was somewhat treacherous, deliberately delaying and hiding his transfer, possibly with ulterior motives. They had clashed a couple of times, and Li Kailin had always disliked him.
"Is that true?" Li Dingshan immediately saw the severe consequences and looked anxious. "Which classmate told you this? How did they know such insider information?"
As a branch manager, Li Kailin was at least a deputy section-level official, and the banking system was relatively independent, making it hard for ordinary people to get such information. So, Li Dingshan, while worried, was also skeptical of the source.
Xia Xiang had expected this question and calmly replied, "A classmate's girlfriend works at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. She accidentally found an internal document mentioning Li Kailin's transfer. She said they would notify him two months in advance, both to prepare him mentally and to facilitate the handover."
Li Dingshan, being smart, understood without needing further explanation. Since Li Kailin was keeping it secret, he must have other, less favorable intentions. Li Dingshan was deeply troubled, squinting at Xia Xiang, surprised by his sudden change. Xia Xiang, usually quiet and uninteresting, rarely joked and never took the initiative to report. Today, he had not only questioned the LCD screen project but also revealed the shocking news of Li Kailin's transfer.
Li Dingshan was confident about securing the land at the train station, but Li Kailin's transfer would be a devastating blow, leaving the project without funding.
Li Dingshan realized that Xia Xiang's points about the LCD screen's future disadvantages and Li Kailin's impending transfer combined to mean one thing: the project was doomed.
Pouring his heart and soul into a project, only to be told it would fail, made Li Dingshan angry, but he kept it in check. "Xia Xiang, why did you think of these things? I thought you only cared about technical matters, not the project's operation and prospects. Tell me, do you have any better ideas for the project?"
Li Dingshan wondered if Xia Xiang was trying to assert himself to gain a key position in the company. He didn't want to abandon the project, especially after the 1 million yuan from the newspaper, which many envied. He wanted to make a comeback and prove himself.
If Xia Xiang had more time, he would have been more subtle, but time was of the essence. If Song Chaodu lost power, it would be nearly impossible for Li Dingshan to enter politics with his help.
"Mr. Li, I heard the government is planning to ban banks from directly involving in business operations. If we can't get the land approval within half a month, we should consider other options, or even return the company to the newspaper..."
Li Dingshan frowned.