https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-90-The-Experiment-Succeeded-Time-for-a-Big-Move-/12810649/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-92-Camping-Grounds-vs-Camping-Grounds-/12810651/
Chapter 91: He's the Boss of Lishan Farm!
Chapter 91: He's the Boss of Lishan Farm!
"Thanks, Director Zhao!" Zhang Lin responded with a warm smile to Director Zhao.
Director Zhao didn't forget about the other man, Mr. Li, and quickly introduced him. "Mr. Zhang, let me introduce you to Mr. Li Shenglin. He's the owner of Zhongcheng Grand Hotel, one of the two high-end hotels in Yucheng. He also runs foot baths, bars, and KTVs. He mentioned wanting to meet you!"
"Director Zhao, this Mr. Zhang is the boss of Lishan Farm?" Mr. Li Shenglin's face lit up with surprise. He then warmly approached Zhang Lin and shook his hand. "Mr. Zhang, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've been wanting to meet this financial god for a while now."
He was genuinely surprised.
Due to Lishan Farm, Yucheng had seen a surge in tourists.
Many of these tourists needed a place to stay, and his two hotels, being the only high-end options in Yucheng, naturally attracted a lot of them. With additional promotions for his KTV, bars, and foot baths, he had attracted even more tourists.
In essence, Lishan Farm had significantly boosted his business.
That's why, during the meeting called by Director Zhao to improve the hospitality standards for tourists, he had inquired about the owner of Lishan Farm.
He never expected the young man standing before him to be the boss.
The man was so low-key, arriving on a dirt-covered scooter. If it weren't for Director Zhao's introduction, who would have believed he was the boss of Lishan Farm?
"Mr. Li, I can't accept the title of financial god!" Zhang Lin knew Mr. Li's identity and wasn't surprised by his enthusiasm.
In fact, this was why the county government valued his project so much. The influx of tourists truly benefited various industries in Yucheng, driving economic growth.
"Both of you can exchange contact information later. Let's head to the meeting room now!" Director Zhao led the two men toward the meeting room.
He mainly led Zhang Lin, with Mr. Li following along.
The county meeting room wasn't overly luxurious, but it was dignified, clearly a government venue.
Inside, many people were already gathered, chatting in small groups.
When Director Zhao, Zhang Lin, and Mr. Li entered the room, they drew everyone's attention.
The meeting room was relatively small.
Mr. Li walked to a seat at the back of the room.
Zhang Lin noticed that each table had a nameplate, indicating the hierarchical nature of the meeting.
Despite owning the two largest hotels in Yucheng and other venues like foot baths and KTVs, Mr. Li, in a small county, didn't have a large scale operation or chain stores, so he was only qualified to sit at the back.
If he only had one hotel, he might not have been eligible to sit there at all.
However, Director Zhao personally leading a young man to a front-row seat caught many people's attention.
Especially when the young man sat in the second row, even though it was at the end.
The meeting room had very few young people, and the few younger ones were around 35 years old. The front two rows were occupied by the most influential companies in Yucheng, their status and influence evident.
Now, a young man was sitting in that position.
This piqued everyone's curiosity.
As soon as Mr. Li sat down, some of the people around him started asking questions:
"Mr. Li, who is that? How did he end up in that seat?"
"Yeah, and it seems the Tourism Bureau Director personally brought him in."
"You all came in together, right?"
Mr. Li didn't hide the information. "That's Mr. Zhang, the boss of Lishan Farm!"
This revelation made the people around him even more surprised:
"Lishan Farm?"
"So young?"
"No wonder he's sitting in the front rows."
"..."
The voices of these few people were heard by others, who turned to look at Zhang Lin, their eyes filled with a mix of admiration and curiosity.
Lishan Farm was the most prominent and well-known business in Yucheng recently.
Just from ticket sales alone, the farm sold 10,000 tickets a day at 50 yuan each, generating 500,000 yuan daily. With a 13% tax on tourism revenue, that amounted to 65,000 yuan in taxes per day, 1.95 million per month, and 23.4 million per year.
This was just from ticket sales, not including other revenue streams.
To put it in perspective, the highest tax-paying company in Yucheng last year was the tobacco company, which paid 48.5 million yuan in taxes.
Other companies paying over 30 million in taxes were either power companies, credit cooperatives, or long-established plastic, textile, and mining companies.
Therefore, it wasn't surprising that the boss of Lishan Farm was seated in the front rows.
Moreover, Lishan Farm's significance to Yucheng went beyond just tax revenue.
Even the bosses in the front rows glanced at him, nodding with a smile as a greeting. They were all surprised, especially since You City was a small place, and they had spent most of their lives working hard to get where they were. The young age of this man was truly astonishing.
Zhang Lin returned their smiles.
A moment later, County Chief Liu entered the meeting room, and the room fell silent.
With the main person here, the meeting naturally began.
As Zhang Lin had guessed, the meeting was incredibly boring and a waste of time. The monotonous speeches made it impossible for anyone, including him, to remember what County Chief Liu was saying.
However, this meeting was mandated by the capital, and all regions had to hold it.
After more than an hour, the meeting finally ended.
Next, the bigwigs took turns approaching County Chief Liu to build rapport and relationships. Each one was enthusiastic.
Zhang Lin had no interest in such matters and wanted to leave the meeting room as soon as it ended. However, just as he stood up, a voice called out, "Mr. Zhang Lin, Mr. Zhang, so you’re the owner of Liyuan Farm! You’re really young!"
"Who are you?" Zhang Lin looked at the middle-aged man, uncertain if he had met him before.
"Zhao Neng from Kai Lin Investment Co., Ltd. in You City!" The man introduced himself. "Mr. Zhang, your investment in Liyuan Farm is truly astonishing, and the development speed is shocking. You’ve given us investors a good lesson, showing that investments in agriculture can be just as successful."
"Mr. Zhao, you flatter me," Zhang Lin responded, knowing that humility was the best approach to such praise.
"You really do flatter me!" Zhao Neng suddenly chuckled. "To be honest, Mr. Zhang, you’re incredibly lucky, the kind of luck that always finds a gap in an industry and then succeeds!"
"But such people often lack entrepreneurial experience, leading to chaos in many areas. They can’t even manage a company's basic functions but keep trying to take big steps. Eventually, they overreach and end up in the hospital."
"Just when they recover, the world has changed, and their achievements are snatched away by others."
"Mr. Zhao, what do you mean by that?" Zhang Lin frowned, sensing the hostility in the man’s words.
"Mr. Zhang, it’s not important if you don’t understand right now. You’ll figure it out soon!" Zhao Neng smiled smugly and walked out of the meeting room.
Zhang Lin found this man peculiar and was still puzzled when Li Shenglin’s voice interrupted, "Mr. Zhang, why are you talking to him?"
Zhang Lin turned around and smiled, "Mr. Li, what’s the deal with this guy?"
Li Shenglin asked in surprise, "Mr. Zhang, you didn’t know? By getting a seat in the front rows, you replaced someone. This Mr. Zhao is the one who was replaced. First, your Liyuan Farm is doing incredibly well, and second, his investment company has made two major mistakes in the past two years, weakening their position!"
"Regardless, being replaced would upset anyone, so he definitely won’t have good intentions toward you. Don’t believe a word he says. I heard he’s been working on a project that seems to be related to your Liyuan Farm."
"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Li!" Zhang Lin’s frown deepened.
He could tell from Zhao Neng’s words that there was a hidden agenda, and the references to the hospital and being snatched away were clearly aimed at him.
He wasn’t worried about Zhao Neng using underhanded tactics. Liyuan Farm had nearly 4 million followers. Any underhanded move would backfire on Zhao Neng, making him a target online.
But the idea that Zhao Neng would try to outmaneuver him using legitimate means was laughable, especially given Zhang Lin’s unique advantages.
Li Shenglin warned again, "Mr. Zhang, be careful. This guy has done some nasty things in You City through his investments. He always tries to get involved in good projects, using capital to squeeze out the competition, acting like a monopolist."
"Thank you again, Mr. Li." Zhang Lin appreciated the warning. It clarified his thoughts.
He wasn’t surprised that someone would target Liyuan Farm, given its success. Zhao Neng was just the first, and there might be others in the future.
To avoid trouble, he needed to cut off Zhao Neng’s attempts and deter others.
He wondered what move Zhao Neng, who seemed so confident, would make.
Before he could leave the county government building, Zhao Han rushed out, "Mr. Zhang, Old Wei just gave County Chief Liu a report about your Liyuan Farm. County Chief Liu thinks it’s important to inform you and has asked you to come to his office."
(End of Chapter)
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