Chapter 1298: Chapter 1298: Opportunity Comes Unexpectedly

Wu Jianjun and Ding Zhongming hold extraordinary identities; it is necessary to give them face when they come over to toast.

Therefore, whether it was Luo Liansheng, Ouyang Feifei, or Yang Qingyin, they all clinked glasses with them during the toast.

Luo Liansheng and Luo Ziling were very generous, downing a bowl of rice wine in one gulp.

Yang Qingyin and Ouyang Feifei, on the other hand, were quite reserved, drinking only a large sip.

When preparing to leave the private room, Ding Zhongming asked Ouyang Feifei where she would stay tonight and whether she had time in the evening. “Secretary Wu and I would like to pay you a visit,” Ding Zhongming stated his intention directly in front of everyone. “Yuezhou is a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, with outstanding people and spirit, and its economic development isn’t bad either; transportation is very convenient. If Miss Ouyang is willing, we would like to invite you to invest in Yuezhou.”

In the eyes of Ding Zhongming and Wu Jianjun at that moment, Ouyang Feifei was like a goddess of wealth.

If they could persuade Ouyang Feifei to invest in Yuezhou, that would spell success for them.

For the past few years, attracting business investments has been a persistent challenge for officials at all levels; without external capital inflow, the local economy’s growth would slow down. And economic indicators are a primary aspect of assessing an official’s achievements.

“I’m planning to get a room next to my few friends later on, and if the two officials are interested, you can come up later for a cup of tea,” Ouyang Feifei politely accepted Ding Zhongming’s suggestion, “Only, there is no good tea in the hotel.”

“Then we will bring some good tea to visit Miss Ouyang, Miss Yang, Old Mr. Luo, and Mr. Luo,” Wu Jianjun and Ding Zhongming both breathed a sigh of relief, and Wu Jianjun gestured a hand-folded salute to everyone, “We won’t disturb your meal for now, we will talk later.”

Ding Zhongming also gestured a salutation to everyone.

During the last investment attraction conference, Ding Zhongming had seen Ouyang Feifei’s clout; even the highest party and administrative leader of Jiangnan Province treated her as an esteemed guest, but she didn’t give much face to the province’s officials.

As a result, the project Lingyun Group intended to invest in Deqing to produce new energy vehicles has not been finalized.

Lingyun Group was interested in setting up a factory in Jiangnan Province to produce new energy vehicles, and this project had already been listed as a key construction project of the province.

To finalize this project as quickly as possible, officials in charge from Jiangnan Province, as well as the party and government officials of Deqing, have been running around till their legs nearly broke.

Ding Zhongming even thought about using this opportunity to snatch the project for himself.

Yuezhou offered better conditions than Deqing, being close to Yongzhou Port and having the Trans-Oceanic Bridge providing indirect connection with Zhonghai. In terms of transportation, Yuezhou had advantages Deqing couldn’t match. Even if he couldn’t snatch that project, if he could persuade Ouyang Feifei to invest in other projects in Yuezhou, it would be counted as the biggest achievement of the year for these key officials.

Investments of tens or even hundreds of billions would certainly alarm the provincial government and add a significant highlight to their careers.

When leaving the private room with Wu Jianjun, Ding Zhongming whispered to him, “Jianjun, I didn’t expect today’s incident to draw so many heavyweight figures. In my opinion, that Ouyang Feifei is clearly vying with Yang Qingyin for Luo Ziling. A man pursued by two celestial-like women of such high status cannot be simple. Our Yuezhou is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, far from simple.”

Wu Jianjun was also very fortunate in his heart.

He did not expect that the group incident they were quite worried about earlier today would lead to such an opportunity.

There’s a saying, isn’t there? “One might fail to cultivate flowers intentionally, but willows planted without intention might thrive.”

He couldn’t help reflecting: “It must be so. Old Mr. Luo and Luo Ziling are not ordinary figures; this can be seen from their bearing. Perhaps, we could really persuade Miss Ouyang to invest here.”

Ding Zhongming smiled and said, “The key is still on Luo Ziling, right?”

Wu Jianjun nodded, agreeing with Ding Zhongming’s words.

In fact, there was another point neither of them expressed aloud: if they could maintain good relations with any individual in the private room today, it could potentially make their careers more convenient.

Having a patron is one of the most important reasons for advancement in one’s career. With the backing of influential figures, one could swiftly rise in rank.

Ouyang Feifei, whose identity was already nearly public, had an influence far greater than that of ordinary provincial and ministerial officials.

Not to mention the power backing Yang Qingyin, who might well be the princess of a certain family.

Both believed that Luo Ziling’s parental generation were also certainly not ordinary people.

If they could form good relationships with them, the chances of being patronized would increase significantly.

Both Wu Jianjun and Ding Zhongming believed that even if provincial officials of Jiangnan knew the identities of the few people in the private room today, they would surely rush over to seek an audience at the first opportunity.

Therefore, after the two returned to their own private room, they immediately left under the pretext of having urgent matters to attend to, to prepare for their upcoming meeting with Ouyang Feifei.

One should not engage in battle unprepared; information related to Ouyang Feifei and Lingyun Group must be prepared in advance, and they should also try to collect more information about Luo Ziling, Yang Qingyin, and Luo Liansheng.

Since Luo Liansheng was from Yuezhou, his information was relatively easier to find, although those easily found materials were from twenty years ago.

In the past twenty years, information on Luo Liansheng may have involved secrets, with not much available to gather.

But when Wu Jianjun and Ding Zhongming personally oversaw the data collection, they unexpectedly discovered that the Luo Family of Yuezhou had a large building dating back to the late Ming dynasty, and they also learned that the Luo Family were disputing over the ownership of the building.

However, for the past twenty years, Luo Liansheng had never returned to Yuezhou, almost as if he had disappeared.

“Jianjun, do you think that Old Mr. Luo’s return this time, bringing along his grandson, could be related to the dispute over the old house’s ownership?” Ding Zhongming asked.

After pondering for a while, Wu Jianjun agreed with his statement: “Very likely!”

“First, we need to understand the situation clearly and try our best to gain the support of these well-known figures. Yuezhou has slowed down its development pace in recent years. With their help and investment, perhaps the speed of economic development and urban construction will soon pick up,” Ding Zhongming said, slightly excited.

He had been the administrative head of Yuezhou for just over a year, and Wu Jianjun, the head in charge of party affairs, had been there a few months longer. Although the two often contested each other, it was undeniable that their interests were closely intertwined in many aspects, at least in terms of political achievements.

They were eager to make a mark in this place, to gain more capital for promotion, and to benefit the local people at the same time.

The opportunity had unexpectedly landed on their laps, and they did not wish to let it slip by easily.