"Ridiculous!"
The old man had no reaction to Xiao Ming's words, but a young man beside him stood up and scolded, "My father asked you a question, and it was to show you respect. Do you really think you are somebody important?"
"Exactly, you don't look old, but you sure are bold."
Another middle-aged man followed with a cold snort, "Our planning is the result of several elite teams within the company spending half a year on research. What would a greenhorn like you know?"
"To sell sand at thrice its worth must be due to this young lad's gift of the gab, right?"
Some people looked Xiao Ming up and down with disdain, saying, "Scare us first, that's the same old trick of street fortune tellers.
Young man, if you want to survive in this world, you need to open your eyes; you can't cheat everyone you meet."
With that said, the people around became agitated, and some even wanted to call the police.
The old man had been smiling the entire time, watching Xiao Ming, and when he felt it was enough, he raised his hand to quiet the commotion and asked, "Young man, do you have anything to say?"
Xiao Ming was indifferent, "If you have nothing to say when they call you an idiot to your face, what do I have to say?"
"Nonsense! How dare you insult my father, you're looking for death!
Someone, break his legs and throw him out!"
The young man bellowed, summoning the bodyguards, but the old man raised his hand once more to stop them.
He lost his smile and swept a piercing glance over everyone, finally resting on the young man's face, and said indifferently, "You all think the young man is a swindler, but I do not.
So what's wrong with him saying that you called me a fool?"
The young man's face turned pale, "No, father, that's not what we meant, we... we..."
He stuttered, his eyes desperately looking for help, but no one would meet his gaze. Especially the guy who had said Xiao Ming was using street fortune-telling tactics, whose head was now hanging so low it was almost tucked into his trousers.
The old man snorted, turned to Xiao Ming, and asked, "Young man, what's your name?"
"Xiao Ming. The 'ming' that startles at first try."
"The old chap's name is Zhou Jicang."
"Nice to meet you, Sir Zhou."
Taking the hand the other party extended, Xiao Ming's eyes betrayed a hint of nostalgia.
Zhou Jicang, the chairman of Canghai Group in the provincial city, rose from a laborer to a self-made man, building one of the top fifty commercial empires in the country within thirty years, with a net worth of hundreds of billions, on equal footing with the traditional affluent Yun Family.
You should know that Sir Zhou was not one of those overnight Internet or financial tycoons, but a bona fide industrial magnate, a true legend.
In a previous life, Xiao Ming had cooperated with Canghai Group a few times. The old man admired him greatly, even contemplating marrying his younger daughter to him at one point.
Unfortunately, Xiao Ming had vowed to never marry, and Sir Zhou's health was also failing then, so it came to nothing in the end.
"Mr. Xiao, could you explain why I will certainly lose out if I don't buy the land next door?" Zhou Jicang asked.
First of all, Sir Zhou, just call me Xiao Ming," he replied, not minding showing the old man a bit more respect because of their history, "Secondly, if your elite teams really put in the effort to plan, then they should know who owns that piece of land."
"Nonsense! Of course, we know." The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier said, "That land belongs to Longyin University. They are planning to build a branch campus there, which is absolutely good news for our real estate."
"Do you know what kind of branch campus it will be?"
The middle-aged man was taken aback, "Is... is that detail very important?"
Xiao Ming shook his head, "It wouldn't matter if it were any ordinary branch campus, but if it's a Chemistry Doctoral Research Branch Campus, then it's a completely different story."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
As seasoned real estate professionals, they all understood the impact the word "chemistry" could have on residential properties.
Although people can easily be led by the nose, they are incredibly meticulous when it comes to their homes.
Just as they believe in the radiation from mobile communication towers, who would dare buy a house here if there were rumors of the potential for chemical experiments to explode or leak hazards next door?
"Check it out immediately!"
Zhou Jicang had high hopes for investing in Longyin, having even acted autocratically in the board meeting. If his first venture were to face a debacle, it would be strange if he weren't impeached as chairman.
So he was truly angry now. The people around him immediately fell silent, and the middle-aged man's face turned pale as he pulled out his phone and started dialing.
Soon, he began looking at Xiao Ming with a strange expression, muttered a few words, and hung up the phone, lost for words.𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
"Did you find out?" Zhou Jicang asked.
"I...I found out."
"What is it?"
"Longyin University indeed might build a Chemistry Doctoral Research branch campus next door."
Zhou Jicang's expression turned grim, "Then you're saying that our several elite teams have spent half a year in vain, and were not as effective as Mr. Xiao alone!"
"The injustice, Chairman!"
The middle-aged man cried out, "The one I just called was Vice Principal Song of Longyin University.
He told me that building a chemistry campus is just a preliminary idea between him and the principal, which has not yet been discussed in a meeting, and he even asked me how I knew about it!
Moreover, the physics and biology departments are also competing for this branch campus. He can't guarantee which one will be chosen in the end."
Zhou Jicang was stunned, and his gaze towards Xiao Ming changed.