Chapter 165: Wu Gang Plays Cards

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Wu Gang’s straightforward generosity made Yang Tianhe’s eyes light up, though he said nothing. The other two bosses also praised Wu Gang for being so considerate. With only a few tens of thousands of yuan, Wu Gang had effortlessly closed the distance between them.

They played well into the early hours of the morning, and everyone had a wonderful time. Wu Gang lost money just as cheerfully. In only a few hours, two cases of cash—two million yuan in total—had all made their way to Yang Tianhe’s side.

Yang Tianhe glanced at the case beside Wu Gang and saw that it was empty. In the final round, he deliberately lost a few cards back to Wu Gang, returning perhaps forty or fifty thousand yuan to him so that he would have something left to fall back on.

“Ah, I’m exhausted! I didn’t sleep well last night. No, I can’t keep going. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow.”

Yang Tianhe pushed aside the cards in front of him, yawned, and stretched both shoulders. His face was full of weariness. Only then did everyone glance at the clock and realize that it was already past three in the morning.

Wu Gang lit a cigarette for Yang Tianhe, then lit one for himself and said with a smile, “That was a satisfying game today. I really enjoyed it. What a thrill.”

“All right, let’s call it a night. Everyone should go home and get some rest.”

Yang Tianhe said no more. He rose and left the room.

Wu Jiong followed behind him, carrying the three cases of money they had won in total. As he passed Wu Gang, he gave him an understanding nod, signaling that he had done well.

The heads of the Runei and Guozheng Groups were already very familiar with Yang Tianhe. They played cards with him at least twice a week, and each of them would lose at least five hundred thousand yuan every time. Together, they would fill an entire case. Yet Wu Gang, meeting Yang Tianhe for the first time, had made an extraordinary entrance by bringing two full cases—two million yuan. Even the bosses of Runei and Guozheng felt that he had gone too far.

He was treating the money as if it were nothing more than blank paper.

Wu Gang was no fool. He knew exactly what spending those two million yuan meant. In a few days, he would personally go to city hall and seek out Wu Jiong.

He would explain his difficulties properly. All the permits for the old factory site had already been approved, and construction could begin at any time. However, the city’s planning department had only granted permission for eleven-story residential buildings. Wu Gang was determined to build twenty-two-story towers, but the city had kept putting him off with excuses about the urban plan having been finalized long ago and buildings being forbidden to exceed the height of the landmark structure in the Western District.

The same foundation, the same plot of land, and roughly the same initial construction funds—yet an eleven-story building would sell only half as many homes as a twenty-two-story one. The initial investment, however, would be nearly the same. In property development, the most expensive parts were the land, the permits, and the infrastructure. Once construction began, each additional floor could be completed in the blink of an eye. In those days, most buildings were constructed as reinforced concrete frames. As long as the money was available, one floor a week was practically achievable.

Wu Gang had initially planned to build six high-rise buildings. If they were twenty-two stories tall, the location would be so desirable that ordinary citizens would fight to buy them. Assuming each unit measured one hundred square meters and the average price was twenty thousand yuan per square meter, total sales would easily exceed one billion yuan. The investment would amount to roughly eighty million yuan. With a gross profit margin of thirty percent, he could earn nearly three hundred million yuan.

But if he were limited to eleven-story buildings, total sales would reach no more than five hundred million yuan. The investment would still be at least sixty million yuan, and even with a thirty-percent margin, he would earn no more than one hundred million yuan—perhaps even less.

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After all, the urban area was developing at tremendous speed. Those with money were buying villas and garden apartments, while those with less money preferred tall apartment towers of more than twenty stories. They liked living high above the ground, believing that in a city filled with skyscrapers, the higher floors offered brighter, more open living conditions. If Wu Gang could build only eleven-story structures, he would lose a great many potential buyers without even realizing it. No matter how good the location was, such buildings would never sell as well as high-rises, and he would not be able to raise the price.

The difference between the two scenarios amounted to nearly two hundred million yuan.

This permit was neither impossibly difficult nor particularly simple to obtain.

Urban planning and city construction were arranged well in advance. How each district would be developed, what kinds of buildings would appear there, whether the area would consist of shopping centers or residences, commercial zones or living quarters—all of it had been decided long before.

For an old district like Wu Gang’s, the maximum building height had been established many years earlier. The architectural design institutes, planning bureau, and construction bureau had all based their work on those regulations.

No bureau-level department beneath them could handle this matter. Only Yang Tianhe, who was in charge of urban construction, had the authority to do so. And if he truly chose to intervene, it would not be difficult.

There was no profit without effort. Wu Gang’s little scheme was already clattering away in his mind. Moreover, as his first gift upon meeting Yang Tianhe, he had attached a pinhole camera to himself before entering the Yellow Dragon Hotel. As the saying went, a truly ruthless man left no poison unused. If his future cooperation with Yang Tianhe went badly, the video of the underground casino bribing the mayor—enough to astonish the entire nation—would immediately appear on all the major media websites.

!!!

A little after ten that evening, Daquan, who had been lying in wait outside the used-car dealership for more than half an hour, quietly slipped into the dealership’s office.

At that moment, Old Zhang was lying on the bed in the inner room, talking on the phone with his mistress. Once midnight arrived, an elderly man working the night shift would come to replace him. Then Old Zhang would be free to go and enjoy a romantic evening with his mistress.

Daquan moved silently and slowly made his way to an equipment room. It contained all kinds of surveillance equipment. Screens hung on the walls, displaying every corner of the dealership’s yard. The equipment appeared to be in perfect working order and highly effective.

Whoosh!

Following Brother Rui’s instructions, Daquan charged straight into Old Zhang’s room and smashed his fist into the temple. Old Zhang was knocked unconscious on the spot.

Daquan bound him with hemp rope, got into the car, and drove straight to Livewell City with Old Zhang pinned inside.

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Inside the duty room at Livewell City, more than a dozen brothers sat scattered around the corners. Only Guo Tao and Liangzi were gathered around Zhang Rui, chattering nonstop.

“Brother Rui, so what if it was someone from Tianhua Industries? We’ll deal with him all the same!”

“Exactly. So what if it was Xie Tianhua? What’s so impressive about him? Tian Xing, supposedly his number-one fighter, was defeated by you, Brother Rui. In my opinion, he’s only famous because his reputation is a little louder.”

“All right, enough with the chatter. Daquan will have news soon. We can analyze everything then. Keep it down. No one’s mistaking either of you for a mute.”

Zhang Rui sat before the office desk, his mind crowded with problems. The Li Family Village earthwork contract was about to go out for bidding. Bohai Plaza could begin construction tomorrow. How were Qiaoman and that Zhang Zhihao getting along? Xia Yu had been out of contact for an entire day. Had Jiaojiao’s emotions stabilized? Would his father’s pension arrive on time? What should Uncle Tiezi do with the rest of his life?

All of these were problems. Yet among all the matters pressing before him, only one truly mattered at that moment:

Was what Old Zhang from the dealership had said actually true?

Whoosh!

Just then, the door to the duty room was pushed open. Daquan entered, carrying the unconscious Old Zhang over his shoulder.

The brothers hurriedly lifted Old Zhang onto Brother Rui’s desk. Daquan found a damp towel and vigorously rubbed Old Zhang’s cheeks. Unexpectedly, the man regained consciousness almost at once.

When Guo Tao saw Old Zhang slowly open his eyes, he rushed over and struck him twice across the face, once from each side.

“Damn it! Were you trying to fool your grandfather?”