Chapter 567: Chapter 538: Exploring Possibilities

A deputy mayor who was temporarily transferred here has occupied the second-best office in Hu Shan Town after the secretary.

Upon arriving at Hu Shan Town, he masterminded the shutdown and rectification of Da Heng and Hua Nian, and recently drove the Ecological Environmental Investment Group out of Weishan Island.

Ecological Environmental Investment suffered heavy losses in its clash with Hu Shan Town Government, and currently, two hot spring resorts in Dongzhou are still closed due to the unqualified water quality and legionella levels exceeding the standard by 500 times, which has been widely reported by domestic media, attracting immense public attention.

This incident is said to have triggered leadership changes, with the group’s Deputy General Manager Yan Fangming leading his team to join Dingli Construction, which instantly acquired the qualifications for hot spring development. Meanwhile, the group’s troubles are far from over, as investigations into their monopolistic practices in exclusive management over the years are still ongoing.

After thorough consideration, Li Yuanwen decided to meet Xu Chunliang first and knocked on Xu Chunliang’s office door proactively.

Xu Chunliang was already preparing to leave after work. Upon seeing Li Yuanwen, before he could introduce himself, Xu Chunliang smiled and extended his hand: "Manager Li is here."

Li Yuanwen hurriedly walked over and enthusiastically shook Xu Chunliang’s hand, knowing that although this man was a small official, he wielded power, and had twice put them in difficult positions; power lies not in its size but in the scope of its applied authority.

"Mayor Xu, visiting today might seem abrupt."

Xu Chunliang responded: "The doors of Hu Shan Town Government are always open to you. Please, have a seat!"

Li Yuanwen sat down.

Xu Chunliang handed him a bottle of mineral water from the Xianhong Farm’s Jun Min Spring. Li Yuanwen thanked him, though it was still January, drinking mineral water might feel somewhat cold, yet clearly there was no intention of offering tea, which reflected his stance toward him. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Xu Chunliang returned to his seat, overlooking Li Yuanwen: "Manager Li, what brings you to me?"

Li Yuanwen said: "We’ve just received notice from the town’s office stating that our project name is suspected of false advertising, suggesting that we change the name of our estate, so I came to discuss this with Mayor Xu."

Xu Chunliang said: "Manager Li, have you come to the wrong place? We have internal divisions of labor, and I’m not responsible for Da Heng’s matters right now."

Li Yuanwen chuckled: "But you’re in charge of the distillery hot springs, and I was hoping to explore if there’s any possibility of sharing the hot spring resources."

Xu Chunliang replied: "There’s no possibility. The hot springs are within the range leased by Equatorial Capital, who chose to collaborate with Mu Tian Group. They aren’t going to nurture a competitor like Da Heng on Weishan Island; perhaps you’ve come to the wrong place again, this matter should be discussed directly with Equatorial Capital."

Li Yuanwen continued: "We aren’t developing a hot spring resort; we just wish to introduce hot springs to provide certain benefits for future senior residents."

Xu Chunliang said: "The way you Da Heng operates indeed demands respect. I heard Changxing Hospital plans to implement health care projects for the elderly, and you Forerun, setting up your own elderly housing scheme first. Now the distillery found hot springs, and you want to do hot springs too; is it that you must intervene in every profitable endeavor?"

Li Yuanwen smiled: "Mayor Xu, we actually were the ones who proposed the hot spring concept initially."

Xu Chunliang commented: "When you proposed the hot spring concept, Weishan Island hadn’t even discovered hot springs yet. Lately, complaints about your Da Heng have been the most. Jiang Ailian’s suicide incident was related to you; I heard her family has already sued you."

Li Yuanwen said: "We’ve recognized shortcomings and deficiencies in our initial work, and under the guidance of all leaders, we’ve performed deep reflections and rectifications. We hope to be given some space, and reconsidering the name change issue wouldn’t affect us – our emphasis in promotions is no longer on hot springs; future promotional materials will adhere to the spirit of truthfulness."

Xu Chunliang was well aware they still wanted to capitalize on the hot spring concept, although the current name Yiyang Hot Spring Town isn’t a major issue, just as Li Yuanwen said, discovering hot springs in Hu Shan Town makes it a hot spring town, and it’s understandable for them to associate their project with hot spring highlights while situated in Hu Shan Town.

Xu Chunliang stated: "I am now responsible for investment attraction in Hu Shan Town; previous investment attraction had nothing to do with me, but I have the responsibility to oversee it. Your Da Heng, ever since acquiring the land, hasn’t fulfilled the initial promise. The theme park project progresses slowly, its area is repeatedly reduced, whereas the contrasting Yiyang Hot Spring Town project is thriving."

Li Yuanwen explained: "These two projects are actually part of a single project, always running simultaneously; it’s just that building a theme park is relatively more difficult."

Xu Chunliang replied: "I may be an outsider in construction, but I can consult experts. What Manager Li said isn’t quite fair. Let’s speak candidly – aren’t you focusing on selling residential properties for quicker capital recovery, using the theme park merely as a guise, with the true focus being on property sales? I’m not against property sales for capital recovery, but you shouldn’t engage in false advertising or deceive home buyers. Jiang Ailian’s incident has sounded the alarm for you, yet you persist in using the term ’hot springs,’ evidently intending to mislead consumers further, proving you’ve not sincerely acknowledged your errors."

Li Yuanwen said: "Mayor Xu, renaming the estate involves many complications. Firstly, we have previously signed numerous contracts, and renaming could incite unnecessary panic and possibly lead to consumer rights issues. Moreover, the local housing authority handles estate renaming, where procedures are exceedingly intricate and complicated." Though he spoke politely, he subtly hinted to Xu Chunliang that the naming of the estate isn’t within his jurisdiction.

Xu Chunliang glanced at the time on his wrist, signaling his disinterest in further discussions. Li Yuanwen tactfully stood up: "Mayor Xu, I won’t delay your off hours; we still hope you’ll reconsider. The recent domestic real estate market is slumping, making times hard for us. We hope the local government could lend us a helping hand to weather the storm."

Xu Chunliang said: "We will provide maximum assistance within policy limits, but I also hope for tangible achievements from you, rather than indulging in those crafty tactics daily. Sole reliance on false advertising and excessive marketing cannot last long. Although you haven’t been on Weishan Island for long, numerous issues have already arisen, affecting both yourselves and Hu Shan Town negatively. We welcome and embrace investors and developers, but if you don’t promptly amend your ways, recurring problems will inevitably emerge, as consumer tolerance is limited and their stance is our threshold."

Li Yuanwen found himself speechless, rising to bid farewell to Xu Chunliang. Upon leaving the town government office building, he deemed it necessary to report the situation to Zhang Hengyang.

Recently, Zhang Hengyang had been focusing on matters involving Ecological Environmental Investment. He Xingjian’s downfall was harsh, and after the provincial tourism bureau directly intervened, Zhang Hengyang realized that Xu Chunliang’s background was stronger than he expected, regretting choosing the wrong side. However, Zhang Hengyang didn’t believe this incident would implicate him.

After Li Yuanwen reported the latest situation, Zhang Hengyang discerned that Xu Chunliang was deliberately targeting them. Actually, there wasn’t any fundamental conflict between him and Xu Chunliang. When Xu Chunliang was in Changxing, perhaps there were some business rivalries between them, but now Xu Chunliang had transitioned to Hu Shan Town, theoretically not directly confronting them.

Highly suspecting that the problem originated with He Xingjian, Zhang Hengyang suspected He Xingjian’s redirection of trouble eastward.

Zhang Hengyang attempted to contact Qin Zhengyang; Qin Zhengyang didn’t answer, but later messaged back, saying he was in a county meeting without indicating a subsequent callback. From Qin Zhengyang’s message, Zhang Hengyang sensed a shift in his attitude.

He refrained from pressing further with calls or contacting Li Wenjing.

Upon contemplation, Zhang Hengyang still resolved to approach Xu Chunliang, to unlock this knot face-to-face.

While they had conversational ties, Zhang Hengyang and Xu Chunliang weren’t truly friends. Therefore, he thought of Huichun Hall. Zhang Hengyang arrived at Huichun Hall under the pretense of seeking medical consultation.

Yet he discovered the Huichun Hall sign removed, and a move ongoing inside. After inquiring, he learned Elder Xu had decided to close Huichun Hall.

Zheng Peian was onsite directing the move, while Elder Xu leisurely sat outside in the sunshine, smoking alone.

Approaching Elder Xu, Zhang Hengyang offered a box of cigarettes, intending to engage him.

Elder Xu looked up at the cheerful stranger: "And you are?"

With humor, Zhang Hengyang replied: "Mr. Xu, my name is Zhang Hengyang, a friend of Chunliang."

Upon hearing the mention of his grandson’s friend, Elder Xu warmed up, inviting Zhang Hengyang to sit and accepting his offered cigarette.

Respectfully lighting Elder Xu’s cigarette, Zhang Hengyang seated himself opposite, lighting one for himself: "Sir, are you relocating somewhere else? Found a new place?"

Elder Xu replied: "I’m old, retiring, no more work."

Surprised, Zhang Hengyang asked: "You’re ending Huichun Hall?"

Elder Xu nodded in affirmation.

With some regret, Zhang Hengyang said eagerly: "I specially came today to see you for an examination."

Elder Xu remarked: "Then you’ve wasted your trip; I’ve already claimed in front of the master not to practice any further." Pointing to Zheng Peian busy in the distance, he added: "He’s my apprentice, should you have any issues, consult him."

Zhang Hengyang retorted: "I deliberately visited for you, sir."

Assessing Zhang Hengyang’s complexion, Elder Xu smiled: "You don’t seem ill."

Zhang Hengyang stated: "I’m experiencing poor sleep; too much on my mind."