Do Not Speak Ill of My Mother!-Chapter 651 - 597: Are You Kidding Me?

The next day, Zheng Guodong, with a belly full of frustration and a boss’s harsh scolding, forced himself to step once again into the somewhat simple yet invisibly pressured conference room of Sea Star Company.

The air seemed to have solidified, and even the salty breeze from the sea outside seemed a bit heavier.

He recalled reporting the astronomical figure of ten billion, where silence first fell on the other end of the phone, followed by the incredulous roar of the vice president—

"Ten billion?! Zheng Guodong, has your brain been soaked by the sea? Or has that woman surnamed Yan given you some kind of poison? She dares to ask for ten billion for land worth over eight hundred million? You actually brought this back to ask? Throw her out! Tell her either to accept our reasonable compensation or wait for the planning change, we’ll start over elsewhere! If you don’t have the guts, you’d better quit early!"

Those harsh words whipped at his heart like lashes.

He knew all too well that eight hundred seventy million was already a high premium based on policy standards, enough to make the shareholders of the near-bankrupt original company ecstatic.

But Yan Yueqing... the woman, when she calmly uttered the words "ten billion," her determined gaze felt like a deep-sea vortex that instinctively made him uneasy, always feeling she held a trump card that could overturn the situation.

It was precisely this unease that brought him back bearing pressure.

"President Yan," Zheng Guodong struggled to maintain an outward calm, but the slight dryness of his throat and his slightly hurried breathing betrayed his tension and a faint trace of anger, "I have returned with the company’s final offer—nine billion, which is Blue Sea Heavy Industry’s highest sincere offer based on policy standards, the current state of the land plot, and future development potential after rigorous evaluation. This is far above market valuation and also aligns with the upper limit of national expropriation compensation. Ten billion..."

He paused for a moment, almost gritting his teeth, "Forgive my frankness, this is completely beyond the realm of commercial negotiation, it’s wishful thinking. The company believes this lacks any sincerity, and if President Yan insists on this unrealistic price, we can only very regrettably terminate the negotiations. I believe you also understand that although the planning of the national new energy pilot zone is set, the specific site selection and construction plan aren’t entirely without room for adjustment."

"As the contractor of the national strategic project, Blue Sea Heavy Industry is not limited to just HZ-07. Prolonging this stalemate is not a wise decision for your company, for the employees waiting for relocation. In the end, we will both part unhappily, and your company might not even get this nine billion, plus you’ll have to bear the risk of the land plot’s value plummeting post-planning change."

He finished in one breath, trying to use words like "terminate negotiations," "planning adjustments," and "value plummeting" to create pressure, his gaze firmly locked onto Yan Yueqing across the conference table.

Yan Yueqing sat in the main seat, her fingertips lightly resting on the table, her expression showing no sign of disturbance, as if Zheng Guodong had brought a routine report, not a final ultimatum.

She even slightly curved her lips, revealing a seemingly gentle, yet subtly chilling smile that made Zheng Guodong’s heart tighten.

"Mr. Zheng, you’ve worked hard, traveling back and forth," her voice remained calm and pleasant, "I understand Blue Sea Heavy Industry’s position and sympathize with the difficulty you face between the two sides. However, negotiation must be based on facts and the real needs of both parties to reach a consensus. Your company believes I’m asking an exorbitant price based on the ’current’ value appraisal of the HZ-07 plot. But..."

Her tone shifted, the gentleness suddenly carrying a sharpness that saw through all, "I would kindly remind Mr. Zheng and your company’s executives of one thing: time is your most expensive cost at the moment, or rather... the cost you can’t afford."

Zheng Guodong frowned: "Time? What does President Yan mean by this? Although project timelines are important, they are not uncontrollable."

"Are they?" Yan Yueqing leaned forward slightly, her eyes calm as the deep sea yet compelling, "The No. 1 Offshore New Energy Equipment Manufacturing Base is the core engine of the Haidu New Energy Industry Pilot Zone and is also listed as a benchmark project in the national key engineering directory. I recall that the planning documents clearly require that the core area construction must complete the fundamental pile base engineering by the end of the first quarter next year to ensure the subsequent large equipment installation window..."

Zheng Guodong’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, not answering immediately.

That was precisely their biggest pain point.

The geographic location and current ownership of HZ-07 are uniquely advantageous, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been designated as "core construction land."

Finding a replacement plot would not only require renegotiating maritime and land ownership, dealing with complicated relocation arrangements, but also conducting thorough geological surveys, environmental assessments, and construction planning approvals. This whole process couldn’t be completed in less than six months to a year.