Chapter 127: Invest in a Factory
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Boss, we’ve arrived at the research institute!” Zhou Chao, who was lost in thought, heard Da Wu calling him, and he snapped back to reality, opening the car door and stepping out.
“I’ll go upstairs to check on Zhou Jilong first. You wait for me down here!” Zhou Chao said as he opened the car door, preparing to get out.
“All, Boss! Director Zhou is on vacation, resting at home!” Zhou Chao, who was about to get out of the car, heard this and instantly felt like a flock of crows had flown over his head.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, you rascal?” Zhou Chao looked at Da Wu in bewilderment.
“Boss, as soon as you got in the car, you started making phone calls, and I was focused on driving, so I gradually forgot to inform you” Da Wu’s voice grew smaller as he spoke, but Zhou Chao could still hear him clearly.
“I don’t want this to happen again. Come on, let’s go to the hotel!” They headed straight to the five-star hotel they had visited last time, located near Tencent Holdings headquarters.
After a swift check-in, Zhou Chao reclined on the couch, pondering his next steps. It was evident that he would require someone to supervise the on-site construction of the factory, but he lacked acquaintances with the necessary expertise. It appeared he would need to seek out a qualified individual for this role.
Zhou Chao pulled out his phone and immediately called Yang, the head of Radiant International!
“Hello, Director Yang?”
“Hello, President Zhou. I knew there must be good news when 1 heard the magpies singing today. Turns out it’s our esteemed guest, President Zhou!” Zhou Chao couldn’t help but smile when he heard Director Yang’s words.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Chao got straight to the point.
“Director Yang, to be frank, I’m calling today to ask for your help.”
“President Zhou, as long as it’s something I can help with, there’s no problem!” “I won’t beat around the bush. I’m looking for your assistance in finding a few people. I’m planning to invest in a factory, and 1 need someone to manage the site. After the factory is built, we’ll also need relevant management staff. So, I need you to put in some effort for me!” Zhou Chao clearly stated his needs to Director Yang.
“President Zhou, if I may ask, what kind of factory are you planning to build? That way, I can find the right people for the job.”
“For the steel industry, it’s best if they have experience in this field. They must be Chinese and trustworthy.”
“Understood, President Zhou. I’ll promptly select a group of candidates for you to choose from.”
“Great, I appreciate your help!” After they ended the call, Zhou Chao leaned back on the couch, furrowing his brow. He realized that he didn’t have enough talented individuals in his network.
“I might need to ask Uncle Ye if he has any talent in this area. It seems I’ll have to actively recruit talent from various sources,” Zhou Chao mumbled to himself while sitting on the couch. Da Wu, who was nearby, watched Zhou Chao in astonishment.
Once Zhou Chao came back to his senses and noticed Da Wu staring at him, he asked, “What are you looking at? You seem completely bewildered!”
“No, I wasn’t looking at anything!” Da Wu quickly shook his head.
“Da Wu, give Zhou Jilong a call and ask him to come over here.” Upon hearing this, Da Wu turned and walked to the balcony, taking out his phone to call Zhou Jilong.
“Boss, it’ll take about an hour for him to arrive,” Da Wu reported. Zhou Chao nodded and started playing with his phone. Upon seeing this, Da Wu found a chair and sat down.
“Dong Dong Dong!” Da Wu hurriedly got up to open the door, and there was Zhou Jilong, panting, leaning against the door frame.
“What’s got you so out of breath? Did you run a marathon?” Da Wu teased as he looked at Zhou Jilong.
“Cut it out. Where’s the boss?”
“The boss is inside.” After catching his breath, Zhou Jilong walked inside.
“Boss!” Zhou Chao looked up at Zhou Jilong, who was slightly out of breath, with sweat on his forehead, and he knew that he had rushed over in a hurry.
“Have a seat and catch your breath. Da Wu, get him a glass of water.” Soon, Da Wu brought over a glass of lukewarm water, and Zhou Jilong wasted no time in downing most of it.
“Lao Zhou, I called you over today, but it’s nothing too important. We’re preparing to establish a company for the successful research of special steel. Your research institute will also be merged into it, and you’ll be in charge of production technology and research. Do you have the confidence for this?” “Boss, you can rest assured. I’ll definitely do it!” Zhou Jilong stood up excitedly, and Zhou Chao waved his hand, signaling him to sit down.
Afterward, the two of them discussed matters related to the research institute and chatted for a while. The bonus that Zhou Chao had promised earlier had also been transferred from Ling Chen, and they talked until nearly 5 o’clock before Zhou Jilong prepared to leave.
“Boss, how about we grab dinner together tonight?”
“Forget it, you go back. You should work on a project plan.” Zhou Jilong no longer insisted and bid farewell before leaving the hotel.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the New Year’s holiday came to an end. Zhou Chao had spent two days in the hotel, either watching short videos or reading books. He hadn’t gone out to play.
“Ring, ring.”
The ringing of his phone woke Zhou Chao, who was resting with his eyes closed in bed. He quickly grabbed the phone and, looking at the caller’s name on the screen, couldn’t help but smile.
“Hello, Uncle Ye!”
“Where are you? Come to the compound quickly. I’m waiting for you in my office!” Zhou Chao hung up the phone, jumped out of bed, grabbed his coat, and opened the bedroom door.
“Da Wu, let’s go to the compound!” Zhou Chao and Da Wu hurriedly left the hotel, watching the car head toward the compound.
As soon as they arrived at the courtyard, Zhou Chao saw Ye Zhengfeng’s assistant standing at the entrance. Zhou Chao opened the car door and walked towards the assistant. The assistant appeared to be in his thirties, wearing glasses, with short hair, and exuding a capable and sharp demeanor.
“Assistant Li, sorry to keep you waiting!”
“Mr. Zhou, I just arrived! Come on, I’ll take you to the office!” On the way, Zhou Chao attracted a lot of attention, especially since Ye Zhengfeng’s assistant personally received him. It was evident that Zhou Chao’s status was quite exceptional!”
Following Assistant Li, Zhou Chao arrived at Ye Zhengfeng’s office. Looking at the nameplate on the door, Zhou Chao was surprised. He hadn’t expected that Ye Zhengfeng was the secretary of the Municipal Party Committee!
“Uncle Ye, you’ve been keeping quite a secret from me!” Zhou Chao now understood what Xiao Yang had meant earlier and had a better understanding of Ye Zhengfeng’s background.
“I haven’t really kept anything from you. You never asked, and to be honest, you’ve achieved remarkable things. You quietly obtained cutting-edge technology known globally. You’re not an ordinary person. If it weren’t for Lao Xiao vouching for you, I doubt you’d even be meeting me now.”
From Ye Zhengfeng’s words, Zhou Chao gleaned a lot of information. At the very least, his identity and past achievements were well-known in certain circles. Furthermore, Lao Xiao had personally intervened to protect him, a debt Zhou Chao intended to repay when the time came.
“Hehe.” Zhou Chao couldn’t think of much to say at the moment, so he just chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“Don’t overthink it. As long as you’re contributing to the country’s development, your merits won’t be overlooked. Keep your focus on the task at hand.”
“Thank you, Uncle Ye!” Although Zhou Chao didn’t yet know the specifics of Ye Zhengfeng’s background, the fact that he was aware of the lithography system project indicated his significance. Moreover, their relationship seemed far from ordinary, so Zhou Chao had no major concerns.
“Enough about that for now. Let’s discuss what’s currently on your mind.” Zhou Chao immediately refocused, sitting attentively and awaiting Ye Zhengfeng’s important news.
“We’ve just finished a meeting today, and the documents from the discussions have been finalized. The reason we didn’t invite you to the meeting was mainly to avoid exposing you to the public eye too much. You understand the general situation, so I won’t elaborate further.”
“Yes, I understand that. After all, I don’t have the resources to compete with other major companies globally.”
“The meeting has decided to transfer the state-owned steel plant in Bao’an District to you, including the land, personnel, and relevant production lines. Whenever you need equipment, we’ll assist in procurement.”
“Of course, some of the management positions have been vacated. You should work on filling those as soon as possible.” Zhou Chao then inquired about more specific details regarding the steel plant. Currently, it had fewer than 500 employees, most of whom were experienced hands, giving him a rough understanding.
“Uncle Ye, when will we sign the contract and complete the handover of the steel plant?”
“We’ll sign it soon, without any elaborate press conference. I’ll send Xiao Li to assist you, and he’ll be working with you from now on!” Ye Zhengfeng’s statement left both Zhou Chao and Secretary Li stunned.
Ye Zhengfeng may have sensed their confusion and elaborated, “Xiao Li has been part of my team for almost a decade. If he were sent to a lower-level position, it would limit his potential. Now that this opportunity has arisen, I’d like him to oversee the coordination of the steel plant. I’m confident he can handle it.”
“Uncle Ye, coincidentally, 1 also need management personnel. I’ll trouble Assistant Li when the time comes.”
Assistant Li, who was standing nearby, probably grasped the importance of the steel plant, as he quickly regained his composure.
Ye Zhengfeng made a phone call, and soon, relevant personnel entered with documents. Zhou Chao glanced at them briefly. Zhou Chao’s company contributed 1 billion, and they held 70% of the shares related to special steel technology, while Peng City’s contribution included the steel plant and land, with a 30% share. The steel plant had already been given a name for the future – Peng City Ansteel Co., Ltd.
Zhou Chao wasted no time and signed his name. The necessary company documents had already been prepared, so the transition of the steel plant was swift.
“Assistant Li, I’ll need your help in the initial stages. I’ll arrange the management team as soon as possible, and I’ll transfer the funds and production lines to the company promptly.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll manage it well.” Zhou Chao and Assistant Li shook hands, and then Zhou Chao turned his gaze to Ye Zhengfeng.
“Uncle Ye, with most things settled, I’ll take my leave now.” Zhou Chao had been in Peng City for four days, and he wanted to wrap things up quickly and return to Jingdu because Jiang Li would be coming back in a few days.
“Alright, go ahead! Have a good discussion with Xiao Li!” Afterward, Zhou Chao and Xiao Li left the office. They discussed the steel plant’s future plans and development before parting ways..