Chapter 61: Projects of the Future Century

After transferring to another bus midway, Lin Xiang continued his wild, animated chatter, spitting as he spoke—discussing various projects, loans, financing maneuvers, and peppering his speech with professional jargon. Having once followed Xiao Kaitian, he had seen much of the world; though lacking real business acumen, the things he said at least sounded convincing.

The other passengers kept their distance as before. Xiao Kaitian did not stop him; in fact, he listened with interest, recalling the “old self” he used to be. He was tempted to ask: just where did all that confidence come from?

This bus ride was even longer, the vehicle circling nearly the entire city of Haidu. The scenery grew more desolate with every mile. After more than an hour of jostling, the bus finally halted at the last stop. Only Xiao Kaitian and Lin Xiang remained.

“We’re here, Young Master Xiao,” Lin Xiang said, lifting his sunglasses—he was well aware of his lazy eye, and usually kept it hidden. He grabbed Xiao Kaitian’s luggage, which was minimal to begin with, and with his considerable strength, he hefted it as if it weighed nothing, hopping off the bus first. Xiao Kaitian followed close behind.

Stepping off, the first thing that met their eyes was the sea. Haidu was a coastal city, and they had reached the outskirts now. Walking only a short distance along the bus route, Lin Xiang stopped and pointed ahead. “The Future Century project is just there.”

Xiao Kaitian followed his gaze. Near the shoreline lay a sprawling complex of buildings. The foremost was a tall skyscraper, with a massive integrated development behind it. The structure resembled a sailing ship; behind the complex were several high-rise residential towers and a villa district, all laid out in orderly fashion—yet the entire area was devoid of life, desolate and empty.

“That building at the front is the headquarters of Qingtang World, forty-eight stories high. This area’s geology has been surveyed—it's the only spot in Haidu suitable for such a tall building by the sea,” Lin Xiang explained enthusiastically. “Behind it is the integrated complex, designed to look like a sail—symbolizing Qingtang World, setting sail and dancing with the wind.”

“Further back are five high-density residential towers, each twenty-eight stories, aimed at high-end residents. Then there are the garden villas, the most exclusive sea-view homes in Haidu,” he continued, words bubbling over in his excitement. He pointed to a small mountain behind them. “More facilities lie beyond that hill: kindergarten and primary school, a private clinic, golf course, tennis courts, and other outdoor amenities.”

“Beyond that, there’s a high-tech industrial park, though that’s still in the planning stage. Everything else is basically finished. The total investment is eighty billion—it’s all solid capital.” He sniffed; the sea breeze here was strong, and after a while in the winter, one would feel chilled.

Xiao Kaitian was stunned. Even as someone of high perspective and broad experience, he couldn’t help but be shocked. How foolish did one have to be, to choose and then actually develop a project here?

The surroundings were utterly deserted, with no commercial infrastructure. While the project itself included these amenities, to make a real estate development thrive, the supporting services must come online simultaneously—it was a process that required parallel effort.

But at present, neither was in place. No one was buying the apartments, no businesses were moving in; the office building stood empty. It was a dead complex. The claim that another thirty billion was needed just to jumpstart things was, if anything, accurate. Xiao Kaitian wiped his face as he pondered all this.

Across the sea, the faint outline of another city could be seen. He turned to Lin Xiang and asked, “What’s over there?”

“That’s the Special Administrative Port City of Hantang,” Lin Xiang replied, his face alight. “Hantang’s most famous autonomous district and the largest free trade port. The reason we chose this spot, as you said yourself, was to open up the transportation hub between here and the port city. Our project’s value could skyrocket. If not ten trillion, the final profit could be even greater!”

He removed his sunglasses, looking sidelong at Xiao Kaitian. “If we succeed, your status will be on par with the Xiao Group.”

Xiao Kaitian raised his eyebrows. The task was truly daunting, but he didn’t want to discuss specifics with Lin Xiang. Lin Xiang’s education was limited; he was good for running errands and delivering messages, but anything more complex was beyond him.

They walked toward the project area, rounding a small hill to take in the entire development. Whatever else could be said, the initial scale and layout were impressive.

If, one day, this place could truly be brought to life, it would be a small kingdom of its own.

This was a prospect Xiao Kaitian found himself secretly hoping for. He gazed up at the distant office tower, where the words “Qingtang World” and the company logo were displayed. “Where’s everyone else? Didn’t you say there’d be a meeting, that they were waiting for me?”

“They’re in the conference room, I told them you were coming back, spoke to them this morning,” Lin Xiang replied, checking his phone. “There’s a board meeting today—no one would dare miss it.”

Xiao Kaitian answered indifferently, saying nothing more. Lin Xiang, eyeing his “amnesiac” boss, felt something was off—Xiao Kaitian seemed like a different man.

“Come on, what are you looking at?” Xiao Kaitian shot him a glance. Lin Xiang shrank back, hurrying to lead the way.

They entered the Qingtang World headquarters building, which had just been completed. Excess construction materials still lay about, and the floor was covered in dust; with every step, the air filled with powder and the sharp scent of cement.

“When the funding dried up, everything stopped,” Lin Xiang explained, unfazed—he’d done all kinds of construction work in his early years, from hauling bricks to sand, and didn’t mind the dust a bit. “Brother Xiao, I thought you’d hide out in Japan and never come back. When I got Miss Zhao’s message, I was really shocked.”

In his eyes, Xiao Kaitian had no chance of making a comeback; fleeing to Japan was the best option. Little did he know the Zhao family would intervene, temporarily saving Qingtang World, and bringing Xiao Kaitian back as well—a man whose character had shifted dramatically.

Xiao Kaitian did not reply. His roots were in Hantang, and he could not sever them. Besides, in his vocabulary, there was no such thing as retreat.

They entered the elevator and pressed the button for the forty-sixth floor. “The forty-sixth floor houses the boardroom and executive offices,” Lin Xiang continued. “The top two floors are your office and private quarters.”

Staring at the gleaming elevator buttons and the polished marble floor, Xiao Kaitian was again speechless—this guy really knew how to spend!

“Ding!” The elevator soon stopped at the forty-sixth floor. As the doors slid open, they saw a room not far ahead, its door wide open. Shouts erupted from within:

“Where is Xiao Kaitian? That bastard! Is he still not back? I swear I’ll smash this place to pieces!”