58. The Meeting (Part Two)

"Mr. Chen, what we're really concerned about is... the specifics of the sales situation." Lin Yi, unable to sit still any longer, broke the silence as Chen Ling continued to skirt around the core issue.

Their under-the-table cooperation with Sincere Holdings was fraught with risk for both Lin Yi and Yan Ji. The most pressing concern was the pressure to meet sales targets—after all, Taihe and Binhu had spread themselves thin, with multiple projects running, high leverage, and the current financing environment was exceptionally tough...

So, the responsibility of maintaining a healthy cash flow fell squarely on the sales department's shoulders.

Beyond that, though the group hadn't posted any losses yet, their cash flow was already stretched to its limits.

Sure, the broader economic climate could serve as a temporary excuse, but as always, those who can't break through adversity are simply unfit for important responsibilities.

Both men now found themselves in precarious positions...

And to make matters worse, Chen Ling was still trying to squeeze more out of them!

If the group lost patience and really reassigned them, their replacements would quickly uncover all these little tricks.

Those underhanded dealings would be more than enough to land them behind bars.

Time was running out...

They needed solid reassurance.

The anxiety was written all over Lin Yi and Yan Ji’s faces—they were restless and uneasy.

Seeing this, Chen Ling realized he couldn't push them much further. After all, they had already handed over confidential owner lists without hesitation.

If he pressed harder, things could blow up.

"Gentlemen, I’m sorry," Chen Ling said, causing both to tense up—the words stuck in their throats.

"It's not that I won't discuss the specifics of how I plan to sell, it's just... I really can't."

He rubbed his hands together, doing his best to appear slightly nervous and hesitant. "What I can tell you is this: the reason I'm confident enough to take on your units is because I have faith in the upcoming market."

"That's it?"

A huge question mark flashed in both men's minds.

Chen Ling continued, "As for the source of that confidence, forgive me for being blunt, but it's simply not something you’d have access to."

"Think about it," he went on. "Even if the registration deposit is refundable, I still have to pay it up front. And getting a refund is a long, drawn-out process."

"If I wasn't absolutely certain, why would I tie up my cash like this?"

Lin Yi and Yan Ji followed his line of reasoning, pondering deeply.

Indeed, from a business perspective, taking on several hundred units meant tying up tens of millions in cash.

Who would play around with that kind of money with no return? Only a fool.

Did Chen Ling truly have some insider information?

"Let’s do it this way," Chen Ling said after a moment's thought, deciding to give them some reassurance. "As long as your sales control department cooperates with the name transfers, I can promise you that these units will go straight to purchase contracts."

A sharp intake of breath—both men stiffened.

This was a serious play.

If registration deposits were still a bit of a game, purchase contracts were an entirely different story.

If he defaulted, with hundreds of units, the penalty alone would reach hundreds of millions!

"Are you really that confident?" Lin Yi asked, incredulous.

Chen Ling nodded. Of course he was confident!

In his previous life, the projects by Taihe and Binhu were industry case studies for success. In Chen Ling's memory, from 2008 all the way until his rebirth, neither group had ever suffered a loss or left a project unfinished.

Every last unit sold out.

This was the real reason he was so eager to cooperate with the two of them.

On the surface, it looked like they were relying on Chen Ling.

But in truth, it was Chen Ling who was proactively securing his position.

They just didn’t know yet… that spring was right around the corner.

And only at this moment would the cost of getting on board be the lowest.

Seeing Chen Ling so resolute—willing to go all in on these units—put their minds at ease, even if they still lacked concrete proof.

They agreed on some further details, after which Lin Yi and Yan Ji took their leave. To coordinate with Chen Ling, they had much to prepare, and time was of the essence.

"Brother—um, Mr. Chen." Zeng Fucai, still not quite used to the new formal address, hesitated. "So, on my end…?"

"How much does it cost to hire someone to line up all night?" Chen Ling asked directly.

"You can find someone for a hundred or two," Zeng replied. "But if you need a lot of people, it’s best to offer more."

"Five hundred per person. Is that enough?"

"That's more than enough!"

"Good. Use that rate, and hurry. There’s only a few days left."

"Understood."

With Zeng Fucai gone, only Zhang Peng, Bao Zhenhai, and Bu Chunsheng remained in the conference room.

Now that the outsiders had left, Zhang Peng finally spoke up. "Old Chen, I never imagined you’d get in with both groups so quickly. But isn’t this a bit reckless? Purchase contracts are a whole different beast from registration deposits!"

The other two looked at Chen Ling with concern—clearly, they shared the same doubts.

"Your concerns are valid, but take a look at this first," Chen Ling said, pulling out his phone and showing them a text message.

"…"

"…"

"…"

A long silence settled before the three of them reacted:

(っ°Д°;)っ

ヽ(°◇°)ノ

…(⊙＿⊙；)…

The message was simple: "Amount credited: 3,480,000.00 yuan. Available balance: 6,880,000.00 yuan."

Zhang Peng rubbed his eyes hard, double-checking he hadn’t misread the decimal point, then felt his heart pound wildly.

It wasn’t the six million plus that stunned him…

It was—

"Old Chen!" Zhang Peng said with unusual seriousness. "Maybe I should go with you to turn yourself in. You’re still young—you can’t afford to walk down the path of crime!"

Chen Ling: "???"

Bu Chunsheng grumbled, "You robbed a bank and didn’t call me? Do you look down on me or what?"

Chen Ling: "…"

Bao Zhenhai: "Dad!"

Chen Ling: "Get lost!"

Bao Zhenhai: "Yes, dad!"

After Chen Ling explained everything, they finally relaxed, though they now looked at him as if he were an alien.

"It’s only been a few days, and you’ve made over three million just from an idea?"

"Three point four eight million!" Bao Zhenhai corrected.

Bu Chunsheng pursed his lips. "That’s faster than robbing a bank!"

Chen Ling chuckled. "With this money, I still can't buy up all the units, but it's enough. Cornering the entire market would be too hard…"

Zhang Peng grimaced. "I was just kidding, you know?"

"I don’t have many virtues, but I do take things seriously," Chen Ling replied earnestly.

Whatever doubts had lingered within the group were now gone.

Even the faintest worries vanished into thin air in the face of cold, hard cash.

Yan Ji sat in Lin Yi’s car, chain-smoking and visibly agitated.

"Old Yan…" Lin Yi wanted to say something, but words failed him.

"Old Lin," Yan Ji countered, "do you think this Chen Ling kid is reliable? Or is he just a gambler?"

Lin Yi thought for a long time. "He doesn’t seem like one."

"How so?"

"First, the story about Zhicheng Company is everywhere. It was on the verge of bankruptcy, and he turned it around in minutes."

"Second, he didn't seem nervous—if anything, he was excited. The kind of excitement you see when someone is about to strike it rich."

"Finally, do we even have a choice? I don’t know about you, but on my end… well…"

Yan Ji flicked his cigarette out the window, gritted his teeth, and said, "Screw it! We’re all in!"

At the same time Chen Ling was meeting with the two of them, Gelo was sitting down with Li Mingjiang.

With Liu Xuefeng’s covert support, Li Mingjiang had finally secured the post of director at the Lianjia Village Project Office.

The two were in a car, heading toward the Lianjia Village site.

But as they reached the village entrance, their way was blocked…

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