Meanwhile, Qin Mu and Xu Lu, leading the Huaining staff, waited early at the border between Jiangzhou city and Huaining, but the convoy hadn't appeared.
"It's only fifteen kilometers from the highway exit to here. They should be here by now, right?"
Qin Mu checked the time; it was almost ten o'clock, and he was starting to get anxious.
"County Chief Qin, half an hour ago, General Manager Chen told me he was getting off the highway. He should be almost there by now."
Xu Lu explained, "I think it's just traffic. Let's wait a little longer; maybe we'll see them soon."
Wait?
Qin Mu didn't like waiting!
He preferred a direct approach!
Waiting made people impatient.
"No more waiting. Everyone get in the cars. Let's go straight to the highway exit."
Qin Mu didn't wait any longer. With a wave of his hand, he had everyone get in the cars and headed straight for the highway exit.
"Keep an eye out. If you spot any vehicles from Yaoyang Industry, turn around and follow them," Qin Mu added.
This time, Yaoyang Industry's glass company convoy had shared information with Huaining County. They had three vehicles in total, and all license plate numbers were available, so they could recognize them even if they encountered them on the road.
However, they didn't see any Yaoyang Industry vehicles along the way. It wasn't until they reached the highway exit, where a large number of cars were parked, that Qin Mu immediately understood.
They were being watched by someone else!
No wonder they hadn't shown up!
"County Chief, that's Secretary Wang from Qingcheng City, why is he..."
Xu Lu recognized him immediately, and before she could finish speaking, she realized, "They're trying to hijack the deal!"
Attracting investment is very difficult now. You have to find companies in advance, lock them in, and negotiate. The process is too complicated. Some people will come up with crooked ideas, such as targeting companies already secured in other regions.
In this way, no preliminary work is needed; all that's required is to intercept the deal at the crucial moment.
After all, the companies that come are all interested in investing. As long as the terms are offered higher, there's no need to worry about them not taking the bait.
Businessmen are profit-driven; they'll go where the conditions are best and the policies are more favorable—isn't that human nature?
Clearly, Qingcheng City had this in mind today: to intercept Yaoyang Industrial Glass's group at the highway exit and take them away.
If successful, they would naturally have the opportunity to bring the project to Qingcheng City.
"Get out of the car!"
The car stopped, and Qin Mu, his face grim, quickly walked forward, followed closely by Xu Lu and the others.
The commotion immediately caught the attention of Wang Biao and the other Qingcheng City staff.
"They're here so fast?"
Wang Biao turned around and frowned immediately. He had been trying to persuade the Yaoyang Industrial Glass team to come with him, but they were proving to be incredibly difficult. No matter what he said, General Manager Chen simply refused to go.
"Secretary Wang, County Chief Qin is here. Why don't you talk to him about this again?"
Chen Xi breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and said, "As long as County Chief Qin agrees, no problem. I'll definitely go to Qingcheng City for the inspection first, how about that?"
Talk to Qin Mu?
What a load of rubbish!
Wang Biao wasn't stupid. Qin Mu was notoriously arrogant. Talking to him like that would just be asking for trouble.
The other party was no pushover!
"General Manager Chen, why did you park here? Why didn't you go directly to Huaining County?"
Qin Mu called out from afar.
"County Chief Qin, the leaders of Jiangzhou are so hospitable! I just got off the highway and ran into Secretary Wang. He invited me to have a meal in Qingcheng City first, to do some research!"
Chen Xi said simply.
"Is that so? Secretary Wang is indeed a kind-hearted person."
Qin Mu then turned his gaze to Wang Biao and said, "Secretary Wang, you're a very busy person. Don't trouble yourself with such small matters of hospitality. I will take good care of my guest."
This…
Wang Biao felt a strange unease. This kid wasn't angry at all. He had heard Liang Guan say that Qin Mu often lost his temper. Why was he so good-tempered today?
And so friendly to him?
"Comrade Qin Mu, it was just a coincidence that I happened to run into you."
Wang Biao said calmly, "Yaoyang Industrial Glass is a shining jewel in the business world, and I myself am very interested in it. Since you're here, I won't overstep my bounds."
"Should I thank Secretary Wang for his hospitality in entertaining my guest?"
Qin Mu chuckled. "I think it's best to avoid such things. Who entertains guests for someone else? If word gets out, it'll look terrible. People might think your Qingcheng City is so hungry they're fighting over food. That's incredibly unseemly."
Qin Mu's tone was incredibly gentle and friendly, but every word he uttered was sharp and sarcastic!
Qingcheng City's economic development ranks first in Jiangzhou City. To say that Qingcheng City is so hungry they're fighting over food is blatant mockery.
As the Secretary of the Qingcheng Municipal Party Committee, Wang Biao naturally felt deeply ashamed.
"Comrade Qin Mu, it's all a misunderstanding. Since you're here, we won't linger any longer and won't interfere with your hospitality!"
Wang Biao, his face grim, uttered these words and left with his men.
This kind of thing, if it got out, would indeed be very disgraceful. Leaving early would at least save face.
After all, if it escalated to the municipal party committee, even as a member of the standing committee, he wouldn't have the face to say such a thing.
A person lives for their reputation, a tree lives for its bark; who wants to be ridiculed and laughed at?
"Secretary Wang, are we just leaving like this?"
Yu Changyong, the executive deputy county head of Qingcheng City, sat next to Wang Biao, somewhat unwilling, and couldn't help but say, "You're a leader of the municipal party committee. That kid is a junior in front of you, yet he has no manners whatsoever, no respect whatsoever, it's outrageous!"
"Didn't you see? That kid was deliberately being sarcastic and provoking us, trying to make us lose our temper and yell at us. He might even have his phone ready to record it."
Wang Biao said irritably, "Besides, we spent half an hour trying to persuade that General Manager Chen, but she just wouldn't budge. This shows that she's only considering investing in Huaining and won't consider anywhere else. We've wasted our time."
Huh?
Is that so?
"I used to think people were exaggerating when they praised this kid, but now it seems he really is extraordinary."
Wang Biao said coldly, "Give the comrades at the Investment Promotion Bureau a heads-up. From now on, keep an eye on Huaining County. I suspect they have other companies planning to invest. I refuse to believe that every company is as stubborn as Yaoyang Industry; we'll eventually manage to poach one or two!"
"I understand!"
Yu Changyong immediately replied, "From now on, I'll keep a close eye on Huaining County's investment promotion activities. I won't rest until I've poached some companies."