Chapter 376: Chapter 231 “8” and “∞

When Chen Cheng walked out of Longdongbao Airport, he felt the coolness of early autumn in the south.

Unlike the dry autumn wind of Beijing, the cold here felt penetrating and chilly to the core as it seeped in through the collar.

Chen Cheng tightened his coat around him and stepped out.

This time, everything was different.

He had no female companion at his side, only a suitcase prepared by Xiao Meier.

As soon as he left the terminal building, Chen Donghai and a woman in a suit who had been waiting outside came up to greet him.

“Mr. Chen, you must have had a tiring journey.” Chen Donghai naturally took the suitcase from Chen Cheng’s hand.

Chen Cheng nodded, “It’s okay.”

He looked at the woman, who boldly met his gaze.

She was about in her early thirties, wearing a dark grey professional suit that fitted perfectly.

“Hello Mr. Chen, I am Xu Qiu, the manager of the CGG Public Relations Department.”

The woman extended her hand, “Chairman Wen has already instructed us. We will fully cooperate with your work in Qian Province and await your directives.”

Chen Cheng shook her hand and asked, “What about the others? Are they settled in?”

“Chairman Wen has selected 10 people this time, all core staff from the CGG Public Relations Department. They are already at Nanjiang Hotel in Kaiyang waiting for your instructions.”

Xu Qiu explained, “You will be staying at this hotel too; the room has been thoroughly checked, with no suspect areas.”

She took out an iPad mini from her bag and handed it to Chen Cheng, “It contains detailed information on the team.”

Chen Cheng took it and couldn’t help but smile; this was indeed Wen Shulin’s style.

“Alright, let’s set off then.”

Chen Donghai had driven over in an A6L with a Qian A license plate.

After getting into the car, Chen Cheng sat in the back seat, with Xu Qiu in the passenger seat.

He turned on the iPad and the first thing he saw was Xu Qiu’s resume.

Master’s degree from Northwestern University, joined CGG Public Relations Department in 2013, has served as a specialist, supervisor, and now manager.

Possesses exceptional communication and coordination skills, and has experience in crisis public relations management.

Chen Cheng couldn’t help but think to himself, “It looks like Wen Shulin really sent his capable lieutenants to me.”

He swiped through a few more pages, finding several young women in their early twenties. From the photos, they each had their own charm.

This was in line with Wen Shulin’s usual style – thorough preparation for any eventuality.

As he browsed, Xu Qiu turned around and whispered, “Mr. Chen, are we going directly to the hotel?”

Chen Cheng handed back the iPad, “Familiarize ourselves with the team first.”

“Okay.”

Xu Qiu responded and then took out her phone to make a call, “Xiao Zhou, I’ve picked up Mr. Chen. We’re on our way back now; please inform everyone to prepare to gather in the hotel conference room in fifty minutes.”

Chen Cheng covertly watched Xu Qiu; she was efficient and composed, neither humble nor arrogant. She was a rare talent with the shrewdness and efficiency of a professional woman and the gentle meticulousness of a female.

The car drove out of the airport expressway, and Chen Cheng watched the cityscape of Guiyang outside the window, his thoughts wandering.

He did not know what he would face, but at least he had people to guard and protect him.

…

…

When the A6L arrived in Kaiyang District, Chen Cheng suddenly realized that this was a place not yet connected by high-speed transportation.

Descending from Jiu Chang, one had to traverse the national highway to reach this “phosphate capital” of Qian Province.

As the car entered the county town, gray buildings no taller than twelve stories lined the roads, as dull as today’s weather.

“Mr. Chen, we have about 10 minutes before we reach the hotel we’ll be staying at,” Xu Qiu said, turning around.

Chen Cheng nodded, “Right, Xiao Hai, have you had any contact with the people from the city investment company here?”

Chen Donghai replied, “I wandered around their office location yesterday but didn’t see anyone; I guess it was after office hours, and they had gone home.”

Chen Cheng pondered for a moment, “Good to know.”

“By the way, Mr. Chen,”

Chen Donghai looked at Chen Cheng through the rearview mirror, hesitated for a moment, and said, “I heard some news, I’m not sure if I should tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“When I went there yesterday, I happened to come across a group of people demanding payment under the city investment company.”

Chen Cheng frowned, “Payment demand? What payment are they demanding there?”

“It’s said to be related to a temporary relocation issue for a kindergarten involved in the county town’s shantytown renovation project.”

Chen Donghai reported the situation he knew:

“The temporary kindergarten has been open for two years. The developer paid the renovation fee to the city investment company, but the renovation team could not get paid after completion.”

He took a pause, “I heard the person leading them say that it’s about more than eight hundred thousand yuan.”

Hearing this, Chen Cheng immediately understood the situation in this small county town was worse than he had imagined.

As a local financing platform, the city investment company should, in principle, have a rather abundant cash flow.

But now it seemed likely that due to poor management or other reasons, the city investment company might be facing a financial crunch, even unable to pay the wages of migrant workers – a problem far from trivial.

And this was relevant to Chen Cheng’s mission in discussing points with the city investment company.

If even eight hundred thousand yuan in wages had turned into a wage dispute, he dreads to think what kind of exorbitant demands he might face.

“Okay, I got it.” Chen Cheng sighed, “Let’s make contact first. Hopefully, we can meet the general manager of the city investment company tonight.”

He took out the materials given by Jin Baogen, flipped to the first page, looking at the information, and pondered whether to contact this Director Luo immediately.

The car continued in silence, the scenery outside the window gradually shifting from the old city to the look of a new district.