Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1128: The Family Wealth is Somewhat Substantial

Chapter 1128: Chapter 1128: The Family Wealth is Somewhat Substantial

Elder Yu truly no longer wanted to butt heads with Feng Jun; at his age, it was time to enjoy his twilight years.

He used to resist the idea of acting his age, always wanting to do something more, but after several set-backs with Feng Jun, he realized: not only does Feng Jun disapprove of the way I do things, others might not understand either; they might even think I’m trying to pull something.

Forget it, at this age, why bother with the hassle?

However, when he heard the word "graphene," he couldn’t stay calm anymore, "How much does he have this time?"

"I don’t know," Yu Qingzhu shook her head, her face not looking very good, "He doesn’t tell me these things... He seems to think that I want to resell it at a high price or something. What kind of person does he take me for?"

The more she complained, the more interested Elder Yu became, "So, you mean to say, it’s still the same quality, the same price as last time?"

Yu Qingzhu was taken aback for a moment, then answered, "Judging by his manner, maybe he has the same quantity as last time."

"That’s good," Elder Yu nodded decisively, then asked, "Is it mealtime yet?"

Although he lived in Luohua Manor, it was very difficult to come across Feng Jun; the highest probability was during meals, especially dinner. Feng Jun would often appear in the villa, and while eating, give instructions about various matters.

Elder Yu was actually very familiar with this way of working; before he retired, he was also busy with a fixed period of time for communicating with his family, which was already very rare.

Yu Qingzhu knew what her grandfather meant and could only sigh wryly, "He’s gone to the city."

Why did Feng Jun go to the city? The villa he had built on the piece of land he bought in the park had been completed for some time, but there had been some slips recently.

The land he bought was particularly well-located, in a jurisdiction-free area. Developers and park managers didn’t pay much attention to that piece, but for an individual building a villa there, it couldn’t be more comfortable, even allowing the appropriation of some public green space.

Feng Jun remembered feeling pained when he had bought that piece of land, but how much he had exactly spent in the millions was now a blur to him; not that he had a poor memory, but because the numbers he now remembered all started with how many taels of Gold—or pieces of Spirit Stone.

Nevertheless, he had a general impression of this house; from buying the land to breaking ground, to decoration, to indoor appliances, it should not exceed two billion yuan.

In fact, from the beginning to the end, Sister Hong was mainly in charge of this house; she took it very seriously. From construction to decoration, including the artificial rocks outside, she purchased the best of everything, as if setting up her own new house.

It wasn’t until the house was fully decorated and it came time to purchase light fixtures and home appliances that Feng Jun began to build Jade houses, and Sister Hong’s attention here began to wane slightly, although the foundation she laid was indeed solid.

Recently, the park management committee approached Sister Hong, saying that since your house is empty and nobody seems to be living there, we were wondering if you were interested in selling, as someone is willing to pay a high price for it.

When they say a high price, it wasn’t too high; the buyer’s offer was around 2.5 billion yuan.

In Sister Hong’s mind, the price of this house had to be at least three billion yuan—she was quite serious about the decoration as she used genuine materials, not to mention that the land price had soared in the past two years, and similar properties in Zhengyang City were scarce.

Ultimately, the buyer took into account the location and land price factors, but did not believe that the house construction cost much, so they provided a "reasonable" valuation according to their estimation.

Sister Hong didn’t really want to sell the house to begin with; upon hearing the price offered, she complained to the park management, saying if you don’t have the money then stop dreaming about it, I’m not short of cash.

The response from the other side did not consent, questioning, isn’t it just a matter of money? What if we offer you three billion, is that enough?

In the end, the kind of people who would covet such resources are not the ones short of money, like license plates in the Capital City or Magic City—how much are they worth? This is not something to measure with money.

Therefore, the person intent on buying the house wouldn’t be lacking funds, but whether it was from the starting offer or the subsequent increased price, the buyer’s performance could only be considered standard, without much sincerity.

Sister Hong no longer bothered with them, but then they expressed again, stating that according to our understanding, Zhang Weihong, you are not the owner, nor even a relative of the owner; we want to discuss with the owner directly.

Sister Hong really did not want them to disturb Feng Jun; she had a good relationship with the park management committee and questioned where on earth did this idiot come from, thinking he could do as he pleases in Zhengyang?

The park management committee expressed their difficulty, saying that the person was a talent brought in from the province, with promises made at the time by the province: if he needed a car, give a car, a house, offer a house, and policies, provide policies; the goal was to make sure he settled in Funiu.

Then, Zhengyang City was tasked with making arrangements for this person’s settlement, which no matter what, had to be handled properly.

And to top it off, this person had set his sights on the lakeside villa in the park.

Sister Hong, upon hearing such an explanation, was quite speechless. Before this, the overall atmosphere in Huaxia had emphasized the introduction of talent, but in concrete terms... that was pretty much all it amounted to.

There were special talent policies to attract overseas Chinese, but in practice, they were either tied to investment or involved some indescribable shady dealings. Even graduates from some unknown overseas universities could blatantly slip into the system, giving rise to some undesirable phenomena.

It was only in the past two years, due to certain proposals, that the nation suddenly realized that the demographic dividend was rapidly shrinking. The development of various cities, from then on, would mainly revolve around the competition for high-quality talent.

So almost overnight, high-quality individuals became a hot commodity, with cities offering high bids to lure them in.

Take Feng Jun as an example. With his academic qualifications and degrees, had he graduated in these last two years, he would be given considerable preferential policies if he wished to develop his career in Roc City, including the housing issue he dwells on, which would certainly be offered at a discount.

But he graduated a couple of years ago and later wandered to Roc City and Sheep City. He came in a hurry and left in a rush. He didn’t want to be a mere passerby; however, regrettably, he couldn’t become a returnee.

A few years ago, the employment situation for college graduates was said to be very grim, and now they’ve opened up to attract high-quality groups—note, groups, not talent. At the root of it, it’s because the demographic dividend is no longer available, so they can only exploit the quality of the population for dividends now.

The demographic dividend doesn’t vanish overnight, but the direction of policies can change within a day. College graduates who once were as common as stray dogs have suddenly become hot targets for major cities, thereby creating different worlds and destinies.

All of this is beside the point, but without a doubt, the provincial government highly values the talent they want to retain in Zhengyang City, and the price they are willing to offer is naturally sincere.

What kind of talent is this person? It is said that they specialize in talent recruitment for Merrick’s senior headhunting company, boasting an impressive network in both Merrick’s political and business spheres.

What? Impossible for such a person to exist? Such people do exist. Chinese people in Western countries like Merrick do face the "glass ceiling" issue, with very few able to reach the top echelons. However, it’s not that there are no Chinese who are adept socially.

Wang An of Wang An Computers is a prime example. He could have been another Fruit brand, both featuring closed ecosystems incompatible with external systems. It’s just unfortunate that there was no one to follow up on Wang An Computers...

Yang Zhiyuan is another example. He aspired to surpass companies like Microsoft. Argon Arc only erred in its direction of development. If the direction were correct, what issue of skeleton’s familiarity or recognition would there be?

In short, the glass ceiling does exist, but it’s still just a ceiling, not an insurmountable barrier. The Chinese in Merrick’s upper circles aren’t necessarily devoid of networking prowess.

However, such a person is indeed rare. In theory, Funiu Province shouldn’t even need to worry about them as they would be directly absorbed by Beijing or Demon City. After all, they are in the headhunting business, and the introduction of one talent could potentially mean the introduction of a whole group of talents.

Yet, this person’s wife is from Zhengyang, and having achieved some success abroad, she also wanted to come back and show off to her family and fellow townspeople. Isn’t that a perfectly normal desire?

Funiu Province places great importance on this person. After all, they are cutting through the edges of elite cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. As long as this person settles in Zhengyang City, it would be a significant achievement. By comparison, what’s a house worth?

Didn’t Elder Cha settle down in Hangzhou and get himself a villa by the West Lake Shore? Why not give it a try with someone else?

Sister Hong originally had several objections in her heart, but upon learning the backstory, she lost interest in challenging it seriously. After all, she’s not someone to underestimate the other party. The least prestigious big boss in Funiu Province is currently watching Feng Jun’s face in Luohua Manor. What else could she possibly worry about?

But not worrying doesn’t mean she has to offend them. The current trend in Huaxia is to attract talent, and she sees no need to go against the flow. True trends are irreversible.

If someone wants to meet Feng Jun, she’ll just pass the message. As for whether to meet or not, that’s his decision.

After hearing about it, Feng Jun specifically searched online but couldn’t discern how notorious or what sort of achievements Michael Ray might have.

Sister Hong, on the other hand, was quite clear about this since she came from Hungmen Sect and had intricate ties with Merrick.

"Michael Ray is a typical upper-class figure in Merrick, but since he’s a headhunter, keeping a low profile is the right way. Being too famous can get in the way of work... It’s enough that he’s well-regarded in the circles," she said.

"Then let’s meet and clarify things," Feng Jun didn’t want to provoke anyone unnecessarily.

Although he was strong enough, why bother stirring up trouble? Moreover, many of his bulk purchases, such as grain and lithium batteries, might no longer be fulfilled domestically. Even from the perspective of supply security, he had to consider international channels.

This time he went downtown to tell Michael Lei that this house is not for sale.

The place they agreed to discuss matters was an outdoor barbecue shop near the park. Zhengyang is dry and windy, where fire is strictly prohibited, but of course, exceptions are made for those who know how to work around the rules.

Feng Jun went to the feast accompanied by Sister Hong and the sisters Zhang Caixin. By all accounts, their appearance was absolutely presentable, but to his surprise, Michael Ray and his wife were also a handsome couple.