Over twenty vehicles were waiting outside the airport, including buses, business cars, sedans, and others.
The people from Jiaolin County were divided into several groups. One part remained in the county to set up the venue and prepare to welcome the investors at the hotel, including some local investors who could drive over. The county's commerce bureau staff had already received them. Another group of county officials went to the two main train stations in the province to pick up people—mostly in-state or neighboring province investors who found it more convenient to travel by train. The last group, Secretary Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang, went to the airport to pick up guests, focusing on important investors and guests who would be landing there, making this the main point of concentration. Zhang Dongfang's county government was responsible for liaising with and welcoming the investors, while Secretary Dong's county committee mainly handled the related arrangements for the cultural evening. The division of work was clear and pre-decided by Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang to prevent bureaucratic issues and improve efficiency, ensuring the best possible preparation for tomorrow's cultural investment festival.
"Leaders, the southern investors have arrived."
After receiving the flight information, the staff quickly reported it to Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang. The commerce bureau booked the tickets for these flights, so they had records of which investor was on which flight and at what time.
"Give me the information," Zhang Dongfang said.
Wei Zhixuan quickly reached out, "Also, give me a copy. Everyone, get ready."
Zhang Dongfang quickly skimmed through the information. Around a hundred investors were arriving this time, many from the province. Zhang Dongfang was familiar with many of them due to past dealings, but there were also numerous investors they had mobilized through various connections across the country. Some had even approached them voluntarily, expressing interest in attending. Therefore, not only was Zhang Dongfang unfamiliar with many of the names and companies, but he also didn't have time to prepare fully. The list of names, companies, and industry types was too long for him to memorize quickly. This sudden rush was taxing on Zhang Dongfang, who was already overwhelmed with work.
Seeing the situation on the other side, Dong Xuebing said nothing. He was also waiting for his actors. However, looking at the flight information signs in the hall, the plane he was waiting for was late, and he didn't know when it would arrive. Therefore, he wasn't in a hurry to pick up the investors and instead focused on making a few phone calls to coordinate other arrangements. With Old Zhang and Old Wei handling the task, that was sufficient.
After passing through the gate, many people started pouring out.
Zhang Dongfang instructed, and the staff from Jiaolin County immediately raised banners welcoming the investors. Given that they were expecting many people today, the banners didn't specify any particular information; they had "Jiaolin County" and "Welcome Investors" written.
Someone noticed the banners and three people walked over together—two men and a woman. All of them appeared to be in their forties or older. Though they dressed casually and didn’t stand out in the crowd, Zhang Dongfang and the commerce bureau staff knew that sometimes companies with a larger scale might prefer to dress casually. Once they reached a certain level, there was no need to flaunt anything externally—it was a matter of being low-key and displaying confidence. In contrast, those who wore flashy jewelry, big watches, and brand-name clothes often didn’t live up to their flashy appearances.
“Are you from Jiaolin County?” the woman among them asked.
Zhang Dongfang smiled warmly. “I’m Zhang Dongfang, the County Mayor of Jiaolin County. This is Vice-Secretary Wei Zhixuan. Welcome to our county; we’ve been waiting for you.”
The woman was good with words and smiled. “I shouldn’t have troubled County Mayor Zhang to come personally. It’s too much of an honor.”
Zhang Dongfang, Wei Zhixuan, and other officials shook hands with them in turn. “It should be our honor for you to take time out of your busy schedule to visit our county for investment. We’re grateful for the opportunity.”
The woman said, “Oh, right, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Wang Ying.”
Zhang Dongfang quickly went through his memory. “Ah, so you’re Ms. Wang! I’ve heard a lot about you. Your real estate company in the south is quite famous.”
Because few women were among the investors getting off the plane, Zhang Dongfang remembered her. However, he only remembered that she was in real estate—he didn’t retain the company name or other details. So, he used general, vague language to cover it up.
Wang Ying shook her head, smiling. “I’m just a small fry, not very famous.”
“Ms. Wang is too modest,” Wei Zhixuan said, struggling for words. He didn’t know how to flatter her other than with clichés.
Below, the commerce bureau staff who knew Wang Ying by name had all memorized it according to the list, but it was awkward to remind the leaders now. It would come off as unnatural. However, if they didn’t interject, the atmosphere wouldn’t be as warm, they wouldn’t build a connection, and it might make the investors feel disrespected. After all, they were guests from the county, and these three weren’t small-time businesspeople. Not knowing the names of their companies was a bit too much.
The reality was just that.
After the stern-looking middle-aged man introduced himself, the two men and the woman seemed less interested. Their expressions had faded somewhat.
“I’m Zhou Zhongxiang.”
Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan exchanged polite greetings with him, but there wasn’t much to say because they didn’t even remember what business Zhou Zhongxiang’s company was in.
A young staff member from the county’s commerce bureau said, “Mr. Zhou’s real estate company is quite well-known. I heard it’s going to go public soon.”
Zhou Zhongxiang glanced at him and didn’t say anything.
Wang Ying and the other man exchanged glances.
It wasn’t their fault they seemed indifferent. The three of them were well-known real estate entrepreneurs in the industry, but it seemed clear from a few words that the county didn’t know much about them. It was evident that this invitation was sent out broadly. To them, this indicated a lack of genuine interest from the other side. This might not raise many concerns for smaller investors, but for these businesspeople, it seriously affected their willingness to invest.
The three didn’t say anything further.
Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan were also puzzled, unsure where things had gone wrong. The young man from the commerce bureau who had just spoken up also seemed to realize what had happened—he hesitated, quickly checking the investor’s file. Suddenly, a cold sweat broke out; he had mixed up the information about the company going public.
“Uh, this isn’t what I meant earlier…” the commerce bureau staff member stammered.
Zhang Dongfang shot him a glare. At this point, it was apparent who had made the mistake. After repeatedly being told not to mess up, it was frustrating that the first wave of investors had already encountered a problem. How could the commerce bureau prepare ? Leaders like them didn’t have the time to remember all these details; some might not even remember them. The commerce bureau was supposed to act as a lubricant, smoothing over these issues. But now, they had made a mistake. How were they supposed to make these investors think positively? What was already a shaky investment prospect had just become even more uncertain.
Zhang Dongfang was not happy at all.
The atmosphere on the scene became awkward.
Over there, Dong Xuebing had just hung up the phone. He hadn’t been paying attention to their conversation earlier, but now he overheard a bit of it and furrowed his brow, shaking his head slightly. However, he realized it wasn’t their fault—he had arranged a very tight schedule, leaving little time for preparation. This time, the commerce bureau was the busiest department, and making a small mistake was normal. Therefore, Dong Xuebing strode over to the group.
“What about going public?” Dong Xuebing smiled as he approached.
Wang Ying and Zhou Zhongxiang looked at this young man, unsure who he was.
Zhang Dongfang introduced the investors, “This is our county’s Party Secretary, Dong Xuebing.”
Zhou Zhongxiang and Wang Ying gave him a casual greeting—just a simple handshake and smile.
The commerce bureau staff member who had made a mistake wiped his sweat and said, “Secretary Dong, I…”
Dong Xuebing’s expression was very relaxed. He chuckled, “How can you still not recognize Mr. Zhou? You’re from the Commerce Bureau. You don’t even know Mr. Zhou? Wan Xiang Real Estate went public on the Growth Enterprise Market on April 15th last year. It’s been a year already. The company recently snapped up a piece of prime land in the south, and several projects from last year have made significant profits, leading to three consecutive circuit breakers. If the financing plans go smoothly with Fengke next year, the stock price will further rise.”
He paused and looked at the commerce bureau staff member. “Do you get it now? Remember it?”
The staff member was sweating profusely. “I… I got it. Sorry, Secretary.”
This revelation not only stunned Zhou Zhongxiang, Wang Ying, and the other investors but also left everyone present from Jiaolin County frozen in place.
How did Secretary Dong know all this?
April 15th from last year, he even knew the exact day. It was precisely the same as the information in their files, yet those files were only with the Commerce Bureau and Zhang Dongfang. Did Secretary Dong get them beforehand and memorize everything?