As a Magnate, I Started Checking in at a Convenience Store - Chapter 301

Chapter 301: Expansion, Buying Land!

Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation

“Chai Lao, you’ll need to put in extra effort on the machine tool side. Strive to achieve mass production as soon as possible. Also, with Xiong Lao’s team, the two of you should cooperate closely to expedite the development of the wafer production line. Given our current wafer factory capacity, we can’t even secure half of the domestic market!”

By this time, the celebration banquet had already dispersed, and Zhou Chao was now walking along the park’s road with Chai Lao, Zhou Jilong, and Wang Feng.

“Boss, rest assured, we’ll manufacture the second machine tool and the corresponding production line as quickly as possible!” Chai Lao understood that his current task was quite challenging, as it was critical to the progress of several research projects.

“Yeah, you’re doing great. If you need anything, just approach Xu Yu or Zhou Jilong. If they can’t resolve it, they’ll come to me.”

“Understood, boss.”

Unconsciously, they arrived at the parking lot. Zhou Chao saw they were here and didn’t plan to go any further.

“It’s getting late, everyone should head back early. The tasks ahead will be even more

demanding, so take care of yourselves!”

Zhou Jilong and Chai Lao understood the implied message in Zhou Chao’s words and didn’t say much. They nodded and went towards the dormitories. “Let’s go, it’s time for us to head back too!” Wang Feng quickly unlocked the car, and Zhou Chao got in, while Wang Feng started the car and accelerated towards the exit of the park.

“Wang Feng, have you noticed that the park seems a bit cramped now?” Zhou Chao suddenly spoke from the back seat.

“You’re right; it does feel a bit small. With the increasing number of projects and the addition of two new laboratories, the factory buildings in the park are getting a bit crowded. If Xiong Lao achieves a breakthrough and manufactures more wafer production lines, the current park won’t suffice.”

Zhou Chao nodded in agreement and didn’t say more. Instead, he gazed outside. Through the rearview mirror, Wang Feng sneakily glanced at Zhou Chao, who appeared lost in thought.

After about 20 minutes, the car stopped in front of the Hilton Hotel’s entrance.

Zhou Chao opened the car door and got out, but before entering the hotel, he turned back and said, “Be here to pick me up at 10 AM tomorrow!”

“Sure thing, boss!” Wang Feng watched Zhou Chao enter the hotel and drove away only when Zhou Chao’s figure disappeared.

Back in the hotel room, Zhou Chao quickly freshened up and then opened the laptop he had brought with him. Within less than ten minutes, he closed the computer with a delighted smile.

“I didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise, quite unexpected!” Zhou Chao thought about the information he had just found, and his mood improved considerably. He eagerly anticipated the operations scheduled for tomorrow.

Lying on the bed, he found himself drifting off to sleep while still pondering. He even forgot to turn off the bedroom light.

The wind subsided, clouds dispersed, and the rain began to clear. The returning sunlight warmed the lakeside, bringing back the brightness.

The next day, Zhou Chao stood on the balcony, gazing at the nearby park. If it weren’t for the lingering moisture in the air, he would never have guessed that there had been a gentle spring rain the night before.

“Knock, knock, knock!” The sound of a door knocking interrupted Zhou Chao’s thoughts.

“I’m coming!” Zhou Chao replied and walked towards the door.

*Click!*

Zhou Chao opened the door and was greeted by a hotel staff member, a beautiful lady at that. Zhou Chao glanced at her name tag.

“Hilton Room Manager, Ran Yue.”

“Is there something you need?”

“Boss, it’s the general manager’s arrangement for me to deliver breakfast to you.” She pulled a food cart from the side as she spoke.

Just give it to me directly. Besides, if I haven’t assigned any tasks to you, you can do whatever you need to. If you have free time, I can find other work for you!” Zhou Chao couldn’t figure out what was going on with this arrangement, but he wasn’t born yesterday.

n

Upon hearing the boss’s words, Ran Yue realized her little secret had been exposed. She turned pale.

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Chao didn’t push the matter further. He simply issued a warning and closed the door after taking the breakfast.

As for Ran Yue, she looked at the closed door with a sense of defeat, sighed, and pushed the food cart to a corner.

In that corner, there was another female server, apparently a hotel food delivery staff.

“I don’t want anyone else to know about today’s incident,” Ran Yue said sternly to the server in front of her.

“Understood, Manager Ran!”

“All right, you can go now.” Ran Yue stood in place, watching the server push the food cart into the internal elevator before finally turning to look at Zhou Chao’s room. With a sigh, she walked towards the internal elevator.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chao was enjoying his meal in the room. It was a Cantonese-style breakfast, and he was savoring every bite.

*Buzz, buzz, buzz!* Just as Zhou Chao finished his meal and freshened up, he heard his phone buzzing on the table.

“Hello, Wang Feng! Have you arrived? Okay, I’ll come down right away!” Zhou Chao answered while heading outside.

“Boss, good morning!” Wang Feng, waiting outside the hotel, quickly opened the car door and greeted Zhou Chao.

“Yes, let’s head straight to the Municipal Party Committee’s compound.”

“Sure thing, boss!”

The journey was smooth, and it took only ten minutes to reach the Municipal Party Committee’s compound.

“You can wait for me in the car. If I don’t come out by noon, find a place to eat on your own!” Zhou Chao instructed Wang Feng as he got out of the car.

Wang Feng nodded in acknowledgment, and Zhou Chao walked into the compound.

Zhou Chao followed the familiar path and arrived at Ye Zhengfeng’s office. Just like his previous visits, there were several people waiting outside to report their work. He walked straight into Yang Liu’s office.

Yang Liu was engrossed in her paperwork when she heard someone enter. She turned her head slightly, but then, as if a lightbulb went off in her head, she quickly turned to get a better look at the person who had just walked in.

“Young Master Zhou, what brings you here? You’re here to see Secretary Ye, right? Secretary Ye happens to be in his office. Let me go inform him!”

“Assistant Yang, it’s been a while. How about I go with you to save you from making two trips?”

“Sure, let’s go!” Yang Liu stood up from her chair and headed towards the door.

* Knock, knock, knock!*

“Please come in!” A powerful voice echoed from behind the door.

Yang Liu opened the door and stepped aside to allow Zhou Chao to enter. After he walked in, she quickly closed the door and proceeded to her office, intending to prepare a cup of tea for Zhou Chao.

“Uncle Ye, are you busy?” Ye Zhengfeng, who was immersed in his work, heard the familiar voice and raised his head.

“It’s you, this little rascal! I thought it was someone else! You never show up unless there’s something important. So, what brings you here?”

“Uncle Ye, you make it sound like I only come to see you for business. Can’t we just have a casual chat?”

“A casual chat? Who are you trying to fool? If you wanted a casual chat, you wouldn’t have come at this time. You’d have visited me at home in the evening.

I know you too well, always up to something!”

Upon hearing Ye Zhengfeng’s words, a hint of embarrassment crossed Zhou Chao’s face. Indeed, experience counts and Ye Zhengfeng quickly saw through Zhou Chao’s hidden agenda, exposing his true intentions.

“Uncle Ye, I heard that the textile factory near my plant has gone bankrupt recently,” Zhou Chao said casually as he sat in the chair opposite Ye Zhengfeng, playing with one of his desk ornaments.

“Well, there is such a thing. Are you interested?” Ye Zhengfeng asked with a knowing smile, watching Zhou Chao play with the ornament.

When Zhou Chao lifted his head and met Ye Zhengfeng’s keen gaze, he couldn’t help but feel a moment of awe. Those were eyes that had seen many storms, as if they could see right through a person.

Regaining his composure, Zhou Chao smiled calmly and said, “Uncle Ye, I want to acquire that textile factory and the adjacent land. I want to combine them into one, as my Canghai Technology company needs to expand. Is Uncle Ye too busy for such matters?”

“Expansion? Do you need that much space for expansion? And what do you plan to do with it? Don’t tell me you’re trying to hoard land,” Ye Zhengfeng responded with skepticism. He couldn’t help but wonder why Zhou Chao, who had recently started his business, wanted to expand so soon.

“What are you thinking, Uncle Ye? Do you really think I would dabble in real estate or engage in land grabbing? I’d rather focus on my own business ventures!” Upon hearing Ye Zhengfeng’s suggestion about land acquisition, Zhou Chao quickly explained his intentions.

“In that case, what do you plan to do with these two pieces of land? Don’t bother with long-term plans and fancy words. Just tell me what you have in mind,” Ye Zhengfeng also became interested. These two plots of land combined are more than twice the size of the land Zhou Chao currently owns.

Zhou Chao thought for a moment and then said, “Uncle Ye, since we are on the same side, I won’t hide it from you. My research team has made a breakthrough in a new research project, and 1 plan to acquire those two pieces of land to develop them for future expansion. Besides, my current land is insufficient for our needs. I just learned about the bankruptcy of the textile factory, which sparked this idea.”

Zhou Chao didn’t reveal all his cards. He didn’t want to draw too much attention to himself. Playing it low and making a fortune quietly was the way to go.

Ye Zhengfeng pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the desk.

“If you’re personally coming to discuss this, I assume your research achievements are quite significant. I won’t ask for details; I just want to know which aspect it pertains to.”

“Machine tools,” Zhou Chao replied without hesitation. As long as he didn’t reveal specific parameters, no one would suspect that his machine tools were already of world-class quality.

“Alright, I can sell it to you. As for the price, it depends on your negotiation skills with the land management bureau. The final price is none of my concern.”

“As long as you agree to sell it to me, everything else is just a matter of money, whether it’s more or less!” Zhou Chao’s smile widened upon hearing Ye Zhengfeng’s approval. After all, as long as a problem could be solved with money, it wasn’t a problem.

“You’re done here, right? If you’re done, you can leave. 1 won’t keep you for dinner.”

“Ahem, I never said I was here to mooch off your meal. Well then, Uncle Ye, I’ll take my leave!”

“Get lost!” Zhou Chao got up and headed for the door.

“Oh, by the way, come over for dinner at my place tonight. Little Mango has been wanting to see you lately!”

Zhou Chao turned and glanced at Ye Zhengfeng, who was back to work with his head down, and smiled.

“I got it, Uncle Ye!” With that, he walked out.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhengfeng, who had returned to his desk, chuckled and said, “This kid is getting better at playing his cards..”