Even the most handsome male guests on the show couldn’t pique her interest. The rest of the filming felt like a showcase of the actors’ professionalism, treating it like a serious idol drama, but she remained emotionally detached throughout.
After that, it was a long time before he saw Gu Ruandong again.
Gu Ruantong has been very busy lately. He wants to sell his club in Macau, and Mr. Wang has introduced several potential buyers. They are all very interested in buying it. However, he has his principles and won’t sell to just anyone with money. So, he sometimes flies over with Mr. Wang to meet these buyers personally. Mr. Wang knows him well, and he only introduces buyers with clean backgrounds who can pass scrutiny before bringing them to meet Gu Ruantong.
The buyer I met this time, Gu Ruandong, had a satisfactory conversation. After the talk, I instructed Mr. Wang to continue negotiations. Unless something unexpected happens, we will transfer the property to this buyer.
Wang said, “This time you’re selling the Macau casino, there have been many industry analysts speculating that Gu’s Group might be facing financial difficulties, so you’re in a hurry to sell this cash cow?”
Actually, Wang Zong is still very puzzled why Gu Ruandong has been dealing with his assets lately. Besides the Macau casino, he’s also transferring a lot of other businesses.
It’s not just outside speculation, even Mr. Wang is wondering if Gu’s Group is really facing financial difficulties.
Or perhaps, Gu Ruandong is not optimistic about the future economic prospects in China and is preparing to move abroad?
That day’s conversation at the club, Gu Ruandong said he was tired and wanted to be clean. Wang Zong didn’t believe a single word of it. Someone who came out of the dyeing vat knew best what this meant.
The operational rules of a circle, it needs to be clean. What constitutes clean?
Gu Ruandong wasn’t oblivious to the rumors swirling around Gu’s Group. Even his retired father, who lived in Beijing, had called him personally to inquire about the situation. Was there truly trouble with Gu’s Group? Did he urgently need to consolidate funds?
He never responded to these rumors and speculations, nor did he deem them worthy of a response. The Gu Group’s annual audits and financial reports are all there for public scrutiny. The numbers speak for themselves, and the rumors will dispel themselves.
Mr. Wang couldn’t truly gauge his thoughts, but the commercial complex they jointly developed with Gu’s company funding went smoothly, so he probably wasn’t in trouble.
The planning for the commercial complex is scheduled to begin construction next spring, so the demolition and resettlement issues are becoming increasingly urgent. Most residents have already moved out, but there are a few households left in Chen’s family still struggling to stay put.
Several households of the Chen family were particularly stubborn and wouldn’t budge. They weren’t swayed by any persuasion, hard or soft. If they didn’t move, it was feared that they would delay later-stage development, so the head of real estate reported this situation to Gu Ruandong during the project meeting.
Mr. Wang’s meaning is that the demolition, being in line with the top-level planning and going through layers of legal procedures, is nothing to be afraid of.
Shu Tinglan thought this was a last resort, and it would be best to avoid doing so if possible. If something went wrong, the social impact would be bad, and Wang Zong and Gu Ruandong would ultimately be responsible.
Gu Ruandong had been silent this whole time, staring at the overall planning map on the screen and the design drawings of the entire commercial district. He used a laser pointer to mark a spot on the screen.
“Could we build an air bridge in this area that goes directly to the restaurant up above?”
He excited <<<
The location where the air bridge is planned to be built happens to be where several Chen family households are located. This area wasn’t originally part of the commercial core. It was Gu Ruandong who proposed this during the initial design planning stage. The idea was to respond to the government’s urban planning initiatives, creating a green space with landscaping, and then building an aerial restaurant above it. You could access the aerial restaurant directly from a glass observation elevator within the green zone.
At this point, Gu Ruan Dong’s proposal became clear to everyone. If the Chen family households refused to move, they would build a high wall around their houses and create landscape designs outside the wall. Then, an overhead bridge would be built connecting to the aerial restaurant. This would essentially seal these families inside the walls and under the bridge. They wouldn’t have access to water or electricity, and they probably wouldn’t see much sunlight all year.
Shu Tinglan listened intently, then glanced at Gu Ruandong, as if immediately understanding his meaning.
“I immediately told the design company, ‘Can you please draw up the designs according to Mr. Gu’s request just now?'”
The head of the design company glanced at Gu Ruandong, seeking his opinion, and frankly said that this design scheme was not as good as the original one.
But Gu Ruandong nodded, signaling them to follow Lawyer Shu’s suggestion and first draw up a planning diagram according to the previous design. The design company’s people had no choice but to agree.
Although Gu Ruandong and Shu Tinglan were first-time collaborators, perhaps due to Shu Tinglan’s high comprehension or genuine dedication to the work, they developed a certain understanding. Shu Tinglan seemed to grasp Gu Ruandong’s true intentions.
The design company quickly sent the new design drawings to Shu Tinglan. That afternoon, Shu Tinglan went to the notice board in the village and posted them there.
This new plan.
Actually, all planning diagrams need to be reviewed and filed, but if only some details are changed without affecting the overall plan, they don’t need to be submitted for approval again.
In this area, most residents signed and moved away, leaving only a few Chen households. On the surface, they seemed to be living their lives as usual, stubborn and unmoved. But deep down, they were tormented, constantly paying attention to every move outside. They thought that as long as they didn’t move out, the lawyer would definitely come to talk to them every day, and eventually give in. But who knew, the lawyer hasn’t been here for a long time, as if he had forgotten about them.
Chen’s mother even specially sought out Gu Ruannu, knowing she knew this lawyer, and wanted her to inquire about what it meant. However, Gu Ruannu refused outright and even advised her to move out quickly, otherwise, if she really pushed the Gu family too far, they wouldn’t just take away their land, but they would also be unable to live there and lose the demolition compensation, losing both wife and soldiers.
Chen’s mother also had some worry: “Gu Ruandong wouldn’t do that, would he?”
“Why don’t you try him?”
When Chen’s mother thought of Gu Ruandong’s appearance, she felt even more uneasy.
Right now, she saw the lawyer posting a new development plan on the notice board. Looking at the plan, her heart sank. She just wanted to fight for more for her son. But if they followed this new plan, she wouldn’t be able to live anymore.
So, grasping Shutinglan’s hand tightly, she asked in a trembling voice, “What does this mean?”
Shutinglan’s hand was grasped a little painfully by her, and she calmly said: “The redesigned drawings from Gu Shi.”
Chen’s mother’s legs were a bit weak, and the other household next to her…
Mr. X said: “Don’t listen to them, they are just trying to scare us.”
If she didn’t know Gu Ruandong, it was fine, but Chen’s mother had watched Gu Ruandong grow up, so she firmly believed that he could do this.