Chapter 264 - 264 263 Tricks

Words : 1869 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

264: Chapter 263: Tricks 264: Chapter 263: Tricks Li Tianyang arrived early in the meeting room hall, his recent headaches mounting to what seemed like a lifetime’s worth,—first, his forceful push for Wanbao Village had failed, then he coerced Secretary Zhou into resigning and taking the blame, and on top of that, he had to grease the wheels with a pile of money with the higher-ups, and finally, he was overshadowed by Xiao Yanzi at the County Committee meeting. Sitting in the centermost seat, what irritated him the most was the sight of Dong Peng, who, armed with his proposal, was coercing him to ensure his bid won. Damn it! To think being the County Party Secretary had come to this! Li Tianyang clenched his teeth fiercely; after much thought, he still blamed Liu Hun! Everything started because of this Liu guy! As long as Wanbao Village was pushed through, this disaster could be completely eradicated! After the main officials of the Anchang County Committee arrived and seated themselves one after another, everyone expected was present. Today was the largest scale media attendance in the history of Anchang County, and a special press area was even allocated for the journalists. There was no shortage of legal representatives from the competing companies—Liu Hun made a rough estimate from the back row—there must have been at least seven or eight. After taking over Jinxin Mining, Liu Hun kept the name, and of course, the bid was put together by Bai Lingfei. It seemed that they had an understanding: only play dirty behind the scenes and never cause a mess openly. Just as Liu Hun got seated, he received a text message from Bai Lingfei. Upon opening it, it read: Be wary of backroom deals, this time it is bidding, not auction. How will you play? Looking at this message, Liu Hun furrowed his brows for quite some time. There were seven or eight competing enterprises present, and he recognized none of them, not even any of the individuals appearing for the bid. As Liu Hun worried, Zhong Xiao came up to him with a bid document and a pen and said, “Boss Liu, I’ve checked. You just need to fill in a bidding price here and submit it.” Liu Hun, holding the pen, suddenly fixed his gaze on Xiao Yanzi on stage. He twirled the pen, made a couple of gestures, then handed it to Zhong Xiao, telling him, “Submit it.” Zhong Xiao obviously hesitated, but without asking another question, he took the pen and bid document and handed them in. “Firstly! On behalf of Anchang County Committee! Representing...” Li Tianyang recited the opening speech written for him by the County Party Office, droning on for half an hour, before finally declaring, “I announce that the Jun Mountain ore bidding meeting officially begins! Now please, allow County Mayor Xiao to announce the bidding rules.” Xiao Yanzi took over and spoke. Though she lacked her usual charm and femininity at this formal event, her radiant face and bright features, coupled with the aura of a long-serving official, naturally exuded a distinct flavor. Xiao Yanzi said into the microphone, “According to the discussions and decisions of our County Committee standing committee and to align with the call from the Central, we’re streamlining processes to serve the public. Therefore, we’ve raised the qualifications for the mining enterprises participating in this bid. The eight mining enterprises attending today all hold nationally recognized qualifications, so their capabilities are beyond doubt. So, will the highest bidder win?” With this question, Xiao Yanzi immediately caused those around her to become more alert. Many bids are typically won by the highest bidder, so could it be that Anchang County had something different up its sleeve this time? Xiao Yanzi gave a slight smile and continued, “No! Anchang County Committee, based on expert assessments and price, has determined an optimal price—a price that not only fits with the development of Taiping Town in Anchang County but also ensures the interests of the public.” She raised the eight bid documents in her hand and addressed the audience, “Here in my hand are the bid documents from the eight mining enterprises. I will open the bid documents in order and ask our Secretary Li to announce the bidding price. The enterprise whose bidding price is closest to our expert’s assessment will be granted the mining rights!” Xiao Yanzi’s speech had the effect of fireworks on New Year’s Eve, immediately setting the venue abuzz. Not only were the bidding enterprises caught off guard, but even the seasoned journalists felt that the Anchang County Committee really knew how to play the game, prompting an impatient reporter to start asking questions immediately. “County Mayor Xiao, you mentioned that Anchang County Committee had experts conduct the assessment, then provided an evaluation price. Can you disclose the specific details?” Xiao Yanzi nodded right away and replied, “Of course. As soon as the bidding meeting is over, we will reveal the complete assessment procedure, striving for total transparency and welcoming supervision by society and the media.” Her words truly got many nodding in agreement, and it seemed Anchang County Committee was intent on making a statement. Then another question followed, “County Mayor Xiao, why aren’t you following the rule of awarding to the highest bidder?” Xiao Yanzi continued her response, “Perhaps that might increase the county’s finances, but it doesn’t necessarily align with long-term developmental interests. We need to offer concessions to enterprises, to the public. Such a price will prevent excessive mining by enterprises, the public can also reap benefits, and more importantly, the environment will be protected. These are the priorities the Anchang County Committee is considering!” “Applause...” Xiao Yanzi’s response garnered full applause from the audience. Naturally, she didn’t want to flatten Wanbao Village, but after all, Li Tianyang was the leading figure, and the saying ‘an official one level higher crushes the one below’ is not without reason. Therefore, she could only do her best to be just, fair, and open. As to whether she could save Wanbao Village, it would still depend on whether Liu Hun had the ability. After the conference room settled down, Xiao Yanzi, holding the eight bidding documents in her hand, said, “Now in my hands are the eight bidding documents from the companies attending today’s bidding meeting. I will open each company’s bidding document in turn, and then have Secretary Li announce their respective bid prices, and finally, announce the final expert evaluation price.” At this moment, Li Tianyang stood up, walked to the podium holding a document, and then stood there with quite the imposing stance, just waiting for Xiao Yanzi to open each one in turn, then pass it to him. Clearly, one person could have handled the task alone, and yet they insisted on an unnecessarily complicated procedure. But this is precisely what makes it a characteristic practice, no matter where you are. To others, this may have seemed overly complex, but for Liu Hun, it was the rare opportunity of a lifetime. He prompted Dragon Eye! Reverse Heaven’s Perspective! Activate! In just a few seconds, Liu Hun had learned everything he wanted to know. Xiao Yanzi publicly opened the first bidding document and examined it carefully before passing it to Han Jiazhen, the County Party Office Director beside her, who then passed it on to Secretary Li. “Ahem! The first bid is from Hongrun Mining Co., Ltd., with a bidding price of twelve million!” Li Tianyang announced publicly. As soon as the price was announced, the flashbulbs below the stage began to sound off, and at this moment, he finally found his moment of glory as the top official, standing in the spotlight instead of Xiao Yanzi! When everyone’s focus was on Li Tianyang, the phone in Xiao Yanzi’s pocket suddenly vibrated. She quickly took it out, and the message on it made her body jolt. After a brief shock, she regained her composure in an instant. “Vice-Mayor Xiao, Secretary Li has finished reading. We need to hurry and hand it over,” Han Jiazhen whispered to Xiao Yanzi, urging her. As a reliable turncoat, he took good care of the faces of both his superiors. “Alright!” Xiao Yanzi came back to her senses, nodded, and then opened the second tender document. She paused briefly for a second, then quickly passed the third tender document underneath it to Han Jiazhen. Han Jiazhen distinctly noticed Xiao Yanzi’s subtle movement, but he didn’t say anything. He directly took the third bidding document to Li Tianyang and handed it over without any redundant words. As Han Jiazhen approached Li Tianyang, Xiao Yanzi discreetly picked up a pen. Li Tianyang read out the previous six bidding documents one by one, their prices varying, but most clustered between eight and fifteen million. When the seventh bidding document reached Li Tianyang, he opened it and glanced at the company name and bid price; then, as if casually, he looked up at Dong Peng below, before announcing, “Pengyuan Mining Co., Ltd., with a bidding price of six million!” “That low! That’s even two million less than the lowest bid! I’ve never heard of this Pengyuan Mining — they probably don’t have much capital strength!” “I heard it’s a restructured private mining company that was barely alive, and the deal was only done a few days ago! If that’s the case, coming up with six million is already quite good.” “Only one company left, let’s wait and see!” “...” The media area was buzzing with discussion, while the participating bidding companies were quietly amused; they were all old hands at dealing with countless bureaucratic entities, and who didn’t know what was going on here? Despite the constant clamor about transparency and openness, indeed, it was achieved, but transparency and openness were also needed when it came to money. Thus, they believed that as long as they offered more money, they would surely win the bid. As for what Xiao Yanzi had previously said, they thought of it as nothing more than maintaining appearances while having other desires. Dong Peng, listening to the mockery from the owners of these bidding companies nearby, just sneered inwardly. He relished putting these self-important people in their place, as nothing was more satisfying than a resounding slap to the face. Zhong Xiao glanced sideways at Liu Hun with his peripheral vision, but he found that Liu Hun’s face was even more impassive than his own, devoid of any expression. Zhong Xiao didn’t know how capable or what sort of tactics Liu Hun had; all he thought was that if he were the one handling this situation, he definitely wouldn’t stand a chance. Was this man genuinely capable, or was he just feigning composure? Zhong Xiao mulled it over in his mind. While he harbored some doubts about Liu Hun’s abilities, his conviction to follow and serve Liu Hun never wavered. When Xiao Yanzi passed the last bidding document to Han Jiazhen, he glanced at her, and then he handed the document to Li Tianyang.

Chapter 264 - 264 263 Tricks

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