Chapter 2368: Financing (Part 3)

Chu He frowned deeply. Why had things come to this? Nothing had even begun, yet internal conflicts had already erupted. The Nanyang Company hadn't taken shape, yet disputes with the Political Affairs Yuan had already arisen. How could he proceed? He had suspected that beyond his own obscurity, other factors might explain why his proposal had been ignored. Now it appeared he had released it at precisely the wrong moment—it wouldn't be surprising if he were perceived as someone jumping on the Southbound Faction's bandwagon. What should he do? Chu He fell silent.

Seeing him lost in thought, Sun Butao didn't disturb him. He waved to the waiter and ordered two bottles of grape soda for the table. After a while, Chu He looked up. "Damn it, if the Political Affairs Yuan won't touch this, I'll go straight to Zhou Wei. Since he lobbied for the policy, all he has right now is policy. I don't believe he isn't worried about money. I don't care what conflict exists between the Southbound Faction and the Political Affairs Yuan. Either way, I've brought a financing plan. Whoever wants to use it can give me a position."

Sun Butao smiled. "I think that could work, but you'll need to hurry. Zhou Wei's running around like a beaver right now—back and forth between Lingao, Guangzhou, Sanya, and Danzhou multiple times. He's also making the rounds visiting Senators in Lingao to build relationships. He won't have time for this for a while. But wait too long, and I'm afraid he'll finish it himself—the man has a doctorate in finance."

"Is that so?!" Chu He only remembered that Zhou Wei worked in the Ministry of Colonial Trade as some kind of division chief—he hadn't realized Zhou Wei was a fellow professional.

"His wife also has a finance background. She's currently Director of the Currency Division at the Central Reserve Bank. Don't you think they know the tricks of financial workers better than anyone?"

"Damn, now you tell me—I really need to hurry!" Though he said this, Chu He's heart sank. In terms of credentials, seniority, and professional ability, Zhou Wei might well outclass him significantly. His own work might not even merit a second glance.

Seeing his expression darken, Sun Butao—himself a financial professional—was quick-witted enough to read Chu He's thoughts. He offered encouragement:

"Zhou Wei's a big shot now; he can't do everything himself. Plenty of people surround him, but I don't know of anyone who can help with financing. If you approach him, Brother Chu, it might be exactly what he needs. This task might end up being yours to carry."

That reminded him—just because Party A was an expert didn't mean they didn't need Party B. Otherwise, Party A would simply do everything themselves. Besides, his ambition was to work on the stock exchange, not to be a Nanyang Company wage slave. His spirits lifted. "Where's Zhou Wei now? Danzhou?"

"He just returned from Danzhou a few days ago. Seems he recently went to Guangzhou. But you'll need to check with the General Office—they track all Senators' whereabouts."

"Fine. If he's in Guangzhou, I'll go to Guangzhou tomorrow!" Chu He said, rising to leave.

"What's the rush?" Sun Butao grabbed him. "Zhou Wei isn't going anywhere. Tell me the bottom line first—you're pushing this plan so hard, but surely you don't just want to be a financial consultant for the Nanyang Company?"

"If I wanted that, I might as well stay on Jeju Island..."

"Exactly." Sun Butao glanced around and lowered his voice. "You need some ambition. Let me give you a tip. Big Boss Cheng recently said at the Senator Cadre Regular Meeting of the Ministry of Finance and Economy: 'At present, we are still quite primitive in the securities and financial field, and support for the financing needs of enterprises of various ownerships is far too limited. We must focus on improvement...'"

"He really said that?!" Chu He's eyes widened instantly—this was a very clear signal.

"Mm." Sun Butao nodded. "And there's more..."

"Tell me! Stop squeezing out toothpaste!"

"Zhou Wei's wife is also eligible to attend the Ministry of Finance and Economy's Senator Cadre Regular Meeting. So he knows exactly what you're thinking right now. Keep that in mind—I'm afraid the asking price won't be low."

"Damn, I'm giving him a plan for free, and he's going to demand a price?"

"Plenty of people can come up with plans—there are quite a few senior financial professionals in our Senate." Sun Butao said. "As far as I know, you're not the only one currently presenting financing plans hoping to use this as a foot in the door. Your plan needs to cater to his preferences..."

"Thank you so much." Chu He grasped his hand firmly.

That night, Chu He contacted the General Office. Confirming that Zhou Wei was in Guangzhou with no new travel plans scheduled, he immediately asked them to book him the earliest fast passenger ship to Guangzhou the following morning.

Two days later, Chu He stepped onto the Guangzhou Great World Pier.

By this spacetime's standards, Guangzhou could be considered "lightly damaged" this time.

Arriving in Guangzhou now, however, he could feel the city beginning to recover—this was, after all, South China's largest metropolis. The piers along the way teemed with activity, masts standing like forests. Steam cranes worked with deafening clamor, loading and unloading scenes everywhere. Industrial products manufactured in Lingao and bags of military supplies were being unloaded and transshipped. Pig iron, porcelain, tea, and other materials transported from the mainland were immediately loaded onto ships and carried away. The endless flow of shipping demonstrated that the Senate's largest city was emerging from the shock.

The fast passenger ship pier was the Senator-exclusive dock of Guangzhou Great World, also known as the "Inner World Pier." Disembarking here, one could walk directly through the Senator-exclusive passage into the section of Guangzhou Great World closed to the public.

Since Chu He had come to Guangzhou on private business and deliberately kept a low profile—asking only that the General Office send a simple "Senator Itinerary" notification telegram—no Senator greeted him at the pier. Only three Great World staff members awaited him.

"Welcome to Guangzhou, Senator Chu. Guangzhou Great World welcomes your arrival. I am Xiao Gao, Deputy Manager of Guangzhou First Guesthouse. I hope you don't mind our simple reception. We will wholeheartedly..."

Chu He wasn't interested in formalities and cut him off: "Does Senator Zhou Wei stay at the guesthouse? Where is he now?" He walked inside as he spoke.

Deputy Manager Gao was clearly caught off guard but was accustomed to the Senators' directness. While signaling the waiter to take the luggage, he followed and replied: "Senator Zhou does stay here, but he's in the city now and may not return until evening—or possibly not at all."

Chu He asked as he walked: "Where's his secretary? Is anyone from his staff currently in the Great World?"

Deputy Manager Gao hesitated before answering: "Uh... it seems Senator Zhou's Secretary Zhou is here now."

Chu He turned to Pu Zhixian: "Go find this Secretary Zhou. Ask if she received the telegram I sent Senator Zhou the day before yesterday. Give her the summary in your bag and tell her I have urgent business with Senator Zhou. Have her notify you the moment he returns."

"Yes, I'll go right away."

This was Chu He's first time visiting Guangzhou Great World. Honestly, the appearance of this Great World somewhat resembled the large comprehensive commercial markets he had visited in some third or fourth-tier county towns before.

"Please come this way." Deputy Manager Gao led the way.

The First Guesthouse was designed specifically to host Senators and high-ranking naturalized cadres. It occupied part of the second floor of the Inner World Building's East Wing, containing over twenty guest rooms, all with private bathrooms.

Deputy Manager Gao led Chu He to a first-class room. This suite included a bedroom and a living room that doubled as a study. The furnishings were luxurious, and the bathroom matched the standard Senator residence décor installed by the General Office—essentially the same as the fixtures in Chu He's Jeju home.

A large plate of welcome fruit sat on the table—in an era before greenhouses became widespread, only Guangzhou, adjacent to Hainan, could supply fruit in winter.

The waiter set down the luggage and immediately withdrew.

Deputy Manager Gao handed the key to Chu He: "Your guard's room is in the entourage dormitory on the first floor. Rope number one by the desk connects directly to his dormitory room. Number two by the bed connects to the main service desk. If you want to go out, you can call for a car at the front desk. Although Guangzhou's epidemic has essentially ended, crowded places are still not recommended. The urban area is currently classified as a Yellow Zone, and the minimum Senator security standard is two people. I see you've brought only one. Please notify us before going out, and we'll provide additional guards."

"Fine."

"Any other needs at the moment?" Deputy Manager Gao asked.

"No, thank you." Chu He said.

"Then I won't disturb you." Deputy Manager Gao retreated toward the door. As if remembering something, he paused: "By the way, there's a list of our Great World services in the drawer. Some are quite distinctive." He was about to leave when another thought struck him:

"How would you like to arrange dinner?"

"Just send up a set meal. No need to order dishes."

"Yes, we'll arrange it now." With that, he closed the door and withdrew.

"Heh, the General Office has certainly raised its standards..." Chu He muttered. "Starting to feel like a star-rated hotel."

Chu He opened the drawer and found multiple service categories listed: catering, entertainment, shopping, tourism. Food delivery, karaoke, movies, shopping guides, local tours, and certain unmentionable items—all available. Of course, some offerings required visiting Purple Ming Pavilion and weren't provided directly here. Naturally, the prices reflected what only Senators could afford.

Liu Xiang deals in all this stuff—really low taste, Chu He thought dismissively. Naturally, they were experiencing financial difficulties and needed to generate revenue however possible, which was understandable. But the key was to extract silver from the hoards of Guangzhou's old money—that was the real business.

Speaking of extracting old money's hoards, in his opinion, Liu Xiang wasn't doing enough. Since he couldn't manage it, perhaps Chu He could lend Governor Liu a small favor. Liu would surely be infinitely grateful.

(End of Chapter)