Chapter 89: Could He Be a Fraud?

"Monkey, are you sure you’re not pulling your uncle’s leg?" Sun Laogen gripped Monkey’s hand tightly, his eyes shining as he questioned him.

"Village chief, how could I? I’m not that kind of person!" Monkey replied, introducing Zhao Guoyang to Sun Laogen at the same time.

"Village chief, this is Mr. Zhao Guoyang, our main investor for the factory. He’s come with me today to ask about how the village charges for industrial electricity."

"Oh, Mr. Zhao! Hello, hello!" Sun Laogen hadn’t realized Zhao Guoyang’s identity before, assuming he was just a friend of Monkey’s, and hadn’t paid much attention. Now, he immediately changed his attitude, becoming far more respectful.

Zhao Guoyang shook hands with the village chief, his demeanor composed and dignified. Indeed, his calm and measured air gave him a certain entrepreneurial presence.

Accepting a cigarette from Zhao Guoyang, Sun Laogen thanked him repeatedly, grinning as he said, "Mr. Zhao, there’s certainly no problem with the electricity for industrial use."

"There are two collectively owned enterprises in the village already using it, and there’s never been any issue. If you and Monkey need it, just report it to the township and you’ll be good to go."

Hearing this, Zhao Guoyang felt most of his worries melt away.

After all, industrial power supply could be a real headache. If they couldn’t secure it, they’d have to relocate the whole operation, which would be a huge hassle.

After a few more words, Sun Laogen, noticing how young Zhao Guoyang looked, grew a bit uncertain and couldn’t help but ask, "By the way, Mr. Zhao, what sort of scale are you planning for this factory of yours?"

"Well, the initial investment isn’t huge—probably about a hundred thousand or so." Zhao Guoyang replied nonchalantly.

"What?" Sun Laogen was stunned on the spot.

Zhao Guoyang looked at the old man with a half-smile and continued, "Village chief, that’s just my estimate for the initial investment. If things go well, I might invest even more..."

"My goodness—so in total, your factory might need several hundred thousand in investment!" Sun Laogen jumped up, trembling with excitement.

"Well, Monkey, you stay here with Mr. Zhao at the village committee office. I’ll go report this to the township leaders straight away!"

"Wait, village chief, what if someone comes by for other matters while you’re gone?" Monkey quickly grabbed his arm.

"Oh, it’s already past three—no one’s coming at this hour. Besides, you have to prioritize things, and this is a big deal."

"Mr. Zhao, please wait here a moment. I’ll be back shortly!" Sun Laogen bowed and hurried off.

Sun Laogen truly was a man of action; in the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving Zhao Guoyang with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Monkey, standing beside him, whispered nervously, "Guoyang, did we oversell ourselves? A hundred thousand is a lot—we’ve only got fifty thousand from Sister Bai’s investment, and not even on hand yet..."

Zhao Guoyang remained unruffled, waving off his concern. "Don’t worry. With a good project, coming up with another hundred thousand later won’t be an issue."

"Think about it—if our hair clips sell well, we might make that much in just a month or two."

"I know, but right now, how are we going to cover the initial investment? If the township chief shows up, what are we going to tell him?" Monkey fretted.

"Don’t panic. I have a plan," Zhao Guoyang replied, shaking his head with confidence.

Seeing his calm, Monkey relaxed as well—he knew his old classmate would never make empty promises.

While Zhao Guoyang and Monkey chatted idly at the village office, an old, battered minivan sped down the winding road from Heima Township to Sun Family Village.

Inside sat a man in his forties, with a long, horse-like face and sallow skin, his hair parted unevenly. Puffing on a cigarette, he spoke to Sun Laogen beside him.

"Laogen, you say this Mr. Zhao is so young—doesn’t even look twenty-five? Is this really reliable?"

This was Wang Hongqi, the township chief of Heima.

He was a cautious man, rarely acting on impulse. But when Sun Laogen had rushed in with news that a big boss was coming to invest several hundred thousand in their village, Wang had been so shocked that he commandeered the township’s only van and set off for Sun Family Village without a second thought.

But after a few minutes on the bumpy road, Wang Hongqi began to cool down.

It seemed a little unbelievable—a boss so young, talking about investing hundreds of thousands. Was it too good to be true? Could he be a con artist?

"Chief Wang, you can rest easy. The young man seems upright—he doesn’t look like a swindler! Besides, even if he’s exaggerating, what could he possibly get out of us? Trick us into giving him free industrial electricity? If he doesn’t have a real project, what use would that be? It just doesn’t add up," Sun Laogen reassured him.

Wang Hongqi’s nerves settled at that.

...

At the Sun Family Village office, Zhao Guoyang was chatting with Monkey when a car horn sounded outside.

Guessing the township leaders had arrived, Zhao Guoyang signaled Monkey to go out and greet them.

Stepping outside, Zhao Guoyang saw a battered van with an indistinguishable badge parked at the entrance. Two men stepped down.

He recognized Sun Laogen, but the other man was a stranger. The newcomer eyed Zhao Guoyang curiously as he approached.

Sun Laogen quickly made introductions. "Mr. Zhao, this is Chief Wang of Heima Township. Chief Wang, this is the Mr. Zhao I mentioned—the one planning to invest hundreds of thousands to set up a factory in our village, a true benefactor!"

"Village chief, you misspoke," Zhao Guoyang said with a smile.

Sun Laogen’s heart skipped a beat—was Mr. Zhao about to withdraw his investment?

But Zhao Guoyang didn’t keep him in suspense for long. Pulling Monkey over, he explained, "I’m not setting up this factory alone. I’m partnering with Sun Ning here."

"I have many responsibilities, so he’ll be handling most of the day-to-day operations at the factory."

"Oh, right! My memory’s slipping," Sun Laogen slapped his forehead, quickly introducing Monkey to Chief Wang—now respectfully referring to him as ‘Little Sun’ rather than ‘Monkey.’

"Mr. Zhao, may I ask what line of work you were in before? What kind of factory are you planning, and what’s the project about?" Wang Hongqi asked politely, not letting the promise of investment cloud his judgment.

Zhao Guoyang simply replied that he had just graduated from Jinling University of Technology, had some savings on hand, and after considering a few projects, had decided to start his own business.

Naturally, when introducing himself, Zhao Guoyang omitted any mention of his current job at Hongda Machinery, not wanting to complicate matters.