Chapter 27: Pinghu Town Stands Tall!

Representatives from various townships took turns introducing their respective regions to Dou Fanggang.

Jiao Deyi, Party Secretary of Zhugou Township, was the first to press his microphone. "County Magistrate Du, allow me to break the ice. Mr. Dou, we met once the year before last."

Dou Fanggang nodded slightly and smiled. "At the home appliance summit in Guangdong Province, I had a meal with Township Secretary Jiao. At the time, he urged me to return home to invest, but since the timing wasn't right, I couldn't follow through. So, my return this time is partly linked to his sincerity and enthusiasm back then."

Jiao Deyi smiled. "Compared to a few years ago, IO Electric has grown into a leader in the domestic appliance industry, and our township is also developing rapidly. Both our investment environment and our preferential policies have seen tremendous progress. Among all the townships in Tianling, we are at the forefront of the province in terms of total tax revenue and the number of outstanding enterprises. Therefore, our collaboration now is more mature than it would have been years ago, and I am certain it will spark something truly brilliant."

After Jiao Deyi finished, the expressions of the other township leaders varied. Some looked on with disdain, finding Jiao’s excessive confidence irritating. Others were filled with admiration, seeing that he had laid his plans well and was determined to win.

Tang Ye compared Jiao Deyi to Xu Yiping; Jiao was clearly superior. It was no wonder Zhugou Township was thriving and had firmly established itself as the leader among the townships.

The remaining leaders gave their presentations, but both in terms of substance and presence, they paled in comparison to Jiao Deyi.

"It looks like Jiao Deyi has this in the bag."
"If Zhugou Township lands the IO Electric project, it’s going to become a behemoth in our Tianling County."

The others felt that since Zhugou held the advantage, their own presentations were merely a formality. When it was Xu Yiping's turn, he began to drone on, reading directly from a script. It was cliché, tedious, and sleep-inducing.

Halfway through, Du Chengfeng’s expression grew uncertain. "Old Xu, that’s enough. Let young Tang, who is with you, take over. He spoke very well during the inspection tour last time, and Mayor Zhao was quite impressed."

*Swish!*

Every gaze in the room instantly locked onto Tang Ye. Tang Ye subconsciously straightened his posture.

Xu Yiping’s face flushed red, and he wore an awkward smile. "Then, Comrade Tang Ye, please tell Mr. Dou about the situation in Pinghu Town! Tang Ye, speak freely; if there’s anything missing, I’ll fill it in."

Jiao Deyi chuckled to himself. *You old tortoise, your speech was so dry and boring it was like feeding everyone sleeping pills. The Magistrate couldn't take it anymore and had to have your subordinate take over! And "filling it in"? You’re just trying to find a way to save face—how utterly shameless.*

Jiao had already taken note of Tang Ye. Although the young man was inexperienced, he clearly had substance; otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting in such a prominent position.

"Magistrate Du, Mr. Dou, would you mind if we took a moment to show our promotional video for Pinghu Town?"

Du Chengfeng smiled and explained to Dou Fanggang, "Pinghu Town’s promotional video is quite well-made. Shall we take a look?"

Dou Fanggang gave a slight nod.

***

It was the first time he had ever heard of a town government having its own promotional video.

Images appeared on the screen. The innovative approach to investment attraction, the crisp image quality, the professional script, and the sophisticated editing—everyone was stunned. They felt like worshippers at a local shrine who had suddenly stumbled into a grand city temple.

*How much money could Pinghu Town have spent to produce such flashy promotional material?*

Jiao Deyi’s eyes widened like brass bells. He had been very confident in his own oratory skills, but in the face of such a powerful, high-impact video, his words seemed to lose all value.

Du Chengfeng watched intently. Compared to the version he had seen before, several parts had been modified. The last one was targeted at a government inspection team, while this one was aimed at a corporation, focusing more on the investment climate. He had to admit, the revisions made one feel an irresistible urge to invest!

When the video ended, Tang Ye smiled slightly. "I believe Mr. Dou has a fair understanding of Pinghu Town now. The video highlighted our strengths, so please allow me to point out a few of our weaknesses."

Usually, people only promoted their best qualities; who would voluntarily expose their own flaws? All attention was fixed on Tang Ye once more.

"Pinghu Town has a permanent population of only twenty thousand, which cannot meet your company’s labor requirements; you will need to recruit from outside. However, we will cooperate fully to assist with this, utilizing government platforms to connect with several local schools to establish internship bases."

"Pinghu also lacks high-end living amenities. But, looking at it from another angle, it allows employees to focus entirely on their work. Of course, within three to five years, as the enterprise matures, it will drive the township’s economic development, and these facilities will gradually improve..."

Dou Fanggang’s expression turned solemn. The problems Tang Ye mentioned were exactly what he had been concerned about. While Tang Ye’s words couldn't magically solve these issues, they demonstrated a willingness to face them together with the company. Furthermore, the disadvantages Tang Ye mentioned were present in every other township to varying degrees.

This reverse-psychology approach during negotiations, which fostered empathy, often produced unexpected results.

"Town Mayor Tang, you spoke very well. When we invest, what we fear most is a government that cannot consider things from a business perspective. The fact that you are willing to put these issues on the table shows your sincerity." Dou Fanggang clapped in approval.

Jiao Deyi had a sinking feeling. It seemed he had misjudged the situation; he hadn't been the protagonist from the very start!

Sitting next to Xia Haiqiao was the deputy mayor of the neighboring town, who leaned in and whispered, "Old Xia, this new deputy mayor of yours has some real substance! What’s his background?"

Xia Haiqiao replied dryly, "I don't know! I’m... not very close with him."

"And that promotional video of yours—did you have the TV station make it? Must have cost a fortune, right?"

"I'm not sure! I didn't handle it!" Xia Haiqiao certainly wasn't going to tell anyone that Tang Ye had put it together himself.

***

The deputy mayor from the next town curled his lip in disdain. *This bird-brained guy, how does he know nothing about anything?*

After Tang Ye finished, Du Chengfeng and Mr. Dou gave their closing remarks. The meeting concluded. Everyone began to speculate: who would land the project worth hundreds of millions?

The County Magistrate’s secretary walked over to Xu Yiping and Tang Ye. "Magistrate Du invites the two of you to the lounge to chat with Mr. Dou privately."

Xu Yiping subconsciously touched his glasses. *Did I hear that right?*

Tang Ye frowned, equally surprised.

As they headed to the lounge, the conference room erupted in chaos.

"Pinghu Town was actually chosen?"
"Pinghu's economy has been at the bottom for years—why would they get this project?"
"Old Xia, congratulations! It looks like Pinghu Town is going to land this. Word is that IO Electric is investing two or three hundred million to build their largest factory in East China."
"With a giant like IO Electric, Pinghu Town is going to rise."

Xia Haiqiao felt as though a bottle of mixed emotions had been overturned in his heart.

On the way to the lounge, Xu Yiping’s mood was complex. He certainly wanted the IO factory to settle in Pinghu, but the credit would all go to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye, meanwhile, was pondering how to convince Dou Fanggang. He felt he had too few cards in his hand.

When they entered the lounge, Dou Fanggang shed his previous solemnity, his face beaming with a smile. He took the initiative to shake Tang Ye’s hand. "I must thank you, Comrade Tang Ye. You are my mother-in-law's savior!"

Du Chengfeng: "?"
Xu Yiping: "??"

It took Tang Ye a moment to react. He tapped his forehead, a look of excited realization dawning on his face. "You are... Grandma Yao’s son-in-law?"