Thus, Meng Suihuan returned to the office with Director Zhou. However, on the way there, Director Zhou was suddenly called away by someone, so she had to wait outside the office. To her surprise, she ran into a familiar face. The man saw her and, as usual, wore an arrogant expression, as if he couldn’t be bothered to speak any other way than through his nose.

“Little girl, you’re really persistent, chasing all the way here. But as for the land in South City, don’t even think about it.” The man waved the contract in his hand, his eyes full of disdain. “It’s already someone else’s.”

“Oh?” Meng Suihuan raised an eyebrow, a playful smile spreading across her face as she replied casually, “But I’ve heard that the deal hasn’t been finalized yet.”

The man’s expression froze for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal, his gaze dismissive. “You sure know how to get your hands on information. But even if you know, what does it matter? Do you really think you have a chance at this? It’s too late for you to do anything. Stop dreaming.”

At first, she had entrusted the negotiations for this project to Xiao Song. Xiao Song was smooth and knew how to read the situation. After applying a little tact, he successfully secured the contract. However, just when they were about to sign, this man suddenly changed his mind, coming up with a grand excuse to temporarily put things on hold. He also subtly implied that their side lacked “sincerity.” If they still wanted the project, they would need to show more “sincerity” in their offer. The “sincerity” he wanted was beyond their budget, so Xiao Song had no choice but to report the situation to Meng Suihuan. Naturally, she didn’t agree. While she wasn’t short on money, she couldn’t stand his greedy attitude.

So, Meng Suihuan went to confront the man, but they couldn’t come to an agreement. This was how the situation ended up the way it was. Thinking about it, Meng Suihuan smiled, “Until the final moment, no one can say for sure what the outcome will be.”

“Right,” the man laughed, mocking her ignorance and confidence. “Since you’re so determined, let’s just wait and see.”

Soon, Director Zhou returned after finishing his work. The man shot a provocative glance at Meng Suihuan, then immediately switched to a flattering tone.

“Director Zhou, here is the contract for the South City land. Someone has placed a bid. If you have time, take a look, and if there’s no issue, please sign it.”

Unfortunately, Director Zhou didn’t take the contract from him. He glanced at the man coldly and said, “We have plans for that piece of land, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

The man froze, his grip tightening on the contract. He was clearly furious, but unable to vent, he forced a smile.

“Director Zhou, didn’t we agree on this before? Why the sudden change of heart?”

Hearing this, Director Zhou became angry as well, glaring at him. “I never said anything like that. I only said we’d consider it.”

“Director Zhou—” The man tried to say something else, but Director Zhou had already turned and entered the office.

Turning to look at Meng Suihuan, seeing the smile on her face, the man’s anger was no longer hidden. He snapped, “If I can’t get this contract, don’t even think you’ll have a chance!”

Just as the man finished speaking, a voice came from inside the office, “Xiao Meng, why are you still standing out there? I’ve already drafted the contract…”

“You… you—” The man stared at her in shock, trying to speak but unable to form any words.

Meng Suihuan, unfazed by the situation, smiled gently and advised him, “I told you earlier, until the final moment, no one knows what the result will be.”

“Just like right now.”

After successfully acquiring the land in South City, Meng Suihuan did not rush to begin construction but instead focused her attention on the unfinished building. To revitalize the unfinished building, she first had to go through the necessary procedures at the relevant departments. Although it took a little longer than expected, the process was completed fairly quickly. Once everything was ready, Meng Suihuan called a meeting with both sides involved.

“Song Zhi, please present the original plan with your team.”

Song Zhi was the man in the blue suit from before. This meeting included not only people from Xu Yu’s side but also seven or eight of Song Zhi’s team members. These individuals, much like Zhao Chen and others from the earlier stage, couldn’t let go of the project and still wanted to give it one more try.

Soon, Song Zhi presented their original project plan. Their proposal didn’t have any outstanding features, only a mediocre one. The only relatively good aspect was the location, which was well-chosen, and the surrounding facilities were quite complete. Additionally, there was a direction that offered a view of the river.

“This plan doesn’t stand out at all. To me, it’s just barely acceptable,” Meng Suihuan remarked.

The expression of Song Zhi’s team immediately changed. After all, no one would be happy to hear such feedback.

“Who do you think you are, calling our plan barely acceptable? Just because you invested in our project, you think you can slander us?”

“I’ve seen many people like you, relying on a little bit of money to look down on others.”

…

Hearing this, Lao Zhou and the others were naturally upset. He slammed the table and was about to argue when Meng Suihuan stopped him.

“Lao Zhou!”

“Let them speak!”

Song Zhi also scolded his team, but his face didn’t look good either. After all, what Meng Suihuan had said was a direct blow to their company’s pride.

“I know you’re all upset, thinking that I’m deliberately slandering you.”

“But I hope you can calm down and listen to why I think your plan is just acceptable, not excellent.”

“Plans like yours are a dime a dozen in Ning City… Because you’ve always been following others’ footsteps, with no innovation whatsoever.”

…

“Anyone can talk big. Since you think you’re so capable, I’d like to hear your brilliant ideas!”

Meng Suihuan wasn’t angry. She simply gave Feng Jiu a signal, and he took out a stack of plans.

“These are some of the plans we’ve prepared. You can take a look.”

One person casually flipped through the pages, dismissing the plans with an arrogant tone.

“This plan looks almost the same as ours—”

His words abruptly stopped as he flipped to the later plans. The first plan did indeed resemble theirs, but the subsequent ones were clearly upgraded. Whether it was the supporting facilities or the concept of high-end residences, they were far superior to their simple plan.

“I think you can see for yourselves. Selling houses is like selling clothes, it requires innovation. If we’re the same as everyone else, why would anyone buy our houses?”

“Now that the country has just implemented the housing reform, the market in Ning City is still very open. As long as we complete this project, there will definitely be buyers!”

In response to their objections, Meng Suihuan wasn’t angry. Instead, she had Feng Jiu present another document.

“This is a survey we conducted. You can take a close look at how many companies have similar ideas.”

After Song Zhi and his team examined the data, they fell silent.

No words to say.

“If you’re still holding onto the initial ideas, I’ll have to withdraw my investment, after all, we can’t work together if our paths are different.”

“Otherwise—”

“Let go of your prejudices, and everything will be arranged by me.”

Although she had originally agreed with Song Zhi that the collaboration would be led by her, some necessary tough talks were unavoidable. She didn’t want these people to appear to agree with her on the surface, but secretly go behind her back. So, she had to seize this opportunity to lay the groundwork, ensuring they wouldn’t cause trouble for her later on.

After all this, Song Zhi and his colleagues no longer dared to underestimate her just because she was a woman. While they were relieved, they also accepted Meng Suihuan’s reasoning. On its own, their company’s plan was acceptable, but when compared to Meng Suihuan’s plans, it clearly lacked something.

Song Zhi took a deep breath. “I’ll follow your arrangements.”

With him taking the lead, the rest of his team had no objections and expressed their support.

Only then did Meng Suihuan nod in satisfaction. She took out one of the plans and said, “This time, we’ll focus on high-end residential properties.”

In Ning City, the real estate industry was just starting to develop. The most common plans were the ones like Song Zhi’s, so there was still a huge gap in the high-end residential market. This was exactly where they could step in.

No one objected. After discussing the relevant details, they officially began work. The unfinished building project was officially renamed Donghu Huayuan. Zhao Chen was the overall manager, with Song Zhi assisting as the project manager.

After delegating these tasks, Meng Suihuan called in the interior design team, led by Lu Xiuhe.

“This time, each of you will design ten proposals. We’ll select the best ones. I hope everyone can come up with something truly eye-catching.”

…

Once everything was set in motion, both teams proceeded smoothly. A few days later, while checking the news, Meng Suihuan saw that someone in the country had created a simple website, which had garnered millions of views per day. She froze for a moment.

During this time, she had been so focused on the real estate industry that she hadn’t paid attention to the quietly developing internet industry in the country. Compared to the prosperity in the future, the internet was still in its early, barren stages. But in the 21st century, the internet would become all-encompassing, even three-year-olds would use smartphones and computers.

Right now, many people didn’t even know what the internet was.

A smile crept onto Meng Suihuan’s lips as she slowly tapped her fingers on the table. How could she miss out on such an opportunity?

With this thought, she immediately called Feng Jiu in.

“Go and check which emerging internet companies are in Ning City. I want to invest in them.”

Feng Jiu was very efficient in handling matters.

“Three days from now, there will be an emerging industry exchange in the East City. Many new companies will be there… Perhaps it will meet your requirements, Boss.”

An exchange? Meng Suihuan smiled brightly and nodded.

“I understand.”