Chapter 720: Jiang Longyin’s Opportunity!

District Government Office Building!

When Li Yi and the others arrived, Jiang Longyin had just finished a meeting with the district officials and was in his office listening to his subordinates’ work reports.

Hearing a knock at the door, he immediately had them ushered in.

When he saw that it was Li Yi pushing open the door, Jiang Longyin was taken aback for a moment. He immediately stood up and smiled, “I just heard from Third Brother this morning that you’d returned. I was actually planning to come see you tonight—I didn’t expect you to come to me instead!”

“Hehe, I came to discuss something with Second Brother!”

Li Yi then glanced at the middle-aged man sitting across from Jiang Longyin’s desk and added, “Or maybe you should go back to work, Second Brother. I’ll wait a bit…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Longyin turned to the middle-aged man and said, “Section Chief Wang, I’m already aware of your situation. I’ll discuss it with Deputy Director Zhang and the others later to come up with a proper solution as soon as possible. We’ll contact you once we’ve finalized the details!”

Section Chief Wang knew Jiang Longyin was busy, so he tactfully replied, “Alright, then I’ll leave this matter in Secretary Jiang’s hands. I’ll head back now!”

“Alright!”

After seeing Section Chief Wang off, Jiang Longyin poured water for Li Yi to make tea while saying, “Brother-in-law, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Nothing much. It’s just that the color TV production line we ordered from Zaiying has been shipped back to the country. It’s expected to arrive in Beijing in a few days, so I wanted to let you and Second Brother know!” Li Yi said.

“Hahaha, that’s wonderful news!”

Jiang Longyin continued, “You don’t know this, brother-in-law, but with the Beijing and Shanghai TV factories gradually starting production of color TVs, the black-and-white TV market has taken quite a hit.”

“Is the situation serious?” Li Yi asked.

“It’s not exactly severe, but it’s not great either. For the past two months, the televisions produced by the Yanjing TV Factory have been in short supply—they’re basically hauled away by trucks the moment they roll off the production line. But sales have dropped significantly recently, and the district is genuinely worried they might slip back into that half-dead state!” Jiang Longyin said.

Li Yi shook his head and said, “I don’t think so. Color TVs are still quite expensive right now, and most families can’t afford them—especially in rural areas, where there’s still a huge demand for black-and-white TVs.”

“And Yanjing TVs have already made a name for themselves in most northern cities. At the very least, we don’t need to worry about them being phased out in the next couple of years. But sales certainly can’t compare to those of the past few months, and they’ll likely continue to decline gradually in the future.”

“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease, but just to be on the safe side, we need to get our color TV production up and running as soon as possible!” Jiang Longyin said.

“The production line will definitely be shipped to Beijing within a week, but before that, there are a few things I’d like to discuss with Second Brother—or perhaps with the district office!” Li Yi said.

“What is it? Go ahead!”

“Second Brother, I spent a total of 55 million US dollars on this production line. Including other expenses, the total cost comes to around 58 million US dollars…”

Before Li Yi could finish, Jiang Longyin interjected, “That’s not expensive at all. As far as I know, the production line Shanghai ordered from Japan cost over 90 million US dollars—much more than ours!”

“It’s not that it’s expensive, but right now I’ve had to cover all this money out of my own pocket. Doesn’t the district have to give me some kind of explanation?” Li Yi said.

“Brother-in-law, didn’t we agree that you’d invest 100 million yuan in the Yanjing Television Factory? The money you’ve advanced will count as your investment capital!” Jiang Longyin said.

“Second Brother, let’s talk business. Using the production line purchase price to offset the investment is fine, but even at the official exchange rate, 58 million US dollars is far more than 100 million RMB!”

Li Yi continued, “More importantly, the joint venture restructuring of the TV factory was just a verbal agreement between the two of us—we never signed a contract!”

Jiang Longyin immediately replied, “Brother-in-law, I understand what you’re getting at. You want to formally sign an equity agreement with the district government and the State-owned Assets Department?”

“Exactly. I don’t care exactly how much 58 million USD is worth, but if the Yanjing TV Factory wants to use this production line, they need to sign an equity agreement with me as soon as possible!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll report this to the city authorities as soon as possible and do my best to get the agreement signed before the New Year so you can rest easy!” Jiang Longyin said.

Li Yi nodded and said, “Right. Once we sign the agreement here, my investment company in Hong Kong can apply for a work permit here. Otherwise, they won’t be able to come over at all.”

Jiang Longyin looked at Li Yi and said, “Actually, even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I was planning to push you to get this done. This matter involves the city government, the district government, the State-owned Assets Department, and the Yanjing TV Factory—it’s incredibly complicated. We absolutely must resolve this before I leave the district, so you don’t end up at a disadvantage!”

“Second Brother, from the sound of it, you’re being transferred out of the district?”

“Yeah, the higher-ups have already spoken with me. It’s basically a done deal!”

Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly asked, “Where are they planning to send you, Second Brother? Has your position been finalized yet?”

“They’ve given me two options: one is to take a lower-ranking deputy minister position at a central government ministry, and the other is to become the top official in Pengcheng!” Jiang Longyin said.

“Which one do you prefer, Second Brother?” Li Yi asked.

Jiang Longyin shook his head and said, “I haven’t decided yet. Going to the ministry would be a promotion, but the work there offers little flexibility—I wouldn’t be able to expect any further changes in the short term.”

“If I choose Pengcheng, it would be a lateral transfer, but once I’m there, I’d be the top leader. I’d have much more freedom to act, and it would be easier to achieve results.”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “Second Brother, I suggest you go to Pengcheng!”

“Why?”

“Although Pengcheng has only been a city for less than two years and its urban development is still lagging—it’s basically equivalent to a small county town in the interior—it’s located in the coastal region, close to Hong Kong, and has just been designated as a Special Economic Zone. Its geographical advantages are obvious. With strong national support, its future is promising, and achieving results is inevitable.”

Li Yi continued, “More importantly, Second Brother, you’ve always served in Beijing. If you were to join a central government ministry, your resume would lack experience working at the grassroots level—and that could be a weakness for you down the road!”

Although Pengcheng had only recently been established as a city and everything was still in its infancy, Li Yi knew just how immense its development potential was.

This former fishing village had leaped to become one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities in just over a decade. By the turn of the millennium, it had risen to become a first-tier metropolis on par with Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

In terms of growth speed, it was the fastest in the world—without a doubt.

If Jiang Longyin could secure a post there, he could achieve remarkable results even with his eyes closed. Therefore, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity for him.

With a track record of achievements and the backing of the Jiang family’s resources, his rise to the ranks of provincial or ministerial-level officials would be only a matter of time.

Moreover, Li Yi knew that it wouldn’t be long before Pengcheng was elevated to a sub-provincial city, at which point the ranks of local officials would naturally rise accordingly.

Jiang Longyin nodded and said, “The old man said the same thing. He also mentioned that I’m still young, and rising too quickly might not be a good thing—I should go down to the lower levels to gain some experience!”

“You know the Old Man’s judgment, Second Brother. I think you should give this some serious thought!” Li Yi said.

“Yeah, I will!”

Li Yi then glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly five o’clock. “The Old Man invited Xiao Xue and me to dinner at the old family home tonight. It’s getting late, so I’ll head back now. Give me a call if anything comes up!”

“Alright, I’ll get back to you once we hear back from the city!” Jiang Longyin said.

“Alright…”

With that, Li Yi stood up and left Jiang Longyin’s office…

………