novelones Chapter 315 The Will to Grow Taller
Chapter 315 The Will to Grow Taller
(Thanks to "Dao Huang Who Loves Eggs" for the author certification! Thanks to "Qi Xi" for the author certification! Two chapters today~)
At 9:00 AM the following morning.
Conference room on the third floor of the Foreign Investment Promotion Bureau of Shenhai City.
The thermos was replaced with a new one, and the tea was changed too—today's brew was Tieguanyin, which had an extra layer of roasted aroma compared to yesterday's Biluochun. Eight white porcelain cups were neatly arranged on the table, and wisps of steam rose from their rims, casting delicate, transparent threads in the greyish-white windowlight.
Satsuki was still sitting on the sofa by the window.
Today's dessert was a cream puff, its golden crust sprinkled with fine powdered sugar. She used a silver fork to cut the puff into four pieces, picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, while flipping through yesterday's travel brochure with her other hand.
The cream puffs seemed to suit her taste. She squinted slightly, tilted her head, and turned the picture book to the page about the City God Temple.
Endo took his seat at the head of the table, took out the documents from his briefcase, and stacked them into three piles on the table.
"Director Chen, everyone," Endo adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, "After returning yesterday, our internal team reassessed the overall development costs of plot B-07. Considering your sincerity in handling administrative approvals and the prospects for long-term cooperation—"
He opened his notebook and tapped the tip of his pen on a number.
"We are willing to adjust our offer to US$25,000 per acre."
The translation ended.
Deputy Director Liu paused, his hand holding the teacup still. He shifted his gaze from Endo's face and quickly glanced at Chen Zhiyuan.
Chen Zhiyuan was looking down at the documents in front of him, his expression completely unchanged.
Director Wang frowned slightly. He turned his body slightly towards Deputy Director Liu, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything. But his expression was clear—yesterday he was stubbornly insisting on 18,000, and today he woke up to find the price had increased by 7,000?
Chen Zhiyuan closed the document and looked up.
"We appreciate Mr. Endo's sincerity." He spoke slowly and carefully chose his words, "but frankly speaking, there is still a considerable gap between 25,000 and our expectations."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"I already explained the locational value of plot B-07 yesterday. The core location of a national-level development zone, the main channel of the Yangtze River, and the future deep-water port—these factors combined mean that US$38,000 per acre is the maximum concession we can offer."
Thirty-eight thousand.
It's down 7,000 from yesterday's 45,000.
Deputy Director Liu finally brought the teacup to his lips. He took a sip, and as he placed the cup back on the table, his fingertips lingered on the cup for a second longer.
It's gone down?
Didn't we say yesterday that the bottom line was 50,000?
He glanced at Chen Zhiyuan again. Chen Zhiyuan did not turn around.
Endo turned a page in his notebook, the nib of his pen drawing an extremely fine line on the paper.
"Thirty-eight thousand." He repeated the number, his tone steady. "Director Chen, the cost of our foundation piling project—"
"Mr. Endo," Chen Zhiyuan raised his hand, palm down, and gently pressed it down, "I understand about the foundation. But your promise to build your own dock and supporting infrastructure cannot be directly offset against the land price in our cost accounting model. Those are two separate accounts."
Endo's pen stopped.
"Of course." He closed his notebook. "So, Director Chen, under what conditions do you think the two sides can find a middle ground?"
Chen Zhiyuan picked up his teacup and blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface.
"Mr. Endo, please feel free to speak your mind."
Endo placed the pen on the notebook cover and folded his hands on the table.
"If land prices rise to a range acceptable to you—"
"We would like to add a supplementary clause to the contract appendix."
Chen Zhiyuan's teacup was suspended in mid-air.
"Regarding the future commercial real estate development project in Pudong New Area—" Endo's gaze fell on Chen Zhiyuan's face, "Saionji Group hopes to obtain the right of first refusal in negotiations."
The translator has finished relaying this sentence.
There was a four-second silence in the conference room.
Deputy Director Liu put down his teacup, his body unconsciously leaning forward two centimeters. Director Wang's ballpoint pen hovered above his notebook, the tip not falling.
Chen Zhiyuan slowly placed the teacup back on the table.
He did not answer immediately.
He turned his head and looked at Deputy Director Liu on his right.
Their eyes met briefly in the air. Chen Zhiyuan's brow furrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned down in a barely perceptible arc.
"I need to discuss this with you."
Deputy Director Liu leaned closer, and the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones. Their voices were so low that the translator on the other side could only catch a few whispered sounds.
Fifteen seconds.
Chen Zhiyuan straightened up.
"Mr. Endo." His tone was a beat slower than before, as if he was carefully considering the weight of each word, "'The concept of priority consultation right' does not have a direct corresponding clause in our current foreign investment management framework."
He paused for a moment.
"However, in principle, as one of the first batch of benchmark foreign-invested enterprises in Pudong New Area, the Saionji Group has the opportunity to be contacted in future projects, which I personally think is reasonable."
He emphasized the words "in my personal opinion" slightly.
Endo understood. The other party hadn't made a final promise, but they hadn't directly refused either.
The door had been pushed open a third of the way.
"So, regarding land prices—" Endo picked up the conversation.
"If the supplementary terms can be implemented," Chen Zhiyuan spread his hands, palms up, making a "showdown" gesture, "we can make some adjustments to the base of 38,000."
Endo's pen tip landed on the paper again.
Thirty-two thousand.
Endo slowly uttered the number.
Chen Zhiyuan tapped his fingers twice on the table.
He looked at Endo. Endo looked at him.
The air between the two of them was tense for about three seconds.
Then Chen Zhiyuan shifted his gaze to Deputy Director Liu. Deputy Director Liu's lips were pressed into a thin line, and he twirled the ballpoint pen between his fingers. He glanced down at the notebook in front of him—it was filled with today's figures and summaries of clauses.
"Thirty-two thousand..." Deputy Director Liu's voice was very low, as if he were talking to himself.
He quickly did some calculations in the blank space of his notebook: 32,000 multiplied by 520 equals 16.64 million US dollars. That's significantly lower than the minimum of 50,000. But the Japanese side's promise to build their own deep-water pier—based on the specifications Endo described yesterday, the pier would cost at least 30 million US dollars. Add to that the roads, electricity, water supply, and sewage treatment within the park—that's another 20 million at the very least.
The total investment exceeded 70 million US dollars.
Once these infrastructure projects are completed, the land value of the entire Waigaoqiao area will increase—
Deputy Director Liu put down his pen and nodded slightly to Chen Zhiyuan. The nod was very small.
"Thirty-two thousand." Chen Zhiyuan repeated these three words, his tone conveying a sense of "a painful concession." "The lease term is fifty years. The clause on the right of first refusal will be included in the appendix."
He extended his right hand.
"Mr. Endo, is it a deal?"
Endo stood up and extended his right hand across the table.
The two hands are clasped together.
"make a deal."
Director Wang's pen finally touched the paper. He wrote a line at the bottom of the notebook and drew a circle. Then he turned back to the previous page and summed up all the infrastructure terms promised by the Japanese side.
The more he calculated, the more relaxed his brow became.
……
PARKING LOT.
Late September sunlight peeked through gaps in the clouds, casting irregular patches of light on the concrete ground. The sycamore leaves were still green, but their edges were beginning to turn yellow.
Chen Zhiyuan escorted the Japanese delegation downstairs.
Endo shook hands with him to say goodbye, and the legal and finance staff filed into the car. Satsuki was the last to leave the building, with Fujita holding an umbrella—although it wasn't raining, the young lady didn't like being in the direct sunlight.
The rear door of the Toyota Crown was already open. Satsuki walked to the car, paused for a moment as she placed one foot on the door sill.
She turned around.
Chen Zhiyuan stood on the steps, his hands behind his back. There was a distance of five or six meters between the two and a plane tree that was shedding its leaves.
Chen Zhiyuan bowed slightly. Then he spoke in Japanese.
"By the time you come next time, Miss, the osmanthus blossoms will probably have faded." He said with a hint of regret in his smile, "but the paulownia leaves should be turning yellow."
Satsuki's eyes curved slightly.
"Then I'll bring my camera to take pictures."
She bent down and got into the car. Fujita closed the door and went around to the passenger seat.
The Crown's engine roared to life, and the car began to move slowly.
Chen Zhiyuan stood on the steps, watching the black sedan drive out of the parking lot, turn left into the road, and disappear into the end of the sycamore tree shade.
Deputy Director Liu walked up from behind and stood beside him.
"Old Chen," Deputy Director Liu said in a low voice, "today's result... why did the Japanese side suddenly soften their stance? Yesterday they were sticking to 18,000, but today they jumped directly to 25,000 for the opening price."
Chen Zhiyuan turned his gaze away from the end of the road.
"I've figured it out." He turned around and patted Deputy Director Liu on the shoulder. "When the Japanese do business, they test the waters on the first day and only reveal their true intentions on the second. That 18,000 yesterday was just a pretext."
Deputy Director Liu hummed in agreement, seemingly accepting the explanation. However, a faint wrinkle remained between his brows.
"That 'right of first refusal'—"
"We'll talk about it later." Chen Zhiyuan had already turned and walked into the building. "I have to write a report for the city this afternoon."
His leather shoes made a crisp, even sound as they stepped on the terrazzo steps.
Deputy Director Liu stood there, watching his figure disappear around the corner of the stairs.
Priority consultation right.
When those four words were written into the contract appendix, Deputy Director Liu always felt that something was wrong.
But he couldn't explain it.
……
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
Satsuki did not return to the hotel.
The Toyota Crown travels north along Zhongshan East Road. To the left is a row of European-style buildings left over from the colonial period—granite facades, Baroque domes, Corinthian capitals—which appear silent and solemn under the gray-white skylight. To the right is the flood control wall over the Huangpu River, its gray concrete walls covered with water stains.
"Wait a minute."
Satsuki's voice came from the back seat.
Fujita pulled the car over to the side of the road. Satsuki opened the car door and stepped onto the sidewalk in her brown ballet shoes.
The Bund.
The afternoon river breeze was stronger than in the morning, carrying the muddy smell of the Huangpu River and the stench of diesel fuel. At the top of the flood control wall was a walkway about two meters wide, with most of the green paint peeling off the cement railings, revealing the rusted steel bars underneath.
Satsuki walked to the railing and placed her hands on the cement surface.
The river was wide. The grayish-green water gleamed with an oily sheen in the afternoon light, and several barges, trailing black smoke, slowly sailed in from downstream.
Her gaze crossed the river and landed on the opposite bank.
Pudong.
At this moment, Lujiazui in Pudong is a low, gray silhouette. Several rows of two- or three-story brick and tile houses are crammed together, their asbestos roofs reflecting a dim white light in the sunlight. Two factory chimneys stand on the horizon, one of them emitting smoke—the gray-white plume of smoke is blown away by the wind, merging into the equally gray-white sky, blurring the boundaries.
A tower crane with rusty boom stands alone on the riverbank, like an iron bird with broken wings.
The Oriental Pearl Tower has not yet laid a single foundation stone on this mudflat.
The Jin Mao Tower's highly modern, multi-tiered tower structure is still just a blueprint ten years from now.
As for the Shanghai World Financial Center, which pierced the clouds like a bottle opener, it was nowhere to be found.
In the autumn winds of 1990, all that remained was a desolate void.
Satsuki's fingers tightened slightly on the concrete railing.
She gazed at the hazy horizon across the river, something churning deep within her pupils.
A past life. A red-eye flight from New York to Pudong. It landed at 5 a.m., and the taxi drove along Century Avenue towards Lujiazui.
Outside the car window, the glass curtain walls of skyscrapers lit up one after another in the morning light, like a row of giant matches being lit in sequence. The trapezoidal wind tunnel at the top of the 492-meter-tall Shanghai World Financial Center framed a small patch of the sky that was turning blue.
That was in 2008. Eighteen years from now.
At this moment, only shantytowns, chimneys, and a rusty tower crane remain on that land.
Endo stood half a step behind her, his gaze following Satsuki's direction.
Endo.
"exist."
"What do you think that land across the street will look like in ten years?"
Endo adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. He looked intently at the opposite bank—low rooftops, sparse tree canopies, and the occasional glimpse of a brick wall. Then he turned his gaze back to the concrete surface of the flood control wall beneath his feet.
"Based on the current development speed and scale of investment..." he spoke slowly and cautiously, "in ten years, a medium-sized business district should be completed. There might be a few office buildings of about ten stories. Of course, that's assuming the Pudong Development Office's investment promotion efforts go smoothly."
Satsuki shook her head.
The magnitude is small, but it's certain.
"No."
Her voice was thinned by the river wind, making it sound as if it came from a very far place.
"Ten years from now, standing across from us will be the most densely packed cluster of skyscrapers in all of China... no, in all of Asia."
Endo's hand, which was pushing up his glasses, stopped at the edge of the frame.
"The tallest one will be over 400 meters."
"It will be the embodiment of this country's ambition. Endo, you cannot stop a will to grow taller."
"That is the collective will of these more than one billion people."
Endo slowly lowered his hand from his glasses. He turned his head to look at Satsuki's profile.
The river breeze ruffled the stray hairs around her ears, and the pearly strands shimmered softly in the grayish-white light.
Her expression was calm. Her pupils reflected the gray horizon across the river, but her gaze seemed to pierce through the low rooftops, landing on a point in time further away—or rather, further back.
She wasn't joking.
Endo had followed Satsuki long enough. He knew that every prediction this young lady made had never failed her. From the Plaza Accord to Black Monday, from the consumption tax to the bursting of the bubble economy—each time, her prophecies were like letters sent from the future.
But four hundred meters.
ten years.
Endo swallowed the two numbers without asking any further questions.
Satsuki withdrew her hand from the railing and patted the cement dust off her palm. She turned and walked back, her ballet shoes making a soft sound on the concrete surface of the walkway.
She stopped as she passed a building on the Bund.
It was a four-story neoclassical building. It had a granite base, Ionic columns, and a pediment above the doorway depicting a winged eagle—the edges of the wings were blurred by weathering, but the outline remained majestic.
Satsuki tilted her head back and stared at the stone eagle for two seconds.
"This building was the Shanghai branch of HSBC in the 1930s." Her voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself. "At the time, it was the most impressive financial building east of the Suez Canal."
She turned her gaze from the lintel to the tightly closed iron gate. The outlines of marble floors and bronze chandeliers were faintly visible in the hall behind the gate, but the lights were off, and the entire building was shrouded in a slumbering darkness.
"In a few years, foreign banks will return to this street."
She continued walking forward.
"At that time, the rent for each building will be astronomical."
Endo memorized those words.
He didn't take out his notebook.
Some things are better left unsaid.