Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

Chapter 383 The Li Family of Hong Kong! How can one only be patriotic when winning?

Li Zejun sounded anxious.

They couldn't wait to show their loyalty.

Qiu Yanfei glanced quickly at Zhao Ruilong, who was admiring the view outside the window.

"Don't worry, I will pass on the message for you."

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news. I'm ready to leave for Jingzhou anytime!"

Qiu Yanfei gave a soft "hmm" and hung up the phone.

Then...

She clutched her phone, awkwardly unsure how to begin.

As is well known, although Huilong Group also has real estate business, Zhao Ruilong is not particularly fond of the real estate economy.

In order to curb the overheated development of the real estate market and avoid repeating the mistakes of the Longlan Island real estate bubble burst.

This is also to achieve lower investment and settlement costs, in order to develop a high-quality economy centered on manufacturing.

His father, Zhao Lichun, was in charge of Handong Province, where a series of regulatory policies and measures were promulgated and implemented.

Purchase and resale restrictions, loan controls, increased land supply, prohibition of developers from hoarding land for extended periods, and large-scale construction of low-rent and affordable housing...

Despite the strong measures, Handong's economy has developed rapidly, but rents, housing prices, and land prices have not skyrocketed.

Rent and housing prices are not expensive, jobs are easy to find, and businesses are easy to run, which naturally greatly enhances the attraction for young people.

The most creative and affluent young people, whose numbers continue to grow, have indirectly driven the economic growth of Handong.

A virtuous cycle has been formed.

It is even less likely that Handong will relax its control over the real estate market.

Moreover, the rapid development of high-tech industries has driven the prosperity of the real economy, and Handong has decent fiscal revenue without relying on land revenue.

Against this backdrop.

Zhao Ruilong, of course, prefers those who work in high technology rather than those who are in real estate.

Under his influence, the higher-ups saw the correctness of the Handong model and became more aware of the painful lessons learned both domestically and internationally.

Ever since.

The top leadership's attitude toward the real estate market is becoming increasingly indifferent.

Even if there are no explicit orders requiring other provinces and cities to strictly prevent and control the overheated real estate economy like Handong,

The economic growth rate of various provinces and cities is not fast enough, and the number of migrant workers is not large enough, so there is not much room for speculation.

With tightened bank credit, real estate developers are finding it difficult to obtain large loans at low interest rates for land purchases and development.

It would be good enough if they could successfully complete the development of the property using their own funds.

How can land and housing prices be driven up so drastically?

This way.

The Li family of Hong Kong, who made their fortune in real estate and whose main source of income is real estate, could not possibly still be very popular.

of course.

Their sharp decline in status was due to other factors as well.

When the mainland first opened up, it urgently needed development funds and also needed to demonstrate its determination to open up to the outside world, so it was very tolerant and provided with many conveniences.

This not only allows them to acquire land at low prices and develop residential buildings, office buildings, and large commercial complexes, but also enables them to invest in building highways and large ports.

They were expected to contribute to economic development and modernization, but deep down they are businessmen who prioritize profit over ethics.

They never intended to invest properly in construction; they just wanted to take advantage of preferential policies to reap huge profits.

For example, they might acquire land at low prices but not develop or build it in the long term. They simply want to wait for economic development so that the land will appreciate in value and they can resell it, making a lot of money without building anything.

Furthermore, the infrastructure they invested in and built has been operating for many years and has already made a lot of money. In order to benefit the people and promote development, the government offered to buy it back at a high price, but the government demanded an exorbitant price.

When the economy was booming, they invested heavily and speculated wildly, causing the economy to overheat.

When the international crisis broke out and affected the mainland economy, they fled.

Just like five years ago, the Asia-Pacific financial crisis broke out.

At a time when they were needed to stabilize market confidence, they frantically sold off assets and fled, triggering panic among foreign investors, leading to a sharp decline in international investment and a plunge in foreign exchange reserves.

The economic downturn coupled with a wave of layoffs had already caused immense suffering for hundreds of millions of Chinese people. On top of that, the international situation was also very unfavorable for China, with several events that could be described as bloody and shameful unfolding, leaving the country beset by both internal and external troubles.

At a critical moment, a grand military parade stabilized confidence, and a series of reform measures stabilized the economy.

The Dragon Kingdom finally stabilized the situation and entered the 21st century.

As a result, the dot-com bubble burst in the United States.

A global financial crisis seems imminent.

The Li family of Hong Kong, who only care about profit and have no sense of integrity, naturally staged another dramatic escape.

Their actions proved the true nature of "merchants prioritizing profit over righteousness".

This further proves why, long ago, the ancients insisted on prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, and were wary of merchants betraying their country.

This time, they sold off all their assets in mainland China, including their shares in Shenzhen Xunteng Technology.

They not only predict the downfall of China's economy, but also have little faith in China's high-tech industries.

This is exactly the opposite of Zhao Ruilong's Huilong Group.

They were frantically selling off their stock, and Zhao Ruilong was investing heavily in it.

Just as they sold their shares in Xunteng Technology, Zhao Ruilong not only bought more but also made additional investments.

now.

The economy in the mainland did not collapse, but continued to grow, and the development momentum of Handong Province was particularly encouraging.

The high-tech industries that they were not optimistic about have developed extremely rapidly under Zhao Ruilong's leadership, and have even surpassed the West in many fields.

Electronic products, video games, social media software, and communication devices all have world-class products.

Shenzhen Xunteng Technology, whose shares were sold off by them back then, has now become an internet giant with a market value of nearly 100 billion yuan, relying solely on its QQ software.

With China's successful entry into the WTO and its rapidly improving relationship with the United States due to the fight against terrorism, the economic situation is far from perfect.

Zhao Ruilong was well-liked by the higher-ups, and the military reforms spearheaded by his father-in-law, Lu Changsheng, were about to be fully implemented due to the victory in the exercise.

With Zhao Ruilong's strong support, even if his father Zhao Lichun cannot reach the top, he will surely make further progress and be able to participate in major decision-making.

The Li family of Hong Kong finally panicked.

In a hurry, they wanted to show their loyalty.

but……

Regardless of how Zhao Ruilong views the Li family of Hong Kong, he has made a promise to Li Zejun and must deliver the message.

cough~

Qiu Yanfei coughed lightly twice and forced a smile.

"Mr. Zhao."

"Well, what happened?"

Zhao Ruilong smiled and turned around.

Qiu Yanfei smiled awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed:

"Just now... just now Li Zejun called me and asked me to pass on a few words to you."

He said he could talk, and he could love his country!

Zhao Ruilong frowned slightly.

That sounds so familiar!

Without thinking about where I had heard it before, I immediately asked:

Who is he?

Qiu Yanfei was stunned and embarrassed.

"Uh... he is the deputy general manager of Xiangjiang Changshi Group and the eldest son of real estate tycoon Li Jiachen."

"Oh, it's him!"

Zhao Ruilong smiled.

"Those two sentences he asked you to pass on are quite interesting!"

"Knowing that you came to talk business with me, he also wanted to talk business, and even said that he could be patriotic too."

Qiu Yanfei bit her lip and mustered her courage to say:

"I think they want to come back!"

Zhao Ruilong smiled faintly.

"Come back if you want!"

"As long as you operate legally and compliantly, you are free to come and go in our Dragon Kingdom!"

"We live in a society governed by the rule of law. If they don't break the law or regulations, who would dare to persecute or bully them?"

Qiu Yanfei nodded repeatedly with an awkward smile.

Zhao Ruilong's official-sounding words seemed to imply that he would not interfere with the Li family's investments and operations in Hong Kong, allowing them to come and go as they pleased.

But what?

Who doesn't understand real estate?

This industry is a typical capital- and labor-intensive industry.

You can't succeed in the real estate business if you only have money but no power.

From land bidding to surveying and design, from submitting construction plans to obtaining construction permits.

From bank financing and loans to pre-sale and final acceptance of houses...

Without the authority to provide assistance, how can a project be easy or effortless?

So, they made money in the real estate industry by taking advantage of favorable policies and the protection of power.

So when the economy is in a downturn, they want to prevent people from simply walking away, euphemistically calling it a business transaction.

If we're really talking about business...

They were begging for special treatment from the very beginning!

They were treated well, but betrayed at a crucial moment.

He even shamelessly claimed that he was just a businessman and that business is business.

Such hypocrisy and double standards, how dare they talk about patriotism?

Moreover, if one only becomes patriotic after discussing it, doesn't that mean they didn't love it before?

You can't only say you're patriotic when you're about to win, can you?

Also.

Zhao Ruilong said that in a society governed by the rule of law, as long as they do not break the law, no one will dare to persecute or bully them.

It seems to be saying that the Li family can return to do business with peace of mind and without worrying about being treated unfairly.

In reality, he was saying that he didn't want to provide the Li family with protection of power, so there was no need to talk about whether they loved their country or not; Zhao Ruilong didn't care.

"Mr. Qiu, I remember you once said that because Hong Kong has much better conditions than Macau in all aspects, you have spent most of your life in Hong Kong, right?"

Zhao Ruilong suddenly asked.

"Yes!"

Qiu Yanfei quickly answered.

Zhao Ruilong smiled and asked, "Do you think young people from ordinary families in Hong Kong still have the opportunity to invest, start businesses, and become billionaires?"

Qiu Yanfei shook her head decisively without hesitation.

"No, the probability is extremely low, even harder than winning the lottery, so it's practically impossible."

"Why are you so sure?" Zhao Ruilong asked with a smile.

Qiu Yanfei said, "Because several powerful families have almost already monopolized industries such as real estate, transportation, energy, retail, communications, and finance, the high cost of living has long stifled innovation."

"Young people go through a lot of hardship to complete their education and become accomplished, but they end up working for a few powerful families. Their monthly salary may seem substantial, but after meeting their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and education, there is hardly anything left."

"The continued widening gap between the rich and the poor has made society no longer healthy and balanced. Just as the entertainment industry is no longer accessible to the general public and diversified, the content is becoming increasingly scarce, to the point that there are fewer and fewer good songs and good movies."

"If no changes are made and the unique geographical advantages of free ports are not leveraged, relying solely on industries such as tourism, real estate, retail, and financial services will inevitably lead to a continued widening of the wealth gap. Young people will struggle to survive, let alone start businesses."

"Moreover, wealthy and powerful families are trying every means to pass on their wealth, prestige, and status to their descendants. Naturally, they will intentionally or unintentionally curb mass innovation, restrict social mobility, and cause society to lose its vitality."

Zhao Ruilong nodded silently.

The gap between the rich and the poor is too large, income distribution is uneven, and it is difficult for young people to get ahead.