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

Chapter 323 A Greedy Two-Faced Man! Even in Struggle, There Must Be a Bottom Line!

"what happened?"

Why are you afraid to make a phone call?

Gu Maoyuan put down his hand and looked at his son Gu Jinyang with a smile.

"I'm afraid you already have the answer in your heart!"

The voice just fell.

Gu Jinyang picked up his phone, quickly unlocked it, and called back.

"Hey Lao Wei, when are you going to return my bank card?"

"What do you mean 'a few days'? Can't you just bring it to my house first thing tomorrow morning?"

"You're not in Yanjing? When are you coming back? I need it urgently!"

"Didn't I tell you before? My college classmates and I started a game company together."

"Yes, yes, just those few. I think they're doing quite well, and the market is good right now, so I'm planning to invest some money."

"You'll be back next Wednesday, right? Okay, I'll talk to them. But are you sure all the dividends I've been entitled to over the years are still in that card? Alright, see you next week!"

The moment Gu Jinyang hung up the phone, his smile vanished.

With a thud, he slammed his phone on the table, grabbed a cigarette case, and lit another cigarette.

He took a deep breath, his brows furrowed deeply.

Sitting to the side, Gu Maoyuan knew that no further words were needed.

The son is now convinced that his former good brother and savior, Wei Guanghong, has long since become a greedy and audacious gambling addict.

Do you think he'll be able to return my bank card next Wednesday?

Gu Jinyang suddenly asked with a cold laugh.

Gu Maoyuan couldn't help but laugh:

"He'll definitely return your bank card, but as for the money in it... that's hard to say!"

"Don't listen to his promise on the phone just now that all the dividends you've been entitled to over the years are in your account."

"I reckon the dividends you're entitled to were either lost at the casino in Haomen or diverted to other places."

"Of course, it's only Saturday today, and there are still three or four days until next Wednesday. He should be able to scrape together some money and transfer it to your card."

"If he tells you to your face that he's been busy with business lately and is a little short on cash, so he borrowed some money from your card, are you going to yell at him on the spot?"

Gu Jinyang nodded silently.

Based on his understanding of Wei Guanghong.

He's already become quite cunning, so he'll definitely say that when the time comes.

The bank card will be given to me, but there definitely won't be enough money in it.

After all, his father held a high position of power, in charge of the general logistics of the army.

To him, he was like a god of wealth that he couldn't easily offend.

Taking another deep drag of his cigarette, Gu Jinyang asked curiously:

"Don't Lao Wei's parents care about him now that he's become like this?"

"Why should we care? Their whole family is corrupt!"

At this point, Gu Maoyuan turned around, raised his hand, and pointed to the west.

"Aren't you two best buddies?"

"Has he never taken you to his luxurious courtyard house?"

Gu Jinyang's eyes widened, and he shook his head violently.

This was the first time he had ever heard that his good brother Wei Guanghong and his family actually lived in a courtyard house.

Within the Third Ring Road of Beijing, land is already incredibly valuable.

Independent courtyard houses located next to the former imperial palace are extremely rare.

Because the courtyards in the alleys had long been inhabited by many families, they had become dirty and smelly tenements.

Many families are crammed into tiny rooms of just over ten square meters, and they can only use public outhouses, which are just makeshift sheds in the corners.

A large pit was dug in the shed, a vat was buried inside, and then two stone slabs were placed on top for footing. Every so often, a night soil collector had to clean it. Normally, one had to cough once before going to the toilet, and could only enter if no one responded.

To relocate dozens or even hundreds of people from such a large courtyard, then demolish and renovate it into an antique-style courtyard house, requires not only a lot of money but also considerable connections and influence.

The key is……

They've already built an antique-style courtyard house, but what about the interior design and furnishings?

It has to be like the ancient kings and nobles, with all sorts of rare antiques and paintings, making the interior extremely luxurious, right?

At this stage, there is no upper limit to how much money you can spend.

Even just getting a complete set of imported furniture, appliances, kitchen and bathroom equipment would cost astronomical sums.

Not to mention Wei Guanghong's father, who is particularly fond of drinking Moutai, so his family must have a wine cellar to collect a large quantity of Moutai.

Wei Guanghong's mother has a great fondness for gold, so various pure gold artworks are naturally indispensable.

I remember one year on her mother's birthday, Wei Guanghong said he used more than ten kilograms of gold to make a Buddha statue for her.

"Uh... he didn't take you with him, probably because it was just installed not long ago and they need to let it air out!"

Gu Maoyuan gave an awkward laugh and then stubbed out his cigarette.

"But he never mentioned to you that his family owned a courtyard house?"

Gu Jinyang shook his head again.

"It wasn't mentioned. Actually, we haven't seen each other for quite a long time."

"And even if we meet, he's unlikely to tell me, right? Wouldn't that be showing off?"

Gu Maoyuan nodded slightly.

"That's true, but I think it's best to be on the safe side and keep a little distance from him."

"Otherwise, with his crazy accumulating of wealth and extravagant lifestyle, even if he does it very discreetly, he might be exposed one day."

"If it were exposed, it's estimated that several trucks would be needed to carry all the valuable collections, foreign currency, and fine cigarettes and liquors!"

"The amount of money involved is so terrifying, so I'm telling you upfront, he'll just have to accept his fate. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to shut him up!"

Having said all he could say, Gu Maoyuan said no more.

He believed that with his son's intelligence, he must know what was more important.

In this life, how many truly loyal friends can you find?

Many people talk about friendship, but they are actually scheming in their hearts.

When there is something to be gained or used, they are naturally very close, almost inseparable.

Gu Maoyuan, who was able to rise to the rank of general, was undoubtedly a shrewd and cunning individual.

He believed that like father, like son, and that his son, Gu Jinyang, would be better at assessing situations than he was.

Knowing that all these years of care for Wei Guanghong has been enough to repay the life-saving grace from back then.

If he continues to act recklessly and without restraint, then we must act decisively to avoid being implicated.

As for Gu Jinyang...

He stared blankly at the computer screen.

He took one drag of his cigarette in silence.

After a long while, he said with some regret:

“His hometown is Shengyang in Northeast China. His maternal grandparents were both steelworkers, so he would go there for a period of time every year. He can be considered a half-factory kid.”

"He once told me that the steelworkers used to have a very comfortable life. Not only were their wages and bonuses high, but their welfare benefits were also excellent. The school, hospital, and movie theater in the factory were practically free."

"Moreover, the children of factory workers don't have to worry about their future, because after their parents retire, their children can take over their jobs. It's like having a secure job with the state, and life is very comfortable."

"Many people dream of living a stable and comfortable life until the country shifts from a planned economy to a market economy, and many state-owned enterprises, which are bloated, overstaffed, and inefficient, begin to reform."

"He said that after the wave of layoffs began, the once vibrant factory area seemed to have lost its vitality, becoming lifeless and quickly dilapidated and old, and the workers seemed to have lost their souls."

"The small number of people who were not persuaded to leave have to do work that is harder and more tiring than before, and even more harmful to their health. In the end, they can barely earn a few hundred yuan a month, and even then, the factory may not be able to pay them on time."

"Those who are persuaded to resign or dismissed have a miserable life. They can't find new jobs, so they have to set up street stalls or drive tricycles. In temperatures of minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, they have to do small businesses to make a living. So some people who can't endure hardship start to commit crimes."

"The men steal, kidnap, rob, and cheat, while the women sell themselves. Their husbands not only know about it, but they even pick them up and drop them off early in the morning and late at night. They can't do business and dare not do shady things, so they can only live on the three hundred yuan unemployment benefit each month."

“He went back home last winter. As soon as he got off the train, someone held a knife to his lower back and robbed him of his bag. Later, he found out it was someone he knew. After talking to him, he realized that he had no other way to make money, so he took the risk.”

Gu Jinyang flicked his cigarette ash and glanced at his father sideways.

"He spoke to me with great emotion about how difficult and miserable the lives of laid-off workers were. It was really touching."

“When he talked about how some laid-off workers couldn’t accept it, and how they made poisoned dumplings on New Year’s Eve, resulting in the death of their entire family, he even teared up.”

He also said that he particularly hated himself for not having enough financial resources and ability, otherwise he would have made sure that hundreds of millions of laid-off workers could live a stable life without worrying about food and clothing.

Gu Maoyuan snorted coldly.

"But what's the result?"

"He pretends to be a compassionate and kind person in front of you, but secretly he's making a fortune and gambling heavily!"

"If he had any conscience at all, he could have donated tens or hundreds of millions of yuan to make life much better for the laid-off workers who worked in the same factory as his grandparents. But how could he bear to do that?"

"Over the years, the tens of millions of laid-off workers have only been relieved of enormous pressure thanks to government support and the absorption of private enterprises. Once China joins the WTO and its economy takes off, employment will no longer be a problem!"

Gu Jinyang chuckled and shook his head.

After taking a deep drag of his cigarette, he raised his hand and stubbed it out.

"Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore, the more we talk about it, the further we stray from the topic!"

"Anyway, I'll keep my distance from him from now on."

"I came back to see you today because I want to know the countermeasures you discussed with Elder Ge and the others."

Gu Maoyuan casually asked with a smile, "So what do you think of our strategy?"

Gu Jinyang said with some disdain, "To be honest, it's really not that good!"

“You were too conservative before, and now that you can’t compete, you’ve become too aggressive.”

"For example, in the economic field, Zhao Ruilong and his team have always had a clear goal: to improve productivity through reform and promote industrial transformation and upgrading through technology introduction and independent innovation."

"And what about you? You used to be terrified of reform, fearing it would cause mass unemployment and chaos, but now you're eager to expand opening up and rely on foreign investment and trade to drive economic development."

"But have you ever considered that international capital isn't stupid? They will come and invest heavily, but what they'll transfer to us are just the low- to mid-end industries that their own people are unwilling to engage in."

"They just want to take advantage of our cheap raw materials and labor, seize our huge domestic market, and make huge profits. They will not give us the most advanced technology to help us achieve industrial transformation and upgrading. Instead, they will suppress our local enterprises and national brands."

Gu Maoyuan forced a smile.

"But their investment in factories and various businesses can greatly boost employment, contribute tax revenue, and improve management, allowing all sectors of our industry to better integrate into the global trade system!"

"Of course, I also know that they are here to exploit us, to make us a sweatshop, to provide them with cheap low- and mid-range industrial products, and to be a dumping ground for their various high-tech products."

"They will also inevitably use means to influence our ideology, causing many people to develop a worshipful mentality towards the strong, and thus invest, travel, study, and settle in their country, or even become their lackeys with a clear conscience."

“But son, if our Dragon Kingdom is to grow and become stronger, and if our more than one billion people are to achieve a moderately prosperous life, we cannot be afraid of competition or worry about Westerners causing trouble, so we cannot be afraid to open our doors to business or integrate into the global trade system.”

"Just like how you might encounter storms and huge waves when you go out to sea, does that mean fishermen won't go out to fish? If there's a storm, we just need to avoid it. Even if there are big winds and waves, you can catch more fish the deeper you go into the ocean..."

Gu Jinyang couldn't listen any longer and hurriedly interrupted, saying:

"I didn't say it shouldn't be open to the public!"

"I am well aware of the disastrous consequences of closing the country off from the world."

"What I mean is, if we want our country to be strong and our people to be prosperous, and if we want to become a high-tech power, we can't rely on foreign investment."

"Sooner or later they will try every means to suppress, sanction, block and encircle us, prevent our industrial upgrading and impact on the high-end manufacturing field, and even vilify and belittle us ideologically and culturally."

"If we don't buy their chips, high-speed rail, machine tools, airplanes, medical equipment, etc., and instead compete with them for the global market, how can they continue to reap huge profits and provide high welfare for their citizens?"

"If we don't watch their blockbuster movies, don't buy their expensive products, don't travel and shop there, and don't get fooled by them when we study abroad, how can they make money off us and still look down on us?"

"In my opinion, if we really want our country to be strong and our people to be prosperous, we still need to follow the path taken by Zhao Ruilong and his team: self-reliance and independent innovation, firmly grasping high-tech industries in our own hands, while inheriting and promoting our excellent cultural traditions, and confidently and inclusively going global."

Gu Maoyuan frowned.

I never expected that my own son would actually admire the ideology of my opponent.

If it were anyone else, he would have been furious and confronted them on the spot, but this was his own son!

"Non-my family, its heart must be different!"

"Those high and mighty Westerners only want to exploit and oppress us; they have no chance of helping us!"

"Therefore, in the long run, if we want to surpass the West and achieve national strength and prosperity, we cannot rely on others; we must rely on ourselves!"

"But son, you must also know that our country is still very poor and underdeveloped. In the vast rural areas, there are still hundreds of millions of people who are just barely able to make ends meet, and many people are facing difficulties in accessing medical care and education."

"In order to improve their lives and earn more money, hundreds of millions of young people have to leave their hometowns to work and do business in the city. Countless children have become left-behind children in rural areas, and many of them even have to walk more than ten miles of mountain road to go to school."

"If we want more people to live and work in peace and contentment in the cities, and we also want to change the backward state of rural areas, we have to do everything we can to develop the economy and create as many jobs as possible."

"Therefore, we not only need to do business with the whole world, but also need to absorb a lot of capital and technology. Only when we develop and become rich can we have the right to talk about dignity. Otherwise, if we are dirt poor, we can't talk about self-reliance and self-improvement!"

Gu Jinyang laughed and said, "I didn't say your path is bad, it's just that theirs is relatively better. And even if we follow your path, once we develop to a certain level, we will have to take the path of self-reliance and self-strengthening so that our country can have a better future."

"However, our Dragon Kingdom is large enough and urgently needs development, so I think we can pursue both paths simultaneously, but the premise is that they do not interfere with or suppress each other, and even if there is competition, it must be fair and just."

"Just like some comprador enterprises, they can't rely on foreign powers to enhance their own influence. Instead of working hard to develop core technologies, they only know how to buy, buy, buy, while deceiving consumers and slandering and suppressing national brands."

Gu Maoyuan raised an eyebrow, instantly knowing which companies his son was referring to.

Looking back, the Computer Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the leadership of Academician Li Guangnan, founded a company and developed extremely rapidly.

From processors to operating systems, from monitors to switches... China has completely achieved domestic production of computers, and sales are quite good.

However, later, some people who firmly believed in the idea that "it's better to buy than to make" seized power and then abandoned their own capabilities, buying core components and system software from abroad, seemingly only wanting to be an assembly plant.

Electronic information technology is evolving rapidly; if we don't keep up, we'll fall far behind in just a few years.

Fortunately, Zhao Ruilong appeared like a divine intervention, enabling China to develop rapidly again and even catch up with the West while the West was affected by the bursting of the dot-com bubble.

Otherwise, the games my son loves to play now are probably developed by foreign companies, and the computers he uses are also manufactured by foreign companies...

There are already many comprador enterprises in many industries that do not pursue self-reliance and strength, but only care about short-term interests, or even seek profits for foreigners, and there will certainly be many more in the future.

While they may seem to have created many jobs and contributed a lot of tax revenue, they have been using various means such as dumping at low prices, patent restrictions, and defamation to continuously suppress the rise of national brands.

"Don't worry, son. We want to win, but we still have some bottom lines."

"Anyone who breaks the rules, acts recklessly, or even harms the country and its people, becoming a traitor to the nation, I'll personally kill him!!"