Chapter 1289: 890 Magical Realism
Houhai Park.
A thin mist shrouded the morning light.
Jiang Chen sohow managed to find an old-fashioned 28-bike with a distinctly vintage feel. Along the way, it drew countless curious gazes.
If it were the butterfly bicycle from River City, it probably wouldn’t have been as eye-catching.
Much like the last ti he exercised with Cao Jinse, the number of early risers engaged in morning fitness was considerable in this Capital City. Struggling survivors were as plentiful as river perch, but there was no shortage of people enjoying life, too.
After getting tired from riding, they rested for a while. This ti, Cao Jinse wasn’t here—nor was her inseparable Taoist nun sister. Only two n from different generations remained.
The two strolled leisurely, pushing their bicycles.
“You’re in pretty good shape.”
Seeing Jiang Chen’s calm deanor, unflustered and breathing normally, the man in his fifties smiled and complinted him.
“You’re not bad yourself.”
Jiang Chen returned the gesture politely, reciprocating the complint.
“When I was in college, every weekend I’d ride from campus all the way here, take a tour, and ride back again. Now, after just a short ride, I already feel exhausted.”
Without an entourage or secretary, the man pushing his bike alone had a down-to-earth aura. Unlike today, where PhDs and Master’s degree holders might beco city inspectors or food delivery workers, back in his era, college students were unequivocally the Heavenly Pride.
“You rode here from Kyoto University?”
Jiang Chen’s face showed genuine amazent and awe—his reaction was authentic, devoid of any trace of pretense.
The other man seed oblivious to any ulterior motives. Pushing a bike, not the sa vintage 28-bike but still an unremarkable one, his face showed nostalgia as he walked and reminisced aloud: “Today’s young generation can hardly imagine it. Back in our ti, just going to school, especially in rural areas, might an getting up at the crack of dawn, even before the roosters crowed, walking dozens of miles down mountain roads, and then walking back again after class. Once ho, you’d probably have to head to the fields to help the adults with farm work.”
While Jiang Chen had suffered his share of hardships, they definitely couldn’t compare to those of that era.
Perhaps this is why he maintained such an optimistic and determined outlook, never once harboring resentnt toward fate.
Just as the book said:
When you cry because you have no shoes, you should rember that there are people in the world who have no feet.
The reminiscing man abruptly fell silent, turning to look at Jiang Chen, his gaze carrying a trace of suspicion.
“How did you know I went to Kyoto University?”
Sharp indeed.
Jiang Chen said nothing.
Sui Huimin, who had crossed paths with him before, laughed and said, “Looks like you did your howork this ti.”
Last ti at the Old Daogawa River, Jiang Chen had been completely in the dark and needed Cao Jinse’s introduction, which had been quite embarrassing. This ti, he seed “improved.”
“You went to Dong University, didn’t you?”
Jiang Chen nodded.
“I visited Dong University a few tis during my tenure in East Sea, but back then, you were probably still in middle school.”
In truth, there wasn’t much effort required; the man’s resu was publicly available online.
“The school still preserves photos of your inspection from back then.”
Jiang Chen was obviously bluffing; he’d never seen those photos, but sotis you don’t need firsthand proofs for such things.
Even Sui Huimin, whom even Cao Jinse treated with caution and respect, chuckled lightly before saying, “Your photos might already be hanging on Dong University’s walls now, don’t you think?”
Jiang Chen replied calmly, “Not yet, so I’ll still have to work hard.”
Sui Huimin’s smile deepened.
The small joke seed to make the already-close distance between the two shrink even further.
“Cao Yatou has already told about your situation.”
Sui Huimin said, “Do you want to hear how she evaluates you?”
Jiang Chen, pushing the vintage 28-bike that could easily belong in a museum, replied, “Not really.”
His unexpected answer clearly caught the other man off guard. He paused, glanced at the uniquely different Jiang Chen, and his laughter returned.
“If you don’t want to hear it, then forget it. After all, one person has a thousand faces in the eyes of a thousand people.”
Jiang Chen said nothing, quietly listening.
Sui Huimin stopped walking, parked his bike, and took out a water bottle.
Jiang Chen stopped as well.
“Alright, tell —what’s the matter?”
After taking a sip of water, Sui Huimin asked calmly.
He knew this wouldn’t be about the collaboration previously ntioned at Old Daogawa River.
Even if the young man was impatient, Cao Yatou would have stopped him.
Could it be about the increasingly chaotic delivery competition? The man glanced at the composed Jiang Chen, unable to suppress his curiosity.
Even Cao Yatou had said she wasn’t sure.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t be disappointed.
Jiang Chen gripped the bike handlebar, turned, steady and calm. “I wanted to talk to you about… Hengsheng Group.”
Hengsheng Group?
Sui Huimin’s expression flickered slightly—a minor shift visible on soone like him was enough to reveal his inner shock.
“Hengsheng Group?”
He confird.
Jiang Chen nodded.
“Do you have connections to Hengsheng Group?”
Sui Huimin’s expression returned to calm as he asked.
“No. It’s just that not long ago, I bought a piece of land in River City that Hengsheng Group had planned to develop but left idle. I’m planning to build Xinghuo dical Center there.”
Whether or not the other man was aware of Xinghuo dical’s existence, ntioning it wouldn’t hurt.
“Go on.”
Sui Huimin’s expression revealed nothing. His unreadable deanor made it impossible to guess his thoughts.
“That piece of land was originally ant for comrcial housing. But Hengsheng Group, after acquiring the land, only built a gate and sold all the units. By the ti I took over, the land hadn’t even been cleared of weeds.”
Sui Huimin remained impassive. Facing Jiang Chen’s gaze, he wordlessly gestured with his eyes for him to continue.
“When I visited, the local governnt was at its wits’ end. I didn’t et the hoowners who had purchased property there, but I heard they’ve appeared in the local news several tis.”
Jiang Chen recounted what he had seen and heard, “What I’ve seen is likely just the tip of the iceberg. There must be many similar situations to River City’s Yankou plot.”
“The situation with Hengsheng Group has already been disclosed through official channels. You’re likely aware.”
Sui Huimin finally spoke.
Jiang Chen nodded. “That’s exactly what I wanted to discuss with you.”
As a leading real estate giant, Hengsheng Group’s colossal scale was self-evident. Its founder had once claid the mantle of the nation’s richest person.
A massive ship is hard to steer.
When real estate loses its sheen, the first to bear the brunt naturally tends to be industry-leading firms like Hengsheng Group.
Their issues weren’t “blow-ups.” They were avalanches. The founder and a group of executives had already been formally arrested, and then ca the bombshell revelation: a trillion-yuan debt crisis!
That’s right.
A bona fide trillion in debt!
If it hadn’t been officially announced by governnt news outlets, anyone would consider it re fantasy.
How many companies in the world have a market cap exceeding a trillion yuan?
The Kangaroo Corporation rged, burnt through cash offering employee housing, and only managed to return to the trillion-yuan valuation club.
Yet Hengsheng Group’s debts exceeded a trillion—equal to the market value of an entire Kangaroo Corporation!
What a surreal dose of realism.
And most damningly, this astronomical debt was blatantly beyond Hengsheng Group’s ability to repay.
Yankou’s unfinished developnt had already left the local governnt choking on a bone, sleepless and restless.
But what about the trillion-sized hole?
The one left struggling in the aftermath would likely be the nation itself.
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