Regarding the idea of investing in his hometown, Tan Jincheng had actually consulted with Dong Jinggui, Zhang Congxun, and even Ni Jie before coming.
Competition in the market is just competition; all competition is open and fair.
Although his peers and seniors were quite annoyed by Tan Jincheng's "dog-skin plaster" approach, they wouldn't let their emotions affect their private relationships.
Privately, Tan Jincheng's relationship with his peers and seniors was still quite good.
Everyone gave different answers.
Zhang Congxun's answer surprised Tan Jincheng a bit.
He didn't want to go back because Wencheng people liked to speculate in real estate, and he didn't want to enter that circle like them, so he couldn't be bothered to go back.
It wasn't that he had any issues with his hometown.
This really was beyond Tan Jincheng's expectation.
Tan Jincheng truly hadn't thought it would be this reason.
Zhang Congxun had no need to lie to Tan Jincheng about this, so the reason was unlikely to be false.
Dong Jinggui's hometown, like Tan Jincheng's, was a poor county in Wan Province, located in the hinterlands of the Dabie Mountains.
Its transportation conditions were even worse than Wangjiang's.
Its only advantage compared to Wangjiang was probably that his hometown was the largest county town in Wan Province by area, and its population was also among the top in the province.
Dong Jinggui naturally knew that Shanchi was going to build a third factory and was attracting investment from various places.
He also knew why Tan Jincheng was consulting him.
Since their hometowns were quite similar, Dong Jinggui's advice was essentially very valuable for reference.
"Building a factory in your hometown has both advantages and disadvantages. The reason you're hesitating is that the disadvantages are obvious: inconvenient transportation, incomplete supply chain, affecting corporate efficiency. But have you thought about the advantages?"
"The advantages are actually also very clear. Firstly, land and labor are much cheaper than in the city you are currently in. Secondly, by operating your factory in your hometown, you can build up some connections. When you want to return home for retirement someday, these connections will benefit you, your family, and even ambitious relatives, driving the development of the entire family."
"As for the business environment, it's quite elusive and unpredictable. What sounds good now might change in the future, and this happens everywhere. What we need to do is adapt."
Dong Jinggui did not directly say whether to go back or not, nor did he say if he would go back.
He simply presented the pros and cons before Tan Jincheng from an observer's perspective, letting him decide for himself.
Indeed, the disadvantages were very obvious, but the advantages were also very clear.
In his previous life, Tan Jincheng had only lived for 38 years.
He was middle-aged, but due to his relatively young mindset, he was far from the stage of considering retirement.
But in this life, he surely wouldn't just kick the bucket at 38 again, right?
And when he reached his twilight years, would he also miss his hometown like his parents did, wanting to return to his roots?
Tan Jincheng couldn't guarantee it.
As for worrying about "when the person leaves, the tea gets cold," there was no need.
Compared to its development in his previous life, today's Beicang had an additional Shanchi Group, so its trajectory would naturally be different.
Even if someone else took over, while they might not specifically target Shanchi, it's uncertain if it would retain its current status.
Furthermore, Shanchi's future focus was on automobiles.
By then, the electric vehicle business would definitely yield to the automobile business, and it wasn't impossible for it to relocate elsewhere.
And the regions undertaking industrial transfer would definitely be the central and western areas.
Instead of discussing it a few years later, it would be better to plan ahead now while the other party was full of sincerity.
In the future, due to the vigorous development of new energy vehicles, several cities in the eastern part of Wan Province gradually became automotive parts industrial bases, and Yicheng could also join them.
The real reason that prompted Tan Jincheng to put aside his reservations and return for a detailed discussion was a remark from Ni Jie.
Ni Jie was quite surprised that Tan Jincheng consulted him on this question, as his own enterprise was in his hometown.
But at the same time, he was happy, being a former teacher, he naturally felt a sense of affinity for such consultations.
"You rascal, you've been hounding me like a dog-skin plaster, and now you dare to come ask me this question? Aren't you afraid I'll trick you?"
"No, I'm not afraid. It's not too much for me to call you Teacher Ni now, is it? What teacher would trick their student?"
"Haha, you know how to talk, you rascal."
Like Dong Jinggui, Ni Jie also didn't give a specific answer.
Instead, he counter-questioned Tan Jincheng:
"Do you want to be an entrepreneur or a capitalist?"
Tan Jincheng was momentarily stunned.
Coming from a later era, he quickly understood the meaning.
However, since he asked, he had to satisfy the other party's sense of accomplishment and give them ample opportunity to express themselves, so that both could be happy.
"Is there a difference?"
"The primary goal of an enterprise is definitely profitability. It's understandable for you to consider which location is more suitable for building a factory from the perspective of the company's own development. However, the capitalist's goal is to make money by any means necessary, while an entrepreneur is different; an entrepreneur must have a certain sense of social responsibility."
"If you want to be a capitalist, enjoy life after making money, there's nothing wrong with that. Then just do what you think is beneficial to you."
"But if you want to be an entrepreneur and have fewer people curse you, you must consider a certain sense of social responsibility, even if it means your company's rapid development might slow down a bit."
Ni Jie then continued,
"I know you value efficiency in your work, and Shanchi's development is indeed very efficient. But sometimes, being a bit slower isn't necessarily a bad thing. Also, I know that your company's employee benefits and treatment are considered top-tier among local private enterprises. This shows that you are a businessman who can empathize with the grassroots of society, which is very rare."
"Furthermore, although you haven't publicized it, you've donated money in many places, especially a lot in education. In this regard, you are quite similar to the person in our province who sells mineral water; both pay attention to education."
"So, whether to be an entrepreneur or a capitalist, you already have the answer in your heart, don't you?"
The player is lost in the game, the onlooker sees clearly.
Indeed, whether to be an entrepreneur or a capitalist, Tan Jincheng already had the answer in his heart.
In Ni Jie's view, Tan Jincheng was a rare and valuable young man, hailing from Wannan, making his fortune in Zhe Province.
He had a gentle personality, was calm and composed, and was skilled in investment.
One could see this from his brilliant move with Zhongtai Auto, where he helped Beicang introduce an automobile factory by leveraging an automobile production qualification, while also securing a certain stake in the factory for himself.
As Zhongtai's first car became a hot seller, this matter had already spread widely in the automotive industry and also in investment circles, drawing exclamations of wonder.
Who would have thought that Zhongtai's predicament, the marketing plan that made Zhongtai a big seller, and its advertising slogans were all devised by a 20-year-old young man who had no connection to automobiles?
In addition, the recently popular Kaixinwang was also his investment.
Its valuation exceeded 100 million in just a few months, and venture capital firms were still scrambling to invest in it.
Furthermore, there was a series of operations in the electric vehicle industry chain, where he kept the core in his hands while collaborating with others on the rest.
Understanding the philosophy of trade-offs and win-win cooperation, beneath the seemingly high-profile promotion was a low-key approach to dealing with people and matters.
The promotion was merely for selling products.
This meant he embodied the qualities of both Huishang and Zheshang.
Unfortunately, he had not undergone systematic study, making him unable to think systematically when faced with problems.
This was also one of the reasons he introduced Tan Jincheng to Yongcheng University for study.
Ni Jie didn't want to see such an excellent young man's career go astray when faced with choices in the future.
One more competitor or one less competitor made little difference to Lüyuan; if not Shanchi, there would be someone else.
But an excellent entrepreneur could benefit many people.
What Shanchi had done in Beicang proved that Tan Jincheng had the potential to become an excellent entrepreneur.
——
"Today, I'm here in a private capacity to chat and talk with Uncle Tao."
As soon as Tan Jincheng entered, he got straight to the point, stopping Tao Qinian's idea of having Nie Yunlai arrange a meeting.
"Oh?"
Tao Qinian's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was pleasantly surprised.
From Tan Jincheng's directness and his address, he felt there was a good chance, a very good chance!
Earlier in Beicang, calling someone "uncle" was essentially a joke.
If there was no basis for cooperation between the two sides, then the matter would be out of the question.
"Uncle Tao, you might not know this, but I came back this time to introduce my girlfriend to my paternal grandparents and maternal grandparents,"
Tan Jincheng continued, taking the water cup Nie Yunlai handed him.
"Haha, congratulations! That's wonderful. Although you are still young, settling down earlier is more conducive to career advancement. The ancients said to marry and establish oneself."
"Haha, marriage is still a long way off. My girlfriend is still studying, and she might even pursue a master's degree, but we do feel quite stable."
Tao Qinian nodded without speaking.
Like many middle-aged people who had interacted with Tan Jincheng, while his business acumen made them marvel, they secretly gossiped quite a bit about the private life of such a young, wealthy, and good-looking magnate.
Rumors of scandals with Shanchi's beautiful spokesperson occasionally circulated online, but only they knew that Tan Jincheng had known his girlfriend since before he made his fortune, and their relationship had always been very stable.
Everyone in the business circle knew that Tan Jincheng would attend social events and play along for the occasion, but he would only take minor advantages.
His associate was the same.
Such self-control was rare, not just for energetic young people, but even for middle-aged individuals.
Therefore, they didn't believe the rumors about him and the spokesperson.
"Uncle Tao was full of sincerity on the phone, and this young man is very grateful and flattered."
"Not at all. Attracting investment inherently requires sincerity; it's what we should do, providing good service."
"So I also came with sincerity this time. To be honest, I haven't even gone home yet; I had my girlfriend go home with my parents."
"Haha, that truly shows great sincerity. I thank you on behalf of the county."
"I'm in a hurry to go home, so I won't beat around the bush with you, Uncle Tao. Besides, today is National Day, and it wouldn't be right to make you work overtime. Shanchi Technology can, in principle, establish an industrial park in Wangjiang. As for the subsequent cooperation agreements, I'll send someone over to discuss them in detail after National Day. What do you think, Uncle Tao?"
Tan Jincheng spoke very quickly, so quickly that it made people genuinely believe he was particularly eager to go home, just like a child rushing home for dinner.
Nie Yunlai, who was beside him, hadn't even reacted, and Tao Qinian was also stunned.
Was it settled just like that?
He had previously thought of various schemes to persuade Tan Jincheng, even going so far as to specifically promote a true fellow townsman of his to serve as a liaison, all to offer incentives while also fully playing the emotional card.
However, Tao Qinian had never imagined it would be this easy, so easy that it was unbelievable—a glass of water hadn't even been finished!
Regaining his composure, Tao Qinian stood up, extended his hand, and said with a smile,
"On behalf of the county and myself, I warmly welcome Mr. Tan to invest in his hometown. We will do everything possible to ensure the construction and operation of the Shanchi Wangjiang Industrial Park."
Shanchi's Mr. Tan was still Mr. Tan—still so highly efficient!
However, I like this kind of efficiency!
(End of chapter)