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Capítulo 2

Zhou Song was a little embarrassed: "I'm just one of the co-developers."

Qin Xiaoya: "You real estate people are really rich. According to your calculations, the total investment in this community is 230 million yuan."

Zhou Song seemed even more embarrassed: "Actually, the total start-up capital was only tens of millions. My investment was pieced together from various sources. The remaining gap was mostly from bank loans, a small part from the construction company's advance payment, and a part from the residents' pre-purchase deposits and advance payments."

Qin Xiaoya exclaimed again, "A 100% profit margin! It's so great to be able to get money from the bank. Individual business owners like us can't even get through the bank."

Part 1: The Deceitful Swindlers, Part 4: Who Moved My Money Bag?

When the topic shifted to banks, Feng Junzi was clearly more interested: "Financial capital is becoming increasingly concentrated these days, making it difficult for individual business owners like you to obtain working capital loans from banks, while it's very easy for Zhou Bapi."

Qin Xiaoya laughed and said, "How did Zhou Tuhao turn into Zhou Bapi again?"

Zhou Song laughed too: "You can't expect ivory to come out of a dog's mouth."

Qin Xiaoya: "You just said that the vast majority of funds for real estate investment come from banks. How is that possible?"

Zhou Song: "I'm afraid Feng Junzi can explain this issue more clearly than I can."

Feng Junzi asked Qin Xiaoya, "How much has the price of your house increased in the past six months? What has the bank interest rate been during the same period?"

Qin Xiaoya did the math: "My house has appreciated by more than 20% in the past six months, and even more if you calculate it over a year. During the same period, the bank deposit interest rate was only 2%, and the loan interest rate was no more than 6%."

Feng Junzi: "That's right. This is a negative interest rate phenomenon. Since the rate of increase in housing prices exceeds the rate of increase in bank loan interest rates, financial capital will naturally flow from banks into real estate in large quantities. You don't need to ask about the specific details, just understand the general environment."

Qin Xiaoya: "I understand a little now. Under these circumstances, many ordinary people are eager to buy houses. But what will happen in the future? Will it collapse like some people have said?"

Zhou Song: "Construction costs are very stable. The current fluctuations in housing prices mainly come from land prices. Real estate development in China is quite unique. Land is state-owned, and the government is the only lessor. It has a strong ability to control land prices. Don't worry too much for now. I can't see things too far in the future."

Feng Junzi seemed to be comforting Zhou Song: "Don't think too far ahead. I think you still have at least two more years of good days ahead of you."

Qin Xiaoya: "According to what you just said, Zhou Bapi can't really be considered Zhou Bapi, since the rise in land prices isn't his fault."

Zhou Song raised his glass to Qin Xiaoya and said, "You're the one who spoke up for me, so I'll toast you!"

Just as Qin Xiaoya was about to raise her glass, Feng Junzi suddenly said, "You think you're not a shrew? Didn't you develop a residential complex in Guangzhou a while ago?"

Zhou Song was completely baffled: "Yes, what's wrong?"

Feng Junzi continued, "I heard that a group of local thugs injured many holdouts who refused to relocate. Were the fees for hiring the thugs and the medical compensation included in your initial development costs?"

Qin Xiaoya put down her cup and looked at Zhou Song with a strange expression: "Zhou the Skinflint, I never thought you were this kind of person."

Zhou Song was caught off guard by Feng Junzi's sudden attack: "No—nothing like that."

Seeing Zhou Song's embarrassed expression, Feng Junzi was also taken aback. He wondered why he had said such a thing in front of Qin Xiaoya. Wasn't this clearly badmouthing Zhou Song? He quickly explained, "Actually, I was just joking. Xiaoya, don't take it seriously. Zhou Song would never do such a thing. Even if someone did it, it would have absolutely nothing to do with Zhou Song. Zhou Song was developing it in cooperation with others. Besides, he hasn't been in Guangzhou for a while."

Zhou Song's expression softened. Looking at Zhou Song and Qin Xiaoya, Feng Junzi suddenly felt a strange unease. He knew Zhou Song liked Xiaoya very much, and not just a casual liking, but Xiaoya also had feelings for Zhou Song—the kind of attraction between a man and a woman, just unspoken. Xiaoya was indeed a very lovely girl, and Feng Junzi himself wasn't without feelings for her. It was just a pity that Feng Junzi remembered Zhou Song's earlier discussion about real estate classification. According to this classification, if Zhou Song was a grand mansion, then Xiaoya was an exquisite villa, and what was he? At most, an ordinary residence, not even a proper frame, just a ring beam, only slightly better than brick and concrete.

Thinking about this, Feng Junzi finally understood why he had acted that way earlier, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Part 1: Deceit and Deception, Chapter 5: The Community on the Cemetery

Feng Junzi was a night owl, preferring to sleep late and wake up late. So, although he was a securities analyst, he almost never saw the stock market open; most of his work was around the close of trading. The next morning, while Feng Junzi was still fast asleep, his phone suddenly rang, the ringtone sounding urgent.

The call was from Zhou Song. As soon as Feng Junzi answered, Zhou Song blurted out, "Feng Junzi, I'm in trouble!"

Feng Junzi could only smile bitterly, because just yesterday, at almost the same time and under the same circumstances, he received the exact same phone call, except that the caller was Zhou Song again.

Feng Junzi: "Zhou Song, don't rush, speak slowly."

Zhou Song: "You know I developed a residential complex in Gwangju, right?"

Feng Junzi: "Yes, what's wrong? Is there some trouble in the neighborhood?"

Zhou Song spoke much more concisely than Qin Xiaoya: "Absolutely right, we've run into huge trouble. They dug up dead bodies while digging the foundation, not just one skeleton, and it looks like there are quite a few more underneath. Damn it! This land used to be a cemetery!"

...

Zhou Song didn't discuss the matter with Feng Junzi at the company; instead, he found a quiet teahouse private room and briefly recounted what had happened:

Zhou Song's real estate project in Gwangju was a joint development with someone named Zhao Dongshan. Zhao Dongshan is said to be a very influential and resourceful person in the area. By "resourceful," I mean that he had the means to acquire land at a very favorable price, and he used the land to cooperate with Zhou Song.

The cooperation was relatively simple. Zhao Dongshan owned two plots of land, roughly the same size, located in the south and north of Gwangju respectively. Both were newly developed areas in the city's urban planning, so many people were optimistic about their appreciation potential. The agreement between Zhao Dongshan and Zhou Song was as follows: Zhao Dongshan provided the land, while Zhou Song was responsible for demolition compensation, land leveling, and construction. Two residential complexes would be built on the two plots: the one in the south, called Shilin Residential Complex, was Zhao Dongshan's project, and the one in the north, called Hanlin Residential Complex, was Zhou Song's project.

This is a typical land-for-house cooperation. Zhou Song's disadvantage is that he has just entered the southern market and has no advantage in acquiring land. This can be considered a mutually beneficial cooperation that complements each other's strengths. Nominally, the two communities are jointly developed, and Zhao Dongshan is responsible for handling all the permits and procedures. In reality, they are independent of each other, and each is responsible for the publicity and sales of their own community.

After listening to Zhou Song's introduction, Feng Junzi tentatively asked, "We've only just started digging the foundation, and the project hasn't entered the major investment phase yet. Is it too late to terminate the cooperation now?"

Zhou Song shook his head: "It's too late. My Hanlin residential area has just broken ground, but the other party's Shilin residential area is already completed. I have already given Zhao Dongshan all of it, and the land use certificate for this cemetery has now been officially transferred to my name."

Upon hearing this situation, Feng Junzi also felt a headache coming on, and then asked, "Why didn't we develop them at the same time in the first place?"

Zhou Song sighed, "According to the agreement, the construction of Shilin Community cannot be later than that of my Hanlin Community. Only then did Zhao Dongshan agree to go through the land transfer procedures. The funds are also tight for starting construction on both communities at the same time. On the other hand, I was too clever for my own good."

Feng Junzi: "What kind of clever trick are you playing now?"

Zhou Song: "The two communities were designed by the same design firm and have basically the same plans. I wanted to see the market feedback after the opening of the other one so that I could make some appropriate modifications. More importantly, I think the surrounding real estate prices will rise, and they will probably rise to another level by the end of next year. So I intentionally postponed the opening date. Construction has only started now, and it is planned to be completed in the second half of next year."

Feng Junzi: "Did Zhao Dongshan know you had this plan all along?"

Zhou Song: "That's right, and we ended up falling into their trap."

Feng Junzi: "Is it possible that it wasn't a trap, but just a coincidence?"

Zhou Song: "Actually, there are many possibilities. It's possible that Zhao Dongshan knew about the problem with this land all along and intended to use it to exchange with me; it's also possible that Zhao Dongshan only discovered the problem after buying the land and set a trap for me; of course, it's also possible that the other party was completely unaware, but this possibility seems very small now, because I found signs that the land had been simply prepared. But it's too late to talk about anything now. No matter what the situation is, I'm already in deep trouble."

Feng Junzi seemed to be comforting Zhou Song, and continued, "Maybe the situation isn't as bad as you think. Just pretend you didn't find any dead bodies, and continue building your community as usual. Staying put is also a way to deal with things as they are."

Zhou Song said with a worried look, "You don't know that most people in the South believe in feng shui, especially when it comes to real estate. They are more superstitious than you think. Now the news has spread, and customers who had made reservations are asking to cancel their orders."

Feng Junzi: "Is the situation with unsubscribing serious?"

Zhou Song: "Let me put it this way. Originally, the sales of this community were expected to be very good. Before the opening, 77 units had already been reserved, but now 76 units want to cancel their reservations."

Feng Junzi didn't know how to comfort Zhou Song, so he said, "Look, not all the people of Guangzhou are superstitious. Isn't there still one household that hasn't returned?"

Zhou Song looked up at Feng Junzi and said, seemingly reluctantly, "That apartment belongs to Qin Xiaoya. She said she's interested in expanding her business to the south in the future, and I booked this apartment for her."

Feng Junzi sighed inwardly. He had been wondering about the extent of Zhou Song's feelings for Qin Xiaoya, and now it seemed they were more than just ordinary friends. If Qin Xiaoya had accepted Zhou Song's proposal, it meant she was prepared to accept Zhou Song as a person. However, he didn't want to discuss this with Zhou Song.

“Not everyone is superstitious. The biggest worry for many newlyweds is buying a house. If your neighborhood is cheaper than the surrounding properties, statistically speaking, there will definitely be people who don’t mind, especially young people who are willing to buy your house,” Feng Junzi analyzed positively for Zhou Song.

Zhou Song smiled wryly and said, "What you said is true, but a price reduction that's too small won't make a difference, and a price reduction that's too large is no different from forcing me into bankruptcy. You know how real estate profits are made. This whole complex has a total building area of 180,000 square meters. Every 100 yuan reduction is 18 million yuan. Do you understand that concept?"

Zhou Song, ever the shrewd one, remained silent for a moment, then continued, "This complex was originally expected to sell for an average of 4,200 yuan per square meter. If it drops below 4,000, I'll barely make any profit. In fact, I originally projected that the price would be around 4,500 by the end of next year. Now, even if we follow your idea, we'd be lucky to sell it for a little over 3,000. After all, this is a huge investment for every family, and everyone is wary of such things. If that's the case, I might as well quit before construction even starts; that way, I'll lose less money."

Feng Junzi wasn't as pessimistic as Zhou Song: "If you quit now, how much will you lose?"

Zhou Song: "It's no different from bankruptcy. I've already invested at least 200 million yuan in the land leveling, design and planning of these two plots, plus the construction of Zhao Dongshan's Shilin residential area. Now all I have is this cemetery plot, and I don't know how much it's worth. To be honest, all my personal assets are only tens of millions. Real estate is about rolling development. If the cash flow dries up, I can only wait to die. It's better to die sooner rather than later."

Feng Junzi frowned: "You're wrong. Everyone has to die sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. Of course, it's better to die later than sooner. At least you seem to be fine now. If you really go bankrupt, is there any difference between owing 100 million and owing 300 million? In your situation, you have no other choice but to grit your teeth and keep going, and wait for things to turn around during this year."

Zhou Song felt that Feng Junzi's words made some sense, so he looked up and asked Feng Junzi, "What you said makes sense. There's no difference between owing 100 million and owing 300 million. At that point, money is just a number. But in this situation, will the bank continue to lend me money?"

Feng Junzi: "This is the priority of things. We can only think about sales in the future. Right now, you should focus on the bank's work to ensure that there are no problems with funding so that the project can continue to operate."

Zhou Song: "This is indeed one of the options."

Feng Junzi: "What about the second option?"

Zhou Song: "I'll pack up my belongings, take the money and leave, and find a place to start the rest of my life anew."

Feng Junzi smiled bitterly. He had heard of developers running away with the money, and he always despised such behavior. He never thought that Zhou Song might also end up like this. It seems that every family has its own troubles. However, he could not advise Zhou Song to do this. He could only say in a firm tone, "This is a last resort. You can think of something else if you really have no other choice. You are a person who has been through many storms. If you want to hold your head high for the rest of your life, you should find a way to deal with everything in front of you."

Zhou Song seemed to be persuaded by Feng Junzi and continued, "I can handle the bank's affairs, but there is a problem right now. Whether it's out of morality or karma, I can't build houses on top of dead people. But we don't know where there are still dead people buried. I can't dig up the entire community's land. The cost would be too high, and we don't even know how deep we would have to dig."

Feng Junzi thought for a moment and decided to persuade him to the end. He said in a relaxed tone, "This is easy. Every burial site has traces. The soil color and soil layer distribution in places with burial sites will have characteristics. Find someone knowledgeable and they can tell at a glance. You don't need to turn the whole neighborhood upside down."

Zhou Song seemed surprised and asked Feng Junzi, "You know about archaeology? How come I've never heard you mention it?"

Feng Junzi: "I don't know anything about archaeology, but I have studied tomb raiding. When I went back to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors two years ago, I even went to investigate several ancient tombs that had been looted. I can handle your little problem."

Zhou Song looked at Feng Junzi with surprise, as if he had found a glimmer of hope, and quickly asked him, "Then can you also do feng shui?"

Feng Junzi: "I'm not superstitious, but I have studied some traditional geomancy. You know I'm into metaphysics."

Zhou Song grabbed Feng Junzi's hand and said urgently, "Then can I ask you for a favor?"

Feng Junzi smiled bitterly to himself. He knew what Zhou Song wanted him to do. Since he had caused all this trouble, he might as well take the initiative and said, "I can go to Guangzhou for you and take a look at that piece of land. You should hurry up and finalize the bank matter so that there are no problems."

Zhou Song felt a little relieved and said to Feng Junzi, "Then can you go tomorrow? If necessary, you can invite another expert to go with you. I will pay for it. Don't be shy."

When Zhou Song mentioned the word "fees," Feng Junzi suddenly remembered Qin Xiaoya's matter from yesterday and hurriedly said, "I can run errands for you without any problem, but even if the sky falls, you have to solve Xiaoya's matter first. Otherwise, if you really go bankrupt, who will I ask to help Xiaoya? I'm leaving tomorrow, so you have to handle this matter today."

Zhou Song said, "Do you need to remind me? I've already prepared the checks."

Feng Junzi: "Since that's the case, I'll help you run the errand one more time. I'll deliver the money to Xiaoya now. Do you want an IOU?"

Zhou Song pondered for a moment and said, "An IOU? Well—we won't need one, will we?"

Feng Junzi: "Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, let alone—sigh! You be the good guy, and I'll be the bad guy. I'll go and draft a loan agreement for Xiaoya to sign, and then I'll send it to you."

Just as Feng Junzi was about to leave, Zhou Song suddenly asked again, "Feng Junzi, have you ever robbed a tomb?"

Feng Junzi replied irritably, "No!"

Part 1: Deceitful Deceptions, Chapter 6: Professor Song, Folklorist

After finishing his business with Qin Xiaoya, Feng Junzi realized it was still early and he wasn't in the mood to work. He wanted to find a place to relax or chat with someone when a thought suddenly struck him: Professor Song. Professor Song's full name was Song Zhaonan, and he was a professor at the University of Finance and Economics, but he didn't teach finance; he was a professor in the social sciences department.

When the wave of entrepreneurship first surged, universities specializing in finance and economics were among the first to be impacted. Initially, these university elites aimed to apply their knowledge by venturing into business themselves, but most were unsuccessful. However, being elites, they later changed their strategies. Those with less connections started organizing various certification and certification training courses, while those with more connections joined think tanks of government agencies or large corporations. The power of knowledge as money began to manifest itself, and most of them achieved a comfortable standard of living ahead of schedule.

However, Song Zhaonan was an exception at the beginning. In a market economy, the social science department of a finance and economics university held a somewhat awkward position. Song Zhaonan, who studied Marxism-Leninism, didn't have many ways to make money, which earned him a lot of disapproving looks from his wife. Lamenting his bad luck, Song Zhaonan began to pay attention to metaphysics, which is how he met Feng Junzi.

Feng Junzi once read Song Zhaonan's face and comforted him with a mix of deception and bluff: "You will experience many ups and downs before you are forty, but you will achieve great success after forty. Don't worry now, you will have your day of triumph sooner or later."

Unexpectedly, Feng Junzi's guess was correct. After entering the 21st century, social trends seemed to have undergone a subtle shift. Overnight, local leaders all seemed to have adopted the concept of city management. Various international cultural activities held in the name of the government suddenly proliferated, and developing so-called tourism industries and attracting investment under the guise of folk culture became fashionable. Song Zhaonan's academic standing became important again. His specialty was no longer revolutionary theory, but traditional culture and folklore. He was not only promoted from associate professor to full professor, but also frequently attended various festivals and celebrations held by local governments, becoming an important expert and guest. He was no longer the Song Zhaonan who had been bullied by his wife, but the renowned folklorist, Professor Song.

Professor Song happened to have no classes today and hadn't participated in any activities, so he was quite happy to have Feng Junzi come over for a chat. Of course, Feng Junzi's visit wasn't just for casual conversation; he had questions for Professor Song. Although he disapproved of Song Zhaonan's trick of talking about foreign things to Chinese people and Chinese things to foreigners, he also knew that Professor Song was indeed more knowledgeable than himself.

After listening to Feng Junzi's story, Professor Song was also very interested in what Feng Junzi had encountered in the past two days. In a scholarly tone, he said to Feng Junzi, "First, let's talk about the matter of those five thousand pairs of left-foot leather shoes. I seem to have heard of such a thing before."

Feng Junzi: "What? You've heard of the same thing? What exactly happened?"

Professor Song: "Don't rush, let me explain slowly. This seems to be a case study from a finance class, about legal tax avoidance. I can't remember which country it happened in, but the situation is as follows:"

"The tariffs in a certain country are very high, especially for high-end clothing. Someone wanted to import a batch of high-end leather gloves, but wanted to avoid the tariffs, so he came up with a plan. He first imported a batch of gloves through customs, but the packaging only contained left-hand gloves. The remaining right-hand gloves were also packaged separately and sent directly from abroad to customs, but he did not pick them up."

Feng Junzi was very interested upon hearing this, and he quickly asked, "What happened next?"

Professor Song said calmly, "If goods stay in the customs warehouse for more than a certain period of time, they will be treated as unclaimed goods according to local regulations, and the disposal method is public auction. Who would buy a glove that only has a right hand? So the disposal price is very low. In the end, the importer will naturally buy it back himself. The purchase price is much lower than the original customs duty. That's roughly how things went."

Feng Junzi sighed, "It seems that swindlers all have a lineage. They may have been inspired by this case to come up with this trick. Although the methods are different, they are similar in principle."

Professor Song said calmly, "These two things are different. These five thousand pairs of left-foot leather shoes are obviously a targeted trap. You'd better ask your friend Qin Xiaoya if there is anyone who wants to deal with her. There's always a reason for strange things."

Feng Junzi: "What you said has reminded me. I will remind Xiaoya."