Chapter 1382 - 1376: Dispute
Lin Chuan noticed that although everyone responded with applause, some of the people sitting on the right side of the conference table only had an indifferent attitude.
A hint of doubt flashed in his mind, wondering whether these people were ones he had inadvertently offended before, or if they simply weren't impressed by his achievements.
"And this lady is Tang Yumeng, former secretary of Jiangbei City and now serving as an executive director of Sichuan University Group," Su Yonghua introduced Tang Yumeng again.
On the contrary, Tang Yumeng's beauty made everyone's applause for her even more enthusiastic, especially a middle-aged man at the head of the right side, whose eyes flashed with a greedy look towards Tang Yumeng, although he cleverly concealed it, it did not escape Lin Chuan's eyes.
It was just that now they were here as guests; there was no need to make enemies just because of a glance. It would also affect the dignity of the entire Chinese business community.
"Alright, Mr. Lin, Ms. Tang, let me introduce you to someone. This is another vice president of our chamber of commerce, Mr. Ma Chenggong. I think Mr. Lin shouldn't be unfamiliar with the name Peak Group?" Su Yonghua pointed to the middle-aged man with inappropriate eyes on Tang Yumeng and introduced him.
"Peak Group!" Lin Chuan looked at him carefully in surprise; he certainly wouldn't be unfamiliar with this name.
It could even be said that in the entire Chinese business world, no one would be unfamiliar with this name. It was the number one real estate company in China after the former Hua Da Real Estate! Its strong strength is unmatched, except for a very few state-owned enterprises with a strong monopoly nature!
And the chairman of Peak Group, Xia Lingfeng, is also a legendary figure in the Chinese business world!
Although the person in front of him was not the chairman of Peak Group, being able to hold the position of vice president in the American Chinese Chamber of Commerce, his background was certainly not insignificant.
To look further, as another vice president, Su Yonghua was probably not a simple character either!
"Indeed, this is the Deputy General Manager of Peak Group." For such a person, Lin Chuan naturally could not be negligent, but when he stepped forward to shake hands with him, Ma Chenggong merely nodded indifferently, not even bothering to lift himself from his seat.
"Hmm, so this is Mr. Lin from Sichuan University Group. I heard your group looks down on the real estate industry, thinking we just roll money over money with no technical content?" Ma Chenggong looked down on Lin Chuan a bit.
Lin Chuan smiled slightly.
These words, of course, were not from Lin Chuan, regardless of the country or city, real estate is always an important aspect of stabilizing the local economy.
Originally, this matter could have been settled with a proper explanation. However, the other's disdainful attitude made him very displeased. And what made him more displeased was his gaze towards Tang Yumeng!
This guy had ambitions for Yumeng! Just based on intuition, Lin Chuan could reach this conclusion.
With a cold smile, he withdrew his extended hand, narrowed his eyes slightly to conceal the dangerous glow within, and said, "Although I didn't say it, I think it's not entirely wrong either!"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the conference room turned pale, except for Liu Zhen and Zu Ping, who revealed a kind of excitement, looking at Lin Chuan with eyes full of admiration.
"How bold of you!" Although Ma Chenggong couldn't compare in status to Mr. Xia, no one usually dared to say such rude words in front of him,
And these words were not even aimed at him directly; it could be said they were aimed at the entire real estate industry!
Although most members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce were engaged in Sino-American trade, and there weren't many from the real estate industry, it wasn't just Ma Chenggong alone.
"Mr. Lin, aren't you being a bit too sweeping in condemning an entire industry? We did acknowledge you as a notable figure for defeating Hua Da Real Estate back then. But if you're going to be so disdainful, I'm afraid that won't end well for you!" A skinny old man sitting beside Ma Chenggong sneered sinisterly.
"Oh, really? Was there anything I said that was incorrect?" Since Lin Chuan had come this far, he decided to go all in. After all, he didn't have to rely on you real estate enterprises. Offending you won't be a problem.
"What has driven the development of the domestic real estate market now? I believe you all know better than anyone, right? The development of other industries in the country hasn't reached the point where they can generate enough profit to convert into employee income, allowing them to afford high-priced housing. But you keep raising the prices, stirring panic among ordinary buyers about house prices rising further. Then you fabricate this panic as genuine demand, misleading the government to give you even greater benefits."
"However, you continue to maintain these high prices with continuous capital, while the vacancy rate of new houses in some areas has reached as high as forty percent. Still, you refuse to lower the prices. Many ordinary people have poured their family's savings from several generations into buying a house from you, knowing that even generations' worth of savings can't satiate you wolves!"
"As far as I know, these speculations are still ongoing, and they already pose a significant threat to the country's development. When house prices soar, it's you who profit, but once the national economy can't support such high prices, the market will collapse, and you'll drag the entire national economy to pay the price for you!"
As Lin Chuan spoke these words, even Su Yonghua felt somewhat embarrassed, unsure of how to smooth things over.
The people present had been rolling in the business world for more than just a few years, and they knew that Lin Chuan's words were not an unfounded criticism of the real estate companies, if anything, they were understated. Others in the past have said far harsher things, but within the business world itself, Lin Chuan was the first to speak out!
"As for this old gentleman saying that I'm sweeping the whole industry with a single stroke, hehe." Lin Chuan showed a sarcastic smile and said, "Let's put it this way: the real estate industry is not monopolized by one or two companies like certain strategic resources, yet it still forms a monopoly-like surge situation. Why is this? Because most real estate companies have realized the benefits and unconsciously began to maintain this situation to achieve a de facto monopoly! It can be said that none of the participants are clean, be they ordinary people or scholars, their criticisms, although not entirely rational, are not unfounded against you!"
"Enough!" At this moment, Ma Chenggong finally snapped out of his shock.
No one had ever dared to criticize him so directly, let alone someone so young.
"Mr. Lin Chuan, are you here as a guest or to provoke? Do you not regard our entire Chinese Chamber of Commerce?"
Lin Chuan smiled slightly.
Though infuriated by Ma Chenggong's condescending attitude and indecent gaze at Tang Yumeng, he wouldn't rashly offend everyone present, or Sichuan University Group would become everyone's target.
"No need to provoke, Mr. Ma. I only mentioned certain companies within the real estate industry, with no intention of becoming enemies with the entire chamber. I believe the others couldn't have interpreted it that way, right?"
Whether from Lin Chuan's standpoint or just to keep the peace, Su Yonghua quickly stepped out and made peace: "Oh, Old Ma, don't overreact. After all, Mr. Lin has come a long way and is a guest."
"Yes, yes, we're here to bond, not to make things tense. Mr. Lin, you're too young and fiery, I'm sure Old Ma and the domestic real estate sector aren't as bad as you think."
With these people's efforts to mediate, the conflict between Lin Chuan and Ma Chenggong did not erupt directly, but everyone present knew their feud was established.
After exchanging a few polite words, Ma Chenggong and his group immediately left, and a few members who were tense due to the atmosphere between them breathed a sigh of relief.
After Ma Chenggong left, Liu Zhen and Zu Ping, two young men, quickly moved to Lin Chuan's side and said, "Mr. Lin, we really admire you today!"
Lin Chuan smiled slightly and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Zu Ping said, "Actually, we all know what you said is true, but who in the business world dares to speak such blunt truths? For those of us, it's always been frustrating to see those real estate geezers, but what can we do? We're small and weak; how can we stand up to those powerful people? Your words today really spoke for us."
Liu Zhen followed up, "Exactly, with the country's economy developing so rapidly, some things can be quite dizzying. While a bunch of experts keep boasting about real estate's pillar role, who doesn't have a clue? At the current trend, there will no doubt be problems in the future. Doesn't the government keep talking about sustainable development? For that, you need to rely on technological enterprises!"
Hearing the discussion, which had just subsided, about to be stirred up again by these two young men, Su Yonghua laughed and scolded, "Alright! We know you two are from the electronics field, and technological enterprises are China's future stars; no need to flatter yourselves in front of everyone."
With Su Yonghua's semi-joking remarks, it was harder for the two to continue on this topic.
"Alright, why worry about their affairs? Mr. Lin, did you come to the United States this time because Sichuan University Group plans to expand here? So, shall we discuss cooperation opportunities first?" Zu Ping suggested excitedly.
Who wouldn't know that Sichuan University Group is going to be one of the fastest-growing companies domestically? Riding their coattails would bring great advantages!
Lin Chuan had the same intention and asked, "We are indeed here to investigate the U.S. market. In the next phase, we will focus heavily on expanding to the U.S. market. But before, our domestic Feihong Group suffered unfair treatment here, and we're worried we might not succeed either."