"Elder Chen, to be honest, I'm not a fool. I know the overall situation of China's real estate market. However, seeing how rapidly Ming City has developed in recent years, I thought Ming City's real estate was an exception. Turns out, it isn't."
Fan Xin said with regret.
If he hadn't harbored a侥幸心理 (fluke mentality) back then and braked earlier, he wouldn't be in such a passive position.
"In a way, we can't blame you. From one perspective, Ming City should thank you. You built so many houses in a short period, laying the foundation for Ming City's expansion and development."
Chen Feng replied smoothly.
"Elder Chen, honestly, thank you, but it's not necessary. I'm a businessman, not someone with such high political awareness. I do things to serve the government. My goals are simple: build more houses and make more money. Now that houses are unsellable, I'm in a very passive and troublesome situation that I can't solve. That's why I've taken the liberty to bother you, Elder Chen, hoping you can help me with a small favor."
Fan Xin replied sincerely.
"Boss Fan, do you have an idea?"
Chen Feng observed Fan Xin's eyes.
There was anxiety, but not utter panic.
What did that indicate?
It indicated that Fan Xin had an idea in mind, hence he wasn't panicking.
"Elder Chen, my idea is to lower prices for promotion. I briefly mentioned this idea to the Ming City Housing Authority, and they firmly opposed it. So, I've come to you. Can you help me speak to the Ming City Housing Authority and get their permission to lower prices for promotion?"
Fan Xin explained.
"That is absolutely impossible."
Chen Feng replied decisively.
"Elder Chen, haven't you always helped us out of difficult situations? Why now..."
Fan Xin said cautiously.
"Boss Fan, to be honest, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I can't help you in this way. Although I am the Vice Mayor of Ming City, the issue of housing prices is a nationwide problem. China has unified arrangements."
Chen Feng explained.
"China has unified arrangements? Even so, I believe China would allow us real estate developers to sell at lower prices."
Fan Xin replied.
"Boss Fan, I can only say that your political awareness is very low; you can't see through China's power circles at all."
Chen Feng shook his head.
"Elder Chen, I watch the nightly news every day. To be honest, I do have some political awareness. The news constantly broadcasts the ideas of China's top leadership, emphasizing that the people must have housing. If this is the case, doesn't it mean that we real estate developers can lower prices?"
"Boss Fan, if that's how you think, then your political awareness is exceptionally low. You actually believe what you see on television? Don't you know that what's on television are all nice words, not the truth?"
Chen Feng smiled.
"Elder Chen, do you mean that China's top leadership doesn't want housing prices to fall?"
Fan Xin was stunned for a moment.
"Boss Fan, since things have reached this point, I won't hide anything from you. China's economy is already tied to real estate; it can only land softly, not abruptly. To put it bluntly, housing prices absolutely cannot fall; they can only rise slowly or remain the same. Locally, whoever dares to agree to lower housing prices will be removed from office! Maintaining housing prices is a top priority for China in these coming years."
"This..."
Fan Xin felt a wave of dizziness.
He was truly too politically naive, actually believing that China's top leadership wanted all Chinese citizens to have housing, which would naturally lead to lower prices.
As long as prices fell, his houses would sell without worry.
But the reality was that China was strict; if any region dared to lower housing prices, its officials would be dismissed.
Wasn't this a direct attempt to force real estate developers to their ruin?
"Boss Fan, let me be clear with you, if you were just an ordinary real estate developer, I wouldn't bother. When you first entered China's real estate market, you should have anticipated such an outcome. However, you are different from other real estate developers. Ming City has experienced continuous high-speed development in recent years, and you deserve credit for that. Therefore, I will find a way to help you."
Chen Feng said calmly.
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Fan Xin was so moved that he knelt down immediately.
For the past month, he hadn't slept a wink, constantly worried about going bankrupt and jumping off a building. Now that Chen Feng had explicitly stated he would help him, he had to kneel in gratitude.
"Boss Fan, please get up quickly. There's no need for such a serious gesture. In fact, the circles of power and business are complementary. If your business collapses entirely, the power circles won't fare much better either."
Chen Feng said, helping Fan Xin up.
"Elder Chen, could you please tell me how I can successfully sell my backlog of houses?"
Fan Xin asked with anticipation.
"Stimulate the desire to buy."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Elder Chen, this method won't work. To be frank, I advertise every day. But no matter how I advertise, it has no effect; not a single house sells."
Fan Xin said with a worried expression.
"It's not your advertising that's the problem, but that you haven't truly stimulated the desire to buy. Of course, your authority is limited, and stimulating the desire to buy isn't that easy. How about this, I'll give you two ideas, and Ming City's real estate industry will definitely remain prosperous."
"Elder Chen, what are these two ideas?"
Fan Xin asked nervously.
"First, Ming City will call upon all public institutions, government agencies, state-owned enterprises, etc., to buy houses. At this time, the housing provident fund will increase by half as a subsidy. Of course, this money must come from your company. Second, encourage rural people to come to the city to buy houses. If they don't have cash, they can use grain for payment. The grain price will be calculated according to the national protective highest price. Of course, the difference between the current market price of grain and the national protective price will be covered by your company. In essence, this is a disguised price reduction. At that time, the authorities will not intervene, because, on the surface, Ming City's housing prices will not have decreased."
Chen Feng explained calmly.
Fan Xin was convinced.
It wasn't surprising that Chen Feng had developed Ming City so well; there was a reason for it – his mind was exceptionally sharp.
He had come up with such clever methods.
"Elder Chen, thank you for doing me such a great favor. To be honest, without your two exquisite methods, I would definitely have gone bankrupt and jumped off a building. I must thank you properly. How about this, I'll give you thirty percent commission based on market rates."
Fan Xin said sincerely.
"Boss Fan, if this were a few years ago, I would certainly accept this thirty percent commission. It's the same for officials everywhere. But the problem is, under the current circumstances, I really cannot accept it. The reason is simple: if you sell the houses according to these two policies, you won't earn much, perhaps only breaking even or making a slight profit. At this time, it would be inappropriate for me to take such a high commission."
Chen Feng said earnestly.
"Elder Chen, I won't speak empty words. For me now, as long as I don't lose money, that's the biggest profit. Therefore, you must accept my gratitude. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep at night."
Fan Xin said from the bottom of his heart.
"Boss Fan, if you truly want to thank me, you don't need to be so polite. Just invite me out to have a good time. You really don't need the commission. Honestly, if you were to become poor, it would be a great loss for Ming City's development."
Chen Feng smiled slightly.