"Old Zhou, I wanted to tell you from the beginning, but I thought you were always busy with state affairs and it would be better not to trouble you with such a small matter," Chen Feng replied softly.
"The early repayment of a twenty-million low-interest loan is a small matter? Chen Feng, to be honest, I have to admire your composure. Anyone else would have panicked by now. By the way, how did you manage to repay the twenty-million low-interest loan so quickly?" Old Zhou asked tentatively.
Chen Feng didn't hide anything and explained the matter of Qin Yan.
"Mayor Qin has good judgment and trusts you unconditionally. You are an extraordinary young man, destined for greatness. Her maintaining a good relationship with you will undoubtedly bring immense benefits in the future," Old Zhou sighed.
"Old Zhou, you praise me too much. I still have a lot to learn in the political arena," Chen Feng replied humbly.
"We are friends, so there's no need for modesty. If you weren't capable, could you have overthrown Commissioner Hong so quickly? If you weren't capable, could the Wulin Village crayfish project have been further enhanced?" Old Zhou said with excitement.
Chen Feng just gave an awkward smile.
"By the way, Chen Feng, since you're in the provincial capital, stay for a few days before returning," Old Zhou suddenly remembered something.
"Old Zhou, I'm about to take office as deputy mayor of Lianhua Town. If you don't have any urgent matters, I should go back and prepare," Chen Feng said softly.
"If you're taking office as deputy mayor, you must stay for a few more days. To be frank, I want you to attend the Provincial Capital Entrepreneurs Forum. In today's political arena, if you don't have some financial prowess, you won't get anywhere. Learning from provincial capital entrepreneurs will not only expand your network but also provide valuable economic knowledge. It's killing two birds with one stone, a rare opportunity," Old Zhou said with excitement.
"Old Zhou, attending the Provincial Capital Entrepreneurs Forum sounds good, but what capacity will I attend in?" Chen Feng asked tentatively.
"Naturally, as a young entrepreneur. The total investment in the crayfish project has exceeded thirty million, right? Thirty million might not be much among provincial capital enterprises, but in Wulin Village, it's definitely a significant undertaking. With this experience, you are absolutely qualified to attend the Provincial Capital Entrepreneurs Forum. Moreover, I will give you a special pass, which will allow you to participate in the forum," Old Zhou said, handing Chen Feng a special pass.
Without further ado, Chen Feng immediately went to the Provincial Capital Entrepreneurs Forum with the special pass given by Old Zhou.
Upon entering the hall, he saw a sea of people.
"Chen Feng, why are you here too?" Qin Yan walked towards Chen Feng from the crowd.
"My classmate is working as a waiter here, so I snuck in," Chen Feng told a small lie.
Old Zhou disliked others knowing their relationship, so he avoided mentioning it whenever possible.
"You've definitely come to the right place. Let me tell you, today, this Provincial Capital Entrepreneurs Forum has gathered all the renowned entrepreneurs in the province, and it will continue for several days with prominent entrepreneurs giving reports. Listening to them will definitely be beneficial," Qin Yan said excitedly.
At the same time, her admiration for Chen Feng doubled. This young man had grasped the "traffic password" of today's political arena. In the current political landscape, one must understand economics. Without economic understanding, progress is impossible.
"I thought the same thing, so I asked my classmate to bring me in. Mayor Qin, you certainly have connections to get in so smoothly," Chen Feng flattered Qin Yan slightly.
"If I didn't have at least these connections, how could I be the mayor of Lianhua Town?" Qin Yan replied with a smile.
"Mayor Qin, which row are you sitting in?" Chen Feng asked tentatively.
"The last row. Although I have connections, this is the provincial capital after all. The first row is occupied by people with very strong connections, so I won't jostle for it," Qin Yan explained slightly.
"Actually, the first row doesn't necessarily require extremely powerful connections; I can sit in the first row," Chen Feng said, feigning calmness. The reason he could sit in the first row was mainly due to the special pass given by Old Zhou.
"What do you mean?"
"My classmate is setting up the venue here and secretly saved a seat for me in the first row," Chen Feng lied.
"That's interesting. In that case, you should hurry up and take your seat in the first row," Qin Yan said with a smile.
"Mayor Qin, I just came to take a look, and I won't be able to absorb much content. That seat in the first row, you should take it," Chen Feng said subtly. This was an excellent opportunity to repay Qin Yan, and he had to seize it.
"The seat in the first row? That's not quite right, is it?" Qin Yan replied humbly. Inwardly, she was very happy; this young man, Chen Feng, knew how to handle things and was quite grateful.
"Mayor Qin, your talent in economics is far superior to mine, so the first-row seat is most suitable for you. Besides, my hearing is quite good, and I can hear clearly from the back," Chen Feng persuaded Qin Yan.
Upon hearing Chen Feng put it this way, Qin Yan no longer demurred and happily went to sit in the first-row seat.
Thus, Qin Yan and Chen Feng spent three days at the Provincial Capital Entrepreneurs Forum. Originally, according to Old Zhou's arrangement, Chen Feng was supposed to give a speech. However, Chen Feng declined. The reason was simple: with Qin Yan present, if he were to give a speech, how would Qin Yan feel? Qin Yan was his superior, and he couldn't make his superior unhappy, so Chen Feng ultimately did not go on stage to give a speech.
"Chen Feng, after listening for three days, have you gained anything?" Qin Yan asked directly on the way back to Lianhua Town.
"I've gained quite a lot. I've learned about modern enterprise management and modern enterprise marketing. I must say, as entrepreneurs, their knowledge in this area is profound and practiced," Chen Feng said truthfully.
"My feelings are similar," Qin Yan said, looking at Chen Feng with admiration. Over these three days, while listening to the entrepreneurs' speeches, she secretly observed Chen Feng. She noticed that Chen Feng was in a state of extreme concentration at all times, unlike some young people who would fall asleep midway through. Chen Feng possessed both talent and diligence; his future was limitless!
"By the way, Mayor Qin, now that we're returning to Lianhua Town, I have a bold idea regarding the economy," Chen Feng said tentatively.
"Speak," Qin Yan asked expectantly.
"It's like this, Mayor Qin. Lianhua Town's situation is very different from Mingshan Town's. If we were to develop Lianhua Town using Mingshan Town's development concepts, it clearly wouldn't work," Chen Feng said, observing Qin Yan's expression. If Qin Yan wasn't interested, he would just gloss over it. If Qin Yan was interested, he would elaborate. In the political arena, reading people's expressions is paramount.
"That sounds quite reasonable. Continue,"
"Mayor Qin, my idea is that since Lianhua Town is different from Mingshan Town, our previous economic concepts are definitely not very applicable. So why not be bold and try to merge Mingshan Town and Lianhua Town? Once the two towns are merged, wouldn't the previous economic concepts be applicable?" Chen Feng explained tentatively.