The judges on the stage were all shocked after hearing Ye Feng’s proposal.
This project was simply too massive, exceeding the acceptable limits for many of the judges.
“This project is too big!”
“Indeed! Connecting seven islands and encircling the center of the East Sea, think of the immense manpower, resources, and capital required!”
“Precisely, and the difficulties of offshore construction are immense. Completing this plan is incredibly challenging…”
However, some judges were highly supportive, praising the proposal repeatedly.
“So what if the project is large? Do you want to build some make-believe tourist attraction like a child’s plaything?”
“Exactly. We aim to create a nationally renowned tourist destination, and a large scale is indispensable.”
“That’s right. It’s just a matter of spending more funds. We’re not short on money; what we lack are top-tier tourist attractions that can rival other provinces. I think this proposal is excellent…”
As the judges debated heatedly, Director Song stood up, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
He then looked at the proposal diagram on the big screen and exclaimed in praise, “I believe this proposal is excellent. What we need to build is a large-scale, nationally renowned tourist destination!”
“If the project isn’t large enough, the tourist routes aren’t long enough, and the attractions aren’t appealing, how can it be famous domestically and renowned worldwide?”
“Previous tourist attractions have been too ordinary, too homogenized, lacking any novelty, and unable to attract tourists from all over the world.”
“Ye Feng’s proposal, a sea voyage to appreciate the vastness of the ocean, to experience the local customs of each island, to savor the delicacies of the sea… this is definitely a proposal with immense potential.”
Upon hearing Director Song’s words, the judges present pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
Some judges who were initially hesitant gave Ye Feng’s proposal high scores after Director Song’s explanation.
The other project competitors in the audience, seeing the judges awarding high scores to Ye Feng’s proposal, began to panic.
Some started to question and disparage Ye Feng’s plan, with Tang Zhiyang and others leading the charge.
Tang Zhiyang stood up and loudly retorted, “Esteemed judges, I believe Ye Feng’s proposal is completely unfeasible and is merely a deception!”
Hearing this, everyone’s gaze shifted to Tang Zhiyang.
Director Song frowned at Tang Zhiyang and asked, “Tang Zhiyang, what do you mean by that?”
“Replying to Director Song, his proposal is completely unfeasible. The tourist route map is fake!” Tang Zhiyang stared at Ye Feng, a smug look on his face, as if he had caught him red-handed.
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng retorted, “Tang Zhiyang, you claim my route map is fake. May I ask where it is fake?”
Tang Zhiyang, with a triumphant expression, walked onto the stage and began speaking, “Ye Feng, your proposal might fool others, but it’s too naive to fool me.”
Ye Feng chuckled, “Oh? Where have I fooled anyone?”
The next moment, Tang Zhiyang reached the stage and pointed to one of the seven islands on the big screen, saying, “This island doesn’t exist at all? If that’s not deception, what is?”
Upon hearing this, everyone focused on that island, and then gasps of surprise erupted.
“Huh! If he hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have noticed. It seems there really isn’t an island there.”
“Yes, yes, I remember now. That area is just open sea; there are no islands.”
“In that case, isn’t his proposal utter nonsense? How can we even talk about a seven-day tour!”
“What? No island? Then isn’t this guy deceiving us?”
In an instant, the judges on stage and the audience below showed expressions of anger.
Xiao Feifei and Zhou Lingyu, standing beside Ye Feng, turned to look at him with confusion.
They had no knowledge of that sea area and were not even very familiar with Ye Feng’s proposal.
Hearing that there was no island there, they were bewildered, unsure of what Ye Feng was thinking.
Even Director Song, seated among the judges, showed a look of anger.
He had genuinely thought Ye Feng’s proposal was good earlier, and out of gratitude for Ye Feng saving his life yesterday, he had strongly supported it.
Now, hearing that the island didn’t exist at all, he was furious.
This not only betrayed his support but, more importantly, deceived the judges present, which was utterly unacceptable.
Director Song looked at Ye Feng, his face stern, and asked, “Ye Feng, what exactly is going on? Please provide a reasonable explanation.”
Seeing Director Song’s anger, Tang Zhiyang, Sun Manzhu, and others were filled with schadenfreude and secret delight.
However, faced with everyone’s questioning, Ye Feng remained remarkably calm.
He pointed to the island on the big screen and said, “That’s correct, there is no island here, and I have no intention of concealing it from you. That’s why I’ve marked it with a dashed line.”
Everyone looked up and indeed saw that the island in Ye Feng’s diagram was marked with a dashed line.
Tang Zhiyang, hearing this, burst into laughter, “Haha, everyone, look, he admits himself that there’s no island there and it’s impossible to create a tourist route. His proposal is a sham.”
“Damn it, to use such a proposal to deceive everyone, what is his objective?”
“What other objective could he have? He’s probably after the two billion in subsidies.”
“What? To use this proposal to deceive everyone for two billion? He deserves to die…”
In a moment, the crowd’s骂声 (màn shēng - curses) towards Ye Feng grew louder and more frequent.
Xiao Feifei and Zhou Lingyu’s faces turned extremely grim.
They couldn’t understand what Ye Feng was doing and were very worried for him.
Ye Feng listened to the curses from the audience, waited for a moment, and only spoke after they quieted down.
“Who says a tourist route cannot be established without that island?” Ye Feng said, staring at Tang Zhiyang.
Tang Zhiyang laughed heartily, “Haha! Without the connection of that island, and with the other two islands so far apart, your tourist route is simply unfeasible.”
Hearing him, Ye Feng rolled his eyes and replied, “Idiot!”
“What? You, you dare to insult me?”
Tang Zhiyang was furious. He hadn’t expected Ye Feng to dare insult him in this situation.
However, Ye Feng ignored him and turned his gaze to the judges, finally focusing on Director Song.
He said with a serious expression, “There is no island here, but we can reclaim land and create an island. An island of this size would cost at most a few billion, which is not a difficult feat.”
The judges were all surprised, and then they thought about it carefully. With the strength of the Poseidon Company and the two major families, a few billion was indeed not a significant issue.
“Huh, why didn’t we think of that?”
“Indeed! Great idea! Reclaiming land to create an island seems perfectly feasible.”
“Wow, as expected of Boss Ye, to come up with such an idea. He’s a true talent!”
Ye Feng’s idea stunned the judges, and they all looked at him with renewed respect.
Director Song was also taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly, “I knew you weren’t that kind of person, boy. This method is excellent, haha!”
Seeing this, Ye Feng looked at Tang Zhiyang and asked, “Young Master Tang, do you have any further questions?”
“I, I have no more questions!”
Tang Zhiyang, unable to refute, could only sit down in anger.
Ye Feng, seeing this, paid him no mind and continued to introduce some details before concluding the presentation portion.
Next, the judges would deliberate in detail to decide the winner of the project…