Ye Chen smiled noncommittally.

To be honest, there are very few pieces of land owned by Hengda that actually interest me! In fact, from the moment I considered entering the real estate industry, I never even thought about competing for the land reserves Hengda has. So, the reason I'm saying all this is for one purpose only—I hope to invite President Xiao to join Tenglong Real Estate!

"President Ye, do you really appreciate me that much?" Xiao Qiang was momentarily stunned.

She was clearly taken aback by Ye Chen's words.

After all, their interactions could be counted on one hand.

And every time, things had never ended on a particularly pleasant note.

"It's because I believe that as long as I can bring President Xiao on board, Tenglong Real Estate will be even stronger!" Ye Chen said with a smile.

"President Ye, let's get back to the main topic! You said you only want premium land in top-tier cities, and you insist on choosing them yourself. Do you really think Hengda Group is desperate? Sure, Hengda's discounting on property prices does signal a need for cash flow, but no matter how tight the company's finances are, it wouldn't resort to selling off land at a loss like this!"

Xiao Qiang glanced at the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa and spoke through gritted teeth.

"That's exactly why I said all this! I just wanted to express my intention to invite you to Tenglong Real Estate. And I also know that this so-called 'cooperation' you mentioned is merely a smokescreen set up by Chairman Xu," Ye Chen chuckled lightly.

Xiao Qiang fell silent once more.

This guy...

Was he becoming more and more unpredictable?

Since he had already seen through the smokescreen, why did he even bother with all this?

As Xiao Qiang remained silent, Ye Chen's laughter sounded again.

But this time, there was a hint of amusement in it.

"Chairman Xu, I hope you don't mind me trying to recruit President Xiao. If Hengda Group truly intends to shift its focus away from real estate, then why not let President Xiao join Tenglong Real Estate? Consider it a favor that Tenglong Real Estate owes you!"

He specifically mentioned Tenglong Real Estate, not himself, Ye Chen!

At that moment, Xiao Qiang was left speechless, completely stunned.

And the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa nearby couldn't help but twitch uncontrollably.

Before Xiao Qiang could respond, Ye Chen continued, "Actually, Chairman Xu, if you have any questions, if there's anything you want to probe, anything you want to know, you can just call me directly. You could even invite me to Hengda's headquarters—I have plenty of time. As long as you think I'm worth talking to, I'd be happy to sit down over tea and discuss life with you!"

"What? Where are you going with this? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Seeing the bizarre expression on the middle-aged man's face, which she had never seen before, Xiao Qiang couldn't help but twitch her lips.

"Heh... President Xiao, let's leave it at that. I sincerely hope you will join Tenglong Real Estate! I believe not only that you will make Tenglong stronger, but also that Tenglong will help you achieve greater things!"

With that, Ye Chen spoke with utmost seriousness.

Then, as Xiao Qiang struggled to find a response, he simply laughed and hung up the phone.

"You're saying that you think Hengda's Chairman, Xu Jia, was listening in?"

As soon as Ye Chen put down his phone, Chen Yinuo swallowed slightly and asked, puzzled.

"One hundred percent!" Ye Chen nodded firmly, smiling.

"Why do you say that?" Chen Yinuo still looked confused.

"Simple. As I said, the land issue was just a smokescreen! No matter how tight Hengda's finances are, they are nowhere near the point of selling off land to survive. So, this phone call was just a test. Since it was a test initiated by Xiao Qiang, there's no way Xu Jia wasn't listening in!" Ye Chen explained.

"Then what was he trying to test?" Chen Yinuo asked.

"Perhaps my ambitions and financial capabilities. Given that I've just entered the real estate industry and spent a huge sum securing the development rights for the hillside project, it's natural for Xu Jia to be interested in me. The land sale may be a front, but I suspect Xu Jia genuinely wants to collaborate with me," Ye Chen said.

"Cooperate? What kind of cooperation could we have with Hengda Group?" Chen Yinuo asked.

"Judging by Hengda Group's extensive operations, there are plenty of potential areas for collaboration on the surface. My guess is that he wants us to strategically invest in and acquire stakes in one of Hengda's sectors," Ye Chen said.

"Would you consider it?" Chen Yinuo thought for a moment and asked.

"Maybe, but definitely not right now," Ye Chen replied bluntly.

"Why not?"

"Because Hengda is already a leaking ship. Whoever gets on... will go down with it!" Ye Chen said.

"If that's the case, then what do you mean by collaboration?" Chen Yinuo hesitated before asking.

"Buying at rock-bottom prices!"

Ye Chen's deep eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement. "They say even a broken ship still has a few good nails. Hengda has more than just a few. When it finally sinks, that's when we'll talk about cooperation!"

Hearing this, Chen Yinuo's expression froze.

So, he was already planning how to take advantage of Hengda's decline?

But... does Hengda really show signs of sinking?

"Alright, let's not talk about this for now. Go help Youyou with her studies. I'm going to the study to review the research institute's chip project proposal and consider whether we should collaborate with them," Ye Chen said, changing the subject as he picked up the Shenxing II project plan, which he had only read the first page of.

"Alright, go ahead!"

As Chen Yinuo responded quickly, Ye Chen took the project proposal and walked toward his study.

Hengda Group Headquarters

Inside Xu Jia's office.

Xiao Qiang looked at the chairman on the sofa with an extremely awkward expression.

She never expected things to turn out like this.

"He's becoming harder and harder to read. No matter how many people I've encountered in my life, this guy... I just can't figure him out!"

Xu Jia's expression had returned to normal as he shook his head.

He stood up from the sofa and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking at the dazzling city lights and the many high-rise buildings developed by Hengda Real Estate,

Xu Jia spoke in a deep voice, "A true enigma. Maybe I shouldn't have let you make that call."

Xiao Qiang had no response to that.

"What do you think his move into real estate signals? Could it indicate a recovery in the market?" Xu Jia asked.

"Chairman Xu, although the outside world labels him as a reckless, brainless upstart, and his recent moves do resemble blind investments, we've already seen his foresight and analytical acumen when he acquired the Jinzhong Village land. Plus, after our previous dealings with him, it's clear that he's anything but reckless."

Pausing for a moment, Xiao Qiang continued, "So, as for whether his establishment of Tenglong Real Estate and his hillside villa project signal a recovery in the market... I can't say for sure. But one thing is certain—his confidence in this project is beyond belief, almost incomprehensible!"