Chapter 70: The Delicate Art of Seating Five People in a Car
It was still early, and there was no rush to head for Shishan.
Xiao Liang downed the chilled cola in one go, then helped Sui Jing and Sun Feifei untie the two heavy stacks of library books and arrange them inside the oak bookcase in the study.
“You’re studying under Shao Zhihua?”
Xiao Liang picked up Allen Bard’s *Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications* and couldn’t help asking before placing it on the shelf.
“Huh? You know Professor Shao?”
Sun Feifei had heard Sui Jing complain about Xiao Liang before. In her mind, he was just an ordinary township cadre who had happened to run into terrible luck—and only cleared his name because Sui Jing, young and fearless, had insisted on investigating.
She’d only seen him as free labor for carrying books. Yet now, seeing him recognize the books she had borrowed—and even know Shao Zhihua—she couldn’t help becoming curious.
“I don’t know her personally. I’ve heard of her,” Xiao Liang said.
At present, universities across the country had not yet undergone large-scale mergers, and comprehensive universities were few. Dongzhou Institute of Technology wasn’t considered a top-tier school even within the province, let alone nationally.
Yet Sun Feifei had just been admitted as a graduate student and hadn’t even formally registered, but she was already preparing to read so many specialized books. Clearly, she was diligent.
Given her family background, choosing Dongzhou Institute of Technology for graduate school had to be deliberate.
And in Xiao Liang’s memory, the greatest academic figure to emerge from Dongzhou Institute of Technology over the next twenty or thirty years was likely Shao Zhihua, whose research focused on electrochemistry.
He didn’t know Shao Zhihua personally and had never met her in his previous life. But among the academicians from Dongzhou, Shao Zhihua was the only female scholar and one of the most influential. She would almost single-handedly help Dongzhou Institute of Technology—later Dongzhou University—develop its only Double First-Class discipline.
Xiao Liang had heard people praise her on many occasions.
“Professor Shao only returned to China two years ago and hasn’t even been promoted to lecturer yet, so she can’t officially supervise graduate students for now,” Sun Feifei said. “But I’ve known her for a long time, and I really did apply for applied chemistry here because of her.”
She looked at Xiao Liang with renewed interest. “I didn’t expect you to have heard of her. By the way, why were you at Dongzhou Institute today?”
“A factory in Yunshe has a cooperation project with a professor in the Department of Nutritional Engineering. He happened to be on campus today, so we came to visit,” Xiao Liang said. “But I studied applied chemistry as an undergraduate too. If work requires it in the future, I may have to ask you for advice.”
“You’re too sly,” Sui Jing said, walking over and smacking her own forehead. “You’ve already caught Feifei’s interest this quickly. I was worried I’d slip up one day after guarding against you for a thousand days—but I didn’t even last one.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Sun Feifei said, glaring at her unhappily.
She was a little curious about Xiao Liang, but that was all. She absolutely didn’t want to give him room for any misunderstanding.
Xiao Liang smiled faintly and, losing interest, slid the book into the cabinet without further comment.
Though it was only 1994, certain families in China already held strict views on social status, whether their children entered academia, politics, or business. Sun Feifei had clearly been influenced by that environment. If a “mud-legged” man like him kept joking shamelessly, he might only invite disgust.
That made Sui Jing’s temperament seem all the more rare.
Beep, beep—
A car horn sounded repeatedly from downstairs.
Sun Feifei opened the window and waved. Xiao Liang glanced down.
Well now.
In 1994, when owning a Santana was enough to dominate the countryside, the Mercedes-Benz 600 parked downstairs had to cost at least two million. It was unquestionably a super-luxury car.
Xiao Liang estimated that even in Dongzhou, there might not be ten cars of that level.
A moment later, two young men in suits knocked and entered.
The one in front looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven. Aside from a mole near the corner of his mouth that somewhat spoiled the impression of his narrow face, he could still barely be considered a handsome, successful young man.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected to find a strange man in the room. He froze for a moment before extending his hand with outward politeness, his eyes carrying a guarded edge as he asked, “And this is…?”
“A friend of Sui Jing’s team captain,” Sun Feifei introduced. “They happened to run into each other at the school gate. He’s also going to celebrate with her captain tonight, so he came up to sit for a while.”
Great. Now he wasn’t even qualified to be Sui Jing’s friend—he had been downgraded to Yuan Wenhai’s friend.
Xiao Liang smiled slightly and shook the narrow-faced young man’s hand. “Xiao Liang. Friend of Yuan Wenhai from the Shishan County Criminal Investigation Team.”
“Le You. Friend of Sun Feifei and Sui Jing.”
Le You hesitated before deciding not to withdraw his hand immediately. The handshake was perfunctory, and he showed no intention of introducing the young man behind him. His gaze quickly turned toward Sui Jing.
“When are you heading to Shishan? We’ll drive you there.”
“Xu Jianqiang.”
The man behind Le You, four or five years older than him, stepped forward and politely shook Xiao Liang’s hand.
Of course, Le You plainly looked down on this young man who had somehow wedged himself into the situation. Xu Jianqiang didn’t act overly warm either, but he at least observed basic courtesy.
“No need to trouble yourselves. Feifei, Xiao Liang, and I can take a taxi,” Sui Jing said, ignoring Le You’s eagerness.
“Afraid we’ll freeload dinner?” Le You joked.
“I really appreciate the offer—but taking your car would be more trouble,” Sui Jing said. She disliked Le You’s personality, and she disliked even more his undisguised arrogance in front of Xiao Liang. “Forget it. I’ll leave Feifei to you. Xiao Liang and I will take a taxi to Shishan.”
“Sui Jing, you’re really going to abandon me?” Sun Feifei clung to Sui Jing’s arm and said coquettishly. “Captain Yuan invited me too. Just treat Young Master Le and Brother Xu as drivers. They can forget about freeloading dinner.”
Unable to argue with Sun Feifei, Sui Jing finally agreed.
Xiao Liang picked up his backpack, as if suddenly remembering something. “I just remembered I need to stop by home first. You go to Shishan ahead of me. I’ll take a bus later.”
“No problem. We’ll wait downstairs at your home. How long could it take?” Sui Jing stopped him, then introduced to Sun Feifei and Le You, “Xiao Liang’s family lives on Qianjie in Jiangjiayuan.”
Xiao Liang’s head ached.
Le You was clearly here to fawn over Sui Jing.
If Xiao Liang couldn’t slip away, seating five people in the car would become a problem.
If Le You drove and Xu Jianqiang sat in the passenger seat, Sun Feifei, with her cool aloofness, would definitely not let Xiao Liang sit in the middle of the back row with a beauty on each side. That meant Sui Jing would sit in the middle, and he would sit on the other side. Would someone as petty as Le You think this counted as intimate contact between him and Sui Jing?
If Xu Jianqiang drove, even if Le You squeezed into the back, judging by Sui Jing’s temper, she would surely put Sun Feifei in the middle to keep Le You away from her—while he, the unknown nobody, would end up in the front passenger seat.
Wouldn’t that be just as hateful?
In China in the 1990s, there weren’t many luxury sedans. The front passenger seat was the most prestigious seat.
But Sui Jing wouldn’t let him leave, so Xiao Liang could only say with a headache, “Forget it. I’ll just take your car straight to Shishan. No need to make you wait.”
“Why are you suddenly so fussy?” Sui Jing asked, looking at him suspiciously.
After Sun Feifei tidied the study a little, everyone went downstairs to the Mercedes. Only then did Sui Jing realize why Xiao Liang had tried to excuse himself. Her beautiful eyes glared at him.
“You’re really cunning.”
“They came for you. Why should I play the third wheel?” Xiao Liang smiled bitterly.
Seeing that Sun Feifei had already moved to the far side of the back seat, Sui Jing climbed in first and grabbed Xiao Liang by the collar, dragging him in with her so Le You wouldn’t have a chance to sit beside her.
After getting into the car, Xiao Liang did his best not to press against Sui Jing. The posture was awkward, and he pretended not to notice Le You’s displeased gaze in the rearview mirror.
He turned slightly and struck up a conversation with Xu Jianqiang in the front passenger seat.
“What business are you in, Mr. Xu? I feel like I’ve heard your name somewhere.”
“Le You and I started a real estate company together in Dongzhou—Fanhua Construction, affiliated under the Municipal Construction Bureau. Didn’t expect we’d have some small reputation in Dongzhou already.”
Xu Jianqiang pulled out a business card and handed it back with a smile. “What do you do, Brother Xiao? We may be developing a project in Shishan soon. Maybe we’ll need your help.”
“Me? I work in a township under Shishan. This time, Sui Jing’s deputy captain Yuan Wenhai from the criminal investigation team is being transferred to our town as station chief. I’m going to freeload a drink—otherwise I’m afraid Captain Yuan won’t look after me in the future.”
Xiao Liang accepted the card.
Twenty or thirty years later, Fanhua Construction would become a somewhat well-known real estate developer in the province. No wonder Xu Jianqiang’s name sounded familiar.
During the period when Xiao Liang’s father was transferred to work at the municipal Party committee, Xiao Liang happened to be studying in Moling. By the time he graduated from Moling University, his father had already been removed from office and transferred to the Party History Research Office. He avoided discussing city affairs, so Xiao Liang had little direct impression of many people and events in Dongzhou.
However, he did know Le You, son of Vice Mayor Le Jianyong.
He just didn’t know whether Vice Mayor Le had been involved in the Chen Fushan case back then.
Xiao Liang had investigated it before, but too many things were carefully buried. What he could find was limited. What he did know was that by 1997 or 1998, when he began looking into certain matters, Le You no longer had any direct connection to Fanhua Construction.
Real estate in China would not truly enter its fast-growth phase until after 2003. The next few years, however, would be the hardest period for the entire industry.
Xiao Liang guessed that while Le You, this second-generation princeling, might currently be cooperating with Xu Jianqiang, he probably didn’t have the patience to persist. Before long, he would likely split off and chase faster money elsewhere.
Unlike the roaring real estate industry of ten or twenty years later, the period from reform and opening up to 1998 was still dominated by experimental commodity housing and welfare housing distribution. The overall commercial housing market remained lukewarm, and before 1998, commercial real estate development was also extremely limited due to China’s level of economic development.
Still, real estate before 1998 wasn’t entirely without waves.
In 1992, after the central government and State Council proposed accelerating economic development, China’s real estate sector experienced a large but brief boom.
Hainan was the most typical example.
From the southern tour in 1992 to the end of 1993, in just two years, average housing prices in Hainan rose nearly fivefold.
Even during the nationwide real estate frenzy twenty or thirty years later, such an increase was rare.
Dongzhou’s economy lagged somewhat behind, but after 1992, one or two hundred real estate development companies suddenly appeared.
Of course, at the time, qualifications for real estate developers were still tightly controlled. Most of these newly emerged developers were affiliated under construction bureaus or state-owned construction enterprises.
The sudden rise of so many real estate companies in Dongzhou over just one or two years was obviously not the work of ordinary daring private entrepreneurs. Most were second-generation figures like Le You, men who might as well have worn their family connections on their faces.
What caught people like Le You off guard was that the state soon recognized the enormous risk of a runaway property market. By the end of 1993, it resolutely began a full-scale rectification, tightening loans from all financial institutions to the real estate industry.
Not only did the Hainan property bubble burst almost overnight, but real estate markets in most mainland cities also plunged sharply after a brief high.
Of the two or three hundred real estate development companies that had appeared in Dongzhou over the past couple of years, which ones would survive—or complete their projects and turn a profit—would depend entirely on their own abilities.
Before the red lines drawn by the central government, most local second-generation elites found themselves more or less powerless.
