Rebirth of the Mining Tycoon

Chapter 55: Returning in Glory

They truly had no idea that Wukuang Group had split into two groups for this trip!

They had spent the entire previous day circling around Qin Jianshe, thinking he was the main player—only to find out now they had been following a decoy the whole time?

The actual negotiator was someone else entirely!

"You mean there were other leaders from Wukuang Group?" Han Dexun asked, forcing a smile as he suppressed his rising anxiety. "If that's the case, we really failed to welcome them properly. President Qin, why don't we invite the other leaders here? Or we can send a car to pick them up. We've been partners for years—how could we not show hospitality to our honored guests?"

"There were no other leaders."

Qin Jianshe shook his head, completely at ease. He reached out and patted Li Tang on the shoulder. "The person who actually handled the negotiations—was him."

"Him?"

Han Dexun and the others looked at Li Tang's young face and were visibly shaken.

Was this young man truly the leader of the delegation?

"I know you!"

A slightly stooped middle-aged man behind Han suddenly spoke up.

It was Zhou Zhenxing, head of the 101st Geological Team.

When he first saw Li Tang's face, he had felt a vague sense of familiarity. Now, after a careful look, he was sure.

Han Dexun turned to him in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't known they had a connection. "Director Zhou, you know this leader?"

"His name is Li Tang!" Zhou Zhenxing exclaimed. "He's the son of Li Zaiqiang, director of the Geological Department in the 101st Team. When he was a kid, he was always hanging around our team. I remember a couple of summers ago during his university break, he even came to intern with us for a while!"

"Director Zhou," Li Tang said with a polite smile, nodding in greeting.

"You haven't been working for long, right? I always wondered why you didn't come work for us after graduation… so you're actually a senior manager in Beijing…" Zhou muttered in disbelief, glancing between Li Tang and Qin Jianshe.

The image of the mischievous little boy from years ago didn't match the composed and commanding young man standing before him now. It felt surreal.

"I'm not some big shot," Li Tang said, trying to deflect.

Han Dexun, realizing they had an established connection, beamed with joy—but he was also more puzzled than ever. From what Qin Jianshe had said earlier, Li Tang had gone off on his own to negotiate a cooperation deal. Alone!

"You're back in Guizhou now, Li Tang. This is a triumphant return, coming home to help your province," Han said, praising him with a smile. "We didn't see you at dinner yesterday—it was such a pity. We didn't expect you to be out negotiating on your own."

"So, how did the negotiations go?" Qin Jianshe asked Li Tang directly, right in front of everyone.

The question made every ear perk up. Everyone held their breath and turned to Li Tang, waiting for his answer.

"I went," Li Tang said with a sigh, "but there was an unpleasant incident before any real discussion could begin, so I just left and went home."

Han Dexun looked around—no one on his team showed any change in expression. It seemed Li Tang hadn't met with one of their units.

Thank goodness. It meant they hadn't blown their chance.

From another angle, this also meant their opportunity had arrived!

"Who could be so blind as to not show respect to someone from their own hometown?" Han said angrily. "Unforgivable! Where did you go yesterday?"

"The 101st Geological Team."

Li Tang had intended from the beginning to hand the project over to the 101st Team. He had already gotten approval from both Qin Jianshe and Zhao Hepu. This trip was supposed to be just a formality—signing the contract.

Yesterday, he had gone to the 101st Team specifically to speak with the team leader, to give them a heads-up so they could prepare.

But instead, he had walked in on Liu Yifeng berating his father. The entire mood for collaboration had been ruined.

From what he said, he had indeed gone to negotiate with the 101st Geological Team!

"You went to the 101st yesterday?" Han Dexun was stunned.

The 101st Team was a direct subordinate of the Geological Bureau!

Here they were working hard on the frontlines, while their own people were undermining them from behind. Unbelievable!

He turned around with a face full of anger and glared at Zhou Zhenxing.

Zhou was so frightened he nearly lost his balance. If a 35-million-yuan project slipped through their fingers due to poor hospitality, it could be the end of his career.

"I was at the main bureau office yesterday—maybe we just missed each other?" he said cautiously.

"Sort of," Li Tang replied, nodding.

"Who did you speak to yesterday?"

Zhou had remembered Li Tang saying earlier that there had been an unpleasant incident at the 101st. That must have derailed the whole negotiation.

Given that Li Tang's father worked there, it was clear that he wanted to give the project to the 101st Geological Team.

"Tell us the name!" Han Dexun urged. He was already furious with whoever had ruined such a golden opportunity.

Li Tang didn't want to use his authority to press people—that would make him look petty.

But thinking of Liu Yifeng's character… even if Li Tang did nothing, that man would one day fall for embezzling project funds.

If he stayed in his position, and the Tibet copper exploration project was handed to the 101st Team, who knew how much he might siphon off?

After a moment of hesitation, Li Tang forced a smile. "It wasn't anything serious. I didn't take it personally. No need to dwell on it."

He turned to Qin Jianshe. "President Qin, you should be the one to decide what happens with the project. Everyone here seems to think I'm the one in charge."

Although he seemed unconcerned, to Han Dexun, this felt like a knife in the gut. He couldn't let this go.

He turned and whispered urgently to the people behind him. A few of them quickly ran off.

Qin Jianshe didn't know what exactly had happened, but he suddenly felt uneasy about working with the 101st Team. After a moment of thought, he made a snap decision.

"What you all don't know," he said aloud, "is that Li Zaiqiang and I were college classmates. The Geological Bureau was the one who recommended him to the university. I've always trusted his professionalism and ability. We had indeed planned to partner with the 101st Team. But given recent developments, that decision is now on hold."

With that, he turned and gestured to his team. It was time to leave.

The rest of the Wukuang Exploration Company staff followed him out. No matter how many times Han Dexun pleaded for them to stay for lunch, they politely declined.

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