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After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future-Chapter 326 - 325: Airdropping into Manhattan
"Is this the favor you wanted Old Wang to help with?"
In the VIP waiting room of Xinpu International Airport, Wanda’s private jet was undergoing the final checks before flight.
"That plot of land, with so many real estate developers competing, wouldn’t I give away the setup if I were to step in directly?"
After a busy few months, the intelligent driving system had finally re-entered the fast track of research and development. The construction had also begun at Lou Shui Industrial Park, and the 1,450-acre wasteland by the river had been secured with the help of Wanda.
Lu Liang was due to keep his promise and accompany Little Wang to New York, doing his best to help Panda pass Nasdaq’s listing review.
Little Wang hesitated, then sighed, "Actually, if you were to bid yourself, no one would dare to say anything."
"Indeed, no one would dare say anything, but it would be easy to attract gossip and give people leverage over me."
Lu Liang smiled faintly. Wanda Group was fully qualified and had every right to participate in this land auction.
If it were Tianxing Technology, even with a green light all the way, just processing the land qualification documents would take three to five months.
Handling the qualifications for three to five months, then having the Su City Land Reform Bureau initiate the auction, would waste another one or two months of time.
Dragging it on, by the time the land was in their hands, it would be at least half a year, or even longer.
Lu Liang didn’t want to wait, so he cooperated with Wanda to establish a subsidiary specifically for development.
Tianxing Technology held a 90% stake, Tianxing Investment 9%, and Wanda 1%.
The presence of Tianxing Investment was primarily to make up the numbers; three people constituted a group and nothing more.
Among them, not only was Wanda responsible for the bidding but also the trivial matters after the auction, dealing with over a hundred households of villagers.
Even if Tianxing itself participated in the land auction, it still had to entrust a third party to handle these matters afterward.
Might as well let Wanda handle it all and just pay some extra effort money afterward.
"Thank you!" Little Wang was silent for a while.
In his view, this small favor was insignificant for Wanda and Tianxing alike.
It wasn’t worth Lu Liang personally accompanying him to New York to help Panda pass the listing review.
Probably Lu Liang knew that at present, Panda had nothing to offer that could excite him.
So he found an excuse just to accompany him to New York and help Panda pass the review.
Lu Liang laughed at himself in silence. Little Wang seemed to have misunderstood something, but he couldn’t be bothered to explain.
They chatted idly for a while before the airport manager came over with a beaming smile and informed, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Wang, the inspection is complete, and you may board now."
The custody fee for private planes in the country was very expensive, generally charged at 10% of the plane’s sale price annually.
Taking Old Wang’s Gulfstream G550 as an example, priced at 320 million yuan, the annual custody fee would be 32 million.
This was an additional income for the airport, creating over a dozen jobs, making them the gold mine for the airport.
"Let’s go."
Little Wang’s IPO review team had 11 members, while Lu Liang only had six on his side.
It was basically him, his cousin, along with Zhuo Yifan, plus three security personnel.
The group of more than ten people took the shuttle bus to the corner of the apron, where an eighty percent new Gulfstream G550 awaited.
This model, launched in 2003, was the first in human history to offer a direct flight range capable of flying from Modu to New York.
With a range of 11,986 kilometers, it could carry 18 passengers and was one of the luxury private jets in the country with the farthest range, best performance, most spacious cabin, and greatest comfort.
"Once Panda gets listed and has the money, I’ll buy one too."
Little Wang, leading Lu Liang, took a quick tour and then asked with a smile, "Isn’t it cool?"
He really wanted to buy one – he already owned what runs on the ground and swims in the sea, only lacking something that flies in the sky.
"It’s okay."
Lu Liang smiled. He wasn’t greatly interested in these things; he had considered buying one before, just to show off, but now he didn’t feel the need.
Private planes were only suitable for long-distance travel, such as this trip from the East Half Ball to the West Half Ball, traversing the Pacific Ocean with a flight time of 12 hours.
With a resting room, a dining area, a bathroom, and an entertainment room, it truly could help pass the boring time during the flight.
For flights shorter than five hours, it was hardly necessary as you couldn’t just fly whenever you wanted – flight routes had to be applied for in advance, and it was more convenient to simply buy airplane tickets.
As the plane entered the runway and slowly ascended until it reached the relatively stable stratosphere.
Little Wang left the only rest room to Lu Liang and went to check the review materials with Long Fei.
This was already the second time Tianxing Investment had submitted their IPO application for review, and if they needed to be re-evaluated yet again, there probably wouldn’t be much hope for a third try.
"Not afraid of the second generation squandering their inheritances, but afraid of the second generation being ambitious."
Lu Liang couldn’t help but smirk. Compared to when they first met, Little Wang really had changed a lot.
It was mainly because he had been given hope for success—if he hadn’t seen that possibility, he might have given up long ago.
Lu Liang scrolled through Douyin while lying on his bed, then dozed off for a bit.
When he woke up, there were still eight hours left.
Lying there was indeed boring, so Lu Liang called over Little Wang and Long Fei, then randomly picked someone else to play some Mahjong and pass the remaining eight hours.
It was also quite miraculous; they had departed at noon and, after flying for 12 hours, they still arrived at noon.
Even the date was the same, the 12th. It was as if they had earned an extra 12 hours.
Little Wang wore a speechless expression, "Wait until you are on your way back, then you’ll understand what it means to have a day disappear."
He had already come once last month and there were employees from the company staying here, the itinerary for these few days was all arranged.
About a dozen people left New York Airport and headed straight to a hotel in the city. Several brokerage firms including Cruick were waiting for them, and tonight they would attend a dinner.
It was a welcome banquet specifically for Lu Liang, and the bigwigs of Wall Street, including high-level executives from the exchange, would be there.
As long as Lu Liang could flatter them just a little, Panda might just pass this IPO review.
"This kind of treatment, not even Old Ma gets it, right?"
Little Wang’s eyes were full of envy, and his mouth was a bit sour.
Although Old Xu was this year’s "First Rich," the most internationally influential figure in the domestic business community should be Old Ma.
However, unlike Old Ma, who wanted to integrate into Western capital and become one of them, Western capital was inviting Lu Liang to join them.
"Can’t you see, they’re trying to roast me on the fire?" Lu Liang squinted his eyes with a smile.
It wasn’t hard to guess that as soon as he attended that so-called banquet, there would be a huge story about it the next day.
And when that happened, Panda’s IPO review would undoubtedly go very smoothly.
Some third-rate editor would then concoct some little stories or something.
"Are you serious?" Little Wang frowned deeply.
"Regardless of whether it’s true or not, just pretend it is for the moment—stay alert and behave yourself. Don’t mess things up."
Lu Liang laughed and looked out the car window—it was a vast plain.
With no mountains in sight and the occasional cluster of rolling tumbleweeds drifting by the sides of the road—such plants were rare to see back home because it was only in the great plains that they proliferated, sometimes even to a pestilential extent.
They drove east for a dozen kilometers; skyscrapers grew denser, they passed by the Statue of Liberty, crossed the Hudson River, and finally arrived on the streets of Manhattan.
A jagged skyscraper loomed ahead—Wang’s team booked their hotel named after a businessman, and it truly belonged to him.
Located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, it was a towering 68-story skyscraper, also a symbol of the businessman’s real estate.
The royal suites on floors 58 to 68 each offered an average of over 10,000 square feet of usable space.
Wang’s team booked two suites, one for Little Wang and one for Lu Liang.
Little Wang had settled in bright and early,
And was now waiting at Lu Liang’s room door.
"Cruick and the others are at the café on the eighteenth floor."
"Let’s go."
In a restaurant where all the faces were Caucasian, the few Chinese profiles of their group seemed very conspicuous.
Little Wang coughed dryly a few times and said in an aggrieved tone, "You told me to watch myself, but you might want to be a bit more careful yourself."
Lu Liang was such a hypocrite—forbidding him from messing around just moments ago, and here he was, ogling over American beauties.
"It’s different, I’m simply admiring them. Even if it comes down to the wire, I can restrain myself. But could you?"
Lu Liang smiled, having had his fair share of experiences with Western women but still couldn’t help himself from taking a few extra glances when arriving in their heartland, though it was purely out of admiration.
"Heh heh~~" Little Wang turned into a fake smile boy.
At that moment, the assistant informed them promptly, "Mr. Wang, Mr. Lu, Mr. Cruick and his party are in private room number four."