Reborn with Consumption System-Chapter 474 - 223 Goodbye, don’t mess with me!

"Mr. Gu, this is a major issue. I need to confirm some things. Shall we arrange a time to talk about this in detail later?"

Han Lie didn’t give Gu Yong a definite response.

With Liu Minghao present, there was no need for Han Lie to personally haggle, squabble, or argue. He could afford to sit back with an air of superiority, waiting for the best outcome.

Gu Yong looked at Liu Minghao’s seemingly amused expression and inwardly cursed his luck. Ever since the attorney had taken Han Lie aside to whisper for a while, he had been wearing that same expression.

Gu Yong understood Liu Minghao very well. Their circle included not just local natives but also many who were former middle and elementary school classmates. The generation before them were all neighbors from the alleyways. Liu Minghao had been a leader among kids thirty years ago, due in part to his family background and also to his own capabilities.

It was clear to Gu Yong that Liu Minghao, a man who could squeeze oil out of a stone, was serious now.

"Alright!" Gu Yong gritted his teeth hard. "Wherever you need my cooperation, don’t hesitate! For the financing project of Minggu Real Estate, apart from Teacher Han, I won’t recognize anyone else!"

Well, well, that was an interesting stance.

It’s only fair to say that Gu Yong was indeed a formidable figure. When the time came to be decisive, nobody was more so than him.

Some people muddle through life, always adhering to the principle of "spending little money for big results," allowing themselves to drift along with immediate benefits. Only truly smart people understand the principle of "spending big money for big results," never scrimping at critical moments. And only the most formidable figures, a level above, are willing to "spend big money for small matters."

These represent three different levels, corresponding to different outlooks on life.

Han Lie was also surprised and regarded Gu Yong with a little more seriousness. But Han Lie said nothing, just smiled and let it go.

Such was composure, maturity, and depth.

After that, since there wasn’t much else for Liu Minghao’s circle to discuss, Han Lie was about to leave when Brother Cai, holding his wine glass, suddenly called him aside.

"Teacher Han..."

Han Lie clinked glasses lightly with him. Watching this honest-looking man down his drink with an unsophisticated gusto, Han Lie couldn’t help but feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

"Brother Cai, if you have something to say, please speak freely."

"Teacher Han, I roughly understood what you were discussing with Old Gu." Brother Cai seemed a bit embarrassed but remained as straightforward as ever. "If I want to put up the funds, would it be possible to get an annual interest rate of 8.5%, assuming there’s a guarantee of safety?"

Damn!

This is astounding. From what Brother Cai is suggesting, does he mean to pay the entire 2.5 billion in cash? What an unbelievably terrifying cash flow!

Despite his shock, Han Lie didn’t question the other man. The Magic Capital was full of hidden talents; who knew what kind of background or power someone might have?

Han Lie simply asked, "Why don’t you talk directly to Mr. Gu? If you eliminate us as intermediaries, he could save a lot on costs and might be willing to offer you a higher interest rate."

"I don’t trust Old Gu." Brother Cai shook his head, a dismissive smile playing on his lips.

"Are any of those real estate developers good people? I worked with them when I built my market, and I’ll never do it again in this lifetime!

"If I give Old Gu the money directly, he’d dare to fob off that Pangu Estate on me later.

"He’d make some shitty contract, throw a shoddy estate at me to settle the account. Then, he’d go off merrily to his next project with his decent profit and the dirty money from cutting corners. Meanwhile, I’d be stuck unable to sell the properties and might even have to beg him for help...

"That damn scoundrel is definitely up to something shady!"

Brother Cai’s rant was a bit disorganized, but Han Lie understood.

His concerns are legitimate.

Normally, property developers mortgage their projects to get funds. They should then develop the project diligently, strive to make sales, sell the properties, and then repay the money. However, if they receive too much money and the funder doesn’t exert significant deterrence in some respect, then the developer might play dirty.

There were plenty of ways. For instance, they could complete the project to the bare minimum standard and then declare bankruptcy. Afterward, they’d compensate the investors with the project itself, as per the contract terms.

Was that legal? Perfectly legal.

The narrative would be: "I completed the construction of the estate on time as per the contract. However, due to excessive expenses, I couldn’t manage the cash flow and can’t afford the value-adding projects. Now, you either have to give me more money, or take the property to settle the debt."

Such behavior might be unethical, but it would entirely align with the agreement. In the end, not only would the developer save the effort of selling properties, but they would also have ample opportunity to siphon off money during construction.

Brother Cai might not understand all these twists and turns, but he understood human nature.

"Teacher Han, I don’t trust Gu Yong, but I do trust Lawyer Liu. If you guys are going ahead with this project, can you include me? I’m not greedy; 8.5% is enough for me!"

Han Lie was still puzzled. "Brother Cai, with your cash flow, couldn’t you negotiate a large fixed deposit with a bank and get an interest rate higher than 8.5%?"

"Blast it!" Brother Cai slapped his thigh hard, his face full of frustration. "It wasn’t that high before!

"But the fixed-term deposits I made earlier just happen to be maturing early next year. Then the banks start giving me some spiel about ’M-something’ or ’cyber-something’ and some new limit on loans—I didn’t quite catch it all. Basically, they’re saying the interest rate won’t be as high as before.

"I’ve inquired at several banks. For a five-year fixed deposit, smaller banks are willing to give me a guaranteed baseline interest rate of 5.25% plus a non-guaranteed rate of 5%. The big four banks can only offer me 4.75% plus 4%.

"Some banks can offer advance interest payments and a few other assorted perks.

"But I’m too scared to deposit! What if they don’t give you the non-guaranteed part after five years? What can you do then?"