The moment Section Chief Xu heard the name "Director Guo," his face changed. When Chen Yang recounted the rest of the story, Section Chief Xu's face turned deathly pale. He had been casually leaning back in his chair, but now he stood up abruptly, as if Director Guo were right in front of him.
"Okay, okay, I'll wait for you here!" Chen Yang said, hanging up the phone. Turning to look at Section Chief Xu, he found him already standing, a look of alarm on his face.
Chen Yang smiled and said calmly:
"I'm sorry, Section Chief Xu, for interrupting your lecture. Please continue!"
"This…hehe, Mr. Fang…I didn't know you were Director Guo's friend. I was very rude!" Section Chief Xu dared not continue his lecture; his mind was now filled with how to explain himself to the young man before him.
This was just too unlucky! When Section Chief Xu received Chen Yang's information a few days ago, he noticed Chen had only bought the house a few weeks prior, leading him to conclude that Chen was a lucky property speculator. Yesterday, a subordinate contacted Chen Yang, saying he would come today to discuss compensation. Section Chief Xu secretly decided to give Chen Yang a hard time first.
Having worked in demolition and relocation for many years, he knew that some property speculators were notoriously difficult to deal with during demolition processes, while genuine residents were much easier to handle in comparison. Therefore, he prepared a demolition agreement in advance, with compensation prices even lower than those announced in the official notice. Of course, if Chen Yang questioned it, Section Chief Xu could find over a dozen clauses to justify the pricing.
Section Chief Xu did this to have more room for negotiation. The speed of signing demolition agreements and the level of compensation directly impacted his own performance record. Once he dealt with property speculators like Chen Yang, the remaining original residents would be much easier to handle.
As luck would have it, Chen Yang had just run into Section Chief Xu while looking for Director Guo's office. Before Chen Yang could even finish his question, Section Chief Xu prejudged the situation, assuming Chen Yang was there to negotiate compensation because of yesterday's phone call, hence his performance. Especially seeing Chen Yang as a young man in his early twenties, Section Chief Xu assumed he was easy to bully, his words even carrying a subtle threat.
He was acting nothing like a government official; he was behaving like a street thug.
Section Chief Xu never imagined that this person wouldn't bother negotiating with lower-level staff, going directly to Director Guo! So, upon hearing the contents of Chen Yang's phone call, Section Chief Xu panicked.
"Section Chief Xu, what are you saying! You strictly follow national policy in setting compensation standards!" Chen Yang said nonchalantly. "Let me take another look at this agreement. If it's really not good, I'll just sign it. I'm so scared..."
With that, Chen Yang made a move to grab the demolition agreement.
"No, no, no..." Section Chief Xu quickly grabbed the agreement, threw it into the trash can, and then said with a forced smile, "Mr. Fang, I really didn't know..."
"Bang!" The office door was violently pushed open, slamming heavily against the latch against the wall with a loud thud. Section Chief Xu couldn't help but tremble. He looked up and saw a middle-aged man in his forties walk in, his face full of anger.
The staff members who had been pretending to work but secretly observing Chen Yang and Section Chief Xu all stood up to greet him, their attitude much more respectful than before.
"Hello, Director Guo!"
"Hello, Director Guo!"
Director Guo nodded with a calm expression, then turned his gaze to the only unfamiliar face present, a kind smile appearing on his face:
"You must be Mr. Fang! Oh! Welcome, welcome!"
After saying that, Director Guo actually extended his hands to Chen Yang! This surprised everyone in the office. Just who was this young man? "It seems Section Chief Xu has really stepped on a landmine this time..." some people thought gleefully.
Section Chief Xu was filled with regret. Director Guo's attitude had said it all. Even Director Guo was eager to curry favor with this young man named Chen Yang, while he himself had foolishly tried to coax and threaten him. His performance just now looked like that of a clown.
Director Guo hadn't even glanced at Section Chief Xu since he entered the room. But the more he acted this way, the more serious the problem seemed. Section Chief Xu felt immense pressure. Even in the comfortable 24-degree office environment, cold sweat broke out uncontrollably on his forehead.
"Hello, Director Guo!" Chen Yang said with a smile. "I'm young, so please just call me Chen Yang! Or you can call me Xiao Fang, it'll sound less awkward."
"Haha! Okay, then I'll take the liberty!" Chen Yang took the initiative to be friendly, and Guo Li naturally went along with it. "Xiao Fang, what was that all about just now?"
After saying that, Guo Li's sharp gaze fell on Section Chief Xu. His previously warm and amiable face instantly turned grim. It seemed that Director Guo's ability to change his expression was quite adept.
"Oh, nothing, Section Chief Xu was just joking with me!" Chen Yang glanced at the trembling Section Chief Xu with a playful look and asked, "Right, Section Chief Xu..."
"Uh...hehe, yes! Yes! It was just a joke!" Section Chief Xu hesitated for a moment, then mechanically echoed Chen Yang's words.
"A joke?" Guo Li looked at Section Chief Xu suspiciously. "Yes!" Chen Yang chimed in with a smile, "The compensation is over six thousand per square meter, are you kidding me?"
Guo Li's face instantly darkened. As the director of the demolition office, he was well aware of Section Chief Xu's petty tricks. He couldn't believe this fool was so oblivious, actually using those same tricks on Chen Yang!
Thinking of how his old leader Xie Fangzhi had personally come to explain this matter yesterday, subtly implying that this young Xie had powerful connections and was even on friendly terms with Director Guan of the Provincial Party Committee Office, Guo Li felt like killing Section Chief Xu.
"Hmph! Xu Maorong! You've really got some nerve…" Guo Li's tone was icy cold, devoid of any emotion, making Xu Maorong shiver involuntarily.
He said in a trembling voice:
"Director, this...this is all a misunderstanding..."
Guo Li withdrew his gaze with disgust, then turned to Chen Yang sincerely and said:
"Xiao Fang, I will give you an explanation for this matter. Why don't you...come to my office for a while?"
Chen Yang nodded with a smile. Guo Li then turned to another clerk in the office and said:
"Xiao Li, find the minutes of last week's meeting of the Old City Renovation Project Command!"
"Yes, Director Guo!" Xiao Li quickly put down his work, stood up, and answered respectfully. He then quickly rummaged through a pile of documents, soon finding the meeting minutes and handing them to Guo Li with both hands.
Guo Li nodded slightly, took the document, and then enthusiastically led the way, taking Chen Yang to his own office. After Chen Yang settled into the sofa, Guo Li personally brewed a cup of hot tea and brought it over, saying apologetically,
"Xiao Fang, I'm so sorry! Some of our colleagues are a bit rough in their work methods, and I'm sorry you had to endure this."
Chen Yang bowed slightly, took the tea, and smiled, saying,
"It's alright, Director Guo. Since it was a misunderstanding, it's fine once it's been cleared up. There's no need to make a fuss!"
Chen Yang didn't take the earlier incident seriously, and he certainly wouldn't go so far as to eliminate a minor character like Xu Maorong. He was concerned about the demolition compensation. Guo Li clearly understood this as well, and didn't bring it up again. Instead, he smiled and said,
"Xiao Fang! I specifically looked into the demolition of your house yesterday. The district committee and government have established a command center to provide overall guidance for this demolition and subsequent redevelopment work. The main points regarding the demolition work are all here; you can take a look."
With that, Guo Li handed Chen Yang the meeting minutes.
His attitude was very proper; he didn't hide anything. Chen Yang knew the government's bottom line would be clearly stated at the meeting. Therefore, he didn't offer any polite words, simply nodded gratefully, and took the document to review it.
Sure enough, Fan Changtian, the Party Secretary of Zhonglou District, stated at the meeting that the compensation price should be controlled below 7,500 yuan per square meter. Of course, this didn't include the housing replacement cost or other subsidies and incentives. This price was a full 3,000 yuan higher than the 4,000+ yuan in Xu Maorong's agreement.
"This junior section chief is really ruthless at lowering prices!" Chen Yang thought to himself, pursing his lips.
Guo Li seemed to have sensed Chen Yang's thoughts, and gave a slightly embarrassed dry laugh, saying,
"Xiao Fang, since you've chosen monetary compensation, let's sign the contract according to the district government's maximum price limit. Is that acceptable? Also, our office is handling the property appraisal. I specifically looked into your apartment yesterday. Although it's a bit old, I can assess its condition slightly higher within my capabilities. That way, the replacement cost will be roughly 3,500 yuan per square meter."
Chen Yang mentally calculated that the two prices combined totaled 11,000 yuan per square meter. Adding other subsidies, the average came to about 1,000 yuan. In other words, Chen Yang would receive about 12,000 yuan per square meter in compensation for the demolition of this apartment. This exceeded the demolition compensation prices he knew from his previous life. It seemed Guo Li was going all out to secure Chen Yang's best interests. "So, that's about 12,000 yuan per square meter. Hmm, that's quite a high price. Thank you, Director Guo!" Chen Yang said with a smile, then added half-jokingly, "Looks like a director really is a director! Your level is far superior to that of a section chief!"
Guo Li, seeing that Chen Yang was finally satisfied, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Besides, he had a backup plan; wouldn't Chen Yang be even more pleased then? Thinking this, Guo Li chuckled and said:
"Xiao Fang, you've miscalculated. It should be 14,000 yuan per square meter!"