138: Chapter 138 Our Car is Top-Notch

At noon, the plane landed in Jinghai. The person who came to pick him up was An Xin.

Nowadays, he was considered a rising star in Jinghai—upright, patient, and meticulous. He was about to be promoted to a full section-level position. More importantly, he was the secretary to Meng Dehai, the current top leader of Jinghai. At this moment, wearing a black trench coat and looking full of vigor, he was a completely different person from the prematurely gray-haired man in the original series.

“Director Zhao! Thank you for gracing your hometown with an inspection!” An Xin laughed heartily and took the initiative to reach out his hand.

Zhao Yang squeezed his hand hard. “Alright, stop being so sarcastic. How about we switch places?”

An Xin quickly shook his head. “No way! I've heard Uncle Meng talk about the things you do; I couldn't handle it!”

The two of them chatted and laughed as they got into the car. As An Xin turned the steering wheel, he said, “Meng Yu and I plan to get our marriage certificate after the Spring Festival.”

“Then congratulations to you both. Childhood sweethearts finally becoming a couple,” Zhao Yang smiled. “I’m telling you, you’d better treat my cousin well in the future, or I won’t let you off.”

An Xin’s face fell. “I was actually hoping you’d help me out by asking your cousin to treat me a bit better. Look at my waist—look at what she’s done to it.”

“Hmm?” Zhao Yang was stunned. Was Meng Yu that fierce? Looking at An Xin, he didn't seem physically weak either.

“You don't believe me? I'll show you.”

Zhao Yang had a strange expression. “You're showing me? Is that appropriate?”

“I have to show you!” Taking advantage of a red light, An Xin lifted the right side of his shirt and said with a bitter face, “Look, these are all from your cousin pinching me!”

Only then did Zhao Yang realize his mind had wandered to the gutter. He looked closely and couldn't help but laugh. “The reds and purples... it’s quite artistic.”

An Xin looked aggrieved and imitated Meng Yu. “That’s just how she is. Two fingers, first she pinches a small piece of flesh, then she pulls it up hard, gives it a twist, and finally a press! Do you know how that feels?”

Zhao Yang's mouth twitched. “Quite... refreshing. But... don't take your blessings for granted. In a place like Jinghai, if you don't want to be pinched by my cousin, there's a long line of people waiting. What, you want to give up your spot?”

An Xin chuckled and shook his head like a rattle. “No, no way.”

“By the way, let's talk business. After you get married, you can't stay as Uncle Meng’s secretary. Where do you plan to go?”

An Xin paused and said, “I'll start with a lateral transfer to the Economic Development Zone. It's being upgraded next year, and I'll have enough years of service by then.”

“Oh...” Zhao Yang realized. The most important project in the Economic Development Zone was the piece of land with mountains and a lake that Hongdou wanted, and construction was almost finished. He asked, “What will the Economic Development Zone eventually be named?”

“Songshan District.”

“Why Songshan District?”

“Because Gao Qisheng named the nameless lake in the district Songshan Lake.”

Zhao Yang understood and smiled. “That name... is very good.”

The car drove straight to Meng Dehai's house. Today was the weekend, so Meng Dehai was home, and Aunt Cui had already prepared lunch. Meng Yu was away for an internship and couldn't make it back, so there were only four people at the table. Seeing the couple's attitude toward An Xin, Zhao Yang understood they already treated him as family.

After the meal, An Xin helped Aunt Cui clean up while Zhao Yang and Meng Dehai went into the study.

As soon as they entered the study, Meng Dehai patted Zhao Yang hard on the shoulder. “A twenty-six-year-old division-level cadre! The only one in the whole country!”

“I don't deserve such praise,” Zhao Yang quickly laughed. “There are definitely people faster than me.”

He wasn't being humble; he truly felt there were, he just didn't know about them.

“By the way, Xiao Zhao.” Meng Dehai's expression turned serious. “Real estate is developing very quickly now, and I’m a bit uneasy. Do you think our Jinghai is too conservative regarding real estate? When I go to provincial meetings, leaders from several neighboring cities say Jinghai is a low point for housing prices in the province and is dragging the province down.”

“Didn't you compare GDP with them?” Zhao Yang laughed. “Isn't Jinghai's GDP second only to the provincial capital now? In terms of per capita, it has already surpassed the provincial capital.”

Meng Dehai laughed heartily. “With Hongdou Technology and the Construction Group here, isn't comparing GDP just bullying them?”

“Then don't worry about what they say. We just need to do our own thing,” Zhao Yang smiled. “Now that there are more wealthy people in Jinghai, we can appropriately develop some high-end housing, but it shouldn't affect the price of essential housing. The price of essential housing and average income should be maintained at an appropriate ratio. Actually, I don't need to say this; you would do it anyway, Uncle Meng.”

Meng Dehai smiled. “I learned it all from the materials you gave me. But you going to Shanghai... I’m a little worried.”

“Oh? What's wrong there?”

Meng Dehai sighed. “Shanghai is exclusionary. You are an outsider, after all.”

The corner of Zhao Yang's mouth quirked up slightly. “I am Shaoyang, I am a local Shanghai person. Don't worry, I won't be bullied.”

“Huh?” Meng Dehai was stunned, then realized. “You speak Shanghainese?”

Zhao Yang nodded. “I've learned a little bit of many local dialects.”

Meng Dehai gave him a thumbs up. “Good, very good! I underestimated you, kid. I’ve heard people from Shanghai speak; your accent is absolutely authentic.”

Afterward, the two talked about Meng Yu and An Xin's wedding and helped design a promotion path for An Xin within the system.

After finishing, Zhao Yang got up to leave. An Xin saw him all the way to the entrance of the residential area, standing by the roadside waving goodbye.

Zhao Yang glanced back at him, and a strange illusion suddenly arose in his heart—when discussing An Xin's career with Meng Dehai just now, Old Meng's tone made it seem as if he treated Zhao Yang as An Xin's elder.

Just as he stepped out of the main gate, Zhao Yang's gaze was firmly captured by a car across the street.

This car absolutely should not have appeared in this era.

A low-slung sporty style, somewhere between a city SUV and a GT sports car, with a long hood and a streamlined body.

In another space-time, a car with this design wouldn't be released until 2018. At that time, it had a resounding name: Ferrari Purosangue.

Of course, many popular models later, like certain YU7 or Z7T models, borrowed from this design. After all, aesthetics are universal; a classic design looks good even if it were made by a dog.

The car in front of him was wrapped in a black-and-white checkered camouflage film, revealing only the elongated teardrop-shaped headlights and the through-type taillights. The body color couldn't be seen yet, but the shape was already attractive enough. Passing pedestrians would take a few extra glances, and one driver simply parked nearby and got out to take a closer look.

Zhao Yang couldn't help but smile and walked straight over.

He recognized this car; after more than two years of research and development by Hongdou Technology, it had finally taken shape!

The first two models to be launched were a practical type similar to the Wuling Hongguang but lengthened and widened, and this sporty SUV in front of him. Both were range-extended electric vehicles.

The window rolled down, revealing Gao Qisheng’s face behind his glasses. He grinned, losing all his refined scoundrel poise. “Brother Yang! Get in!”

Zhao Yang pulled the door open, somewhat surprised. “Whoa, you even installed semi-hidden door handles?”

Gao Qisheng looked proud. “It looks better this way. But the cost is too high, so I plan to make it an optional feature.”

“Hmm... not bad.” Zhao Yang scanned the interior and nodded. Refrigerator, color TV, and large sofa—it had them all.

The refrigerator was semiconductor-based, and the color TV was the first-generation tablet computer that Hongdou Technology was about to launch—its performance couldn't compare to later generations, of course, but it was enough for watching videos. The passenger seat was equipped with a leg rest and could recline significantly, barely qualifying as a 'large sofa'.

Compared to the new energy vehicles running all over the streets in later generations, it still lacked a proper large infotainment screen. This was unavoidable; touchscreens were still a novelty, and automotive-grade ones were even further off, at least a few years away. Currently, only a palm-sized ordinary screen was embedded in the center console, capable of displaying a rearview image.

Zhao Yang felt around and asked, “How are the costs for the two models? How do you plan to price them?”