I'm back in 1990

Chapter 438: Do you dare to try?

"I'm Back in 1990" ranks highly in the Cola Novels readers' poll for best urban novel!

Nan Hui didn't argue with the project manager on site; instead, she made a phone call to the general manager of the general contractor and asked him to come over immediately.

Guangda Real Estate, as the client, is different from the clients of later generations. It does not require the general contractor to advance funds. It strictly follows the contract and pays the construction fees after the construction progress is accepted. Moreover, in order to leave the general contractor with a reasonable profit, it does not adopt the so-called low-price bidding strategy. Instead, it conducts a cost assessment in advance, and any project with a cost lower than this assessment will be eliminated.

This is also what Huang Xiaochuan repeatedly requested. He believes that giving the supplier a reasonable profit is conducive to the healthy development of the economy. On the surface, disorderly low-price competition seems to benefit the buyer, but in reality, it is a lose-lose situation for all three parties.

The first loss is that the contractor wins the bid with a low price, and either they have to ask for additional construction funds afterward or they cut corners, leaving the client's interests unprotected.

Secondly, if the supplier cannot obtain reasonable profits, it will indirectly reduce the reasonable income of downstream material suppliers and construction workers.

The third loss ultimately harms the interests of the lowest-level workers. Without wages commensurate with their labor, they will naturally have no money to consume, preventing the economy from achieving a healthy cycle.

Therefore, the profits for the general contractor in obtaining the building construction project from Guangda Real Estate were quite considerable. The contract between the two parties was also very rigorous. Nan Hui had been paying close attention to it all along. However, she mainly focused on the construction progress, quality, and whether the workers' wages were paid on time. She neglected the canteen, but she didn't expect that some people were so unscrupulous that they would make a fuss about it for money.

Manager Xie realized things were going badly and broke out in a cold sweat. He followed Nan Hui around, repeatedly stating that he would severely punish the person involved, hoping to find a way to get away with it.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Nan Hui was being told what to do by Huang Xiaochuan, and she realized that Huang Xiaochuan was really angry. She knew that if she didn't handle this matter immediately, she would be dismissed in no time. There were many capable people, and she knew her own worth. Although she still had the status of a shareholder, that status was nothing in front of Mr. Huang!

Just as Wu Anbo, the general manager of the general contractor "Pujiang Construction," arrived home and was about to eat, he received a phone call. His brows furrowed, he put down his bowl, ignored his wife's calls, and hurriedly hailed a taxi to the project site. He kept making phone calls along the way, and the heads of various departments of Pujiang Construction rushed to the Ritz-Carlton project site of Guangda Real Estate on Huaihai Middle Road after receiving the calls.

Winning this project made "Pujiang Construction" famous in the industry. You should know that in the 1990s, the general contracting of high-rise buildings over 200 meters was almost entirely done by European and American countries. Huaxia Construction Company could only participate in the subcontracting of some projects, doing the most tiring and difficult work, and receiving the least amount of money.

However, Guangda Real Estate overruled the objections of many domestic and international experts and insisted on awarding the general contracting of this project to a domestic construction company, so that the domestic construction company could accumulate valuable experience.

Therefore, everyone at Pujiang Construction attached great importance to this project, but unexpectedly, problems still arose.

After getting off the bus, Wu Anbo went straight to the project site canteen.

When he arrived, he saw project manager Li Changhong explaining something to Nan Hui.

"Mr. Nan, this canteen is contracted out to a subcontractor and has nothing to do with us, the general contractor. But rest assured, I will handle this matter seriously and guarantee to give you a satisfactory result."

Nan Hui didn't even glance at him. She just sat in the small restaurant, guarding the table full of food. The people she brought had sealed off the canteen manager's office and temporarily taken over the canteen, forbidding anyone from touching anything inside, not even the cooked food.

Wu Anbo straightened his clothes and greeted them from a distance, "President Nan, I'm so sorry I'm late! Please forgive me!"

Nan Hui stood up after seeing Wu Anbo.

Wu Anbo ignored Xie Changhong, who came up to greet him.

Nan Hui and Wu Anbo shook hands first.

Nan Hui then asked, "Mr. Wu, the contract we signed clearly states that in order to ensure the livelihood of construction workers, our company will provide you with a food subsidy of 1.83 million yuan to improve their meals. Now I want to know where this money went?"

Wu Anbo has been in this industry for so long, starting from the bottom, so he knows a lot about what's going on down there. However, he also knows that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish, so as long as it's not too excessive, he usually won't get involved in these things. He never expected that the client would come to him directly this time and he would be caught red-handed.

Wu Anbo mistakenly thought it was Cao Charlie who had arrived, and asked, "Chairman Cao has come in person?"

"It's not Chairman Cao, it's our big boss, Mr. Huang! Chairman Cao, like me, is just working for him. Moreover, Mr. Huang owns many companies, and real estate is just one of them, accounting for a very small percentage."

Wu Anbo was stunned. He originally thought that Cao Charlie was the biggest boss of this real estate company, but he didn't expect that there was a Mr. Huang above him? Moreover, this was the real behind-the-scenes boss, and he only found out about such a person today.

How big of a boss must he be? Real estate is just a small part of his business empire, really? He already thinks this vast real estate empire is incredible? It truly proves the saying, "There are always people more powerful than you!"

Xie Changhong, who was standing to the side, realized that the young man was actually the real boss behind the scenes of the Southern General Manager, and broke out in a cold sweat.

However, he was still somewhat skeptical. The man looked far too young. If it weren't for the few attendants he had with him, he would have seemed like nothing special.

Wu Anbo quickly realized what was going on. He rubbed his hands together and asked, "President Nan, now that Mr. Huang is here, could you please introduce me so I can apologize to him in person?"

Nan Hui looked at Wu Anbo with a mocking expression: "Mr. Wu, do you think this matter can be resolved simply by apologizing?"

"No, no, no, of course not. This is what I'm thinking: since your big boss is here, it's only proper for us to pay him a visit. It's a matter of etiquette."

Nan Hui refused outright. She knew that Huang Xiaochuan didn't like to show his face in public. If she really brought this General Manager Wu to see him, he might dismiss her on the spot and send her home to retire.

"No need, Mr. Huang doesn't like these clichés. We've gone off on a tangent. Now, Mr. Wu, please tell me how you plan to handle this matter?"

After considering it for a moment, Wu Anbo tentatively said, "How about this, Mr. Nan, you go back first, and I promise to give you a result. Rest assured, I'm stating here that no matter who is involved in this matter, we will handle it seriously."

Nan Hui sneered: "President Wu, are you trying to play games with me? I'm not afraid to tell you, Mr. Huang said when he left that if I don't give him a result, he will give me one. People from your company were all there when he said that, you can ask them."

I know my boss better than you do. I need a resolution now, or I won't hesitate to blacklist your company and report it to the International Federation of Building Associations. Then your company will become infamous overseas.

Wu Anbo was stunned. He hadn't expected the woman standing in front of him to be so ruthless. If she really did that, Pujiang Construction would be infamous. He had originally been ambitious and wanted to use this opportunity to take on a contract to gain experience and conquer the overseas construction market. If she did that, not only would they not be able to survive abroad, but they wouldn't even be able to survive in the domestic market.

However, Wu Anbo wasn't easily intimidated. He laughed and said, "President Nan, there's no need to make things unpleasant over such a small matter! Besides, Guangda Real Estate will be doing business in China eventually. If you act like this, who will dare to cooperate with you in the future?"

Wu Anbo's words clearly carried a hint of threat, which Nan Hui naturally noticed. Since that was the case, she decided not to waste any more words with him.

Nan Hui said to Wu Anbo with a serious expression, "Mr. Wu, I am now formally informing your company verbally that, given your company's failure to fulfill the relevant terms of the general contract, which constitutes a breach of contract, we will freeze the next phase of payments and cancel your company's general contract qualification in accordance with the contract terms. I will send a special person to deliver the relevant formal legal documents to your company."

Nan Hui then said, "Our group's business philosophy is people-oriented. In our company's view, people are more important than anything else. You treat grassroots construction workers like this and still think it's justified, treating this matter as a trivial matter and handling it lightly. It seems that you didn't listen to any of our previous communication. Since our two sides have such a big difference in philosophy, there is no need to continue to cooperate."

"Furthermore, I can tell you that we'd rather abandon the building project altogether and not do business in China than do anything that harms the interests of grassroots workers. It's only a few hundred million; we can afford to lose that much. But do you dare to try?"

Wu Anbo was startled. He hadn't expected this woman to be serious. If he were really disqualified from being the general contractor, he would be out of a job in no time. Moreover, Pujiang Construction would become truly infamous in the industry. It was quite rare for a general contractor to be kicked out by the client.

Based on past experience dealing with clients, minor issues inevitably arise during the cooperation process. Generally, everyone tends to let things slide and doesn't take things too seriously, as long as the house is built properly. That's how everyone has gotten by.

I never expected Guangda Real Estate to be so unconventional. What kind of company is this? I've never seen anything like it before.

Wu Anbo's attitude immediately softened.

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