Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 245: Chapter 242 Real Estate Tycoon Chapter 245: Chapter 242 Real Estate Tycoon “`

Huo Sining had no idea what was going through Gu Xu’s mind; her head was filled with that strange sense of familiarity towards Zheng Huaqing. She couldn’t explain why, only managing to vaguely say:

“It’s nothing, it’s just that I feel like I’ve heard this person’s name somewhere before, it’s really weird.”

“What’s so weird about that? You must have heard of Yulong Real Estate. This person made his fortune in real estate and is now one of the few major property developers in the country. Don’t be fooled by his unassuming appearance; he’s so low-key that he even ranks on the Forbes list!”

Standing nearby, Su Qingqing heard Huo Sining having a quiet conversation with Gu Xu and thought nothing of it:

“You must have seen this person on TV or in a newspaper at some point, leaving an impression in your mind. That’s why he seems familiar to you.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but give a wry smile. She was unable to articulate the strange feeling in her mind, but she was sure she had never seen Zheng Huaqing before.

Huo Sining rummaged through her mind for quite a while but still couldn’t make sense of her thoughts, yet she was clear that the vague sense of familiarity in her mind wasn’t deceptive.

Deep down, Huo Sining felt that she must have forgotten something important.

Unable to figure it out, Huo Sining had no choice but to let it go. Following behind Zheng Qinghua, the group arrived at the pier.

It didn’t seem so at first, but once inside, she discovered that, unbelievably, there were hundreds of tankers docked at The Bund.

The tankers were arranged by size along the pier, with smaller ones close to the dock and a few super tankers at a considerable distance from the shore.

This was the first time the long-time resident of Bashu, Huo Sining, had seen so many giant tankers. Compared to these, the small fishing boats she had seen by the Yellow River were inconsequential.

Despite the tankers being quite far from the pier, they still made a strong impression on Huo Sining.

These tankers moored at the pier were not privately owned. The luxury cruise ships were docked on the other side of the pier, and Huo Sining and her companions reached their destination, a large private yacht.

As Zheng Huaqing and his group approached the yacht, the crew immediately lowered the gangway, connecting a passageway between the yacht and the pier. Huo Sining and the others then walked aboard the yacht from the gangway.

After boarding, they began assigning rooms. After a walk-through of the ship, Huo Sining and the others were astounded by the interior layout.

This yacht seemed very luxurious, equipped with a cockpit, cabins, and a deck. The cabins were large, having been converted into eight separate standard rooms, each with a double bed and a private bathroom, accommodating nearly twenty people.

“Wow, this yacht really looks great! You can enjoy the sea breeze and the scenery, and even sunbathe tomorrow. Life couldn’t be better! By the way, Big Brother Zheng, can we also fish on this boat?” As soon as Su Qingqing got to the pier and saw the fishing boats, she was excited.

“Fishing is no problem, the yacht is equipped with professional fishing crew,” said Zheng Huaqing with a smile, patiently explaining, “But don’t get your hopes up too high. Although this yacht has all the necessary fishing gear, it’s really just a recreational activity; we usually don’t go fishing.”

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Su Qingqing felt puzzled, “Why is it only for entertainment? It’s such a waste to sail out such a big boat without fishing.”

Zheng Huaqing laughed and said, “Where are there any fish to catch nowadays? It’s already not bad if you can pull up a net full of small fish and shrimp. The cost of fuel and labor for going out to sea can’t be earned back. If you had to rely on these fish and shrimp for a living, you’d have starved to death long ago. Big boats like this, either you don’t set sail, or once you do, the operational cost shoots up to thousands. How can ordinary people afford that?”

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Zheng Huaqing continued, “You can tell you don’t know the hardships; life is not easy for fishermen. The industry is shrinking, and it’s mostly mechanized fishing now, with very little artisanal fishing left. Here at The Bund, many private fishing boats have already changed professions. Fishermen can’t make a living from fishing anymore and have to rent out their boats to tourists for sea tours, turning fishing into a secondary trade.”

Huo Sining didn’t understand the fishing industry, but she had heard years ago that Huaxia’s inland sea fish resources were increasingly depleted, no longer able to meet the growing population’s needs.

China’s coastline is actually very long, and its territorial waters are quite vast, but even if you replaced the shark fin eaten by the rich with vermicelli and added the portion from aquaculture, it still couldn’t meet the needs of the burgeoning population of 1.3 billion Huaxia people.

Ocean resources are indeed abundant, but humanity’s exploration of the sea is still limited to the surface. Nobody knows how many resources the deep sea holds, so careful and gradual exploration is the only way forward.

Due to the limited methods of marine fishing, the technology of fishing boats becomes particularly important. Some fishermen can’t keep up economically with other competitors; their boats are too old, and their catch becomes scarce. Fishermen who can’t break even are forced to switch professions and take up other jobs.

Some fishing boats have also been forced to open up to tourists, with a few even performing live demonstrations on deck, like mending fishing nets, just to earn some extra hard-earned money.

Of course, Zheng Huaqing’s private yacht isn’t for hire— he bought this boat just for a bit of recreational distraction. He would often invite a few friends for fishing trips at sea, just to relax and unwind with some outdoor activities.

Zheng Huaqing’s yacht is indeed quite large, being nearly thirty meters in length and five meters in width. It was purchased just before the new year and is now the largest private yacht at the Bund Pier.

Zheng Huaqing even bluntly said that since he bought this yacht, he could count the number of times he had taken it out to sea on both hands. If Gu Xu hadn’t personally called him up this time, he likely wouldn’t have been willing to rent it out.

“Looks like we’re riding on Xu Zi’s coattails,” Ouyang Jun remarked.

Others might not be aware, but Ouyang Jun and Song Hui knew that Zheng Huaqing was so accommodating because of Gu Xu, and not just because Gu Xu was the president of Shengtang Group, but also because of his identity as a member of the Imperial Capital’s Gu Family.

Zheng Huaqing was indeed frank—as Ouyang Jun voiced this sentiment, he didn’t hold back and laughed, saying,

“Brother Ouyang, you’re right about that. I’m a straightforward person and though it may be somewhat out of place to say this, I’ll be upfront with you. In a while, there will be a tender meeting in the Imperial Capital, and I heard that Shengtang is also bidding. I don’t have many high hopes—I just hope Brother Gu can take care of this old brother so that I too can have a taste of the ‘meat soup,’ so to speak.”

After saying this, Zheng Qinghua eagerly looked toward Gu Xu. Although this man had considerable assets, the look in his eyes when he gazed at Gu Xu still carried seven parts eagerness and three parts wariness, a sign of Gu Xu’s influence and not someone to be trifled with.

Ouyang Jun was taken aback by Zheng Huaqing’s words, whereas Gu Xu and Song Hui seemed utterly unfazed, suggesting they were not surprised at all about Yulong Real Estate’s situation.