Chapter 10: The Benefactor

“By the way, Dr. Yu, who helped coordinate this project for you? And why did you come to Jingchu City?” Old Jia asked Yu Ying.

Yu Ying replied, “Well, we submitted this project to the Provincial Military-Civil Integration Office, and they recommended Jingchu City to us, saying the airspace conditions around the airport here are better, more open, and more suitable for our research and production test flights. After that, the Jingchu City Investment Promotion Bureau reached out to us, and some investors also showed interest. The bureau then organized this meeting.”

Old Jia nodded, finally understanding the whole situation.

After a while, the attendees gradually arrived. The meeting was hosted by Director Zhang from the City Investment Promotion Bureau. Present were representatives from Zhanghe Aviation Investment, GreenTree Capital, AVIC, the City Science and Technology Bureau, and the City Development Committee. Long Wuyang introduced the product, and everyone was visibly excited.

The representative from Zhanghe Aviation Investment was a delicate young woman with a ponytail, probably in her twenties, wearing black-rimmed glasses. She was the finance manager named Qin Jiayi. She warmly welcomed Dr. Yu on behalf of Zhanghe Aviation Investment, then opened her laptop and diligently took notes without saying a word.

GreenTree Capital sent two representatives, a man and a woman, both dressed in sharp, tailored suits. Each spread out their Apple laptops, rapidly typing notes. The woman, Liao Wenwen, had fair skin, an oval face, and short hair neatly pinned up. She spoke with clarity and speed, embodying the image of a sharp, capable finance professional. Liao introduced GreenTree Capital’s investment track record and her own background—she held a Ph.D. in Finance from Harvard University. The young man, Cao Yuxuan, was about the same age as Qin Jiayi. He was Liao’s assistant, tall and fair-skinned, speaking softly and pleasantly. Other representatives also took turns expressing warm welcomes to the doctor and his project.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Yu introduced General Jia to the attendees and explicitly stated that General Jia would serve as the financial advisor for the project, representing Yu Ying’s team in subsequent communications and negotiations. Following Director Zhang’s suggestion, they set up a WeChat group for face-to-face communication, officially forming the drone project working liaison group, with Director Zhang appointed as team leader responsible for overall coordination.

After the meeting, everyone gathered for dinner at Aunt Tian’s house near the hotel. At the table, Old Jia couldn’t help but marvel to the doctor, “The tech war between the U.S. and China has ironically given China’s high-tech industry a rare opportunity and space to grow. Localization and substitution have provided you young people in high-tech with room to experiment and tolerance for errors. This is the dividend of your generation’s high-tech era.”

Liao Wenwen raised a glass of Longquan No. 1 beer to toast Old Jia respectfully, saying, “General Jia, we have much to learn from veterans like you in finance.”

Old Jia quickly stood up, replying, “You’re too kind. The future of China’s finance depends on your generation.”

Qin Jiayi also raised a glass of kudzu root drink and timidly said, “General Jia, Chairman Hong Jun often speaks highly of you. In industrial investment, we hope to learn a lot from you moving forward.”

Old Jia asked, “Is your aviation investment company newly established? Where did you work before?”

Qin Jiayi answered, “I just graduated a year ago and was recently recruited by Aviation Investment. I graduated from Xiamen University with an accounting degree. I have much to learn from the veterans.”

“Not bad, not bad,” Old Jia responded. “Government platform companies are becoming more professional, with younger and more specialized talent teams.”

After dinner, Dr. Yu found a quiet place and quietly asked Old Jia, “General Jia, do you think this is reliable?”

Old Jia chuckled, “Today was just an introduction, no substantial progress yet. The real heavyweights haven’t even shown up. But success depends on effort. We have a slight advantage.”

Dr. Yu’s eyes brightened. “What kind of advantage?”

Old Jia said confidently, “I’m familiar with the backgrounds of the people who came today, and I’ve dealt with the leaders of these local institutions. So I understand their working styles and processes. I’m also well aware of the city’s investment policies and strategic industrial development plans. That means we can tailor the project proposal to fit the city’s needs. It’s all about effort—I’m very confident.”