Chapter 92: A Plot of Land Worth Two Trillion

After finishing the meal with Yamamoto Akihito and seeing him off, Tao Zhiming first escorted Lin Xiyu back to the international students’ dormitory.

Although Tao Zhiming had previously encouraged speaking Japanese outside, this time Lin Xiyu directly asked in Chinese, “Did you manage to find out anything from the professor?”

Tao Zhiming looked at her, a little surprised.

This young woman truly lived up to her reputation—skipping grades to enter Yanjing University and earning a scholarship for overseas study.

He smiled and replied, “I’ve managed to confirm a bit of my own suspicions.”

Lin Xiyu thought it over and made up her mind. “You told me to consider why I should stay in finance to make money. Why not tell me more about your current plan? I haven’t had hands-on experience yet, but I might be able to share some thoughts.”

Tao Zhiming was silent for a moment. It made sense. Talking things over with Ueno Yosuke, the local, was useless—he was far too inexperienced to offer any real insight. And as for Onodera Runa, she could carry out assignments, but didn’t have the perspective for this sort of strategic thinking.

Other than that, Tao Zhiming had no one else suitable to discuss these matters with.

He glanced at Lin Xiyu, then teased with a smile, “Are you still upset about what I said at lunch?”

“…What’s there to be upset about? You made a good point. I just want to improve!”

“Alright, wanting to improve is a good thing.” Tao Zhiming found the phrase, so characteristic of the times, amusing. He organized his thoughts and continued, “Simply put, I want to buy some properties in Minato Ward. Right now, I know a big businessman has bought a plot of land. He’s famous for making huge profits by buying and selling land. The rise in land values is almost always tied to major government projects. To earn more, I’m planning to buy land around his. But the area surrounding his plot is huge, and I’m not sure which spot is the right one.”

Lin Xiyu listened attentively, then asked curiously, “Didn’t you say you wanted to make money in the financial markets? Why are you talking about making money from real estate?”

“You see, after buying the property, I can use it as collateral to get loans from the bank. My cash on hand doesn’t decrease, and as the property appreciates, I can borrow even more. When the price rises enough, I’ll sell the property for a profit. The borrowed money serves as capital to make another round of profits in the financial markets. Do you follow?”

“…But wouldn’t that mean paying a lot of interest?” Lin Xiyu couldn’t quite understand.

“That’s basic economics. How could you not know that?” Tao Zhiming shook his head, making Lin Xiyu a bit embarrassed. “As long as I make more using other people’s money than the interest I pay, the interest is just a cost.”

Lin Xiyu brought the conversation back to the matter of where to buy property. “You asked the professor a few things today. Major government investment plans will drive up property prices—that’s the big picture, right? Then you asked about buying cars. Were you thinking about road construction plans?”

Tao Zhiming looked at her approvingly and gave her a thumbs up. “Smart.”

Lin Xiyu took the compliment in stride. “In that case, couldn’t you just look at the area around this businessman’s land and see which locations are likely to have improved transportation?”

Tao Zhiming sighed in frustration. “I’ve looked again and again, but the transportation in that area is already excellent. I just can’t find the right spot.”

Lin Xiyu thought quietly, then suddenly asked, “Do you ride the subway much?”

Tao Zhiming was taken aback. “…Not really. Why?”

Old habits from his previous life hadn’t changed—he didn’t like squeezing into the subway, and transferring was a hassle.

Lin Xiyu tried to explain, “But I ride it often—it’s cheap. One thing I’ve noticed is that Tokyo’s bustling areas are almost always near subway stations. You say transportation is good already, but as long as Tokyo’s population keeps growing, won’t they build new subway stations?”

Tao Zhiming’s eyes lit up. That was a good point. Although Tokyo’s subway system was built early and already had lots of lines and stations, still…

“And once, I saw the professor lose his temper in the office,” Lin Xiyu added. “He complained about those business conglomerates who only want the best assets, but don’t really care about resolving the railway’s debt problem.”

Tao Zhiming’s eyes shone with excitement, and he snapped his fingers. “A new idea! Thank you, Sister Lin!”

His energy was instantly revived, and he even urged the driver to drive faster.

“…What did you realize?” Lin Xiyu couldn’t help but ask.

“I need to think it over and check some things at school!”

…

Ueda Kana no longer remembered how many times she’d swung her sword, but she was starting to feel she’d reached the state her father had described. Though drenched in sweat and physically exhausted, her mind was much more peaceful.

At that moment, she saw Tao Dailang walk into the training hall, pick up a wooden practice sword, and say with a bright smile, “Five hundred swings, right?”

Ueda Kana paused, then growled, “Five hundred! No slacking off!”

With that, she wiped her sweat and went to shower.

The kendo club had its own showers. After changing and showering, a small smile crept onto Ueda Kana’s lips.

This guy really is disciplined.

Even though it’s already late, he still came back to practice.

Did he not walk Lin Xiyu home?

After her shower, she dressed and composed herself before reentering the training hall, putting on a stern expression.

Tao Zhiming had entered a kind of meditative state, swinging the practice sword again and again with mechanical precision.

His body was training, but his mind was analyzing the new clues he’d gathered throughout the day.

From the moment he returned after sending Lin Xiyu home, to the research he’d just done, to this moment of sword practice, he’d been thinking nonstop.

There could be no significant error now.

The famous transport infrastructure boom and the great redevelopment of Tokyo were the foundation of the upcoming economic stimulus plan’s key projects.

Thus, the possibilities related to Kinoshita Hidekaze’s land narrowed further.

It had to be either the future, famously wasteful project: the Tokyo Bay Crossing Expressway.

Or the new CBD in Minato Ward—the plan to build a world-class high-end business district and bay area.

But these plans would take years to be officially announced and completed.

He doubted Kinoshita Hidekaze intended to sit on that land for so long before selling, so perhaps something else was the key!

He swung the practice sword down again and again, as if trying to shatter the hard shell hiding the secret.

Not far from the land Kinoshita Hidekaze had acquired, there was a sizable plot of land.

This land, owned by the Japanese National Railways, had been Tokyo’s freight hub before the establishment of the Tokyo Freight Terminal in 1973, known as the Shiodome Freight Yard.

Currently, the heavily indebted Japan National Railways was discussing privatization reforms.

Though the official plan hadn’t been released, the massive debt of over twenty trillion yen made reform inevitable!

That parcel of land, belonging to JNR, was now worth nearly two trillion yen.

There was an urgent need to use it to pay off debts!

It was large, and ownership was clear.

This was it!

Although, as far as he remembered, development on that land had always come late, if it was tied to the major event of JNR’s privatization, the room for maneuver would be enough to satisfy Kinoshita Hidekaze’s appetite!

A sharp gleam flashed in Tao Zhiming’s eyes, and he brought the practice sword down with force. “Five hundred!”

Watching from the side, Ueda Kana saw his expression, the sweat dripping from his chin, and suddenly felt a pang of panic.

This guy… is getting the hang of it. And he’s… he’s pretty handsome.