My attempt to show off during Chinese New Year shocked the entire nation.

Li Feng looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Brother Qiang, are you worried that I'll follow in Jinlong's footsteps?" He took a step forward, his aura no less imposing.

"I have a principle in doing things: I won't offend others unless they offend me. As for rules, my rule is not to cause trouble, but I'm not afraid of trouble either."

Cui Shiqiang's smile faded slightly, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, which he quickly concealed.

"Young man, you're quite frank. Since we've come this far, I'll be frank too. Someone approached me about the land for the Peak Club before, hoping I would take it over. Now that you've taken it, you should at least give me an explanation, right?"

"An explanation?" Li Feng raised an eyebrow. "What kind of explanation does Brother Qiang want?"

"Simple." Cui Shiqiang held up three fingers. "From now on, 30% of the profits from the Peak Club will go to me. In return, no one in Qingjiang County will dare to cause you any trouble. This deal isn't bad, is it?"

The driver in the car was terrified, barely daring to breathe.

Li Feng chuckled as if he'd heard a joke: "Brother Qiang, do you think I'm a sucker? Were these people your 'gift'? Talking about cooperation this way, Brother Qiang's sincerity is far too cheap."

Cui Shiqiang's face darkened, and his tone turned colder: "Young man, are you refusing to give me face?"

"Saving face is mutual." Li Feng looked directly at him. "If Brother Qiang really wants to talk, he should show some sincerity. Playing these tricks only makes me think that you are not as upright as Jin Long."

"You!" Cui Shiqiang was taken aback, then sneered, "Fine, very well! It seems you're planning to go it alone, young man. I'll give you a deadline; I want to know the answer by tomorrow night."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The Lexus engine roared away, leaving only Li Feng and the trembling driver in the alley.

Li Feng turned around, opened the car door, and said to the still trembling driver, "Drive, follow the original route."

The driver frantically started the car, almost turning the steering wheel off course.

The Land Rover slowly drove out of the alley. In the rearview mirror, the men who had been dragged away were nowhere to be seen, as if the conflict just now was just an illusion.

"Sir..." The driver swallowed hard, unable to hold back his words, "That's Cui Shiqiang, the 'local tyrant' of Qingjiang County. What you just did..."

Li Feng turned to look at the designated driver, his tone unreadable: "Oh? You know him very well?"

"I don't really know much about it, I just heard it from customers chatting while I was working..." The driver swallowed and lowered his voice even further.

"In Qingjiang County, Cui Shiqiang is a man of absolute authority. A couple of years ago, a businessman from out of town opened a KTV, refused to give any money as a gift, and ended up having his place vandalized on opening day. Calling the police was useless, and he slunk away in the end..."

He paused, secretly glancing at Li Feng's expression. Seeing that the other party didn't react, he continued, "Everyone says he has connections everywhere, and there's almost no matter how big or small the matter is in the county that he can't handle. If you directly refuse him today, I'm afraid... I'm afraid you'll get into trouble."

Li Feng's gaze fell on the window, his voice calm: "Trouble? I've only been in Qingjiang County, and trouble hasn't stopped. One more person won't make a difference."

The driver opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but seeing Li Feng's calm eyes, which didn't seem like he was just talking big, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He sighed inwardly, thinking how bold this young man was, but wondered where his confidence came from.

The car slowly drove into Qingjiang Garden residential area. Li Feng scanned the code to pay, and the designated driver practically jumped on the electric bike and sped off without looking back.

When I got home, I glanced at the time; it was midnight.

I had just taken off my clothes and tossed them on the sofa, revealing my toned back, and was about to turn around and go to the bathroom when my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.

The buzzing sound was particularly clear in the quiet room.

Li Feng took out his phone, and a string of unfamiliar numbers was flashing on the screen.

He paused for a moment, then swiped to answer the call.

"Brother Li, just got home?" The voice on the other end of the phone was undisguisedly mocking; it was Cui Shiqiang, the last syllable drawn out like a cat playing with a mouse.

"I forgot to tell you something. It seems there's a small problem with the fire safety approval for the Peak Club. Someone will probably come to 'inspect' it first thing tomorrow morning."

Li Feng sat on the sofa, his tone completely calm: "Brother Qiang couldn't wait any longer, so he sent me 'trouble' right here in the middle of the night?"

"You can't say that," Cui Shiqiang chuckled on the other end, his laughter laced with calculation. "Rules are rules. If you don't meet fire safety standards, you'll be shut down for rectification. I'm just giving you a friendly reminder so you won't be caught off guard."

"I've noted down Brother Qiang's 'kindness.' However, the Peak Club's fire safety permits just passed their annual inspection last month, and all indicators are up to standard. I'm sorry to trouble Brother Qiang with that."

Cui Shiqiang on the other end of the phone seemed to be stunned for a moment, then laughed again.

"Oh? Really? Then I must have misremembered. But then again, these days inspection standards change so quickly, who knows if there will be a new interpretation tomorrow?"

"Then let them investigate. It'll be a good opportunity for everyone to see whether the fire safety inspections in Qingjiang County are just a matter of whether they care about Brother Qiang's opinion."

Cui Shiqiang's laughter faded, and his tone turned colder.

"Li Feng, don't push your luck. Let me give you one more piece of advice: think things through regarding the 30% profit margin by tomorrow night. Otherwise, forget about fire safety, there's sanitation, taxes... you'll have plenty of headaches to deal with."

"I appreciate Brother Qiang's kindness," Li Feng's voice finally turned cold, "but I, Li Feng, do business based on rules, not on anyone's whims."

"Based on the rules?" Cui Shiqiang scoffed on the other end, his disdain almost overflowing. "In Qingjiang County, my word, Cui Shiqiang's word, is the rule."

"The fire department will be here at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Cui Shiqiang's voice turned cold, carrying the meaning of an ultimatum. "You'd better think it through: do you want to obediently accept 30% of the profits, or watch the Pinnacle Club go out of business?"

The phone was abruptly hung up, leaving only a busy tone in the receiver.

Li Feng knew that Cui Shiqiang meant what he said; fire safety was just the first step, and sanitation, taxation, and so on would likely follow.

But he knew even better that taking a step back would mean falling into an abyss.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Bai Ruyi.

"Tomorrow morning, organize all the original documents, especially the approval documents and annual inspection records from the fire department, health department, and tax department."

After sending the message, he turned and walked towards the bathroom.

The cold water poured over his head instantly cleared his muddled thoughts.

He knew that tomorrow's "inspection" was a test thrown out by Cui Shiqiang, and also the first move he had to catch.

Half an hour later, the phone screen lit up; it was Bai Ruyi's reply.

"Yes, Mr. Li, I'll go to the club to make arrangements right away and make sure everything is perfect."

However, that wasn't enough. After thinking it over, Li Feng picked up his phone and made a call.