After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

Jiang Yan shook her head. "That man, he's been scheming his whole life, and he loves to use rules and leverage to strangle people."

Unexpectedly, the rope they handed out ended up being used to ensnare their own goods.

"We put the noose on too quickly," Gong Yuelong said. "The rope wasn't held tight enough, and with a gust of wind, it flew into someone else's hands."

Jiang Yan finally chuckled softly, this time finding it genuinely amusing.

She put down her teacup, a look of reminiscence in her eyes.

"Wu Jinshui... Years ago, he thought I was an easy woman to manipulate."

She paused, her tone becoming somewhat subdued: "They're using a similar approach."

"And then?" Gong Yuelong asked.

"And then?" Jiang Yan smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I met up with an old classmate from the city, had a drink with him, and gave him a generous gift. The problem was solved."

She looked at Gong Yuelong, her eyes clear: "Since then, he has never openly caused me any trouble. If we meet on the street, he can nod and say 'May Mr. Jiang's business prosper.' But I know that he has always kept that score in his mind."

"So I'm not surprised he targeted you this time. When you broke his man's leg, you openly broke off relations; when I humiliated him back then, I subtly made him suffer. Essentially, it was all because we didn't follow his plan."

Jiang Yan leaned back in her chair. "The difference is that I chose to leverage his influence, to use his official connections to make him back down. You chose..."

"A head-on clash," Gong Yuelong continued.

"Yes, a head-on confrontation." Jiang Yan nodded. "It's more direct and more dangerous. But the results seem to be quite good."

She finally reached out, picked up the envelope, weighed it in her hand, but instead of opening it, she pushed it back.

"Take this money for now," Jiang Yan said, her tone becoming more serious.

"The new project is just starting out, and there are plenty of places where we'll need money, so don't act tough. I'm lending you money not for the interest, but as an investment. An investment in you as a person."

Gong Yuelong stared at the envelope that had been pushed back at him and remained silent for a few seconds.

He didn't insist any further and put the envelope away again.

"Mr. Jiang, then I'm in debt again." He picked up his teacup.

"I'll leave it at that," Jiang Yan said, raising her glass and lightly clinking it against his.

"Debt is no burden. Besides, I see that although your ship is navigating the most turbulent waters, the hand at the helm is quite steady."

The tea has a slightly astringent taste, but a lingering sweet aftertaste.

Outside the window, a koi carp suddenly leaped out of the water, splashing a string of sparkling water droplets before splashing back down, creating ripples on the surface of the pond.

The hall fell silent, with only the faint sound of water.

Some things don't need to be said too explicitly.

The money wasn't repaid, but the necessary messages were sent and the necessary stance was expressed.

They even overheard an old story and saw a glimpse of how the woman in front of them had dealt with Wu Jinshui back then.

This carries far more weight than simply paying back a sum of money.

"Money debts are easy to repay, but debts of gratitude are hard to settle." Her voice was low, as if she were talking to herself, or perhaps specifically to Gong Yuelong.

"You think Wu Jinshui was able to entrenched himself in the High-tech Zone for so many years just because he was ruthless and had a lot of people? What he really controlled was the access routes."

She turned her head back, her gaze returning to Gong Yuelong's face.

"Take your new project as an example, or any construction site in the High-tech Zone that wants to start construction."

Where do the sand and gravel come from? Which route does the cement take? Who delivers the steel bars? Whose truck fleet hauls the earthwork? Even... where does the construction waste go?

Each time Jiang Yan asked a question, she would lightly tap the desktop.

"These seemingly disparate links are all connected by a thread, with most of the thread held by Wu Jinshui, or by those he tacitly approves of and who share the profits with."

He didn't set an overt protection fee; he set a hidden route fee that you wouldn't see, but which would lead to obstacles at every turn.

She paused, and seeing that Gong Yuelong was listening attentively, she continued, her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.

"Breaking Wu San's leg and kicking Wang Biao's knee, you've torn apart his reputation as someone who can't be messed with."

But the factory you're going to build next, brick by brick, will have to start from this piece of land that he's marked out.

This is his real trump card, and the reason why he's backing down now, waiting to see you make a fool of yourself—he probably thinks that no matter how good you, Gong Yuelong, are at fighting, you can't just conjure up materials out of thin air.

"Can he even make trucks fly over his checkpoint?"

"So, if all you want is to protect yourself, finish the Newtech project, take the money and leave, then you've pretty much done it."

Now that Fu Mingde has shown his face, Wu Jinshui won't dare to openly make a move against you for a while.

But if you really want to establish yourself here, and want to take on the second, third, or even bigger projects in the future…”

She paused, giving Gong Yuelong time to process it.

"You need to figure out his methods," Jiang Yan said directly.

"It's not about breaking someone's leg again, that won't work. We need to find another way, or... cut off one of their paths."

Gong Yuelong had been listening in silence until this moment, when he finally spoke, his voice steady: "What is President Jiang referring to?"

"Materials," Jiang Yan uttered two words. "This is the lifeblood of the construction industry. Wu Jinshui's biggest cut of profit is also here."

He couldn't monopolize the source of sand, cement, and steel, but he cut off most of the transportation channels and local supply networks in the high-tech zone.

You want to touch him, but the most painful spot is right here.

She leaned back in her chair, her expression regaining some composure.

"Of course, this is ten times harder than fighting. There are many people involved, and their interests are intertwined. If you're not careful, you'll offend more than just Wu Jinshui."

But you don't seem like someone who only knows how to throw punches.

Jiang Yan paused, her tone carrying a hint of encouragement.

"You've got Boss Han's lead in your hands; that's a starting point. But it's not enough."

Outside the High-tech Zone, there are many more suppliers willing to provide goods. The difficulty lies in how to smoothly deliver the goods and how to convince construction sites to use your products.

This requires not only courage and skill, but also... having someone willing to walk this new path with you.

She picked up the teacup and slowly blew on it.

Whether to continue cautiously surviving within the grid drawn by Wu Jinshui, or to try to pry open the deepest brick of his foundation, the choice is in Gong Yuelong's own hands.

Both risks and opportunities are on full display.

"The first path is a broken path. Slowly grind it down, use business acumen and personal networks to undermine him and take over his territory. It's slow to show results, but relatively...clean."

She smiled, as if she were talking about something very easy, "But in this world, not all walls can be slowly pried open, especially when those walls are built with blood."

"So, there is a second way."

This path doesn't require calculating too many twists and turns, but it depends on... whether you have the determination to risk everything.

Gong Yuelong didn't respond, but just looked at her quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"How did Wu Jinshui make his fortune?" Jiang Yan asked herself, answering her own question.

"Ruthless. More ruthless than others, more daring to take action. In the early years, when we fought for sand quarries and transportation lines, every single time it was fought with real swords and spears."

His current rules are based on the foundation of breaking other people's bones and causing them to physically disappear.

This is the logic he believes in most and is most familiar with.