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

Zheng Tao silently recited the account information that Liu Guangjin had whispered to him several times, as if he were holding a royal decree. Only then did he express his gratitude profusely, back out of the tea room, and gently close the door behind him.

That posture was so respectful it bordered on piety.

The moment the door closed, the composed, elder-brotherly facade on Liu Guangjin's face crumbled.

He slumped back and chuckled.

Mr. Hou, sitting opposite, was even more direct, grinning silently.

The two locked eyes and could no longer hold back, bursting into laughter.

"Holy crap!" Mr. Hou laughed, slapping his thigh.

"See that? Those two steps he took back, he looked like a servant in an ancient drama! And he immediately made arrangements, this silly boy..."

Liu Guangjin also shook his head with a smile:

"Once the process is smooth, start by offering a high price to make him tremble; then reel him in to scare him; once he's desperate, reluctantly give in... With this strategy, he'll accept even five million, let alone three million."

He lit a cigarette. "This kid is too green. His mind is all on his face. It's not even challenging to fool him."

"Don't set your expectations too high, Brother Liu," President Hou said, pouring himself a cup of cold tea and gulping it down.

"These local young masters have only two characteristics: they have no skills whatsoever, but they dream of getting rich."

Every stroke of our grand plan for the eastern region hits him where it hurts—he wants to gain face with his father, he wants to crush his rivals, he wants to rise to the top in one fell swoop.

He chuckled, "That's what you call a perfect match in our fields. The moment I said I was leaving, his face turned white, it was hilarious."

"The skill level is alright," Liu Guangjin said, flicking his cigarette ash and becoming more serious.

"The account was given to him, a clean shell company. The money came in, and it was gone in ten minutes. As for him, he can just wait for our next inside information and meeting with the boss."

Mr. Hou's eyes lit up: "I've got the bait for next time. I'll say that the leader privately admires a local business, but needs a substantial report to bribe officials, including production costs, 'facilitation fees'... and then I'll skin him alive."

"No rush," Liu Guangjin said calmly.

"Wait until the first payment arrives, then leave him hanging for two days. Let him get anxious; the more anxious he is, the easier it is to take advantage of him."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter again.

The laughter gradually subsided.

Mr. Hou suddenly stopped smiling, as if remembering something: "However... that Mr. Gong just now..."

Liu Guangjin paused in his cigarette-lighting motion: "Hmm?"

"He didn't utter a single word from beginning to end," President Hou frowned.

"When Zheng Tao's eyes were gleaming, he was drinking tea. When we were putting on a show, he watched like he was watching a play. He made sure to say goodbye properly when he left, but... he didn't leave a single clue."

Liu Guangjin slowly exhaled smoke: "It's not that he doesn't understand. It's that he understands too much and finds it meaningless."

"right,"

Mr. Hou felt a chill run down his spine. "When his gaze swept over me... I felt a little uneasy."

"It's like we're just making a fool of ourselves, but he's already seen through our tricks." He lowered his voice, "Brother Liu, this guy...we should avoid him in the future. It's not that we can't fool him, I'm afraid...he's seen too much."

Liu Guangjin smoked in silence for a long while, then said, "Hmm. Not a client, not a reliable source. He's a cold, hard rock."

He looked up. "Remember this. In any venue where he's present, we'll play it safe. This kind of person...is neither greedy nor impatient, and has a clear conscience. If you can't afford to offend him, stay far away."

Mr. Hou took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled. "You mean, we have to keep a low profile?"

"When it's time to clamp, you have to clamp."

After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Hou said, "Old Hou, what you're saying is just encouraging others. What can a contractor, no matter how good he is at seeing things, really see through? We've seen all sorts of monsters and demons over the years. Let him play it safe, we'll make our own money."

"To get rich, you need a broad perspective!" Liu Guangjin's voice deepened.

"Since Gong Yuelong can sit in Yang Ruyan's teahouse, it means he's also involved in certain circles. What's wrong with us keeping a low profile?"

President Hou opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but seeing the displeasure on Liu Guangjin's face, he swallowed his words back.

He picked up the now-cold tea and took a sip. The excitement he felt from his success completely cooled down, replaced by a sense of unease.

The smell of smoke hadn't dissipated in the tea room.

President Hou steered the conversation away from Gong Yuelong, "Brother Liu, let's get back to the eastern part of the film."

Even if we could manage to lure a fool like Zheng Tao into this, the people who ultimately decide who gets the job and who doesn't... are simply not people we can talk to.

"I heard that the city has set up a high-level leading group specifically for the eastern region. The nominal group leader is the head, but the one who really takes charge and whose words carry the most weight is the executive deputy group leader."

"Who is it?" Liu Guangjin pressed.

President Hou waved his hand, "Don't ask about the specific name, it's not something we at this level should know."

I heard he was directly sent down from the provincial level, has a very strong background, specializes in large-scale project development, and is known for his tough methods and strict requirements. Most importantly…”

He paused, his voice lower, "This man hates it most when his subordinates engage in backroom deals and take shortcuts. For the projects he oversees, everything must be done according to the strictest rules, and everything must be out in the open."

Liu Guangjin frowned: "Then our approach... isn't it just playing right into his hands?"

"So they're the ones who can really make the decisions." President Hou leaned back in his chair.

"What we're doing is probably just child's play in his eyes. But it's good, with such a ruthless person in charge, those who want to play dirty tricks or steal our business will have to restrain themselves."

As long as we avoid getting too close to him and continue making a living off our information advantage, nothing serious should happen.

He took a sip of tea and concluded, "In short, just know that there's a powerful figure like him up there. As for us, we just need to honestly serve customers like Zheng Tao well."

Don't ask too many questions, and don't get involved.

With such a cold-faced judge sitting above them, those of them who scramble for food in the shadows must indeed be more careful and be aware of their own position.

……

Evening, inside the office of the Xinke project construction site in the High-tech Zone.

Gong Yuelong had just finished handing over his work when his phone rang. The caller ID showed: Jiang Yan.

"Gong Yuelong".

Jiang Yan's voice came through the receiver; she laughed a few times, sounding very cheerful.

"Zheng Shu,"

"He's dead."

Gong Yuelong's first reaction was that it was impossible.

That cunning and scheming Zheng Shu, who has been entrenched in the High-tech Zone for many years and even Fu Mingde has to give him some face.

"When? How did you die?" he asked.

"This afternoon. At home, he suddenly had a heart attack, and he died before the ambulance could take him to the hospital."

Jiang Yan's voice carried a strange joy.

"I heard it was... from anger. He died of anger."

"From anger?"

Gong Yuelong frowned. What kind of person, what kind of thing could infuriate an old fox like Zheng Shu?

"Mmm." Jiang Yan chuckled again, this time with a more pronounced smile.

"I heard they got scammed. Scammed badly, two million five hundred thousand."

Gong Yuelong's mind raced through scenes from the Juxian Pavilion teahouse.

Zheng Tao's eagerness to impress, his almost fawning enthusiasm towards Liu and Hou... Liu Guangjin and President Hou's unfathomable smiles and their talk of how to pull strings...

"Scammed?"

"How could someone as shrewd as him possibly be like that?"

"Yeah, how could that be?"

Jiang Yan repeated his words, her tone almost overflowing with sarcasm and glee.

"So when I heard the news, my first reaction was disbelief. But the truth is... he's fallen, fallen into a trap he never expected, or one he never even considered. Haha..."

She finally stopped suppressing her laughter, which came through the microphone. It was quiet, but it carried the exhilarating release of years of pent-up emotions.