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

Gong Yuelong also saw her.

A night breeze swept by, lifting a few stray strands of hair from behind her ear.

A faint blush rose to her face, giving her a more breathtakingly beautiful complexion than usual.

Jiang Yan, truly stunning.

Gong Yuelong smiled and took two steps forward to greet him.

"Boss Jiang," he greeted.

Jiang Yan's gaze fell on him, sweeping over his clean and tidy clothes, and her eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

She didn't answer, but walked slowly in her high heels to the bottom of the steps in front of the building, stopping two or three steps away from him.

The night breeze carried over a faint scent of alcohol and another cool perfume from her.

Before she could ask any questions, Gong Yuelong naturally raised his hand and handed her the paper bag.

"I passed by a convenience store and saw this brand that I'd never tried before, so I just bought two. It's hot, so I wanted something to cut through the greasiness."

Jiang Yan lowered her eyes, glanced at the paper bag handed to her, and then looked up at Gong Yuelong.

He stood there, relaxed, with clear eyes, showing no deliberate attempt to please, nor any impatience at waiting.

She neither answered immediately nor refused.

After a few seconds of silence, she reached out her hand.

"You waited all that time just to receive this?"

"I mainly came to express my gratitude." Gong Yuelong withdrew his hand. "Regarding the sports center matter, on Engineer Zhao's side... thank you, Boss Jiang."

Jiang Yan, carrying the bag of ice cream, didn't look at it; her gaze was fixed on Gong Yuelong's face.

"Opportunities are earned by yourself."

After she finished speaking, she turned around, swiped her access card to open the glass door of the building, pushed it open, and glanced back at him.

"Come on up, stand here and feed the mosquitoes."

As she spoke, she walked in first, the crisp sound of her high heels clicking on the marble floor echoing in the spacious lobby.

Gong Yuelong paused for a moment, then followed.

He knew in his heart that the rope seemed to be slipperier tonight than he had imagined, and... a little closer.

The office lighting was a cool white.

She didn't sit back in the high-backed chair, but leaned against the edge of the table, making her legs look very long, the kind of long that makes them look very long.

"Sit down," she said coldly.

Gong Yuelong sat down as instructed.

"Thank me? Thank me for what? Thank me for pushing you to the brink of suicide by pressing you for repayment?"

Her words were as direct as ever, but they didn't make people feel embarrassed; instead, they were quite frank.

Gong Yuelong smiled, ignoring the topic of jumping off the building, and said, "Thank you, Boss Jiang, for taking a look at what I handed you."

The ten tons of steel bars were a business deal; the sports center aspect was about personal connections. The business is settled, but the favor must be remembered.

"A favor?" Jiang Yan scoffed.

She had heard far too much flattery and scheming; her subordinates reported with trepidation, and her business partners spoke with impeccable discretion.

It's rare to see someone so open and honest about human relationships, without beating around the bush, and with such natural sincerity.

It didn't sound like a demand, but more like... stating a fact.

This feeling, inexplicably... isn't unpleasant.

Her tone remained calm. "I don't really believe in empty promises of favors. Business is business. There's no room for personal connections."

Despite saying that, she couldn't lie to herself about the subtle fluctuations in her heart.

Perhaps it was the lingering effects of the alcohol, or perhaps it was the rare charisma of the man before her.

He was down on his luck but not humble, calculating yet honest, which made her feel...somewhat interested.

Gong Yuelong nodded without arguing, "Boss Jiang is right, business is business."

So, besides expressing my gratitude, I also wanted to clarify things with Boss Jiang again—that in the future, when it comes to projects, I can still use his connections and resources.”

He spoke directly and had a clear goal.

Directly present your available value – execution and ground handling capabilities.

This is precisely the part that resource integrators like Jiang Yan are unwilling to do personally.

Jiang Yan didn't answer immediately, her gaze lingering on his face for a few seconds.

She suddenly realized that listening to him talk wasn't tiring.

It doesn't beat around the bush or ramble on; every sentence is grounded in reality, even with a touch of roughness, yet strangely it gives people a sense of... reliability.

This sense of reliability is rarer in her position than intelligence and ambition.

Perhaps this is the source of her inexplicable fondness for listening to it.

But the more she did this, the calmer her expression became. She straightened up, walked behind her desk, and finally sat down in the high-backed chair, becoming Boss Jiang.

"Gong Yuelong, it's good that you can get things done. But don't forget, in this industry, you have to take it one step at a time to avoid choking."

"The sports center is a good start, but it's just the beginning."

There are many people eyeing this piece of meat; you should know whose plate you've touched.

I can hand you a pair of chopsticks, but if a fight breaks out at the table, the chopsticks won't protect you.

These words were a warning, a reminder—she saw the trouble he might be facing.

"I understand." Gong Yuelong nodded. "I know how to use chopsticks and the rules. Make sure to hold the plate steady before you put the meat in your mouth."

There were no grand pronouncements, only the most pragmatic promises.

Jiang Yan looked at him, the turmoil in her heart gradually subsiding. She leaned back in her chair, her gaze fixed on the bag. Suddenly, a slight twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth.

This person... is no ordinary cow or horse that digs for food in the mud.

It was clearly a dragon that had weathered storms and broken its wings, yet still retained a fierce spirit deep within its bones.

Now trapped in shallow waters, it's only a matter of time before it transforms into a dragon, given a favorable east wind.

The thought flashed through her mind, and she was momentarily stunned.

He then shook his head and slowly began to speak.

"If you want to succeed in this industry, it's not enough to just keep your head down and work hard; you also need to look up and see where you're going."

"You need to know who's profiting from Zibo's economy, and how they're profiting from it."

Without waiting for Gong Yuelong's response, she continued speaking to herself:

"In the real estate sector, there are three companies on the surface. Rongtai has the largest scale. The boss's surname is Zhou. In the early years, he started by renovating old cities and has deep roots. However, in the past two years, he has taken too big a step and his capital is stretched too thin."

Guangsha specializes in high-end products and has connections with the provincial government, so it doesn't worry about sales. However, it is very strict about the materials and construction schedule, and ordinary teams can't get in.

Hengyun... The boss is a local, steady and reliable, prefers to use experienced workers, so the profit margin is a bit thin, but payments are made quickly.

She paused, as if waiting for these messages to settle.

"Construction companies are a mixed bag. Dingfeng Construction is Rongtai's preferred general contractor. They're ruthless, but they follow the rules. If you pay them enough, they can settle things."

Hongyuan Construction specializes in government projects and schools. The boss, Li Guangtou, is a rough man, but he has strong connections in the education sector. Several primary and secondary schools in the new town belong to him.

And Yonggu, Xingda... they're just there to make up the numbers; they work when there's work, and they leave when there isn't.

As Gong Yuelong listened, some of these names sounded familiar, while others were unfamiliar, but in Jiang Yan's words, they all carried a clear context and labels.

Jiang Yan continued:

"The network of connections is the key. For example, someone in the Education Bureau is a classmate of Li Guangtou, so it's very difficult for outsiders to get involved in school affairs."

She glanced at Gong Yuelong: "These aren't gossip, they're a map. You need to keep track of whose lines you've crossed and whose interests you've threatened."

"And some more..." she said in a slightly somber tone, "the kind of 'cleaners' who specialize in unfinished projects, debt restructurings, and court-auctioned projects."

For example, Qiu Laosan of Changyun specializes in taking on troublesome cases that others dare not touch, and he keeps a group of people under his command who are involved in both legitimate and shady dealings.

It's best to avoid this person if possible.

She finished speaking in one breath, and the office fell silent.