I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

The projector beam shines onto the screen.

A quality inspection report bearing a bright red official seal appeared on the large screen.

The chaebol representative, clutching his swollen face, got up from the ground and pointed at Lin Ting, cursing him loudly.

Lin Ting didn't look at him. He rested one hand on the display stand and glanced at the five judges on the left side of the long table.

"Read the words carefully," Lin Ting said.

Old Li pushed up his reading glasses, leaned forward, and got closer to the screen.

"Lin's special cement, compressive strength 120 MPa." Old Li read out the data on the screen, his voice trembling.

Director Wang grabbed the thermos on the table, but his hand slipped, and the tea spilled all over his trouser leg.

Leng Qiu stood up and placed her hands on the conference table.

"That's impossible." Leng Qiu stared at the screen. "Currently, the best high-grade cement in Jiangnan Province has a compressive strength of at most 60 MPa."

You think you can just grab a scrap of paper, stamp it with a fake seal, and then dare to compete for a contract in the city?

Lin Ting tapped the bottom right corner of the report.

"The original document from the Jiangnan Provincial Building Materials Quality Supervision and Inspection Center was processed urgently late last night."

"If you're blind, call the quality inspection center yourself to check the serial number." Lin Ting looked at Leng Qiu.

Leng Qiu turned to look at her assistant.

The assistant covered his face, took out his phone, and dialed a number. A few seconds later, the assistant held up the phone and nodded to Leng Qiu.

Leng Qiu slumped back into her chair.

The chaebol representative was unwilling to give up and pointed at the screen, shouting: "No matter how hard your cement is, what the municipal square needs is environmental protection and aesthetics."

We use imported German polymer materials. Can your lousy cement even be used on a countertop?!

Lin Dayou, who was sitting in the back row, couldn't stand it anymore and walked over to the conference table.

"Imported from Germany?" Lin Dayou pointed at the chaebol representative's nose and cursed.

"Are you kidding me? The polyurethane boards listed on your materials list are just cheap stuff that the chemical plant in the next city wholesales."

"Just put a foreign label on it, and you dare to claim ten million. That thing breaks easily, and you could slip on it to death in the rain."

The chaebol representative blushed and took a step back.

Lin Dayou continued, "And there's the French air-freighted water recycling system you mentioned."

Go to the Nancheng Hardware City and buy three high-power water pumps, replace the outer shell and paint them, the cost will be less than 100,000 yuan, but you dare to quote 15 million yuan.

Let's talk about your tropical palm trees. In the climate of Jiangnan Province, they would all freeze to death in the winter. The following year, you can apply for a special fund to replant them.

Are you building a plaza, or are you trying to rob the county?

The five judges on the left side of the long table all lowered their heads. Old Li wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Lin Fu took out a black ledger from his briefcase and opened one of the pages.

"We've checked the engineering procurement records of the Jiangnan conglomerate for the past three years," Lin Fu said, tapping the ledger.

"Of the total cost of 320 million you quoted, at least 180 million is inflated material price differences and kickbacks from layers of subcontracting. The remaining money is not even enough to pay the workers' wages."

Leng Qiu's face turned bright red, and she grabbed a mineral water bottle from the table and smashed it on the ground.

"Shut up." Leng Qiu pointed at Lin Fu.

"It's not your place to audit the accounts. I'm the project manager appointed by the city. If I say these materials are worth 300 million, then they are worth 300 million."

Leng Qiu turned to look at Lao Li.

"Director Li, don't forget the official document I just showed you." Leng Qiu raised her voice.

"The bidding process was personally approved by Deputy Commander Chen of the city, and the Jiangnan financial consortium is the only winning bidder."

Old Li gripped the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

The county's finances were already depleted, and 150 million was the limit they could muster.

If they really sign off on this 320 million yuan, the county will be burdened with a bad debt for decades.

Old Li dared not look up at Leng Qiu, nor at Lin Ting.

Lin Ting took out a folded price list from his pocket, walked up to Lao Li, and threw it on the table.

"Lin's Construction Team, total cost 140 million. Construction period: three months," Lin Ting announced the figures.

Director Wang suddenly stood up.

"One hundred and forty million?" Director Wang's eyes widened. "Ten million less than the county's highest budget, and the construction period is only three months?"

The chaebol representative yelled, "You're faking it! This price isn't even enough to buy the materials; you'll all go bankrupt!"

Lin Dayou said disdainfully, "The back mountain of Tazhai is full of mines. We make our own special cement, dig our own sand and gravel, hire our own transportation fleet, and the workers building the buildings are all members of the Lin family."

There are no middlemen taking a cut, and no kickbacks.

"This 140 million, after our Lin family finishes it, we can still give our brothers tens of millions in bonuses. You bunch of bloodsuckers don't know anything."

Leng Qiu gripped the edge of the table tightly with both hands.

The consortium of Jiangnan chaebols she brought quoted 320 million yuan, with a construction period of two and a half years.

The Lin family quoted 140 million yuan, with a construction period of three months. Their quality was also far superior.

Old Li grabbed the pen on the table, his hand trembling violently.

"Director Li, you need to think carefully about the consequences." Leng Qiu walked to Old Li's side and threatened him in a low voice.

"If you dare sign this today, I'll have the city cut off all funding to your land management bureau tomorrow. And you can forget about your retirement benefits next year."

Old Li's hand stopped in mid-air, the pen tip only one centimeter away from the tender document.

Lin Ting placed his hands on the conference table, leaned forward, and looked at Old Li.

"Director Li, here is the compliant quotation of 140 million yuan."

"If you dare sign that 320 million yuan worth of worthless paper, tomorrow morning, this comparative document, along with their falsified accounts, will be on the provincial inspection team's desk."

Lin Ting tapped his fingers on the table. "Are you afraid of offending the city's bosses, or are you afraid of going inside to operate a sewing machine? The choice is yours."

Old Li's shirt was soaked with cold sweat on the back.

By signing contracts with conglomerates, one is left to bear a huge burden of blame, face strict investigations from the provincial authorities, and will almost certainly end up in jail.

Signing the contract with the Lin family not only saved the county money but also saved his own life.

Old Li crumpled the official document Leng Qiu had given him into a ball and threw it on the ground.

"The county doesn't have the money to play house with you big bosses in the city." Old Li took off his pen cap and forcefully signed his name on the Lin family's bid.

"One hundred and forty million yuan is within the county's fiscal budget limit. The materials are compliant, and the construction period is optimal. On behalf of the county's bidding committee, I hereby formally award the contract."

Without any hesitation, the remaining four judges all took the tender documents and signed them.

Director Wang picked up the red official seal from his desk, breathed on it, and pressed it heavily onto Lin's tender documents.

The red seal was pressed down heavily.

Leng Qiu looked at the tender document covered with signatures, panting heavily.

Her proud chaebol background, city connections, and building materials blockade were all uprooted by a quote of 140 million.

Two security guards came in and dragged the chaebol representative, who was still shouting and cursing, out.

Old Li stood up, stepped across the long table, and took Lin Ting's hands in his own.

"Mr. Lin, the face of this county is in your Lin family's hands." Old Li's voice trembled.

Lin Ting handed the notification of winning the bid to Lin Fu.

"The Lin Group's engineering team will begin clearing the rubble within three days," Lin Ting announced.

Leng Qiu grabbed the designer bag from the table and walked towards the door without looking back, her high heels clicking rapidly on the red carpet.

As Leng Qiu approached the conference room door, she stopped.

"Lin Ting, don't be too happy yet." Leng Qiu turned her head, gritting her teeth.

"Municipal projects can't be built just because there's dust. If the city doesn't approve the construction permit, your workers won't be able to move a single brick. We'll see."