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

The bidding site for special bearings of Jiangnan Heavy Industry was located on the third floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the city center.

The crystal chandelier overhead cast a bright, dazzling light.

The long conference table was covered with a smooth red velvet tablecloth, and each seat had a gilded nameplate and a bottle of high-end mineral water.

This extravagance justifies the 500 million yuan special procurement fund.

The owners of more than a dozen machining companies from prefecture-level cities were seated on either side of the conference table.

Everyone had their heads down, scrolling through their phones or staring blankly at their teacups; no one bothered to look at the beautifully bound tender documents on the table.

Everyone knew that they were just there to go through the motions and serve as foils for the Sanyi Society.

Sun Jianguo, the representative of Jiangnan Heavy Industry, a provincial company, sat in the main seat with a gloomy face.

Snapped.

Sun Jianguo slammed a thick test report heavily on the table, making the mineral water bottle shake twice.

"Tolerance plus or minus 0.5 millimeters." Sun Jianguo pointed to the rough steel bearing placed in the center of the table.

"Chairman Qiao, Jiangnan Heavy Industry needs core bearings for special cranes. You're trying to fool me with this pile of scrap metal."

If this thing is attached to a machine tool, three tons of steel suspended in mid-air will fall directly down. If someone dies, who will go to jail?

Sitting opposite me was Third Master Qiao.

Today he was wearing a dark red silk Tang suit, and in his hands he was twirling two glossy lion's head walnuts.

The walnuts spun in my palm, making a clicking sound that was quite jarring in the quiet conference room.

"Mr. Sun is too angry. Have some tea to calm down." Third Master Qiao stopped what he was doing.

"You know the city's industrial base. This is the highest level that our fifteen machine processing plants worked overnight to produce."

Jiangnan Province's heavy industry started late, so we need to consider our actual situation and not use foreign standards to restrict domestic enterprises.

Sitting next to Sun Jianguo, Qian Jin picked up his teacup and blew on the floating leaves. He was the chief judge appointed by the city.

"Old Sun, when it comes to engineering, you can't just talk about theoretical data; you have to be flexible and adaptable," Qian Jin said slowly, taking a sip of tea.

"Local enterprises have their own difficulties. If the tolerance is a little higher, the assembly workers can just use a few more copper sheets as padding later on.

We must prioritize supporting local industries and keep this 500 million yuan in the city; this is part of a grand strategy to drive local economic development.

Sun Jianguo stood up angrily and pointed at Qian Jin's nose.

"Qian Jin, how much benefit did you receive from the Sanyi Society? Copper sheeting, a special machinery order worth 500 million, and you want me to sacrifice the lives of frontline workers to boost your political achievements."

"Every single account has to go through the provincial audit office. You're submitting this scrap iron as special steel? Aren't you afraid someone will knock on your door in the middle of the night?" Sun Jianguo questioned loudly.

Qian Jin frowned and slammed his teacup heavily on the table, splashing tea onto the red velvet tablecloth.

"Sun Jianguo, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I am the chief judge appointed by the Municipal Construction Commission, and I represent the official opinion."

I said that the technology meets the standards, and therefore it complies with the procurement specifications of this tender. The process is completely compliant, and the certificates of origin for the materials are complete.

Even if it's scrap iron, as long as it's stamped with the city's chamber of commerce's seal, it's considered special steel." Qian Jin used his official tone to intimidate people.

He stood up, placed his hands on the table, and stared at Sun Jianguo.

"The province wants results within three months. If you refuse to sign now, you will delay the infrastructure construction period in Jiangnan Province. Can you take full responsibility for that?"

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. You've worked in the system for so many years, and you don't even understand this basic social etiquette." Qian Jin pressed him repeatedly.

Sun Jianguo picked up the rough bearing, turned it over, and pointed to the burrs on the edge.

"The bosses here are all experts. This kind of industrial waste, which hasn't even had its chamfered properly done, will jam and break apart once the rotation speed exceeds 3,000 RPM."

"You're turning dozens of key projects in Jiangnan Province into shoddy constructions just to make this ill-gotten money!" Sun Jianguo questioned the entire audience.

Third Master Qiao sneered.

"Mr. Sun keeps talking about human lives. If you don't approve this order, thousands of laid-off workers in the city won't get their wages, and they'll stage a sit-in at the city government tomorrow."

"If things go wrong, who will take responsibility?" Master Qiao used the mass incident as leverage.

Sun Jianguo was so angry that he couldn't speak. The greed and lack of principles of local forces had completely trapped him.

Sun Jianguo gritted his teeth and turned to look at the factory owners on both sides.

"Director Wang, Director Li, can't your factory's CNC machine tools even achieve a tolerance of plus or minus 0.1 millimeters?"

"Whoever takes this order, I'll approve the payment on the spot, and the down payment will be directly deposited into your company account." Sun Jianguo tried to find a glimmer of hope.

The dozen or so bosses lowered their heads even further, none of them daring to speak, all glancing out of the corner of their eyes in the direction of Master Qiao.

Master Qiao laughed out loud. He stood up, walked behind Factory Director Wang, and placed his hands on Factory Director Wang's shoulders.

"Director Wang, President Sun is asking you a question. Can your factory accept this 500 million yuan order?" Third Master Qiao asked.

Factory Director Wang was covered in sweat, which dripped down his face. He waved his hands repeatedly.

"Mr. Sun, our factory's equipment is outdated and our workers' skills are inadequate, so we can't take on the job."

"Chairman Qiao's goods are already the best in the city, please sign for them." Factory Manager Wang's voice trembled.

Third Master Qiao walked back to his seat and tapped his knuckles on the table.

"Mr. Sun is a shrewd man. In the entire prefecture-level city, 70% of the machine processing plants are closely connected with my Qiao family."

If you sign this 500 million contract to me, everyone will have food to eat, and your project will be on schedule.

If you don't sign, I guarantee you won't be able to leave the prefecture-level city even with a single screw.

"Once the construction period is up, the penalty for breach of contract is one million a day, and you'll lose your job." Master Qiao made his point clear.

Sun Jianguo, panting heavily, turned to look at his assistant behind him.

"Where is Hongtu Machinery Factory? They have three imported five-axis CNC machine tools. These bearings are no problem for them at all. Why didn't they come to the meeting?" Sun Jianguo questioned his assistant.

Upon hearing the words "Hongtu Machinery Factory," Third Master Qiao's expression changed slightly.

Qian Jin immediately responded.

"General Manager Sun is out of touch with the news. Hongtu Machinery Factory has a new boss and is messing things up. The motherboards of those three imported machine tools all burned out a few days ago."

"They can't even crack a tin bucket now, it's a disgrace for them to come to the conference," Qian Jin mocked.

Sun Jianguo looked at his assistant, who nodded helplessly, confirming the news that the machine tool had to be scrapped.

The last road was blocked.

Sun Jianguo had no way out. The Sanyi Association controlled the raw materials and processing channels, and Qian Jin gave the green light to the technical tender.

This 500 million yuan special fund is just meat on the chopping block for these local tyrants.

Sun Jianguo picked up the pen, his hand trembling uncontrollably.

"Wait a minute." Third Master Qiao pressed down on the other corner of the contract.

Sun Jianguo looked up.

"I have one more small request. Hongtu Machinery Factory is now called Lin's Heavy Industry. Those people don't know the rules and have made the old industrial area a mess."

"Please sign this supplementary agreement, Mr. Sun. This will permanently ban Lin's Heavy Industry from participating in any project under Jiangnan Heavy Industry." Third Master Qiao handed over an A4 sheet of paper.

"Third Master Qiao, you're even trying to cut off the livelihoods of your competitors. You're trying to destroy the heavy industry in Jiangnan." Sun Jianguo gripped his pen tightly.

"A disobedient dog will only bite people if kept around. Once you sign, the first batch of bearings will be delivered to your construction site this afternoon." Old Master Qiao leaned back in his chair.

Sun Jianguo closed his eyes, and the tip of his pen landed on the signature area of ​​the contract.

Just as Sun Jianguo was about to sign, the conference room door was suddenly kicked open.

The brass handle slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

Lin Fu, dressed in a sharp black suit, strode in carrying a heavy stainless steel black box.

Lin Ting followed behind, his steps steady.

"Don't embarrass yourself with defective products. The Lin family will take this 500 million order," Lin Ting said.