I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

In the large private room of the hotel, Li Jing'an personally poured tea for the middle-aged man next to him.

"Hey, hey, Jing'an, I can do it myself." Director Liu quickly put his hand down to stop Li Jing'an's actions.

"Jing'an, in terms of rank, you used to be a minister-level official, while I'm just the director of the health bureau—far from your level. Besides, your father-in-law, Director Wei, used to be my direct superior. How could I let you pour me tea?"

But Li Jing'an simply brushed his hand away, continued to fill the teacup, and said, "What's wrong, Brother Liu? Isn't it only right that I pour you tea? We're brothers, this is a private relationship, don't get involved with other things." Li Jing'an said, feigning dissatisfaction.

This is Director Liu of the Municipal Health Bureau.

"Alright, alright, I was just being sentimental, haha." Director Liu laughed, picking up his teacup. Then, changing the subject, he sighed, "Oh, what a pity. Your father-in-law, Leader Wei, had just been exonerated and returned to work, but he voluntarily submitted his retirement application not long after. He hadn't even had a couple of days to enjoy his retirement before passing away. What a pity!"

Director Liu sighed, and Li Jing'an also looked sorrowful and sighed.

"Yes, Brother Liu. You know, my father-in-law really had bad luck. He spent so long down there... and just after a couple of days of peace and quiet at home..."

On the surface, Li Jing'an sighed, but inwardly he was cursing—that old Wei, that old bastard, was utterly useless! He died easily, and after being exonerated, he returned to his post but soon submitted his retirement application. Li Jing'an didn't benefit from it at all.

He hated Lao Wei to the core. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so friendly with a mere health bureau chief. Even if Lao Wei had retired but wasn't dead, his influence was still there, and Li Jing'an could benefit from it to some extent. Even if Li Jing'an still had connections in the ministries, it wouldn't affect the local area. If they didn't give in, there was nothing Li Jing'an could do.

Old Wei really gave Li Jing'an a run for his money, and even managed to dodge a blow before he died. If it weren't for the fact that Wei Jialing had an older brother who was an officer in the army, he would have wanted to beat her up whenever he thought about it, just to vent his anger.

"Hey, Jing'an, is it just the two of us today?" Director Liu looked at the empty private room and the large table and said to Li Jing'an.

Actually, there were three people in the private room, including Li Jing'an's secretary, Ai Wei. Clearly, Director Liu had completely ignored her.

"No, Brother Liu, there will definitely be someone to keep me company. It's just that I arranged to meet them a little later, so they won't be arriving for a while. I wanted to talk to you about something personal first and ask you for a favor," Li Jing'an replied with a chuckle.

"Oh? Jing'an, how can I help? Just let me know if it's something I can do."

Director Liu wasn't resorting to any "out of sight, out of mind" tactics just because Li Jing'an's father-in-law had passed away. After all, Li Jing'an had been a ministerial-level figure in the past. So, he would definitely do anything to help him. Li Jing'an had a complex network of connections, and who knew when he might be needed?

"It's like this, Brother Liu. I'm currently the China regional manager for a Hong Kong-based foreign company," Li Jing'an paused, "I'd like to find a pharmaceutical factory under your health bureau system to cooperate with and have them manufacture our products. Also, could you please help us obtain a health permit, Brother Liu?"

"Oh dear, a health permit is a piece of cake, isn't it? As for cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, that's even less of a problem. You know, state-owned pharmaceutical companies no longer have unified purchasing and sales, and many are struggling to operate. This is a windfall; many factories will be scrambling to work with you." Director Liu was surprised by this, appearing unusually relaxed and nonchalant.

In the end, it's still Li Jing'an who is contributing to their health system.

"By the way, Jing'an, how did you end up in business? And it's some kind of foreign-invested enterprise?" Director Liu asked with some curiosity.

"Hey, I was just bored. I went out for a bit and met a Hong Kong boss who wants to do some health supplement business in China," Li Jing'an said vaguely. After all, his official identity was still that of a mainland resident, which hadn't been changed. So he lied and claimed to be the authorized representative for the Hong Kong company in China, handling all matters on his behalf.

"What, Jing'an, you guys want to get into royal jelly too? Let me tell you, this is really not a good business. Look, now that the state-controlled purchase and sales quotas are gone, many small factories across the country are struggling, and everyone's rushing to produce royal jelly and similar products, all sorts of things. Except for a few brands, most are barely surviving, and most are even losing money. I think you'd better not get involved in this mess." Director Liu frankly told Li Jing'an about the current situation.

"Haha, Brother Liu, thank you for your kind offer, I know what you mean. But we don't do that royal jelly stuff. Our company spent a lot of money to get a secret formula from Japan, it's not in the same league as royal jelly, don't worry." Li Jing'an laughed and then explained.

"Japan? Now that you mention it, it's definitely a good fit. So, tell me, which factory would you like to collaborate with?"

"I see a factory outside Xizhimen, isn't it? The size is just right."

Director Liu narrowed his eyes, thought carefully for a moment, and then suddenly realized: "Oh, you mean that company? It's a medium-sized enterprise, but it always has orders from pharmaceutical companies. They probably don't have extra production lines to cooperate with you. Why don't you find another one?"

"Hey, Brother Liu, I see those production lines are all newly built. And the factory area isn't small either; it's good preparation for future development."

"Can fulfilling my own orders and fulfilling pharmaceutical company orders be the same thing? Aren't they both the same thing?"

"Hey, Jing'an, this is different. Doing your work is like working for a private company, how can that be the same as working for the country? The management and workers won't be able to get past that hurdle in their minds, they won't agree," Director Liu explained.

That's absolutely true. He's right, especially with state-owned enterprises. They look down on private companies as if they're superior. In fact, they consider themselves superior by two degrees. Even if you let them make money, they'll still look down on you.

"Hehe, then I'll have to ask Brother Liu to think of a solution." Li Jing'an winked at Ai Wei, who was sitting to the side looking bored.

Ai Wei immediately took a thick envelope from his bag and handed it to Li Jing'an from under the table. Li Jing'an took it and said to Director Liu, "Brother Liu, here, this is one of our company's products. Try it."

As he spoke, he slapped the envelope onto Director Liu's thigh.

Director Liu, a seasoned veteran, immediately grasped the envelope and asked, "Hey, Jing'an, what's this for?"

"I can't accept that. I'll definitely ask you if I need anything."

"Just try the product. If you like it, I'll send you another box." Li Jing'an pointed to the envelope, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Director Liu clutched the envelope in his hand, lost in thought. Ultimately, still concerned about the other box, he said, "Alright, Jing'an, leave this to me."

Li Jing'an watched as Director Liu expertly stuffed the envelope into his inner pocket, raising an eyebrow slightly. Those with power were among the first to embrace change during the reform and opening up; their thinking shifted faster than anyone else's, immediately equating power with money. However, they also brought vitality to the private economy—look at all those restaurants springing up like mushrooms after rain; who's consuming them? It's all supported by employees of various government units. Without these government units, many of these small restaurants would immediately go out of business. Therefore, it's fair to say that these officials were among the first to embrace change during the reform and opening up.

"Once I get back, I'll have the pharmaceutical company stop placing orders with that drug factory," Director Liu said in a low voice. "Then I'll mediate a bit, and that should be enough."

This is a radical move, directly cutting off the other party's order.

Li Jing'an quickly added, "Hey, Brother Liu, no rush. Our products aren't ready yet. The packaging and everything else need to be redone, and the marketing also needs to be prepared. It won't be a rush in the next month or two. How about you cancel his order for now, and I'll contact him again in a couple of months?"

"Haha, okay."

Li Jing'an didn't want to get involved in that kind of affiliation scheme, to avoid unclear property rights and endless disputes later on. If the business really grew big and the brand became established, there would be plenty of lawsuits to fight. He just wanted a factory with a complete production line to do OEM manufacturing for him, and he wanted a factory that would obey him.