Me! A high-ranking official!

Liu Tao remained calm, took out a gold-embossed business card from his suit pocket, handed it over with both hands, and said loudly, "Thank you for your hard work, comrade. I am from Xihua Cultural Tourism Investment Group. I heard that there are a lot of vacant old houses in Xiaozhai Village. Could you please inform the county leaders and the people in charge of the village?"

He paused deliberately, took a deep breath, and raised his voice to the highest level, ensuring everyone within dozens of meters could hear him clearly: "The houses in Xiaozhai Village—since the county won't buy them, I will! Everyone wants to sell their houses, right? I'll buy as many as you have! As long as the location is suitable and the structure is intact, I'm willing to pay 1.5 to 2 times the market price, all in cash! No delays!"

These words brought the tense atmosphere to a standstill, as if someone had pressed the pause button. After a deathly silence, the atmosphere exploded like boiling oil being poured into water.

"What?! 1.5 to 2 times?"

"Cash? He'll take any amount?"

"Where did this boss come from? He's so extravagant!"

The villagers on the outskirts went crazy. They knew better than anyone that Xiaozhai Village had become a dead zone after the incident a few years ago. No one wanted the houses even if they were given away for free. Their bottom line for coming here today was that the government would take away this hot potato at 1.5 times the price. Now, suddenly a big boss has appeared out of nowhere, offering up to 2 times the price in cash to buy it away!

The armed police captain was also dumbfounded. In all his years of maintaining stability, this was the first time he had ever seen someone so eager to take on the core conflict of a mass incident. As long as the money was paid, the villagers' demands would be met, and the conflict would naturally be resolved.

He dared not delay and immediately sent one of his men to the village committee to report the incident.

Less than half a minute later, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly erupted from the bungalow, which had been like a powder keg.

"Who? Who wants to take over the house?!"

"Where's the boss?"

A dozen or so village representatives, who had just been banging on the table and cursing, squeezed out of the house like ducks fighting for food, bypassing the police line and surrounding Liu Tao completely.

"Boss, is what you just said true?"

"My yard is big, it's at the east end of the village, do you want it?"

When can you pay me? Is it in cash?

……

Facing pairs of greedy and anxious eyes, Liu Tao smiled broadly and raised his hands to press down: "Everyone, don't rush! Don't push! Since I drove here, money is not a problem! Let's talk to each family one by one!"

Just then, the door to the village committee was pushed open again.

Zhou Qingyan and Han Baomin, along with seven or eight county bureau leaders and a sweating Zhang Baocheng, quickly walked out from inside.

Seeing Liu Tao, the "big boss of Xihua Cultural Tourism," surrounded by villagers like a savior, the group of leaders looked at each other, stunned.

Zhou Qingyan's gaze swept quickly across the crowd, finally settling on Zhao Jianguo, who was leaning against a telephone pole, lighting a cigarette with his head down.

Through the police tape and the sea of ​​heads, Zhou Qingyan's phoenix eyes stared straight at him, her gaze revealing three parts scrutiny and seven parts surprise and doubt.

Zhao Jianguo huddled behind two shirtless men, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Meeting Zhou Qingyan's gaze, he chuckled silently and slightly lowered his chin.

The meaning was clear: Boss, just you wait and see, this is my job.

Zhou Qingyan frowned even more. She had seen her share of storms in the grassroots officialdom, but she really couldn't figure out what Zhao Jianguo was up to. Why would he let some nouveau riche who appeared out of nowhere take over the whole thing? This was a hole of 30 million yuan. Was he really going to throw real money into it?

Just then, Liu Tao brought the scene to its climax.

He stood in front of the conspicuous Maybach, deliberately unbuttoning his suit jacket to reveal a bulging belt buckle, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quiet down! Listen to me! I've come all this way to buy houses! Everyone who owns a house, whether it's a dilapidated kiln or a large bungalow, every single one of you, send someone to talk to me right now! I'm standing right here, not moving an inch! Contracts will be signed on the spot, and as long as the transfer can be completed tomorrow, the cash will be in your account instantly! Line up, one by one!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Jianguo, in a high-pitched voice, roared from the innermost part of the crowd: "Hey! You big boss from out of town, why do you insist on buying this dilapidated house of ours? What are you after?"

Upon hearing the voice, Liu Tao almost couldn't help but grin. He coughed, straightened his face, pointed towards the crowd, and adopted the arrogant demeanor of a businessman: "Hey, my fellow villager, if you're selling a house, just sell it. Why ask so many questions? If you're willing to sell, I'll buy it; if you're not, I won't force you! Let me make it clear from the start: depending on the location and the condition of the house, it's capped at 1.5 to 2 times the market price! Anyone who wants to sell, say so now!"

That shout caused a commotion in the crowd, like a hornet's nest exploding, with a continuous buzzing sound.

These holdouts had endured seven or eight years, and their nerves were more acute than anyone else's. One of them yelled, "You think you can just buy them off like that? Twenty or thirty households would cost thirty million! Can you even come up with that much money? You're not a conman!"

"You think I'm broke?"

Liu Tao sneered, pulled out the latest iPhone from his pocket, skillfully opened the mobile banking app, and shoved the screen directly into the faces of the first few villagers who were making the most noise.

The early summer sun shone on the screen, and the long string of numbers made people dizzy.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions..."

A villager wearing a straw hat subconsciously followed along with the count, then gasped sharply: "Over fourteen million!"

Liu Tao casually put away his phone, his face full of disdain: "This is just an account I casually use for pocket money. I have several other cards in my car. Do you want me to check them one by one for you? I have plenty of money. I'm asking you now, are you selling or not?"

This left the villagers completely stunned. On the outskirts of this county, where the average monthly income was only a few thousand yuan, the impact of more than ten million yuan in demand deposits was no less than that of an atomic bomb.

The men who had just been brandishing shovels, ready to fight the armed police, involuntarily put down their weapons.

"One and a half times...that's too much of a loss, isn't it?" A middle-aged man with a face full of scars rolled his eyes, still trying to take advantage of the situation: "Just now, we were inside, pressuring the county to give us two and a half times..."

Liu Tao suddenly turned her head, staring at him as if he were an idiot, her eyes instantly turning icy cold: "Brother, listen carefully, I wouldn't want your house even if it were given to me for free."

Then, Liu Tao looked around, his voice cold and sharp: "Don't you dare try to use the county to pressure me! If any of you have the guts to get the county to pay 2.5 times the price, I won't stop you! My price is a maximum of 2 times! That's my price! Anyone who tries to haggle and raise the price here, get out of here immediately, I'm not doing business with you!"

This businessman's ability to change his mind faster than turning the pages of a book completely terrified the middle-aged man.

Who doesn't know that forcing the government to give 2.5 times the return is a pipe dream? Being able to cash out at 1.5 times the return is already a windfall. The middle-aged man panicked and hurriedly pushed forward, shouting, "No, no, boss! I just blurted it out, I didn't mean anything by it, I'll sell, I'll sell, okay?!"