Me! A high-ranking official!

Success! This hurdle has been cleared without a hitch.

Not only did it pass, but the effect was even better than expected. The one-week time limit was set brilliantly. The hesitant villagers were made anxious by the time pressure, but dared not make a move easily. In the end, they would most likely hold on to their money and gamble on the future.

Those who truly dare to sell are an extremely small minority, and this is precisely the range they can afford.

What's even more interesting is that this uproar and subsequent withdrawal actually made the rumors that the Xiaozhai Village project would see a huge price increase in the future seem even more real.

He glanced down at the time: 2:45 PM.

He turned around, quietly walked away from the crowd, got on the electric scooter, and rode in another direction from the county town.

As for Liu Tao, he doesn't need to show his face for the time being, lest he be seen by villagers who know him, which would only make things worse.

That evening, after Li Gan dispersed the onlookers, he quietly went over to discuss the details with Liu Tao.

As for that middle-aged man in the white shirt and gold watch...

A meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

Such people are the most crucial disruptors in any chaotic situation. They seem to be preventing others from selling their houses, but in reality, they are stabilizing housing prices for themselves. These people have an extremely keen sense of smell and have already seen that the house will rise sharply in the future, so they are desperately trying to get others to hold onto it.

As long as someone like this takes the lead among the villagers, the rest will follow suit.

He took the day off. After dealing with the mess around the outskirts of Xiaozhai Village, he didn't go back to the Culture and Tourism Bureau, but went straight back to the Yuepeng Hotel. He took a hot shower, washing away the sweat and dust, and finally felt completely relaxed.

He leaned against the headboard, took out his phone, and dialed Liu Tao's number.

"Taozi, is everything arranged for tonight? Call Lao Li over. Let's meet at that barbecue restaurant on the old street at 7 pm and have a couple of drinks to calm our nerves."

"Alright, I'll close the shop and take him there!" Liu Tao's voice still carried a hint of excitement and lingering fear.

7 PM, Old Street Barbecue Restaurant.

The early summer evening breeze carried the aroma of cumin and the smoky scent of mutton. When he arrived, Liu Tao and Li Gan had already ordered a large table of meat skewers, with a box of chilled Wusu beer under their feet.

Li Gan was wearing a clean black T-shirt today. When he saw Zhao walking over, he immediately stood up and respectfully greeted him, "Brother Zhao."

"Sit down, sit down. We're not at the station today, so there aren't so many formalities." He pulled out a plastic chair, sat down, and casually opened a bottle of beer, filling both of their glasses.

After three cups of wine, Liu Tao, who had been holding back his tension all afternoon, finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, lowered his voice, and leaned closer: "Jianguo, the scene this afternoon was so tense, I was sweating bullets! It was only because Li Gan was there to keep things in check that those scoundrels would have devoured me alive!"

As he spoke, Liu Tao picked up his wine glass and took a big gulp, his brows furrowing: "But Jianguo, I'm still worried! If you let me release them, I'll collect as many as I can. What if... I mean, what if those villagers really realize what's going on, and tomorrow they'll all be lining up to sign contracts with me? Dozens of households, a hole of tens of millions—how are we going to fill it? We can't just go and jump off buildings, can we?"

Although Li Gan didn't interrupt, his eyes showed some worry. He had witnessed firsthand how those villagers' eyes were red with greed for money.

Zhao Jianguo picked up a mouthful of cold edamame and chewed it slowly. Looking at Liu Tao's worried face, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Taozi, don't worry about it." He raised his glass and clinked it against his. "Don't worry about the money at all. The reason I let you shout like that today is because I'm sure they won't sell!"

"Why?" Liu Tao's eyes widened.

He lit a cigarette, and through the bluish smoke, his eyes became deep and resolute: "Because of humanity."

"Do you remember that middle-aged man in the white shirt and gold watch from today?" he asked.

Liu Tao thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh: "Yes! That bastard has been hiding in the crowd, stirring things up and preventing people from selling their houses!"

"That kind of person is called an opinion leader in the countryside, and a 'coach' in the gambling world. But he's not our coach; he's his own coach for greed." He sneered. "People like him have the keenest sense of smell. He's already seen that the Xiaozhai Village project is going to be implemented and house prices are going to rise. As long as there are people like this stirring things up, the remaining villagers will be locked in by their fear of being taken advantage of. The one-week deadline you gave them is like hanging a piece of meat around their necks. They look at it with envy, but they always feel that if they wait, there will be an even bigger piece of meat to be made."

He flicked his cigarette ash, his tone resolute: "I bet that this week, aside from those truly desperately needing money to save their lives, everyone else, even if they can't sleep at night, will absolutely cling to their mortgage and gamble on their future!"

Liu Tao was stunned. He went over the events of the afternoon in his mind again and again, then suddenly slapped his thigh and realized what had happened!

"Holy shit... Jianguo, what's wrong with your brain?!" Liu Tao couldn't help but swear, his eyes full of admiration: "This isn't business, you're practically putting those people's hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys on a fire! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

Li Gan listened from the side, and although he didn't quite understand all the twists and turns, his respect for Zhao Ge deepened as he watched Zhao Ge's composed and confident demeanor. He raised his glass: "Brother Zhao, I'm not good with words, so I'll toast you!"

"Dry!"

The three of them clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

……

Early the next morning.

He strode into the courtyard of the Culture and Tourism Bureau with great enthusiasm. He had just pushed open the door to the Tourism Development Section's office and hadn't even settled in when a series of hurried high-heeled footsteps came from inside.

Xu Ling from the personnel department burst in like a gust of wind, closing the door behind her, her face burning with gossip: "Jianguo! Something big has happened!"

"What's wrong, Sister Xu?" he asked, pretending not to understand as he turned on his computer.

Xu Ling leaned closer to his desk, her eyes gleaming: "Yesterday before leaving get off work, the county held a routine coordination meeting. I heard that Director Zhang presented the preliminary plan for Xiaozhai Village at the meeting, and he got a double beating from Secretary Zhou and County Head Han, who gave him a thorough dressing-down! They said his plan was pretentious and empty, full of impractical nonsense!"

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That's not all!" Xu Ling covered her mouth and chuckled. "After Director Zhang returned to the bureau, he flew into a rage, summoned Li Dafang to his office, slammed the door shut, and we could hear his cursing all over the hallway! When Li Dafang came out, his face was greener than a bitter gourd!"