At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

Thinking of this, Li Xiao picked up his phone from the passenger seat and sent a text message to Lao Zhang: "Make arrangements for tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. I'm going to the bank to open a joint account."

Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Old Zhang replied: "Yes, young master, everything is arranged. Also, the confirmation text message for your theory test appointment has been sent to your phone. It's at the county vehicle management office at 8:30 the day after tomorrow."

That's really efficient.

Li Xiao stuffed his phone into his pocket, pushed open the door, and got out of the car.

As he passed through the living room, his father, Li Jianguo, was sitting on the sofa flipping through a newspaper. Hearing footsteps, he didn't even look up. "What's up? Still haven't gotten your driver's license? Just sitting around in the garage having fun?"

"Let's get used to the feel of it first." Li Xiao casually picked up a cherry from the bone china fruit plate on the coffee table, which had been airlifted in, and popped it into his mouth. He replied in a casual tone, "I also took a call from Haozi in the car."

"That kid from the Zheng family?"

"That's right. My Uncle Zheng wants to acquire a plot of land in the south of the city to build a building materials warehouse, but he lacks start-up capital. I think this project is worthwhile, and I plan to invest some money to test the waters."

Li Jianguo put down his newspaper, glanced at him, and asked, "You have that much money?"

Li Xiao chuckled and, seeing that his father's teacup was empty, immediately picked up the purple clay teapot on the coffee table and diligently refilled it to about eight-tenths full.

"Isn't it you who's here?"

"I knew you'd be all over me for no reason. So you're here plotting to steal my money?"

"Look at what you're saying, how can this be called scheming? This is called inheriting the family business and putting it into practice in advance."

Li Jianguo picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Don't try to sweet-talk me. To be honest, I glanced at that piece of land before. It's in a remote location, and you won't see any significant returns in the short term. You can invest your money, but don't come crying to your mother later if you lose it all."

"Don't worry, I'll pay off the debt by working on a construction site myself. I won't let it affect your or my mother's reputation." Li Xiao sat down on the sofa opposite him and popped another cherry into his mouth. "But you never know these days. What if the province suddenly decides to designate a development zone in the south of the city?"

Planning a development zone? It's unbelievable that my own son could come up with this idea.

Li Jianguo glanced at him from above the newspaper, but didn't reply, assuming his son was just talking nonsense.

He had the company's evaluation team inspect that piece of land in the south of the city at the beginning of the year, and the conclusion was just five words - no chance within ten years.

My son just turned eighteen and hasn't even gotten his driver's license yet, and you're already making grand promises about a provincial-level development zone in front of him. That's really a bit of an exaggeration.

However, he didn't intend to stop him.

In Li Jianguo's view, it's not terrible for young people to lose money when they do business for the first time; what's terrible is not daring to try.

Moreover, Li Xiao's earlier statement that he would pay off the debt by working on a construction site himself, while just empty talk, at least showed a willingness to take responsibility, which pleased him.

"The money will be transferred from the company account tomorrow. We'll sign an IOU and calculate interest at the same rate as the bank. Since we're going to learn how to do business, the rules have to be set from the beginning. Even between father and son, we have to keep clear accounts."

"No problem, I'll have Uncle Sun transfer the money in after the joint account is opened tomorrow." Li Xiao agreed readily, without any intention of bargaining.

Many people discover opportunities, but those who can truly turn those opportunities into real money are always the ones who have chips in their hands, powerful backers, and the courage to place bets.

In his previous life, Li Xiao possessed none of these three qualities; all he had was a keen eye for trends, but he could only remain a spectator.

He was bullish on gold, but he didn't have any money on hand, so he could only watch helplessly as it soared from over 700 to over 1,000. At the time, he stared at the gold price chart on his phone, looking at it over and over again. Even though he knew it was likely to rise, he didn't dare to buy.

Because he can't afford to lose.

His meager salary was barely enough to cover daily expenses. Even though he knew it was a promising opportunity, he didn't dare gamble his entire fortune. If he won, all would be well, but if he lost, it would take him at least ten years to save up his salary plus year-end bonus.

He felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about how ten years of his youth had been wasted on a series of plummeting chart lines.

But this life is different.

His current surname is Li.

The Li at the very top of the pyramid in Jiangyang County.

"Dad, don't worry, this money is definitely the most profitable venture you've ever made in your life." Li Xiao stood up with a grin, casually picking up the remaining half plate of cherries on the coffee table. "I'll prepare the IOU tomorrow and deliver it directly to your study. I'm going back to my room to study for the exam the day after tomorrow, hoping to pass it on my first try and not embarrass you."

……

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Hao immediately called his father, Zheng Guodong.

"Dad! Dad! This is amazing news!" Zheng Hao shouted as soon as the call connected.

"What are you howling about? I'm not deaf yet." Deng Guodong's voice came from the other end of the phone, loud and deep.

"Dad, Brother Xiao has spoken; he'll cover all the start-up capital for that land in the south of the city!"

Zheng Guodong, who was on the other end of the phone, was smoking in his office. When he heard his son's words, he paused in his cigarette-holding hand.

This was completely different from his original idea. He originally just wanted his son to make an appearance in front of Li Xiao and test Li Jianguo's stance, but he did not expect that this young master of the Li family, who had just come of age, would have such great courage and want to take over the whole game as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Did he really say that? Several million dollars—can a student who just finished his exams really make decisions for Li Jianguo?"

"It's absolutely true! Brother Li said the money will be deposited into the joint management account tomorrow. Oh, right! Brother Li also mentioned some hard conditions: the land must be bought out, and we must hold the property rights. We can just build simple prefabricated houses for the warehouse for now; we don't need to invest too much money in construction."

"Buy out the property rights and suspend construction? Did Li Xiao really say that?"

"Hey old man, do you think I'd lie about something like this?"

Zheng Guodong frowned.

These two requirements don't seem like paving the way for a building materials warehouse at all; rather, they seem like a firm belief that the land itself will inevitably cause some great upheaval in the future.

He'd seen that wasteland in the south of the city at least five times. It was in a remote location, with absolutely no infrastructure; even the county planning bureau had stated it wouldn't be on the development list for at least five years. But this kid from the Li family was sticking to the property rights from the start, and was also trying to control construction costs. Did this kid, or the Li family, know something he didn't?

Zheng Guodong's eyes shifted uncertainly.

He knew Li Jianguo all too well. Li Jianguo always planned three steps ahead before acting, and he would never leak any information about something that wasn't going to happen.

But this time, he didn't even show his face, but directly pushed his son, who had just come of age, to the forefront. Is this like herding sheep or releasing hawks?

If it's about herding sheep, then this piece of land in the south of the city is just a toy for the young master of the Li family to practice on; whether he makes a profit or a loss doesn't matter.

But if it's about releasing hawks, then things become much more complicated.

That desolate, godforsaken patch of land south of the city probably hides some secrets even he, a local strongman, can't fathom. Is it the provincial government? The city government? Or some powerful outsider about to make a big move?