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

"Dad? Are you still listening?"

Zheng Hao's voice came from the phone. Although he didn't know what had happened, judging from his father's tone just now, this matter was far more complicated than he had imagined.

Zheng Guodong took a deep drag on the cigarette in his hand, letting the pungent smoke swirl in his lungs before slowly exhaling, his eyes gradually shifting from surprise and doubt to a look of determination.

In Jiangyang County, on this small piece of land, following the Li family means that even if you don't get the fattest piece of meat, you'll never fall into a pit.

Even if we take a step back and assume that this was just a momentary lapse of judgment by the young master of the Li family, who simply wanted to make a big splash with money, those several million would be nothing more than a drop in the ocean for Li Jianguo. But for his family, it would be an excellent opportunity to climb the social ladder and become a true patron of the Li family! No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation.

After a long while, Zheng Guodong's voice finally came through the phone again.

"Hmm. Haozi, you did a good job on this, but there are a few things you need to remember."

"Please speak."

"First, when you meet tonight, if Li Xiao tells you to go east, don't go west; if he tells you to buy out the property, don't rent it out. Just do as he says and don't try to be clever. Second, don't ask too many questions."

Zheng Hao nodded repeatedly on the other end of the phone, unusually putting away his usual playful and joking demeanor.

"Third, and most importantly, from today onwards, you and Li Xiao are not only childhood friends, but also business partners. The worst thing you can do when you're in a business partnership is to mix your friendship with the accounts. Every signature that needs to be made must be made, and every procedure that needs to be followed must be followed. Even a single dollar must be clearly written down in the ledger."

Zheng Hao nodded repeatedly on the other end of the phone. After Zheng Guodong finished speaking, he lowered his voice and asked, "Dad, tell me the truth, is there something important going on with that piece of land in the south of the city?"

"Whether there's a big story or not, you don't need to know that. You just need to remember that this business deal must be conducted according to the rules from beginning to end."

"Dad, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Guodong leaned back in his chair and turned his gaze to the south of the city outside the window.

He picked up the planning map on the table and scanned it again. The wasteland still lay quietly on the map, unremarkable, without even a decent paved road. Yet, it was precisely this piece of useless land that made the young master of the Li family, who had just come of age, want to take full responsibility for it.

Li Jianguo, oh Li Jianguo.

Zheng Guodong shook his head. After years of struggling in Jiangyang County, he considered himself fairly good at judging people.

Li Jianguo is a man who never fights a battle unprepared. Since he's willing to let his son take over, either he's confident in his plans, or he's grooming a successor for the Li family. Either way, he's committed to this gamble.

He picked up his phone again and dialed his secretary's internal line.

"Xiao Zhou, compile and bind all the documents, including the red line map of that plot of land in the south of the city, a copy of the land use planning permit, and all the correspondence between us and the Land and Resources Bureau, and deliver them to my son before I leave work tonight."

"Understood, Mr. Zheng, I'll take care of it right away," came Xiao Zhou's crisp reply from the intercom.

At 8 p.m., the lights in the luxury private room of Jinzuan KTV were dimmed a few degrees than usual. Instead of the usual rows of beer and liquor on the coffee table, there were only two glasses of Longjing tea and a neatly bound stack of documents.

For this collaboration, Zheng Hao arrived twenty minutes early and had the waiter remove all the dice cups and playing cards that were scattered in the private room. He then sat in the middle of the sofa, occasionally tidying up the documents and adjusting his T-shirt collar, revealing a rare hint of restraint.

This was the first time he had done something on his own, and with his best friend no less. He didn't want anything to go wrong.

At exactly eight o'clock, the moment the door was pushed open, Zheng Hao stood up almost reflexively.

Li Xiao was wearing a simple black T-shirt and carrying a manila envelope. He glanced at the setup on the coffee table as he entered and laughed, "So formal? I thought I'd come to the wrong room."

"Absolutely, my dad said it has to be done strictly according to the rules."

Zheng Hao scratched the back of his head, regaining some of his usual goofy demeanor, and pushed a cup of Longjing tea in front of Li Xiao. "Brother Xiao, please sit down. This is my project plan, along with the site area and architectural drawings. Everything is here, not a single document is missing."

Li Xiao sat down opposite him, not in a hurry to flip through the documents, but first picked up his teacup, took a sip, and glanced at Zheng Hao's face.

"Did your dad give you a lecture?"

Zheng Hao grinned: "It's more than just a lecture, it's practically like he's given me a ten-point code of conduct."

He paused, his smile fading, and added seriously, "Brother Xiao, my dad asked me to tell you—the Zheng family genuinely wants to partner with the Li family, they're not just here to ride on their coattails. Take a look at these documents, and if there's anything you don't like, feel free to point it out."

He was very satisfied with Zheng Guodong's shrewdness; dealing with smart people really saved him a lot of trouble.

"Uncle Zheng is a wise man; please thank him for me."

Li Xiao picked up the topmost letter of intent for the buyout, skimmed through the key clauses, and only after confirming that there were no ambiguous or misleading wording regarding ownership did he put the document back on the desktop.

This makeshift team won't do. I'm planning to add someone on board.

Zheng Hao was taken aback, a moment of surprise crossing his face: "Adding more people? Brother Xiao, is Uncle Li sending someone down to keep an eye on things?"

If Li Jianguo really sends an experienced confidant to rule from behind the scenes, then his role as a partner would be nothing more than that of a puppet on a string, running errands.

Li Xiao saw his concerns. "Don't worry, he's not one of my old man's people. I've said before, this money is my personal account, and the Li family won't interfere. Besides, you know the person I'm adding."

"I know him too? Brother Xiao, stop keeping me in suspense." Zheng Hao wrung his hands anxiously.

Li Xiao didn't intend to keep him in suspense any longer. "Zhou Yanhuai, I plan to give him five percent of the shares. Don't worry, this five percent won't affect your share; it will be deducted from mine."

Zheng Hao's expression shifted from confusion to bewilderment, then from bewilderment to sudden realization, before finally slapping his thigh. "Holy crap! You mean Fatty Zhou? But Brother Xiao, isn't Fatty Zhou's dad from the city? Is it appropriate for us to bring him on board?"

"What's inappropriate about it? We're doing legal and compliant business, why are we afraid of being investigated?"

"That's true."

Zheng Hao sat back down on the sofa, picked up his now-cold Longjing tea and took a big gulp to calm his nerves. "But speaking of which, with Fatty Zhou's taciturn personality, even though the three of us grew up together, do you think he'd be willing to do this? Last year, when I asked him to partner with me in the sneaker resale business, he immediately replied, 'Don't come to me with anything illegal.'"

Li Xiao laughed, "That's because your sneaker business uses grey market channels, so it's normal that he wouldn't get involved. This time it's different; it's a legitimate investment and legal operation."