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

Meanwhile, the black Maybach that made Xiao Zhou question his existence was driving smoothly on the riverside avenue south of Jiangyang County.

Zheng Hao kept talking the whole way, asking Zhou Pangzi if he would agree, and worrying that he wouldn't be able to negotiate a price for those few pieces of land on the outskirts of the city. He was so nervous that a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead.

Li Xiao, on the other hand, was quite relaxed, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, occasionally letting out a soft "hmm" in response.

Zheng Hao finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Brother Xiao, tell me the truth, why do you insist on bringing Fatty Zhou on board? Fatty Zhou is a quiet, unassuming guy; he can't network or run a business. What's the point of giving him 5% of the shares for free?"

Regardless of what will happen to that land in the future, Li Xiao has already invested ten million, and his five percent stake is only worth five hundred thousand. If the land really turns out as Li Xiao said, it could be worth millions or even tens of millions in profit! Giving it away for nothing makes Zheng Hao feel a pang of heartache.

Li Xiao opened his eyes and glanced at him.

"Mouse, what do you think is the most fatal thing about doing business in a place like Jiangyang County?"

Zheng Hao paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "A funding shortage? Or no connections?"

"It's about hoarding everything. Although no one in Jiangyang County dares to openly touch the Li family's business, remember this: it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. If you make money and don't share it with others, they will trip you up and hand you a knife behind your back."

"Zhou Pangzi isn't here to help us make money; he's here to help us distribute it. By sharing the money, we'll have one less enemy and one more friend."

"With Fatty Zhou on our side, anyone who tries to smear our account will have to think twice before they can withstand scrutiny. Rat, remember this: money can't solve anything; what's truly hard to control is people's hearts. Fatty Zhou isn't taking away your profits; he's giving others the opportunity to spit in our bowls."

Zheng Hao opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He lowered his head and pondered for a while. When he looked up again, the pain in his eyes had mostly disappeared, replaced by a sense of defeat and resignation.

"Alright, I totally understand now," he leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. "No wonder my dad always said that the Li family's business acumen is on a completely different level. I was worried about that 5%, but you'd already planned for the future. Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

"Wait a minute, Brother Xiao, if that's the case, do we need to bring in a few more people?"

"No need. One radish, one hole. If too many people take turns, the hole will become worthless. Besides, in Jiangyang County, with me here, it's not their place to interfere."

Zheng Hao then realized, "Yeah, with Brother Li here, what do I have to worry about?"

All his tension, worry, and little plans were shattered by Li Xiao's words.

Who is Li Xiao? He's the number one young master in Jiangyang County, a man whose every move makes the entire county tremble. For him to be worrying about whether anyone dares to interfere is just meddling in other people's business.

He tilted his head, looked at Li Xiao who had closed his eyes to rest again, and suddenly chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Li Xiao didn't open his eyes.

"I'm laughing at myself for being stupid." Zheng Hao was unusually serious for once.

"My dad used to tell me that in Jiangyang County, the Li family ate meat while we could just drink soup and we'd be stuffed to death. I was indignant at the time, thinking, 'Why should we?'"

"Now I understand—it's not because you have a lot of money, it's because you see things clearly. Look at this whole journey, you've figured out Fatty Zhou's intentions, you've blocked those who might come looking for trouble, and you've even figured out my little tricks."

"Brother Xiao."

"Um?"

"How on earth is your brain structured like that?"

Li Xiao glanced at him sideways, a half-smile on his face, and said, "You'll grow tougher after a few more beatings from society. Why don't you give it a try?"

Zheng Hao waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no! I'd better stick with you. We'll eat meat when there's meat, and drink soup when there isn't. I won't starve. If I were alone, I might get ripped off and lose my way."

Li Xiao smiled but didn't say anything.

As the Maybach rounded the last bend of the riverside avenue, the black-tiled, white-walled Guilan building was already peeking out from between the roadside trees.

Old Zhang slowed down, and the black sedan silently glided into the private lane that was only open to specific license plates.

At the intersection, the security guard spotted the consecutive license plates from afar. He skipped the registration process, raised the barrier, and stood at attention, giving a standard salute.

Zheng Hao leaned out the car window, clicking his tongue as he looked out. "Putting everything else aside, just looking at the surroundings, my Golden Diamond KTV isn't even worthy of shining its shoes."

"Alright, Guilan and Jinzuan have completely different approaches, so what's the point of comparing them?"

"That's true." Zheng Hao chuckled, got out of the car from the other side, and followed Li Xiao toward the private room in Guilanli.

As a result, Zheng Hao had only taken two steps inside when he felt that the sensation under his feet was a little strange.

He looked down and examined the floor tiles carefully, then couldn't resist lifting his toes and rubbing them against the tiles. He then stomped on them curiously, and the soles of his shoes made a dull yet crisp sound with a metallic quality when they hit the tiles.

"Brother Li, what brand are your floor tiles? They feel really comfortable underfoot. I'll have my dad lay one in the lobby of the Golden Diamond KTV too."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao paused, turned around, and his expression seemed to be both suppressing laughter and suppressing something else. His lips twitched a couple of times before he spoke, "Are you sure you want to put this in the Diamond Lobby?"

"What's wrong, Brother Li? Is there a problem?"

Seeing Zheng Hao's bewildered look, Li Xiao stopped teasing him and explained the origin of the floor tiles he was standing on.

"This is a big problem. This thing is called Imperial Kiln Gold Brick. It's not the kind of modern ceramic tile you see on the market. My old man used his connections to buy it back at a high price from a dilapidated Ming and Qing dynasty house in Jiangnan, including the floor and the bricks."

Zheng Hao was stunned for a moment, then stammered, "An antique? How much is this one?"

"It's not expensive, only 100,000."

Zheng Hao looked down at his limited-edition sneakers, then at the blue bricks he had stomped on several times, and silently moved his foot back half an inch.

"One hundred thousand? One dollar?"

"One yuan. This doesn't include the logistics costs, favors, and travel expenses for my dad to bring the paving workers from Jiangnan."

Zheng Hao's facial muscles twitched twice. He looked down and around. The winding corridor stretched from the main entrance to the private room, and it was paved with at least several hundred pieces of flooring.

He swallowed hard, and his previously extravagant pace instantly slowed down. He tiptoed and moved forward cautiously.

"Brother Li, let's hurry up, staying here will shorten my lifespan..." Zheng Hao was on the verge of tears, afraid that a small pebble on the sole of his shoe would scratch Li Jianguo's favorite thing, and he wouldn't be able to afford to pay for the whole corridor even if he sold himself.

Li Xiao chuckled at his comical, tiptoeing manner. "Alright, walk properly. These bricks are meant to be stepped on. If you break them, it's on me."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Hao relaxed slightly, though he still dared not tread too recklessly. He had never even heard of a brick that cost 100,000 coins.

Li Xiao ignored him and walked towards the private room without looking back.

In the blink of an eye, Zheng Hao saw Li Xiao walk five or six meters away. At this moment, he didn't care about the preciousness of the gold bricks under his feet and hurriedly chased after him.

"Hey, Brother Li, wait for me."