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

"Yanhuai, over here." Li Xiao raised his hand.

As Zhou Yanhuai approached, Zheng Hao noticed a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, indicating that he had traveled quite a distance.

"I'm sorry, the old man gave me a lecture before I left, so I was delayed a little longer." Zhou Yanhuai pulled out a chair, cupped his hands to the two of them, and spoke with a helpless tone that revealed a numbness that had become a habit.

Zheng Hao leaned closer with a smug grin, winking and asking, "Fatty, what lesson did Uncle Zhou teach you today?"

"Don't even mention it."

Zhou Yanhuai picked up the teacup that Li Xiao pushed over, gulped it down in one go, wiped his mouth, and then said with a bitter expression.

"The old man somehow found out today that the three of us were going to work together, and he lectured me for a full half hour. He kept telling me things like young people should be down-to-earth and not go around fooling people just because of the family name. He almost made me recite the Eight Honors and Eight Shames on the spot."

As he spoke, he glanced down at the plain polo shirt he was wearing and added, "He even personally reviewed what I was wearing today, saying that the few printed clothes in my closet were too flashy, and he insisted that I change into this before letting me go out."

Zheng Hao grimaced as he listened, thinking that this was too much suffering. He was about to speak up for Fatty Zhou when he heard Li Xiao chuckle.

"Uncle Zhou really cares about you."

Li Xiao picked up the teapot and refilled Zhou Yanhuai's cup. "These days, there aren't many people who truly understand life. He's one of them. Listen to him, you won't go wrong."

Zhou Yanhuai paused for a moment, then grinned, but there was a hint of bitterness in that smile.

He knew, of course, that the old man meant well, but sometimes that well-intentionedness could be suffocating.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit heavy, Zheng Hao quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Alright, alright, Uncle Zhou's theory makes my legs weak just listening to it. It's only because Fatty has a good mentality that he's like this. If it were me earlier, I probably would have gone crazy by now."

"What's wrong with you? We've gotten used to it over the years. The old man has seen too many people build tall buildings, host grand banquets, and then have them collapse. In his opinion, the greatest skill of us second-generation kids, born under the red flag and raised in a honey pot, is not what we can accomplish, but that we can do whatever we want without ruining ourselves."

Zheng Hao looked left at Li Xiao and right at Zhou Yanhuai, and suddenly felt like a child sitting between two adults. The excitement of making big money together in his mind was suppressed by this atmosphere and calmed down a lot.

He picked up his teacup and took a small sip, mimicking Li Xiao's manner, but before he could even taste it, Zhou Yanhuai spoke up, "Brother Xiao, let's get down to business. The old man spent half an hour interrogating me about this meeting with you all, so we have to get something out of him, otherwise all my suffering today will have been for nothing."

"Okay, let's get down to business."

Without wasting words, Li Xiao gestured with his chin at Zheng Hao and said, "Rat, bring out the things."

Zheng Hao immediately understood, abandoned his previous casual demeanor, pulled out a prepared document from the manila envelope he had brought with him, and solemnly pushed it in front of Zhou Yanhuai.

Zhou Yanhuai looked down and saw the words "Joint Investment Agreement for the South City Plot" printed in bold black on the cover.

He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, his eyes showing a hint of confusion.

"I'm fully funding this project. The initial startup capital is ten million, which was deposited into the escrow account this morning. Haozi will be responsible for handling the land acquisition and all the necessary approvals; he'll take a 15% stake. As for you..."

Li Xiao paused, then raised one hand, his five fingers slightly spread.

"I've reserved five percent for you. Zero investment, no need for you to do anything, just take a share of the profits."

"Cough cough cough—"

Zhou Yanhuai almost choked on his own saliva before he could catch his breath.

"Brother Xiao, stop making fun of your brother!"

Zhou Yanhuai waved his hands frantically, his body repeatedly retreating, causing the mahogany drum stool beneath him to creak in protest. "A ten million plate, and you're giving me five percent for free? That's hundreds of thousands of real money! If I dare to sign this without a reason and take this share, my old man will be willing to turn against me tonight and personally call to send me to work on a sewing machine."

Li Xiao seemed to have anticipated this reaction. He raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly mocking, "Who said it was a free gift? This five percent of yours isn't something you got for nothing."

Zhou Yanhuai was taken aback. "Then explain yourself clearly. What do you want me to do? If it's illegal or disorderly conduct, I'll leave right now."

Li Xiao chuckled and leaned back. "What are you thinking? What I want you to do is aboveboard and can withstand scrutiny from anyone."

He extended a finger and tapped the agreement on the table slowly.

"After acquiring the land, the project needs to go through planning approval. I have people handling the procedures, materials, and compliance, but we need someone knowledgeable to keep an eye on things and prevent the people below from making mistakes on paper. You've been exposed to this at home for so many years, you know better than me and Haozi combined what documents can be approved and what clauses have loopholes."

Zhou Yanhuai was silent for a few seconds, then subconsciously pushed up his glasses again. He knew that Li Xiao was telling the truth. He had grown up in his grandfather's study since he was a child, and the intricacies of those documents and policy articles were to him what Zheng Hao recognized gold chains—it was an instinct ingrained in his bones.

"Just as a risk control and compliance consultant?" Zhou Yanhuai confirmed.

"This is it. Leave professional matters to professionals. Whether your skills are worth five percent is up to you to decide." Li Xiao pushed the agreement an inch closer to him. "Besides, go back and explain this to Uncle Zhou. See if he still sends you to work on the sewing machine."

Zhou Yanhuai stared at the agreement for a long time.

—Once those three words are signed, it will no longer be a casual chat among childhood friends over tea at the Li family's waterside pavilion, but a contract tied to a chain of interests. He knows better than anyone that the first lesson his grandfather taught him in such matters is that you can't just sign anything.

But Li Xiao made his point very clear, defining his role cleanly and explicitly. He neither hinted at him using his family connections nor tried to push him into a gray area. This sense of propriety actually made him feel more at ease.

He raised his head, and his gaze toward Li Xiao held less hesitation and more seriousness.

"Brother Xiao, I can do this job, and I'm willing to do it. But five percent is too much." Zhou Yanhuai placed his palm on the agreement, not opening it, but pushing it back half an inch. "When I go back and report to the old man, I need to be able to stand up straight and say clearly that every penny I take is worth the work I do. Just give me a consulting fee according to industry practice, don't give me too much."

"Consulting fees? Fatty, according to industry practice, a consultant would only pay you 20,000 to 30,000 a month at most, that's considered an employee. But I, Li Xiao, am not here to recruit employees, I'm here to find partners."

"This 5% isn't about you reviewing a few documents; it's about buying your veto power. If you feel the accounts are off, or if there's a risk of any violation, you can stop it at any time. I want you to treat this like your own business, to hold fast to that red line, and not give anyone the chance to spit in our bowl. Do you understand what I'm saying?"