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

After sending the voice message, Li Xiao pushed open the door and entered the living room.

Zhao Xiulan was leaning back on the sofa in the living room, flipping through a fashion magazine. Hearing the noise in the entryway, she didn't even look up, only casually saying, "You're back? There's a bowl of lily and lotus seed soup left for you in the kitchen. Have Aunt Liu serve it to you."

"Mom, I ate at Guilan, I'm so full." Li Xiao changed into slippers and walked over, sitting down on the sofa next to Zhao Xiulan. He casually picked up a cherry from the fruit plate and popped it into his mouth.

Zhao Xiulan put down the magazine, looked him up and down, her gaze carrying the scrutinizing quality typical of a mother. "I heard from Lao Zhang that you treated the Zheng family's son and that chubby Zhou family boy to dinner in Guilan today? Are you going into business together?"

Li Xiao chewed on a cherry and mumbled an answer: "Yeah, I invested in a small project and asked them to lend a hand."

"A small project?" Zhao Xiulan picked up the bone china cup on the coffee table, took a sip of her floral tea, and said in a calm and unhurried tone, "Your dad said you got a ten million yuan IOU from him. Ten million yuan is just a small project in your mouth. You're even more arrogant than your dad."

Li Xiao chuckled and didn't respond. He knew his mother's tone all too well; it seemed like casual conversation, but every word was a probe.

If he tried to explain seriously, he wouldn't be able to go back to his room tonight. He bent down and picked up two more cherries, sprang up from the sofa, and strode towards the stairs, calling out as he went, "Mom, I'm going upstairs to do my driving test questions."

Zhao Xiulan watched his figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, shook her head helplessly, and called out towards the kitchen, "Sister Liu, take the lily and lotus seed soup upstairs to him."

Zhou family.

The Zhou family's house is located deep in the old county government compound. It is a small red brick building built in the 1990s, with ivy climbing half of the exterior walls and two old camphor trees at the entrance completely blocking the streetlights.

Compared to the Li family's modern Chinese-style manor, which covers thousands of square meters, this place looks rather shabby.

But in Jiangyang County, anyone with a bit of experience knows that the people living in this old residential compound are the big shots who can really make the decisions.

As for Zhou Yanhuai's grandfather, Zhou Shuli, he was clearly an active cadre of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, so why did he still live in the county? The reason is quite simple.

Jiangyang County is right next to Tianshui City. Since the expressway was built two years ago, the journey takes only half an hour.

In the old man's words, Jiangyang County was the place where he made his fortune. This old courtyard was close to the ground, and the people living around it were all his old friends of decades. Not only did he feel at ease living there, but he also had better access to information than those high-walled compounds in the city.

When Zhou Yanhuai opened the door, his grandfather was wearing reading glasses and sitting on the sofa looking at an internal publication that had just arrived.

"Grandpa, this afternoon..."

He recounted in detail how Li Xiao invested ten million to acquire the wasteland in the south of the city, how Zheng Hao was responsible for running errands to acquire the land, and how he himself took a five percent stake.

He knew that if his father didn't make the decision, nothing he said would matter.

After listening to this, Old Master Zhou, unusually, did not say anything to him.

Ten million, all investment, and a buyout of the property rights? This isn't Li Jianguo's usual style. Li Jianguo has always preferred to leverage existing resources rather than investing everything upfront. Was this your brother Xiao's idea?

"Yes." Zhou Yanhuai nodded.

The old man didn't ask any further questions. He remained silent for a moment, then reached out and picked up the red landline receiver next to the coffee table.

"Old boss, you wanted to see me?"

"Xiao Lin, did I disturb your work? You're well-informed in the city. Have you heard anything about the development of that wasteland south of Jiangyang County lately at the Municipal Development and Reform Commission or the Planning Bureau? Or, has there been any unannounced internal meeting that discussed that land?"

There was a visibly pause on the other end of the phone, followed by the rustling sound of documents being turned over.

After a moment, Xiao Lin replied confidently, "Old leader, let alone recently, even in the city's just-released three-year plan, there wasn't a single word about the south of Jiangyang County."

"Oh? There really isn't a sound at all?"

Old Master Zhou frowned slightly. "Think about it again. Even if it's not a formal document, a meeting in the office or an impromptu statement from a leader counts."

Xiao Lin on the other end of the phone was silent for a long time, seemingly desperately searching his mind for every little detail about the southern part of Jiangyang County, before finally giving a negative answer.

"Old leader, really no. I accompanied you to scout out that area in the south of the city at the beginning of the year. It's so barren that you can't even find a decent farm road. The planning authorities have always been very clear: it won't be in the development schedule for at least five years. Anyone who throws money into it now is either stupid and rich or knows something I, the director of the municipal government office, don't know."

"Okay, thank you for your trouble, Xiaolin. It's the weekend and you're still bothered by these unfounded rumors."

"Old leader, what are you saying? If there really is any plan in the south of Jiangyang County, I will definitely inform you as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Kobayashi. There's no rush. Just keep that in mind."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Mr. Zhou gently put the receiver back.

Zhou Yanhuai had heard every word of the phone call, and looked at his father with unease.

"Grandpa, since the city has no development plans at all, wouldn't it be a waste for Brother Xiao to spend 10 million to buy wasteland? Maybe... I should talk to Brother Li about it."

Looking at his beloved grandson's worried expression, Zhou Shuli couldn't help but shake his head and let out a cold snort of disappointment.

"Tell him to back down? To back down? Do you think Li Jianguo, the kind of person who won't act until he sees a benefit, would raise a fool who would throw ten million into the water just to hear a ripple? Just because the city hasn't made any plans doesn't mean the province hasn't taken action; even if the province hasn't made a move yet, how do you know that Li Xiao isn't trying to take advantage of some favorable wind to create a trap for himself in the south of the city?"

Zhou Yanhuai shrank back after being scolded, and stammered, "Then...then you mean I should keep these shares?"

"Take it! Why don't you take it?" Old Master Zhou stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked to the window, and looked at the old camphor tree with its lush branches and leaves in the yard.

"That kid from the Li family is no ordinary person. He's laid out a clever plan, inviting the Zhou family to the table in a fair and square manner. You should spend more time with Li Xiao in the future, observe him closely, and learn from him. Don't underestimate this young man just because he's young; he's already quite capable."