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

"Does Wang Jianhui think he can run rampant in Jiangyang County just because he's connected to that third-in-command in the city? He's dreaming!"

Li Xiao sneered. This Wang Jianhui was used to running rampant in the city and thought that his three tricks would work anywhere.

But they didn't even look where they were. This is Jiangyang County, the place where the Li family has been cultivating the land for over a hundred years.

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and besides, that Wang Jianhui isn't even a dragon, he's just a mudfish at best, yet he dares to run wild in Jiangyang County.

"That Wang Jianhui isn't very bright either. Doesn't he know what time it is? That guy is in the process of being considered for promotion, and he's most afraid of getting involved in scandals. Instead of keeping a low profile at home, he dares to let his front men run around forcing sales. Does he really think the knife in front of him is just for show?"

Zheng Hao's eyes, which had been somewhat annoyed, lit up instantly after hearing Li Xiao's words. "Brother Xiao, you mean... Old Zhou can use this opportunity to completely uproot that third-in-command?"

Li Xiao did not give a direct answer; such matters cannot be discussed openly.

"No rush. To destroy someone, first make them mad. From now on, stop all construction work on the site. Have the workers pack up their equipment and leave. Create the illusion that you've been shut down and your cash flow has dried up. Wang Jianhui wants to strangle us, right? Let's stick our necks out and let him think he's won."

Zheng Hao was stunned, clearly not understanding what Li Xiao was trying to do. "Stop work? Brother Xiao, doesn't that mean we're telling the whole of Jiangyang County that we're backing down?"

"Admit defeat? Rat, just remember this: at the poker table, the scariest thing isn't having no cards in your hand, it's having a royal flush but rushing to throw it away for everyone to see. The more arrogant he is, the more flaws he'll reveal. We're stopping the game to let him get completely cocky and head down the road to his own doom."

Zheng Hao stared with his mouth slightly open, pondering the deeper meaning behind Li Xiao's words.

"By the way, Haozi, have your dad check all the land acquisition projects Jianhui Real Estate has undertaken in Tianshui and surrounding counties in the past three years—the procedures, prices, and payment flows. Dig wherever there's a loophole."

"I don't believe that he did so many things without leaving a single flaw. A nouveau riche thinks he can overturn the table just because he has some backers. He really doesn't know how many eyes Master Ma has."

Meanwhile, in the president's office of Tianshui Jianhui Real Estate, Wang Jianhui was leaning back in the same leather boss's chair that he had bought at a high price—the same one worn by the trillion-dollar tycoon Xu—and having an in-depth conversation with his newly hired secretary.

He had long admired Mr. Xu, but had never had the chance to meet him. So he bought a chair just like Mr. Xu's as a souvenir and also to motivate himself to be as successful as Mr. Xu in the future.

"Brother! This is wonderful news!"

Upon receiving the news, Wang Jianguang pushed the door open without even knocking, only to find his elder brother's newly hired secretary blushing as she crawled out from under the desk.

He coughed lightly and quickly looked away, but he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

"You unruly brat, are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated? Tell me, what good news is it? If you can't give me a straight answer, see how I deal with you."

Wang Jianguang hadn't expected to encounter such a thing, so he hurriedly said, "Great news, brother! The land in the south of Jiangyang County that you had your eye on has been completely halted this afternoon. I heard that kid surnamed Zheng is in a hurry to pay the workers their severance pay!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianhui's earlier annoyance at being interrupted vanished instantly. He slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter, "That brat from the Zheng family dares to talk to me? Even if his father came, he wouldn't be qualified!"

Even now, Wang Jianhui still believes that his opponent is only Zheng Hao on the surface, a spoiled brat who comes out to try and grab land because his family has a building materials business in the county.

"Once the Municipal Land and Resources Bureau issues a property freeze notice, they won't even be able to get in touch with the banks. No wonder their cash flow is disrupted!"

"Keep an eye on him. Tomorrow morning, throw that two million discounted transfer contract in Zheng Hao's face. If he knows what's good for him, he can sign it and get out of here with some money for his funeral. If he doesn't sign it, I'll teach him a lesson on behalf of his father, so he'll know what it means to be outmatched."

Wang Jianguang nodded repeatedly, then asked, "Brother, after we acquire that land, how do we develop it? Should we hold onto it for two years before reselling it?"

Wang Jianhui picked up his glass and took a big gulp. "What's there to bet on? I've already heard rumors that the province is going to build a high-tech industrial park in the south of the city. The official document will be released by the end of August at the latest, and the land price will increase at least tenfold. I don't know what kind of luck Zheng Hao had, but he managed to grab the land ahead of time. It's a pity he's unlucky to have run into me."

Wang Jianguang's eyes widened. "Ten times? Brother, are you serious? Does that mean we're going to make a fortune this time?"

"Nonsense! Otherwise, why would I go through all this trouble to compete with a bunch of brats for food?"

Wang Jianhui put the cigar back in his mouth, picked up the calculator on the table, and started typing away. "The land I bought for two million can be sold for over a hundred million. I'm definitely going to have this piece of meat."

Wang Jianguang rubbed his hands together, then leaned closer with a lecherous grin: "Big brother, I've been running around doing all this, shouldn't I...?"

"What's the rush? You'll get your share of the benefits once it's done. I'm your older brother, how could I let you down? The important thing now is to completely shut down that Zheng kid. Go call Deputy Director Qian of the Municipal Land and Resources Bureau again and tell him I've invited him to dinner at the Emerald Palace tomorrow night. Also, urge him on the progress of the freeze order."

Wang Jianguang responded and quickly left the office. Wang Jianhui was his older brother. If his older brother was eating meat, he, as the younger brother, should at least get a taste of the soup.

The thought of making over 100 million yuan in profit just by reselling it made Wang Jianguang feel his blood rush to his head, and even his steps felt lighter than usual.

He walked to the deserted stairwell, took out his phone, found the number of Deputy Director Qian of the Municipal Land and Resources Bureau, and dialed it.

The phone rang three times before being answered. Upon hearing the call connected, Wang Jianguang immediately put on a fawning smile, and even his already hunched back bent even more unconsciously.

"Hey, Director Qian, it's me, Xiao Wang from Jianhui Real Estate. Yes, yes, my brother wants to invite you to a get-together at the Emerald Palace tomorrow night, to your favorite VIP room... Oh, right, it's about that land in the south of Jiangyang County. We'll need your help to put in a lot more effort and make sure the freeze on the paperwork is completely sealed off, leaving no loopholes!"

A few affected, official-sounding voices came from the other end of the phone, seemingly quite satisfied with the Wang brothers' sensible manners, and then readily agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jianguang excitedly pumped his fist. Buying it for two million, then reselling it a while later would yield a profit of ten times that amount—it was faster than robbery!

Inside the president's office of Jianhui Real Estate in Shuishi.

After Wang Jianguang left, Wang Jianhui resumed working on the unfinished report with his secretary and discussed the next steps.

Once that kid from the Zheng family can't withstand the pressure and signs the transfer contract, that land will be his.

Once the official document from the provincial government is issued, the profit will be more than ten times the initial investment. Although he will only receive a small portion, it will be enough for him to live comfortably.

As for those shady tactics—dumping construction waste at night, submitting whistleblower letters, and obstructing property transfers—he considered them routine operations. Over the years, he had used this combination of methods to take down no fewer than ten local small developers in several counties without ever making a mistake, after all, he had powerful backers.

He was certain that this time would be the same.