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

"That's right, only things you look down on are relatively safe. And what you can look at are full of deadly hooks."

After these words were spoken, the tea room fell even more silent.

They had originally thought that now that Jianhui Real Estate had collapsed, they could take advantage of the situation and divide up all of Jianhui's high-quality projects. However, Lao Li's words of cold water extinguished all the fire in everyone's hearts.

No one mentions the riverside commercial complex anymore, no one covets the villa land in the southern suburbs, and no one even dares to glance at Jianhui Plaza, the landmark project in the city center. These projects are no longer a tempting cake in their eyes, but a landmine that could explode at any moment.

They suspected that Lao Li was trying to monopolize the profits, which is why he spoke so negatively about Jianhui Real Estate's projects, which they considered lucrative.

However, what Lao Li said made sense, and they couldn't find any fault with it.

After realizing that Jianhui Real Estate was no longer a tempting cake, but a landmine that could explode at any moment, Sun Dewang, who organized the tea party, was the first to become restless.

The reason he organized this tea party was twofold: firstly, to check if he was alright, and secondly, to get a share of Jianhui Real Estate's profits.

Now that everything has been asked and the cake has become a landmine, the tea party is officially over.

He chuckled awkwardly, knowing that there was no point in continuing the tea party any longer, and then said...

"Alright, I organized this party tonight, but Old Li got to say everything. Let's call it a day. Go back and take a good look at your accounts, fix what needs fixing, and discard what needs discarding."

He said this to everyone else, but also to himself.

Although they didn't get much profit from Jianhui Real Estate, this incident served as a wake-up call and showed them the true value of the Li family in Jiangyang.

After saying that, he was the first to stand up, his belly protruding as he walked to the coat rack to take off his coat, which he then draped over his arm. He glanced back at Old Zhao, who was still sitting in the chair, and gave him a sympathetic look.

Although he spent a lot of money on the project in the south of Jiangyang County by leveraging personal connections, it was less than a million yuan, which was not a big deal for him.

But Lao Zhao is different; that's a full 30 million, which is not even in the same league as the million or so he lost.

He lost his little bit of money, but he'll only feel bad for a few days. He can earn it back by taking on a couple more concrete orders at construction sites.

But of the 30 million yuan that Lao Zhao had, half was borrowed from the bank, and the other half was raised by selling two shops in the city.

Once the shops are sold, they're gone; when the loan matures, you have to repay the principal and interest; if the project fails, you're essentially losing money on both ends, with no room for maneuver.

Only Lao Zhao himself knew how he felt at that moment. He was still staring blankly at the copy of the Linjiang project contract on the table. Thirty million yuan was tied up in a project that could be taken back at any time. This was not a hurdle that could be overcome in a few words.

Bald Liu walked up and patted Old Zhao on the shoulder, wanting to say something to comfort him, but after opening his mouth, he didn't say anything.

He himself almost jumped in with Lao Zhao just now, so it's easy for him to say anything now. Everyone here has lost money before, but 30 million is a sum that would make anyone suffer.

……

Meanwhile, in Jiangyang County, Zheng Guodong experienced firsthand what it means to have distant relatives even when you're rich.

Since Jianhui Real Estate was investigated, his personal mobile phone has been constantly ringing.

Those city bureau leaders who usually ignored him, bank presidents who treated him like a sucker, and even several building materials tycoons who were well-known in the provincial capital, all condescended to call him and inquire about his well-being.

His tone was as kind as if he were talking to his own brother.

"Old Zheng, I heard the land in the south of the city has thawed? Congratulations! Let's grab some tea sometime!"

"Mr. Zheng, the credit line we discussed earlier has been approved by my subordinates. It'll be processed through the fast track; you just need to send someone to sign it tomorrow!"

"Mr. Zheng, you've really made a fortune quietly! You've latched onto such a powerful patron, and you didn't even bother to tell your brother if you were free tonight?"

Hearing the extremely obsequious laughter on the other end of the phone, Zheng Guodong leaned back in his boss's chair, his face showing no sign of happiness.

He knew all too well that these people weren't respecting him, Zheng Guodong, but rather the Li family standing behind his son.

In the past, when people mentioned the Zheng family, they would at most say that they were nouveau riche from Jiangyang County.

From now on, in everyone's eyes, the Zheng family has been completely branded as an outsider to the Li family.

Through various connections, they learned some inside information from the materials provided by the Li family.

Originally, these old foxes in Tianshui City thought that this was just the Li family using their powerful political connections to force the provincial department and the discipline inspection commission to intervene and intimidate people.

But when those fragmentary details of the case file began to circulate within the innermost circle, all the self-proclaimed shrewd and calculating bigwigs were terrified.

There's nothing else to it but the fact that this report is so detailed; it's not the kind of vague accusation that can be obtained through connections or pressure.

The materials not only detailed every single transaction of Jianhui Real Estate's accounts over the past five years, but also revealed the true nature of the accounts.

Even the transaction records of Wang Jianhui's anonymous fund account in Hong Kong, the properties held on his behalf in Victoria Harbour, and the time and amount of each time he transferred assets through underground banks are all verifiable.

Everyone present knew perfectly well what this meant.

Even Wang Jianhui's long-term plans in Hong Kong were not fully known to Wang Jianguang, who had followed him for ten years. Yet, an eighteen-year-old could list the time, amount, and account number of every transfer more clearly than bank statements.

For a time, business tycoons in Tianshui City were all on edge, secretly investigating their overseas assets and underground banking channels, fearing that one day a similar report would be slammed on the table of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Even Li Jianguo remained silent for a full half hour while looking at the copy of the case file in his study.

The third-generation head of the Li family, who had been firmly established in both the political and business circles of Jiangyang County and even Tianshui City for many years, originally thought that his son's actions against Wang Jianhui were at most a matter of using the family's influence to make a big show of things.

He even arranged in advance for the team to handle the aftermath, ready to personally step in and bail out his son if he "messes up".

Looking at the incredibly precise chart of fund flows and the list of overseas assets before him, Li Jianguo felt a chill for the first time ever.

He knew all too well how terrifying the power it would take to obtain such top-secret data; it was a realm that the Li family's existing network of connections could not easily reach.

"Just how big a web has this kid been weaving behind my back?"

Li Jianguo spent half his life fighting in Jiangyang County. Wasn't his greatest wish to see a true dragon crossing the river emerge from the Li family?

Everyone has their own trump cards and opportunities. Since Li Xiao is unwilling to reveal them, his father naturally won't pry.

Without hesitation, Li Jianguo stuffed the stack of top-secret copies in his hand—enough to cause a major earthquake in both official and business circles in Tianshui City—into the shredder next to the table.

That's enough: Li Xiao is his son.