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

Li Jianguo raised an eyebrow, and the teacup he was about to bring to his lips stopped in mid-air.

He had just spoken to Lao Guo from the Provincial Development and Reform Commission this morning, who gave him a heads-up that the document was in the final approval process and would be published in the newspaper as early as tomorrow. He hadn't even told Zhao Xiulan about this yet, but his son had just returned from the hot spring resort and hadn't even had a chance to sit down properly when he casually mentioned the exact timing.

"Where did you get this information?"

Li Jianguo put down his teacup, his tone more inquisitive than surprised.

Li Xiao chewed the cherry in his mouth, swallowed it, and smiled. "Dad, don't worry about where I got it. Just tell me, was my timing accurate?"

Li Jianguo stared at him for two seconds, but ultimately didn't ask any further questions.

"Accurate. As early as next week, that piece of land in the south of the city will be designated as a provincial-level high-tech industrial park, and the land you bought happens to be there. Do you know what that means?"

Li Xiao certainly knew.

This means that the piece of wasteland that was initially acquired for ten million yuan and is currently deserted will see its value increase at least tenfold in just a few days after the document is released. Based on the standard land price for a provincial-level high-tech industrial park, it's a certainty that the price per mu will soar from 130,000 yuan to over two million yuan.

One hundred acres of land alone could bring him nearly 200 million yuan in book profit from the land appreciation, and Lansheng had only been registered for less than a month.

This means that his Lansheng Capital, which was considered a makeshift operation, completed a precise investment in less than two months that is worthy of being written into the commercial history of Jiangyang County.

"That means your son made the right bet this time."

Li Xiao leaned back on the sofa, his tone finally revealing a hint of the smugness that a young man should have.

Seeing his son's smug look, Li Jianguo felt not disgusted, but rather gratified from the bottom of his heart.

Young people should have the youthful spirit unique to young people. If they are dull and gloomy like old men in their seventies or eighties, then they have lost the drive that the Li family should have.

He placed his teacup on the coffee table, unusually refraining from lecturing, but instead giving Li Xiao a once-over with the kind of look that grows on you the more you look at someone else's child.

"Okay, that's a bit like me back in the day."

These words carried a different weight when they came from Li Jianguo. In Jiangyang County, everyone knew that Li Jianguo rarely praised anyone, especially his son. It was truly difficult to hear a word of praise from him.

In fact, in his previous mindset, Li Xiao didn't need to be particularly outstanding. As long as he finished university peacefully, naturally took over the Li family's basic business, and didn't cause trouble like those spoiled brats who only knew how to race cars and chase girls, he could enjoy a lifetime of wealth and comfort.

The business world is like a battlefield, full of cutthroat competition and deceit. A slight misstep can lead to a life-or-death situation. He knew the risks involved, and his sense of responsibility as a father made him instinctively unwilling to let his son wade into these murky waters and suffer the same hardships he had endured.

But now it seems that he completely underestimated this kid's talent. This kid was not only born with fangs, but he was even more ruthless and decisive than his father. Most importantly, he had Li Xiao's backing.

"Son, I have to remind you, you've made such a big fuss this time that the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and those big shots in the city have all been alarmed by your actions. Your third uncle called back yesterday and said that someone from the provincial department has already inquired about you discreetly, but your third uncle managed to deflect the question."

"These are nothing. The Li family has been operating in the province for three generations. They can handle these things for you. But the materials you submitted to the higher-ups—"

"Where did you get Wang Jianhui's offshore account transaction records in Hong Kong, underground bank transfer records, and those overseas asset lists that even the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection doesn't have? I don't want to ask, and I won't ask."

"But you must remember one thing: no matter who is providing you with this intelligence, the fact that you have such leverage means you are no longer that high school student in Jiangyang County whom no one would give a second glance. From today onwards, your every word and action will be scrutinized. With every step you take, you must think carefully about whether someone will use the same methods to bring these things down against you."

Hearing his father's earnest admonition, Li Xiao dropped his casual demeanor and sat up straight. He knew that this was a life-saving piece of advice from Li Jianguo, a veteran who had spent most of his life navigating the business world.

He now realizes that he has become somewhat arrogant.

A simple email turned the entire Tianshui upside down. Even the city's leading real estate tycoon was kicked to death by Li Xiao. It would be a lie to say he wasn't arrogant.

Having been reborn, he had more than a decade of memories and a heaven-defying system, which put him at a height that others could not reach from the very beginning.

A single email and a few bank transfer records were enough to uproot a real estate tycoon who had dominated Tianshui City for over a decade. The thrill of such power and influence could easily go to one's head. But Li Jianguo's words just now were like a bucket of cold water, waking him from his days of euphoria.

Does he have a trump card, but others don't? If he can bring down Wang Jianhui in this way, someone will definitely use the same method against him in the future.

Lansheng is just getting started. The little cash on its books and a piece of land that hasn't been liquidated yet are barely enough to fill a tooth in the face of real financial giants. If they think they have the upper hand now, what difference is there between them and Wang Jianhui, whom they personally sent to jail?

Li Xiao remained silent for a long while, and the only sound in the living room was the faint voice of Zhao Xiulan instructing Aunt Liu to stew soup from the kitchen.

He looked down at his hands resting on his knees. His skin was fair and delicate, with distinct knuckles, and had not yet been worn down by time. Yet, he had already stirred up the political and business landscape of the entire Tianshui City with a flick of his wrist.

This sense of power is addictive, and what is addictive is often the most dangerous.

"Dad, you're right to reprimand me. I did get a little carried away."

Li Xiao met his father's scrutinizing gaze with composure, showing no resistance to the lecture, but rather a clarity born of profound understanding.

"Relying on others' weaknesses to establish authority is ultimately a crooked and unorthodox approach. Removing Wang Jianhui's fang is a clever way to break the deadlock. But if Lansheng Capital continues to indulge in such shady methods to grab market share, it will eventually be chopped off by an even sharper knife."

Nobody wants to be snitched on, especially not by those in charge who set the rules.

Today he can expose Wang Jianhui's dirty laundry without anyone noticing, but tomorrow those people will be secretly worried, fearing that he might use the same methods on them one day. A troublemaker who doesn't play by the rules and always holds someone else's fatal secrets is definitely a thorn in the side that all big shots want to get rid of as soon as possible.