I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

"That...is that Jiang Chen?"

On the mountain road, in the back seat of the leading Maybach, a middle-aged man in a Tang suit with a dignified face put down his binoculars.

His eyes were gloomy and devoid of any emotion.

Zhao Tai sat beside him, his face almost overflowing with resentment.

"Dad! It's him!"

"It's this peasant, the one from last time..."

"Shut up."

Zhao Chengzhi, a middle-aged man and chairman of TEDA Group, coldly interrupted his son.

"Something that's more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything."

"Last time I sent you here to talk about feelings, not to embarrass yourself."

Zhao Tai shrank back, not daring to say another word.

Zhao Chengzhi's gaze once again fell upon the strawberry greenhouse in the distance.

Through the binoculars, he could clearly see that the young man named Jiang Chen was chatting and laughing with a girl.

And that girl was none other than Su Qing, the beloved daughter of Su Tianhao, whom he had carefully chosen for Zhao Tai's arranged marriage.

"Does this impoverished, remote area really think it can achieve instant success by relying on a little cleverness to create a tourism gimmick?"

A disdainful sneer curled at the corner of Zhao Chengzhi's mouth.

"Xiao Wang."

He said to the driver in the front seat.

"Drive to the village committee."

"This time, we won't talk about feelings."

"Let's talk business."

……

Several black Maybachs drove silently into Jiangjia Village.

Finally, it came to a steady stop at the entrance of the village committee compound.

The villagers curiously peeked out and discussed among themselves as they looked at the luxury car, which was even more impressive than the county magistrate's vehicle.

The car door opened.

Zhao Tai was the first to get down.

Unlike his flamboyant floral shirt last time, this time he wore a well-tailored Armani suit, his hair was slicked back, and gold-rimmed glasses were perched on his nose, making him look very respectable and dignified.

Immediately afterwards, several men dressed in matching black suits and carrying briefcases got out of the car one after another, with professional smiles on their faces, but their eyes revealed a cold indifference that kept people at a distance.

This display of force made everyone feel that something was unusual.

Zhao Tai walked straight into the village committee office.

Village chief Jiang Shunde was puffing on his pipe when he saw Zhao Tai, and his brows furrowed instinctively.

"You little bastard..."

"Village Chief Jiang."

Before he could finish cursing, Zhao Tai slammed a gold-embossed document onto the desk with a "bang".

That voice carried an undeniable arrogance.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Zhao Tai, the vice president of TEDA Group."

"We are here today on behalf of our group to discuss a big business deal with your Jiangjia Village."

Jiang Shunde paused for a moment, then picked up the document with suspicion.

On the cover, the words "Tedda Group Strategic Investment Intent Letter" were written in large, flamboyant characters, making his eyes dazzled.

"Our TEDA Group has its eye on that piece of land on the hill behind your village."

Zhao Tai placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and spoke in a condescending tone.

"We're prepared to invest 500 million!"

"Build the most upscale private resort in the entire province there!"

Five hundred million!

These three words exploded in Jiang Shunde's mind like a thunderclap!

The pipe in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling tobacco all over his trouser leg.

What does 500 million mean?

Jiang Chen spent two million yuan building roads, and the entire village already revered him as a god.

This 500 million yuan could cover Jiangjia Village inside and out with gold!

Jiang Shunde, having seen some of the world, suppressed his shock, picked up the pipe, and asked warily:

"The back mountain? That...didn't Chenwazi contract that out? To build that...glass greenhouse."

"contract?"

Zhao Tai chuckled as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Village Chief Jiang, what era are we living in? Why are you still practicing that kind of small-scale farming economy with individual households?"

"That's an outdated production model; it's destined to be eliminated by the times!"

He straightened up, spread his arms, like a king surveying his domain.

"What we're going to do is large-scale development! Modernization! A broad road that will allow all of you villagers to rise to the top in one step!"

A legal consultant wearing gold-rimmed glasses next to him adjusted his glasses and added:

"Village Chief Jiang, rest assured, our group will take care of handling Mr. Jiang Chen's contract."

"We will bear all the penalties for breach of contract."

"Not only that!" Zhao Tai emphasized, throwing out the most tempting bargaining chip.

"Our group has decided that, provided the village committee agrees to our development plan, we are willing to provide each household present with 100,000 yuan in relocation compensation!"

"One hundred thousand! In cash!"

The news spread like wildfire, instantly flying out of the village committee and reaching every corner of Jiangjia Village!

100,000!

For these villagers who have spent their entire lives toiling in the fields, this is a huge sum of money they never dared to dream of!

In an instant, the entire Jiangjia Village was in an uproar!

"What? 100,000 yuan? Really?"

"If they really give us 100,000, then let them have the back mountain! It's just a barren mountain anyway."

Among the crowd, Uncle Jiang Jianmin's eyes instantly turned red.

He pushed aside the people blocking his way and was the first to rush into the village committee.

"I agree!"

Jiang Jianmin shouted at the top of his lungs, spitting everywhere.

"One hundred thousand yuan! How much money does Jiang Chen give us in a year?"

"Mr. Zhao is right! One shouldn't be too selfish! We can't let Jiang Chen's existence block the path to wealth for the entire village!"

"This contract must be signed! It has to be signed today!"

Jiang Jianmin's words acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the greed in the hearts of many villagers.

Public opinion in the village began to show subtle divisions.

Some people still remember Jiang Chen's good qualities and feel that they should listen to Jiang Chen on this matter.

Meanwhile, another group, led by Jiang Jianmin, had been blinded by the huge sum of 100,000 yuan.

Just then.

"Zhao Tai! Have you no shame?!"

A clear, sweet shout came from outside the crowd.

Su Qing's pretty face was frosty as she pushed through the crowd and rushed in.

She had just heard about it and was so angry she was trembling.

She pointed at Zhao Tai's nose and questioned him without any politeness:

"This is despicable and shameless malicious competition!"

"The back mountain is Jiang Chen's life's work; it holds his dreams! What right do you have to steal it?"

When Zhao Tai saw Su Qing, the arrogance in his eyes instantly turned into greed and possessiveness.

Instead of getting angry, he flashed what he thought was a heartfelt smile.

"Qingqing, I did all of this for you."

He stepped forward and tried to take Su Qing's hand.

"Look at you, you've even lost weight staying in a place like this."

"What future can that kind of peasant give you? What prospects does he have?"

"Once I've finished building this place, it will be our private retreat, and you'll be its mistress!"

"Get out of here!"

Su Qing pushed his hand away in disgust.

Just as the atmosphere in the conference room was tense and on the verge of exploding.

A lazy, slightly mocking voice drifted in from the doorway.

"Wow, it's quite lively here!"

Jiang Chen strolled in slowly, carrying a thermos in his hand.

He didn't even glance at Zhao Tai, but instead gave a bright smile to the village chief Jiang Shunde.

"Village chief, are we in a meeting?"

"Why didn't you call me?"

He paused, his gaze finally landing on Zhao Tai, whose face was ashen. He looked him up and down, then suddenly realized:

"Oh... isn't this the one we towed away with the forklift last time?"