14: Chapter 14 Approval Takes Effect: Cutting Off the Tail

Inside the private study on the third floor of Lanting Mansion in Shanghai.

The air was filled with the choking scent of women's cigars.

Dressed in a dark red silk nightgown, Red Phoenix did not lean back on the sofa as she usually did.

Instead, she stood with a tense posture in front of the massive French windows.

In her hand, she clutched an encrypted fax that a trusted confidant had just delivered.

"Shen's Overseas Capital... heavily investing in the angel round of Beijing's Meituan... a thirty percent core stake..."

Red Phoenix's gaze stared at the words on the paper, her fingers holding the cigar trembling uncontrollably.

During the few days since Shen Du had left Shanghai for Beijing.

She had mobilized every hidden contact at her disposal in an attempt to uncover the young man's background.

But that young man named Shen Du had been born in such a remote place.

The distance was vast and information was scarce, leaving her unable to find any background on him.

However, just this morning.

An acquaintance of hers in Beijing's financial circles sent back this top-secret piece of information.

It was an angel round funded by hard, cold cash.

Looking at the numbers and the scale of the capital on the fax, Red Phoenix's heart pounded uncontrollably.

The last shred of doubt in her mind was completely crushed by this display of sheer financial backing.

"What brilliant methods... What profound backing."

Red Phoenix took a deep drag of her cigar and stubbed it out in a crystal ashtray.

She turned around and walked quickly to the large desk.

Pulling open a drawer, she took out the note Shen Du had left behind before he departed.

She looked at the long list of coordinates written on it, all within the radiation zone of the Great Hongqiao Hub.

A desperate, ruthless look flashed in Red Phoenix's eyes.

She picked up the landline on her desk, dialed her confidant's number, and spoke with absolute resolve:

"Mobilize all the funds on our books—the entire sixty-odd million—don't leave a single penny!"

"Follow the list of coordinates I sent you and head to the Great Hongqiao radiation zones immediately.

Buy up those old commercial buildings in bulk, along with any private residences that are up for sale!

Move fast. Throw cash directly at them and buy everything!"

Hanging up the phone, Red Phoenix collapsed into her leather chair, her chest heaving.

This was the first time in her life.

The only time she had ever dared to go all-in, risking her entire net worth and her underground resources.

Just a few days passed.

The old, neglected neighborhood of Great Hongqiao quietly underwent a complete shift in property ownership.

Inside the third-floor study of Lanting Mansion.

On the large mahogany desk, dozens of red property ownership certificates and a thick stack of land ownership agreements were piled high.

Holding a glass of red wine, Red Phoenix looked at the "broken bricks and rotten tiles" on the desk, which had completely drained her cash flow.

Even with her composure, she had been plagued by anxiety over potential gains and losses for the past few days.

Only now, with these red booklets officially processed, did her heart finally settle back into her chest.

*Buzz—*

The landline on the study desk suddenly rang.

Red Phoenix frowned slightly.

Very few people knew this number.

She set down her wine glass, walked over, and picked up the receiver:

"Who is this?"

From the other end of the line came a middle-aged male voice with an official tone.

The caller did not address her as Sister Hong.

Instead, he used her legal name from her household registry:

"Hello, is this Ms. Hong Yun?"

Hearing this name, Red Phoenix's heart sank instantly, her body tensing up:

"I am. Who is this, please?"

"This is the Hongqiao District Land Development Department."

The other party's tone was strictly business: "According to the official online registration statistics, among the core sectors currently planned for the Great Hongqiao Hub,"

"a large number of properties and plots of land that were recently transferred are registered under your name."

Red Phoenix's breath caught for half a second, her fingers tightening around the receiver.

Ignoring her silence, the caller continued:

"The highest approval from the capital has officially come down."

"It has been decided that this area will be completely demolished, and the acquisition process will begin immediately."

"Given that the assets under your name account for a very large share, could you come over this afternoon?

We need to discuss the negotiation of acquisition prices for some of the key planned zones with you in person."

Hearing these words.

Red Phoenix felt a sudden rush of blood straight to her head.

The demolition approval had come down!

It had actually come down!

Just days after these dilapidated properties and plots of land fell into her hands, the government had actually called to initiate the acquisition.

Such foresight and precision were absolutely terrifying.

Red Phoenix, who was well-accustomed to grand occasions, remained silent for a full half-minute.

Her throat felt dry, and she couldn't utter a single word.

"Ms. Hong Yun? Are you still there?" the voice on the other end inquired.

Red Phoenix suddenly snapped back to her senses.

She pinched her thigh hard, forced down the trembling in her voice, took a deep breath, and replied:

"I... I'm listening.

Alright, send me the address. I will be there on time."

With a click.

Red Phoenix placed the receiver back on its cradle.

The study fell silent.

Only the sound of her slightly heavy breathing remained.

As her wild joy gradually subsided.

The intuition she had honed over years of navigating the gray areas.

Made Red Phoenix smell a hint of blood amidst this overwhelming wealth.

An ordinary man is innocent, but harboring a treasure makes him guilty.

The Great Hongqiao approval had just come down, and the government had already locked onto her assets.

They had even called her out directly by name to negotiate the price of the "key planned zones."

For a woman like her, with a shady background who made her fortune through illicit means.

Could she really swallow such a massive piece of meat that was bound to attract attention without choking?

A layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Red Phoenix lost all of her usual composure.

She picked up her private cell phone from the desk.

She dialed the number Shen Du had left before he departed.

The phone rang twice before being picked up.

"Young Master Shen."

Red Phoenix's voice lacked its usual charm and probing tone, leaving only urgency:

"On my end, I've already swept up a lot of properties and land in the key radiation zones, just as you instructed on the note.

Just now, the government called and asked me to go over for negotiations this afternoon."

She took a deep breath and lowered her voice to ask for instructions:

"May I ask... how should I set the price?"

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Zhongguancun, Beijing.

A cold wind swept up the withered leaves on the street.

Wearing a dark black woolen overcoat, Shen Du, with Xu Hao in tow, was about to step through the glass doors of the Meituan Headquarters Building.

Hearing Red Phoenix's report through his earpiece, Shen Du stopped in his tracks.

He didn't reply immediately.

He turned around and stood on the bustling streets of Beijing.

The government's actions and the situation Red Phoenix was facing were entirely within his expectations.

Listening to her breathing, which she couldn't keep from trembling on the other end of the line, Shen Du paused for three seconds.

This three-second silence felt exceptionally long to Red Phoenix, far away in Shanghai.

"Sell the key portions as long as the price they offer isn't too outrageous,"

Shen Du finally spoke, his tone casual.

On the other end of the line, Red Phoenix's breath hitched. This went against a merchant's instincts.

Ignoring her reaction, Shen Du continued to issue his instructions:

"Or, lower the price yourself and take the initiative to hand those key plots over."

"..."

"You understand what I mean."

Shen Du concluded with a flat statement.

In just three short sentences, he set the tone for this negotiation.

For a woman with a shady past.

Sacrificing wealth to save her life and secure a protective shield was her only way out in this power struggle.

The study in Lanting Mansion fell into silence.

As Shen Du's words faded, a cold sweat broke out over Red Phoenix, dampening the back of her silk nightgown.

"You understand what I mean..."

This sentence pierced through the paper window. Having survived in the gray areas of Shanghai for so many years, she was not stupid.

With her tainted, shady identity, if she stubbornly clung to the fattest piece of meat, her only end would be elimination.

Mobilizing huge sums of money to gobble up prime real estate had undoubtedly put her on their radar already.

At this point, the only way to save her life was to pay "tribute."

Voluntarily lowering the price, or even practically giving it away, to cede the core plots to the government.

This was equivalent to presenting a "certificate of allegiance" to the higher-ups, showing she knew the rules.

As long as the higher-ups accepted this concession, she could naturally preserve the vast majority of her remaining wealth and clean up her act.

Having figured this out, Red Phoenix gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

She took a deep breath, her voice hoarse yet resolute:

"Understood! I'll trade!"