191: Closing the net

Uncle Jiang and Chen Ziqiao had just left when the office door was knocked on again.

Old Zhou and Big Ox walked in. Old Zhou walked up to Li Zhan and whispered, "Bai Shaqiang is here..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the office door was pushed open. Bai Shaqiang walked in with his usual worldly smile, followed by two sharp-looking henchmen.

"Mr. Li, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Bai Shaqiang smiled and cupped his hands, his attitude even warmer than last time.

Li Zhan was scooping up a net of small goldfish, feeding them into the fish tank at a leisurely pace. Hearing this, he turned around with a faint smile on his face, "Brother Qiang, what are you saying? You're always welcome here. Please, have a seat..."

He didn't stop feeding the fish immediately, but instead scooped up another net of small goldfish. He watched as a few Arowana fiercely vied for the food, then unhurriedly put down the jar and walked over to sit in the main seat of the sofa.

This subtle action not only showed his composure but also implied that he was the one in charge here.

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you, Brother Qiang." Li Zhan spoke first, his tone sincere. "The brothers you sent were very helpful. The handover at the Port Authority Company went very smoothly, and we didn't encounter any trouble. I'll remember this favor..."

Bai Shaqiang waved his hand with a smile and sat on the sofa opposite Li Zhan, while the two henchmen stood silently behind him. "It's a small matter, no need to be so polite, brother. It's only right that we make things convenient for each other."

He said this nicely, attempting to build a closer relationship.

After the pleasantries, Bai Shaqiang cut to the chase, his tone becoming slightly more formal. "Mr. Li, about that matter you mentioned last time... After I went back, I discussed it carefully with Brother Hui, Brother Chang, and Brother Ming."

He chose his words carefully, wearing an expression of just the right amount of hesitation and sincerity. "Everyone is still very interested in the real estate company partnership you proposed. We think it's indeed a legitimate way to make money. As for the rest..."

He paused, chuckled, and said, "The steps might be a bit too big. Everyone thinks we should wait and see. We'll talk about it later, let's talk about it later, haha..."

Li Zhan listened, his smile unchanged, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He continued to pick up the net, feeding the fish absentmindedly, while sneering inwardly. Sure enough, a bunch of short-sighted old foxes...

They want to hop on the express train to wash their money and make a profit, but are unwilling to let go of their shady power and territory. How can there be such a cheap deal in the world?

Wouldn't it be better for me to enjoy this fat piece of real estate meat by myself? Why share it with you lot and have more people pointing fingers?

He put down the fish food, clapped his hands, and said in a relaxed tone, as if he didn't care at all. "I understand, I completely understand. To each their own, no need to force it. Since everyone has concerns about the partnership, let's put it aside for now."

He stopped mentioning the specific details of the partnership and skipped the topic entirely.

Seeing this, Bai Shaqiang's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Li Zhan was dissatisfied and had closed the door on the partnership.

He felt a bit awkward, but there was nothing he could say. Li Zhan's actions were understandable. If it were him, bringing out a good project with real money, only to have the other party hesitate and want everything, he would also lose patience.

Brother Hui and Brother Chang's vision was too shallow. They only focused on their own little patch of power and couldn't see the big picture. It seemed the small alliance couldn't be counted on; at critical moments, everyone had their own agenda.

Since the alliance couldn't reach a consensus, it would be better to... establish a connection with Li Zhan first. At least grab a portion of tangible benefits and leave a way out for himself—that could never be wrong.

While he was thinking about how to bring it up, Li Zhan stopped mentioning the real estate partnership. He changed the subject, as if just chatting. "By the way, Brother Qiang, I'll be closing down all my Gambling Dens before the New Year..."

Bai Shaqiang was stunned. That was really quick.

Li Zhan continued calmly, "However, the gambling hall I'm collaborating with the Water Room in Macau always needs customers. Relying just on the people here in Chang'an certainly won't be enough to sustain it. If you are personally interested, Brother Qiang, we could collaborate. You'd be responsible for organizing the customer base from Tiger Gate, and I'd be responsible for arranging safe channels to send them over. We can discuss the profits."

This was an olive branch thrown exclusively to Bai Shaqiang, leaving the others behind. Although it was still a grey business, at least it was expanding outward, and it was a direct partnership with Li Zhan.

Bai Shaqiang's eyes lit up. He wasn't a short-sighted man either; he had long felt that holding onto Dongguan stubbornly wasn't a solution. Cleaning up his act and opening up external channels was the trend.

Although Li Zhan had withdrawn the most tempting real estate partnership, this proposal to send customers to Macau was undoubtedly an opportunity for him to bind himself to Li Zhan and leave a way out for himself!

He immediately smiled and said, "If Mr. Li has this channel, that's certainly a good thing. We should all make money together... I'm personally very interested in this partnership. As for the details, shall I have my people coordinate with yours?"

"Easy enough." Li Zhan nodded and raised his teacup, signaling. "Then let's use tea instead of wine to toast to our successful partnership."

"Happy to partner with you..." Bai Shaqiang quickly raised his cup as well. The two smiled, knowing exactly what the other was thinking.

A meeting that seemed to have failed to reach its main goal had, because of Li Zhan's impromptu proposal and Bai Shaqiang's assessment of the situation, reached a subtle form of cooperation and balance on another level.

Bai Shaqiang got the retreat and new source of income he wanted, while Li Zhan had successfully planted his own nail in the opponent's seemingly solid camp...

— — Dongguan "Charm" Nightclub.

Young Master Liu, Liu Shijie, had been living in extreme frustration and anxiety lately. The people he sent to Guangxi were like stones sinking into the ocean, and there was still no movement from Li Zhan's side. This calm before the storm made him restless.

To relieve the pressure and scout for information, he specifically invited a few playboys he usually hung out with to go drinking tonight.

After a few glasses of strong liquor, amidst the deafening music and blurry lights, Young Master Liu temporarily forgot his troubles and reverted to his usual arrogant and domineering self, his voice getting louder and his actions becoming more unrestrained.

However, his luck didn't seem to be on his side tonight. He took a liking to a hostess at the next booth and, emboldened by the alcohol, wanted to go over and pull her over.

Unexpectedly, that girl was brought by another second-generation official — Zhao Rui, the son of the Director of the Municipal Planning Bureau. Zhao Rui was also someone who usually walked around like he owned the place, with a family background comparable to Young Master Liu. The two had never gotten along and were secretly competing against each other.

Seeing Young Master Liu openly come over to snatch someone, Zhao Rui felt he was losing face and immediately stood up to block him.

"Liu Shijie, what the fuck is your problem? Do you know the rules?" Zhao Rui pushed Young Master Liu's hand away, his tone hostile.

Young Master Liu was in the mood, and his head was muddled by alcohol. Combined with the frustration he needed to vent, he was instantly furious. "Zhao Rui! You think you're something, huh? The woman I've taken a liking to, is it your turn to stop me?"

"Say that again, you fucker?!" Zhao Rui was also angry, stepping forward until he was almost face-to-face with Young Master Liu. The fox friends and henchmen following both sides immediately surrounded them, pushing and cursing each other, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

With a "Bang!", not knowing who started it, a wine bottle shattered on the ground. Instantly, the two groups were completely brawling, and the scene was in chaos.

As the main characters, Young Master Liu and Zhao Rui were grabbing each other's collars, raining punches on each other without mercy, and cursing with the dirtiest words.

The nightclub security quickly intervened, and it took a lot of effort to separate the two groups. By this time, both were bruised; Young Master Liu's lip was split, and Zhao Rui had a black eye. They were both glaring fiercely at each other, as if they wanted to eat each other alive.

"Zhao Rui! You just wait! This isn't over..." Young Master Liu was held back, still relentlessly threatening.

"Like I'm scared of you? Liu Shijie, look at your pathetic state! I'll be waiting anytime..." Zhao Rui didn't show any weakness either. In the end, both groups, under the "escort" of the security guards and amid mutual curses, left in anger.

— — Phoenix City Nightclub, Shui Sheng received a call.

Almost at the same time the conflict occurred, Shui Sheng's men, who had been secretly monitoring Young Master Liu, reported the situation on the scene in real-time.

Shui Sheng received the call, and after hearing the detailed process, his eyes narrowed, and he immediately walked quickly towards Li Zhan's office.

"Brother Zhan, just received news. Liu Shijie got into a fight at the 'Charm' nightclub with Zhao Rui, the son of Deputy Bureau Director Zhao of the Planning Bureau, over a girl. The scene was huge, both sides made threats, and they've formed a grudge."

Li Zhan was looking at some documents. Hearing this, he looked up, a flash of surprise in his eyes, which then became unfathomable.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, weighing things quickly. This was truly an unexpected... godsend.

For Young Master Liu to have such a public and violent conflict with another official's son with a background at this critical juncture... if he were to "accidentally disappear" now...

Everyone's first suspect would naturally point to Zhao Rui, who had just had a fierce conflict with him. Who would think that the one truly closing the net would be him, Li Zhan?

Opportunities are fleeting. The last trace of hesitation in Li Zhan's eyes vanished, replaced by a cold decisiveness and ferocity.

He looked at Shui Sheng, his voice low and clear, as if carrying the scent of blood, "Close the net..."