Long Aotian left.
The expert from SkyNet stepped forward.
"It seems our cooperation ends here."
Huo Wendong looked at the SkyNet expert and smiled.
"Does it?"
"You've already aligned yourself with Long Aotian, even dividing the spoils of the slum district's future commercial zone, haven't you?"
"Dividing it doesn't kill anyone."
"What do you mean?"
Huo Wendong said, "Think about it. If I leverage Long Aotian and his undercover agent Xu Xuejiao to take down the Four Great Families, why would I still need to share the commercial zone profits with Long Aotian? Hmm?"
The SkyNet expert looked at Huo Wendong. "You mean…"
"If at that time, a master appears—or perhaps… a group of masters!"
Huo Wendong smiled and said, "And for some reason, they got into a fight with Long Aotian…"
Huo Wendong gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with a ruthless gleam. "Kill Long Aotian and his followers! Then… tsk tsk tsk, with 10% of the commercial zone's shares in my hands, I could find a mysterious new partner…"
The SkyNet expert laughed. "Hahaha! Huo Wendong, you're truly trash!"
Huo Wendong grabbed him by the collar, glaring as he said, "I'm the kind of trash that can bring you hundreds of billions in assets! The kind that can let you live the rest of your life in wealth and comfort!"
The SkyNet expert laughed heartily. "Lu Chengwen would never imagine that his pillow-side companion would be the harbinger of his demise. And Long Aotian would never believe that, despite his perfect plans, he'd ultimately die by your hands!"
Huo Wendong chuckled. "Leng Qingqiu, Xu Xuejiao, and Chen Mengyun would never expect that in less than six months, they'd obediently end up lying on my bed, using every ounce of effort to please me and make me happy!"
Huo Wendong turned around, his eyes sharp and glinting with a sinister light.
"Xuecheng is mine! And those women are mine too!"
He turned back to the SkyNet expert. "So, keep a close watch on them. Don't let them stir up any trouble, understood?"
The SkyNet expert nodded. "I'll immediately gather the brothers and begin laying the net. I guarantee that once it's done, Long Aotian will be erased from this world."
The two men stared at each other for a long time and then burst into loud laughter together.
The next day.
In Lu Chengwen's villa office.
Districts 3, 4, 5, and 6 of Chengwen District were all completed on the same day, with housing being allocated according to ticket numbers.
Lu Chengwen didn't attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony; instead, it was Leng Qingqiu who went.
The completion of the six districts allowed the majority of slum residents to move into new homes.
The full-scale construction effort spurred significant commercial activity, with materials suppliers, plumbing equipment vendors, furnishing shops, and appliance stores all seizing the massive opportunity to rake in profits.
The influx of 200,000 laborers also boosted the local economy.
Laborers needed food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and daily necessities. From haircuts to baths and shopping, Xuecheng's business environment had recently flourished beyond expectation.
However, one person wasn't doing well—Lu Chengwen.
At the meeting the following day, it was still about reviewing expenditures.
Over 100 billion yuan had already been invested.
Six districts had been built, along with nine materials warehouses, stockpiling massive amounts of building materials. A lot of payments to suppliers and transport teams were still pending.
Lu Chengwen had a wealth of tangible assets, but his cash flow was starting to tighten.
Not immediately, but according to Li Meiqin's calculations, in three months, there would be no money left.
Thus, within three months, a funding recovery plan was a must.
Li Meiqin proposed a solution: to build the luxury residential area ahead of schedule.
Villas nestled against mountains and beside rivers, with excellent feng shui, beautiful scenery, good air quality, and a prime location—perfect for affluent buyers.
Later, a large golf course could be added.
The course would cost a few billion but could be funded by external investors.
There was so much work to do.
Lu Chengwen never imagined that building a small modern city would burn through so much money and involve so many tasks.
Even a single landscaping project required billions!
Then there were bridges, roads, streetlights, traffic facilities, subway stations, bus stops, commercial buildings, banks, supermarkets…
It was impossible for Dasheng Group to handle everything. So, many projects, such as bowling alleys, golf courses, car clubs, and off-road racetracks, needed professional investment and tender companies.
Lu Chengwen immediately thought of Leng Qingqiu!
This was her expertise!
Before he could make a call, Han Yue had already brought over a proposal.
A city plan, complete with a professionally designed visualization.
Lu Chengwen used the mouse to adjust angles, zoom in and out, and change perspectives, marveling at the future vision of Chengwen District that Leng Qingqiu had designed.
This city… looked amazing.
It had everything anyone could want.
Xu Xuejiao walked in, wearing one of Lu Chengwen's shirts, slippers on her feet, and her bare white legs showing as she yawned.
"Chengwen-ge, coffee."
Jiang Shihan quickly said, "Miss Xu, I'll make you some coffee."
"Huh? Isn't there some on the table?"
Jiang Shihan smiled and replied, "That's just from Yuebake for everyone. I remember you prefer hand-ground coffee. I'll go prepare some."
"Ah, forget it. Don't bother. Just give me a cup."
"Alright."
Everyone was stunned!
This was Xu Xuejiao!?
Messy hair, sleepy eyes, and that outfit—clearly, she had spent the night here!
Everyone turned to look at Lu Chengwen.
Lu Chengwen said, "Hehe, be mindful of appearances! Change your clothes before coming out; there are so many people here!"
Xu Xuejiao laughed, walked over to stand behind Lu Chengwen, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Relax, I'm wearing leggings. My good figure is for your eyes only, okay?"
"Still, be careful about appearances."
Xu Xuejiao lifted her head and glared at them. "Don't go gossiping, or I'll beat you to death!"
Everyone hurriedly said, "We won't say anything, we won't say anything."
Xu Xuejiao took the coffee handed over by Jiang Shihan. "Thanks."
Then she turned and walked away.
Lu Chengwen said, "All matters related to attracting investments will be handled by..." Lu Chengwen thought for a moment, "Jiang Shihan."
Jiang Shihan was stunned. "Me?"
"Yes, you."
"But, by your side..."
"Pick someone from your team to replace you. You focus entirely on the investment project and coordinate with Han Yue."
"Understood, President Lu."
Everyone left.
Lu Chengwen grabbed Jiang Shihan. "Reserve a good project for me, something... suitable for someone like Erlong."
Jiang Shihan smiled. "You want to help him?"
"I can't let him idle around forever. Let that bumpkin see the upper class, broaden his horizons. He might stop enjoying brawling so much."
Jiang Shihan thought for a moment. "He doesn't know anything."
"That's the point. The difficulty is why I need my precious Shihan! Think of a way yourself. Once it's settled, let me know."
"But Erlong, that man..."
"What about him?"
"He's very stubborn. I'm afraid he won't listen to me."
"What stubbornness? That's not dignity, that's just poor and stubborn—masking his incompetence! Relax, people like him are just uncultured. He's smart. Once he sees the real world..."
Lu Chengwen took a sip of his coffee. "He'll be eager to become the most obedient dog at my side."
Jiang Shihan laughed. "Then I'll make arrangements."
At that moment, Xu Xuejiao came running out. "Brother, brother! Brother, brother!"
Lu Chengwen, annoyed, said, "What now? Lost your toys again?"
"No!" Xu Xuejiao exclaimed. "Long Aotian is sending me money! Hahaha! Fifty billion! Fifty billion! Enough to last a lifetime!"
Lu Chengwen sighed, frustrated. "Hey, hey, hey! My relationship with him has been improving a lot lately. He probably won't want to kill me anymore. Can you stop messing things up?"
"What are you talking about?" Xu Xuejiao said. "He's bound to face off with you someday anyway. If I kill him first, doesn't that save you the trouble?"
Lu Chengwen said, "Honestly, we've been taking advantage of him so much lately, I'm starting to feel guilty. Feels a bit cruel."
Xu Xuejiao blinked her big eyes. "But I'm having so much fun!"
Lu Chengwen tried to reason with her. "Even when you're scamming someone, you have to give them a buffer. Don't just kill them off in one go!"
"Come on, it's just fifty billion. He won't die from it."
"You—"
Xu Xuejiao ran off, saying, "I'm going to do my makeup. Yay! Fifty billion incoming!"
She quickly returned, clinging to the doorframe with just her head poking out. "You said it! Once I've invested five hundred billion, you... hmm, you'll have to marry me!"
Only then did Lu Chengwen remember he had indeed said something like that one day.
At the time, he thought it was an impossible goal.
Who would've thought, disregarding the two hundred billion she had already invested, she later threw in another three hundred and twenty billion.
Lu Chengwen finally realized this brat was seriously working towards that five hundred billion mark!
His eyes widened. "You're not planning to squeeze all five hundred billion out of my senior brother, are you?"
Xu Xuejiao replied, "Depends on his potential! But don't forget, I've also personally invested two hundred billion myself!"
Jiang Shihan couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth.
Lu Chengwen stared into space for a while.
It felt amusing but also made him uneasy.
Long Aotian wasn't some harmless saint. Could Xu Xuejiao really keep exploiting him like this?
Even a rabbit would bite when cornered!
Let alone someone like Long Aotian?
At that moment, Jiang Shihan glanced at her phone and said to Lu Chengwen, "Zhang Shener just messaged me. Erlong got arrested for fighting. She says... you can bail him out."
Lu Chengwen shook his head. "If it weren't for Fatty Chen's sake, I'd feed that trash to the dogs."
"Send someone to bring him here to see me."
"Yes, President Lu."
What Lu Chengwen didn't expect was that Erlong was personally delivered by Zhang Shener.
The moment Zhang Shener entered, her face was stern. "You really are amazing, President Lu, convincing the other party to reconcile so quickly."
Lu Chengwen smiled faintly. "Everyone has their price. You'll get used to it."
"And you? Do you have a price?"
"Of course," Lu Chengwen said. "Right now, anyone who invests in me is my boss. But just know, a few thousand yuan won't buy my dignity."
Erlong hung his head, looking ashamed yet maintaining a streetwise man's stubborn pride. After gritting his teeth, he looked up and said, "President Lu, sorry for causing trouble."
Lu Chengwen laughed heartily, patting his shoulder. "We're brothers. No need for formalities."
Zhang Shener's gaze turned icy. "Lu Chengwen, let me remind you, you're the CEO of a trillion-dollar corporation. In my eyes, you're a hero. Associating with people like him will only ruin you in the end."
Lu Chengwen laughed again. "Miss Zhang, stay for dinner?"
Zhang Shener felt a mix of anger and grievance.
This was clearly him asking her to leave!
Despite sharing life-and-death experiences, despite resolving past misunderstandings, despite having every reason to sit together and reminisce about their journey to South Myanmar...
But this attitude?
Acting like a stranger now?
Fine! I'll leave!
Zhang Shener spun around, slamming the door furiously.
Erlong gritted his teeth. "That damn cop, always targeting me. Someday, I'll—"
Lu Chengwen grabbed him by the throat, his eyes glaring with such fury that Erlong felt fear creep into his heart.
"If you so much as think of touching her, I will flay you alive! This isn't a threat. I'll literally take a knife and skin you. Understand?"
Erlong, cowed by Lu Chengwen's ferocity, nodded quickly. "Un-understood..."
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