Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

At this point, seemingly afraid that Tao Zhiyuan wouldn't believe him, Liu Chunsheng added:
"After I finish this task, I will naturally be promoted, and the position that is left vacant can certainly be given to you."

Upon hearing Liu Chunsheng's answer, Tao Zhiyuan's brows furrowed even deeper.

The fact that the other party agreed to this matter without hesitation is enough to show that it involves the interests of many people, and even a high-ranking position like deputy director can be offered up as a benefit.

Deputy director, huh? That's something to aspire to...

After taking a sip of water, Tao Zhiyuan spoke again:

"Although you are very confident, I am not stupid. I will not believe this just because of your verbal promise."

"You must give me strong evidence to prove that you or the person behind you have this ability, otherwise why should I work for you?"

Upright and incorruptible? Tao Zhiyuan is not that kind of person.

If he were truly upright and incorruptible, he wouldn't have been so obsequious to Wang Chengpeng, unable to yield to any benefits. This was merely a label Cao Deming deliberately attached to him in order to bring him down.

Faced with Tao Zhiyuan's questioning, the other party returned to silence.

After a long pause, Liu Chunsheng finally gave his answer:
"I can't make this decision myself; I have to ask my superiors."

"Wait for my call. I'll get back to you in fifteen minutes at most."

As he listened to the dial tone of the phone being hung up, Tao Zhiyuan felt his heart pounding, just like his current mood.

Liu Chunsheng didn't make him wait long; he called back after only three minutes.

As soon as the call connected, Liu Chunsheng gave his answer directly:
"Does the Zhao family know that I'm working for them?"

“The Zhao family is a powerful family on par with the Song family. In fact, after this incident, they may become powerful enough to swallow the Song family whole.”

"That's all I can tell you. Don't make any more unreasonable demands to speak with the Zhao family. Believe it or not, it's up to you."

"You should know that even if you don't agree, it will only cause us a little more trouble."

"Whether you want to work for us or not, I need you to give me an answer right now."

The situation was beyond Liu Chunsheng's control. Even if Tao Zhiyuan insisted, Liu Chunsheng could not agree to Tao Zhiyuan's request to have the Zhao family call him to confirm.

Everyone knows this is something that can't be done in the open, but they are still willing to take the risk for the foreseeable huge profits.

Knowing that he couldn't possibly find out any more information, he began to ponder.

The other party seemed to know that this was not something that could be decided quickly, so they did not urge them and just waited.

After pondering for a long time, Tao Zhiyuan was still clueless.

There's no other reason than that the amount of information was simply too limited.

If it weren't for his key position as the principal of No. 2 Middle School, Tao Zhiyuan wouldn't even have been qualified to know about this matter.

After glancing at the tape recorder placed in front of him, Tao Zhiyuan finally made a decision:

"Okay, I agree to this. Please tell me the specifics of how to do it."

Upon hearing Tao Zhiyuan's agreement, Liu Chunsheng's voice on the other end of the phone clearly showed a hint of joy:
“Very wise, you made the right choice, and you made the decision even faster than I expected.”

"It's just that this is something I can't talk about over the phone. I'll send someone to your place, and you just need to cooperate."

"The rootstock—the foundation used to support superior varieties during grafting—is the most suitable code and coded message for this operation."

"Don't say too much, don't ask too many questions. Once someone finds you with the code word 'anvil,' just cooperate with them."

As soon as the call ended, Tao Zhiyuan pressed the record button on the recorder without hesitation.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up a book from the bookshelf, took out the slip of paper with Wang Chengpeng's home phone number tucked inside, and dialed it.

In fact, Tao Zhiyuan was able to make a decision so quickly thanks to Wang Chengpeng's advice to bet on both sides.

Since he can bet on both sides in this "anvil" operation, the risk is basically non-existent for him, so what is there to hesitate about?

As for how much to bet on each of them, that naturally depends on their respective abilities.

Placing more bets on the side with a better chance of winning is itself a form of insurance.

The call had barely connected when Wang Chengpeng's confident voice came through the other end:
"The other side has made a move? Tell me directly what you know."

"Don't worry, I will never let you feel that your bet with me was not worth it."

This... Wang Chengpeng... is as capable as ever. He has already calculated everything without me even having to say a word.

Since that's the case, I'm considering placing more bets on this.

Thinking this, Tao Zhiyuan eagerly began to speak:

"Comrade Wang is indeed very clever; you can't hide anything from you."

"Someone did contact me just now, and as agreed, I will inform you about it."

"..."

Tao Zhiyuan then recounted his conversation with Liu Chunsheng to Wang Chengpeng.
Finally, he slapped his forehead and said in frustration:
"Comrade Wang, I'm so sorry, look at my terrible memory, I completely forgot to record the conversation."

Wang Chengpeng was skeptical of Tao Zhiyuan's words.

However, he didn't expose the other person, but instead said quite nonchalantly:
"Recording? That's optional."

"Principal Tao, you really helped me a lot this time."

"Don't worry, you will definitely be one of the few winners in this matter."

Upon hearing this, Tao Zhiyuan kindly offered a reminder:
"Comrade Wang is very confident, and he is not afraid at all even when facing a behemoth like the Zhao family."

"However, I still want to remind you that when you are poor, you should focus on maintaining your own integrity."

“This matter doesn’t involve you, and the others are just your friends. You’d better not get involved.”

"Some people, when they get ruthless, can eat people..."

Faced with Tao Zhiyuan's well-intentioned reminder, Wang Chengpeng didn't say much, but simply chuckled:
"Principal Tao, do you think it's possible that the sheep that seem harmless are actually man-eating beasts?"

"Alright, it's so late, I won't disturb Principal Tao's rest any longer."

"If there is any important information that needs to be exchanged, just call me directly."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng hung up the phone.

Looking out, a bright moon hangs in the dark night sky, radiating its own light as if it could completely dispel the darkness.

……

It has to be said that having a telephone at home is great. At least Wang Chengpeng doesn't have to travel a long way to contact Song Wenxin; he can simply make a phone call.

After confirming that the caller was Wang Chengpeng, Song Wenxin's usually stern face, which could intimidate her subordinates, broke into a rare smile as she teased:
"A rare guest indeed. What brings you to call me this time?"

Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "Normally I wouldn't dare to bother Director Song casually." "However, this time I have a great opportunity to give to Director Song, so I mustered up the courage to bother him. I hope Director Song can take a moment out of his busy schedule to listen to a few words from me."

Hearing Wang Chengpeng's sarcastic remarks, Song Wenxin felt a toothache from anger and immediately retorted irritably:

"If you need my help, then ask for my help. But don't say you're giving me a chance; I can't accept that."

"After all, it's really hard to owe you, Wang Chengpeng. I've met countless people asking me for favors over the years, but you don't even want to come to me."

Hearing this, Wang Chengpeng also felt somewhat helpless and said:
"I don't have anything that needs to bother you, do I?"

"Besides, we owe a lot to you for what happened at Dapeng Sugar Factory last time, otherwise it wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Song Wenxin snorted coldly: "You call this a favor? It's just a small thing. My favors aren't worth that much."

"Besides, I've heard that Dapeng white sugar is extremely popular, and it's almost in short supply."

“Even without your involvement, our supply and marketing cooperative would not have left such an excellent product unsold and instead spent a lot of money to purchase white sugar from other places.”

"Alright, tell me what it is, and I'll do my best to help."

Clearing his throat, Wang Chengpeng ended the somewhat ambiguous atmosphere and explained:

"When I say it's a great opportunity, I mean a great chance."

"The Zhao family, you know the Zhao family that can be compared to your Song family?"

"It seems like the other side is planning something big recently, something big."

"Once the other party succeeds, it's uncertain whether the Song family will still be able to live such an easy life."

A major move? A major move by the Zhao family?

Knowing that Wang Chengpeng was not one to speak without reason, Song Wenxin's expression immediately became serious, and she uttered four words calmly:

"Appreciate further details."

"If what you say is true, then this is truly a great opportunity."

After glancing at Zhu Hong, who was busy outside, Wang Chengpeng continued:

"You should know about the college entrance examination. The Zhao family's big move is also related to the college entrance examination."

"Some people don't work hard for the exam, but instead set their sights on the scores that others have worked their hardest to achieve, and choose to take the risk."

"This matter is risky, but also rewarding, especially if it is successful, it will be able to curry favor with some important figures who are worried about this matter."

"But this is illegal after all. Like a colorful bubble, it is ultimately just an illusion that will burst at the slightest touch."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng's voice also carried a hint of helplessness:

"As you know, I'm not very capable, so I can't burst this bubble. I can only trouble Director Song."

“Once this is confirmed, the Zhao family is finished. I believe you know better than I how much the Song family will benefit.”

Wang Chengpeng was being modest. He certainly had the ability to burst the bubble, but it was too troublesome, so he naturally preferred to choose a better method first.

After hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Song Wenxin immediately fell into thought.

Wang Chengpeng's words were reasonable, and given her trust in him, she naturally chose to believe him immediately.

However, this matter is far too complicated, and may even involve high-ranking figures, so she naturally has to be careful.

After much thought, she still felt that this was the right thing to do.

There's no other reason than that the Zhao family was doing something illegal and against the rules.

As long as the Song family is in the right in terms of righteousness, they will not suffer any losses in this matter.

Even if it were someone from the Zhao family, they wouldn't risk such a serious offense to bail him out under these circumstances.

Thinking this, Song Wenxin smiled and said:

"Comrade Wang, you really have some good news to tell me."

"When we wiped out the Li family last time, the Zhao family followed behind our Song family and gained a lot of benefits. Now it's time for them to return the principal with interest."

"You don't need to get involved in this matter. I will handle it perfectly. You just need to wait for my news."

"If we can't even take down a mere Zhao family, then our Song family would probably have been wiped out long ago."

Wang Chengpeng naturally acknowledged Song Wenxin's abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have approached her.

In addition, since this matter was really not difficult, he naturally didn't need to interfere.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll wait for your good news."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Wang Chengpeng hung up the phone.

Although he was offering a chance, he was still asking Song Wenxin for a favor, so he couldn't just hang up after finishing his sentence.

With nothing to do, Wang Chengpeng decided to go out for a walk to relax.

The sea of ​​knowledge is boundless... While he studies hard, he also needs to balance work and rest.

As he walked, Wang Chengpeng found himself at the old Wang family residence, the place where Wang Degong once lived.

The once bustling old house is now eerily quiet, its former liveliness gone.

Just as Wang Chengpeng was about to leave, he encountered Wang Jinshan and his two sons preparing to go out.

Judging from their elaborate outfits, they must have found something to do.

While everyone else is busy repairing their homes in winter, they are busy going out to work, so life must be quite difficult for them.

Although they were destined to meet again, Wang Chengpeng showed no intention of avoiding the situation.

In this matter, he only ensured that the wicked received their due punishment; he didn't do much else. Ultimately, these people had only themselves to blame.

Since he had a clear conscience, he naturally had no intention of not facing the three of them.

Wang Chengpeng not only didn't avoid them, he even raised his hand, intending to greet the three of them.

He dared to face him, but Wang Jinshan and the other two didn't even have the courage to look at him, and immediately closed the door in unison.

With his strong back pressed against the door, Wang Jinshan said with lingering fear:
"I didn't check the almanac before I went out today, how did I end up running into this jinx?"

"If we fall for him, we might all end up in jail."

At this moment, the arrogance that once filled Wang Chun'an's eyes was gone; his face was still filled with lingering fear.
"That's right, nothing good ever comes from running into him."

Only Wang Xia'an said with a troubled expression, "But, but we still have to go out to work."

"If he doesn't leave, are we just supposed to hide here forever?" (End of Chapter)