Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

A private teahouse deep within the Zizhuyuan Park in Beijing.

Here, you won't find the suffocating smell of steel and concrete like in the CBD; instead, you'll find the gentle fragrance of sandalwood and the soft strains of a guzheng.

Outside the window is a meticulously manicured dry landscape garden, with a few sparrows hopping on the stone lanterns, creating an exceptionally tranquil scene.

But what is discussed in such a place is often more deadly than the noise outside.

Bai Jingyou sat in the main seat, fiddling with a set of valuable purple clay teaware.

Boiling water is poured into the teapot, causing the tea leaves to swirl and releasing a refreshing aroma.

"Young Master Bai's skills are even more authentic than my tea master's."

Feng Rui, who was sitting opposite him, became polite.

"Mr. Feng, you flatter me. I'm just taking a break and relaxing." Bai Jingyou pushed a cup of tea in front of Feng Rui with a smooth and effortless motion. "Try it. This year's pre-Qingming Longjing tea is the best for relieving internal heat."

Feng Rui picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and scrutinized the young man before him through the rising steam.

"Young Master Bai, you didn't just invite me for tea today, did you?" Feng Rui put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "I've heard about what happened to Master Zhao. Young Master Bai played this move brilliantly, not only swallowing up the Zhao family's assets but also extricating himself completely."

"I must thank President Feng for his help before." Bai Jingyou smiled slightly and said sincerely, "If President Feng hadn't reminded me that Zhao Hongtu was preparing to do something desperate, I wouldn't have been able to make arrangements in advance."

"It's just a mutually beneficial arrangement." Feng Rui waved his hand, a hint of businessman's shrewdness in his smile. "That kid Jiang Han is too arrogant; I've disliked him for a long time. But..."

He abruptly changed the subject, his eyes sharpening: "Now that Young Master Bai has swallowed up the Zhao family's prized possession, shouldn't there be some explanation for that logistics hub project in the west of the city? I've heard that the Jiang family gave that land back to the higher-ups in order to get people out of trouble, and now there are quite a few hungry wolves eyeing it."

That piece of land is in an excellent location, right next to the highway exit, making it an ideal site for a logistics park.

Feng Rui had been eyeing it for a long time, but it had been held by the Jiang family.

"Since Mr. Feng wants it, then it is naturally Mr. Feng's."

Bai Jingyou pulled a document from his briefcase and slid it across the table to Feng Rui.

"What is this?" Feng Rui asked, somewhat puzzled.

"A medical report." Bai Jingyou picked up his teacup, blew on the floating leaves, and spoke in a calm tone, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today. "The reason why the Jiang family handed over the land so readily, besides saving Jiang Han, is more importantly because they know what is buried under this land."

Feng Rui's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly opened the document.

As he flipped through the pages, his expression grew increasingly grave, eventually turning somewhat bluish.

The document contained a detailed copy of a geological survey, as well as several old planning maps.

"Karst landforms...underground cave system..." Feng Rui slammed the file shut, gasping for breath. "If this foundation were to be laid, the cost of filling and reinforcing it alone would be astronomical! Is the Jiang family trying to pass this land to the state like a hot potato?"

If someone unknowingly takes over the land and invests hundreds of millions in planning and infrastructure in the early stages, only to find out when they start piling that the ground is completely hollow, they'll be devastated.

"Old Master Jiang's move was truly brilliant; he both did people a favor and got rid of a burden." Bai Jingyou took a sip of tea, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Unfortunately, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place."

"Where did you get this?" Feng Rui stared intently at Bai Jingyou.

This kind of core secret is probably known to very few people even within the Jiang family.

"That's not important." Bai Jingyou put down his teacup and looked directly into Feng Rui's eyes. "What's important is that President Feng knows now."

Feng Rui fell silent.

He was a smart man and immediately understood what Bai Jingyou meant.

This land has now been taken over by the government and is being prepared for bidding to find partners.

If Hongye Capital rushes in unknowingly, it will be filling a hole.

But now he has this report...

"What do you want me to do?" Feng Rui's voice lowered.

"It's simple." Bai Jingyou lightly drew a circle on the table with his finger. "Since the Jiang family says this land is priceless, then we'll help them solidify that value. President Feng can first spread the word, showing that he's determined to get this land, and drive up the price. Then..."

"And then, at a crucial moment, accidentally leak this report to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission that will take over?" Feng Rui's eyes lit up, and then he revealed a sly smile. "At that time, the Jiang family won't be called 'sacrificing family for the greater good' by donating land to save lives, but rather 'fraudulently deceiving the government and attempting to transfer non-performing assets.'"

If this charge is proven true, the Jiang family will not only be unable to bail out Jiang Han, but it will also be uncertain whether they can protect their other businesses!

"Not only that."

At that moment, the door to the private room was pushed open with a bang.

A young man wearing a floral shirt swaggered in; it was Li He, the eldest son of the Li family.

"Hey, everyone's here!" Li He plopped down next to Bai Jingyou, and without any ceremony, grabbed the teacup in front of Bai Jingyou and downed it in one gulp. "I'm dying of thirst. Bro, why is your tea so weak? It's like plain water."

Feng Rui's lips twitched slightly.

That was top-grade pre-Qingming Longjing tea, costing 30,000 yuan per catty, and this guy just guzzled it down.

"Young Master Li, it's been a while. You look great." Feng Rui greeted him with a forced smile.

"That's thanks to my brother." Li He chuckled and patted Bai Jingyou on the shoulder. "I can talk big at home now! The old man praised me yesterday for being so capable, making that bastard Jiang Han look like a fool."

Bai Jingyou subtly moved his shoulder away and poured Li He another cup of tea: "Let's get down to business."

"Oh right, serious business." Li He immediately dropped his joking grin, pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, and slammed it on the table. "Brother, I found out what you asked me to investigate. The original contractor for the Jiang family's logistics park was actually a relative from a collateral branch of the Jiang family. Those bastards knew all along that the underground was hollow, and the previous warehouses were all illegally constructed; they didn't even have deep piles!"

Bai Jingyou looked at Feng Rui and gestured for him to continue: "President Feng, this is the second point I want to make."

"Once the underground issues explode, we can immediately question the quality of all the buildings the Jiang family constructed in this industrial park." Bai Jingyou's eyes were icy cold. "The Li family has extensive connections in the building materials and engineering circles. At that point, all we need to do is subtly guide public opinion..."

"The Jiang family's real estate sector will face a credit crisis," Feng Rui chimed in, his eyes gleaming with increasing greed. "When the stock price plummets, it will be a perfect opportunity for us to buy at the bottom."

This is a complex and interconnected scheme.

First, they used the land issue to slap the Jiang family in the face, then they used the quality issue to cut off the Jiang family's roots.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant." Feng Rui couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "Young Master Bai, I used to think you were a businessman, but now it seems you're a born schemer."

"Mr. Feng, you flatter me. I just want to take back what is rightfully mine," Bai Jingyou said calmly.

"Then... how will the profits be divided?" Although Li He seemed carefree, he was never ambiguous when it came to money.

"If that piece of land in the west of the city is replanned, although high-rise buildings can't be built there, it can still be used to create an ecological park or low-density warehouses." Bai Jingyou pointed to the map. "When President Feng acquires the land, he can use this report to drive the price down to rock bottom. In the future, DeepBlue Technology will have priority for 30% of the logistics capacity there."

"No problem," Feng Rui agreed readily. Acquiring land at rock-bottom price was already a huge profit.

"As for Young Master Li..." Bai Jingyou turned to look at Li He, "After the Jiang family's incident, how much of the building materials market share that has been vacated depends on your own abilities."

"Hey! Just you wait and see!" Li He rubbed his hands excitedly. "These bastards used to bully us because of the Jiang family, but this time I'm going to smash their rice bowls!"

The three teacups touched lightly in mid-air.

A crisp sound sealed the fate of the Jiang family.

"Oh, right, brother." Li He seemed to suddenly remember something and pulled out an invitation from his pocket. "When I came here earlier, I ran into the Ye family downstairs. Ye Lingqing asked me to give this to you."

Bai Jingyou took the gold-embossed invitation and raised an eyebrow slightly.

The invitation contained only one line of delicate handwriting: Come to my place at 8 PM tonight.

Feng Rui leaned over and glanced over. "Oh, it seems Miss Ye also wants to get involved."

"That woman Ye Lingqing is acting all mysterious," Li He muttered, "Brother, are you going or not?"

Bai Jingyou closed the invitation, his fingers gently tracing the subtle patterns on the cover.

The significance of the invitation that Ye Lingqing specially sent is self-evident.

"I'll go." Bai Jingyou stood up, straightened his suit, and said, "Since Miss Ye has extended such a warm invitation, there's no reason not to go."

Feng Rui picked up his teacup and drank the rest of the cold tea in one gulp.

The situation in the capital is about to change.

The Jiang family thought that sending Jiang Han away would settle things peacefully, but little did they know that Bai Jingyou had no intention of letting the Jiang family off the hook.