A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

So Su Fan began to explain, point by point.

From project budgets to share allocations.

From risk control to return expectations.

From legal compliance to operational procedures.

He explained it all.

Pan Lei listened and nodded, occasionally interjecting with a question, his brows gradually relaxing.

Pan Lei said, "When I get back, I'll use the loudspeaker to announce it and see how many people in the village are willing to participate."

Su Fan shook his head: "Uncle Pan, no need. How much money could the villagers have? Let's put the crowdfunding online."

"What?!" Pan Lei's voice suddenly rose. "Put it online? Isn't that just ridiculous? Who knows anyone online? Besides, wouldn't that be exposing our entire village's secrets?"

"Uncle Pan, listen to me. Our village's project isn't just short of tens of thousands of yuan, it's short of several million. If we rely on the villagers to contribute, a few thousand yuan from each family, it's just a drop in the bucket. But it's different if we put it online. There are so many people across the country. Even if only one in a thousand is interested, and each person contributes a few hundred yuan, our funding will be secured."

Pan Lei frowned, still unable to understand.

Su Fan continued, "Moreover, we are using a legitimate crowdfunding platform. All processes are open and transparent, and every penny is traceable. Participants can see the progress of the project, where the money is spent, and how the scenic area is built day by day. They are not just investing money, but also a sense of participation. Once the scenic area is completed, they can bring their families to visit and enjoy priority entry, ticket discounts, or even free accommodation. This is called reward-based crowdfunding. They are both investors and future tourists."

"What if the project fails? The money goes down the drain, and they'll come after you!"

"Therefore, we need to clearly define the rules. On the crowdfunding page, we need to specify the risks of the project, the purpose of the funds, and how the remaining funds will be handled if the project fails. We should not exaggerate or conceal anything, and let everyone make their own judgment. Those who are willing to invest show that they trust us, and those who are not willing to invest will not be forced. But based on my assessment of the current tourism market, the Mawei Post Station project will not fail once it starts."

Pan Lei was still a bit confused. He said, "You handle it. You come up with the plan later, and I'll cooperate with you. Also, you need to be informed about the village chief's matter."

"Uncle Pan, are you really that afraid I'll run away?"

……

Su Fan returned home, sat on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling for a while.

"We're already here, and we still need to work on a plan? What kind of nonsense is this?!"

It's not that Su Fan doesn't have money; on the contrary, he currently has enough money in his pocket to cover all the later-stage plans for Mawei Post Station.

After all, the main project has been completed; it's just that some of the improvement projects he proposed have not yet been implemented.

He doesn't contribute money for two reasons: first, he doesn't want to flaunt his wealth; second, if he pays out of his own pocket, the villagers won't feel pressured, and without pressure, they'll feel less involved.

Another point is that Su Fan knows the villagers are all good people, but he doesn't want to test the evil in human nature.

That's why he wanted to take the loan route, get the bank involved, and let the rules speak for themselves.

To his surprise, it didn't work out.

"Fine, don't lend me the money then. Once things are settled on my end, you can beg me and I won't need it anymore!"

Su Fan turned on his computer and started typing.

The project budget, revenue projections, crowdfunding plan, risk warnings, and legal clauses were written out line by line.

He didn't study finance or law.

But he still remembered the framework of those contracts and plans from his previous life as an artist, having worked on many commercial collaborations.

For two days, he locked himself in his room and hardly went out except to eat and use the toilet.

On the morning of the third day, Su Fan took the proposal to Pan Lei.

Pan Lei was just about to leave when he saw him coming and said directly, "Come on, come with me to the brigade."

Su Fan said, "Uncle Pan, here's the plan. I have other things to do, so I won't be going."

Pan Lei said firmly, "You must go today."

Su Fan had no choice but to go.

When Su Fan arrived at the village committee, he found that everyone was unusually present today.

Village Chief Zhou, Accountant Ma, Women's Director, and several group leaders—all the cadres, big and small, sat in the room.

This is quite unusual. Everyone in the village has their own things to do, so the fact that so many people could gather means that Pan Lei had given prior notice.

As soon as Su Fan entered the room, all eyes turned to him.

He felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at, and his feet unconsciously moved away.

"Um, uncles and aunts, why don't you go ahead with your work, I'll come back later."

As he spoke, he tried to leave.

"Stop." Pan Lei called out to him, pointing to an empty chair and saying, "Go sit there."

Su Fan chuckled awkwardly, "These are the seats for the leaders, I'm just an ordinary citizen..."

"Stop talking nonsense and sit down!" Pan Lei glared at him.

Su Fan obediently sat down.

Pan Lei sat down in the main seat, glanced around at everyone present, cleared his throat, and got straight to the point: "I've called you all here today because of Xiao Fan."

Upon hearing this, Su Fan was surprised to learn that he was being dragged into this.

However, he thought they were going to talk about the crowdfunding plan.

Pan Lei continued, "The leadership transition is coming up soon, and Lao Zhou is retiring. I propose that Xiao Fan be the next village chief."

Su Fan exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap, Uncle Pan, are you serious?!"

Pan Lei ignored him and looked at Lao Zhou.

Old Zhou said with a smile, "I've said it before, I recommend Xiao Fan. He's young, knowledgeable, and he was the one who proposed all these village plans. This position is perfect for him."

Accountant Lao Ma chimed in, "That's right. We old folks have worked our whole lives and just managed to keep the village barely fed and clothed. Xiao Fan is different; he can lead everyone to make money."

Women's Director Aunt Wang said, "I watched Xiao Fan grow up. He's kind-hearted, capable, and successful outside the village. He still cares about the village. If he doesn't take on this role, who will?"

……

Everyone was talking at once.

Su Fan tried to interject several times, but was stopped each time.

Having finally seized an opportunity, he quickly said, "Uncles and elders, this isn't fair. If you want to find village officials, go find those college students. I'm just a high school graduate who never even went to college, so I shouldn't get involved, right?"

Pan Lei retorted directly, "Who says high school students can't be village chiefs? Many of us didn't even go to school, and we're doing just fine, aren't we?"

Su Fan said, "Uncle Pan, times have changed."

At this point, Lao Zhou said, "Even in this day and age, a high school student can become a village chief; there's no policy against it."

Su Fan then turned to Old Zhou: "Uncle Zhou, aren't there several college students in the village? It would be more appropriate for them to come."

Pan Lei chimed in, "I think no one is more suitable than you. We've already discussed this and submitted your name."

"Uncle Pan, you really are..."

"What?" Pan Lei questioned.

Seeing this, Su Fan swallowed back the words he was about to say and changed his words to, "You really... think highly of me."