In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

I looked up when I heard the sound.

The woman who came was a noblewoman in her fifties. She was dressed in simple and elegant clothes, her black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and her makeup was light and graceful. She did not wear any expensive jewelry, but she exuded a calm and noble air from the inside out, gentle yet with a strong character.

Lin Zhiyuan and Yang Wanli didn't react much, but Tian Guofu's smile grew even brighter.

"Madam Wang, it's been a long time."

Tian Guofu stood up and warmly extended his hand.

"It's been many years since I last saw Secretary Tian after he was transferred from Handong."

The noblewoman spoke softly.

Tian Guofu's expression froze, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

The Zhao family members are all so annoying.

"Executive Director Lin, Secretary Yang, this is our first meeting. Zhao Xiaoya from the Zhao family, Ruilong's eldest sister."

Zhao Xiaoya bowed slightly and shook hands with Lin Zhiyuan and Yang Wanli, who were sitting down, in a polite manner.

Zhao Xiaoya!

Lin Zhiyuan was slightly surprised. He hadn't even met the mysterious Zhao Xiaohui yet, but he had already met the even more mysterious Zhao Xiaoya.

Zhao Lichun's daughter is truly mysterious; she neither goes into politics nor business, and it is said that she married her future husband right after graduating.

Later, her husband sacrificed his life.

She did not remarry and raised her son alone. It is said that her relationship with her husband's family is very delicate.

By the way, her deceased husband's surname was Wang.

That's the Wang that Liang Lu's second brother married. So, the Liang family and the Zhao family can be related. No wonder Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei switched to the Zhao family so smoothly.

"It's an honor for the three of you to come to my food court. If it's alright, would you please move to a private room and I'll arrange the meal?"

Zhao Xiaoya said softly.

All three shook their heads.

Are you kidding me!

Because of the commotion just now, quite a few people in the third-floor lobby have recognized them. Under these circumstances, how could they possibly follow Zhao Xiaoya to the private room?

To openly and honestly accept banquets from businessmen?

"Mr. Zhao, you're too kind. This meal was arranged by Secretary Guo Fu, and we're already planning to take advantage of him."

Yang Wanli refused.

"You'd better go easy on me; my salary is only enough for this one meal a year."

Unexpected.

Tian Guofu's emotional shift this time was incredibly smooth; he even extended an invitation to Zhao Xiaoya, "Madam Wang, would you be free to dine with us?"

"I couldn't have gotten it."

Zhao Xiaoya's eyes flashed with surprise. Tian Guofu had long made no attempt to hide his malice towards the Zhao family, but she agreed without the slightest hesitation.

An opportunity to get in touch with Lin Zhiyuan was presented to them.

She won't give up.

The food was served quickly, but none of the three drank alcohol, so Zhao Xiaoya simply poured them plain water.

"Is Madam Wang currently in charge of the food court?"

The meal was more than halfway done.

Tian Guofu finally revealed his true intentions.

"Yes, Secretary Tian."

Zhao Xiaoya smiled gently, like a refreshing breeze, but her gaze remained fixed on Lin Zhiyuan. "Ruilong has followed Executive Director Lin's advice and is leading the R&D team of Longyin Electronics in Wuzhou, working day and night to overcome difficulties and strive to break through the technical barriers as soon as possible, so as to contribute to Handong in the field of Internet of Things and smart facilities."

"Wuzhou is great!"

Lin Zhiyuan responded noncommittally, "I hope that General Manager Zhao can lead the development of IoT technology in Handong and lay a solid foundation for the future development of Wuzhou."

Zhao Xiaoya's expression shifted.

She astutely grasped the key point in his words: the foundation for Wuzhou's future development lies in the Internet of Things, which could very well be an opportunity for the Zhao family to develop again.

really…

The return of those billions of dollars did earn Mr. Lin some goodwill.

It's worth it!

Zhao Xiaoya quickly made a judgment.

"Now that Madam Wang is in charge of the food court, we must be careful!"

Zhao Xiaoya wanted to use this opportunity to strike up a conversation.

But Tian Guofu spoke even faster, dragging the topic into his carefully woven trap:

"As I walked up here, I estimated that there are more than 100 restaurants in the food court, and they are much larger in scale. The food waste generated by the food court alone is probably equivalent to that of the more than 180 restaurants outside."

"Madam Wang, you must cooperate well with Secretary Yang to implement the governance of Crescent Lake."

Tian Guofu spoke with deep emotion, like an elder giving earnest advice to his younger generation.

"Secretary Tian is right."

As if she had expected this, Zhao Xiaoya continued smoothly, "Speaking of this, I also need to apologize to Secretary Yang."

"I didn't expect that kid Ruilong to be such a scoundrel. After all these years, he hasn't installed sewage pipes and equipment for the food court, causing trouble for the treatment of Crescent Lake. I'm really sorry."

"But please rest assured, Secretary Yang, I have already arranged for construction to begin half a month ago, and it should be ready for use in about another month."

"To make up for the damage we caused to Crescent Lake in the past, my Zhao family is willing to donate 300 million yuan to the Lüzhou Municipal Government as a cost for restoration."

Zhao Xiaoya's methods are simple yet effective.

Since Lin Zhiyuan likes money, then the Zhao family can just give him money to develop Handong, since the money originally came from Handong anyway.

but…

The Zhao family's money has been transferred around, donated to Lin Zhiyuan several times, and used to support Zhao Ruilong's development of Internet of Things technology, so it's really not much left.

It still needs to be open source!

"Thank you very much, Mr. Zhao."

Yang Wanli warmly grasped Zhao Xiaoya's hand. Luzhou was rich, but who wouldn't like extra money?

Hearing about money!

Lin Zhiyuan immediately shot his gaze straight at Yang Wanli, his meaning quite clear.

Three hundred million, I want two hundred million.

Yang Wanli's lips twitched. Damn it, haven't I given you enough? That was a full eighty... eighty, and now you want to take these three?

Row!

You're awesome, you're the boss!

You better not let me get ahead of you one day, or I'll show you what cruelty is!

Yang Wanli quietly agreed.

Alas, the biggest traitor in Luzhou was himself.

Tian Guofu completely ignored the shady deal that was taking place right under his nose, and continued to feign admiration, "I heard that this food court project was approved by Secretary Gao when he was the Party Secretary of Luzhou City."

"Back then, environmental protection requirements weren't as strict. After all, everyone was poor and couldn't afford to eat. But looking at it now, it's still a stain on our record."

"I wonder if Secretary Gao has any regrets?"

"Secretary Li has a very forward-looking vision; he decisively rejected this project."

Upon hearing this...

Lin Zhiyuan and Yang Wanli's faces twitched violently.

Although I know you didn't have good intentions, your methods were too crude. You said in front of Zhao Xiaoya that someone else's project shouldn't have been established, and you even tried to sow discord between Gao Li and the Zhao family.

Tian Guofu saw it.

However, he didn't care, and his smile even brightened. Hehe, try to defend against me if you dare!

You can't defend against it, you brilliant minds!

No matter how clever you are, how can you defend against my straightforward tactics of ruthless attacks?

as predicted.

Zhao Xiaoya's expression changed, and her fingers gripping the cup turned white.