Please, mature women, have some self-respect. I just want a raise and a promotion.

The next day, Lin Zhenglai received a call from Deng Hong as soon as he entered his office.

Deng Hong was very efficient; in just one afternoon, she had thoroughly investigated Zhou Hailong's background.

The two arranged to meet in the office.

About ten minutes after I hung up the phone, Deng Hong came over.

Lin Zheng poured her a glass of water: "Have you investigated everything?"

Deng Hong nodded, took the water glass and took a big gulp, then took a document out of her bag and handed it to him.

"Zhou Hailong's creditor is Li Zhengang, the owner of a sand quarry in Li Village."

"Zhou Hailong borrowed 100,000 from him, and with interest, it has now ballooned to 500,000."

Lin Zheng took the document and opened it; inside was Li Zhengang's detailed information.

Li Zhengang used to drive a tractor to haul sand and gravel in the village in his early years. Later, he contracted the sand mining rights in the village's river channel and gradually expanded his business.

Now, he not only mines sand but also runs a building materials business. Half of the construction sand used in Dianhai Town comes from his sand pit.

This man has a good relationship with the town's leaders, especially Wang Jianguo, the deputy mayor in charge of engineering; the two are very close.

"This Li Zhengang has quite a background." Lin Zheng closed the file.

Deng Hong nodded in response: "It's not simple."

"He was the absolute ruler of the Li family village, and all the village officials were supported by him."

"Moreover, he employs a group of people who specialize in collecting debts for him, and their methods are very ruthless."

"Zhou Hailong borrowed 100,000 yuan, and after a year he hasn't paid it back, it has now ballooned to 500,000 yuan."

After listening, Lin Zheng lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and said, "Zhou Hailong goes to Zhuangdong Village every weekend to win money to pay off his debts, but he's only getting deeper and deeper into debt."

"That's right, Li Zhengang also has a stake in Liu Shanhai's casino."

Lin Zheng exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze falling on Li Zhengang's photo on the document.

This person has a large face, small eyes, and a droopy mouth; he doesn't look like someone easy to talk to.

Have you had any contact with him?

Deng Hong shook her head: "No, I wouldn't dare to alert them."

"You did the right thing."

Lin Zheng stubbed out his cigarette. "Let's go see this Li Zhengang together tomorrow."

Deng Hong was taken aback: "You want to see him?"

"Zhou Hailong owes him 500,000 yuan; this debt is our breakthrough point."

"As long as Li Zhengang is willing to cooperate, Zhou Hailong won't be able to escape."

Deng Hong thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, then I'll go with you tomorrow."

"However, Li Zhengang is a tough nut to crack, so you have to be prepared."

Lin Zheng chuckled: "Haven't I encountered enough tough guys already?"

After discussing it, the two decided to go talk to Li Zhengang that afternoon.

The morning passed quickly, and after lunch, Lin Zheng and Deng Hong drove to Li's village.

Li Family Village is located at the southernmost part of Dianhai Town, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. At the entrance of the village stands a large stone with the three characters "Li Family Village" engraved on it, which is said to have been written by a calligrapher from the district at the request of the town.

The village is small but wealthy, with every household owning a small villa and the village roads paved with cement.

Li Zhengang's sand pit is located at the entrance of the village, covering more than ten acres, and is piled with sand, gravel and cement.

Large trucks came and went, kicking up clouds of dust.

Lin Zheng parked the car at the entrance of the sand quarry and went inside with Deng Hong.

The office at the sand pit was a two-story building with white tiles, and a black Audi A6 was parked in front of it.

A man in a floral shirt was leaning against the car smoking, with a gold chain around his neck and a gold watch on his wrist, exuding the air of a nouveau riche.

Who are you looking for?

The man exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze lingering on Deng Hong for a few seconds.

"We're looking for Boss Li Zhengang," Lin Zheng said.

"That's me. Who are you?"

Lin Zheng offered him a cigarette: "Boss Li, I'm Lin Zheng, the project manager from Tenghua Group. I'd like to talk to you about something."

Li Zhengang took the cigarette and looked him up and down.

"Tenghua Group?"

"A stalled project in Nanshan?"

"That's right."

"Come in."

Li Zhengang turned and walked into the office, with Lin Zheng and Deng Hong following behind.

The office was decorated in a lavish style, with mahogany furniture, crystal chandeliers, and a painting of a tiger descending a mountain on the wall, reflecting the taste of a nouveau riche.

Li Zhengang sat down in the boss's chair, crossed his legs, and pointed to the sofa opposite him.

"sit."

Lin Zheng and Deng Hong sat down, and Li Zhengang's gaze swept over Deng Hong several times.

"What does Manager Lin want with me?"

Lin Zheng didn't beat around the bush.

"Boss Li, I heard that Zhou Hailong owes you 500,000 yuan. I'd like to talk to you about this debt."

Li Zhengang narrowed his eyes: "What's your relationship with Zhou Hailong?"

"It's nothing, I just want to help him pay off this debt."

Li Zhengang laughed: "Manager Lin, are you joking with me?"

"Zhou Hailong owes me 500,000 yuan. Do you want to pay it back for him?"

"Do you know how much 500,000 is? That's enough to buy a house in town."

Lin Zheng remained expressionless: "Of course I know, that's why I'm here to talk to you today."

Li Zhengang's smile vanished: "What are we talking about?"

"Give me the money, and I'll give you an IOU."

"No money, nothing to talk about."

Lin Zheng took a bank card out of his bag and placed it on the coffee table.

"Here is 100,000, which can be considered as the principal that Zhou Hailong owes you."

"I can help you make up for the remaining 400,000 in interest from other sources."

Li Zhengang glanced at the bank card, then at Lin Zheng: "Other places? What places?"

"Sand and soil supply for the Nanshan project."

Lin Zheng said, "After the project restarts, a large amount of sand, gravel, and cement will be needed."

"Just building the road will require several thousand tons of sand and gravel."

"If Boss Li is willing to help, I can give you priority consideration for this business deal."

Li Zhengang was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.

"Manager Lin, you're just making empty promises to me."

"The project hasn't even started, and you're already telling me you'll be given priority? Why should I believe you?"

Lin Zheng tapped the table and laughed, "Boss Li can go and ask around about my reputation in Dianhai Town."

"How did Liu Shanhai fall from grace? How did Deng Hong become the Party Secretary? Why is Yang Wanshan on my side?"

"I'm a person of my word."

Li Zhengang remained silent for a moment, then lit a cigarette and smoked it quietly.

After a moment, he grinned and said, "Manager Lin, you're an interesting person."

"But based on just a few words from you, I wouldn't risk 400,000 as a wager."

"The 400,000 is interest; I can forgo it."

"But you have to return the principal of 100,000; that's only fair."

"As for the sand supply you mentioned, I can cooperate with you, but I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?" Lin Zheng asked.

Li Zhengang's gaze fell on Deng Hong, and a lewd smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Let Secretary Deng stay and have a meal and a drink with me."

"Let's eat and chat, and have a good talk about cooperation."

Deng Hong frowned, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes.

Lin Zheng's face darkened at the same time.

"Boss Li, Secretary Deng is the village committee secretary, not someone who drinks with you."

"If you're sincere about discussing cooperation, I'll treat you to dinner."

"If you're not sincere, then this is the end of the day."

Li Zhengang waved his hand: "Manager Lin, don't be in such a hurry, I was just joking."

"But Secretary Deng is really beautiful. In all my years in the village, this is the first time I've seen such a woman with such elegance."

As he spoke, he stood up, walked to Deng Hong's side, and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Secretary Deng, don't you think so?"

Deng Hong took a step back and said angrily, "Boss Li, please have some self-respect."

"Self-respect?" Li Zhengang laughed.

"Secretary Deng, you're not giving me any face."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Deng Hong's wrist.