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

Lin Zheng's face darkened, and he grabbed Li Zhengang's hand.

"Boss Li, I told you, Secretary Deng isn't there to drink with us."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling irritation.

Li Zhengang's expression changed, and he tried to pull his hand back, but found that Lin Zheng's strength was astonishing, and his wrist was squeezed painfully.

"Manager Lin, what are you doing?"

"I invited Secretary Deng to dinner to give her face."

"You're an outsider, and you dare to lay a hand on me on Dianhai Town's turf?"

"face?"

Lin Zheng said coldly, "Boss Li, face is something we give each other."

"You touched Secretary Deng inappropriately in front of me; you're disrespecting me."

"Since you don't give me face, then I don't need to give you face either."

As he spoke, he gave Li Zhengang a sudden shove, and Li Zhengang staggered back several steps before crashing into the desk to regain his balance.

"You fucking want to die!"

Li Zhengang was furious and grabbed the ashtray on the table, ready to smash it.

Deng Hong quickly took out her phone.

"Boss Li, I've already called the police, and the officers from the local police station will be here soon."

Li Zhengang's raised hand froze in mid-air, his expression shifting between light and dark.

"Call the police? You fucking call the police?"

"I'm telling you, it's no use even if the people from the Dianhai Town Police Station come."

"This is my territory, and I call the shots."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the office door was pushed open, and a dozen burly men in vests rushed in.

The leader was a bald man with a blue dragon tattooed on his chest and an iron pipe in his hand.

"Brother Gang, what's wrong?" The bald man glared fiercely at Lin Zheng.

Li Zhengang put down the ashtray, straightened his clothes, and sat back down in the boss's chair.

"This kid's trying to cause trouble on my turf. Teach him a lesson."

The bald man and his men surrounded them, hesitatingly weighing the iron pipe in his hand.

"Kid, do you even know where you are?"

"You dare to act wildly on Boss Li's turf? Are you tired of living?"

Lin Zheng remained expressionless, coldly staring at the bald man.

"I'll say it again, I've already called the police."

"If you dare to lay a hand on me, you'll go to jail."

The bald man was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Jail? I've been in and out of the police station countless times, and I still manage to get by!"

"Kid, who are you trying to scare?"

As he spoke, he raised the iron pipe and was about to smash it at Lin Zheng.

Deng Hong quickly stepped in front of Lin Zheng: "You dare!"

The bald man's hand froze in mid-air; the iron pipe was only centimeters away from Deng Hong's head.

"Secretary Deng, please don't meddle in other people's business."

"This is between him and me, it has nothing to do with you."

"Get out of my way, or don't blame me for hitting you too."

Deng Hong didn't move aside; instead, she straightened her back.

"I am the village committee secretary. If you dare to touch me, you are assaulting a government employee."

"At that time, it won't just be the police station that will be in charge; the town and district will also be involved."

The bald man's expression changed, and he looked at Li Zhengang standing to the side.

Li Zhengang also frowned.

Deng Hong is right. It's one thing to mess with Lin Zheng, but messing with the village committee secretary is another matter entirely.

"Alright, all of you, step back." Li Zhengang waved his hand.

The bald man and his men retreated to the side, but did not leave, staring intently at Lin Zheng.

Li Zhengang lit a cigarette and looked at Lin Zheng with a cold smile.

"Manager Lin, what do you suggest we do about this?"

Lin Zheng pulled Deng Hong to sit on the sofa, his gaze fixed on Li Zhengang.

"Mr. Li, I'm here today to sincerely discuss cooperation with you."

"If you don't want to talk, I'm leaving."

"I'm not going to deal with Zhou Hailong's debts anymore. Go and collect them from him yourself."

"I'll find someone else to cooperate with regarding the sand supply. You're not the only sand quarry in Dianhai Town."

Li Zhengang narrowed his eyes: "Are you threatening me?"

"This is not a threat, it's a fact."

"I came to you because you have the ability to guarantee the supply of sand."

"If you don't cooperate, I'll have to find someone else."

"At that time, not only will you not make any money, you won't even be able to get your debt back from Zhou Hailong."

"His monthly salary is only around ten thousand yuan. When will you ever get five hundred thousand?"

Li Zhengang remained silent for a moment, then stubbed out his cigarette.

"Manager Lin, you certainly have a sharp tongue."

"Alright, I can cooperate with you on Zhou Hailong's debt."

"But I have two conditions."

"Go ahead," Lin Zheng said, relieved.

"First, the interest of 400,000 yuan, not a penny less."

"Secondly, the supply of sand and soil must be exclusively controlled."

"In other words, the sand, gravel, and cement for the entire Nanshan project can only be purchased from me."

Lin Zheng frowned: "Boss Li, you're asking for an exorbitant amount."

"Do you know how much 400,000 in interest is? It's four times Zhou Hailong's principal."

"You have a monopoly on the exclusive supply of sand and soil."

"I cannot agree to such conditions."

Li Zhengang sneered: "Then there's nothing to talk about."

"You can leave now. I'll handle Zhou Hailong's matter myself."

"As for Secretary Deng..."

His gaze fell on Deng Hong again, and a lewd smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner alone.

Deng Hong's face turned ashen, and she stood up to leave.

Lin Zheng grabbed her hand, his gaze coldly fixed on Li Zhengang.

"Boss Li, I'll ask you one more time, can we negotiate the terms?"

"No." Li Zhengang shook his head.

"400,000 in interest, not a penny less."

"The supply of sand and soil must be exclusively controlled."

"Secretary Deng, you must have a meal with me."

"These three conditions are all required; you can't have any one of them missing."

Lin Zheng took a deep breath and stood up.

"Then there's nothing to talk about."

"Boss Li, until we meet again."

After saying that, Lin Zheng pulled Deng Hong and walked out of the office without looking back.

Li Zhengang's laughter came from behind.

"Manager Lin, you will definitely come back to me."

"In Dianhai Town, you can't even buy a bag of cement without my approval, Li Zhengang's nod."

Lin Zheng didn't turn around, and pulled Deng Hong into the car.

Deng Hongcai breathed a long sigh of relief as the car drove out of the sand pit.

"Lin Zheng, you scared me to death just now."

"I thought they were really going to make a move."

Lin Zheng gripped the steering wheel tightly, his face extremely grim.

"This Li Zhengang is truly a complete scoundrel."

"He not only wants your money, he also wants your body."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Deng Hong bit her lip: "So what do we do now?"

"Should we continue to deal with Zhou Hailong's debts?"

Lin Zheng lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and nodded, saying, "Of course we should manage it."

"But not now."

"Li Zhengang is the kind of person who responds better to force than to gentleness."

"I need to let him know first that I'm not someone to be bullied."

Deng Hong frowned: "What do you want to do?"

Lin Zheng exhaled a puff of smoke: "Find Yang Wanshan and have him put some pressure on Li Zhengang."

"Environmental permits for sand pits and river sand mining permits are his weaknesses."

"As long as Yang Wanshan is willing to help, Li Zhengang will have to obey."

Deng Hong nodded: "Then shall I invite Mayor Yang out for dinner tonight?"

"No need, I'll look for Qiu Xiuqin."

Lin Zheng shook his head. "She's easier to talk to than Yang Wanshan."

The two returned to the town. Lin Zheng took Deng Hong back to the village committee and then drove to the town government.