Me! A high-ranking official!

Zhou Min hesitated for a moment, then quickly jotted it down in her notebook and nodded, saying, "Okay, Secretary Zhao, this isn't a big problem. We'll discuss it with our superiors as soon as we get back."

He read the details again and confirmed that the other party was indeed very sincere and there were no hidden traps in the text.

After finalizing their initial intentions, Zhou Min and Hu Zhiwei got up to say goodbye.

After seeing the two off, he returned to his room, immediately took out his phone, took photos of the key clauses of several documents, and sent them to an old classmate who was a lawyer in the city, asking him to help review them with a professional eye to ensure that he would not be taken advantage of when signing the formal contract.

After finishing these tasks, he picked up his teacup and walked out of the house.

In the open space outside the village committee, Liu Zhijun was humming a tune as he collected garbage on his tricycle. Under a big tree, a dozen elderly men and women, each holding a bowl of rice and smoking a pipe, sat together, chatting excitedly.

The sharp-eyed villagers spotted Zhao Jianguo immediately and swarmed around him, instantly surrounding him.

"Secretary Zhao! I heard the village is going to build some kind of medicinal herb base? And they're going to requisition land?"

"Is it true? How many acres are they planning to requisition?"

"How will this land be rented out? How much will it cost per acre per year?"

Looking into the eager and expectant eyes of the villagers, he smiled and gestured downwards, explaining loudly, "Folks, it's true! But please don't worry, I'm currently negotiating the specific details of the cooperation with the other company. Once everything is finalized, the village committee will definitely let everyone know as soon as possible!"

"What we can confirm at the moment is that the first phase will involve the acquisition of approximately 500 acres of land. As for which specific plots will be acquired and how they will be divided, the company will need to send geological experts to conduct on-site soil assessments before a decision can be made!"

Upon hearing this, the elderly men and women not only did not disperse, but instead bombarded the group with even more questions.

Zhao Jianguo patiently smiled and reassured everyone, "Uncles and elders, I'll just reveal this much for today. Once all the contract details are finalized, I'll explain everything clearly and in detail during the next live stream. Please go back and wait for good news!"

After finally managing to disperse the enthusiastic villagers, he was just about to turn around and go back into the house when his cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

When I picked it up, I saw it was an unfamiliar number without any contact information, and the location was in the provincial capital.

A thought struck him, and he walked to a quiet corner in the yard to answer the phone.

"Mr. Zhao." A woman's clear and distinctive voice came from the other end of the phone; it was the beautiful owner of the underground dogfighting ring.

"Boss lady, what can I do for you?" Zhao Jianguo asked politely.

The woman's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if she were stating a trivial matter: "Mr. Zhao, there's something I feel I need to tell you. Just now, when my two staff members were driving away from Luo Family Village, they were stopped halfway by your village chief and his men."

Upon hearing this, his brows instantly furrowed into a tight knot.

The woman continued, "Your village chief pulled my staff aside for a private talk. He said that the transfer fee we set at 550 yuan per mu was too high. If the company was willing to bypass you and deal directly with him, the village chief, he could use his power in the village to lower the price to 500 yuan, or even lower. He also guaranteed that he could definitely get the 500 mu of land done smoothly."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianguo couldn't help but curse inwardly. Luo Shuishan, that old bastard! Not only was he secretly conspiring with his relatives to inflate prices and cause trouble, but now he's shamelessly trying to steal the profits! In order to kick him out, he's even willing to betray the interests of the villagers, forcibly lowering the price of 550 yuan per mu that could have been secured for them!

A surge of nameless rage rushed to his head. He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked in a low voice, "What's the boss thinking? Is he prepared to accept his proposal and cooperate with them?"

The woman on the other end of the phone suddenly chuckled softly, a chilling contempt in her voice: "Mr. Zhao, are you joking with me? Who does he think he is?"

The woman paused, her tone becoming playful: "However, this fly is indeed a bit disgusting, Mr. Zhao. Would you like me to help you get rid of this trouble?"

He was startled, his eyes darkening, and he tentatively asked, "How do you plan to resolve this?"

The woman smiled faintly and said, "He's just a village chief from a remote, impoverished area. We have plenty of ways to deal with him. We'll make sure everything is clean and that not a single drop of blood gets on Mr. Zhao."

These seemingly casual words reveal a strong underworld style and an undisguised ruthlessness.

Zhao Jianguo felt a chill run down his spine, then immediately came to his senses. As a cadre within the system, he could never get involved in such shady dealings. After a brief pause, his tone turned cold as he slowly said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. I'll handle the village's work myself."

After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

Hearing the busy tone on his phone, Zhao Jianguo's chest heaved violently, his anger reaching its peak. Luo Shuishan's actions were utterly shameless and disregarded all rules!

However, amidst his anger, Zhao Jianguo's lips curled into a cold, sneer.

Luo Shuishan's vision was far too narrow, and his thinking far too simplistic! He thought that people were really spending millions just to haggle over a difference of fifty yuan per mu of land?

The other party's willingness to invest in Luojia Village was entirely due to Zhou Qingyan, the financial backer of Zhao Jianguo! For that woman, it didn't matter where the multi-million dollar project was invested; it was essentially just a bargaining chip used to make connections.

Luo Shuishan actually dared to try and steal this project by actively exploiting the hard-earned money of ordinary people? This is not only extremely stupid, but also suicidal!

However, the other party should understand his meaning. He might leave now, so it's important to finalize things as quickly as possible. Luo Shuishan is indeed a problem here. It would take him a lot of time and effort to get rid of him. If the other party is willing to help him solve this problem, it would save him a lot of trouble. Everything should be prioritized for the development of the village. Even without Luo Shuishan, there will be more suitable people to take over.

……

Meanwhile, smoke filled the air inside a two-story building with white ceramic tiles at the eastern end of the village.

Luo Shuishan lay half-reclined on the sofa, happily smoking a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes. Opposite him sat several men with excited expressions; they were the relatives Luo Ming had mentioned who were preparing to become "holdouts."

"Uncle, do you think the owner of that car will believe you after you stopped it today?" Luo Shuishan's nephew, Luo Daqiang, asked somewhat nervously. "After all, Zhao Jianguo is the secretary sent by the county."