Me! A high-ranking official!

The loud argument attracted Lao Yang and Dong Lin, who were drinking water in the conference room. The two of them listened at the door and their expressions were complicated.

After running around and making a fuss for so many days, they were still only compensated according to the bottom line and didn't get a penny more. Naturally, they were unhappy. But since the other man's wife had already made the decision, it was ultimately their family matter. As outsiders, they couldn't interfere or cause trouble, so they could only stand by and remain silent.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the corridor. Wang Pu, a lawyer from the legal department of the Industrial Investment Group, rushed over with two staff members and the agreement in hand.

Zhao Jianguo stepped forward, lowered his voice, and explained the situation inside and the resistance from the family members as quickly as possible.

Wang Pu, a capable and experienced lawyer, simply sneered after hearing the news: "Don't worry, Director Zhao, leave it to me." He strode into the office, deftly pulled out a newly printed compensation agreement from his briefcase, and laid it out in front of Xiaojuan. At the same time, he gave his assistant a wink, and the assistant immediately turned on the body camera on his chest.

"Ms. Guo Xiaojuan, this is the agreement. Please sign it if you have verified that everything is correct." Wang Pu handed her a pen.

Xiaojuan wiped away her tears, reached out and took the pen, about to write on the paper.

Old Du, who had been staring intently at this side, suddenly let out a beast-like roar and pounced like a hungry wolf, snatching the agreement from the table.

With a few sharp "rips," the agreement, written in black and white, was frantically torn into pieces and scattered all over the ground. "Don't sign it! I'd like to see who dares to sign it today!" Old Du roared hysterically.

Xiaojuan broke down in tears, crying out, "Brother! What are you doing! The lawyer we hired already made it clear that even if we sue in court, they won't award us a single extra penny!"

"Who told you to spew such filth and nonsense!" Old Du angrily pointed at the shredded paper on the ground, completely tearing off his mask of pretense. "How could a human life be worth so little! Besides, it was my own brother who died! We have a right to inherit his estate! Why should you get to decide what this money is!"

Now that things have come to this, Lao Du finally bared his fangs, attempting to carve out a slice of the blood-stained compensation money.

Wang Pu stood to the side, a mocking sneer curling his lips, his tone as cold as iron: "This family member, I suggest you learn more about the law. The law stipulates..."

"Don't fucking try to intimidate me with the law!" Old Du roared, his neck stiff. "In our rural custom, if a family doesn't have a son, the nephew from the cousin's family has to break the pot! This family property, now without a son, should be divided among the cousin's children! My own brother died; we're blood relatives, even if our bones aren't broken! Why shouldn't we get a share of this money? We're heirs too!"

Wang Pu calmly adjusted his glasses, his voice carrying a powerful impact: "Although you are all relatives, the legal order of inheritance is strictly defined. The deceased had a spouse, children, and parents, who are the first-order heirs. Siblings are second-order heirs. As long as the first-order heirs are alive, none of you second-order heirs have a single penny of inheritance rights!"

"That's all bullshit! That's how it is in the village!" Old Du roared like a wild beast, "If we don't get our share of this money today, nobody's signing this agreement!"

Wang Pu's sneer deepened, and he suddenly raised his voice to command the room: "Then I'm officially informing you! The legal department of the Industrial Investment Group has accepted Ms. Du Xiaojuan's commission, and we will now act as her legal representatives to assist her and her children in completing the inheritance process! If you're not satisfied, you can appeal to the court at any time. We will fight to the end and guarantee that you will lose!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across Old Du's face like a knife: "We'll be taking Xiaojuan's family to get the inheritance notarization done soon! Whether now or in the future, this money belongs only to the first-in-line heirs. Anyone who dares to try and take it, we will absolutely use all legal means to protect it to the end!"

Hearing this, Old Du completely lost his temper. Knowing he had no legal standing whatsoever, he trembled with rage and pointed at Xiaojuan's nose, cursing her viciously again: "You heartless, ungrateful wretch! Your brother just died, and you're already thinking of running off with his assets! Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?!"

Xiaojuan shook her head desperately, sobbing uncontrollably, "No... this is money that my second son risked his life for, it's meant for our two children's future education, marriage, and starting their own families..."

Old Du wouldn't listen to a word and continued to stand there shouting and cursing.

Zhao Jianguo, who had been observing coldly, stepped forward, his eyes icy as he stared at Lao Du: "Look carefully, this is the Culture and Tourism Bureau! Furthermore, the family has already reached a settlement agreement with the construction company. If you dare to cause trouble here again, we will immediately call the police to arrest you and pursue legal action against you!"

Zhao Jianguo's combination of calm and force completely subdued the situation. Old Yang and Dong Lin, who were standing nearby, now understood that Old Du was simply coveting his brother's inheritance and was scheming to seize the money of the widow and her children. The two of them stepped forward to pull Old Du away and whispered their persuasion.

Old Du had gone to great lengths for so many days, only to find that it was all for naught. But he also knew that the situation was beyond his control. Now, not only was Xiaojuan determined, but even Old Yang and the others had turned against her and were speaking up for her.

Although she was furious and cursed him for being so unlucky, she knew that it was absolutely impossible for her to get a share of the pie today, so she could only slam the door and walk out in a huff.

As soon as Lao Du left, Wang Pu had his assistant quickly find a place to reprint the agreement and bring it over. Xiao Juan signed her name on the agreement with red eyes. Then Wang Pu immediately took her to the notary office to have it notarized, making the paperwork for this money a solid case.

With the matter settled, Zhao Jianguo pushed open the office door and breathed a long sigh of relief.

When Wang Pingping saw him enter, her face was full of disbelief. She rushed forward and exclaimed, "Director, you're amazing! Our bureau and the investment group have been sending people to talk to the family members until their lips were sore, and they've negotiated several times, but to no avail. They insisted on three million, not a penny less. How did you manage to get it signed so easily when you stepped in?"

He picked up his water glass, took a sip to moisten his dry throat, and chuckled, "There's nothing magical about it. The key is whether you can put yourself in the other person's shoes and consider the actual situation. As long as you thoroughly analyze the pros and cons, it's not difficult to negotiate."

"If we had known you had such extraordinary abilities, the bureau would have invited you back to take charge long ago. We wouldn't have been bogged down in this matter for so many days," Wang Pingping said with a smile.

He smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more. He sat back in his office chair, but couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Xiaojuan was indeed a pitiful person. Her husband's body was barely cold when her older brother couldn't wait to show his greedy side.