Volume One, Chapter 27: The Little Fox and the Old Fox

After hanging up the phone, Li Yan was in high spirits.

He glanced at Luo Jiazhuang and said, "I have a very important engagement tonight. Be a good girl and head home on your own, all right?"

"Oh? Is that so? Can I come with you?" Luo Jiazhuang’s eyes betrayed a hint of reluctance.

Li Yan shook his head. "No, this isn't something you can get involved in."

"Alright then. Just remember not to drink too much; I'll be worried." Luo Jiazhuang knew that Li Yan must have something significant to attend to, and she wasn't the type of girl to act spoiled or willful with her boyfriend. Having lived a second life, she had long ago realized the importance of fully supporting her man's ambitions.

It was past seven in the evening. Li Yan arrived ten minutes late on purpose. The scheduled time was 7:30 PM, but he didn't reach Room 806 of the Golden Begonia Hotel until 7:40 PM. He was at the final step; if he were too punctual, his intentions would seem too obvious. Besides, it didn't fit the persona he had carefully cultivated. On the contrary, this nonchalance would make him appear confident, cementing Zhang Wenfeng's belief in his deep-seated connections.

If it were any other businessman in the city, they would have arrived early for an invitation from Zhang Wenfeng, the marketing director of the Liqiang Group. But Li Yan was a young man with a "powerful background," and gracing Zhang Wenfeng with his presence was a favor in itself.

As expected, when Li Yan reached the door of the private room, Zhang Wenfeng was already standing there waiting. Far from feeling offended by Li Yan's lateness, he wore a beaming smile. "Oh, Director Li, please forgive my poor hospitality. I should have sent a driver to pick you up."

Li Yan waved his hand dismissively. "No need. My elders at home were just being a bit long-winded, which made me late. I hope you don't mind, Director Zhang."

Hearing the mention of long-winded elders, Zhang Wenfeng immediately began to speculate. It was exactly as he thought. Li Yan must have received instructions from that "big shot" before coming here tonight. It seemed he would need to negotiate carefully; this was a minor matter, and he couldn't afford to offend that powerful figure. This was a subtle way of expressing that big shot's stance, and he would have to make sure the benefits offered were sufficient.

"Director Li, do you have any dietary restrictions?" Zhang Wenfeng asked.

"Not at all, anything is fine. Is it just you and me tonight?" Li Yan asked, feigning caution and looking around as if very wary.

Zhang Wenfeng understood immediately and even patted his pockets. "Don't worry, Director Li. It's just a casual meal for the two of us. Look, I didn't even bring my phone in."

Two people, no phones—it signaled the discretion of the dinner.

Li Yan nodded. "That's good. I don't want anyone to see us and have my family lecturing me again."

"Rest assured, it's just you and me tonight. No third person will ever know." With that, Zhang Wenfeng pulled out a chair for him. Li Yan didn't stand on ceremony and sat down with an air of relaxed authority.

The dishes were served quickly. Four dishes and one soup—not many, but of high quality. This single meal would cost at least ten thousand. Li Yan remained calm, as if he were long accustomed to such arrangements. To Zhang Wenfeng, this only proved that the kid was no simple character; he must have been raised in an environment where such luxury was the norm. This kind of poise wasn't something an ordinary family could cultivate.

The wine served was naturally Moutai. Zhang Wenfeng poured a glass for Li Yan with practiced ease. "Director Li, please. If it's not to your taste, just let me know."

Li Yan replied, "I can't drink much, so let's just enjoy a simple meal."

"Yes, yes, of course. Just a casual meal, feel free to do as you please." Zhang Wenfeng expressed his understanding.

They ate and chatted idly, covering everything from the weather to local anecdotes. Throughout the meal, Zhang Wenfeng didn't mention the farm, and Li Yan was in no hurry to bring it up either. This had to be raised by Zhang Wenfeng, or else it would lose its value.

Finally, having eaten their fill, Li Yan had managed to drink three glasses of liquor, his face slightly flushed.

"Director Li, I truly admire young talents like you. Starting your own business at such a young age—you are destined for greatness," Zhang Wenfeng said, sensing the time was right to broach the main topic.

Li Yan chuckled and waved a hand. "Not really. I'm still young, and my family just can't stand seeing me idle. They told me to go do something, so I'm just messing around with a project."

Zhang Wenfeng smiled and poured him another glass. "Oh, Director Li, you're being too modest. When I was your age, I didn't know anything and wasted so much time."

Li Yan remained silent, appearing to enjoy the flattery. Zhang Wenfeng felt a surge of joy. It was just as he thought: this young man, like his elders, loved being flattered. It was better than dealing with someone who was immune to such tactics. After all, he was still just a young man.

Zhang Wenfeng began to steer the conversation toward the farm. "Director Li, I think you have a great eye. Opening a farm next to the First High School—the business is bound to be excellent."

"I suppose so. My uncle said that area was good and told me to try my hand at a small business there, so I did. Honestly, I don't know the first thing about running a farm, but I've already invested so much money, so I might as well keep going." Li Yan knew exactly what Zhang Wenfeng was aiming for and once again invoked the "authority" of his uncle.

"Oh, I see. It seems Secretary Liu's insight is truly unique," Zhang Wenfeng said, directly naming the uncle.

Li Yan’s expression darkened. "Don't talk nonsense. My uncle is just an ordinary person."

The "there are no three hundred taels of silver buried here" act only made Zhang Wenfeng secretly amused. *Your uncle is Secretary Liu, quit the act.* However, he didn't call him out and quickly smiled to smooth things over. "Yes, yes, my mistake."

He continued, "Director Li, to be honest, our group wants to develop that land next to the First High School, and the city's approval has already come through."

Li Yan nodded, saying indifferently, "I think I heard something about that. What do you mean?" He played the part of someone completely unaware.

Zhang Wenfeng cursed internally, calling Li Yan a wily little fox. It looked like a battle between a young fox and an old one, but in reality, it was an old fox in a young man's skin fighting another old fox.

"It's like this, Director Li: we want to complete the commercial district there. It just so happens that your farm's location overlaps with our plans. It's a coincidence, so we were hoping to discuss it with you and see if you might be willing to sell the farm to us?"

Finally, they were talking price. Li Yan chuckled inwardly; dealing with these people was exhausting. He put on a look of deep hesitation. "Oh, I see. But I've invested so much capital, and to sell it halfway through—I don't think I can explain this to my family."

"Oh, Director Li, you're looking at this the wrong way. You are a man destined for great things; a farm is such a small project. You can always start a new, bigger venture. With your capabilities, you'd be a leader in any industry."

Li Yan remained hesitant. "Well, I understand your predicament, but it's hard for me to explain this to my family. The first seed money they gave me—I can't just abandon it halfway."

Zhang Wenfeng said, "Don't worry about that. We certainly won't let you lose out. I'm just not sure how much you've invested; we will definitely compensate you for it."

Li Yan took a sip of his wine, appearing lost in thought. Zhang Wenfeng wasn't in a rush; as long as the demand wasn't outrageous, it was acceptable.

Finally, Li Yan sighed. "I've already invested over 2.8 million into the farm. I don't even know if I'll ever break even."

Hearing this figure, the corner of Zhang Wenfeng's mouth twitched. *2.8 million? Who are you kidding?* That bit of land and the structures definitely weren't worth more than 500,000. Still, the number was within his acceptable range. He knew that since an offer had been made, it must have been sanctioned by the people behind the scenes, and haggling would be impolite.

"Oh, Director Li, how about this: let me round it up. We'll pay 3 million to buy your farm. We'll take a small loss to accommodate you." Zhang Wenfeng added 200,000 immediately.

Li Yan’s eyes flickered, though he kept it hidden. His original budget was 2 million, and the extra 800,000 was meant to be bargaining space. He hadn't expected an extra million. This was great.

Li Yan pretended to deliberate for a long time before saying, "Fine. I don't want to hinder the development of our city. But I have one condition."

Seeing that Li Yan had agreed, Zhang Wenfeng hurried to say, "Director Li, please tell me. As long as it's within my power, I will do my best to cooperate."

Li Yan said, "Regarding this matter, how can I explain it to my family? I need another project to silence their nagging. Let’s sign the transfer papers tomorrow. I want to invest that money into a new project as soon as possible, so my family won't have anything to say."

Hearing this, Zhang Wenfeng thought the young man was truly impatient. But that was fine—getting it handled quickly would make their subsequent work easier, and no doubt that "big shot" would be pleased with their performance. Things would go much more smoothly in the future; the money was well spent.

"Alright, no problem."