Volume 1, Chapter 25: A Casual Bit of Gossip

After a moment of contemplation, Li Yan decided to give these two men a response that was subtle yet thought-provoking.

"Gentlemen, I am just a young man, and there may be some things I haven’t handled perfectly, so I ask for your indulgence. However, I must say a few words. I am definitely going to open the farm; I have already initiated the formal procedures, and they should be finalized within these next few days."

First, Li Yan made his stance on the farm construction clear, and then it was time to reveal a corner of his hand.

Both Zhang Wenfeng and Section Chief Xu frowned. They had expected this kid to soften his stance and yield to them. As expected, young people are stubborn and naive, unaware of how high the sky is or how deep the earth goes. Section Chief Xu felt that the boy was simply blowing smoke, claiming he could get the paperwork done so soon. That was absurd. He was right here; if he didn't approve it, he didn't believe it would ever be processed.

His tone darkened as he said, "Young comrade, we are notifying you now to save you from suffering personal losses in the future."

Li Yan waved his hand dismissively. "Leader, I am indeed processing the paperwork. I suggest you verify this properly. My elders at home told me that there should be no issues with these documents. They said as long as I handle the procedures and operate the farm legally and reasonably, everything will be fine. If you haven't received notice yet, I think you should go back and double-check with your superiors. If it were truly illegal, I certainly wouldn't be building a farm here."

Seeing the certainty on Li Yan's face, Section Chief Xu and Zhang Wenfeng of the Liqiang Group exchanged glances. They were well aware of the subtext in Li Yan's words. *I have connections at home, and they’ve already made calls, so you had better verify this carefully. If your connections are stronger than mine, feel free to try your luck.*

Li Yan had countered their words effectively. The three chatted a bit more, though Zhang Wenfeng and Section Chief Xu were mostly trying to pry more information out of Li Yan. However, Li Yan did not give any direct answers. He certainly couldn't be too explicit, or the facade would crumble. After all, Secretary Liu had only said he would help make a call to facilitate the permit. But in Li Yan's version, his family had told him he was allowed to open the farm here, which changed the implication entirely. Yet, this ambiguous, speculative effect was exactly what Li Yan wanted.

Soon, the people from Liqiang Group and the section chief departed by car. President Jin was very curious about what Li Yan had said to make them leave so dejectedly. That was the Liqiang Group, after all; who would dare to offend them? Yet this young man had managed it, and he seemed quite relaxed about the whole thing. He instantly concluded that the young man must have a very significant family background. It made sense; only such a family could provide the capital for someone so young to start a business.

Construction continued, and Li Yan even urged them to speed up the progress. He knew that when the Liqiang Group returned, they would inevitably want to negotiate the price. The more that was built now, the higher the price he could demand later.

That afternoon, Zhang Wenfeng of the Liqiang Group received a call from Section Chief Xu.

"President Zhang, I think your company needs to discuss this matter with him properly. Someone at the top has made a call, and that person has significant decision-making power in the city."

Zhang Wenfeng frowned upon hearing this. He hadn't expected the young man to truly have such a deep and extraordinary family background. This was becoming troublesome. He asked, "Can you tell me the identity of that person?"

Section Chief Xu said with some hesitation, "I can only tell you his surname is Liu. You should discuss the specifics with Chairman Zhang. However, I think this is a minor matter. Perhaps the person just wanted to help the young man earn some pocket money for his venture. If you make a scene over such a trivial thing and displease that person, it won't be good for you either."

Zhang Wenfeng's heart sank. Someone with great decision-making power in the city, with the surname Liu. How many people could that be? If that person had already made a call, and they still pushed the issue to the forefront, they would be truly tactless. "Understood. Don't worry, I know the weight of this and will handle it properly."

After hanging up, Zhang Wenfeng decided to consult the company's top brass privately. The Liqiang Group was large, certainly, but one had to know who held the real power. At the end of the day, this was just a small amount of money; they couldn't lose the big picture for the sake of a trifle.

Li Yan hadn't expected that his plan to carve a piece off the Liqiang Group would be assisted by Section Chief Xu. Although it was supposed to happen according to his plan, the highly "enlightened" Section Chief Xu had provided a solid assist. As he expected, the paperwork was processed quickly within two days. With legal documents in hand, Li Yan felt completely at ease. Now, he only needed to wait for the Liqiang Group to contact him to discuss the price.

Another piece of good news arrived with a phone call from Zhao Zhengzhong. "Old Li, hurry over to Nanping Road. There’s a good show to watch."

"A good show?" Li Yan asked, though he had already guessed most of it. Fu Hantao’s family lived on Nanping Road. *Tit for tat*, he thought. Since Fu Hantao dared to send people to mess with him, he had sent a "grand gift" back in return. It wasn't illegal, but it would certainly be nauseating for a good while.

When he arrived at the location, Li Yan saw a crowd of onlookers standing in front of a small villa. The "delinquents" who had tried to gang up on him that night—only to be taught a lesson—were surrounding Fu Hantao and a middle-aged woman, arguing loudly.

"Fu Hantao, you scumbag! You slept with Xiao Ya and now you want to deny it? Xiao Ya is pregnant! Do you not want to take responsibility?" a young woman with a wild look pointed at Fu Hantao and shouted at the top of her lungs, as if afraid the neighbors wouldn't hear.

"That's right, scumbag! You play around and then deny it? We're going to sue you for rape!" the other two young women chimed in. The onlookers found the scene absolutely riveting.

Tan Ya, who had dyed her hair a pale blue, said nothing, merely crouching on the ground and sobbing pitifully. Fu Hantao’s face was livid; he was filled with regret for drinking with this group of hooligans the night before last. That night, Brother Nan had told him they had taught Li Yan a lesson, and he had been so elated that he went drinking with them at a bar. Tan Ya had been clinging to him all night. He was a young man, and he had committed the mistake all men are prone to. After getting drunk, he thought this girl—though her style was a bit off—had a great figure. Under the influence of alcohol, he figured it was just for fun, no big deal.

When he woke up the next morning, he found Tan Ya lying next to him in disarray. As for whether he had actually experienced the girl's charms, he couldn't recall. But judging by the situation, he assumed he had. He thought the matter would blow over, but this had to happen today. Hearing them say Tan Ya was pregnant, he was instantly furious. It had only been a few days; how could she be pregnant? They were clearly trying to extort him. He didn't understand why they would do this, but he wasn't one to suffer in silence.

Fu Hantao argued, "Nonsense! How could she be pregnant? How could it be that fast?"

This only made things worse, confirming that he and the girl currently sobbing on the ground had indeed done what adults do. The more he explained, the worse it got. His mother, standing nearby, turned green with rage. They considered themselves prominent figures in the city, and yet her son had actually slept with this girl of questionable character.

"Oh, so you mean you admit you slept with Xiao Ya and just don't want to take responsibility, right?" a young woman with a red mohawk seized the point.

Fu Hantao panicked and scrambled to rectify it: "Nonsense! I didn't! How could I have slept with her? Who is she? Who am I? How could I possibly have taken a liking to her?"

But the more he explained, the messier it became. He could feel the contemptuous glares of all the onlookers around him. Frustrated and angry, he almost resorted to violence, but the group of hooligans wasn't to be trifled with; seeing Fu Hantao about to lash out, they swarmed toward him.

At this moment, Li Yan had transformed into one of the onlookers, squeezing into the crowd to enjoy the show. Zhao Zhengzhong, having bought a bag of sunflower seeds from somewhere, tore it open and said to Li Yan, "Old Li, have some seeds. It's much more interesting to watch this way." Seeing a few older women nearby, he generously shared the seeds with them. The scene turned bizarre—a crowd of people cracking seeds and watching the spectacle with great interest.