After Cao Ming and village secretary Ding Xian agreed on a signing time, he notified Yuan Zhuan. The signing location was set at the village committee office of Dingjiaqi Village.

When the two entered, the village office was already full of people and noisy. When they saw them come in, they immediately quieted down, and everyone's eyes fell on the two men, one tall and one short.

"Uncle Ding, what's going on here?" Cao Ming had met Ding Xian before and recognized him immediately from the crowd.

Ding Xian then squeezed out from the crowd. "Oh, Xiao Cao, I'm sorry, but everyone's concerned about our land, so I notified everyone to sign the contract. They all insisted on coming to take a look. I don't mean anything by it, they just want to see."

Although Ding Xian was all smiles, his expression was rather stiff. Clearly, the gathering of so many people here was not what he had described.

Cao Ming smiled at everyone as a greeting, then gestured for Ding Xian to follow him out. "Hey, hey, if you have anything to say, just say it here so everyone can hear. Don't whisper like you're doing something wrong. It's just about signing a contract, what can't we do without? Everyone agree, right?" A tall, strong middle-aged man stood up from the crowd. He had a rather fierce look on his face and was clearly not a good person.

"Yes, yes, what's wrong with listening to this? It's all about our own village." Everyone agreed.

Ding Xian paused, turned around and angrily shouted, "What are you listening to? What nonsense are you spouting? President Cao is talking to me, what business is it of yours? Shut up! Sorry, President Cao, this kid is no good, a scoundrel, he's never done anything good in his life, he just got back from jail two years ago, and not long after, he's already acting like a scoundrel again."

After berating the man, Ding Xian launched into another long speech, like a talkative, carefree person who blurted out whatever came to mind.

Yuan Zhuan watched this scene with amusement. It was just a red and white opera; who couldn't understand it?

Cao Ming raised an eyebrow, his gaze towards Ding Xian becoming somewhat meaningful. The latter felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, rubbed the back of his head, and walked out with his head down.

The three of them went out, and the house started making noise again.

Upon arriving at the outer courtyard, Cao Ming cut to the chase, "So, you've pulled this stunt today because you don't want to sell anymore?"

"No, it's not that we're not selling, it's just that everyone's worried about the price, so they came to take a look, take a look, haha..." The awkward laughter rang out again, but froze when it met Cao Ming's expressionless face.

"Secretary Ding, I made this price very clear to you on the phone: 80,000. You agreed, so I brought our General Manager Yuan here today." Is this some kind of demonstration or a veiled verbal intimidation? Interesting?

He even went to jail and got out. Is going to jail something to be proud of? And he even brought it out to intimidate people!

Ding Xian, embarrassed and speechless, turned bright red. He dared not lose his temper. This Boss Cao was no ordinary person. Even the big leaders from the Chamber of Commerce accompanied him. How could he dare to offend him? He just wanted a good price, so he used the ignorant villagers to keep him in check. Who knew that this seemingly cheerful and easy-going young man would be so tough and come on so aggressively?

"Mr. Cao, is there any room for negotiation on this price? It's really a bit low. We've already given some compensation to the previous lessee, so there's only a few tens of thousands left. The villagers are getting less and they're also complaining." Ding Xian awkwardly suggested raising the price.

Cao Ming remained silent, and the look in his eyes made Ding Xian's scalp tingle.

What's wrong with that look?

This young man, I never expected him to be such a smiling tiger at such a young age.

“I recently found about four brick factories that are similar in size to yours. They all have buildings and floor space, and those buildings are less than ten years old. They were all losing money and were being sold off. The land is real land, while yours is just sandy soil. It would take an ox to lay a foundation here. I don’t need to tell you that, do I?” Cao Ming said with a cold smile.

“I know our land isn’t good, but it’s cheap, so let’s add another 20,000, how about 20,000? That way I can give everyone an explanation, otherwise I won’t be able to say anything.” Ding Xian looked troubled, twisting his hands, still wanting to raise the price.

“Secretary Ding, each company over there is only quoting 12, so ten should be no problem. Do you think I’m not smart, or are they not smart?” Satisfied to see Ding Xian’s face turn liver-colored, Cao Ming sneered, “That’s it then, we don’t need this land anymore. I have an appointment with them, so I’ll go ahead.”

After saying that, Cao Ming glanced at Yuan Zhuan, who was watching the spectacle, and turned to leave.

Ding Xian was dumbfounded. The negotiations had fallen apart just like that? Weren't there supposed to be second and third rounds of talks before a final agreement was reached?

This isn't following the negotiation rules at all!

Seeing the two walk away, Ding Xian dared not delay any longer. This land was a hot potato; it was useless to him. If he really gave it up, it would fall into the hands of the people behind him, and then what use would it be to him?

"President Cao, President Cao! Don't go! Eighty thousand, just eighty thousand! We won't raise it any further, we won't raise it any further!"

Cao Ming and Yuan Zhuan, who were walking ahead, exchanged a glance and understood the smile in each other's eyes.

After Ding Xian's repeated requests, the three of them finally reached an agreement.

After Cao Ming relentlessly pressured and made sarcastic remarks, the land price was reduced by another thousand, supposedly as a way of giving him a "tea" (a euphemism for being bribed).

Just in case, Cao Ming personally wrote an attachment and had all the villagers waiting here sign the informed consent form before leaving a deposit of 10,000 yuan. The remaining balance will be settled after the transfer procedures are completed and the property is transferred.

Next, the procedures went very smoothly, both the change of land use and the transfer of household registration.

The land was directly registered under Yuan Zhuan's name, making Yuan Zhuan Cao Ming's niece. This land was her dowry.

After being stared at by Yuan Zhuan's strange gaze for several seconds, Cao Ming felt his scalp tingle and quickly surrendered, "I was just dealing with that old bastard Ding Xian, I really didn't mean to take advantage of you, boss, really, I swear!"

Yuan Zhuan rolled his eyes. "Get out of here! But today's incident did remind me that this house is a dangerous building with an unstable foundation. It might not be safe to live in it. Go through the procedures and rebuild it. Just build two stories and six rows. I'll draw up the blueprints. First, pave the ground here so everyone has a place to train. Find me plenty of workers. Construction and decoration must be completed within a month."

"Okay." A month is a bit tight, but many hands make light work. It's only two floors, so it's really not a big project.

Back at the company, Wen Xiangying was already waiting in the office to report on the recruitment process.

"This is the new property management company I'm planning to set up. Here's the business plan. Take a look." Cao Ming took out the business plan he had kept from the drawer and handed it to Yuan Zhuan.

Yuan Zhuan took it and carefully looked through it. Seeing the number of people to be recruited, he asked, "Are you planning to go all out? How much are you planning to invest?" Needless to say, this kid was definitely going to invest. Don't be fooled by his usual appearance of not lacking money. When it comes to money, who would complain about having too much?

Cao Ming: ...

Does it have to be this blunt?

"Sister Wen, you can go out first. I'll come back to find you later."

"Okay." Wen Xiangying nodded and left.

Only the two of them remained in the office. Cao Ming gave an awkward laugh and sat upright on the sofa opposite Yuan Zhuan.

"Boss, I want 10% of the shares, just to be a small shareholder, hehe." Cao Ming stretched out a straight finger, all traces of the shrewdness he displayed during the previous negotiations were gone.

Yuan Zhuan tilted his head and smiled.

Cao Ming's smile froze under his gaze. "How about 0.5? Boss, considering my utmost loyalty to you, let me earn a little, just 0.5, okay? I promise I will manage your company diligently, working tirelessly until my dying breath!"

The words that followed were spoken in a somewhat humble tone.

Cao Ming felt that after meeting Yuan Zhuan, he was like a fool, and he couldn't stand up even if he had ten times the courage.

"I'll give you 20%, invest 500,000 into the company. You prepare the contract, notify Feng Sanshui to come over, and we'll sign the agreement."

Twenty percent? Did he hear that right?

Not 0.2?

"Do a good job, Mr. Cao. I'm giving you 20%, so you have to do 20% of the work. The more capable you are, the more you should do. You'll have full control over the property management company. Just give a report once a month."

"Yes, boss!" Cao Ming stood ramrod straight and saluted!

Yuan Zhuan: ...

Beiyu Primary School.

The homeroom teacher had become numb to the fact that Yuan Zhuan frequently asked for leave. After all, his grades would improve instead of drop when he was absent. Of course, the homeroom teacher had also communicated with the principal, and after consideration, he let it go. As long as the grades didn't drop, it didn't matter.

When Yuan Zhuan finally returned to school, the first thing he did was to have lunch with his friends.

During the break, Su Hao excitedly ran to Class 1 to tell Tu Du that Yuan Zhuan had come to school. The handsome young man's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said, "Let's have lunch together."

Tu Du's fourth period was physical education, so the PE teacher dismissed the get out of class five minutes early so that the students, who were eagerly waiting for the meaty aroma, could run to the front row and eat the sweet and sour pork ribs and braised pork they wanted.

Tu Du prepared the food for the three of them and reserved seats for them. The two who had just finished class rushed to the front line to eat.

"Tu Du, from today onwards, you are not my brother, you are my older brother!" For a bite to eat, Su Hao was willing to acknowledge Tu Du as his older brother, even though he was half a year older than Tu Du, it didn't stop him from calling him brother.

Tu Du pushed his plate to Yuan Zhuan's seat next to him, and then rolled his eyes at Su Hao, who had been working hard right away.

"Mmm, delicious, so delicious."

He's a chatterbox, always so talkative, even food can't shut him up.

"How's your training going lately?" Although she was out running errands, she had kept her schedule packed for the past two days.

With the ability to protect themselves, why would they be afraid of bullying?

"It's great. I feel like my strength has increased a lot. I don't even pant when I run anymore. But Yuan Zhuan, the energy water in your training hall is amazing. I was exhausted like a dead dog, but after drinking a small cup, I immediately felt energetic all over. Tu Du, have you had some?"

"I drank it, and I feel the same way you do."

"Our training center had a nutritionist prepare this; it's the first of its kind in the entire Beiyu area," Yuan Zhuan said, blurting out the focus.

"You'll be taking the entrance exam for junior high next semester. Are you confident?" Su Hao finished eating and then remembered something. "I heard that in the final exam this semester, all 15 public elementary schools in the city took a joint exam. The top 300 students in the city will get direct admission to Beiyu Junior High School. My grades have always been mediocre. To be honest, I'm worried. One of you is always at the top of the list, and the other is a rising star. Only me... sigh..."

After finishing his meal, Su Hao suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to hand in the test papers collected during the last class to the homeroom teacher. Startled, he jumped up, said goodbye, and ran away on his short legs.

Yuan Zhuan watched with amusement as Su Hao, who had been bouncing around like a bean, quickly disappeared.

This kid, although his family background isn't great, has a very good personality. He's adept at seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, and she's quite curious about the kind of family environment he grew up in.

“My older brother has a holiday at the end of this month and will be back then. I mentioned your help to me in my letter, and he wants to express his gratitude to you in person.” Tu Du lowered his head and said the words he most wanted to say today with some embarrassment.

He was the one who had received the favor, and it seemed inappropriate for his brother to treat him to a meal, but he couldn't think of a way to repay him.

"Your brother is coming back?" Yuan Zhuan looked at the boy's long, raven-feather-like eyelashes, which cast a shadow on his eyelids, and his pink lips were slightly pursed, as if he was thinking about something.

"Um. Can we have dinner together?" The boy looked up, but received no response.

In the sunlight, the boy's eyes shimmered.

Tsk...

How did he grow up? "Eat, your brother, I need to get to know him," Yuan Zhuan said casually.

"Huh?" The boy tilted his head and looked at Yuan Zhuan in confusion, seemingly not quite understanding the meaning behind her words.

“We’re good friends. You know my family, and I know yours. Isn’t that a normal thing?” Yuan Zhuanle said.

Even if a pretty person is a little slow, she's willing to talk a lot of nonsense.

"Okay." Tu Du smiled.

A certain military region.

The tall, thin, dark-skinned man was standing by the window, packing the things he was going to bring home. He was thinking about the news his friend had sent him that his younger brother was being bullied. He was very anxious and wanted to go out for a long time, but his mission was too heavy and he had been delayed for more than a month. Moreover, he was unable to contact anyone outside.

I wonder how that kid is doing now, whether he's injured.

Although he had not experienced school bullying himself, he had heard of it a lot. Many children dropped out of school because of it, and the wounds were difficult to heal for a lifetime. There were many such examples.

Thinking of some unpleasant things, Tu Lin's eyes filled with icy coldness.

He'll retaliate against anyone who messes with his brother!

However, he also saw his brother's letter and replied. The little girl saved him and completely resolved the aftermath. He accepted the favor and would definitely do his best to help her if she ever needed his help in the future.

"Tu Lin, the commander wants you to come over." Someone called him from the doorway.

"Okay." He replied, put the things in his bag, and strode away.

On the company side, the establishment of Yuan's Security's subsidiary went smoothly. Yuan Zhuan was placed directly under Cao Ming's name for his future management. All other procedures were in place, and the construction and renovation work were proceeding simultaneously. It wouldn't be long before everything was completed.

Recently, besides having the little paper doll keep an eye on the case and monitor the progress of the arrests, Yuan Zhuan has been spending the rest of her time reviewing her junior high school knowledge. After all, although she had learned it all, she had forgotten a lot of it and needed to deepen her memory.

My days are a monotonous routine, busy to the point of exhaustion, yet fulfilling.

And just like that, the end of the semester arrived, and the Beiyu City Primary School Joint Examination came.