Lin Yifeng had no way to deal with this old man.

He could understand this guy's idea; he wanted to take advantage of the fact that Fat Donglai couldn't find a place and rip off Lin Yifeng and his group.

Lin Yifeng naturally couldn't agree to the old man's offer.

After the negotiations failed, Lin Yifeng left the Cultural Palace with Donglai.

After leaving the house, Donglai irritably lit a cigarette and couldn't help but complain.

All they care about is making money.

"Why make so much money? To save it for your coffin?"

"I really don't understand what this old man is thinking."

Hearing Donglai's complaints, Lin Yifeng smiled.

This was perfectly normal in those days. Cultural troupes, cultural palaces, and cultural centers, and the officials in those places were second only to the emperor in the 1980s.

Wherever they performed for the township government, the local leaders had to bow and scrape to them, showing them all sorts of politeness.

If you offend them, you'll probably lose your place in Zhongzhou Province.

Ten years ago, he held a high position and was admired by everyone. Now that he has fallen on hard times, he naturally cannot accept this change.

In the old man's eyes, Lin Yifeng and his group were just a bunch of lousy businessmen, incomparable to his group of "cultured people".

"Don't rush."

"Let's put this matter aside for now."

"Things will naturally come to light in time."

Lin Yifeng patted Donglai on the shoulder and led him into the car to head back to Muye City.

Lin Yifeng wasn't in a hurry about this at all.

Since he has already chosen to open Pang Donglai in Shangdu, there is no need to worry about him not finding a place.

With his current status, not to mention Shangdu, any city in Zhongzhou would welcome Lin Yifeng with open arms as soon as they heard his name.

After leaving Shangdu.

Director Ma remained seated in his office, smug and self-satisfied.

Looking at Donglai's timid appearance, he was completely certain that he had seized complete control of the negotiations.

If we come back two more times, we'll definitely be able to rip off Pang Donglai handsomely.

As he spoke, he took out a bottle of Moutai that was clearly quite old from the cabinet, and the corners of his mouth kept turning up.

"Once this is sorted out..."

"Wouldn't I be able to do whatever I want in the future?"

"The day when our cultural center will grow bigger and stronger is just around the corner!"

That evening, Director Ma, carrying a bottle of Moutai liquor that had been given to him by a leader who had once visited the countryside, swaggered into a restaurant.

In the private room inside the restaurant, there was also an old acquaintance of Lin Yifeng.

Director Liu of the Shangdu Railway Bureau.

Compared to when he met Lin Yifeng, Director Liu's attitude towards Curator Ma was completely different.

Even though Director Ma was much older than Director Liu, Director Liu still sat in the main seat and greeted him with a smile.

"Hey, Old Ma."

"Is there a traffic jam on the road?"

"Why are you only arriving now?"

Director Ma smiled obsequiously and placed the Moutai bottle in his hand on the table.

"Ugh, don't even mention it."

"Your sister-in-law kept nagging about that bottle of wine when we got home."

"They absolutely refuse to let me take it out to drink."

Director Liu turned the lazy Susan on the table to his face, picked up the wine bottle and examined it carefully, his smile never fading.

"Wow, this is a treasure."

"Old Ma, you're really willing to take this thing out?"

Director Liu is quite knowledgeable. This bottle of Moutai may look ordinary, but it's actually at least fifteen years old, making it a rare find in this day and age.

Director Ma brought out this bottle of wine to entertain me; his attitude in doing things was incredibly sincere.

Director Ma then took the opportunity to state his demands.

"Drinking is drinking, no matter when."

"Isn't this hoping that Director Liu will take on more responsibility in the cultural troupe?"

"I'll open another bottle once we've confirmed it!"

Director Liu's smile widened even more.

Director Ma only had one thing to ask him for.

Recently, the railway department in Shangdu is preparing to restart its cultural troupe, selecting some railway employees who are good at singing and dancing to be sent to the central government this year to see if they can be selected for the Spring Festival Gala.

Even if they don't make it onto the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, it's a certainty that they'll be on the local Spring Festival Gala.

This matter fell to Director Liu, who made the decisions regarding subsequent rehearsals and venue selection.

Needless to say, Director Ma approached Director Liu hoping that the site could be chosen to be their cultural palace. If this were to happen, Director Ma would receive a substantial government subsidy.

When Pang Donglai wants to buy the land, they'll have to offer an even higher price.

Manager Ma was thinking of settling things this year, dragging Pang Donglai out for a year, and then he could rip him off next year. Forget three million, if he wanted to buy land, it would start at four million!

The two of them, each with their own ulterior motives, began drinking and chatting. Director Liu was vague about the cultural troupe, offering no clear answer whatsoever.

This made Director Ma very eager to please, but he had no idea how to make a move.

After a few rounds of drinks, the two began to chat about what was happening in the city.

When the topic turned to the higher-ups, Director Ma suddenly looked indignant, preparing to put pressure on Director Liu, and began to complain indirectly.

"Stop talking!"

"Today, someone else wants to buy our Cultural Palace."

"They offered three million, but they didn't take it."

Director Liu was startled when he heard this.

As a local, Director Liu certainly knew the value of the Cultural Palace perfectly well. When he heard Lao Ma quote a price of three million, he couldn't help but complain.

“You quoted three million, which must have scared them off. How could they possibly take your land?”

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