Amidst an indescribable sense of loneliness, I smiled and asked him, "Brother Sun, is there any news from over there?"

Sun Jiwei paused for a moment, not answering my question directly, but instead asking me, "Brother, do you believe in the saying 'enemies are destined to meet'?"

"What's wrong?"

“I asked a friend at the housing authority to check, and the 16 shops you want to rent were indeed bought by the same boss… You and I both know this person.”

Who is it?

"Cao Jinbo!"

Thinking of Cao Jinbo's treacherous nature, I was speechless for a long time, and a sense of despair washed over me, because I absolutely did not want to deal with this person. At this moment, Sun Jiwei asked me again in a concerned tone, "Brother, why aren't you saying anything?"

After a moment, I replied, "I just think this is pretty ridiculous. How come he happens to be the owner of all these shops?"

"At first, I didn't believe it was such a coincidence either. Later, I specifically asked another friend... I heard that the developer of Jiulongju at the time was a brother who used to hang out with Cao Jinbo in the underworld. He borrowed 12 million yuan from Cao Jinbo and later used these 16 shops to pay off the debt... Actually, thinking about it, it's not really a coincidence. After all, the circle in Dali is only so big, and at the time, many people outside were optimistic about the Jiulongju project. As a local tyrant, Cao Jinbo certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass him by..." At this point, Sun Jiwei smiled and then said, "However, he really miscalculated this time. Nobody expected the Jiulongju project to do so badly later on... I guess this is retribution for all the bad things he did!"

My feelings were indescribably complicated. After a long while, I said in a low voice, "Anyway, I have to thank you for helping me find out about this. I'll treat you to a meal sometime."

"We're all brothers, so please don't be so polite with me... By the way, what are your plans for the future? After all, it's a money-making opportunity. Don't you really want to talk to Cao Jinbo?"

"I find this person disgusting!"

After a brief silence, Sun Jiwei said to me, "Would you like to hear my opinion?"

Are you trying to persuade me that a real man can bend and stretch, and that I shouldn't turn down money?

Sun Jiwei smiled and replied, "Brother, you're a smart man, and you understand the logic... so you should think this over carefully yourself first... I have Cao Jinbo's contact information. If you think this is something we can discuss, I'll act as a middleman and arrange for him to meet with you."

"Okay, I'll get back to you as soon as possible."