Everyone knows this is the calm before the storm.

Tang Ping has also been rarely seen at Wan Zi Qian Hong lately. He's been spending most of his time at the factory and construction company in Mang Village.

Because the bidding process is about to begin.

All the required materials and qualification reports have been submitted to the bidding center, and the construction company is also finalizing some details.

With the prestigious Shanshui Group brand and the Old Street project, Tangping's construction company is qualified and capable enough to bid for the project.

Of course, the biggest competitors are the Construction Group and the Brilliant Construction Company founded by Zhao Yu, the boss behind the Grand Palace.

There are also some smaller construction companies, but none of them have any strong backing or resources, so they're probably just there to make up the numbers.

The three companies that are truly competitive are Tangping, Jian Gong Group, and Zhao Yu.

As for who will ultimately win the bid, no one knows until the very last moment.

Sources say that the director of the road administration and traffic management bureau in charge of this bidding process is a very upright person who is not easily persuaded. Many people who tried to use connections or offer gifts were turned away.

Tang Ping, however, thought it was a good thing.

What he feared was that Zhao Lidong would use his connections within the political and legal system to directly pre-select the candidates for the bidding process.

There was another thing that was giving Tang Ping a headache.

A while ago, out of kindness, he gave a girl named Li Tiantian 500,000 yuan to save her life, and even made her sign a "contract of servitude" to work for him in the future.

But unexpectedly, things took a turn for the worse.

I had just received the 500,000 yuan when it was snatched away by a group of loan sharks.

The other party almost took Li Tiantian away as well, but fortunately Li Chao arrived in time and drove them away.

Unexpectedly, Li Chao was taken away by the police from the school the next day.

Because the loan sharks called the police, and they had signed a so-called legitimate loan contract, their demands for money were reasonable and legal. On the contrary, Li Chao assaulted someone and is now facing detention.

Li Tiantian didn't come to Tang Ping about this; Feiji told Tang Ping about it privately.

When it comes to fighting and maintaining order, Fei Ji is not as good as Hu Xiandong, but he is shrewd and knows how to flatter.

Last time, Tang Ping gave Li Tiantian 500,000 yuan in one go. He thought Tang Ping was attracted to Li Tiantian's innocence, so he reported it to Tang Ping as soon as Li Tiantian finished her apprenticeship.

"Who's the loan shark? Have you found out?" Tang Ping asked, frowning.

The plane fawned, "That scoundrel Hu from the west side of the city, he's really wicked. I heard he's also running some kind of 'naked loan' scheme on campuses, luring junior and senior high school girls to take nude photos, and threatening to post the photos everywhere if they don't pay back the money. Boss, should I send someone to teach him a lesson?"

"The bidding is about to start. At this time, let's not cause any trouble. Come with me to the police station first, and get this person out of there."

Tang Ping shook his head, also feeling a bit of a headache.

He helped Li Tiantian purely out of momentary pity, unable to bear seeing such an innocent girl go into prostitution. Little did he know, one problem after another would arise.

Li Chao did indeed physically assault someone, and those two of his former accomplices, who were with him, were also detained.

But it wasn't a big deal; it was just provoking trouble.

Tang Ping helped pay the fine, and then the person was released.

Li Chao, whose head had been shaved, walked out of the police station and felt somewhat ashamed when he saw Tang Ping.

Last time, he confidently declared that he would work for Tang Ping, but just a few days later, he was arrested and Tang Ping had to bail him out.

"Get in the car!"

They were all hot-blooded young men, and Tang Ping wasn't their parent or relative, so he didn't bother lecturing them. He simply waved them off and told them to get in the car.

"What's the situation with this loan shark in your family? How much do you still owe them?" Tang Ping asked back in his office.

Li Chao lowered his head and said, "I didn't borrow much money to begin with, a total loan of 100,000 yuan, but I only received a little over 80,000 yuan. I took my mother to borrow the money because my father was in a car accident and we urgently needed the money. I never expected that the 100,000 yuan would balloon into more than 800,000 yuan with compound interest. They're clearly ripping people off!"

"So what if you're ripping people off? You signed the contract voluntarily. You knew it was usury, yet you still took your mother to sign it? What did you learn in school?" Tang Ping scolded.

Li Chao's face turned red from the words, his neck stiffened, his eyes reddened, and he shed tears of grievance.

“Boss, it’s really not Chao’s fault. Uncle Li was in the ICU, and they wouldn’t operate if we didn’t have the money. We borrowed from all our relatives and friends, but no one was willing to pay.”

"Yes, we also launched a fundraising campaign, but the money was simply not enough."

Beside him, Li Chao's two younger brothers chimed in, arguing in his defense.

Tang Ping felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this.

With his father in a car accident, the pillar of the family collapsed, and Li Chao, a 15-year-old boy, really couldn't do much.

That's how it is for poor families; a car accident or a serious illness can destroy a family.

Tang Ping waved his hand and said, "Alright, stop calling me boss. I told you, I'm not involved in organized crime. Li Chao, I can help you with this loan shark issue. But remember, when you get back to school, study hard. Consider this money a temporary loan. Remember to pay me back after you graduate and start working!"

Li Chao said, "I don't plan to study anymore. My mother is like this now. I want to go out and work to earn money to support my sister's education. Also, I want revenge. I know Hu Bapi, the loan shark; he works for the Grand Palace. And that beast who hit my mother—I won't let them get away with it!"

Tang Ping slammed his hand on the table and said, "Nonsense! You think you can make it in society without studying? Looks like you haven't been beaten down by society yet! I'm warning you, all three of you, go back to school. If you don't study, I'm not going to help you with this loan sharking business!"

Li Chao gritted his teeth, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

"Get out of here and reflect on your actions. You're coming back to school tomorrow!" Tang Ping roared.

He was really annoyed. These young people nowadays are all like rebellious children, they won't listen to anything he says.

The plane sidled up to him, grinning slyly, and said, "Boss, don't get so angry. I don't think Li Chao and his two buddies are cut out for studying; they're more like good-for-nothings. Since they can't study anyway, they might as well get out into the world and make something of themselves."

"What do you know! Get out of here and don't bother me with every little thing anymore. Also, settle the loan shark issue with Li Chao's family, and then keep an eye on them so they can go to school," Tang Ping glared at him.

"Yes, boss."

The plane fell silent, bewildered as to why its boss had suddenly become angry, and hastily slunk away from the office.

When they reached the door, Li Chao and his two companions were waiting for them.

Seeing Feiji come out of the office, Li Chao quickly stepped forward and asked eagerly, "So, Feiji, is the boss willing to take the three of us as his underlings?"