These two fast food restaurants have many branches in Jincheng, and the Zhong family also supplies chain food in the Yangtze River Delta region, so their family fortune is quite considerable.

"Oh! You're a big spender, aren't you? Five million is a bit too much!" Old Wang looked at Zhou Pengfei.

"I'm telling you, you country bumpkin! Giving you five million is already doing you a favor! Don't ask for an exorbitant price!" Without Yang Yajing as her target, Zhong Liu was no longer a green tea b*tch.

“That’s true, every little bit helps!” Old Wang deliberately ignored his being called a country bumpkin. “So, when does Mr. Zhong plan to donate? It’s not just empty talk, is it?”

"Enough with the nonsense! Take the money and get things done!" With that, Zhong Liu took out his checkbook from his pocket, filled in five million, and asked, "What's the payee's name, Wang something?"

Old Wang pointed to the check: "Just fill in the Jincheng Municipal Government Poverty Alleviation Office!"

"City Hall, help..." After writing only four characters, Zhong Liu suddenly realized something was wrong. "Are you kidding me? I'm asking for your name!"

"Just fill it in according to that," Old Wang still meant it.

"Whatever!" Zhong Liu said to Old Wang, pointing at Zhou Pengfei. "After you take the money, remember to take your poor painter back home. Break up with him if you need to, and hurry up!"

"Huh? How can I interfere?" Old Wang feigned surprise. "As the saying goes, even an upright official can't settle family disputes. Xiao Zhou's choice of a partner is his family matter. How can the city hall interfere so easily?"

"What are you saying, old man? You want to take the money and not do anything? Why take the money if you won't agree? What kind of people are you!" As he spoke, he pulled his hand holding the check back.

Before Zhou Pengfei could say anything, a deep male voice rang out from behind Zhong Liu: "Hey? Isn't this Director Wang? What are you doing here today?"

Old Wang glanced behind Zhong Liu, chuckled, and quickly stepped forward to shake hands: "Hey! Director Gao? What are you doing here?"

“It’s not that my son is turning twenty, he’s usually busy and rarely comes home, so I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime event to treat him to a decent meal! But we’re not familiar with the area, so we were looking for the restroom.” Director Gao laughed. “Where’s Director Wang?”

"Oh! Aren't we here for this young man's engagement party?" Director Wang pointed to Zhou Pengfei. "This is Zhou Pengfei. He and his wife are very generous in their poverty alleviation and disaster relief efforts, helping the municipal government with many poverty alleviation projects. Officials aren't like businessmen; they don't have much to offer in return. But since it's their engagement, how could we not come to congratulate them?"

"Zhou Pengfei? That Master Zhou who painted the murals for the city hall?"

"Exactly!"

"Oh my! Master Zhou, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Director Gao extended his hand to Zhou Pengfei. "I've heard of Master Zhou's reputation for a long time, but I didn't expect him to be so young?"

"Director Gao, please stop calling me Master Zhou! I'm just an unknown, poor painter!" Zhou Pengfei said self-deprecatingly.

"Don't be so short-sighted as to just agree to anything I say!" Old Wang pointed at Zhong Liu. "You're so generous; your wealth isn't much different from his! If you were as stingy as him, you'd be worth more than double!"

"Someone called you a poor painter?" Director Gao found it amusing. "Who's so blind?"

Old Wang pointed at Zhong Liu and answered directly for Zhou Pengfei: "The second generation of the fried chicken supplier!"

Zhong Liu was a little bored listening to the conversation between Director Gao and Director Wang. She had no idea what their situation was. Were they Zhou Pengfei's poor relatives?

"Zhou Pengfei! You hired someone to put on an act in front of me?" Zhong Liu said disdainfully.

Zhou Pengfei, still smiling, began to introduce the people in front of him: "The old man from the urban-rural fringe you mentioned is Director Wang of the Poverty Alleviation Office of the Municipal Hall. And this Director Gao, if I'm not mistaken, should be the Director of the Municipal Supervision Department, right?"

"That's me!" Director Gao nodded with a smile.

"Zhou Pengfei! You're lying, right? How could you possibly know someone like that? The city hall? Are you kidding me?" Zhong Liu thought Zhou Pengfei was lying.

"This child is beyond redemption!" Director Wang shook his head upon hearing this.

The reporter who had been following them couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, "They really are from the city hall; that whole table is full of them!"

Zhong Liu was puzzled and refused to believe it. Just then, his father, who had been waiting for his son for a long time without seeing him return, came out to look for him.

"Oh! Isn't this Director Gao? It's a pleasure to meet you!" Although Mr. Zhong never donated money and didn't know Director Wang, he knew Director Gao!

"Dad! Is he really from the city hall?" Zhong Liu suddenly realized something was wrong. "Then is this old man Wang really Director Wang of the city hall?"

Seeing Director Gao nod and hearing his son call him Old Man Wang, he suddenly felt uneasy!

"Mr. Zhong, is that right? You need to keep an eye on your son! You know, loose lips sink ships! One minute he's calling him a poor painter, the next he's calling him a dead old man!" Director Gao looked at Mr. Zhong with a half-smile.

"You idiot! What did you just say? How dare you speak so disrespectfully to people from the city hall? Apologize right now!"

“Dad! I didn’t know…” Zhong Liu said, feeling wronged.

"Apologize! Apologize right now!" Mr. Zhong slapped Zhong Liu hard on the head and forced him to bow and apologize to Director Wang.

"Sigh! Your son should apologize to Xiao Zhou! He just offered me five million to break up that young couple," Director Wang said sarcastically.

"Mr. Zhou, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I failed to discipline him properly, and my old eyes are failing me. I didn't recognize your greatness! Please, Mr. Zhou and Director Wang, don't hold my good-for-nothing son against me!" After bowing several times, Mr. Zhong grabbed Zhong Liu's ear and fled the scene, cursing all the while.

Mr. Zhong is now truly regretting it!

I thought my son was very popular with women and had a sweet tongue, so maybe he could snag the Xia family's daughter and become the richest man on the list.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!