The hardships Qian Shiren endured to reach Hong Kong by clinging to his concubine's coattails and rise to his current position are well-documented.

It's likely that they've had their faces exposed quite often.

The reason he lost his composure today is probably because he has been a Justice of the Peace for so many years that he has forgotten his previous embarrassment.

However, Qian Shiren quickly recovered, slammed the water bottle down on the table, and said with a forced smile, "Alright, just name your price. Sell me all the clivia, and you're not allowed to set foot in the Changchun clivia market for a year."

Li Xiangdong feigned ignorance, staring wide-eyed as he asked, "Why weren't you allowed to come? We still have so many clivia plants to sell!"

Qian Shiren felt the veins on his forehead throbbing.

He had to exert great self-control to suppress the urge to have his bodyguards bury Li Xiangdong alive.

"How many clivia plants do you actually have in your house?!"

"More than ten thousand pots!"

"I--"

Qian Shiren swallowed back the word "Holy shit!" He felt like he was choking on blood, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

You should know that there are only a little over 10,000 pots of clivia in the entire Changchun market!

For Li Xiangdong, these more than 10,000 pots of clivia are like a nuclear bomb!

The lessons learned from the fools Shui Xulai and Pan Jixian are still fresh in his mind; he must not repeat their mistakes!

Of course, Qian Shiren's wealth far surpassed that of Shui Xulai and Pan Jixian.

However, at that time they were hyping up a small city, while Changchun is more than ten times the size of eastern Zhejiang!

Qian Shiren had to ensure that his operation would be foolproof.

Qian Shiren greeted Li Xiangdong with what he thought was a very friendly smile, "What were you thinking, growing so many clivia plants? As far as I know, only people in Changchun love growing clivia plants."

This little rascal, he's clearly just a country bumpkin, how come he's growing both Japanese white pine bonsai and clivia?

Could it be that he has someone backing him who knows his plans?

But upon thinking about this, he immediately rejected the idea.

After all, promoting the clivia was something he planned to do two years later.

No one expected that the hype surrounding the five-needle pine bonsai would end in such a disastrous failure, which forced him to start the hype surrounding the clivia earlier than planned.

Therefore, it was impossible for others to know his plan in advance and thus inform Li Xiangdong.

Moreover, cultivating clivia is not something that can be done overnight.

God knows why Li Xiangdong would cultivate so many clivia plants in advance!

This is not something a normal person would do!

Suddenly, he remembered Liu Donglai.

This official was promoted like a rocket after his reinstatement.

Liu Donglai's resume is easy to find; it's all publicly available information. Liu Donglai once served as the county party secretary of Huichuan County, and it's said that he had dealings with Li Xiangdong.

However, Liu Donglai was promoted not long after he left Huichuan.

According to his subsequent investigation, Li Xiangdong and Liu Donglai did not have much contact.

Could it be that all my previous investigations were a hoax?

Is Li Xiangdong Liu Donglai's front man?

Qian Shiren suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, and his gaze toward Li Xiangdong became more cautious and questioning.

Li Xiangdong completely ignored Qian Shiren's various small actions and micro-expressions.

Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain ridge.

No matter what, your mind must not be disturbed.

Li Xiangdong chuckled and said, "Boss Qian, why are you speaking through gritted teeth? Did you burn yourself with the tea just now?"

Qian Shiren remained silent.

Li Xiangdong stopped joking and said seriously, "Business is business, so what difference does it make who you do it with? Since Boss Qian is so generous in wanting to buy my clivia, there's no reason for me not to sell it, is there?"

Qian Shiren's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Li Xiangdong was unaware of his plan?

But that shouldn't be the case. That time with the five-needle pine bonsai, this kid was the one who benefited the most!

These two actions were exactly the same; how could he not see it?

Qian Shiren couldn't think of an answer for a moment, and his mind was in turmoil.

He always felt like he had stumbled into a net.

Just then, Li Xiangdong said, "But Boss Qian is a big businessman, he certainly won't let me sell these 10,000 pots of clivia for a pittance, right?"

Li Xiangdong emphasized the words "big business" and winked at Qian Shiren in a cheeky manner.

He knew my plan after all!

Qian Shiren felt a weight lifted from his heart.

"Go ahead and tell me, haven't I been telling you to name your price?"

Li Xiangdong chuckled, "It's hard to set a price for this. How about this, I'll send you a detailed price list in a couple of days?"

Qian Shiren was in a state of turmoil. He picked up his teacup and said to the person outside the door, "Old Zhang, see the guest out."

Li Xiangdong and Zhou Hongsong were brought back by Volga unharmed, within just two hours.

Li Guoqing and Chen Zaohua were the first to come out. They looked the two of them up and down carefully, and only felt relieved after confirming that they were alright.

Go inside and close the door tightly.

Li Xiangdong and Zhou Hongsong recounted their meeting with Qian Shiren in detail.

"Brother Yu, keep a close eye on Qian Shiren. I think he's about to make a move."

Yu Shi nodded seriously.

————

After Li Xiangdong left, Qian Shiren sat in a chair, closed his eyes, and pondered for a long time before making a phone call.

The person on the other end hesitated after hearing his conversation with Li Xiangdong.

"Is this kid so arrogant because he really has someone backing him?"

Qian Shiren nodded repeatedly, "I think so. I had someone investigate him before; he's just a typical farmer's son. The highest-ranking official in his family is his father, Li Jin, who is the village head. However, in recent years, Li Xiangdong has indeed accomplished a lot and amassed considerable wealth. I'm now particularly suspicious..."

Although no one was in the room, Qian Shiren still lowered his voice, "I suspect Liu Donglai is behind him."

The person opposite gasped, asking incredulously, "What did you say? Liu Donglai? You mean Liu Donglai knew your plan and sent Li Xiangdong to take advantage of you?!"

"Although I don't want to believe it, that's probably the truth."

The person on the other end immediately fell silent.

Although Liu Donglai couldn't directly control him, he didn't want to go against Liu Donglai for a little benefit.

"Mr. Qian, actually, supporting overseas Chinese to do business is also a policy requirement. As for how you specifically do business, that's beyond my control."

What do you mean by that?

Qian Shiren was getting a little anxious.

The voice on the other end was a bit cold, "That's exactly what I mean."

Beep beep beep~

The other party hung up the phone.

Qian Shiren put down the phone, grabbed a vase from inside the room, and angrily smashed it against the wall.

Bang--

The white porcelain vase shattered into pieces, scattered on the scarlet carpet.

"Damn it! You bastard who kicks people away after they've served their purpose!"

He's taken the money and wants to cut ties with me now!