Half an hour later, the yacht arrived at a private island.

Surprisingly, Zhou Haoran was the one who hosted them.

She was one of Shen Jize's many friends whom Lin Wei had met when she visited last time.

Zhou Haoran, who usually acted like a junior and kept quiet, has now truly impressed them.

Zhuang Zhihao couldn't help but sneer, "I really underestimated you. I didn't expect to receive such a surprise so soon after arriving."

Zhou Haoran remained calm and composed. "It's quite surprising to see Young Master Zhuang and Young Master Shen here."

"This way, please come with me."

Following behind Zhou Haoran, the two walked deeper and deeper into the island.

Zhuang Zhihao's face darkened. "Did you foresee this? This kid knows quite a bit about us."

"So what if I know? It's not a big deal."

People like them always keep something in reserve in everything they do. Even Zhuang Zhihao might not know everything about Shen Jize, let alone Zhou Haoran.

Zhuang Zhihao, however, was very wary of this. "I'm telling you, don't let your guard down. The fact that he was able to infiltrate the Jiang family's network right under our noses and before us shows how cunning he is."

Shen Jize remained unconvinced. "What do you think he could do to us?"

Zhuang Zhihao choked, "There's a lot that can be done, but it's unclear whether the Zhou family can shoulder this responsibility. We also don't know how well Zhou Haoran is doing in the Jiang family's branch. If the Jiang family branch is willing..."

“Impossible.” Shen Jize said firmly, “Impossible. The Jiang family has never trusted outsiders in the past hundred years. Outsiders may cooperate with them for profit, but outsiders are still outsiders.”

Zhuang Zhihao glanced at Zhou Haoran's back and said, "Indeed, perhaps too many things have come together, making me less calm than usual. It seems I need more experience than you."

Shen Jize chuckled lightly, "That's enough to deal with them."

-

As soon as he finished speaking, the group led him to a villa on the island.

Zhou Haoran remained calm as he greeted them, "Mr. Shen, Mr. Zhuang, please come in."

As soon as the villa door opened, Jiang Hesheng, the partner in this project, immediately came to greet them.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Jiang, it is an honor to meet you."

"You're too kind, you're too kind."

The two shook hands and were then led to a tea room.

"It's still early, have a cup of tea first. I've had lunch prepared, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

But at this tea bar, Jiang Hesheng only wanted to invite Shen Jize to drink alone.

Zhuang Zhihao naturally disagreed, but before he could speak, Shen Jize agreed.

The island was quiet, save for the chirping of cicadas, birds, and the sound of waves crashing.

What should have been a calming environment became increasingly unbearable for Zhuang Zhihao as their conversation dragged on.

He wandered around the island several times, until long after lunchtime, until he was gripping the wooden gun, sweating profusely, when finally the door to the tea room was opened.

fortunately.

Shen Jize and Jiang Hesheng chatted as they came out.

"Ji Ze".

Zhuang Zhihao shouted in a panic.

Shen Jize nodded at him with his dark eyes. After confirming that he was alright, he slowed down his approach.

Jiang Hesheng smiled and said, "You're here to pick up Mr. Shen. You two have a very good relationship."

Zhuang Zhihao choked, feeling that the other party was doing it on purpose, but still calmly replied, "We grew up together since we were little."

Lunchtime had long passed, so the servants delivered the food to each person's room.

Zhuang Zhihao couldn't wait to follow him inside. "How did it go? Did you reach an agreement? Can he make the decision? The Jiang family is really different from us; they can really keep their composure."

Shen Jize said irritably, "You're so impatient. The way you were just now, everyone could tell what you were up to."

"Of course I know that. I also know that although there may be no one around, there are actually a lot of people with guns pointed at us."

But he was worried that if he messed up other things, he might lose money, but if he messed up this thing, he might lose his life.

But fortune favors the bold.

"So, it's done?"

"It's done, but just as I thought, he wants to take over the Yuanyu project and reclaim land from the sea to create an island. If I'm willing to give up this project, he's willing to let me join the military."

On the surface, military action is certainly not as advantageous as land reclamation and island building.

Because even the largest military operation has a valuation, and once that valuation is achieved, it's over.

But land reclamation is different. It's not just about building islands; the real work involves laying pipelines to reach oil fields.

Moreover, once the oil pipeline is laid, it requires no maintenance and can be a profitable project indefinitely.

but--

No matter how well things were discussed beforehand, the project ultimately failed to materialize.

Given that, he naturally wouldn't be interested.

Even if Lin Wei misjudged the matter, it wouldn't matter, because even if he and Zhuang Zhihao worked together, they couldn't really handle such a large project.

If you involve other people in the work, then it loses its meaning.

“I will not only not compete for it, but I will also use my connections to help him. However, I will absolutely not participate in this project. My requirement for everything else is that we split the profits equally.”

Zhuang Zhihao asked incredulously, "He agreed?"

“He has no choice but to agree. This is a test his father has given him. If he fails, he's finished.”

-

The sky was getting dark.

After having a few drinks with dinner, everyone went back to their rooms.

But as soon as the door opened, Shen Jize stepped out.

"go out."

Shen Jize rebuked him sternly.

Zhuang Zhihao understood, and found the same situation when he opened his own room.

"Go out."

Zhuang Zhihao rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

But the people inside dared not leave.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Jiang will beat us to death."

'Bang'

Shen Jize closed the door without hesitation.

"Let's go look at the stars."

"You certainly have the leisure and inclination."

The two sat back on the island's deck chairs. Although the room lights were off, Shen Jize could still clearly see the person in the room.

"One man and one woman, and I'm open to both meat and vegetables?"

Zhuang Zhihao didn't care. "My room is the same. Jiang Hesheng was just testing me. But the news about your girlfriend in Jiangcheng is all over the place. It is a bit much for him to send a guy to her. But you don't need to worry about it. There are two guys in my room."

Shen Jize choked on his words, and as expected, he didn't care anymore.

"Your sexual orientation is indeed a mystery."

The two didn't continue the topic. "Let's rest for a while. We're heading out to sea tomorrow. We can't afford to be out of energy."

They didn't sleep well that night, and were woken up by the rain before dawn.

"Why is it raining again? We're going out to sea soon, it might not be safe." Zhuang Zhihao's expression was somewhat grave as he listened to the sound of the waves crashing. "It might not be safe to go out to sea soon, we have to be careful."

Shen Jize didn't say anything, but when he boarded the yacht, he didn't let Zhuang Zhihao get on board.

"Ji Ze, what are you doing?"

"Wait for me here. If I don't come back today, remember to come find me in international waters."