Chapter 498 The Black Tooth Dog is More Cunning Than I Thought
When I arrived at Mr. Chen's office, Lao Xiao was already there. As usual, Secretary Ma came in to make tea, placed it on the coffee table, and then quietly left, closing the door.
Mr. Chen mumbled something. Lao Xiao then reported on his work:
"For the development of Lot 3, we quickly established a project headquarters and moved into Nanli Town. Currently, all work is progressing smoothly. There are two things that need to be confirmed.
The first thing was the name of the community. We tried names like "Mianxiu Nanli," "Taijuli," and "Nanfengli."
The town leaders said that since the best middle school was located there, they hoped we could create a connection between the school and culture. We then chose the name "Fenghua Community."
Everyone thought the name was either too old-fashioned, or not elegant or grand. We thought Fenghua Community was okay, as it implies youth and prosperity. But someone said it wasn't loud enough.
I asked, “What was this place used for?”
Old Xiao said, "Historically, it was a small commercial street. It mainly produced quilts and was populated by cotton-fluffing shops. Later, as the town moved south, it gradually became deserted and deserted. Older people called it "Tanhua Lane," but younger people don't even know its name."
"Danhua Lane." I kept repeating these four words. Suddenly, I slapped my thigh and said, "I got it."
Mr. Chen and Lao Xiao were startled by this sudden slap.
I said, "Tanhua Lane is named after the homophone of 'Tanhua', which means 'Tanhua'."
After saying that, I found a pen and paper and wrote down the two words "Tanhua".
Mr. Chen and Lao Xiao were both shocked.
Mr. Chen said, "It's a good name, with a history, and it's closely related to running a school. So we named it 'Tanhuali Community'."
Lao Xiao was so happy that he slammed the table and said, "I have found it without any effort after searching for it for a long time."
Mr. Chen said, "Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. This name is perfect. I'm not afraid of not being able to sell this house."
I said, "I'll contact the school. If they've ever produced top-three students in the province in both arts and science, I suggest they change their name to 'Tanhua Middle School.'"
Lao Xiao said, "I'm afraid this might be a little difficult. I'll give it a try."
Mr. Chen asked, “What other work needs to be studied?”
Lao Xiao said, "We've written a plan for the groundbreaking ceremony. I'll ask you to approve it before we proceed. I won't discuss this further."
The second thing is the situation with the Black Tooth Dog. We have fully investigated it. Shanhong, I have already reported this to General Manager Chen. Now, let me introduce it to you."
I nodded.
"Black Tooth Dog, whose real name is Qiao Bin, is forty years old and a high school graduate. He enjoys writing and drawing. Because he's frail and can't do any heavy work, and he's unwilling to endure hardship, he became a local reporter.
In the past, journalists were very popular. He had correspondent certificates and special correspondent certificates from many newspapers. In the Nanli area, people called him "Reporter Qiao."
He loved writing and making friends with newspaper editors, so he became a full-time correspondent. He often reported on good deeds in the countryside. Later, some organizations also asked him to write articles, and he gradually became a local celebrity.
So, at first, he was a good guy. But as society and the economy developed, he became a bad person. Nanli had many coal mines, and accidents were common. Qiao Bin saw a lucrative opportunity and was always the first to rush to the scene.
When a safety accident occurs, both the mine and the town are afraid to report it. Black Tooth Dog takes advantage of this weakness and blackmails the mine and the mayor.
The mine and the town followed the principle of making a big deal out of a small one and a small deal out of nothing. They had to settle the matter privately with him.
After understanding the tricks involved, he organized a huge network of local reporters. Whenever there was a scandal, they would exchange information with each other and rush over together.
They even colluded with some bad journalists from official newspapers, claiming to be righteous and exposing evil, but in reality they were enriching themselves.
I asked, "Can I report him if he accepts money?"
Lao Xiao said: "He is very cunning and won't accept money. The so-called private settlement means that the mine, the town, and other relevant parties will take care of him in other matters.
For example, if he clearly didn't have a construction license but was still referring someone to a construction project, wouldn't the town object? He had some leverage over them, so they had no choice but to assign some of the projects to the people he had introduced.
He also approached those who wanted to grant land for building a house or to do business at the mine. This made him a powerful figure.
I said, "I see. He doesn't collect money directly from the mine. Instead, he receives money from the town. Those he has helped give him money."
Lao Xiao said, "Yes, he is a cunning fox. Ever since reporter Guo came to Shangzhou, the two of them have colluded with each other and become the embodiment of justice. They have become even more domineering and tyrannical."
As soon as I arrived in Nanli, he came to me and asked me to take care of a relative of his in the sand and pebble business. After he left, the mayor called me and interceded for him on the sand and pebble matter.
When I saw that both people mentioned the same name, I knew that although the mayor didn't mention Black Tooth Dog's name, he was actually pleading for Black Tooth Dog."
Mr. Chen said, "Old Xiao has reported these situations to me. Shanhong, what do you think?"
I took a sip of tea and said:
"We can't get into a fight with the town. We have to rely on the locals for many things. I guess the mayor is just giving a routine greeting and is being coerced by the Black Fang Dog.
This matter can be analyzed on two levels. I had a conversation with reporter Guo. He's easier to control. After all, he works for a company. I'll talk about him later.
Right now, it's this Qiao Bin Black-toothed Dog. He doesn't actually rely on Reporter Guo; he's just using Reporter Guo's banner as a cover."
Lao Xiao asked: "Can he personally control the situation?"
"Yes. There are so many media outlets these days, and self-media is quite developed. He can just pick on us or the town and manipulate public opinion, which will make things complicated. If we give in to him, he'll just keep pushing it further."
If he is a person who truly advocates for the people, I admire him. But if he is a person who uses justice as a pretext for personal gain, he must be eradicated.
The reason why Nanli's economy is lagging behind is because there are too many people like Black Fang Dog. So my suggestion is: destroy him."
Mr. Chen asked, "Cripple him?"
"Yes. He is blackmailing others, so how can he be clean? We must give him a taste of his own medicine. There is no need to hesitate. We must cut the Gordian knot."
Then I told him my plan.
Mr. Chen said, "Okay, Lao Xiao, just cooperate with Shanhong."
After the meeting, Lao Xiao and I stood up and left. Mr. Chen stopped me and said:
"By the way, I want the logistics department to send up the keys to the car you used to drive." After saying that, he made a phone call.
I said, "Tell the logistics department to send it to 1701."
After leaving Mr. Chen's office, I opened 1701 and went over the plan with Lao Xiao. Lao Xiao offered a few additional suggestions, and it was basically watertight.
At this time, someone from logistics delivered the key.
Lao Xiao said: "By the way, why don't you just give me the key and I'll send it to you next time."
I went down to the underground garage, got my car, and drove home. I called Xiang Sanqiu and asked him to meet me the next day.
When he heard that, he said, "How about tomorrow night? Let's go to my hometown in the countryside for dinner. You and Mr. Shen have been there before."
I said, "Okay. Don't call anyone else, just you, me, and Lao Xiao."
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