Chapter 816: I Don't Believe It

"This year in early spring, I had the honor of drinking with you alongside Qu Erbo from the county," Yuan Hongbiao said, bowing and scraping with a fawning smile, looking extremely humble.

"Oh!" Qi Damin gave a look of sudden realization. "So you're a friend of Old Second Qu. How did you end up here?"

"This is my home," Yuan Hongbiao blurted out. "Zhou Andong is my nephew."

Qi Damin was stunned for a moment, but immediately reacted. His indifferent expression instantly turned warm.

"So you're Chairman Zhou's uncle! Then we really are all one family."

"That's right!" Yuan Hongbiao laughed heartily, taking charge of the situation. "You must have come to see Dongzi about something, right? Come, let's go inside and talk!"

Qi Damin didn't think much of it, because the information they had gathered was that Zhou Andong's maternal family was surnamed Yuan, and that couldn't be wrong.

"This must be Chairman Zhou, right? I've long admired your great name." Qi Damin reached out his hand.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Yuan Hongbiao slapped his forehead. "Look at me, I was so happy I forgot to introduce you. Dongzi, this is Qi Damin, General Manager of the Wenxin Construction Company in Qishi."

Zhou Andong was very dissatisfied with Yuan Hongbiao, but he didn't show it on his face. He shook hands with Qi Damin: "Hello, General Manager Qi!"

"Let's go, let's go!" Yuan Hongbiao made a gesture of invitation. "It's so hot out here, let's go inside to talk."

Zhou Andong frowned again, but quickly smoothed it out: "General Manager Qi, please, let's go inside."

"Good!"

Initially, Qi Damin had been very worried, thinking on the way over about how to deal with Zhou Andong and close the distance between them.

But he never expected that upon arrival, there would be someone volunteering to acknowledge a father figure, and this "son" happened to be Zhou Andong's uncle.

*Damn it, * Qi Damin cursed silently. Luck had arrived, and even a city wall couldn't stop it; it looked like this matter had a real chance today.

Because there were so many people, Qi Damin hadn't noticed at first, but upon entering the room, he suddenly saw Seeing Jian Qiu and was stunned, his heart skipping a beat.

*Damn, this woman is too beautiful. * But when he saw the intimate tone Seeing Jian Qiu used while speaking to Zhou Andong, it felt like he'd been struck on the back of the head with a club.

He immediately recalled the rumors circulating in the underworld after Ma Huangshang was executed, and all the inappropriate thoughts in his heart vanished without a trace.

"Chairman Zhou!" Qi Damin reached out to one of his followers and took a small gift bag. "This is our first meeting; please accept this small token of my respect."

Zhou Andong smiled and refused: "General Manager Qi, I cannot accept a reward without merit. You know my uncle, so we aren't outsiders. If you have something to say, just say it."

Qi Damin placed the gift bag on a low cabinet; since he had brought it, there was no way he was taking it back.

"Chairman Zhou, I came here this time to discuss the construction project for the shopping plaza and the high-rise residential buildings."

Zhou Andong nodded: "Go on!"

Qi Damin continued: "We are a company with real strength and rich experience. The Medical Building and the Guanghe Market were both built by our company.

If you hand the project over to our company, we will be responsible for the demolition work, and I guarantee there won't be any trouble."

Zhou Andong said: "General Manager Qi, it's too early to talk about this, because I have only reached a preliminary agreement with Qishi."

"No, no, no!" Qi Damin shook his head: "Since a preliminary agreement has been reached, the time until the formal signing of documents won't be long. Talking about this issue now is actually just right.

As long as you agree, I will make preparations when I return. Once you sign the contract, we can start the demolition work, and I guarantee it will be finished by the end of the year. We can start construction next spring."

Zhou Andong smiled: "General Manager Qi, let me say something you might not like to hear. I have always believed that business is business and personal relationships are personal relationships. As for your company, I cannot just take your word for its actual strength.

Furthermore, this is an investment of over a billion; I certainly cannot just take your word for it and hand over such a large project. Otherwise, that would be irresponsible to myself, to the Group, and to all our employees.

And about the demolition, Mayor Meng promised that the city would be responsible for it. If you have the ability to take this job from his hands, I don't mind. In any case, I am just the one paying; who does the work has nothing to do with me."

Qi Damin hadn't expected Zhou Andong to be so blunt. He hadn't said a flat refusal, but the meaning was clear: you aren't qualified.

Yuan Hongbiao laughed heartily: "Dongzi, Damin-ge isn't an outsider. And there's Big Brother Sun Hexin and Second Brother Sun Hewen, who are even more prominent figures. If you hand the project to them, it will certainly..."

Yuan Hongbiao suddenly saw Zhou Andong's icy gaze and swallowed the rest of his words, laughing awkwardly. He felt extremely resentful, blaming Zhou Andong for not giving him face and making him lose face in front of Qi Damin.

Qi Damin immediately understood that this uncle, Yuan Hongbiao, had no face in front of Zhou Andong, so he adjusted his strategy immediately.

"Chairman Zhou, I think you misunderstood." Qi Damin smiled: "I'm not asking to take the entire project, just a part of it—a few residential buildings would be fine."

A few? In Zhou Andong's eyes, he wouldn't give them even one. Companies like theirs were full of problems, and they would do anything for money.

Cutting corners was the norm, and who had the time and energy to watch them constantly? If he was negligent and they found a loophole, and a problem occurred, it wouldn't just be a matter of money, but the company's reputation. How could he take such a risk?

"Let's not talk about this for now. After I formally reach an agreement with the city, we can talk again, okay?"

Qi Damin frowned, then smiled slightly: "Alright then. I've bothered you, Chairman Zhou."

This guy stood up: "I'll head back first, and we'll talk again when the time comes."

Zhou Andong stood up and said very politely: "You've come such a long way, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I'll arrange something for tonight, and we can drink before you go."

Qi Damin refused: "I have some things to attend to in the city, so I must go back. When you have time, I'll be the host, and we must drink until we're both drunk."

"Definitely!" Zhou Andong saw Qi Damin to the gate and shook hands with him again: "See you again!"

"See you again!"

Qi Damin got into the car. Before one of the three followers got into the car, he gave Zhou Andong a meaningful look, clearly carrying a threatening tone.

"Ha!" Zhou Andong laughed, pointed his finger at the guy, and turned back into the courtyard.

"Take care, Damin-ge." Yuan Hongbiao waved his hand, bowing and scraping.

Watching the car disappear into the alley, Yuan Hongbiao let out a long sigh, then returned to the room and said to Zhou Andong in a very earnest tone:

"Dongzi, you handled this too rashly. What difference does it make who gets the project? Have you thought about the consequences of offending the Sun brothers? Do you believe that once you start construction, trouble will keep coming to your door?"

Zhou Andong lifted his eyelids and said coldly: "I don't believe it!"