Chapter 1500: The Old Fox Was Almost Angered to Death 3

Once he became Village Chief, he could fulfill his dream in another way, and without violating his original oath—killing two birds with one stone!

Huo Zhenteng continued, "Your Gu Family cuisine has been passed down for over a hundred years, but Dingsheng Group deals in real estate, steel, clothing—oh, and they also dabble in health supplements, education... with so many industries to keep busy with, they are swamped with work; do they even have time to manage such a tiny Resort?"

"But I am different. I also started out as a cook, and like you, I have a passion for cooking; making money is secondary."

"My main goal is to bring the dishes to their ultimate potential, host more food festivals, and keep them going year after year; I will definitely develop the Resort into the greatest resort."

"You saw this year's food festival yourself; the response was huge. If the Resort falls into my hands, I will make it even better than it was under your management. But it's different in the hands of Dingsheng Group. Will they put the food first? Your brother-in-law doesn't have time to manage those things either; will his subordinates listen to you?"

"A businessman's goal is primarily profit, unlike you and me, who both started as cooks..."

Huo Zhenteng had a silver tongue and was very persuasive; in just a few sentences, he turned black into white.

He framed taking advantage of a crisis as offering help in a time of need.

He framed wanting to seize a huge benefit as being like-minded.

And Sheng Hanyu, who sincerely wanted to help Chen Family Village, was misrepresented by him as just playing around!

Gu Zhihao was already soft-hearted, and with such an obvious matter presented this way by Huo Zhenteng, he began to waver again.

"Let me think..."

"Brother Gu, don't think about it. In normal times, thinking for three days and three nights would be fine, but now the vote is about to start. The villagers, just like you, have been blinded by superficial benefits. Once the voting starts in a moment, there will be no room for maneuver."

On the surface, he was "thinking" for Gu Zhihao and Chen Family Village, but in reality, he was more anxious than anyone.

Gu Zhihao considered it for three minutes, then finally slapped his thigh: "Chairman Huo, you're right. Oh my, why didn't I think of that?"

"It's not too late to think about it now. The villagers have to listen to you. End the bidding now; while the voting stage hasn't started yet, you can just announce that I'm the contractor."

Although Gu Zhihao was persuaded by him, he hadn't reached the point of losing his mind.

He didn't agree immediately, but said: "That won't work. I can't be a dictator. I have to discuss it with everyone. Even if I am the Village Chief, everyone has to agree."

Discuss?

If you discuss this kind of thing, it's a lost cause.

Who is Huo Zhenteng?

He saw through human nature very thoroughly, and he objected: "Brother, you're right, this kind of thing should be discussed. But, a household with a thousand mouths still needs one person in charge. Chen Family Village now has over a thousand people, which means over a thousand heads, and there will be over a thousand ideas."

"Everyone has an idea; when would we ever finish discussing?"

"Besides, a company as big as Dingsheng Group—their Chairman coming here to participate in the bidding is out of respect for you, brother. But the man is swamped with work; can he come again next time?"

"Even if the deal doesn't go through, there's still goodwill, but if you tear your face off in front of so many people, the respect between relatives will be gone. How will you get along in the future?"

"It's better if you just decline their good intentions; they can also use this as a graceful exit. This way, everyone saves face. Don't hesitate, let's decide it this way..."

This "considerate" rhetoric of his moved Gu Zhihao to tears.

Gu Zhihao made up his mind: "Right, Big Brother, you're right. Then I'll go announce it."

"Go ahead, announce it."

Huo Zhenteng barely suppressed the joy in his heart and said to Gu Zhihao: "Don't worry, if I really make money after getting out of this slump, I won't treat the fellow villagers poorly."

"Mm, I believe you!"

He believed everyone.

Just as Gu Zhihao was about to enter the venue, he was pulled back; it was his wife, Shi Yuke.

"What was he looking for you to say just now?"

He didn't hide anything from his wife, so he recounted the conversation they had just had.

Shi Yuke immediately got anxious: "Oh my, are you stupid? Why are you so stupid? How did I end up marrying such a blockhead..." Shi Yuke was furious, her finger poking his forehead.

"What's wrong with me? What he said makes sense." He still felt very aggrieved.

"Makes sense my foot! Let me ask you, of all those big promises he made, is there a single concrete one?"

"Is there a contract? Does he dare to put it down in black and white?"

Gu Zhihao shook his head: "No."

"See, that's it. Everything he said is something you can see but can't touch. If it's not written in a contract, it's nothing. Only a fool like you would be led by the nose by him." Gu Zhihao was scolded by his wife and woke up.

"Oh my, thanks to your reminder. Then what should I do?"

Shi Yuke whispered instructions in her husband's ear, and only then did Gu Zhihao beam with joy. He hugged his wife and kissed her on the cheek: "My good wife, how much virtue did I accumulate in my past life to be able to marry you? You really are my wise helper."

"Oh, someone is watching. We're an old married couple, what are you doing?" Shi Yuke blushed.

Gu Zhihao returned to the venue, and the voting stage had already begun.

The villagers each had a vote and were ready to cast them. At this moment, he suddenly stood up and interrupted everyone: "Wait, don't vote yet. I think Chairman Huo Zhenteng is more suitable for our Resort. Let's just all vote for him."

Huo Zhenteng:...

What is this situation?

This is not what he said at the beginning.

He had told Gu Zhihao to announce him as the contractor directly; that way, he would get the benefits, and everyone's dissatisfaction would be directed at Gu Zhihao.

But this guy was soliciting votes in public?

Is he a pig?

The result of doing this is that the power is still in the hands of the villagers, and soliciting votes in public is a blatant violation of the rules. He might even be treated as an accomplice and have his eligibility for the election canceled directly.

Although if he were disqualified, he wouldn't be wronged; after all, he was the one who instigated all of this.

The villagers were in an uproar. Everyone didn't understand why the Village Chief would do this.

But no one would think he was doing it for himself, because the Chairman of Dingsheng Group was his brother-in-law; both publicly and privately, he should have been leaning more toward his brother-in-law.

Everyone asked the Village Chief for his reasons.

So Gu Zhihao repeated everything Huo Zhenteng had said to him privately in the office in front of everyone. The villagers' discussions grew even louder.

Some felt what he said made sense, while others felt it was just empty promises with no practical significance. Everything was just as Huo Zhenteng had said; it was indeed impossible to reach a clear conclusion through discussion.

Everyone, quiet down, quiet down.

Gu Zhihao asked everyone to be quiet, and he said to Huo Zhenteng, "Chairman Huo, look at what you said back then, asking us to accompany you through the low points together, and that when money was being made, you would give everyone a handsome dividend. How much is 'handsome'? There must be a ratio, right? Should this clause be written into the contract?"

Uh!