Chapter 282: What the hell is he doing joining the army!

At 2 p. m., Fortune Peace Restaurant, Little Full Private Room.

The female waiter in a purple cheongsam was going around changing bone china plates for customers.

But because of a moment's carelessness, she soiled the pant leg of the round-faced, middle-aged man with oily hair who was seated to the left of the host.

She hurriedly apologized: "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to, I'll wipe it clean for you right now."

The round-faced middle-aged man waved his hand generously: "It's fine, no problem, anyway it needs washing."

Seeing that the other party didn't pursue it, the private room's female waiter finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, she distributed the steamed bowls brought up by the food server to everyone one by one.

When she reached the round-faced middle-aged man, he curiously asked.

"Little girl, how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"Part-time job?"

"Yes."

"How much can you earn in a month?"

"Around fifteen or sixteen hundred, sixty a day."

The round-faced middle-aged man asked a few simple questions, then took out six hundred from his bag and gave it to the waitress as a tip.

The waitress was flabbergasted, her eyes blinking rapidly; she never dreamed that, after always making mistakes on the job and having her wages deducted for saluting, she would one day receive a tip from a customer.

"Alright, you don't need to serve here for now; we want to talk privately, go outside and rest a bit."

"Thank you, boss."

The private room door closed again; the man seated at the host seat gave him a thumbs-up: "Manager Zhao truly lives up to his name—no wonder your water heating equipment business has grown so large; just based on your character, you're definitely worth making close friends with."

Zhao Xiong waved his hand: "Ah, I'm just small-time; how could I compare to your Golden Peacock? In Jinling's renovation market, you're absolutely top-notch, damn impressive."

He rubbed his forehead, shook his head, and sighed: "Seeing this little girl, I can't help but think of my daughter studying away at university; at such a young age she can support herself, truly sensible."

"Your daughter, which university does she attend?"

"Mountain City."

"Oh wow, what a coincidence—my son also studies at a university in Mountain City!"

The decoration company boss seated at the host seat slapped the table, feeling they really hit it off.

Although they had been introduced by someone and had only met twice in total.

But overall, he felt they had an instant rapport and could become close friends.

The atmosphere at the table grew more harmonious as they talked; seeing that the food and conversation were about done, Zhao Xiong began to ask: "Manager Zheng, how do you feel about today's arrangements? Are they adequate?"

"Adequate, adequate, and the chat was pleasant." The man called Manager Zheng wiped his mouth, smiling as he inquired: "However, regarding the fine-fit finishing for Hengyuan International Estate's supporting facilities, when do you think we can finalize it as soon as possible?"

"I have over a dozen project managers and dozens of construction crews on hand; they can mobilize at any time; I guarantee the schedule will only be advanced, never delayed."

Zhao Xiong replied: "How about tomorrow? I've arranged a gathering; tomorrow I'll have a meal with the vice president of Strong Prosperous City Construction Group to nail down the details. Then we'll go through the bidding accompaniment process; once the contract is signed, you can move in immediately."

Manager Zheng's face broke into an uncontainable smile upon hearing the guarantee.

Although, in neighboring Gold Hill, he was still considered a somewhat well-known decoration company boss.

But in his daily dealings, he mostly encountered small investors; occasionally there were a few large villas, and taking on commercial projects was already considered making money.

But for a project like this—doing the fine-fit finishing for an entire estate's first-phase construction, covering hundreds or even thousands of households—the profit was something he dared not even imagine.

The construction standard for fine-fit housing follows that of commercial projects; details don't need to be as meticulous as regular home decoration, and minor flaws are acceptable.

Not only is the delivery rate high and the rework rate low, but the profit margin is enough to match several years of his diligent work.

Actually, before coming, he had also harbored some doubts, thinking that a free lunch couldn't fall from the sky.

But after interacting with Zhao Xiong and the local building materials and home furnishings bosses present, he changed his mind.

He had also been in the industry for decades, confident in his ability to read people; this group was courteous and proper, looking like legitimate businessmen no matter how you viewed them.

Especially this Zhao Xiong; his water heating equipment enjoys a good local reputation, and his personal qualities are all-round excellent.

Most importantly, his son and her daughter both attend the same university in Mountain City; who knows, they might become in-laws in the future.

Therefore, Manager Zheng naturally believed that the other party sought him out because Golden Peacock Decoration Company's reputation was solid.

Besides that, there were also some special circumstances that couldn't be spoken of openly, making it impossible to hire a local decoration company to handle them.

Hiring him, an outsider, actually made coordination easier and came with no reservations.

Watching Manager Zheng lost in the beautiful dream of soon reaping massive orders and huge wealth.

Zhao Xiong took a sip of tea, his gaze unintentionally making contact with the other bosses at the table.

At that moment, a boss selling wooden flooring spoke up: "Manager Zhao, this meal is your arrangement; later, can I take charge of the second round? Then we'll go together to take a bath, get our backs beaten, and play some cards—how does that sound?"

"Speaking of cards, I recall that the vice president of Strong Prosperous City Construction Group loves to play cards, but does he play big or small?"

"Ah, small gambling nurtures sentiment; big gambling harms the body; playing a little is harmless and refined."

"That's right, that's right."

Zhao Xiong casually remarked: "Manager Zheng, if you can keep everyone happy at the card table, the contract could be wrapped up in as little as a week. Then, once you secure the first-phase project, thousands of households will start construction together."

"Good grief, I'm afraid the local decoration company bosses in Gold Hill will find out and their eyes will turn red with envy; by then we could even follow behind you to sip some soup."

Manager Zheng was almost being lifted to the heavens, his smile so wide his mouth couldn't close.

He was completely unaware that this was a carefully orchestrated scam targeting him.

After the meal ended, Zhao Xiong had the others take Manager Zheng to the second round first, while he stayed behind to settle the bill.

The so-called second round was specifically to build confidence in this fat sheep; at the card table, they would join forces to deliberately lose a bit, making him feel his card skills were superb and luck was on his side.

After tasting the sweetness, tomorrow would be the time to slaughter the sheep; the earlier Ding Yongxin had been lured in step by step in exactly this way.

As long as they kept using that business and contract as bait, once his eyes turned red with loss, he would dare to pour all his wealth into it.

"Waiter, check please. Pack up these leftovers; I'll take them home to feed the dog."

"The money's been paid, take a look."

Zhao Xiong, with a toothpick in his mouth, was about to leave when the cashier caught up to him and told him the amount was wrong.

"I was in a private room earlier and already gave your server six hundred in advance so she could prepay the meal; why didn't she tell you?"

"Huh, does that happen?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, you even hire these sneaky thieves; hurry up and open it. They're not old, full of rotten tricks, and when they switched the plates they even stained my trousers. I didn't cause trouble for your hotel, that's already pretty good!"

Zhao Xiong let out a snort, arrogantly hoisting the big and small bags of leftover food, intending to take them back for the staff's extra meals.

He got into the Land Rover Range Rover that he had procured from Ding Yongxin, and just as he was about to start his phone, it rang suddenly.

The call was from a subordinate who handled errands for him.

"What is it?"

"Bad news, boss—Da Zhuang and the others got caught!"

"Caught them, so what?"

Zhao Xiong, indifferent, brushed his hair in the rearview mirror and said, "Provoking trouble, they'd be out in ten days to half a month; otherwise why would I hire a bunch of people who've been in prison? Isn't that exactly the job they do?"

Subordinate: "But boss, he—he turned you in. Earlier, the police came to the shop looking for you, and they were accompanied by a soldier."

"Damn!"

Zhao Xiong slammed a fist onto the steering wheel and cursed.

Back then, it was because I liked the "Loyalty and Righteousness" characters tattooed on Liu Da Zhuang's neck, never expecting him to be a traitor.

"Police coming is one thing, what's up with the soldier thing?"

"I just went to Ding Yongxin's father's house to investigate, asked the neighbors; Da Zhuang and his crew, for reasons unknown, stabbed two soldiers with a knife, one of whom had just earned a merit and was a convalescing active‑duty officer."

"Damn his mother, sending him to collect debts—why did he mess with soldiers, and he even messed with two of them!?"

Zhao Xiong knows the law, otherwise he wouldn't dare to be so brazen in testing the limits.

Ordinary provocation, as long as no one is hurt, only results in detention.

For those ex‑convicts, it's like playing around.

That's also why ordinary folks don't dare to provoke them; honest people fear the endless retaliation and harassment.

Publicly assaulting a soldier, using a weapon, not only stabbing the person but also involving a decorated active‑duty officer with injuries; this damn thing definitely carries a sentence of over three years, under seven years.

Moreover, with the troops involved, police case‑handling efficiency will skyrocket; soldiers are mostly hot‑tempered and fiercely protective of their own, so if this matter isn't settled with a proper explanation, it definitely won't end peacefully.