Chapter 561

Observing Su Xinghui's expression, Tian Xiaopeng laughed and said, "Mayor Su, you don't need to be so guarded against me; I am not your enemy. How about this: if you agree to this condition, I also guarantee that in the future, when you help me, I will never let you violate Party discipline or state laws, nor will I make you go against your personal principles. That should be acceptable, right?"

Su Xinghui said, "Aren't you afraid that if I agree now, I might go back on my word later?"

This arrangement between them—let's call it a transaction—had no contract, and it was impossible to put it in writing; even if it were written down, no law could protect it. Even if Su Xinghui were to renege later, Tian Xiaopeng would have no recourse.

Tian Xiaopeng said, "I trust Mayor Su's character."

Hearing this, Su Xinghui stared at Tian Xiaopeng for a moment longer, then nodded and said, "Fine, then thank you for your help, Division Chief Tian."

Tian Xiaopeng stood up and smiled, "Alright, I'll be going then. You should urge your people in the city to get to the capital quickly. If you hurry, it's possible to get this project finalized before the New Year."

Watching Tian Xiaopeng's figure walk out of the room, Su Xinghui couldn't help but feel that this whole thing was somewhat unreal. What exactly was Tian Xiaopeng's motive for doing this? Wasn't this working against his own father? His younger brother was also Su Xinghui's sworn enemy.

Just then, Lu Xiaoya arrived. It seemed she had been keeping an eye on the situation here; as soon as Tian Xiaopeng left, she came over.

Lu Xiaoya asked, "Has he left?"

Su Xinghui nodded, "Yes."

Lu Xiaoya asked, "What did he come to see you about?"

Su Xinghui told Lu Xiaoya about Tian Xiaopeng's intentions. Lu Xiaoya was also a bit bewildered: "Is Tian Xiaopeng really that kind-hearted?"

Su Xinghui couldn't quite figure out what kind of game this was either. He said to Lu Xiaoya, "How about this: I'll call Brother Yu and Ruoqiu over to discuss it."

Su Xinghui called Yu Ruizhi, who arrived shortly after with Yu Ruoqiu. Upon hearing Su Xinghui's account, the siblings were also confused; Tian Xiaopeng was not playing by the usual rules.

Yu Ruoqiu said, "How about this: today is Sunday, let's go to my restaurant to eat. Second Brother, you call all your buddies, and we'll all discuss it together."

Yu Ruizhi nodded and called Chu Zheng, Han Xiangdong, and Geng Bo, telling them to go to Yu Ruoqiu's restaurant.

The group gathered at Yu Ruoqiu's private kitchen restaurant. Yu Ruoqiu ordered the kitchen to serve them a table of food. They hadn't been sitting for long before the three of them—Chu Zheng and the others—arrived one after another. Hearing Su Xinghui's story, they all stared at each other in blank confusion.

Yu Ruizhi said, "Bozi, you're a colleague of Tian Xiaopeng's, after all. Why don't you analyze this? Could there be a trap in this?"

Geng Bo frowned and said, "Based on my understanding of Tian Xiaopeng, he isn't that kind-hearted, not to mention his family has a grudge against Xinghui. There's no telling what kind of landmine might be buried in this."

Chu Zheng said, "What kind of landmine could there be? Didn't he promise to stamp the documents? Once he stamps them, that's it. As long as his division's stamp is on there, the stamps from other offices are no problem for us."

Chu Zheng wasn't just bragging; they all had buddies in the Planning Commission, and Geng Bo himself worked there and was a person of real power. People still had to give them that much face, and besides, they didn't need to spend their own money on this project anyway.

Han Xiangdong said, "Could he be lying to Xinghui? He promised to stamp them verbally, but when Xinghui submits the materials, he might refuse to stamp them after all."

Su Xinghui said, "I don't think he would do something so childish, would he? Would he come all the way to my hotel just to do something like that? Is he that idle?"

Yu Ruizhi said, "That's true. He's over thirty and a division-level cadre; doing something like that would be too childish. Besides, there's no need for him to do that. If he wanted to make things difficult for Xinghui, he could just not stamp them. Why bother coming here?"

The group discussed it for a long time without understanding what medicine Tian Xiaopeng was selling in his gourd. Manager Wang began serving the dishes. Chu Zheng was a straightforward person, so he said, "Forget it, don't worry about it so much. No matter what medicine he's selling, we'll just meet the attack with a defense and block the water with earth—we'll deal with whatever comes. Let's eat and drink!"

Han Xiangdong said, "Xiaowu, you still dare to drink? Weren't you scared off last time?"

Chu Zheng said, "I'm not betting on drinks with Xinghui today. Can't I just have a few good drinks with him?"

Su Xinghui laughed, "Sure, let's have a few good drinks today. Don't let that Tian Xiaopeng ruin our mood."

The group happily poured their drinks and began to drink. Yu Ruoqiu also drank yellow wine with Lu Xiaoya.

Su Xinghui asked, "Brother Xiaowu, Brother Monkey, have you two taken any action in the stamp market these past two days?"

Chu Zheng said, "Yes, I've dumped all two million in."

Han Xiangdong also said, "I've invested two million as well. By the way, Bozi also gave me a few tens of thousands to help him speculate on a wave of the market."

Geng Bo nodded, "That's right, with such a good thing, how could I not get in on it?"

Su Xinghui nodded and smiled, "Then congratulations to you all. Just wait to make money!"

The group raised their glasses together and said, "Then we'll toast you in advance—thank you!"

After the meal, Chu Zheng and the others dispersed. Su Xinghui said to Yu Ruizhi, "Brother Yu, please call your father. My article is finished. See when he's free so I can hand it to him."

Yu Ruizhi said, "So fast? You wrote it in one night?"

Su Xinghui said, "These are all things I've actually done; what's difficult about writing them? I just need to put my thoughts down."

Yu Ruizhi nodded, "Alright, I'll call my dad."

Yu Ruizhi made the call and said to Su Xinghui, "My dad wants you to come over now. He's resting at home today."

Yu Ruoqiu said, "Second Brother, then you take Xinghui over. I won't go back; I'll take Xiaoya out to play."

Yu Ruizhi smiled, "You're hiding from Mom, aren't you?"

Yu Ruoqiu pouted, "You know it and you still say it! Is that how a brother should act?"

Yu Ruizhi laughed heartily and took Su Xinghui back to his parents' house.

Yu Yan'an was waiting for Su Xinghui at home. Seeing him arrive, he led Su Xinghui into the study and said with a smile, "Little Su, you finished the article so quickly?"