Chapter 585: Miscellaneous Talk

Everyone was trying to find ways to get closer to Lan Si. Those of his generation and those of a higher generation all wanted to be closer to Lan Si.

Holding the operating rights to the casinos, plus the companies plundered from the Koda family, Lan Si had already become one of the rule-makers of this city.

And they, too, would join the privileged class because of Lan Si.

This was a core driving force. People would gather around Lan Si to realize a better future, be driven by him, and work for him.

If Lan Si was the root of this interest group, then these people were the branches spreading out from the interest group, and they were also an indispensable part.

Some people who were continuing on the path to success, but had gone further than others, would tell those latecomers not to have too many people in the company who had risen through nepotism.

Uncles, aunts, younger brothers, younger sisters, all kinds of relatives—don't let them appear in the company, and certainly don't let them appear in management.

The more people said this, the more people believed it. In the end, some people could have solved problems very easily, but they still used the most troublesome way to hire people from the outside to work for them.

Perhaps behind their backs, they would still feel... I'm doing this to avoid trouble in the future, thereby ignoring some problems that might be overlooked by everyone.

Family-style enterprises are often very rapid in the early stages of development; driven by core interests, everyone will exert all their strength.

Everyone longs to change their own life and the fate of their family through hard work, everyone working together.

The problem that truly makes them stop and settle for pleasure lies in the fact that the leader can no longer provide them with higher goals, nor can they allow them to realize more self-worth!

If a company is a country, then when this country is constantly expanding outward to gain more land, wealth, and population, they are all tightly united from top to bottom.

Everything will reflect a terrifying efficiency and execution, because they have goals and the ability to achieve them.

But if the monarch of this country no longer takes external expansion as a goal and begins to lie on their laurels to enjoy everything obtained in the past, then people who have lost their goals will place their goals on fighting for power and profit.

A department head of a company, in the absence of the company's intention to expand outward, cannot take the initiative to say they want to develop new things; they can only place their goals on how to climb higher.

Therefore, the biggest dilemma in the development of family-style enterprises is not nepotism, but the lack of goals.

Lan Si is not afraid of this happening, because his goals are still very grand, not enough to make these people stop and think about internal power struggles.

They will spend their whole lives running forward with their arms swinging.

As long as they don't stop for a day, the problems encountered by those "people who have been there" will not be encountered by him for a day.

Everyone also highly recognized the goodwill released by Lan Si. As long as they were willing to work and weren't idiots, Lan Si was willing to give them some opportunities.

Like company managers, department heads—Lan Si wouldn't be stingy with these.

But he also made his attitude clear, which was that if someone couldn't do their job, Lan Si would also replace them.

Everyone understood this and had no resistance to it.

As they chatted, dinner also began. Everyone sat at the edges of those long tables, their faces full of satisfied smiles.

This gathering was in William's villa, so William sat at the head of the table. At another table specially prepared for the ladies, Emily also sat at the head of the table with a smile on her face.

Lan Si sat in the first seat on William's right.

The Lawrence family were all devout believers; pure-blooded Americans were all believers. Many years ago, being a believer wasn't just a matter of faith, but also a matter of stance.

After everyone conducted a prayer under William's leadership, they could finally start eating.

Those children didn't understand how complex the adults' world was; what they cared about was always just those small change, and the large pieces of roast meat on the table.

The ladies were chatting about more fashionable topics, mainly hosted by Emily. She chatted about social life in high society and the small social circles she participated in with Mrs. Williams.

The men's side was chatting about broader, macro issues.

"... Lan Si, what is your view on the issue of the garrison?"

As they chatted, everyone naturally talked about the marriage between Lan Si and Patricia.

"There is indeed no free time during this period. After July, once all the casinos reopen, we can hold an engagement ceremony first."

The one who asked him the question was Bennett. Bennett had a certain status in the Lawrence family; he was Barbara's uncle.

He was also a civil servant and a lawyer. These two identities destined him to be different from ordinary family members, and also different from ordinary civil servants.

He worked in the City Community Development Department at City Hall. Recently, because of Lan Si, he had gained an opportunity for promotion and was currently the third-ranking official in the department.

The work in this office was relatively miscellaneous, relating to city planning, the formulation of social welfare for residents, and also dealing with enterprises.

They could require enterprises to provide more job positions for community residents, thereby meeting the basic survival needs of the residents.

This was a department that could be very strong, but could also be very weak; it depended on whether the specific person had their own energy and background.

Ordinary civil servants in this kind of department were punching bags; citizens would spray them, capitalists would spray them, and even their superiors would spray them.

But if it was that kind of person with a background, then this was definitely a department for quickly achieving political results.

Everyone was eating while paying attention to the questions here.

Although Lan Si was young, no one would really treat him as a "child."

Lan Si used a fork to strip the beef from the beef ribs while saying, "This is a good thing!"

"I noticed that many people in the city are very worried about whether the Navy's stationing here will bring some negative impacts to our city. After all, there are some rumors in some places that really make people feel uneasy."

"But we cannot conclude that the garrison is bad because of this."

"Gentlemen, if there were suddenly 80,000 to 100,000, or even 150,000 to 200,000 people with purchasing power in this city, do you think it would be a good thing or a bad thing for this place?"

The income of military personnel is not low. Lan Si had learned a little about it; even a new recruit's income was 95 dollars.

Like those veterans, their basic monthly income was over 120 dollars, and with tens of thousands or over a hundred thousand people, there must be quite a few officers.

The income of those officers was even higher.

This didn't include various subsidies; if those were counted, their income was indeed not low!

At the same time, their wages came from federal military appropriations, not from the output of this city.

It was impossible for them to never leave the barracks here. As long as they had the opportunity to leave the barracks, such a prosperous city would definitely have consumption.

If everyone spent half of their monthly income in the city, then that would be a new market of 5 million!

This was much more than what Lan Si had predicted at the beginning!

At the same time, building a naval base and a military port was also a major project; the job positions generated would be enough to change Jincheng's economic depression.

This was a great thing!

Lan Si shared his thoughts with everyone, which indeed made quite a few people fall into thought.

William asked with a slight frown at this time, "But we also cannot ignore the destruction the military might bring to the local area. This is a problem!"

Military crimes are handled by military courts, and military courts are the military's own judicial institutions; in other words, it equals "I judge myself."

Unless it was a very heinous case, basically it was all "raised high and put down lightly."

The Federation had experienced more than one vicious military-related case before, but in the end, those that could be covered up were covered up tightly, and those that couldn't be covered up weren't judged strictly. Many people were sentenced to two or three years and could continue to serve after coming out; it was simply unheard of.

But from the military's perspective, it seemed that all of this wasn't so incomprehensible.

After all, the soldiers were truly risking their lives for them. Now that they had made a small mistake, the military had also paid money; what else did they want?

Those young guys full of energy they couldn't vent might have made a small mistake; they couldn't just hold onto this small mistake they made and not let go.

What they did, compared to their dedication in the military and the pain they needed to endure, actually didn't count for anything.

And when it came down to it, in the end, the generals needed the soldiers to obey them; this was the core!

So everyone feared them more than they respected them!

After Lan Si finished listening, he also nodded, "This is indeed a problem. If they really mess around, I will find a way." After he ended this topic, someone suddenly asked, "Lan Si, it's said outside... that you have some connection with Congress?"

Everyone's movements stopped all at once, and they all stared at Lan Si without blinking.

Congress was too far away for a civil servant in a city. Even when they pretended not to see their wives' resentful eyes at night and curled up in bed, they couldn't imagine such a scene when they drifted into dreamland.

To be able to know the gentlemen in Congress—how lucky would one have to be to have this honor?

If Lan Si knew the gentlemen in Congress...

Just thinking about it made people feel excited!

The potential of their Lawrence family would probably go up several levels.

With so many eyes focused on him, Lan Si didn't feel stage fright. He nodded calmly, used a fork to roll a piece of tender beef in the sauce, and then placed it back on his plate with a spoon underneath.

"Yes."

"But for some reasons, it's not convenient for me to tell you his name, but you might be able to guess some of it."

Some people still had doubts on their faces, but some had already suddenly realized!

William and Bennett looked at each other, and both saw the understanding in each other's eyes.

【Author's note: Content is being checked!】

Senator Cleveland.

Why guess this person?

Because Lan Si only had the opportunity to contact him!

What was circulating outside was that Congressman Williams and Senator Cleveland knew each other, so it was possible that it was at that time that Lan Si connected with this congressional celebrity.

Thinking of this, those who knew introduced it in low voices to those who didn't, and everyone's expressions became excited!

William even raised his wine glass, "I suggest let's have a drink for Lan Si!"

Who could refuse this reason?

The men raised their wine glasses one after another. The future path of the Lawrence family was stable!

If one were to say who was the most excited at this moment, it was William. Perhaps he would have the opportunity to run for mayor!

But soon this thought disappeared from his mind. He had never been dissatisfied with being a Federalist, but at this moment, he felt that this was truly a terrible thing, damn it.

The Federalist Party couldn't give him too much help in running for mayor, and Likalai State wasn't the inherent territory of the Federalist Party; their territory was in the northwest direction.

Suddenly, the mellow wine that had been fragrant became a bit bitter.

But it didn't matter. There were Socialists in the family, and there were also Liberals. If they could become mayor, the effect... would actually be the same.

Lan Si chatted about quite a few things, such as the potential for the city's subsequent development, such as his thoughts on the transformation of the Imperial District. These also provided everyone with quite a few ideas and information.

Especially the issue of restarting the construction of the New Port District after Congressman Williams took office. Knowing these news half a year in advance allowed them to occupy the opportunity more quickly and effectively than others in some work!

Everyone ate the meal very satisfactorily.

In the evening, the "guests" left the villa, and the villa, which had been lively all night, suddenly became quiet.

After Lan Si and Patricia washed up and lay in bed, after a short and intense exercise, the two were now hugging each other and chatting.

Under the cool moonlight, they didn't feel bored. Patricia's satin-like skin glowed with fluorescence in the moonlight, making one unable to put it down.

Lan Si smelled the natural fragrance emanating from her body, and his whole person, the whole world, seemed to quiet down at this moment.

"Barbara's look at you isn't quite right," Patricia finally said the words she had been holding back all night.

Although she hadn't experienced many terrible things, this didn't mean she was a fool.

Barbara's look at Lan Si could drip water, the sticky kind. Even if she were slow, she could discover it.

Lan Si's hand inserted into the girl's hair, feeling the suppleness of her hair, "Hmm, there is indeed a little bit."

"She might have received some blows or setbacks, which is why she is like this."

Patricia didn't understand, "Why?"

Lan Si pondered for a while and explained, "When she realizes her powerlessness on many issues, she will rely more on others' help for her."

"Very coincidentally, I am the person who can help her."

"She doesn't have anything to repay my help to her, whether it's money or anything else. The only thing she can take out is herself."

"But you don't have to worry so much. I'm not interested in her."

Lan Si hugged the girl, his tone without the slightest ripple, "Don't worry about these boring things. What you need to do now is be happy..."

Soon, the emotions and thoughts that troubled her vanished in rounds of impact.

The next morning, the family sat together for breakfast. Lan Si noticed that William and Emily came out of different rooms.

He was a bit confused at first, but then he remembered that Emily was already pregnant, and it looked... slightly showing.

No wonder they had to sleep separately.

When eating breakfast, William asked a question, "I forgot to ask last night, is there still some unfinished business on the Koda family side?"

Lan Si enjoyed the breakfast made by the maid, bacon and eggs, while asking, "What do you mean?"

Lan Si liked to spread the runny egg yolk that wasn't completely fried onto the bacon. In this way, the smoky flavor of the bacon plus the sticky, mellow fragrance of the egg yolk could form a new flavor.

But he didn't like to spread the runny yolk on bread.

William was also fiddling with his knife and fork, "Those people who are still left in the Koda family, will they compromise?"

"I'm worried that some of them will secretly cause trouble."

He wanted to remind Lan Si. Although he felt that Lan Si didn't need his reminder, reminding and not reminding were two different things.

Not everything needs a reminder, for example, wiping your butt.

If you see someone walking out of the toilet pulling up their pants after taking a shit, and you say "Did you wipe?" at this time, not only will that person not be grateful to you, but they will think you are sick, and might even scold you and beat you up.

But if it's something related to safety, such as "Are you sure you've silenced everyone?" and the like, it won't make people feel disgusted. That horse had already been silenced.

Lan Si nodded, "They intend to do that!" He put a piece of bacon wrapped in egg yolk into his mouth, "But they don't have the chance anymore!"

In the swimming pool of the Koda family manor, a family was struggling in terror. They were dragged into the water by some young people. They tried to struggle out, but in the end, they were pressed to the bottom of the water by those people in turns.

On the side of the interstate highway to Manton, five cars stopped in the wilderness. Seven or eight people were kneeling in the wilderness with their hands and feet tied. The people behind them raised the weapons in their hands at them.

On the roof of a building, several people were crying and begging and struggling. Someone was even scared to the point of peeing, but they still couldn't escape the fate of being thrown off the roof!

There were also people who were cursing and begging, but in the end, they were injected with snake venom and turned green and black in painful struggles...

These people were all those who opposed Lan Si. They were betrayed by their own people, named by Lan Si, and left this world in all kinds of bizarre ways.

But there was one thing they had in common, which was that all of this was just an "accident" or "suicide."

The police would soon give their judgment and close the case quickly. No one would stir up any waves for them again, and they couldn't stir up any waves.

I believe those people will soon know how to get along with Lan Si. Actually, Lan Si is not a person who is hard to get along with.

Look, some people died because they opposed Lan Si.

Some people not only didn't die but also retained their previous jobs and privileges because they agreed with Lan Si.

Opposing and agreeing have never been a difficult thing to choose, right?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 586 =====