A year older, the third master of Beijing circle kissed her to tears

"Xiaoxiao, I'm only paying you because I'm kind. If your mother were here, I wouldn't be so accommodating," the landlady said haughtily.

"Thank you, Auntie. You're such a kind person. Don't worry, I promise I'll be more careful when delivering goods in the future."

Tan Xiao counted the money in her hand with unusual seriousness. It totaled 1,350. After confirming that the count was correct, she checked the authenticity of each bill one by one.

After the proprietress and her husband moved all the flowers inside, the girl was still counting them.

Tan Xiao is very careful with money. She understands the principle of not admitting wrongdoing once money has been handled, so she makes sure to check the money carefully at the time of transaction. If it's counterfeit, who would believe it once it's been handed to her?

"There won't be any problems with Auntie's money," the proprietress couldn't help but mutter. This little girl is quite cautious.

"I know, I've ordered. Goodbye, Auntie." Tan Xiao carefully rolled the money into a small roll and stuffed it into her pocket. She turned around, flashed a beautiful smile, waved to the shop owner and his wife, and then rode away on her bicycle.

Once the bike was far away, Tan Xiaocai gritted her teeth, the smile vanished from her face, and she thought fiercely to herself:

Hmph, you think you can get away with not paying me just because I'm young? You're just taking advantage of us poor people!

Zhuang Shijue was basically free when he came to Kyoto, so he wanted to do something big without having to hold back. His first project in Kyoto was to cooperate with the government.

Everyone knows that cooperating with the government won't bring you any benefits. The government won't let investors make much money; they will only promise to loosen certain terms and conditions in the future.

Would Kyoto not welcome a wealthy patron like Zhuang Shijue, who has substantial financial backing?

Which local investors and developers would still invest in the government? Investing in the government, frankly, is just throwing money at the leaders to "save face." Urbanization is all about competition; which city isn't vying to outdo each other?

The promises made to the merchants who poured money into the business were nice, promising huge returns in a few years. But what if the policies change in a few years? If the government doesn't give them the money, who would dare to stand up to the government?

Zhuang Shijue wasn't some greenhorn who had just started out in the game; he wouldn't throw money around just because someone said a few words at a dinner table. He understood the intricacies of the situation perfectly well, but he was willing to spend his first sum of money.

The most direct way to get through to Kyoto is to go through the government. If you're generous, they'll be obligated to give you preferential treatment in other matters in the future.

It was like paying a toll, so they didn't even blink when they saw the money going down the drain; they were extremely happy.

Zhuang Shijue is going to visit the residents in the southern suburbs today. The land there was designated by the government's planning bureau for new construction.

If the government wants to renovate the city, it will inevitably have to get the local residents' consent to the demolition.

But once the demolition and relocation began, problems arose. Some were willing to relocate because they could move into new houses and the government would provide subsidies, but others were not. All sorts of problems emerged, and it's said that there were a few holdout households here who absolutely refused to move.

Zhuang Shijue must have taken the wrong medicine today. He needs to find out what's going on. Of course, he can't go quietly. He needs to have the lookout "accidentally" tell the government leaders about it.

Of course, I can't just call and say that Master Zhuang personally went to check the situation; I have to make it sound like I accidentally let it slip. I need to let everyone here know that Master Zhuang is a man of impeccable character.

In truth, given Zhuang Shijue's status, this was completely unnecessary. But in this capital city, he was still a newcomer, and newcomers had to do what newcomers were supposed to do. Before establishing a firm foothold, he had to keep a low profile. He wasn't his father; he didn't need to emulate how his father had come to the capital to expand his territory. He just needed to carve out a path for himself.

Zhuang Shijue was driving his own car, but today he was going to keep a low profile and drove a four-ring car.

Once in the car, he suddenly remembered the most suitable person to accompany him, and he glanced at Liang Yi and spoke.

"Get out of the car and do a good job."

"Sir, are you going alone?" Liang Yi asked, concerned.

"Hmm." Zhuang Shijue tapped the steering wheel a few times with his long, slender fingers before responding, his indifference tinged with a hint of nonchalance.

"Yes!" Liang Yi got out of the car, made a phone call, and asked his subordinates to bring his car over.

Zhuang Shijue drove off and immediately made a phone call to the little thing.

When Zhuang Shijue called, Tan Xiao had just turned the corner at the flower shop.

The phone rang. Tan Xiao's car slid a short distance before pulling over to the side of the road. She lightly touched the road with one foot and reached into her pocket to take out her phone.

"Hello?"

Unknown number, who is it? She was afraid it was a call from the hospital, so she didn't reject the call.

"Come to the central square of Xinhua Department Store." Zhuang Shijue threw out the sentence directly, glanced at the time, and added, "You have half an hour."

"Hello--"

Tan Xiao's face immediately flushed red with anger. She clearly recognized the voice and shouted, "Are you kidding me? Wasn't it already over? You said it yourself..."

"Stop talking nonsense. If you don't want to be sued, just do as I say." Zhuang Shijue abruptly ended the call.

It's about a 20-minute drive from the Xinhua Department Store to the shopping plaza. Half an hour should be enough for that girl, even if she were on Mars.

"Hey, don't hang up... hello, hello..."

Hearing the busy tone from the other end, Tan Xiao gritted her teeth and vented her anger, cursing, "Pervert, hooligan, scoundrel!"

Tan Xiao hailed a taxi and took it there.

She definitely couldn't get there by bike in half an hour. She didn't want to be threatened, but she was genuinely afraid of being sued by that person.

Rich people don't treat others like human beings. Who knows if that person is a pervert who enjoys watching people struggle to their death?

She was someone living at the very bottom of society; she really didn't dare to mess with her. Besides, she might not care about herself, but she couldn't just abandon her mother to her fate, could she?

When Zhuang Shijue's car arrived, Tan Xiao was already waiting there. After finding him, she quickly ran towards Zhuang Shijue.

Today, Tan Xiao was wearing dark denim overalls and a white T-shirt tucked into them. There was a large front pocket in the overalls, where she kept her phone, wallet, lists, and today's wages. The bulging pocket, located above her stomach, made her slender frame appear even more substantial.

Although Zhuang Shijue looked out, he did not roll down the car window.

In his line of sight, a vibrant young girl was running towards him. Her long hair was tied high behind her head, and her pretty face was flushed with an alluring blush from running.

Zhuang Shijue watched as Tan Xiao ran a few steps, her hands pressed against her stomach—or rather, against the large bag in front of her—and her pace slowed considerably.