d: although the overall market trend showed slight decline, it was not impossible to seize another opportunity for profit if he acted carefully.His years of experience as an old investor made his mind...Chapter 147: Settled

Pingshan wasn't clear about what "look out for him" meant, but when Wang Weiwei knew that his father had something to discuss with Su Can, he didn't come out. Outside the villa, the lush green trees formed a canopy-covered path. This seemed like Wang Bo was entrusting someone.

Su Can felt that Wang Bo thought he could influence Wang Weiwei in a positive direction. After interacting with people like Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu for some time, Su Can knew that not all these children were as extraordinary and domineering as Tao Chuohong.

Among the friends Wang Weiwei knew and his relatives by blood, there were quite a few who worked diligently. Because of their special family background, they found it easier to do things. Even if influential elders in their families didn't help them make connections, just relying on their backgrounds was enough to get things done smoothly. Many young people from these families achieved notable success.

However, Wang Weiwei grew up in a very prestigious red aristocratic family, but his personal influence and fame were not significant within the Beijing circle. He couldn't attract the favor of those elder figures or even catch the eye of the famous Jun Ye Huisang.

There were many children like Wang Weiwei who weren't exceptional; some were good while others were bad. Some were corrupted by alcohol, women, and power, while others didn’t care for wealth and glory, choosing instead to live in poverty without relying on their families. Of course, there were also those who entered the business or political arena according to family arrangements and achieved modest success through hard work.

For Wang Weiwei, at the level of his father Wang Bo, having seen many such children grow up, it was inevitable that he would be prepared in advance and consider Wang Weiwei’s future. Even though Wang Bo was the mayor of a city, from Su Can's perspective, deep down, he was still an ordinary man with a sense of responsibility towards his offspring.

In Xiahai City, there had been conflicts between father and son, which stemmed from Wang Bo's inappropriate attempts to educate Wang Weiwei and the latter’s rebellious nature. After going through hardships together, this family that had previously lived far removed from ordinary people finally got a taste of what it was like to be normal, appreciating the value of親情 (family affection). Of course, Su Can's involvement played a part in this change. Although Su Can was essentially an ordinary person, Wang Weiwei and Lin Luoran were easily influenced by his affable and steady demeanor.

Their interactions went through a significant period of time, during which outsiders couldn't understand their friendship and wouldn’t be able to comprehend how it could endure in such a chaotic and dog-eat-dog society.

When celebrities became deferential before their families, when superstar actresses became another conquest for the capital's young nobles, and when influential figures were just ordinary people among acquaintances, children like Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu had long lost any role models or idols.

So when they went to Xiahai City at that time, their eyes no longer looked down on commoners. They seemed to have lost faith and direction, so they could drift aimlessly and waste their lives.

But Su Can, this ordinary person, entered their lives as calmly as a bus heading to Shiyi High School each morning.

In Wang Bo’s eyes, Su Can was someone who could guide Wang Weiwei, be his role model, and idol. As an ordinary man himself, Wang Bo also had keen insight. He saw the wisdom behind Su Can's gaze and his sharp mind. Although it seemed that Su Can was currently at Nanda University, given his age and achievements so far, who could predict how far he would go in the future

In this world, investing in a person yielded returns that were more astonishing and significant than any other investment. Wang Bo had such foresight.

For a family to sustain itself across three generations was very difficult; it wasn’t about how powerful or resourceful the family was but whether the strengths of the previous generation could be carried forward by their descendants.

Having Su Can guide and support Wang Weiwei seemed like the way to inject robust vitality into everything.

Wang Bo had never felt so strongly about someone before.

"However, at Su Can's place, he could feel more and more of the chain reactions caused by the winter vacation incident involving the Tao family."

Tao Chuohong indeed couldn't do anything to Wang Weiwei, but Su Can was not someone that Tao Chuohong cared about. In Tao Chuohong’s eyes, Su Can might just be an insignificant ant-like figure.

So, Tao Changping wouldn’t be so furious; he couldn’t do anything to Wang Bo since that was a long-term game. However, with Su Zhan and Dageng Construction, Tao Changping could certainly apply pressure.

After returning home from abroad, Su Zhan had heard about this matter. Apparently, Tao Changping started pressuring his father’s company, Dawu Construction, over three ongoing construction projects: the infrastructure project in High-Tech West District, the Purple Jinmei View condominium development under construction, and the main road widening and renovation project for Line 3 of the city.

Initially, Tao Changping claimed that there was a lot of opposition from the municipal government regarding these projects. Then, the Land and Resources Department received reports against Su Licheng, alleging that Dawu Construction had engaged in irregular operations and suspected illegal financial maneuvers on these projects.

This information was relayed to him by Guo Xiaozhong whose father held a high position at Dageng Construction. It wasn’t a major secret anymore; even many people in Chengdu had been discussing it.

However, Su Licheng clearly remained calm and knew that these actions mostly came from Tao Changping.

Recently, Su Zhan noticed his father receiving some serious calls. These phone conversations made his father look grave, indicating the pressure being applied.

The phone rang again. After checking who was calling, Su Licheng walked to the balcony and answered it with a relaxed tone: "Mayor Tao, what instructions do you have this time"

The call came from Tao Changping. His tone was rather condescending as he informed Su Licheng that there were indeed unfavorable reports against them, resulting in provincial authorities sending an investigative team to look into the three projects at Dageng Construction.

"We will certainly cooperate fully," Su Licheng replied without any sign of nervousness.

Tao Changping had previously made several attempts to pressure Su Licheng through these calls. He hadn’t expected Su Licheng’s composure on the phone. Sipping his tea, Tao Changping laughed: "Old Su, you don’t seem to understand how serious this investigation is. If they really do it, problems will be uncovered."

Implying that those in charge of the provincial investigation weren't just going through the motions and would thoroughly examine Dageng Construction.

"Our land acquisition procedures were all legal and approved by your office; I am confident that our company can withstand this investigation," Su Licheng stated calmly.

There was a dry chuckle on the other end. Tao Changping continued, "Have you seriously considered the offer from Tongda Company You should know that if Dageng Construction transfers this land to Tongda, it will benefit you since it’s a project under the municipal government's oversight. The government wouldn’t let you suffer any losses and would provide compensation."

What Tao Changping was referring to was for Dageng Construction to transfer a piece of reserved land southeast of the city to Tongda Company (partially owned by the government), which would then compensate them financially, effectively taking over this plot. His implication being that if Su Licheng agreed to this, the investigation and pressure on him would be relieved.

Su Licheng knew that in reality, the ultimate beneficiary of such an arrangement would still be the Tao family. Their Nanjing Group’s plan to enter Chengdu had been thwarted by Su Zhan's intervention, so they were now attempting to recover their losses from Dageng Construction. The compensation wasn’t exploitative but was enough for Su Licheng to pacify the company’s higher-ups. However, agreeing to this would mean submission.

Regardless of how much pressure he faced, Su Licheng wouldn't budge: "At present, Dageng Construction doesn’t lack funds; even if we did, there are provincial green financing channels available for secured loans. So, we don’t need such arrangements. If the city government wants to develop that area economically, let’s sit down and discuss further cooperation. As for transferring the land, reducing our land reserves would make it difficult for me to explain to numerous senior executives within the group and higher-level departments."

"Alright then, Dageng Construction should cooperate well with this investigation. Sometimes such investigations are just formalities; don’t worry too much about them," Tao Changping said.

This conversation was calm on the surface but tense underneath. Clearly, Tao Changping was infuriated and would soon take action against Su Licheng.

In this period, Su Zhan’s family received many calls that his father handled. These were from various parties: friends of his father, business partners, officials in Chengdu, even his uncle who had phoned him to discuss the situation. This indicated that the impact of these actions was significant.

However, the more Tao Changping acted this way, the more relaxed Su Cen became.

Tao Changping was the First Vice Mayor and reportedly had a certain background. He was very arrogant and had good reasons for it. Wang Bo hadn't been strong in Chengdu before. This approach of not dictating everything and not excessively intervening in government work made people subconsciously think that he was seeking balance.

Under these circumstances, although Tao Changping couldn’t move against Wang Bo, it didn't mean he couldn’t cause trouble for Su Cen who had caused this mess. Without Xu Zheng at the head of the Daxiang Construction Company, it was like a sheep that could be divided into several pieces to eat. It wouldn't make sense not to have the Nanning Group claim compensation from the Daxiang Construction Company.

Therefore, in Tao Changping's eyes, the Dageng Construction Company could be at his mercy. So what could Su Richen do

But Tao Changping may have underestimated the strength of the Dageng Construction Company and Wang Bo, as well as their relationship behind the scenes. He misjudged Su Cen’s actions during this incident as merely maintaining surface-level stability rather than a warning.

He didn’t realize that it could very well be a warning signal. It was unlikely Tao Changping would think that Wang Bo would issue such a warning just because of the minor Su Cen and the small Daxiang Construction Company.

But it became clear once this matter began spreading through various channels, corresponding actions started to follow in quick succession.

This period was right as they entered March. On March 5th, Nan University welcomed back its undergraduate students for the new term. Just a few days before returning to school, Su Cen unexpectedly received a call from Lin Luoran.

"Suyun, what are you doing"

Su Cen was amused by Lin Luoran’s antics. "Woman, it's rare for you to make a phone call like this. I heard that during the winter vacation, you had quite a bit of fun. Did you find someone to your liking"

"That big mouth Wang Weiwei spread rumors again. Su Cen, how annoying is this person who spreads false information I really should sew his mouth shut. Anyway… things have been pretty noisy recently. Even in places far from Chengdu like here, we’ve heard about it."

The voice of Lin Luoran slowed down and took on a lazy tone, making Su Cen suspect that the woman on the other end was just waking up. Their lifestyle must be truly leisurely. "It's all because someone isn't behaving themselves. I thought Tao Chuohong would know his place after my warning, but he still dares to stir up trouble. He really makes me very angry."

"What else could you do Bite him" Su Cen smiled and felt a bit warm in his heart.

"Bite him Don't be disgusting. A beautiful and gentle person like myself wouldn’t let someone take advantage of me. Since he can't keep calm, there will definitely be someone to make him quiet down. By the way, I called you because I thought you might not feel good about all this chaos and wanted to comfort you. Aren't you touched Am I that kind"

"Thanks for your compliments in disguise. My mood is actually pretty good right now. No need for the kind-hearted Miss Lin to worry about it. We’ll meet in Shanghai, and I'll treat you to a meal."

Lin Luoran's voice suddenly took on an alluring tone. "You owe me more than just one meal…"

Su Cen hung up the phone shakily but couldn't figure out why Lin Luoran made this call, though her words about making someone be quiet were worth pondering over. In these days indeed, it was very quiet; his father's frequency of taking calls decreased significantly, and more importantly, he no longer received direct calls from Tao Changping.

But behind this calm lay a prelude to a storm. Everyone knew that this calmness concealed intense competition and rivalry.

On the third-to-last day before Su Cen's departure, Su Licheng finally received another call from Tao Changping.

Tao Changping's voice was icy cold on the other end of the line, "I never would have thought this, Mr. Su Licheng. In my half a lifetime, I've rarely misjudged anyone, but in this case, it’s you that I’ve misread."

Su Licheng was puzzled and asked, "Mayor Tao, where are you getting at with this" He couldn't understand how he could still maintain a superficial relationship with Tao Changping and yet the tone of his voice implied they were about to break all ties.

"Your capabilities aren't small. Yes, during this period, I did receive many calls from people. Before, everyone said that Great Oak Construction wasn’t simple, hiding dragons and crouching tigers. Now it looks like it's really the case; I truly misjudged you. With so many influential figures calling in to pressurize, you must have a temper, don't you But don't think these people can sway me in any way. Do you seriously believe that I would bow down to you On this matter, if one’s upright and just, they won’t fear the shadows of their actions; I truly haven’t been intimidated by anyone!"

Su Licheng helplessly said, "Mayor Tao, it seems like there's a misunderstanding here. This isn't the Disciplinary Committee, so you don't need to rush to make any statements..."

"Keep on pretending if you want!" Bang! It seemed that Tao Changping was both embarrassed and angry, leading him to abruptly hang up the call.

Su Licheng genuinely felt confused. Turning around to look at Su Cen, he understood roughly what had happened but merely sighed softly without saying anything.

Although Su Cen guessed some of it, he wasn’t entirely sure about the situation.

Until Wang Weiwei called him.

Wang Weiwei was already in Beijing, yet his ability to gather information remained sharp. His tone was firm as he asked, "So what’s the news Have everything turned out well"

Su Cen didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused, "Tell me what happened."

"It's the Tao family not being honest. Your father's Great Inspection Construction project wasn’t brokered by my dad My dad knows this for sure. If he uses provincial old leaders to pressurize your father’s Grand Grid Construction, doesn't that mean he wants to get back at my dad How can we tolerate such behavior Besides, even if there was no such thing, if he tries anything against you, I won’t agree with it either. My dad made several calls— all of his friends’ numbers. Oh right, Uncle Lin Luo Ran also called in support; your uncle really showed some loyalty. It was a matter of agreement."

Su Cen felt awkward at Wang Weiwei's choice of words, like "loyalty that quickly agreed." But it did match the unique style cultivated by Lin Guozhou from his travels.

Lin Guozhou is now reportedly transferred to the News Bureau. Although his position isn’t powerful, he wields significant influence. That’s why Lin Luo Ran would give Su Cen a call, likely having learned about this matter and involving her father in it as well.

Thinking about how Wang and Lin's families could use their extensive network to put pressure on Tao Changping, the sheer weight of that pressure was enough to make one shudder. No wonder he couldn't keep calm and became agitated instead.

This situation basically allowed Su Cen to grasp the background power at play here. Now, those threats from Tao Chuhong about "Su Cen studying in Nan University Alright then, let's see how it goes when we meet again in Shanghai," no longer carried much weight for a moment.

From this situation, the problems of the Tao family seemed to be serious indeed.

The middle of the month was approaching. This month’s updates were delayed, but the plot was progressing steadily; Su Cen was growing step by step, as everyone else continued their growth, destined for greatness someday. Just a vote would help. Grateful thanks from Roasted Fish (to be continued).

h123 Chinese Website ho look back and admire from a distance in later years.But when she first saw Su Cen, she hadn't recognized him. Prior to this moment, Su Cen was on the same level as her, but in girls' eyes, such boys...