“That bastard Du Zhaoqi, buying a production line? More like eating shit,” Du Zhaohui couldn’t help but curse. How could Du Zhaoqi afford $9.7 million for a production line?

Du Zhaohui could barely contain his anger. At the current exchange rate, that was over 70 million Hong Kong dollars! Even after emptying his savings, Du Zhaohui couldn’t gather that much money. Yet Du Zhaoqi just decided to buy it like it was nothing. Was it money from Third Madam’s family, or did the old man secretly provide it? Either way, Du Zhaohui was deeply unhappy.

If Xia Xiaolan could mess up Du Zhaoqi’s production line purchase, that would be perfect. If not, at least make that bastard stay in America longer.

These days, Du Zhaohui visited Shennan Boulevard three times daily, inspecting the electronics plaza under construction like a landlord surveying his fields.

Once the foundation was laid, progress would be swift.

The challenge with the foundation wasn’t the stability of its four underground levels, but rather Pengcheng’s unique geography. The summer brought frequent typhoons and rainstorms. While drought wasn’t a concern, flooding was.

During summer typhoons and heavy rains, the plaza’s underground parking would collect water from the entire area, becoming Shennan Boulevard’s largest artificial reservoir! This pool couldn’t even be used for profitable fish farming – it would only submerge the entire plaza in water. The thought of swimming in the underground parking lot was both amusing and alarming.

This was the only aspect Xia Xiaolan hadn’t fully considered in her design.

For the four-level underground parking, she had designed an extremely high-standard drainage system. However, in 1986, the city’s overall drainage infrastructure was inadequate. Without proper coordination with the city’s drainage system, even the best design would be severely compromised!

Fortunately, Xia Xiaolan had a good teacher.

The famously bad-tempered Old Cannon – no, Elder Mao Kangshan – had taken in a final disciple, only to be gradually wrapped around her finger.

She could give Mao Kangshan a face when needed, while also offering money and housing.

Mao Kangshan could only squeeze every last drop from his old bones to repay his disciple’s filial piety.

If Xia Xiaolan’s design had flaws, no matter – Old Mao would grit his teeth and fix them!

When designing Huo Chenzhou’s office building, Xia Xiaolan had been obsessed with underground parking, seemingly convinced that China’s private car ownership would explode, making even wide sidewalks insufficient for parking. She insisted on underground parking lots… Mao Kangshan couldn’t dissuade her, but worried about the lots becoming reservoirs and his disciple’s name being cursed. So while pushing Xia Xiaolan to perfect the drainage, he also wrote to the Pengcheng municipal government.

He wrote recommendations for urban planning.

With detailed and rigorous data, he urged the Pengcheng government to quickly plan a citywide underground drainage system, arguing that surface improvements would be pointless without proper underground infrastructure.

Urban planning was a profound discipline.

Municipal infrastructure had to follow the Planning Bureau’s lead, but the Planning Bureau had to listen to experts.

Mao Kangshan was exactly such an expert.

Fearing one letter wouldn’t get attention, he sent them one after another until he was finally appointed as a planning consultant for Pengcheng municipality – though Mao Kangshan wasn’t happy about it, complaining he had no time for such work.

It was Madam Song who persuaded him: “As a consultant, they’ll actually listen to your opinions. Without this position, they’ll build drainage wherever they want. How would Xiaolan feel if rainstorms flooded the electronics plaza?”

The Golden Sand Residence wouldn’t be ready until late June.

But for Mao Kangshan’s unit, Xia Xiaolan had specifically instructed her Uncle Liu Yong to have it fully decorated, furnished, and equipped with appliances – everything ready so the elderly couple wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

So while Golden Sand Residence was being finished, renovation work was already clanging away in Mao Kangshan’s unit… Even Mao Kangshan had been won over by Xia Xiaolan’s thoughtful filial piety, let alone Madam Song.

As his wife of many decades, Madam Song knew exactly how to handle Mao Kangshan.

Since he cared about his disciple Xiaolan, using her to pressure him would work!

Thus, Mao Kangshan reluctantly took the consultant position, with his priority being to ensure Shennan Boulevard wouldn’t flood – Du Zhaohui was overjoyed at this stroke of good fortune. Watching the solid foundation being laid and the building rising a floor every few days, he felt an inexplicable sensation.

Without question, the electronics plaza was Du Zhaohui’s first independent venture.

His previous work had all been for the Cheng Rong Group, but the electronics plaza was entirely his own. This novel feeling drove Du Zhaohui to visit the dusty construction site daily in his fine clothes.

His only complaint was that his stylish hair needed gel to maintain, but hair gel attracted dust at the construction site. One tour would leave him completely covered in dust, destroying his carefully crafted good looks!

Today, Du Zhaohui skipped his site inspection – he needed to return to Hong Kong.

Getting to Hong Kong was easier now; no need for flights, just cross through Luohu. Tang Yuanyue had arranged a meeting with Master Qiu, so Du Zhaohui was heading back to meet him.

Xia Xiaolan called this kind of mutual assistance “equivalent exchange,” but Young Master Du didn’t see it that way.

Recently, only this matter could make him set aside his landlord-like site inspection hobby.

After smoothly crossing the border, Du Zhaohui quickly arrived at the address Tang Yuanyue had given.

Master Qiu had quite the setup, with twenty or thirty tough-looking enforcers in his villa, all appearing rather formidable.

“Just like the Du family, yet pretending to be cultured,” Du Zhaohui scoffed internally.

A middle-aged man appeared, wearing a black Tang suit and black cloth shoes.

“Master Qiu, I’ve long admired you!” Du Zhaohui greeted with clasped hands, using underworld etiquette.

The man in the Tang suit smiled, “I’ve heard much about Young Master Du, but haven’t had the pleasure. I’m Chai Hai, handling matters for Master Qiu. You can tell me whatever you need.”

Du Zhaohui’s expression soured.

He’d thought he was somebody important, especially with all the recent flattery in Pengcheng. Yet here he was, meeting an antique dealer who deemed him only worthy of speaking to an underling.

Whatever this Master Qiu’s status, this was too arrogant!

Chai Hai immediately understood the situation – these young masters from wealthy families were all prideful.

“Please forgive us, Young Master Du. Master Qiu isn’t currently in Hong Kong. As you know, in our line of work, we must travel far and wide searching for premium goods. When Mr. Tang passed along the message, Master Qiu worried about delaying your business, so he instructed me to receive you.”

Du Zhaohui didn’t believe for a second that a boss would personally search for goods.

He wanted to leave immediately but remembered the vase Xia Xiaolan asked him to investigate. One thing constrains another, so Du Zhaohui reluctantly chatted with Chai Hai before stating his purpose: “It’s like this – my father’s birthday is approaching, and I’d like to find an antique as a gift. That’s why I’m troubling you today.”

Now it was Chai Hai’s turn to be annoyed.

These young masters were such a bother – if they wanted antiques, they should just attend auctions. Was it necessary to meet Master Qiu for such a trivial matter?

Despite his internal complaints, Chai Hai and his people served Hong Kong’s wealthy, so he wouldn’t offend Du Zhaohui. He maintained a cautious smile: “The antiques business is vast. Does Young Master Du have any specific preferences? I can make recommendations based on your tastes. Since it’s for you, we might have some items that haven’t gone to auction yet.”

Du Zhaohui pulled out a fax:

“Yes, I’m very interested in this vase. I can’t forget it. Can you help me find it?”