Talk about the devil and he appears.
That evening, Xu Zhao received a call from Zhao Rui Long, inviting him to dinner at a club.
Xu Zhao drove to the club alone.
After meeting, they exchanged a few pleasantries.
Zhao Rui Long noticed that Xu Zhao’s attitude towards him was no longer as obsequious as before, but rather one of equality.
He felt a pang of discomfort.
He suspected that Xu Zhao had grown arrogant after becoming the Party Secretary and was no longer listening to him.
After they sat down, Zhao Rui Long crossed his legs and said rudely, “Xu Zhao, why didn’t you tell me about Gao Qi Strong selling his assets beforehand?”
Xu Zhao sat back, smiled faintly, and replied, “The situation was urgent. The authorities were investigating me, and if I didn’t make a clean break, I could have been in trouble. It’s fine if I’m the one who gets caught, but I don’t want to drag Old Zhao into this.”
Zhao Rui Long scoffed and said, “Who would investigate you? And who would implicate my dad? Do they even have the power?”
He clearly didn’t believe that Zhao Li Chun would be in trouble.
Xu Zhao knew that even if he told him that Zhao Li Chun would be investigated and eventually be removed from office, Zhao Rui Long would only laugh it off.
People are like that; they won’t believe it until they see it.
“Call Gao Qi Strong immediately and tell him to stop selling his assets. You’ve spent so long building up these assets, and you’re just going to sell them off for cheap? You’re not hurting, but I am.”
said Zhao Rui Long.
He almost said, “You’re selling off the family farm without a care.”
But that would have been too harsh, so he held back.
“The provincial procuratorate has sent people to Jing Hai City to investigate both openly and secretly. They’re looking into my relationship with Gao Qi Strong. I have to sell these assets. I can’t put myself in jeopardy just to make money for you.”
Xu Zhao said with determination in his eyes.
Zhao Rui Long thought to himself, “To make money for us? He’s not as obedient as he used to be.”
But he could understand.
Xu Zhao had finally become the Party Secretary, and he certainly didn’t want to be removed from office so soon.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Rui Long said, “Alright, sell it then. How much are you planning to give me?”
He figured that if Gao Qi Strong sold all his assets, it would fetch at least two or three hundred billion yuan.
Two hundred billion would be reasonable.
The rest could be split between Xu Zhao and Gao Qi Strong...
Xu Zhao said, “I have other plans for that money, so I won’t be giving it to you for now.”
Zhao Rui Long’s eyes widened in disbelief. He thought he had misheard and sat up straight, saying, “What do you mean? You’re not going to give me a single yuan?”
Seeing his reaction, Xu Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t worry. I’m planning to invest that money in new, clean industries. We can still work together in the future. And the money will be clean, which is better than splitting the dirty money we have now.”
In reality, he had no intention of splitting the money.
After all, Zhao Li Chun would be investigated and removed from office soon. What did he care about him?
He just needed to stall for time until Zhao Li Chun fell from power.
Zhao Li Chun’s downfall might have a negative impact on Xu Zhao.
But that wasn’t the main concern.
Xu Zhao wouldn’t be able to protect Zhao Li Chun anyway.
That was a battle between powerful figures in the capital, and he didn’t even have the qualifications to interfere.
Xu Zhao wanted to protect himself. Firstly, he needed to distance himself from his past.
Secondly, he needed to quickly develop Jing Hai City and establish a strong track record.
Zhao Rui Long had his doubts and asked, “What kind of industries are you planning to invest in?”
Xu Zhao replied, “The internet.”
Zhao Rui Long frowned and said, “The internet? That sounds too abstract. Are you sure that investing in that will make money?”
Xu Zhao was too lazy to explain. “Whether it makes money or not, just go online and see for yourself.”
Zhao Rui Long was too old and set in his ways to understand the internet business.
He leaned back in his chair and said, “Alright, let’s pretend that you’re going to make money. But there’s no need to invest all of it. Give me two hundred billion, and you can invest the rest as you please.”
Xu Zhao pretended to think for a moment and said, “I’ll give you one billion first. You can use it to buy some land.”
Zhao Rui Long was furious. Slamming his hand on the table, he said, “You think you can just get rid of me with one billion? What kind of land can you buy with that? Graveyard plots! Xu Zhao, have you forgotten who helped you get to where you are today?”
Xu Zhao smiled faintly and said, “Is that even a question? It’s the Party that has nurtured me.”
Zhao Rui Long’s face darkened, and he glared at Xu Zhao. He thought to himself, “This guy wants to cut ties with me and my dad.”