Chapter 154: Li Dong’s Weaknesses

After leaving the restaurant, Li Dong's face was ashen with anger.

He understood the principle that money could be tempting.

But he hadn't anticipated that these two second-generation officials would be so arrogant.

To ask for thirty million and act as if they were doing him a favor by letting him pay—Li Dong was furious.

Was he just a small fry? Didn't they know that money could open doors, and if he was provoked, they might end up facing someone even more formidable than Zhu Hongtao?

In Pingchuan, Li Dong still gave them some face, but outside Pingchuan, who were these two?

Taking a deep breath, Li Dong lit a cigarette, gradually calming his anger.

Once he finished smoking, he asked Zhou Haidong, "Old Zhou, why is it so hard to run a legitimate business these days?"

Zhou Haidong didn't know what had upset Li Dong and wasn't sure how to respond.

Li Dong didn't expect a reply. Gritting his teeth, he muttered to himself, "Everyone is forcing me, thinking they can control me and use me as their ATM? They're dreaming!"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Dong said, "Take me back."

...

That night, Li Dong tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The relationship between officials and businessmen has always been this way: officials in the forefront and businessmen behind. This has been an unchanging truth since ancient times.

Li Dong had realized this during the Zhu Hongtao incident and recognized his own shortcomings.

What he lacked now wasn't money or talent but political connections.

So, after the Zhu Hongtao incident, Li Dong had tried to win over Wu Jianguo with money while also building a relationship with Hu Sichen.

But it wasn't until today that Li Dong realized his perspective was still too narrow, focusing only on the immediate situation.

With Wu Jianguo and Hu Sichen's help, establishing a foothold in Yaohai District would be manageable. However, in the larger Pingchuan area, Wu Jianguo and Hu Sichen were just small players.

Pingchuan is the provincial capital, with both the municipal and provincial governments.

At a critical moment, Hu Sichen, as a deputy district chief, might not be able to offer much support. Even if he had the intention, his influence was limited.

Today, when Niu Meng lost his temper, Hu Sichen didn't say a word, indicating that Li Dong's influence was still too weak.

If his influence wasn't enough, he needed to increase it!

If they looked down on him with a net worth of one hundred million, how about ten billion? One hundred billion?

Li Dong gritted his teeth in secret, knowing that these goals would be achieved sooner or later. For now, if he couldn't use money to crush them, he needed to find a bigger backer.

If Niu Meng and his ilk didn't respect him, then he needed to find someone more formidable than their fathers. Don't forget, he was a reborn person.

Li Dong might not know everyone, but he had heard of the bigwigs who would be active in Jiangbei's political arena over the next decade.

He was not considering the top figures currently in their prime, but he could surely align with those still rising. That shouldn't be too difficult.

...

Li Dong felt it wouldn't be hard, but in reality, he found it extremely difficult during the operational phase.

He spent a day researching the resumes of leaders in Jiangbei, only to find that the people he was interested in were either not in Jiangbei or already at the peak of their careers.

For example, a high-ranking Jiangbei official expected to rise next year was already a high-ranking official now.

Li Dong couldn't access officials of this level. Even if he did, they might not be interested in him.

The provincial vice governor, whom Li Dong secondarily considered, was already a high-ranking official in Pingchuan and held a position on the Provincial Committee.

Other officials whose names Li Dong remembered were either untraceable or stationed elsewhere, beyond his reach.

Once Li Dong understood this, he felt disheartened.

Even though he was engaged in legitimate business and not evading taxes, he still had to navigate these crooked paths. Doing business in these times was indeed challenging.

While researching, Li Dong also figured out Zhang Qing and Niu Meng's backgrounds.

Niu Meng's identity was easy to guess. The only high-ranking leader in Pingchuan with the surname Niu was a vice mayor who hadn't yet become a standing committee member.

The Zhang surname had two notable officials: one was the executive vice mayor, and the other was a high-ranking official in the political and legal affairs committee.

Li Dong guessed that Zhang Qing's father was likely the executive vice mayor, otherwise, it would be difficult for the political and legal affairs committee to interfere with Hu Sichen's matters, as they weren't direct supervisors.

Understanding their identities made Li Dong seethe with anger.

In Pingchuan, even their fathers didn't have absolute power, yet these two acted so high and mighty.

When he was in Tongshan, a vice mayor personally met with him and was extremely courteous.

But back in Pingchuan, a vice mayor's son dared to call him a small fry. Li Dong found it hard to swallow this insult.

After some contemplation, Li Dong called Zhou Haidong, Zheng Long, and Cao Hongbing into his office.

Without pleasantries, Li Dong directly asked, "Do you have any former comrades who served as scouts?"

They nodded. They had all served in the military for a long time and had interacted with various military branches.

"Then get a few sharp ones to help me keep an eye on these two. Is that difficult?"

Zhou Haidong hesitated for a moment and said, "Finding people is not difficult. It's also possible for them to keep watch, but…"

Li Dong frowned, surprised that Zhou Haidong had also learned this.

Seeing Li Dong's displeasure, Zhou Haidong awkwardly explained, "If they help for three to five days, it's feasible. But if it's for a longer period, it might not be suitable."

Li Dong pondered and agreed with this reasoning.

He lightly tapped the desk and said, "If they are willing, they can come to Yuanfang directly."

Li Dong felt that such matters would be frequent in the future. Some issues couldn't be handled overtly, so he needed a backup plan.

Just like the Zhu Hongtao incident, if it weren't for Tan Yong's intervention, it would have been hard for Li Dong to handle Zhu Hongtao openly.

The same applied now; dealing with Niu Meng and Zhang Qing openly was challenging.

But people make mistakes, especially second-generation heirs. By keeping them under constant surveillance, Li Dong aimed both to prevent retaliation and to find any compromising evidence.

Once he found something, he had plenty of ways to handle them.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Haidong's face lit up with joy, and he quickly agreed.

The treatment in Yuanfang was top-notch. Many of their more struggling comrades were envious, and this opportunity was indeed rare.

After briefly informing Zhou Haidong and the others about Zhang Qing and Niu Meng, Li Dong set the matter aside for now.

As soon as they left, Li Dong's phone rang.

Seeing the number, Li Dong slapped his forehead, realizing the trouble he was in!

Qin Yuhan had notified him to return to Pingchuan today, but due to his anger with Niu Meng, Li Dong had forgotten about it.