A deadline of three months.

Stepping off the car, Chen Ling gazed at the scene before him, secretly filled with admiration. Along the banks of Emerald Lake, willows swayed gently in the breeze, radiant lanterns crowned the night, and the endless stream of passersby lent the place a lively air. On the lake itself, several brilliantly illuminated pleasure boats were moored at the center, and through their windows, one could faintly see guests raising glasses and making merry—a scene of bustling festivity.

The Binhu District of Linjiang City was named for this very lake, Emerald Lake, whose charm had ensnared countless poets and scholars. The teahouse they approached was built out over the water; from its top floor, while sipping tea, one could see the myriad twinkling lights on the opposite shore—a pleasure of a different kind.

Led by Li Mingjiang, the group entered the teahouse and made their way toward a private room upstairs.

In the main hall on the second floor, Chen Ling caught sight of the figure he had noticed earlier. Seated by the window, Feng Lifang had just taken her seat, across from her sat a middle-aged woman who bore a striking resemblance to her—undoubtedly her mother. At that moment, she was enthusiastically introducing Feng Lifang to a man beside her.

“A blind date?” Chen Ling guessed inwardly, letting out a silent sigh before turning away to follow the others into the private room. His thought was simple: since he had decided to restrain himself, it was better not to get involved and risk any unnecessary misunderstandings.

Yet fate always seemed to delight in playing its little tricks...

Chen Ling was no longer a young man troubled by matters of the heart. Once inside the private room, his attention quickly shifted to the situation at hand. Thus far, everything had unfolded more or less according to his plan.

According to his original design, once he had accumulated some capital through his card business, he intended to begin brokering property numbers. However, ever since he had learned about the Lianjia Village project from Lian Xiaohua, he had thrown himself into researching—looking into the current state of Zhongrui Group, the situation of their Linjiang branch, the project’s progress, and the basic details of Lianjia Village.

At first, Chen Ling’s only intention was to use this opportunity to cement his relationship with Li Mingjiang. But after the meal, he realized Li Mingjiang was no longer so important in his eyes—Glen had become his new target.

Without hesitation, Chen Ling decided to advance the next stage of his plan ahead of schedule, running it concurrently with his property brokerage business, so as to accumulate capital as quickly as possible. After all, partners like Zhongrui—well-funded yet with no roots in Linjiang—were rare. To let such an opportunity slip by would be a crime against fortune! If the partnership succeeded, Chen Ling could use this platform to enter the real estate circle directly. Though it wasn’t yet the most lucrative development project, a well-executed sales agency could be just as promising.

Now that Liu Xuefeng had paved the way for him, it was up to Chen Ling to seize the opportunity.

Next came the most delicate phase—negotiation.

“Please, everyone, have a seat,” Li Mingjiang said warmly. “The teahouses by Emerald Lake may be notorious for fleecing tourists, but the tea here is sourced directly from veteran tea farmers in the Dragon Well scenic area—far superior to the leaves served elsewhere.”

Chen Ling, however, was a complete novice when it came to tea, and Li Mingjiang’s praise did nothing to pique his interest. Instead, Zhao Yuanqiang took the opportunity to show off: “Does everyone know why southerners are better at business than northerners?”

“Why is that?” Glen asked, playing along with a smile.

“Because northerners, when they get together, love to drink, and once the alcohol goes to their heads, it’s all about ego and bravado—no one yields. Southerners are different; they prefer to drink tea together, and over tea, they ponder ways to make money. Comparing the two, it’s obvious southerners are more adept and wealthier!”

Li Mingjiang nearly lost his composure. “Utter nonsense!” he rebuked. “Don’t you know Mr. Glen is from the north himself?”

“Ah?” Zhao Yuanqiang was dumbfounded. He had only meant to enliven the atmosphere, never expecting to blunder into such a faux pas.

Glen, however, was unbothered. He waved dismissively, saying, “Mr. Li, it’s only a jest, let’s not take it seriously. Besides, Zhao isn’t entirely wrong. In some respects, southerners are indeed more modest, proactive, and contemplative—these are objective facts.”

“In reality, business acumen isn’t about where you’re from, but about individual ability and insight. If anything, the south simply offers a better environment and climate for enterprise,” Chen Ling added, prompting a chorus of agreement.

A short while later, once the tea and refreshments had been served and the door closed, Glen wasted no time and got straight to the point. He turned to Chen Ling, “Mr. Chen, I’m quite interested in the partnership you mentioned earlier. Why don’t you tell me more about your proposed approach?”

“It’s actually quite straightforward,” Chen Ling replied. “Regarding the Lianjia Village project specifically, it’s simply a matter of acting as an agent for sales and investment attraction, with commissions as compensation.”

Glen nodded and asked, “Do you already have your own sales team? The project was approved some time ago, but progress stalled over an issue with the final land parcel. Now that Director Liu has spoken up, once Mr. Li takes office as head of the Administrative Committee, I expect the project will advance swiftly... within three months, at most, we’ll be entering the sales phase.”

The question gave Chen Ling pause. His greatest weakness was his lack of a solid foundation. Just as Glen feared, the project could be handed to him, but could he handle it? At present, his team consisted of only four people—barely enough for a single project, let alone the stream of new projects Zhongrui would be launching in the near future.

Business is not charity. No matter how capable or well-connected you are, in the face of losses, nothing else matters.

“Three months?” Chen Ling mused, then promised Glen, “Mr. Glen, let’s do this: let’s set a three-month deadline. Before the project officially launches, I’ll assemble a capable team. If I can’t manage it, you’ll still have time to approach other agents.”

Li Mingjiang’s eyes lit up at this and he turned to Chen Ling as well, “Mr. Chen, and on my side...?”

Chen Ling smiled. “Mr. Li, we’ve had a pleasant partnership so far, so I won’t make any further demands, and I won’t interfere in any of your other business. There is just one thing: until I have presented my plan, please don’t touch the funds related to Lianjia Village.”

Li Mingjiang was left speechless. It sounded generous—no meddling in other ventures—but the fortunes buried in Lianjia Village’s land requisition and demolition were beyond measure. According to his own plan, once he secured the position of Administrative Committee Director, he would have the authority to raise funds from the villagers in the name of the committee, using those resources to secure a place aboard Zhongrui’s ship and participate in future projects. This was his stepping stone to social mobility, his core interest!

Yet now Chen Ling was telling him not to act without his consent? The nerve!

“Mr. Li—” Just as Li Mingjiang was about to lose his composure, Glen interjected at just the right moment, “I think Mr. Chen has a point. Until the Lianjia Village project gets on track, our company will also be taking a conservative approach.”

“If you ask me, why not wait three months?”

“Three months...” Li Mingjiang frowned at Glen, but then slowly nodded. “Very well. Let’s see what Mr. Chen can accomplish in three months.”

Chen Ling glanced at Glen and saw him nodding and smiling in encouragement. Gratitude welled up in his heart. Those words had essentially served as a guarantee on his behalf; without a core advantage, Chen Ling would have been no match for Li Mingjiang.

He would never risk a scorched earth scenario unless there were no other options. Sabotaging Li Mingjiang’s appointment would do him no good, either.

Thus, his most urgent task now was to assemble a truly effective team.