Having achieved financial freedom, I reorganized my workplace.

Chapter 66 Stepping Forward

Inside the private room.

The air seemed to freeze. A table full of delicacies was laid out like exhibits, but no one touched it. What a waste! These bastards are all idiots.

At this moment, everyone stared at Lin Chen, who had suddenly appeared, as if he were a monster. You see, Song Jiehui had just been retreating and was almost about to surrender. Who would have thought that a Cheng Yaojin would suddenly appear?

Install a sewage treatment plant? That costs millions of dollars, and the subsequent maintenance will require continuous investment. It's not that Dong Xinghui can't afford it; he has the money. But he thinks, "I've been a tyrant in Sui County for decades. Do I really need this piece of junk to discharge sewage?"

Moreover, in Sui County, there was nothing that Dong Xinghui couldn't do.

This time, he only applied for the permit to comply with the new regulations and to appease the local people. In his original thought, even if he didn't apply for the permit, what could they do if he just lined up against him?

In Sui County, who dares to shut down his factory?

That's what he used to do, and he did it very well, making a fortune.

The atmosphere at the dinner party was tense, with tensions rising.

This "Little Rain" is quite perceptive. She got up at the right moment to pour Lin Chen a glass of wine. Perhaps because Lin Chen is handsome, she practically pressed her face against his: "Secretary Lin is truly young and promising. Let me have a drink with you."

Hehe, I didn't expect that what I was just saying would actually come true. But Lin Chen is no novice, and he doesn't lack maternal love, so he slowly pushed away the wine glass: "Sorry, I'm allergic to alcohol, I only drink milk."

As soon as he said that, Tang Xin glared at him fiercely and kicked him from under the table, but she missed and kicked Lin Chen instead. Tang Xin's face turned bright red, like a ripe apple. She secretly glanced at him and quickly turned her head away.

Dong Xinghui also laughed, but the laugh was chilling. He lit a cigar, and through the swirling smoke, his eyes swept over Lin Chen like knives. He then gave a wink to the henchman next to him.

"Secretary Lin, right? You're really something." At this moment, the underling spoke up, his tone as sharp as if he'd swallowed gunpowder: "I was just as arrogant when I was young, but then I got three ribs broken and learned that you have to be humble."

The threat in those words was obvious to even a fool; he practically had "I'll beat you up" written all over his face. Seeing his boss being confronted by Lin Chen, this henchman naturally couldn't just sit idly by. However, he used to be a thug, so he didn't know how to speak properly.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Dong Xinghui slapped him on the head: "What nonsense are you spouting? How dare you talk like that? Are you threatening people? We're legitimate business people now, and you're acting like a thug?"

The underling covered his head, still glaring fiercely at Lin Chen, but dared not disobey: "Yes, boss."

Hehehe, Lin Chen has seen it all. They're playing along, putting on a double act with me. Go ahead and hit me if you dare.

As they were talking, the woman named "Xiaoyu" moved closer to Song Jiehui again: "Director Song, our boss is making a contribution to the county by opening a factory, so please be lenient with us~"

Her voice has started to sound sweet and coquettish; if she were to actually moan, it would definitely sound beautiful.

Song Jiehui wasn't Tan Huasheng. He was a bit bald but intelligent. He said slowly, "Actually, I understand Boss Dong. In business, everyone wants to reduce costs. A sewage treatment system costs millions, which is indeed painful. But if we ruin Lanhe's reputation by saving a few million, and then things get out of hand... then it won't be something that can be settled with just a few million. What do you say, Boss Dong?"

Dong Xinghui suddenly said coldly, "Director Song, I, Dong Xinghui, have lived in Sui County for over forty years. I was born and raised here. I've paid just as much tax and helped solve as anyone else's employment problems. Now, I want to build a feed mill, but you water resources department are holding me back? Is this how you do things?"

The aura of someone with a net worth of one billion is indeed intimidating; that imposing presence without being angry is something most people couldn't withstand.

He felt that the fact that he had condescended to treat Song Jiehui to dinner today was already giving him a lot of face. Normally, even people of higher rank would have to give him some face. Who did Song Jiehui think he was? He was determined to get this paperwork done today.

Lin Chen had been observing the changes on the field. When he saw Song Jiehui being cornered again, Dong Xinghui's face turned completely black. He slowly turned his hand to extinguish the cigar, as if he were crushing an ant.

Lin Chen simply couldn't stand it, not because of Song Jiehui, but just because he was genuinely annoyed.

"Boss Dong," Lin Chen spoke again, this time even louder than before, "No one is stopping you from benefiting the people and giving back to society. You grew up in Sui County, you should know that the Lan River is your mother river, the important river that nurtured you. Can you really bear to see it polluted? Aren't you afraid of being cursed by millions of people in Sui County? Aren't you afraid that your descendants will be criticized behind their backs? We welcome you to build a factory, but it must be compliant with regulations. This is the bottom line, and also the red line."

These words were delivered with such force and authority that they overwhelmed Dong Xinghui. Even Tang Xin couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, her eyes revealing something different.

Dong Jiehui's face was as sour as a stinking ditch. He stared at Song Jiehui one last time and said, "Director Song, your company has produced a talent. Fine, I'm impressed. How about this? You issue me this certificate today, and I'll have someone install the sewage treatment system as soon as I get back. How about that?"

Dong Xinghui's statement can be considered a concession, but he only wants to act first and ask for permission later. As long as you provide proof, I can deliberately delay and not pretend to be someone else. What can you do to me?

At most, I'll issue a rectification notice, but I won't even acknowledge it.

Song Jiehui has already done enough. After all, he is a big shot in Suicheng, and he can't go too far.

So he prepared to compromise: "Alright, since Boss Dong has already put it this way..."

"Boss Dong." But before he could finish speaking, Lin Chen jumped up and immediately cut him off: "It's not that we don't believe you, but you have too many past offenses. Your Xinghui Chemical Plant and Xinghui Food Processing Plant are both notorious for their poor performance, exceeding pollution standards, causing immense suffering to the surrounding residents. They have filed numerous complaints with our company. Because we know it's not easy for you to open these factories to benefit the local community, our company has suppressed these issues multiple times. We've already done more than enough. Otherwise, do you think your factories would have remained stable until now? If you really intend to continue like this, and act recklessly again, we'll have to settle all the old scores first."

Lin Chen's words, neither humble nor arrogant, directly sounded the clarion call for a counterattack.

This blow was like a heavy punch; Dong Xinghui's hand holding the wine glass visibly trembled.

The private room became even quieter.

Dong Xinghui had to weigh the pros and cons. Before, there weren't so many regulations, so he could exploit loopholes. Now that the policies were stricter, he couldn't use the old methods anymore.

Tang Xin gently kicked Lin Chen under the table again, signaling him to stop talking. This woman was really worrying unnecessarily. Moreover, she missed the mark this time, so Lin Chen was a little annoyed and secretly pinched her ankle.

Tang Xin froze, as if struck by something. Her face turned even redder, and she glared at him fiercely, but did not dodge.

"Hahaha." Dong Xinghui stared intently at Lin Chen for a long while, then suddenly burst into laughter again.

are you crazy?

"Good, good job, Secretary Lin." He clapped his hands twice. "I, Dong, have had a very worthwhile meal today. Let's not talk about work today. Director Song, let's consider this meal a chance to make friends. Drink to your heart's content, how about it?"

Song Jiehui breathed a sigh of relief: "Of course, we won't leave until we're drunk tonight." Drinking was definitely out of the question.

"Then bring out the wine. How many do you want to drink today? If you don't make our friends have a good time, then you can all get out of here." Dong Xinghui waved his hand and took out two bottles of Feitian Moutai.

Thus began a real drinking party.

Not only Director Song, but Tang Xin was also surrounded. Lin Chen loathed this drinking party, but there was nothing he could do about it.