Guo Nini hurriedly arrived at the chairman's office, only to find it in chaos as if a typhoon had just passed through—water stains, shattered porcelain pieces, and scattered papers were everywhere on the expensive carpet.

She saw Luo Wantong standing with his back to her, facing the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly gazing at Binhai outside.

What was once a reassuring broad back now gave Guo Nini a sense of fear.

She steadied her nerves and gently approached Luo Wantong, softly asking, "Wantong, what's wrong? It's been a long time since I've seen you lose your temper like this."

Luo Wantong let out a long sigh, suppressing his anger, and without turning his head, he said, "I just received news that the signing ceremony for the transfer of the Lijiang Center land, originally scheduled for tomorrow, has been canceled."

Guo Nini looked shocked and asked, "How could that be? Haven't all the connections been smoothed out already?"

Luo Wantong clenched his fist tightly and said coldly, "Deputy Director Liang, who was in charge of this matter, was summoned by the relevant departments for a talk yesterday."

"In such circumstances, all the work he handled is suspended and needs to be re-examined."

Guo Nini frowned.

The small white building of Weize Company is located in a prime area, an excellent position for building top-notch office buildings and ultra-luxurious hotels.

Luo Wantong, in order to acquire the land, didn't hesitate to employ underhanded tactics, but unexpectedly, it all came to naught, benefiting the Han Group instead.

Moreover, he offended the An Family and Lin Jie, who is closely connected with them.

And the Lijiang Center land was considered a fallback choice.

Binhai is a developed international metropolis; such a well-located piece of land is rare and coveted by many parties.

Luo Wantong had put a lot of thought into acquiring it smoothly, using money, beauties, and threats to privacy, among other methods, but still met with such an unexpected turn.

Uprooting one plant exposes the dirt, Guo Nini asked worriedly, "Wantong, what about the aftermath?"

Luo Wantong pondered for a moment and said, "Once certain things are investigated, there's no way to hide them. Fortunately, some of the private work was done by subordinates, so we'll just have to throw out someone of some weight as the scapegoat."

"I'm just more worried about whether the Group will end up on the government's blacklist and have its trading qualifications restricted."

He decided, "Nini, have the finance department prepare fifty million, and contact the government's education and other departments in the group's name to donate to a few government-supervised funds."

Guo Nini nodded and said, "I'll personally handle this, and I'll make sure to create a bigger impact."

"I'm confident in your work."

Luo Wantong turned to Guo Nini, pondered, and said, "I think someone is deliberately targeting us."

"Otherwise, at such a critical time point, the person in charge who never had any leaks suddenly had an incident."

Guo Nini nodded and said, "That's possible. In the competition for the Lijiang Center land, we mainly have three competitors..."

"All three are possible; the Han Family has probably been watching all our moves, so they could be involved too."

"And... and... the An Family is also a possibility."

"The An Family!"

Luo Wantong's face showed a flicker of gloom and apprehension, "The An Family has actually connected with the noble son Ye from the Capital City. They're no longer what they used to be and can't be easily provoked anymore."

"I genuinely regret it now; I should have spared no expense to recruit Lin Jie back then..."

"But since things have come to this, I'm not really afraid of them."

Luo Wantong said proudly, "I used to be the local bigwig in Binhai. After a gap of a couple of decades, I've turned into a formidable presence once again."

"Since someone wants to fight, I'll gladly play along with this battle of the dragon and the serpent..."

The Bamboo Sea, aptly called a "sea," stretches as far as the eye can see with bamboo as thick as arms or calves, spreading a refreshing green everywhere.

Apart from one or two simple paths opened for tourists, there are hardly any traces of human activity in the Bamboo Sea, making it quite primitive and natural.

Amidst it, Lin Jie, seeing no strangers around, took a deep breath and felt incredibly relaxed.

He smiled at An Kexin, who was holding a small bamboo basket, and said, "There's a joke about people from the Capital City getting dizzy from the fresh air when they travel to other places, which, while exaggerated, vividly reveals the huge difference in air quality."

"The air in Binhai, because of its proximity to the sea, is much better than the Capital City, but compared to here, it doesn't even come close."

"We could find time each year to travel to places with good views and little pollution."

An Kexin shook the small bamboo basket in her hand and teased, "A-Jie, hurry and find those bamboo shoots. It's been over an hour, and you've only found two little ones, not even enough for a plate of dishes."

Lin Jie listened carefully and said, "Why rush? Miaomiao and Kemeng will definitely find plenty. I guess this area has had some tourists before, so there are fewer bamboo shoots."

"Let's move off the path and go deeper."

"Go deeper off the path?"

An Kexin looked around worriedly and said, "It's all bamboo around here, no landmarks; what if we get lost?"

"Besides, in such a big Bamboo Sea, there must be wild animals. If a wild boar comes charging, we won't be able to outrun it."

Lin Jie took An Kexin's hand confidently and said, "What are you afraid of! We can see the sun, we won't get lost. This Bamboo Sea is a tourist area, any wild boars would have long been driven out."

"Even if there's truly a wild boar..."

He brandished the small hoe he used for digging bamboo shoots and declared, "I can still protect you."

An Kexin smiled, holding Lin Jie's hand as they moved forward, "Alright, let's keep going deeper, as long as you're here to protect me."

The two of them, hand in hand, left the path and headed into the depths of the Bamboo Sea...

"A-Jie, Xiaoxiao mentioned you took on the medical bounty from the Ma Family in the Capital City?"

Lin Jie chuckled, "It's not accepting the bounty per se, just returning a favor for a patient."

He explained the circumstances and couldn't help laughing, "It's funny how things circled around and eventually came back to me."

"I reckon the Ma Family must have mixed feelings. Had they sent me the medical records back then, I might have just accepted the patient as a matter of course..."

"Now, afraid I'd be upset over previous matters and decline, they had to put aside pride and seek a favor from Shao Deyao."

"In the end, it comes down to my A-Jie being so capable that they have to seek you out for treatment."

At this, An Kexin's expression turned serious and she said worriedly, "I heard that during the previous consultation by the Ma Family in the Capital City, even the senior Zhou from Binhai went personally."

"If Mr. Zhou couldn't solve the issue, the child's illness must be really tricky."

Lin Jie stopped walking, looked at An Kexin, and asked, "Are you worried that I might also find it hard to resolve and be unable to treat it?"

"I... I'm not worried about that."

An Kexin stubbornly said, "A-Jie, you're the most capable, there's no illness you can't solve."

Lin Jie laughed, pinched An Kexin's cheek, and said, "Having worries is normal, you don't have to deny it. The world's difficult, complicated diseases are countless; I'm no god, I can't solve all illnesses."

"I am very clear about this."

"So... I'm also prepared for the possibility of failure regarding this child's illness."

After a moment of silence, An Kexin softly said, "Then... A-Jie, can't you find an excuse to decline this patient? So far, your success rate has been a hundred percent."

"If you fail with this child, what about your reputation?"

Lin Jie frowned and said, "Kexin, maintaining a hundred percent success rate has no real meaning."

"Diseases like AIDS, various mid to late-stage cancers, high-risk infectious viruses, many brain tumors, and many more are beyond my current ability to treat."

"If I only accept patients within my ability to preserve this so-called hundred percent success rate, then I've lost the chance to advance further."

An Kexin blushed, feeling a bit ashamed, and softly said, "A-Jie, I'm sorry, I was too narrow-minded, it's my mistake."

Lin Jie glanced at the surrounding environment, sternly said, "You know you're wrong?"

Seeing Lin Jie becoming unexpectedly serious, An Kexin was a bit puzzled but still cooperated and said, "A-Jie, I know I'm wrong, you can punish me."

Lin Jie nodded satisfiedly and said, "Since you have a good attitude in admitting your mistake, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself... ."

Just then, a figure popped up from behind a small hill a few meters away, shouting loudly, "Snake... snake..."

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