Chapter 230 The Pretense Tears Off! The Old Ox's True Colors

three days later.

Luzhou Economic Development Zone.

A stretched Lincoln with a Guangdong license plate was parked in front of the most upscale club in Luzhou.

The car door opened.

Qi Tongwei changed into a well-tailored custom-made suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he held a thick cigar in his hand.

Behind him were four bodyguards in suits, all of whom were Dragon Tooth Special Forces members assigned to him by Zhou Weiguo, each with a burly build.

During these three days, Qi Tongwei, using the alias "Chairman Qi," claimed to be a Hong Kong-funded real estate developer who brought 30 million yuan to Luzhou to look for projects.

He booked the most luxurious private room in the club and spent money like water, treating the heads of various departments in the development zone to drinks and meals.

The result, however, greatly disappointed him.

These officials ate and drank as usual, and said all sorts of nice things.

But when it comes to acquiring land and approving projects, they all turn into cowards.

All the shopping cards and cash given out were returned intact.

The statements were remarkably consistent: Secretary Yi had an ironclad rule: anyone who dared to embezzle would be immediately punished.

Late at night, in the presidential suite on the top floor of the club.

Qi Tongwei pressed the cigar into the pure copper ashtray and crushed it forcefully.

There were more than a dozen returned bank cards on the table.

These people are extremely wary of him.

Yi Xuexi has been operating in the development zone for many years and has long since built an impenetrable fortress.

Simply throwing money at the problem is a dead end.

The following afternoon.

Opposite the management committee building of Luzhou Development Zone, there is a dilapidated old street.

There was an inconspicuous teahouse on the street corner. Most of the paint on the signboard had peeled off, leaving only the three characters "Old Tree Tea".

Qi Tongwei was wearing an ordinary jacket and sat alone in the corner by the window.

On the table sat a pot of the cheapest jasmine tea, its liquid a bitter, yellowish hue.

People were coming and going in the management committee building, and several Audi cars were parked in the courtyard.

Qi Tongwei picked up his teacup and blew away the foam on the surface of the water.

Three middle-aged men were sitting at the next table.

The three men were dressed smartly, but their collars and cuffs were worn, giving off an air of dejected anxiety.

One of the fat men slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clink.

"That's fucking black!"

"I've been stuck in the development zone for half a year, and I haven't even seen a trace of land!"

A skinny man next to him quickly grabbed him and looked around.

"Keep your voice down, this is the entrance to the management committee."

"Who told you not to buy tea? You don't understand the rules, and you still want to acquire land in Luzhou?"

The fat man was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Why didn't I buy it!"

"I gritted my teeth and bought two cans last month, which cost me a whole million!"

"And what happened? That bastard Yi Xuexi turned his back on me, saying I wasn't qualified enough and kicked me out!"

"This tea is too expensive, five thousand per gram! That's highway robbery!"

"What's most infuriating is that the tea leaves were all moldy, rotten leaves; the water brewed from them tasted even worse than this jasmine tea!"

Qi Tongwei's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

He put down his cup, took out two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, and threw them directly onto the table next to him.

"Why are you all so hot-tempered, bosses?"

"It's fate that we met, this cigarette is on me."

The fat man glanced at the Zhonghua cigarettes on the table and then eyed Qi Tongwei warily.

"Who are you?"

Qi Tongwei pulled over a chair and sat down by himself.

"They're from out of town and want to do some small projects in the development zone."

"I just overheard some gentlemen talking about buying tea. I'm new here and don't know the proper etiquette, so I'd like to ask them for some advice."

As Qi Tongwei worked, he pulled a thick wad of hundred-yuan bills from the inside pocket of his jacket and pushed it directly in front of the fat man.

The fat man looked at the stack of money and swallowed hard.

He quickly swept the money into his briefcase, and his attitude changed immediately.

"Brother, I think you're a genuine person."

"If you want to get things done in the Luzhou Development Zone, it's useless to talk to those people in the management committee; they won't dare to accept money."

Qi Tongwei cooperated by showing a puzzled expression.

"Then who should we contact?"

The fat man lowered his voice, dipped his finger in tea, and drew a circle on the table.

"Secretary Yi has established a rule that all engineering projects in the development zone must undergo strict approval."

"But in reality, the level of approval depends entirely on whether you buy tea from that shop or not."

Qi Tongwei tapped on the table.

Which store?

The skinny man stepped forward and gave an address.

"In the old street in the south of the city, there is a tea shop called 'Qingfeng Pavilion'."

"That place is usually kept closed, and it only receives regular customers."

"If you want to acquire land and get approval, you have to bring cash to buy tea there."

The fat man chimed in, his face contorted with pain.

"The tea there doesn't have a price tag."

"The greater your request, the higher the price of the tea."

"My million-dollar project was ruined by buying two ounces of tea leaves."

"These people are ruthless and heartless!"

Qi Tongwei leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

An honest and upright official.

An old ox.

So this is the true way to make money that Yi Xuexi (易学, a Chinese proverb/traditional term) learned.

They don't accept cash or cards, disguising their corrupt dealings as legitimate tea sales.

As long as the funds enter the tea shop's account, it's considered normal business transactions, and no one can find anything wrong with it.

That was a brilliant sleight of hand.

Qi Tongwei stood up and tossed the remaining half pack of Zhonghua cigarettes to the fat man.

"Thanks for your guidance, gentlemen."

Evening, the old street in the south of the city.

This is the old town of Luzhou, with narrow streets lined with low brick and tile houses on both sides.

An inconspicuous black Jetta was parked at the entrance of the alley.

Qi Tongwei sat in the driver's seat and lowered the car window halfway.

Deep in the alley, hangs an antique wooden plaque: Qingfeng Pavilion.

The gate was tightly shut, and there wasn't even a waiter to greet guests.

Qi Tongwei took out his phone and dialed Zhou Weiguo's number.

"Weiguo, check the business registration information of the 'Qingfeng Pavilion' tea shop on the old street in the south of Luzhou City."

"Especially the legal representative and the flow of funds behind them."

The sound of keyboard typing came from the other end of the phone.

Two minutes later, Zhou Weiguo gave a reply.

"Found it."

"The legal representative is Wang Xiuying, an elderly woman in her sixties from the countryside."

"Large sums of money are deposited into the tea shop's account every month, and then quickly dispersed and transferred to more than a dozen different overseas accounts."

"The financial chain was very well-hidden and underwent multiple layers of laundering."

Qi Tongwei hung up the phone and threw it on the passenger seat.

Wang Xiuying.

He remembered that the file Li Dakang had given him mentioned that this was the name of Yi Xuexi's mother-in-law.

The old ox's tail has finally been revealed.

Qi Tongwei pushed open the car door, stepped onto the bluestone path, and walked towards Qingfeng Pavilion.

He knocked on the tightly closed wooden door.

After a while, the door opened a crack.

A middle-aged man wearing a traditional Chinese jacket peeked out and looked Qi Tongwei up and down.

"We're closed for today. Please come again tomorrow."

Qi Tongwei pulled out two bundles of cash wrapped in kraft paper from his pocket and slipped them through the crack in the door.

"I was introduced by a friend."

I'd like to buy some good tea.

The middle-aged man saw the cash and widened the crack in the door slightly.

"Friend? Which friend?"

Qi Tongwei gave the fat boss's name.

The middle-aged man nodded and opened the door completely.

"Come in."