"Deputy Town Chief Chen, you're not a foreigner. You should know what ancestral graves mean to ordinary people. Forcing people to relocate their graves at such a low price, isn't that bullying? You officials always claim to stand up for the people. Is this how you stand up for them? Even if you don't stand up for them, bringing police to arrest people—what a display of authority! Aren't you afraid of self-media exposing these dark corners?"
Xiao Bo said with a feigned air of righteous indignation.
The crowd wasn't foolish. Seeing that Xiao Bo had hit the nail on the head, they all started to act up, beating their chests, stomping their feet, or collapsing and rolling around...
This time, it wasn't just Chen Feng who was startled, but the police as well.
"Deputy Town Chief Chen, as you can see, this isn't a matter of the police not intervening, but that they can't resolve it even if they do. This issue was caused by you, so you're the one who has to handle it."
With that, the police turned around and drove back the way they came.
"Chen Feng, since things have escalated to this point, why don't we let Deputy Town Chief Hong handle it?"
Cheng Lu, standing nearby, advised Chen Feng immediately.
"I'd love to walk away, but I can't."
Chen Feng replied with a calm smile.
"Can't walk away? How can you not? This matter doesn't concern you; it concerns Deputy Town Chief Hong. If you just call Deputy Town Chief Hong to handle it, how could they possibly stop you from leaving?"
Cheng Lu asked, utterly bewildered.
"That's the logic, but haven't you noticed that Xiao Bo is also here to stir up trouble today? Because of the land acquisition, Xiao Bo wants to kill me. Would he let go of an opportunity to make me look bad? To put it bluntly, today's situation is either I take the fall, or I resolve it perfectly."
Chen Feng explained.
"The police have already left? How are you going to handle it?"
Cheng Lu became anxious.
"We can handle it by unconditionally revoking the contract. That way, they'll have nothing to say."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"What? Unconditionally revoking the contract? How can that work? If the land acquisition is canceled, what happens to the Lianhua Town Technology Hardware City project?"
Cheng Lu grew even more anxious.
In the past, people often said that the political arena was difficult to navigate, but she hadn't taken it seriously then.
Today's incident had completely convinced her.
Originally, the Lianhua Town Technology Hardware City project was on track for success. Who knew that such a sudden issue would arise, causing the Lianhua Town Technology Hardware City project to fail at the last hurdle.
It was only because Chen Feng remained so calm that she wasn't completely defeated. If it were her, she would have collapsed long ago.
"Before, I really hadn't thought of how to deal with the sudden tightening of land supply. Just now, it suddenly occurred to me that we can use off-site land acquisition."
Chen Feng explained calmly.
"What off-site land acquisition?"
Cheng Lu asked, completely puzzled.
"Off-site land acquisition means not acquiring land in Lianhua Town, but in the neighboring town. With the 'village-to-village' road construction, rural roads are now well-connected. Acquiring land in the neighboring town won't significantly increase costs."
Chen Feng's explanation completely won Cheng Lu over.
Chen Feng's ability to remain calm in the face of danger and his quick thinking demonstrated his talent in the political arena to the fullest.
"If that's the case, then let's not hesitate. We can just tell these villagers directly."
Cheng Lu said excitedly.
"No hurry. Let's play along with these villagers for a few more rounds."
"Play along? What do you mean?"
Cheng Lu was confused once more.
"Playing along means pretending to negotiate with the villagers, asking if they can stop raising the prices, saying Lianhua Town really doesn't have any money. The villagers will definitely be insistent. At that moment, seize the opportunity to say we're terminating the contract unconditionally, and they'll definitely agree."
Chen Feng explained calmly.
"Why go through all this unnecessary trouble?"
Cheng Lu asked, bewildered.
"Most villagers are simple-minded and won't guess my scheme. However, Xiao Bo and the village leaders have some brains. If I were to hastily revoke the contract, they would definitely suspect a ploy and then drag their feet. In that case, we'd be in a truly passive position."
Chen Feng's explanation finally made Cheng Lu understand completely.
To help Chen Feng's act appear more convincing, Cheng Lu added fuel to the fire, emphasizing that the town was indeed out of money and that the Women's Federation hadn't received any financial appropriations from the town for several months.
"Deputy Town Chief Chen, do you think you can gloss over this by crying poverty? We've all come today, and we demand that the compensation be increased."
Xiao Bo said aggressively.
"Factory Director Xiao, I'm not crying poverty. If Lianhua Town had money, why would I go to all this trouble? The money isn't mine personally, so why would I bother saving it?"
Chen Feng said with great conviction.
"Deputy Town Chief Chen, since you're still crying poverty, then fine, just cancel the contract. That should be acceptable, right? If you don't have money, you shouldn't be acquiring the land either."
Xiao Bo pressured Chen Feng.
"Under the current circumstances, canceling the contract is the only option. However, as I said before, while we can cancel, you must pay the penalty for breach of contract."
Chen Feng continued his act.
"Deputy Town Chief Chen, are you out of your mind? Look, we are the ones asking you for something now, not the other way around. And you want a penalty for breach of contract? Believe it or not, if we don't cancel, we'll just drag this out until you're exhausted."
Xiao Bo retorted excitedly.
"Fine, Xiao Bo, you're ruthless. I admit defeat. I can unconditionally withdraw the contract. However, one last request, can you give us a week's grace period? I need to inform the Technology Hardware City project."
Chen Feng intentionally set a condition.
Cheng Lu, watching from the side, was utterly stunned.
Chen Feng had clearly studied psychology; he was incredibly skilled, perfectly manipulating Xiao Bo's mindset.
"No! All the contracts must be canceled today."
As expected, Xiao Bo and the others fell for the trap.
"Is there no room for negotiation at all?"
Chen Feng asked with a feigned expression of panic.
"Back then, when you didn't acquire my factory land, did you negotiate with me? Now you want to negotiate? What were you doing before? Hurry up and cancel! Otherwise, when those self-media reporters arrive, this situation will be very unfavorable for you."
Xiao Bo continued to press him.
"Alright, as things stand, this is the only way."
Chen Feng put on a show of deep regret and had Cheng Lu lead people to cancel the contracts with everyone.
After a busy afternoon, the matter was finally settled, and the crowd left, content.
The crowd thought that by canceling the contract today, Chen Feng would definitely sign a new contract at a higher price after some time.
"Chen Feng, how do you feel? This is the consequence of provoking me."
After everyone left, Xiao Bo revealed his true colors and asked Chen Feng with a ferocious, excited expression.
"Factory Director Xiao, if I were you, I'd be fleeing tonight."
Chen Feng said with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
Xiao Bo asked, confused.
"The meaning is simple. You're not part of the political arena. To play with people in the political arena, you're still too green. Tomorrow, I will announce publicly that a portion of the land for the Technology Hardware City will be acquired in the neighboring town."
"Acquire in the neighboring town? Isn't that like going the long way around? You wouldn't be that foolish, would you?"
Xiao Bo asked in a panic.
"Going the long way around is indeed not a good choice, but when it comes to exorbitant demands, it's the best choice."
Chen Feng replied coldly.
Upon hearing Chen Feng's words, Xiao Bo immediately understood.
So, he had been outmaneuvered by Chen Feng all along.
"Kid, you're good."
With that, Xiao Bo left in a hurry.
"Chen Feng, should we hold a special land acquisition meeting tomorrow to publicize the off-site land acquisition?"
Cheng Lu asked excitedly.
"There will indeed be a special land acquisition meeting tomorrow, but the agenda will not be off-site land acquisition; it will be to re-sign land acquisition contracts."
Chen Feng said confidently.
"Chen Feng, what do you mean by that?"
Cheng Lu asked, completely bewildered.