Gu Sanqing had discovered these problems as early as the auction day, but his family had been experiencing unrest recently, leaving him no opportunity to mention it to his father.
Gu Lou fell into thought after hearing this. He had also discovered this problem long ago, but he couldn't find the reason no matter how much he thought about it, so he stopped dwelling on it.
Now that his third son had brought up the key issue again, he felt it necessary to investigate what the Sun family had done before the auction.
"This matter is indeed strange. Plot 10 was the land they had always wanted the most, yet they not only gave it up so easily but also seemed to gloat over our acquisition of it. There must be something we don't know here."
The more Gu Lou spoke, the more he felt his analysis was hitting the mark. However, he pondered and pondered but couldn't figure out why the Sun family had given up Plot 10. Was it due to the Sun family's own issues, or something else?
"Third son, what do you think is the reason they gave up Plot 10? Speak freely and boldly." Gu Lou, having been prompted by Gu Sanqing, temporarily put aside the matter of his eldest son.
Gu Changqing's eyes flickered as he opened his mouth to say, "I think it might be a problem with the land itself."
Gu Lou's body stiffened as he scrutinized his son from head to toe. "Why don't you suspect that there was an internal problem within their own family, or that they discovered better investment projects?"
"It's impossible for it to be their internal problem, because they haven't made any moves recently, nor have there been any development projects announced from above. Unless they had a way to get internal information earlier than our Gu family." Gu Sanqing had people monitoring the Sun family during this period and found no anomalies.
However, whether they did anything before the auction was unknown.
"Impossible. Although the Sun family is cunning enough to partner with Pengcheng Hotel, that's all they have to show. In other aspects, they are not as good as our Gu family, and our Gu family at least has some foundation." Gu Lou did not believe that the Sun family could be more favored by those in power than them, or know the intentions and plans of those in power in advance.
However, it was unexpected that this son would be keeping an eye on the Sun family. Perhaps he should focus some attention on this son.
"Then it must be about the land." Gu Sanqing hadn't failed to visit Plot 10 these days, but no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't find any problems.
"Impossible, it's absolutely impossible that it's about Plot 10. Experts were even invited to inspect this land for the possibility of ancient tombs."
"..."
Gu Sanqing had nothing to say, as he himself could not figure out what the problem was.
"Regardless of why the Sun family is acting against me, I will not let them off. Aren't they currently producing a large order? Go and contact their business partners, offer them a lower price, ruin their cooperation, and teach them a lesson." Gu Lou had overlapping production with the Sun family, which was why they had always been at loggerheads.
The fact that the Sun family had taken on a large order was known to everyone in Pengcheng, as they had obtained the opportunity through a fair bidding process. The Gu family had failed to secure this cooperation precisely because the Sun family had taken the lead.
This time, the Sun family had helped Zhang Liunian, causing his revenge attempts to fail several times. He would not easily let go of this grudge.
"Yes," Gu Sanqing acknowledged the order, nodded, and left.
However, shortly after he left, he rushed back, "Dad, something bad has happened! The Sun family, along with the president of the Anti-Hong Kong Merchants Association, have arrived at our doorstep. They look like they've come to demand an explanation."
Boom!
Upon hearing this, Gu Lou's heart trembled. Could it be that they had discovered his actions?
Impossible, he had acted so discreetly; they couldn't possibly have found out.
"Dad, should we..."
Gu Sanqing, seeing his father's troubled expression, wanted to urge him to hide, but Gu Lou interrupted him, "Since they're here, where can I hide?"
With that said, he fumbled with his clothes and went to the living room.
To his dismay, as he walked out, he not only saw the president but also the other nine captains. Seeing them, his heart sank to the bottom.
If they weren't here to demand an explanation, they wouldn't have mobilized so many people.
It was over. His Gu family, and he, Gu Lou, would no longer be able to establish themselves in Pengcheng.
Just as he was thinking this, Sun's father, seeing Gu Lou appear, stepped forward and pointed out his crimes.
"Gu Lou, your collusion with Hong Kong merchants to harm national merchants has been discovered, and evidence has been found. Do you have anything to say?"
"..."
Zhang Liunian was unaware of the events here. At this moment, he was discussing with Group Leader Gu about where to meet Director Gao Lijie tomorrow.
As his assistant, Xiao Zhou naturally sat nearby, listening to their plans. He also learned that Zhang Liunian's department store had been sealed off by the Administration for Industry and Commerce, and that the new boss wanted to find Gao Lijie to get the department store unsealed.
"Gao Lijie passes by a photo studio every day and stops at the shop's entrance for two minutes before leaving. You can wait there. He will definitely come, either at noon or in the afternoon. He goes there every day." Group Leader Gu had been monitoring Gao Lijie for days and had already figured out his habits.
"Excellent. Tomorrow I will wait for him at the photo studio. Whether the store can be unsealed depends on tomorrow."
Zhang Liunian was very excited to learn that he had an opportunity to meet Gao Lijie. He then thought of the key person, Xiao Zhou, and said, "Xiao Zhou, you'll accompany me tomorrow."
As an assistant, Xiao Zhou naturally had to follow, but he didn't understand why his boss emphasized this point.
Group Leader Gu heard this and turned his head to look at Xiao Zhou. For some reason, he found this person somewhat familiar, yet he couldn't recall where he had seen him before.
"Boss, why does this Comrade Xiao Zhou look so familiar to me?" Group Leader Gu looked at Xiao Zhou, finding him consistently familiar, and couldn't help but comment to Zhang Liunian.
"Perhaps he has an affinity with you."
Zhang Liunian glossed over it and changed the subject. "Has the cargo arrived? Is the warehouse being guarded? Are Zhu Laosān and the others making any moves?"
With three consecutive questions, Group Leader Gu lost the inclination to care about Xiao Zhou's appearance.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't dare be negligent with millions of yuan worth of goods. Zhu Laosān is also recuperating from his injuries during this time and has been very quiet."
"That's good."
"..."
Meanwhile, in a study room in the provincial capital's government compound, Gao Lijie was staring blankly at an old photograph.
The photograph showed a young woman with two braided pigtails, delicate features, and a sensual mouth with a mole. She was smiling radiantly at someone.
This woman was a thorn in Gao Lijie's side, a woman he loved but could not have. Every day, when he sat in his study, he would take out this old photograph, rub it for a long time, and then put it away. This time was no exception.
"Alas!" After a long while, he sighed, carefully put away the photograph inside his coat, and then opened the document placed before him. The words "Develop the economy, expand individual businesses" were prominently written on it.