Chapter 49

The next day, Xiao Yangzhou finally woke up. The alcohol made his head throb, and he saw that he was in a hotel room. He vaguely recalled what had happened before he got drunk yesterday.

"Damn!" Xiao Yangzhou slapped his forehead, found his phone on the bedside table, and saw that there were dozens of missed calls, most of which were from his girlfriend, Zhao Lingyun. He quickly called her back and said as soon as she answered, "Lingyun, I was drunk last night and didn't hear your calls!"

"I know, Li Mang already told me on the phone last night!" Zhao Lingyun didn't seem to mind this at all. Before Xiao Yangzhou could react, she excitedly said, "It's done! We've got it done!"

"What's done?" Xiao Yangzhou was still groggy from the alcohol.

"All the permits for our farm stay are done!" Despite several hours having passed, Zhao Lingyun was still excited on the phone. Recalling the events of last night, she felt as if she were living in a dream.

"Done is done... What did you say? All the permits for the farm stay are done?" Xiao Yangzhou was suddenly wide awake, jumping out of bed, but he still couldn't believe it. When he came to the gathering yesterday, he had stopped by the town office to inquire, and the people there hadn't even given him a second glance. Now, after just one night, his girlfriend was telling him that all the permits were done. How could he believe it?

"It's true. Last night, the town's business and health bureau chiefs, along with many other officials, were all taken down. The town mayor brought people to process our application for the permits. Husband, we can open today!" Zhao Lingyun said excitedly on the other end of the line.

"..."

After asking repeatedly, Xiao Yangzhou finally believed that his girlfriend wasn't joking. He hung up the phone and started jumping on the bed, waving his arms and legs in excitement.

For the past few months, the permit issue had been a heavy burden on him, making it hard for him to breathe. Now that it was finally resolved, his excitement was unimaginable. However, after the excitement, he had a huge question: Who had helped him?

If the dismissal of the business and health officials was a coincidence, it was unlikely that the town mayor would bring relevant staff to process the permits overnight. Clearly, someone was helping him from behind. However, after much thought, Xiao Yangzhou couldn't figure out who it was.

Yu Gaoyang? They had a big fight yesterday. The guy probably hated him to death, let alone helping him. Besides, Yu Gaoyang didn't have the power to do this. If he did, he would have helped long ago.

But apart from Yu Gaoyang, he couldn't think of anyone else. He had many friends, but only three were close.

Ge Xuelin? He was struggling with his own problems.

Li Mang? This thought made Xiao Yangzhou highly suspicious. Li Mang had always said he worked for a private company, but now, thinking back, whenever this topic came up, Li Mang would always change the subject, as if he didn't want to talk about it. Xiao Yangzhou had originally thought Li Mang was just not doing well, but now, thinking carefully, Li Mang's character didn't seem to fit that.

What made Xiao Yangzhou even more suspicious was that Li Mang seemed very different this time. He didn't look any better, but his spirit was hard to ignore, and his demeanor had changed dramatically.

Although Xiao Yangzhou was a farmer, he wasn't a bumpkin. He was a high-achieving graduate from Yan University and had a keen eye for people. His analytical skills were strong, and he quickly narrowed down the suspect to Li Mang.

Thinking this, Xiao Yangzhou hurriedly got up and washed up. When he opened the door, he saw Li Mang just coming out of the room opposite. The calm expression on Li Mang's face made Xiao Yangzhou swallow his questions. For a moment, he didn't know how to start.

"Damn, I shouldn't have drunk that alcohol. It hurts every time I drink," Ge Xuelin grumbled as he came out of the room next door. Seeing both of them, he said, "Let's go have breakfast. How about we go to Old Gu's place?"

Fulurenjia was already open, and Old Gu was busy inside. He looked much happier than yesterday. Seeing Li Mang and the others, he called out from a distance, "You three are up early. I thought you'd wake up at noon!"

"Hey, Old Gu, you look so happy today. Did the restaurant get through the crisis?" Ge Xuelin asked curiously.

"Ha, you guessed right. The district chief came last night to lift the closure order and chatted with me for a while. He even suggested setting up the district government's reception at Fulurenjia. I'm still puzzled about who helped me," Old Gu laughed, clearly very happy. He even invited Li Mang and the others to have breakfast.

The speaker was casual, but the listener was attentive. Xiao Yangzhou, who had been skeptical, finally confirmed that the one who helped him must be one of the three friends. Ge Xuelin could be ruled out, and the possibility of Yu Gaoyang was also low. The most likely person was Li Mang. However, seeing that Li Mang didn't reveal his identity to Old Gu, Xiao Yangzhou didn't rush to ask.

"Li Mang, was it you?" Once they sat down, Xiao Yangzhou couldn't resist asking for confirmation.

"It was me," Li Mang surprisingly admitted directly.

"You two seem to have some special bond?" Ge Xuelin looked at them curiously.

"..." Xiao Yangzhou was brought back from his shock by Ge Xuelin's joke. Ignoring the lecherous guy, he gave Li Mang a grateful look: "Li Mang, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I helped you this time not just out of brotherhood, but also for my own selfish reasons and goals," Li Mang said.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Yangzhou was confused. He couldn't think of what Li Mang could want from him.

"Wait, what are you two talking about? I don't understand," Ge Xuelin, who was confused, couldn't help but interrupt.

Seeing that Li Mang didn't stop him, Ge Xuelin told the story of how Xiao Yangzhou's farm stay had been approved. Ge Xuelin was stunned, then looked Li Mang up and down as if he were seeing him for the first time. Finally, he couldn't believe it and asked, "So, did you also save Old Gu's Fulurenjia?"

"You know about it, but don't tell Old Gu. You can call me Lei Feng," Li Mang said, rare to be so self-indulgent. In front of these brothers, he didn't need to be mysterious. He could show his youthful vigor.

"..." Ge Xuelin and Xiao Yangzhou didn't laugh. They still looked at Li Mang in shock. To them, this was a huge revelation. They wanted to ask how Li Mang did it, but considering his attitude, they couldn't bring themselves to ask.

Since Li Mang was avoiding the topic, they didn't press further. Asking would only create awkwardness if Li Mang couldn't answer.

"Li Mang, what do you want me to do?" Xiao Yangzhou asked in a low voice. Since Li Mang had said this, he knew Li Mang would have some demands. He felt a bit uneasy. He should trust this brother, but the current Li Mang seemed mysterious, making him feel unfamiliar.

"I want to invest in your farm stay. I'll start with three million and will continue to increase the investment. Your job is to run the farm stay well and make it more beautiful," Li Mang said surprisingly.

"Three million?" Ge Xuelin was shocked.

"You want to invest?" Xiao Yangzhou was stunned.

For them, Li Mang's words were a huge shock. They were stunned and couldn't calm down, whether it was the three million or the investment in the farm stay. Both were unexpected and even shocking.

"Here's the porridge... Hey, what are you three doing?" Xiao Ling, who brought the breakfast, looked at them curiously.

"Nothing, we were just saying how pretty Xiao Ling is. Whoever marries you will be blessed for three lifetimes!" Ge Xuelin teased.

"Stop flirting. I'll pour the porridge on you if you keep it up," Xiao Ling gave him a glare, but her cheeks were red.

After she left, Xiao Yangzhou seriously asked Li Mang, "Li Mang, are you serious? Investing in a farm stay isn't a good project, especially with such a large investment. It's hard to even recover the cost."

"Of course," Li Mang nodded seriously and explained, "Don't worry. I'm not doing this just to help you. I have my own considerations. My current identity is special, and it's hard to explain my source of money to my family and friends. So, I decided to invest in your farm stay yesterday. The most important reason is to give my family an explanation."

After a pause, Li Mang added, "Compared to other investments, a farm stay is more suitable for me. When the time is right, I can bring my family here for a vacation. It's good to have you around to take care of things."

Although Huaxia could arrange various identities for Li Mang, they were all fake and couldn't withstand the test of reality and time. Therefore, Li Mang urgently needed to establish a real identity. Investing in Xiao Yangzhou's farm stay was the best option. He had a family and friends, but they couldn't know about Huaxia Compound. This was necessary.

"Li Mang, are you involved in anything dirty?" Xiao Yangzhou asked seriously, and Ge Xuelin also put away his smile. Based on their understanding of Li Mang, he wasn't the type to break the law for money, but they couldn't rule out the possibility that life had pushed him to the edge. Time could change a person's character and values, as Yu Gaoyang was a living example.

Li Mang wasn't angry at their doubts because he could see that it was concern, not suspicion. He smiled and asked, "If my identity were dirty, could I mobilize official resources to help myself?"

"..." Hearing this, the two finally felt relieved.

During breakfast, they discussed the shares and roles orally. They decided to upgrade the original "Peach Village Farm Stay" to "Peach Village Resort." Li Mang would invest three million initially and take 60% of the shares. He would be a silent partner and not interfere with the resort's operations.

Xiao Yangzhou, the original owner, would keep the remaining 40% of the shares and serve as the general manager of Peach Village Resort. Although his share was smaller, he wasn't at a disadvantage. In fact, he was in a better position because of Li Mang's investment.

Ge Xuelin, who had just lost his job, also joined Peach Village Resort as a vice manager, with a monthly salary of 5,000 and a share of the profits. Despite complaining about being exploited by capitalists, he was smiling.

"Li Mang, with such a large investment, we need a more comprehensive plan. If we lose all this money, we won't be able to live with ourselves!" Xiao Yangzhou, seeing Li Mang's lack of concern for the resort's operations, patiently advised.

"Right, three million isn't a small amount, and you plan to invest even more. If it goes wrong, we'll owe you a debt we can't repay even if we work as cowboys for a lifetime," Ge Xuelin also criticized Li Mang.

"Um... Okay, let's spend a day to formulate a comprehensive development plan." Li Mang thought it made sense. He wasn't just playing around with the Peach Village Resort; he genuinely wanted it to grow and thrive. Therefore, he decided to spend a day planning.

However, he wasn't worried about this. He was confident because the Shanhaijing space had many things that could help the resort develop. His job was to find more discreet ways to bring these things into the real world and use them.