“Who’s that?” The manager had just asked the people responsible for accomodations in Ning Village when someone dashed out of the crowd and greeted Guo Xiang with a broad grin.
“Young Master Guo, what gives us the pleasure to have you here in person?” The oncoming greeter was a man in his thirties. His hair, which was nearly yellow from all the grease stuck to it, peppered the shoulder portion of his decrepit grey suit with a thin layer of dandruff. He rushed toward Guo Xiang with utmost excitement, but worries about the cleanliness of his own hands stopped him from extending it in the latter’s direction. Instead, he rubbed his hands against his pants in visible abashedness.
“This is Guo Xiang, the crown prince of Yunlong Construction Group. They are trying to build a vacation resort in the village, so they used their connections and sent someone from the city to negotiate with us. However, the negotiations failed since the villagers didn’t agree to sell their ancestral lands. Why is he back here now?” The official in charge whispered an explanation to the floor manager.
“Is it going to affect the filming?” The manager voiced his sole concern.
“Ah, of course not. The filming is very important, as much for the city as it is for us.”
Guo Xiang looked at the villager in front of him and enjoyed the reverential reception he received. Guo Xiang had chosen to attend the Teachers’ College because the student body was rumored to be full of beauties. As for becoming a teacher, there was no bigger joke. For the likes of him, the only thing a teacher was good for was perhaps for some kind of uniform fetish. Being bored out of his mind after graduating, he traveled around with a group of friends, and, recently, had come to the village with a group of amateurs in body art photography. A model remarked about the beauty of the village in his bed, and, in a moment of impulsive ostentatiousness, he promised her that he would offer the village to her as a gift. ‘Don’t all these bully CEOs want to buy fish ponds? I’ll buy an entire village to show them who’s boss.’ 1
After throwing up the big promise, Guo Xiang considered it more carefully and was impressed by the quality of his own impetuous idea. Seeing some hope for success, he quickly motivated himself into realizing his plan. Guo Tai, upon seeing that his indulging son had finally woken up, and, also upon realizing that it was not just a naive fantasy, was ecstatic and quickly gave his unreserved support.
The man with a displeasing appearance standing in front of him was called Lei San’er, a ruffian from the Ning village. In his youth, he had a gambling addiction and eventually sold his family’s land to fuel his obsession. His parents died shortly after, with some saying that it was due to the fury caused by his actions. He went out of the village with other people for a few loose jobs, but he was unable to handle the roughness of such jobs and returned home after a few days. Since then, he stayed in the village, living in a constant state of semi-hunger and misery. Nearly all the villagers resented him, but if there was one thing Lei San’er was good at, it was to stir trouble. Therefore, everyone tried as hard as they can to stay away from him.
Guo Xiang noticed his presence the first time he visited the village for negotiations. His wretched appearance was enough to convince Guo Tai that he was the subordinate he was looking for, the kind of dog that would lash out at anyone if enough meat was given. The cooperation was nearly instantaneous between the pair, and, after promising Lei San’er a position as the security manager at the new resort, Lei San’er became Guo Xiang’s full-fledged representative in Ning Village for land acquisition.
Guo Xiang thought the execution of plan to be smooth and without obstacles, but little did he expect that the villagers would love the land on which they had lived for generations, the farmland which fed them, to such an extent. No one was willing to sell land, and this infuriated Guo Xiang. Just as Guo Xiang was facing the predicament of disappointing his promise, the beautiful model he slept with, and his own father, he had heard from Lei San’er that Fang Shui’er was coming to film a video at Ning village. ‘Holy s.h.i.+t, that’s Fang Shui’er, the woman in many of my wet dreams.This is an opportunity I can’t miss. What if she’s impressed by my sincerity…? Not enough sincerity? If one million is not enough, then two will be. If two is not enough, then four will be. I have plenty of sincerity, and well, it’s good for a field-trip to the actual location of investment.’
