Building Bridges and Roads: Master Lin's 22nd Bonus Update for the Alliance Leader "Nan Nan's Little Eraser"

Lin Qi and the mayor talked for quite a while, and it was clear that the mayor had made some kind of decision.

In fact, he had reached a point where he had to make a decision. Choosing sides within the Progressive Party and the changing environment of major reforms—in this turbulent era, if one is not careful, one could be slapped in the face by the times and left far behind.

Two years later Sabine City will hold a new election. Although the mayor did not hire a research agency to conduct a public opinion poll for himself, he knew that his approval rating would not be very high.

It's not fair to say he performed poorly during the general strike; many local leaders didn't perform as well as him. But it's also not fair to say he performed exceptionally well. In reality, his performance wasn't as good as he and others on his side imagined.

The strike was quickly quelled, but it offended some people, such as those who lost their jobs during the strike.

Of course, they also hate their immediate supervisors or other factory owners, but they don't have any direct and effective ways to retaliate against their immediate supervisors.

They couldn't possibly barge into someone's home, even their yard, with something that a judge would deem an "offensive weapon," and start cursing at them.

That will only bring a bullet and death, nothing more.

But they can retaliate against the mayor, and the method is simple: just don't vote for the mayor in the next election a year and six months later.

This was done so discreetly that no one would discover their names and information from the anonymous votes. They didn't need to worry about anyone's retaliation; they could simply watch quietly as the mayor was ousted from the City Hall by the newly appointed mayor.

Therefore, the mayor was well aware that his approval rating was very low and he didn't have many options left. He either had to make a "deal" before leaving office and complete the transfer of power through some tacit, behind-the-scenes operation.

He traded the position of mayor for the status of a State Councilor, and then wasted his life arguing with people all day in the State Legislature.

Alternatively, one could try to win back public opinion, lead the entire Sabine City out of its predicament, become the most prominent leader in the face of adversity, and then use the power of these capitals to achieve a leap that many people cannot accomplish in their entire lives.

He went from being the head of a third-tier city to becoming Member of the House of Representatives.

He might have another chance to climb higher in the future, or join an important committee and take on a position, so that he can still contribute his light and heat to the country.

Faced with a bleak future and a bright future, taking a gamble at this time is definitely the right thing to do.

After returning from Mark's villa, Lin Qi did not go home but went directly to his parents' house.

Lin Qi's mother, Sera, was very surprised and delighted by Lin Qi's visit, and she became quite different.

In the past, Sera was more like an ordinary housewife, with a slight hint of timidity about life on her face. She spent all her time in the kitchen and Living Room, and only had a short period of time to herself on afternoons when she didn't have to do laundry.

Timid, numb, and simple—that's the most accurate description of Sera, but she's different now.

She changed into expensive designer clothes, did her hair, and applied some makeup, making her look several years younger than before.

"You didn't say you were coming back!" Sera took the bag from Lin Qi's hand and handed it to the maid, who then hung it in the dressing room.

She took Lin Qi's arm and accompanied him into the Living Room, where they sat on the elegant sofa.

"Tell the cook to add one more person for dinner, and to make some delicious food with the best ingredients..." Sera instructed the maid familiarly. Lin Qi looked at her, feeling a mix of emotions.

This woman, perhaps it's not very respectful to say it this way, but the meaning of this sentence is not affected.

This woman spent over thirty years learning to revere life, but in just a few months, she began to enjoy it. That's the value, the power, and the allure of money! "Should I call Neil back?" Sera asked warmly. "He should be at the construction site now!"

Lin Qi Company contracted out some of its construction projects to Neil's company. They did what was suitable for them, and subcontracted the projects they lacked to qualified companies.

Of course, Lin Qi actually held shares in this Construction Company through some third-party holding companies, which saved him costs and made it easier for him to put the company's money into his own pocket.

This sounds like it's illegal, and it is indeed somewhat illegal, but illegal doesn't necessarily mean it's illegal. It's just something that the law hasn't clearly defined yet.

Lin Qi is the major shareholder of the company. He may hire another company of Lin Qi at a premium or a small premium. All the procedures are legal and the shareholders have no objections. If this is exposed, it is indeed a bit irregular, but before it is exposed, no one will say anything about it.

As for the fact that Neil is Lin Qi's father and works as a manager at the Construction Company, according to the Federal family culture, they are actually independent natural persons apart from their legal father-son relationship.

It's absurd, but it's true.

With more and more projects and work, Neil has adapted to his new identity, spending his days socializing and wandering around construction sites, enjoying it all.

Lin Qi raised his wrist to look at his watch, then shook his head. "No need, he should be back in an hour."

His words were taken very seriously, and even though he was Sera's son, Sera would respect his choices.

Family ties are one aspect, but more importantly, Lin Qi is very wealthy, which is also a very realistic matter.

The two watched TV and chatted for a while, thinking that Neil would come back early. However, they waited from a little after six o'clock until almost nine o'clock before Neil returned.

Sera made several calls during this time, but could not reach Neil. In this era of limited mobile communication, if a person does not take the initiative to contact others, no one can find him!

When Neil returned home, he reeked of alcohol. His eyes were stiff when he saw Lin Qi sitting on the sofa, and his hazy consciousness snapped back to reality.

I suddenly felt a little nervous again.

"Come to the study, let's talk..." Lin Qi said, standing up from the sofa and walking upstairs.

After moving to his new home, Neil also set up a study for himself, making himself appear more sophisticated.

Neil, who was outside enjoying himself, glanced back at Sera with unease, his lips moved, but he eventually went upstairs.

After going up to the second floor, Lin Qi stood by the door of the study and waited for him. After he entered the room, Lin Qi closed the door and sat down in the chair behind the desk, where Neil should have been sitting.

"I had no intention of prying into your private life, but the peculiar perfume you were wearing made me realize that I had been waiting for you for hours. You weren't there to socialize for the company's benefit, but to fool around with women. I'm very disappointed."

Just as the door closed, a faint scent of Neil wafted into Lin Qi's nose. As someone with expertise in various fields, he could clearly distinguish between women's and men's perfumes.

Undoubtedly, the faint scent on Neil's body came from a women's perfume. In this patriarchal society where people cannot tolerate homosexuality, no man would use women's perfume to stand out; that would only isolate him from society.

Faced with Lin Qi's accusations, Neil immediately apologized, "I didn't know you were coming today..."

He neither denied nor refuted it, which shows that Lin Qi's guess was correct.

Lin Qi looked at him. In the memories of the past left by this body, this man actually had many flaws. He was chauvinistic. He looked aggrieved now, but in reality, his life was still restricted by Lin Qi's control.

Without Lin Qi, or rather, if that Construction Company had been his own, he might have been a completely different person.

After a while, Lin Qi shook his head. "I'm not interested in your private life. It's your choice to mess around with other women, and you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

"But I must tell you, you can fool around, but you can't marry those women. I don't want my money to be given to others when I'm worthless."

"No marriage allowed, no illegitimate children allowed."

Under Federal Law, illegitimate children have the right to share in an estate if the deceased did not leave a will. This is why countless lawsuits revolve around illegitimate children and estates every year.

The house Neil currently lives in, his savings, including some of the company stock he owns, would be a problem if he had another illegitimate child or multiple illegitimate children.

After discussing this serious topic, Lin Qi paused briefly before continuing, "I plan to send you to Nagaril."

These words instantly sobered Neil up. He looked at Lin Qi in astonishment. "I only cheated on him once when I was drunk. I didn't even sleep with that woman. And you're going to send me to Nagaril?"

"This has nothing to do with whether you cheat on me or not. I will be repairing roads over there, and this job will be given to you."

Neil was still not quite convinced, "but it sounded like a tyrant telling someone he didn't like, 'You're fucking exiled.'"

If you can accept what I'm saying, then just take it that way!

"I don't care what you think, you and your company must leave by July at the latest. We don't have much time."

Neil knew this was something that couldn't be changed, and could only sigh, but he still held onto some hope, "How long will I be exiled this time before I can come back?"

Lin Qi shook his head. "I don't know. It depends on the progress. We need to take over at least one or two provinces... You can think of it as a state. The construction of highway networks in one or two provinces, maybe even more. You might not be able to come back for three to five years."

Neil wasn't focused on the time at that moment; he just frowned and asked, "Are the Nagaril People that rich? I've seen some reports on TV; they're very poor. Where do they get the money to repair the roads?"

Lin Qi took out his cigarette case, put a cigarette in his mouth, and then took out a lighter.

With a clang, flames erupted. He glanced up at Neil, who sat across from him at the desk. "I lent them..."