Chi Zhijie had long heard that Feng Jun was willing to pay the contract fee in a lump sum.
Without such an offer, the county would never have considered leasing out the mountain forests.
The timber from those forest farms could be selectively harvested bit by bit, bringing in steady revenue every year. It was a major pillar of the county's fiscal income.
Quite a few county leaders wanted to get things done. They felt that merely collecting contract fees would not solve the problem of sustainable development, so they had thought of using this opportunity to develop the tourism industry as well.
But Feng Jun had made it clear that he did not want to get involved in tourism development, which gave County Magistrate Chi quite a headache.
He tried to persuade him again. "If you doubt the county's sincerity, we can spell out the rights and obligations in an agreement."
Feng Jun smiled dismissively. "An agreement? Heh... Agreements are made to be torn up."
"I don't agree with that," County Magistrate Chi said seriously. "We are working hard to build a society ruled by law. There are plenty of cases now where citizens sue officials and win. Since you do business in Yang City, you must have noticed these changes."
Feng Jun grinned soundlessly. "Not long ago, a major enterprise in Chaoge tried to seize my business. They sent more than fifty people to Yang City to summon me... More than fifty people, just to summon me. Would you believe that?"
Damn, Chi Zhijie's mouth twitched as he listened. How deep did that grudge have to be?
He could not help asking, "Then... what happened afterward?"
Feng Jun answered casually, "Afterward, I escorted every last one of them to the Police Bureau."
County Magistrate Chi's eyelids jumped violently.