There was an old saying: the clever could be undone by their own cleverness. The Autonomous Chamber of Commerce's decision landed like a club across the foreheads of the Four Hall Stewards, leaving their factions stunned for days. It was only when Du Lengning, chief manager of the Luo Department Store flagship in Upper Clarity Heaven, which had yet to open, stepped forward to stand for Chamber President that everyone caught on: wouldn't the Chamber President be the local emperor of Upper Clarity Heaven? After all that circling around, someone had tossed out a piece of meat to see who had the strength to snatch it.
The pack of vicious dogs lunged at once, each searching Upper Clarity Heaven for a proxy. Which of the four great factions had no holdings there? Finding someone to represent them was easy. The merchants, who had been wary because they did not quite understand what the Autonomous Chamber of Commerce was for, suddenly produced seven or eight Chamber President candidates. Du Lengning had thought the election would be a mere formality. With so many competitors appearing, even he began to feel uneasy.
These people were all local powers. The Luo Department Store flagship had not even opened yet; what could it use to compete with them? Luo Qian slapped his forehead too, realizing he had miscalculated. Fortunately, he had never truly intended to take the position of Chamber President. If he won it, he would count himself lucky; if he did not, that was fate. He could live with either outcome.
But events seldom went the way he imagined. The four great factions pressed so hard that they seemed intent on driving the Luo Company out of Upper Clarity Heaven altogether. Luo Qian, the "big crocodile," had no intention of hurting anyone, but