"Yes, I'll take care of it right away."

Guo Han nodded slightly, accepted the instructions, and hurried away. After giving the orders, Li Ancheng gestured to Li Ze with his eyes. Li Ze approached him, and they moved to a secluded corner.

At this moment, Li Ancheng's face was not only somber but also showed a hint of barely concealed anger.

After a long silence, he finally let out a deep sigh. "I can't believe that after being shrewd all my life, I almost got tricked by a scoundrel like Gao Jianming. It's really embarrassing."

Li Ze quickly comforted him, "Dad, everyone makes mistakes. It's like a horse stumbling. No one is immune to errors. Just take it easy."

Li Ancheng shook his head and asked, "What about Wang Jianmin?"

"Don't worry," Li Ze replied calmly. "I've already sent people to keep an eye on him. Even if he manages to escape from those people, I will make sure he pays the price he deserves."

Li Ancheng nodded, feeling a bit relieved.

Without needing to finish his sentence, his son instantly grasped his meaning. It seemed that Li Ze had truly matured. Choosing to deal with Wang Jianmin at the banquet was also very appropriate. Although it might have seemed like an unsuitable occasion, it served as a perfect opportunity to send a strong message with everyone present.

If they dare to have any sneaky thoughts about the Old Town project...

Wang Jianmin will serve as a cautionary example!

Regarding how Li Ze obtained the information about Wang Jianmin, Li Ancheng didn't care. He was actually glad that Li Ze had started to develop his own secret channels. What truly worried him was the possibility of Li Ze being weak and incompetent, leading to the downfall of the Li family with no successor.

Li Ancheng had founded the Li Group from scratch, and naturally, he didn't want his life's work to be destroyed.

Li Ancheng took a deep breath, seemingly making a firm decision. "Ze, you should attend the next board meeting."

Li Ze looked shocked. "Me?"

However, in truth, Li Ze felt no surprise, as he had anticipated all of this. If his guess was correct, Li Ancheng was planning to hand over the Fang Group to him ahead of schedule.

Sure enough, Li Ancheng nodded and said, "I plan to transfer the chairman position to you at the next board meeting, and introduce you to the board members. Initially, I wanted you to gain experience and build your reputation through the Old Town project before gradually taking over the group's affairs. But now, it seems you've exceeded my expectations. I believe I can retire early."

A smile appeared on Li Ancheng's face. He wasn't the type to cling to power, and after decades of hard work, he was indeed tired.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Seeing this, Li Ze didn't offer any false humility. Instead, he nodded solemnly. "I will manage Fang Group well and lead our family to new heights!"

"Good, good."

Li Ancheng's face was full of relief. Over the past few days, whether it was Li Ze's display of his 'masterful' management skills or his actions at tonight's banquet, it was all for this purpose.

Although the identity of the eldest son of the Li family was prestigious, he wasn't the true controller of the group, and the resources he could mobilize were limited.

"But if I personally take charge of the Li Group, many things can be done with greater freedom."

"With my knowledge of the plot and the system I possess, I can lead the group to avoid many disasters and achieve rapid growth and expansion!"

"At least for a long time to come, I will still need to rely on the Li family's power unless I unlock a storyline that grants me power above the mundane world."

Li Ze thought to himself.

Just then, his phone suddenly buzzed. He walked to a secluded spot and answered in a lazy tone, "Hello?"

"Young Master Li, the target has appeared on the train you asked us to monitor."

"What did you say?"

Li Ze was stunned.

Because the target mentioned was none other than the protagonist Ye Tian from the TV series "Village Expert Comes to the City"! Although Ye Tian's storyline hadn't officially begun, Li Ze had long been prepared. According to the plot in the book, Ye Tian would arrive at Haiqing City station by train.

Thus, the first thing Li Ze did after his rebirth was to place people on constant watch, ensuring that there was always someone on that particular train 24/7. This way, he could monitor the protagonist's movements as soon as he appeared and take action immediately.

Now it seemed that this decision was undoubtedly the right one!

Li Ze's expression turned serious. "According to the original plot, Ye Tian should arrive in Haiqing City on the fourth day after the engagement banquet. Why is it happening now?"

He asked internally, "System, what's going on?"

The system responded, "Host's actions have altered the storyline, triggering a butterfly effect. This causes changes in the subsequent plot. However, the world's will has a self-correction mechanism that aligns the storyline with its original trajectory.

"Your actions have advanced the timeline, but due to the world's correction, Ye Tian still arrives in Haiqing City on the same train."

"I see."

Li Ze took a deep breath.

It made sense. Distortions in the early stages of the plot would inevitably change the direction of subsequent events. The world's will could only correct the plot to a limited extent. If it could correct it completely, all his efforts would be in vain.

"Fortunately, I was cautious enough to have people constantly monitoring that train. Who would have thought that actions in Haiqing City could affect Ye Tian from such a distance?

"Knowing the plot isn't omnipotent. As I change the storyline more, the situation will undoubtedly become more unpredictable.

"I almost let him slip away, but now..."

Li Ze sneered, "Since you're under my surveillance, don't think you can cause any trouble."

With this in mind, he asked into the phone, "How much longer until the target arrives in Haiqing City?"

"The train is expected to arrive at ten o'clock."

"Ten o'clock, so another hour and a half," Li Ze said. "What is the target doing now?"

At that moment, Zhong Liang was seated a few rows behind Ye Tian. He wore a white baseball cap and had wireless earbuds in his ears. Glancing forward, he spoke in a low voice, "The target is chatting with a girl. They seem to be getting along quite well."

To avoid suspicion, Zhong Liang had bought an entire row of three seats, ensuring no one could overhear him. The mission expenses were all covered by Li Ze anyway.

As the eldest son of the Li family, Li Ze had nearly two billion in personal assets, so money was not an issue.

Hearing Zhong Liang's report, Li Ze felt a bit speechless. Already hitting it off with a girl? As expected of the protagonist of an urban harem drama, that protagonist aura sure is something.

Li Ze's expression suddenly changed. If he remembered correctly, in the original plot, Ye Tian did indeed hit it off with a girl on the train. Could it be this one?