The newcomer was transferred from another province; Charles Foster had only met him once. Since taking office a few months ago, he had been conducting research in various towns, clearly determined to make a real impact. Presenting the Majayou project at this time was tantamount to forging a good relationship.

“Classmate Brooks, you said you wanted to discuss this business with me. Does that mean you want to partner with me and invest?” Now that he had an idea, Charles Foster wasn’t in a hurry to reply. Instead, he smiled and asked.

“Uncle Foster, you must be joking. I’m just a poor student—how could I have money to invest? The only thing I can offer is a development plan for Majayou.”

Hearing William Brooks’s answer, Charles Foster understood that this kid wanted to sell him an idea. But where did this kid get the confidence that his idea was worth that much?

“Uncle Foster, are you thinking that even if Majayou gets off the ground, it probably won’t make much money? The only real benefit is making connections with the higher-ups. Of course, with your network, Uncle Foster, it probably wouldn’t matter much even without this good relationship.”

As if he knew what Charles Foster was thinking, William Brooks smiled slightly and continued, “But what if I can make this project truly profitable?”

“That’s a bold claim. How can you guarantee that? You know, according to what you said, this investment isn’t a small sum.”

Although Charles Foster had never done a planting business before, just imagining the costs of contracting mountain land, saplings, labor, and all sorts of other expenses, he knew it would be a significant amount.

“Uncle Foster, take a look at this first.”

William Brooks didn’t mind. He took a notebook out of his backpack and wrote a few key words on it—these were the crucial directions for the future development of Majayou.

Of course, William Brooks wasn’t foolish enough to reveal everything; he kept some things to himself.

Seeing the key words William Brooks had written, Charles Foster’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. He realized this kid wasn’t just talking nonsense—he had actually done some research on Majayou.

“Development, planting, sightseeing, awards, potted plants, packaging, winemaking…”

Just with these ideas, Charles Foster was confident the project could break even. Besides, he knew this kid definitely wasn’t as simple as he appeared—he must be holding something back.

“How much do you want?”

“Uncle Foster, I don’t want much, just 5% of the shares.”

Five percent didn’t sound like much, but William Brooks knew that to truly develop Majayou, the investment would be at least tens of millions, so 5% would be worth several million.

“5% of the shares—you really are asking for a lot, kid.”

Charles Foster didn’t bother pretending to be the elder anymore; he called William Brooks “kid,” which was a direct acknowledgment of William Brooks’s abilities.

“I can agree to that amount, but I have one condition: if you want to receive dividends, it has to be when the company starts making a profit. And during this period, you can’t transfer or sell your shares.”

“No problem.”

William Brooks grinned happily. He knew the Majayou project wouldn’t lose money, so of course he wouldn’t transfer his shares. But not being able to transfer them didn’t mean he couldn’t use them for other things.

Seeing how readily this kid agreed, and with such a bright smile, Charles Foster felt like he was forgetting something. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

At that moment, Mary Foster, who had just changed clothes and come downstairs, happened to see the smile on William Brooks’s face. She asked in confusion, “William Brooks, what are you smiling about? You look just like my dad, both of you with that sly old fox expression.”

Uh…

This made William Brooks and Charles Foster exchange a glance, both at a loss for words.

……

At the The Foster Family gate, Mary Foster stared at William Brooks as if she’d seen a ghost and said, “So, in just this short time, you convinced my dad to invest so much money in planting, and he’s even giving you 5% of the shares for free?”

“That’s not ‘for free’—that’s a consulting and management fee.”

William Brooks rolled his eyes. He was the one providing the ideas and the development blueprint. If he had enough capital, there’s no way her dad would be the one making this money.

“I know about consulting and management fees. Lots of people’s relatives up there get dry shares in companies under that name. So, are you, William Brooks, also from some big family compound?”

Faced with Mary Foster’s teasing, William Brooks chose to remain silent. This topic was dangerous and best left alone.

So, under the glow of the setting sun, William Brooks rode off on his little electric scooter, while Mary Foster stood at the gate watching his departing figure, lost in thought.

“My precious daughter, what’s your relationship with that kid?” At some point, Charles Foster had also appeared at the gate, asking with concern.

“Nothing much.”

“Nothing much is best. Stay away from that kid in the future.”

Mary Foster looked at her father in confusion. Hadn’t he just become business partners with him? Why the sudden change?

“That kid is quick-witted, definitely a good hand at business, always coming up with clever ideas. I’m afraid if you get too close, you’ll be sold by him and not even know it.”