Allen Zhang: Tell Cooper, I’m free to et them now.
Rena: ok. I will pass the ssage. The appointed eting place is at the Flavor Restaurant downtown.
Allen Zhang checked the location and imdiately sent another ssage to Blitz.
Allen Zhang: Help check the background of the Zone 5 City Council mber.
It wasn’t long before Blitz replied: Johnson Jackson, 39 years old, graduated from Los Angeles University, self-studied law affairs, mber of the Democratic Party. At 26, his law firm failed; by 32, he conceived the idea of running for the Zone 5 City Council and sold his family assets to strive towards that for four years, during which he engaged in multiple charitable activities, married the youngest daughter of a water supply company director, and solved the water and power supply issues in the slums. This got him the support rate of Zone 5 people and he successfully took the position.
Blitz: He’s invested in a Flavor Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, two apartnts bought with loans, a Chevrolet private car, and a Cadillac. He’s a tennis mber at the Feather Club, has many contacts with water supply company directors, investnts in the Green Word Shelter, and about $270,000 in his private bank account.
Allen Zhang: That’s all his assets? He hasn’t dipped his hands into corruption in over three years? Where do those tens of millions of dollars flowing into the Green Word Shelter co from?
Blitz: A City Council mber’s annual salary is $180,000, which is already quite a bit. His own annual profits from the gray industry chain are only about $200,000, and turnover doesn’t represent actual revenue; it only looks good on the surface. Recently, though, he’s been going through a divorce, a real headache, and his relationship with his wife isn’t too good. Council mbers have to worry about dia opinions and appease the backers who support them, deal with developnt approval docunts for their fathers-in-law, and repay mortgages and car loans. If his approval rating drops and he’s ousted, he’ll definitely go bankrupt.
Allen Zhang: ok. I wonder if I invited him to take a position as chairman or consultant at the Hanberger Foundation with a monthly salary of $40,000, would he be willing to accept?
Blitz: He’d be over the moon! After all, his father-in-law has been in hot water lately due to groundwater pollution issues and might even face criminal charges. He’s also not content being suppressed by his wife and is desperately looking for backers to support him.
Allen Zhang: Hahaha, that’s really pitiful. No wonder he’s so eager to et with .
Blitz: You don’t need to get too close to them; they’re all just tools who do things for money. He’s also a senior mber of the Los Angeles Feather Club. There are several other city council mbers there too. On the surface, it’s just a badminton club, but it’s mostly a convenient place for transferring benefits and mingling with other wealthy backers.
Allen Zhang: ok.
He put away his phone, waited for the red light to turn green, and then stepped on the gas, driving towards the Flavor Restaurant downtown.
In just over ten minutes, he arrived at the destination, parked the car by the road, and sent a ssage to Cooper. He soon saw the other party walking out of the restaurant.
Upon seeing the General Sect Leader, Cooper hurriedly approached and greeted him warmly.
"Hey! Hanberger, oh no, Mr. Jin, it’s really presumptuous of to invite you and bother you," Cooper said, appearing very polite.
Allen Zhang smiled: "No such thing. After all, I’m still an employee at the Green Word Shelter. How could I not co when the boss calls?"
"Don’t say that; I wouldn’t dare call myself your imdiate superior again, we’ve always been in a partnership," Cooper quickly stated his position, "I invited you over this ti because a good friend of mine wanted to et you."
"I understand; a friend of a friend is a friend," Allen Zhang said with a slight smile.
He glanced at the restaurant’s sign and the flow of people and praised, "This restaurant has a really pri location."
"The signature dish of the restaurant tastes even better. You’ll know once you’ve tried it," Cooper laughed and invited the General Sect Leader into the restaurant.
They went straight to the second floor and into a private room.
Upon opening the door, there sat a middle-aged white man in a suite on the sofa. At the sight of them entering, he imdiately got up to greet them warmly, "Hello, Mr. Jin."
"The council mber, sir?" Allen Zhang feigned surprise.
"There’s no council mber here. It’s off-hours now. You can call Johnson," the council mber humbly said, "I think we can beco friends privately."
"I think so too," Allen Zhang smiled and nodded, then glanced again at the good wine and dishes on the table, which looked incredibly familiar.
Damn. Maotai?
No, you’ve picked up this trick on the West Coast too? Pretty progressive, eh.
Not to ntion the two tall, blonde, blue-eyed female waitresses in cheongsams, standing by, ready to serve.
Nice, Mr. Councilman. You really play the part of a seasoned player in the officialdom well.
I am indeed consoled.
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