1 A Decent Life

The marketing department's report caused an uproar at the executive meeting.

The long table in the conference room was covered with details of lost orders, competitor quotations, and customer follow-up records. Ouyang Qian stood in front of the projection screen, her face more solemn than ever before.

"Two companies, one in the south and one in the north, acted almost simultaneously." She picked up a laser pointer, and a red dot appeared on the screen. "Bazhou Hongyuan Building Materials, specializing in sand, gravel, cement, and ready-mixed concrete, quoted prices 18% to 22% lower than our Shuke Building Materials, with some grades even below cost. In just two weeks, they snatched supply contracts from six of our construction sites, two of which were peripheral suppliers for the Shuizhen project."

The red dot moved down.

"Weizhou Tonglian Logistics is even more ruthless, offering a 30% discount on general cargo transportation quotes and promising shippers 'payment after delivery, with a three-month payment period.' We've already had seventeen small and medium-sized clients terminate their cooperation, accounting for about 30% of our monthly orders. The two companies are working together very well, one cutting off our upstream building materials business and the other cutting off our downstream logistics business, as if they had planned it together."

The meeting room was filled with a somber atmosphere.

Brother Biao, hot-tempered, slammed his fist on the table: "This is a fucking money-losing business! The transportation and loading/unloading costs for the sand and gravel from the quarry to the construction site are already there. He's offering it at a 20% discount, losing money on every truckload. What's the point?"

"His goal is to squeeze us out of business." Lin Feng leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table. His voice was cold. "First, he'll burn money to dump his products, outlasting all the local suppliers. Once he's the only one left in the market, he can set the price however he wants. This tactic is nothing new."

He looked at Kui Zi: "You've been investigating that line in Bazhou for months, tell me about it."

Kui Zi opened a black notebook. He had been sending people to keep an eye on the Bazhou area for some time, and now it finally came in handy.

"The boss of Hongyuan Building Materials is called Ma Hongtao, a native of Bazhou, nicknamed Ma San," Kui Zi said in a deep voice. "He started out in Bazhou, making his fortune through illegal sand mining. He owned sand dredgers, material yards, and transportation teams. He dared to splash paint on competitors' material yards and burn their equipment in the middle of the night. Nobody in the area dared to mess with him. Zhou Hu, whom we dealt with before, got his sand and gravel from him. After Zhou Hu ran away, Ma Hongtao was never willing to give up the lucrative Cangzhou market."

"The owner of Tonglian Logistics is Qian Litong, from Weizhou. He operates on a different path; he plays the capital game." Kui Zi paused. "He doesn't own many trucks; he relies entirely on subcontracting to individual operators, using high-interest loans to maintain cash flow, grabbing orders everywhere at low prices to expand his scale, and then using the cash flow to fraudulently obtain bank loans and acquire other cities. He's already done this in two cities, squeezing out local logistics companies before raising prices. He's notorious for it."

"One is involved in organized crime, the other is involved in finance." Shangguan Jinghong had been silent until now, his fingers twirling his teacup, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. "One uses his fists to rob, the other uses money to throw it at people. The timing of their simultaneous entry into Cangzhou is so precise, either Ma Hongtao and Qian Litong have made connections, or... someone is giving them a message behind the scenes, taking advantage of the fact that our water town and lithium mine phase II are starting construction at the same time, which has tied up our funds and energy."

The meeting room fell even quieter after those words were spoken.

Lin Feng's eyes darkened.

With a 1.5 billion yuan investment in the water town, the second phase expansion of the lithium mine, and a new battery recycling production line all underway, Shuke's accounts are currently thick, but its cash flow is tight. The other party deliberately chose this critical juncture to attack, demonstrating remarkable foresight.

"Should we follow suit with the price reduction?" the marketing manager asked.

"We can't follow suit." Ouyang Qian immediately shook her head. "They're penniless, burning through borrowed money, gambling on a quick victory. If we follow suit and lower prices, the profits of our building materials and logistics sectors will immediately collapse, essentially dragging us into a quagmire of hand-to-hand combat, which plays right into their hands. Moreover, we have lithium mines, agriculture, and the reputation of the entire group behind us. Once the price system is disrupted, it will be difficult to raise prices back up."

"So we just watch our clients get poached?" Brother Biao was unwilling to accept it.

"We can't poach many customers," Lin Feng suddenly said, his tone certain. "A losing business can't last. Ma Hongtao's low prices for sand and gravel are based on illegal sand mining and tax evasion; the root of it is dirty. Qian Litong's low logistics prices are based on high-interest lending; the root of it is hollow. The dirty can be investigated, and the hollow can be dealt with."

He stood up, walked to the projection screen, and scanned the entire room with his eyes.

"In this battle, we won't fight over prices; we'll strike at the heart of the problem."

"Sister Hong, dig deep into the dirt on Hongyuan Building Materials for years, including its involvement in organized crime, illegal sand mining, and forced transactions. Find out everything about its backers, material yards, and sand dredgers in Bazhou."

"Ouyang Qian, you're in charge of the customer retention campaign. Extend payment terms and sign annual framework agreements with core clients, and offer service upgrade packages to small and medium-sized clients. Retain them with our on-time compensation, door-to-door service, and intelligent dispatching—things they can't replicate. Prices can be reduced moderately, but we will never follow their lead and drastically cut them."

"As for Qian Litong's financial chain..." Lin Feng sneered, "This kind of shell company that relies on borrowing to stay afloat is most afraid of people who know what they're doing. Pass on my message: go to Beijing and Shanghai and hire the best financial advisors and business lawyers for me. Don't be afraid to spend money. I want them to expose Tonglian Logistics completely and find the weakest link in its financial chain."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

The meeting lasted until 11 p.m.

Lin Feng rubbed his throbbing temples and, instead of returning to the Half-Mountain Manor, drove to Mirror Moon Pavilion. He needed to discuss these underground intelligence and shady dealings with Sister Hong alone to finalize the details.

The air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood in the tea room on the top floor.

Shangguan Jinghong changed out of her daytime suit and into a dark green velvet cheongsam with a slit up to her thigh, revealing a section of her fair and shapely legs. She knelt before the tea table, skillfully rinsing the cups, washing the tea, and brewing it. The rising steam made her cold and beautiful face appear even more hazy.

"I've already got my informants in Bazhou on Ma Hongtao's side in motion." She pushed a cup of hot tea in front of Lin Feng. "There's plenty of evidence: illegal sand mining in the river sections, tax evasion records, and the colleagues he's crippled. This kind of person has been running rampant in Bazhou for so many years, the people who hate him could line up from the docks to outside the city. As long as someone dares to back him up, everyone will kick him while he's down."

"What about Qian Litong?"

"I had someone inspect his business as well; it's a classic case of nine out of ten pots having lids." Sister Hong chuckled, but her eyes were devoid of warmth. "This kind of person is most vulnerable to a bank run. If even one loan matures and can't be renewed, or if the bank withdraws its loan, the whole business will explode on the spot. Hiring a financial team was the right thing to do; professionals can handle things much better than us trying to trip them up from behind."

Lin Feng nodded, picked up his tea and drank it all in one gulp. The fatigue and pressure of the past few days surged up, and his brows furrowed into a knot.

Shangguan Jinghong looked at him, then stood up and walked behind him. Her cool fingers gently pressed against his temples, slowly massaging them. She was very close; the collar of her velvet cheongsam brushed against his ear, and the fragrance of a mature woman mingled with sandalwood wafted over her.

"Don't push things too hard." Her voice softened. "The sky won't fall. Cangzhou is our territory. What can two outsiders do to us?"

Lin Feng closed his eyes, hummed in agreement, and took her hand that was pressed against his temple.

The two of them stayed there quietly for a while. The clock in the tea room struck twelve, and there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Sister Hong straightened up.

The door was pushed open a crack, and Natasha walked in carrying a tray with a bowl of freshly stewed hangover soup and a dish of candied fruit.

She had clearly just come down from the performance venue downstairs and hadn't had time to change out of her costume. She was only loosely wearing a black silk robe over her clothes, with the belt casually tied and the neckline revealing a deep cleavage.

Inside was a wine-red sequined dance costume, her full breasts squeezed into a breathtaking arc, swaying gently with each step she took.

Her deep golden wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders, her smoky makeup was still on, her eyes were upturned at the corners, and her red lips were luscious. Under the lights, she was as alluring as a black rose quietly blooming in the dead of night.

"Boss, Sister Hong." Her Chinese was soft and gentle, with a heavy retroflex accent, but her eyes were fixed on Lin Feng. She gently placed the hangover soup beside him. "I heard you drank tonight, so I made some soup. It's good for your stomach."

As she spoke, she walked around the tea table and naturally knelt down on the velvet carpet at Lin Feng's feet. She looked up at him, reached out and gently placed her hand on his leg, kneading it with just the right amount of force.

"Boss, you must be exhausted these past few days?" Her eyes sparkled, and her red lips parted slightly. "When I was dancing, I noticed you were frowning the whole time."

Lin Feng looked down at her.

The woman's upturned face was exquisite and alluring, her neck long and slender. The neckline of her robe drooped down because of this posture, revealing large expanses of snow-white skin and a deep cleavage almost completely.

She didn't shy away from his gaze at all. Instead, she puffed out her chest slightly, her eyes sparkling with a flattering and alluring smile, her fingertips tracing circles on his leg, one after another.

She is an extremely intelligent woman who knows exactly what she wants.

She traveled from Ukraine to China, where she saw all kinds of men in the audience—greasy, nouveau riche, and lecherous.

But the young man in front of her was different. He was the true owner of this top-tier club and countless businesses in the city. He was young, handsome, and composed, and could decide the fate of her and the entire dance troupe with a wave of his hand.

She had long heard that her boss was never short of women—beautiful, powerful, and innocent, each one extraordinary. She had no intention of vying for any title or status; all she wanted was to climb onto this most secure tree, to become a bird hidden away in a golden cage, where she could live a life of comfort and never have to wander again.

So she was willing to be docile and open-minded!

"Sister Hong." Lin Feng didn't move immediately, but turned his head to look at Shangguan Jinghong.

He had to give his woman some dignity in this situation.