Chapter 607: Stealing Someone Else’s Business!

After a brief silence, Li Jiuying suddenly asked, “Mr. Li, why do you want to sell gold to the Lin family? Could it be that this batch of gold comes from dubious sources?”

“Not at all. I guarantee it’s high-purity gold with a clear provenance and meeting all purity standards!”

Li Yi then added, “Besides, for a company like yours that deals in gold, even if the gold were of dubious origin, you could launder it once it’s in your hands, couldn’t you?”

“Since you have such gold in your possession, Mr. Li, could you sell some to the Li family? As you know, our shops are running low on stock!” Li Jiuying said.

“It’s too much for you to handle, but I could certainly set some aside for you!” Li Yi replied.

“I wonder how much you have in this shipment?”

“Ten tons!”

“Ten… tons?”

Both Li Jiuying and Li Futao, standing nearby, were stunned. The unit “ton” was usually used here to measure agricultural products or fish catches; applying it to gold was simply staggering!

However, both men were shrewd. Though surprised, they didn’t press for details or inquire about the origin of the gold.

“Mr. Li, I’d like two tons. Is that possible?” Li Jiuying said in a deep voice.

“If I were you, I’d ask for no more than five hundred kilograms to tide me over!” Li Yi said.

“Five hundred kilograms is really a bit too little…”

Li Jiuying quickly caught on and looked at Li Yi. “Mr. Li, are you suggesting the gold price is going to drop?”

“No, it’s going to crash!”

Describing the gold price after November as merely “falling” was clearly inadequate!

It had dropped by a third in less than a month, and in just under three months, it had plummeted to less than half of its peak value. Aside from the word “crash,” Li Yi really couldn’t think of a more fitting term to describe it.

“But… but how is that possible? Although the current rise in gold prices is slow, they’re still going up, and the overall market is stable. How could it possibly ‘crash’?” Li Jiuying frowned.

“I won’t go into the specifics with you. If you trust me, just stockpile a small amount for yourself, and sell the rest to the Lin family!” Li Yi said.

By now, whether it was Li Jiuying, Li Futiao, or Huang Lixing, they all understood Li Yi’s plan. If they could sell these ten tons of gold to the Lin family before the price plummeted, the Lin family would inevitably suffer massive losses when the crash hit.

“Mr. Li, I’m willing to cooperate with your plan, but the Lin family’s strength is well-known. They might not be able to handle all 10 tons of gold you have on hand!” Li Jiuying said.

“Haha, if the Lin family can’t handle it, there are always those foreigners. When the Lin family can’t hold on, they’ll inevitably ask those foreigners for help. To destroy your Li family, I don’t think those foreigners would mind lending money to the Lin family!” Li Yi said.

“That’s true!”

Li Jiuying continued, “But it’ll be hard for me to lure those bastards from the Lin family into the trap all by myself…”

Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off, saying, “Relying on you alone definitely won’t work, and it’s easy to give yourself away. Old Li will have to step in for this!”

“Me?”

“Right. Find someone you trust to step forward and claim you’re facing financial difficulties and need to sell a batch of gold to tide you over.”

Li Yi then pointed at Li Jiuying and continued, “As for you, pretend you’ve heard rumors and go to make a purchase. If all goes as planned, the Lin family will show up too. When they do, your job is simply to drive up the price!”

Li Futao immediately laughed and said, “I get it. Brother Li Yi, what you’re saying is that this is like an auction: you’re the seller, my men are the auctioneers, Mr. Li is the plant, and the Lin family is the fat sheep we’re going to fleece. Is that the idea?”

“Heh, that’s a spot-on analogy!” Li Yi nodded.

“Mr. Li, when do we start the operation?” asked Li Jiuying.

“Let’s start preparing tomorrow!”

“Yes!”

At that moment, Li Yi spoke again: “If we handle this matter well, the Lin family will be severely weakened, if not completely destroyed. In the future, your Li family’s jewelry stores will remain the strongest in Hong Kong, and your comeback is just around the corner!”

“Thank you for your support, Mr. Li. I won’t dwell on my gratitude—just watch my performance from now on!” Li Jiuying said gratefully.

“They say a long journey tests a horse’s strength, and time reveals a person’s true character. I hope you’re someone who can stand the test!” Li Yi said.

“Understood!”

“Old Huang, send a car to take Mr. Lai home!”

He then looked at Li Jiuying again and said solemnly, “Go home and get some rest. Come dawn, the show begins!”

“Alright…”

After seeing Li Jiuying off, only Li Yi, Li Futiao, and Huang Lixing remained in the room.

With no outsiders present, Li Futiao couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Li Yi, will the gold price really crash?”

“It’s inevitable. If you think about the factors that influence gold prices, it’s clear that under the current conditions, gold can’t possibly maintain such a high price indefinitely!” Li Yi said.

Gold is just like most other commodities—its price fluctuations ultimately depend on supply and demand.

When the general public or central banks around the world buy large amounts of gold, prices rise—sometimes even skyrocket—and conversely, prices fall.

Whether purchased by individuals, central banks, or financial institutions, the purpose of buying gold boils down to two main reasons: pure consumption, or preserving wealth.

Especially during periods of high inflation, gold—with its wealth-preserving properties—has always been the most favored asset for safeguarding wealth.

That’s why, last year, when inflation in the U.S. hit double digits, the price of gold skyrocketed, reaching as high as $800 per ounce at one point.

However, following a series of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve this year, inflation has been significantly curbed. The returns generated by bonds and other fixed-income investments now exceed the inflation rate, highlighting the weakness of gold’s non-interest-bearing nature.

Consequently, fewer people are investing in gold, its appeal has suddenly faded, and a price correction is inevitable.

However, no one could have anticipated that following this decline, gold prices would enter a slump lasting as long as 20 years.

Li Futiao paused briefly, carefully analyzing Li Yi’s words.

Although he still didn’t quite understand why Li Yi was so certain that gold prices would crash, out of trust in Li Yi, he nodded and said, “If gold prices really do crash, this might be an opportunity for us!”

“Old Huang, are you thinking of shorting gold?”

“Yes, it’s a rare opportunity!” Li Futiao replied.

Li Yi nodded and said, “I agree to short gold, but I’d prefer not to do it locally on Hong Kong Island!”

“Why is that?” Li Futao asked, puzzled.

“Because I don’t want to smash the pot while I’m eating!”

“???”

Seeing the puzzled look on Li Futao’s face, Li Yi immediately explained, “The stock market is actually like a pool. The funds and assets invested by investors, listed companies, and financial institutions are the water in it, and all of us participants are scooping water from this pool to drink.”

“During a bull market, everyone is willing to pour money into the pool, so the water level rises, and everyone gets a share. Conversely, during a bear market, the water runs low, and no one gets anything!”

“But the water in the pool is limited after all. If we draw too much at once, the pool will be ruined.”

Li Futiao nodded and said, “I see. You’re worried we’ll crash the Hong Kong stock market!”

“Yeah. After the last stock market crash, the Hong Kong stock market can’t take much more turmoil. If we mess with it here this time, even if we don’t crash the market, we’ll deal a severe blow to it. Isn’t that like smashing the pot after you’ve finished eating?” Li Yi said.

“That makes sense. From what you’re saying, you want to take this overseas—is that right?”

“Exactly. I’m planning to head over to the U.S. and have a look around. It’s no good smashing our own pot, but smashing theirs doesn’t seem to weigh on my conscience!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Hahaha, then let’s go smash the Thief Eagle’s pot!” Li Fu said with a laugh.

Huang Lixing chimed in, “Count me in!”

“Alright…”

………

At 3 a.m., a convoy suddenly appeared on a remote highway near Wan Chai Pier!

Two Mercedes-Benzes led the way, with a luxurious Rolls-Royce Phantom in the middle, followed by two more Mercedes-Benzes bringing up the rear.

Inside the car, Li Jiuying glanced nervously at Li Futiang sitting beside him.

Just an hour earlier, after he had already gone to bed, he suddenly received a call from Li Futao, telling him to get dressed immediately and wait at home. Li Futao said he would come pick him up shortly and instructed him to keep it strictly confidential.

Without waiting for Li Jiuying to ask what was going on, Li Futao hung up.

Although he didn’t know what was going on, Li Futao’s status and standing were undeniable.

The fact that Li Futao was coming to see him meant that not only the current Li Jiuying, but even the Li family at the height of its power would not have dared to refuse.

Without delay, Li Jiuying got dressed and waited patiently at home for Li Futiao.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, the Li family’s motorcade arrived at his home and escorted him to the car.

Once in the car, Li Jiuying immediately asked Li Futao what was going on, why he was meeting him so late at night, and why he had come personally to pick him up.

But Li Futao didn’t answer any of his questions, merely telling him to be patient.

But now Li Jiuying realized they were heading toward the Wan Chai Ferry Pier. Clearly, the person he was meeting wasn’t just Li Futao—or rather, it wasn’t just Li Futao; Huang Lixing was there as well.

Thinking back on what he had done to Huang Lixing not long ago, Li Jiuying’s throat involuntarily tightened, and he felt quite nervous.

Huang Lixing is meeting him late at night—surely he’s not planning to settle the score after the fact…

Li Jiuying’s nervous behavior naturally caught Li Futiao’s attention. He said calmly, “Don’t be so tense. Knowing Old Huang as I do, he probably isn’t here to cause you trouble.”

“Well… even if Mr. Huang really is out to get me, he’d have every right to. After all, the grudge between us runs too deep to be easily forgotten!” Li Jiuying said.

“Don’t try to get me to spill the beans. Knowing Old Huang as I do, if he really had murder on his mind, he’d never tell me—he’d just send a henchman to handle it!”

Then, Li Futao added, “The reason I came to pick you up was to put your mind at ease. So your safety is definitely guaranteed—at the very least, nothing will happen to you tonight!”

Li Jiuying: …%￥￥%

Hearing this, Li Jiuying’s anxiety not only failed to subside but actually intensified.

What does “nothing will happen tonight” even mean? What about later? Does that mean something will happen then?

But nervous as he was, he had to admit Li Futao was right—after Huang Lixing consolidated the Qinglong Society, his power had grown significantly.

Although there was still a gap compared to organizations like the 14K and the Triads, there really was no need to go to such great lengths just to deal with a stray dog like him.

Yet the more he thought about it, the less Li Jiuying understood why Huang Lixing would want to meet him in the middle of the night—and bring Li Futiao along, no less.

In truth, Li Jiuying wasn’t the only one feeling confused; Li Futao was just as perplexed.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Li Jiuying what was going on; the truth was, he didn’t know himself.

Huang Lixing hadn’t mentioned the specifics over the phone either; he’d only said there was a very urgent matter to discuss, told him to hurry over to the Wan Chai Ferry Pier, and instructed him to bring Li Jiuying along as well.

That was precisely why Li Futao had remained silent the entire way.

Soon, the convoy arrived at the large warehouse next to the pier—the headquarters of the Green Dragon Society!

At the main gate, the one-armed hero Tie Ying was patrolling with his men. Upon seeing the convoy approach, he immediately came over to investigate.

After confirming it was the Li family’s convoy and that Li Futao himself was present, he immediately let the convoy in and signaled to Huang Lixing upstairs.

Upon receiving Iron Eagle’s signal, Huang Lixing immediately exchanged greetings with Li Yi, then went downstairs to welcome Huang Lixing and Li Jiuying.

As for Li Yi, he remained in his office upstairs.

He had no intention of showing his face until this matter was resolved.

In front of the office building, once the motorcade had come to a stop, Li Futiao spotted Huang Lixing standing at the entrance.

He cleared his throat and said to Li Jiuying, “We’re here. Let’s get out!”

With that, he opened the car door and stepped out.

Seeing this, Huang Lixing immediately stepped forward to greet him.

As soon as they met, Li Futiao asked, “Old Huang, what on earth are you up to in the middle of the night? Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

Huang Lixing smiled and said, “This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go upstairs!”

“Alright, lead the way!”

Led by Huang Lixing, the group then headed inside the office building.

However, to avoid revealing Li Yi’s whereabouts, Li Futao and Li Jiuying’s bodyguards were left outside.

Fortunately, Li Fuzhao trusted Huang Lixing, so he didn’t say much and simply had his men follow orders.

The moment they saw Li Yi, Li Fuzhao and Li Jiuying instantly understood: it wasn’t Huang Lixing who wanted to see them, but Li Yi.

Li Fuzhao immediately smiled and said, “Brother Li Yi, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you give us a heads-up?”

Li Jiuying, on the other hand, respectfully greeted him: “Hello, Mr. Li!”

Li Yi first gave Li Jiuying a slight nod, then turned to Li Futao and said, “I’ve been here less than two hours. To avoid revealing my whereabouts, I had no choice but to use this method to invite you and Mr. Li over!”

“Huh? What’s going on? Why are you worried about your whereabouts being exposed?” Li Futao asked, puzzled.

“Heh, nothing much. I just heard there are some people around here who don’t like me and have been secretly causing trouble for Starry Sky Company and Old Huang, so I wanted to quietly deal with them!” Li Yi said with a smile.

Hearing this, Li Futiao and Li Jiuying both felt their hearts race.

Although Li Yi had spoken as if it were a lighthearted, pleasant matter, they both detected a faint hint of murderous intent in his tone.

Clearly, this guy was up to something again!

But then again, it made sense—he was an outsider who’d never gone easy on those local foreign bastards.

“Brother Li Yi, did you come back this time just to deal with those foreign bastards?” Li Fuzhao asked in a low voice.

“Not entirely, but since those bastards have already come right to our doorstep, we’ll deal with them first and ask questions later.”

“What’s your plan? Is there anything I can do to help?” Li Futiao asked.

Li Yi didn’t answer him directly. Instead, he glanced at Li Jiuying standing nearby and said, “Mr. Li, Old Huang told me the Lin family has been giving your Li family a hard time lately. Do you want to teach them a lesson?”

Li Jiuying understood what Li Yi meant and immediately replied, “Mr. Li, as long as we can take down the Lin family, I’ll do whatever you ask!”

He’d been bullied mercilessly by those bastards from the Lin family lately, and he was seething with pent-up frustration.

Now that he heard there was a chance to take on the Lins, he was naturally all for it.

Li Yi nodded and said, “I hear the Lin family has a monopoly on Hong Kong’s gold import channels, and your Li Family Gold Shop can’t get gold at a fair price. Is that right?”

“That’s right. Those bastards from the Lin family not only stole our supply channels, but as soon as they hear we’ve found a new source, they immediately come to snap it up at inflated prices. Even if they can’t take our channels, they drive the price of gold so high that we can’t make a profit!”

Li Jiuying continued, “What’s more, the Lins deliberately opened a store right next to our Li Family Gold Shop and set their prices extremely low. We had no choice but to follow suit and lower our prices.”

“Since their purchase prices are so low, they still manage to make a tiny profit even at those rock-bottom prices, while we’re left taking a loss…”

After hearing Li Jiuying’s explanation, Li Yi made a startling statement: “I understand the situation now. What I want you to do is cooperate with me to sell a batch of gold to the Lin family!”

At these words, everyone present was stunned!

The Li family didn’t even have that much gold to sell, yet now they were being asked to sell gold to the Lin family—wasn’t that just aiding the enemy?

………

Hong Kong Island, Wan Chai Pier!

In the office, Huang Lixing immediately began explaining the Li family’s predicament to Li Yi.

Things had been tough for Huang Lixing and the Green Dragon Society lately; they’d been bullied into a corner by the British Hong Kong government and British-owned conglomerates, left feeling humiliated and powerless.

But compared to the Lai family, their hardships were nothing.

At the very least, the Green Dragon Society could still hold on, while for the Lai family, even maintaining their current state had become a luxury—they were on the verge of falling apart at any moment.

And the culprit behind the Lai family’s plight was none other than the British-owned conglomerates.

Lately, they’ve launched a frenzied campaign of retaliation against the Lai family, aiming to make an example of them to intimidate others.

Not long ago, when the Li family was utterly defeated by Li Yi’s counterattack, the Yingzi Group not only refused to lend a helping hand but instead kicked them while they were down, preparing to swallow up all of the Li family’s assets on Hong Kong Island in one fell swoop.

Li Jiuying was a man of resolve. Naturally, he was outraged by the British Capital Group’s shameless actions, and in order to survive, he immediately mounted a counterattack.

After Li Yi hinted at a willingness to reach a conditional settlement, Li Jiuying responded decisively. Not only did he eliminate Ma Biao—the foot soldier who had defected to the British Capital Group—but he also sold off the majority of the Li family’s assets at a bargain price to Starry Sky Company and Li Futiao.

To the British-backed group, this move was undoubtedly a blatant act of betrayal.

Everywhere in the world—whether among nations, organizations, or other interest groups—the treatment of traitors is much the same: eliminate them without hesitation.

Of course, the British Capital Group’s retaliation against the Li family wasn’t merely because they had betrayed them; more importantly, they had been thoroughly disgusted by Li Jiuying.

After betraying the British Capital Group and reaching a preliminary reconciliation with the Chinese Capital Group, Li Jiuying had thoroughly seen through the British Capital Group’s true colors.

Filled with indignation, he repeatedly exposed the British-funded group’s shameless conduct to the media, recounting time and again how the Li family had worked tirelessly for them only to be cruelly abandoned, and denouncing the group for cutting the bridge after crossing it and kicking them while they were down.

After media coverage and public outcry, the incident caused a massive sensation on the island, severely damaging the British-backed group’s reputation.

This not only made many people realize the British-funded group’s shamelessness, but also made some fence-sitters who had been considering siding with them hesitate to do so, and even caused wavering members within the group to start having second thoughts.

This was something the British-backed group’s foreign masters could not tolerate under any circumstances. It was no longer a matter of whether they could profit from the situation; it was a direct attack on their very foundations—how could they possibly accept that?

Consequently, the British-owned conglomerate issued a ban against Lai Jiuying and the Lai family.

First, they pressured the Lai family to repay their debts, while simultaneously launching a frenzied attack on the family’s last remaining asset on Hong Kong Island—their gold shops.

To bring down the Lai family, the British-owned conglomerate brought in the Lam family, Hong Kong Island’s second-largest gold retailer, and spent a fortune helping them take over the Lai family’s gold shops.

With the British-backed conglomerate’s backing, the Lam family not only opened more than 20 new stores in one go right around the Lai family’s gold shops but also cut off the Lai family’s gold supply channels, forcing them to buy at inflated prices.

Faced with the relentless pressure from the Lam family and the British-backed conglomerate behind them, Lai Jiuying was completely helpless.

To keep the shop running, he had no choice but to buy gold at inflated prices and sell it with only a small markup.

After covering labor, utilities, and other operating costs, the Li family’s gold shop was often operating at a loss—and the more they sold, the greater the loss.

Compounded by the recent surge in gold prices, the Lai family’s procurement costs had skyrocketed to the point where they could no longer sustain the business.

More importantly, the jewelry shop was the Li family’s last remaining business on Hong Kong Island. If it collapsed, the Li family would be finished for good, with no chance of recovery.

Upon realizing this, Li Yi’s mind immediately began to race.

The reason the British-owned conglomerate could so easily manipulate the Li family was simply that they had used their vast resources and substantial financial strength to control the gold supply.

They then used this monopoly to drive down retail gold prices, employing this strategy to bleed the Lai family dry.

After all, the Li family had been severely weakened and simply couldn’t afford to engage in a protracted battle of attrition; in the end, they would have no choice but to shut down for good.

But now the situation was different. The Li family alone was no match for the British-owned conglomerate, but with him in the picture, things would be a different story.

Not to mention, he has over ten tons of gold just waiting to be sold!

With that in mind, Li Yi immediately asked Huang Lixing to arrange a meeting with Li Jiuying.

Upon hearing Li Yi’s proposal, Old Huang immediately furrowed his brow.

“Brother Li Yi, are you planning to help that good-for-nothing Li guy?”

“That’s exactly what I have in mind!” Li Yi replied.

“Why? Sure, we’ve shown magnanimity by letting that good-for-nothing off the hook, but there’s no need to actually help him!”

Huang Lixing continued, “Besides, who can guarantee that once Li gets through this crisis, he won’t turn on us? We have to be on our guard!”

Old Huang had never gotten over the fact that Li Jiuying had instigated that traitor Ma Biao to scheme against him.

Although he’d managed to snag seven of the Li family’s real estate projects at a bargain price—which had certainly given him some satisfaction—he simply couldn’t bring himself to help Li Jiuying.

Mainly, he just couldn’t get past that mental hurdle—at least not right now!

Li Yi didn’t answer his question, but smiled and said, “Old Huang, between Li Jiuying and those foreign devils at the British-funded Group, which one do you hate more?”

“Those foreigners, of course!” Old Huang replied without hesitation.

“Well, let me tell you this: helping Li Jiuying will not only give those foreigners a taste of their own medicine, but it’ll also let us fleece them for a hefty sum. Are you in?” Li Yi said.

Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s eyes lit up instantly, and he asked right away, “How much can we make off them?”

“Five or six hundred million Hong Kong dollars!”

“Let’s do it! When do you want to meet Li Jiuying? I’ll set it up right away!” Huang Lixing said eagerly.

To him, Li Jiuying was certainly despicable, but he was nothing more than a vicious dog kept on a leash by the British-funded conglomerate. The truly heinous criminals were those foreign bastards.

If there was even the slightest chance, Huang Lixing wanted to teach those bastards a lesson.

Unfortunately, he lacked the strength, and his opponents were far too powerful; he was genuinely powerless against those bastards.

But he trusted Li Yi’s abilities. Since Li Yi said he could take down those bastards, it was bound to work.

Li Yi glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 2:00 a.m.

“Old Huang, call Old Li right now and tell him to bring Li Jiuying over!”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Revenge must be swift!” Li Yi said coldly.

“Got it!”

“Remember, when you call, just say you need to talk to them about something. Don’t mention that I’m back!” Li Yi said.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Li Futao and Li Jiuying; it was that he didn’t trust the people around them.

Once those foreigners at the British-owned conglomerate found out he was back, they would inevitably step up their defenses.

Once people are on guard, it becomes much harder to outmaneuver them.

Huang Lixing nodded, then picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the Li family estate.

After a few rings, the call was answered, and the voice of Uncle Fu, the Li family’s longtime butler, came through the receiver: “Who’s this? Who are you looking for?”

“Old Fu, it’s Huang Lixing from the Qinglong Society. Is Old Li at the estate?”

“He is, but the master has already gone to bed…”

“I have an urgent matter to discuss with him. Old Fu, could you please wake him up for me?”

Uncle Fu knew that Old Huang had a close relationship with his master, and he understood that calling so late at night meant it must be something important.

After a moment’s hesitation, he made up his mind and said, “Then please hang up for now. I’ll go up and wake him right away. If I can wake him, I’ll have him call you back!”

“Alright…”

About ten minutes later, the phone on Old Huang’s desk rang.

Huang Lixing didn’t hesitate; he picked up the phone right away…

………..

At 5:00 p.m., Zhou Rui returned to Jiang Shiying’s small villa, bringing good news with him.

He had already made contact with the people on Hong Kong Island and relayed Li Yi’s message to them; both sides agreed to meet at the Shekou Port in Pengcheng at midnight tonight.

Upon receiving the news, Li Yi immediately discussed it with Zhou Rui. They decided to eat first, then head straight to Pengcheng with the gold.

Li Yi then called his father-in-law’s office, said a brief goodbye, and left the villa with Zhou Rui, Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others.

The group found a state-run restaurant in the city center, had a quick bite to eat, and then, as planned, hurried to the vault of a bank.

After undergoing a rigorous inspection, they were shown the shipment of gold worth 200 million yuan.

At Zhou Rui’s command, the staff immediately loaded the gold onto a truck and transported it to Pengcheng.

Yangcheng is about 140 kilometers from Pengcheng, and the road conditions between the two cities are fairly good; the drive takes less than two hours.

Upon arriving in Pengcheng, the convoy did not head straight for Shekou Port. Instead, following Zhou Rui’s instructions, they first drove to a military base to rest for a while.

After all, the vehicles were loaded with gold, so there was absolutely no room for carelessness.

Li Yi, understanding Zhou Rui’s arrangements, wisely refrained from asking too many questions. Upon arrival, he simply found a room and fell asleep.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but in his sleep, Li Yi heard rhythmic knocking coming from outside the room, and he immediately opened his eyes.

He slipped on his shoes, opened the door, and saw that it was Zhou Rui.

“What’s up? Are we leaving already?”

“Yeah, I just received a telegram from our comrades in Hong Kong. They’ve already set sail from Wan Chai Pier and are expected to arrive in Shekou in about an hour. We need to get there right away!” Zhou Rui said.

“Alright!”

Immediately, Li Yi went back inside to splash some water on his face, then followed Zhou Rui outside.

The convoy was already ready. After making sure no one was left behind, the group set off again.

By the time they arrived at Shekou Port, it was already past 11:00 p.m.

Since the local customs authorities had already been notified, not only did they not inspect the convoy, but they actually opened a nearby internal passageway to let them enter the port.

At the port, a medium-sized vessel was already waiting for them.

The convoy pulled up right next to the pier, and Zhou Rui’s men immediately opened the car doors and began loading the crates of gold into the ship’s hold.

There was a specific reason for dispatching a separate ship for this transfer rather than allowing Huang Lixing’s vessel to enter the port directly.

Although this was a national mission, smuggling and human trafficking were still illegal. Even with tacit approval from higher-ups, such activities could not be conducted openly; they had to be carried out secretly.

And we certainly couldn’t let those people enter the port directly—otherwise, they’d think things were in complete chaos over here.

It took over half an hour to load and unload the ten tons of gold. Although it was labor-intensive, the volume wasn’t actually that large—it didn’t even fill a fifth of the cargo hold.

Once all the gold was loaded, Zhou Rui signaled Li Yi and the others to board immediately, and they headed straight for the open waters off Shekou Pier.

The wind and waves weren’t too rough tonight, but Li Yi was still feeling a bit seasick.

The cargo ship had been underway for less than ten minutes when he could take no more; he leaned over the rail and vomited profusely.

Fortunately, the cargo ship had just reached the rendezvous point agreed upon by both parties and came to a stop, which made him feel slightly better.

Just past midnight, several speedboats appeared on the horizon.

The other party stopped a few hundred meters away from Li Yi and his group, then signaled them with lights.

Once the signals were confirmed, the two vessels quickly closed in on each other, stopping only when they were a few meters apart.

Since neither vessel was particularly large, a single rope was enough to pull them tightly together.

In any case, with old tires installed along both sides of the hulls to serve as buffers, there was no fear of a safety incident caused by a collision.

After some effort, Li Yi finally boarded Huang Lixing’s boat, where Huang Lixing, his brother-in-law Yang Wenguang, and his old squad leader Yan Guangming were waiting for him.

When brothers meet, a round of pleasantries is, of course, inevitable.

Although Li Yi was suffering from severe seasickness at the time, he was in high spirits.

It took another half hour of loading and unloading before they finally managed to transfer the shipment of gold onto Huang Lixing’s boat.

Li Yi then waved goodbye to Zhou Rui and, accompanied by Zhang Ziqiang and the others, set off with Huang Lixing straight for Hong Kong Island.

……….

By the time the fleet arrived at Wan Chai Pier, it was already 1:30 a.m.

Although it was very late, Wan Chai Pier was still brightly lit. A large number of henchmen were patrolling the pier, and speedboats frequently zoomed past on the water.

At the pier, Jin Junze, Huang Zhan, Liang Cang, Cui Jianying, Zhang Hanjing, and the rest of the Elite Squad were all present; their mission was to protect this shipment of gold.

After watching the gold being moved into the inner warehouse at Wan Chai Pier and instructing Kim Jun-jae and the others to guard it day and night, Li Yi followed Old Huang to the office on the third floor.

As soon as they walked in, Huang Lixing couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Li Yi, I didn’t ask you earlier because I saw you were feeling pretty rough on the boat, but why didn’t you come over from Lotus Pier during the day? Why are you sneaking in here in the middle of the night?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I heard those foreign bastards were running wild, so I wanted to watch from the shadows and see what the hell they’re up to!”

Hearing this, Huang Lixing’s expression grew serious, and he replied, “It’s true. Lately, those guys from the British-owned conglomerate have been pulling all sorts of underhanded tricks, and they’re getting worse and worse!”

“Oh? Besides using the media to smear me and Starry Sky Company, what other underhanded moves have they been pulling?” Li Yi asked immediately.

“Ever since you left, things over there haven’t been quiet for a moment. At first, they focused all their efforts on targeting me.”

Huang Lixing continued, “The British-owned Group issued a ban to their internal factions, ordering any groups under their control to strictly avoid any business dealings with our Qinglong Society—especially accepting our gray-market goods. This has left us unable to sell the goods we worked so hard to bring back from abroad, resulting in massive losses!”

“At the same time, the British Hong Kong government personally stepped in, dispatching the Marine Police to intercept our fleet. In less than two weeks, we lost four ships and a large shipment of home appliances.”

“On top of that, our casinos have come under scrutiny from the cops. They frequently raid our establishments for no apparent reason, severely disrupting our business!”

“Is that all?” Li Yi asked coldly.

“Yes. Recently, several small gangs near our territory have been stirring up trouble, constantly clashing with our Qinglong Society. All signs point to someone secretly inciting them—it seems they’re trying to force our hand!”

Huang Lixing continued, “Furthermore, I’ve been informed that someone has been secretly contacting Jiang and the remnants of that traitor Ma Biao, apparently trying to incite internal strife among them.”

Hearing this, Li Yi gave a cold laugh and said, “To take you down, Old Huang, these people are really leaving no stone unturned. Not only are they pulling strings in both the underworld and the establishment, but they’re also trying to undermine the Green Dragon Society from within!”

“Yes, they’ve really gone to great lengths,” Huang Lixing said.

“So, can we still hold out?” Li Yi asked.

“Hahaha, what’s the big deal? Sure, the losses aren’t small, but compared to what we’ve made, this money is just a drop in the bucket—nothing to worry about!”

But his tone shifted as Huang Lixing added, “I’m fine, but that guy surnamed Li is probably about to crack!”

“Li? You mean Li Jiuying?”

“Yes, that’s him!”

Huang Lixing continued, “While those foreigners were targeting me, they also saw him as a thorn in their side—they’d love nothing more than to eliminate him. Under their relentless pressure, Li Jiuying has been backed into a corner; he probably won’t last much longer!”

“Oh, tell me the details!” Li Yi said.

“Alright…”

………..

Yangcheng. Provincial Government Compound!

Inside a two-story villa, Li Yi sat on the sofa with his legs crossed.

Across from him, Zhou Rui sat upright with a serious expression.

“Are you saying those bastards at the British-owned conglomerate are out there smearing my name all over the place?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.

“Yes. Right now, more than half of the newspapers and media outlets across Hong Kong are reporting on matters related to you, and the coverage doesn’t seem very favorable. According to our intelligence, the root cause of this whole affair stems from your takeover of the Lai family’s real estate projects!”

“That’s to be expected. After all, that side is still under the control of the British, and they’re unlikely to be very friendly toward an uninvited guest like me!”

Li Yi was well aware of this reality.

Zhou Rui nodded and said, “Right. According to reports from our people, right after you took over the Lai family’s real estate projects, the stock and property markets on Hong Kong Island crashed again.”

“Property prices, in particular, plummeted by another third. So, on the surface, it looks like you didn’t make any money by taking over the Lai family’s projects—you might even have lost money. That’s why the newspapers and radio stations controlled by British-owned conglomerates started making snide remarks.”

“Oh, what did those bastards say?” Li Yi asked indifferently.

“They said your investment acumen isn’t all that great. That so-called ‘investment genius’ is just hype—and even…”

“Don’t worry about it. I won’t let it bother me!” Li Yi said.

“They even went so far as to say you’re nothing more than a country bumpkin who got lucky, someone who didn’t even finish junior high—what real talent could you possibly have? In short, they’ve torn you to shreds.”

After saying this, Zhou Rui glanced at Li Yi with a look of concern.

He had personally investigated Li Yi and knew that while the newspapers and magazines across the room were being rather vicious, much of what they said was actually true.

Take Li Yi’s educational background, for example—he really hadn’t even finished junior high school. So Zhou Rui was genuinely worried that Li Yi might not be able to handle such provocation and suddenly lose his temper.

However, to Zhou Rui’s surprise, Li Yi didn’t get angry at all upon hearing this; instead, he flashed a meaningful smile.

“I didn’t expect these bastards to have done their homework so thoroughly—they even found out I didn’t finish junior high. Interesting!”

“You’re not angry?”

“Why should I be? They’re not making it up—I really didn’t finish junior high!”

Li Yi had never considered his educational background to be anything to be ashamed of. Not finishing junior high and never attending college didn’t mean he was a failure or a nobody.

Someone like him naturally understood that academic credentials didn’t equate to ability, and he knew all too well which was more important.

People with high academic credentials but low ability certainly don’t look good, but the opposite isn’t true—what’s there to be ashamed of if you have low academic credentials but high ability?

“But they say your investment skills are just average—that you’re no investment genius…”

“Haha, that’s even less worth getting upset about!”

Li Yi continued, “First of all, I’m certainly no investment genius, and I don’t care about that kind of meaningless flattery. Hearing that kind of talk too often only leads to self-indulgence—it does more harm than good.”

“Second, I don’t think their comments are necessarily a bad thing for me. There’s absolutely no need to let such remarks send me into a rage—it would only cloud my judgment!”

Li Yi wasn’t the type of young up-and-comer who cared about others’ opinions of him, let alone fought tooth and nail over some meaningless title.

He’d long since come to terms with such things. “Investment genius”? “Stock market god”? Let whoever wants those labels have them—as long as it doesn’t get in the way of him making money.

Besides, he really wasn’t some investment genius—he was just on a winning streak!

Zhou Rui frowned and said, “What do you mean by ‘it’s not a bad thing’? How could it possibly be a good thing when they’re working so hard to smear you?”

“Who knows!”

“Huh?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “They say the dog that bites doesn’t bark. Since the dog has already started barking, there’s nothing to be afraid of. We just need to be on guard. If it comes down to it, we can always grab a stick and chase that dog around to beat the crap out of it.”

“The real fear is that this scoundrel will stay silent and work behind the scenes, hiding to cause trouble.”

Zhou Rui thought about it—he had to admit, that made sense.

“So what do we do now?”

“It’s not ‘we’—it’s me!”

Then Li Yi said again, “Your job is to deliver that shipment of gold safely to Old Huang’s men, and then just wait to get paid—you don’t need to go over there!”

“Okay, so what are you planning to do? When are you heading across to the other side?”

“Send a telegram right away to my brother-in-law and the others. Tell Old Huang to send a boat over tonight to transport the gold—and bring me along too!” Li Yi said, his words coming as a surprise.

“Aren’t you going to enter the port through official channels?”

“No, I’m going to sneak across!”

“But… why?” Zhou Rui asked, puzzled.

“Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden threats are hard to guard against. Who knows how many people are waiting for me over there right now? I’m not going to let them get their way!”

Having spent half his life in the cutthroat world of business, Li Yi understood all too well that the business world is just like a battlefield.

And whether in business or on the battlefield, the best way to defeat the enemy is to strike when they least expect it!

If he walked over brazenly, he’d be their prey, with every move under their watchful eyes.

But if he slipped in unnoticed, without anyone firing a shot, then he would be the hunter, and others would become his prey.

The choice between being the prey or the hunter was clearly a no-brainer.

“Alright, I’ll get in touch with our people over there right away. I’ll let you know once everything’s settled!” Zhou Rui said.

“Alright, I’ll contact them right away!”

With that, Zhou Rui hurriedly left Jiang Shiying’s small villa.

After watching Zhou Rui leave, Li Yi fell into deep thought.

He hadn’t expected the people from the British Capital Group to resort to such tactics.

It wasn’t that the tactic was particularly clever—it was just too low-brow and lacked any real sophistication.

Using magazines and television to smear others and stir up trouble with rumors—he’d seen it all before.

Besides, aside from swaying the uninformed masses, these tactics couldn’t possibly inflict any real damage on him or Starry Sky Company.

If it were him, he certainly wouldn’t waste his time on such futile efforts.

Moreover, Li Yi was confident that the British-funded group wouldn’t be foolish enough to think such underhanded tactics could bring him down.

Clearly, this was likely just a smokescreen they’d put out; their real trump card was yet to come.

And that was precisely why he hadn’t made a public appearance on Hong Kong Island.

They say the bystander sees things most clearly. He intended to slip into Hong Kong unnoticed and watch these scumbags put on their show from the shadows.

When those bastards let their guard down, he would suddenly appear and catch them off guard.

At that moment, he would use his strength to show them that genius isn’t just talk…

…….

October 18, the 21st day of the ninth lunar month, Sunday!

Early in the morning, the Li family courtyard was already bustling with activity.

Since Li Yi was set to depart for Guangzhou today, Jiang Xue had gotten up early to see him off at the airport.

Sitting by the edge of the kang, Li Yi held his two little darlings, chatting with them in incomprehensible “alien language,” while watching Jiang Xue pack his luggage.

“There’s nothing missing over there, so don’t bring so many clothes!”

Jiang Xue immediately replied, “When you’re traveling, it’s better to be safe than sorry—you can never go wrong with bringing a little extra!”

Li Yi glanced at the suitcase packed to the brim with clothes and other daily necessities and couldn’t help but observe a moment of silence for Zhang Ziqiang and the others.

After quite a while, Jiang Xue finally managed to pack Li Yi’s suitcase to the brim.

Then, looking satisfied, she said, “Oh, right—there’s a bag in the living room with clothes Mom sent for Dad. Once you get to Guangzhou, make sure to take that package to him first!”

“Sure!”

“You sit down for a bit. I’ll go cook you a meal. We’ll head to the airport after we eat…”

Before she could finish, Li Yi hurriedly interjected, “Why cook? We won’t make it in time for the 9 o’clock flight. Besides, you didn’t get much rest last night—you should get back on the bed and rest for a bit!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xue’s face instantly flushed red, like a ripe red apple.

And the consequence of their indulgence was that when they woke up today, both of them felt sore all over, as if they’d just finished running a marathon!

Though a bit shy, Jiang Xue obediently sat down next to Li Yi and took their son from his arms.

The moment the little guy was cradled in Jiang Xue’s arms, he let out a joyful cry. His excited little face made Li Yi frown.

Meanwhile, their daughter, seeing her brother being carried away by Mom, grew anxious. She stretched out her little arms, struggling to reach for Jiang Xue.

Li Yi couldn’t help but say, “You two little ingrates! So all that time I spent holding you this morning was for nothing? You’ve already turned on me so quickly?”

Jiang Xue smiled and said, “You’ve only been with them for a few days. If you were with them every day like I am—making their formula, playing with them—the kids would definitely come to you first!”

“Thanks for all your hard work. I’ll try to make more time to spend with you guys from now on!” Li Yi said.

“It’s no big deal. Men like you have to prioritize your careers—you can’t just stay cooped up at home all the time. People would laugh at you!”

“Right!”

“You have to take good care of yourself while you’re away. Make sure you eat well, drink well, and get plenty of rest. Think of yourself first in everything—don’t always worry about others…”

Listening to his wife’s nagging, Li Yi didn’t feel annoyed at all; on the contrary, his heart felt warm.

“By the way, Xiao Xue, you’ll have to put some extra effort into Third Sister and Third Brother-in-Law’s wedding. One of them is running the main store, and the other is busy with the branch—they simply don’t have time to plan the wedding!” Li Yi said.

“Got it. With me and Big Sister handling it, you can rest easy. We’ll make sure Sister Na’s wedding is a grand affair!” Jiang Xue said with a smile.

“Great. Also, I’ve asked Third Brother to look into that courtyard for me. If there’s any news, I’ll let you know, and then you can help buy it!” Li Yi reminded her again.

“Got it!”

“Also, the TV factory is finalizing their profits. Second Brother called me the day before yesterday and said the dividend they promised us will be paid out soon. I’ll have them send the money to you—make sure to check for it!”

“How much?”

“Around 4.4 million!”

“That much… What should I do?” Jiang Xue asked, somewhat surprised.

“Heh, you’re the chief accountant—weren’t you the one who wanted to help me manage the money? Why are you so scared of such a small amount?” Li Yi said with a laugh.

Jiang Xue blushed slightly and said, “That’s over four million yuan! I’m a little nervous—what if I don’t manage it properly?”

“Don’t worry. Once the dividends are settled, just deposit them in the bank!”

“Alright, then…”

Just then, Zhang Ziqiang’s voice suddenly came from outside the door: “Brother Yi, Director Zhou is here!”

“Alright, please come in!”

With that, Li Yi handed the little girl in his arms to Jiang Xue and walked toward the living room.

Soon, Zhang Ziqiang strode in, accompanied by Zhou Rui, the head of the special task force.

Since this matter involved the transfer of ten tons of gold, higher-ups had instructed Zhou Rui to handle it personally.

Consequently, he had to go along as well.

As soon as he walked in, Zhou Rui asked with a smile, “Are you all set?”

“Almost. We’re ready to go anytime!”

“If there’s nothing else, let’s get going!”

“Sounds good!”

The group then loaded all the packed luggage and the packages for his father-in-law into the car, while Jiang Xue handed the two little ones over to her older sister and got into the car herself.

The car pulled away and headed straight for the airport!

………..

Guangzhou!

At noon, the plane landed smoothly at Guangzhou Airport.

Since they were traveling on a commercial flight this time, Li Yi felt fine—it wasn’t as uncomfortable as his previous trip on a military plane.

Outside the airport, colleagues from the State Security Bureau were already waiting for them.

After leaving the airport and getting into the car, they headed straight for downtown Guangzhou.

At the provincial government compound, Jiang Shiying had just returned from work and was planning to rest for a while; he had a meeting to chair that afternoon.

But as soon as he opened the door, he heard voices coming from inside the house.

Hearing the commotion, he knew immediately that his son-in-law must have arrived.

His wife had called him yesterday to tell him that his son-in-law was coming to Guangzhou today, and had also mentioned that she had packed a few extra sets of clothes for him.

Stepping inside, he indeed saw Li Yi sitting on the living room sofa, with several special security personnel responsible for his protection seated across from him.

Seeing his father-in-law return, Li Yi immediately stood up and said, “Dad, you’re back?”

“Mm-hmm. When did you guys arrive?”

“We just walked in—we must have arrived right around the same time as you!”

“Have you eaten yet? If not, I’ll take you out…”

“We ate on the plane. We’re not hungry!” Li Yi replied.

“Good to hear you’ve eaten!”

Then, as if something had just occurred to her, Jiang Shiying said, “Come on, follow me for a moment!”

Hearing this, Li Yi didn’t dare delay; he immediately stood up from the sofa and followed Jiang Shiying all the way to the study on the second floor.

Once inside, Jiang Shiying first motioned for Li Yi to sit down before asking, “Is the situation over there looking a bit grim?”

“It’s not too bad.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s okay’? Didn’t something happen to Old Huang a while back?” Jiang Shiying asked in a low voice.

Any developments over there would quickly reach them here; though there might be a slight delay in the news, it would eventually make its way over.

Jiang Shiying hadn’t paid much attention to the situation over there before, but ever since Li Yi had gone there to develop his business, he had started paying attention to it, whether intentionally or not.

Not long ago, he happened to come across a gossip rag.

After reading the report, Jiang Shiying immediately realized that his son-in-law must have gone there recently to handle this matter.

Li Yi knew his father-in-law must have heard some rumors, so he nodded immediately and said, “You know about this?”

“Yes. As your father-in-law, I really shouldn’t meddle in business matters, but I still want to talk to you about this!”

Jiang Shiying continued, “As the saying goes, a wise man doesn’t stand beneath a crumbling wall. It’s fine to make money, but don’t put yourself in danger for it. Remember, you have a wife and children now. If anything were to happen to you, what would become of Xue’er and the two kids?”

Although Li Yi had handled the situation perfectly last time, Jiang Shiying still felt a lingering sense of dread.

Her son-in-law didn’t have deep roots in the community, and he’d touched on the core interests of so many people—it was still very dangerous.

If those people ever decided to go all out and strike a fatal blow, this wouldn’t be a joke. He certainly didn’t want his own daughter to be widowed at such a young age!

“Dad, I understand what you mean. I’ll be careful!”

Li Yi knew what his father-in-law was worried about. After all, that territory wasn’t yet under their control; if those people were to turn murderous, his own safety would be hard to guarantee.

But this was something he needed to keep to himself; there was no need to say too much to his father-in-law!

“Hmm. If there’s anything you can’t handle, just report it directly to the higher-ups. We can’t be doing their work while taking on the risk ourselves!”

“Alright, I got it…”

…………

With Li Yi’s plan and An Hong, the hardworking go-getter, the framework of their startup team was quickly established.

As for the connections that the Jiang and Ye families had in Beijing, they were second to none. In just three days, Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua had found seven or eight large venues and sent the options over for Li Yi to choose from.

All of these venues meet the requirements Li Yi outlined—such as ample space and convenient transportation—but most of them are only available for temporary use, while only a few can be leased on a long-term basis.

After all, this is Beijing—there are very few venues that are both large enough and have been sitting idle for a long time!

After conducting on-site inspections, Li Yi ultimately chose a massive warehouse located at a former glass factory in the eastern part of the city.

This massive warehouse covers over 3,000 square meters, and when combined with the abandoned factory buildings in front, the total area exceeds 5,000 square meters.

As a venue for the trade fair, the space was more than sufficient.

While the size was one thing, what mattered even more was that, due to the glass factory’s poor performance, operations had been suspended for over a year.

Therefore, it was the only location among the candidates that could be leased on a long-term basis.

For Li Yi, choosing a venue required considering not only size and accessibility but also future investment.

After all, he was planning a high-end exhibition, so the venue couldn’t be just any old place that kept the rain out, like other trade shows.

According to Li Yi’s plan, the exhibition venue would undergo a complete renovation to ensure that visitors would feel, at first glance, that it was high-end, grand, and upscale!

At first, both Jiang Longcheng and An Hong thought Li Yi’s idea was unnecessary. After all, they’d been to plenty of trade shows and had never heard of one requiring such extensive renovations.

After all, a typical exhibition hall is at least several hundred square meters, and larger ones can span thousands or even tens of thousands of square meters. Renovating the entire space would be incredibly costly.

But Li Yi insisted on doing it. He was very clear about the positioning of this exhibition: it had to be high-end and feature only the finest products.

And high-end, premium quality must be reflected not only in the quality of the products but in every aspect of the trade show—especially the venue’s decoration and layout. After all, that’s the first impression.

It’s like when you go to a luxury store to shop. Regardless of whether the items match your taste or are worth the jaw-dropping price tag,

At the very least, the store’s decor will catch your eye and even leave you secretly impressed.

Of course, there’s a reason these stores are decorated so lavishly—after all, only a sufficiently opulent space can match the positioning and price of these luxury goods.

Conversely, if you were to place Hermès or Louis Vuitton bags and belts in an ordinary little shop, what would be your first reaction? You’d definitely think they’re knockoffs or counterfeits!

But to properly decorate such a large venue requires far more than a few thousand dollars. If it can only be used once, it would be nearly impossible to turn a profit—even if you were to squeeze every last penny out of the participating exhibitors.

Therefore, in Li Yi’s plan, the exhibition venue is a one-time fixed investment—it’s worth spending a bit more to ensure it can be used long-term.

As things stand, only this warehouse at the glass factory best meets their requirements.

Subsequently, under Li Yi’s instructions, An Hong leased the large warehouse along with a portion of the factory buildings behind it for 10,000 yuan per year, with a lease term of five years.

After signing the contract, Li Yi immediately had An Hong find a construction team to repair and renovate the exterior of the large warehouse while Beijing hadn’t yet frozen over.

At the same time, a large number of construction workers moved in to renovate the interior of the facility according to Li Yi’s design plans.

While the renovation and remodeling work was in full swing here, Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua also sprang into action. They first spread the word that they intended to hold a light industrial products exhibition in Beijing.

As soon as the news spread, many people’s minds began to race.

For a significant number of people, the actual outcome of the fair didn’t matter; what was important was that it was being organized by “Third Young Master Jiang” and “Sixth Young Master Ye.” If they participated, they might just be able to forge connections with the Jiang and Ye families.

Consequently, many factories proactively signed up to participate in the fair!

But they soon discovered that things were not quite as they had imagined. Instead of receiving confirmation of their registration or a notice regarding when they could exhibit, they were informed that a dedicated team would contact their factories later.

They were also told that their products would undergo inspection, and only those meeting certain standards would be eligible to participate in the fair!

At the same time, several newspapers began covering this Light Industry Premium Products Exhibition.

For a time, news of the fair appeared constantly in the papers, attracting the attention of many people…

…….

While Li Yi and his team were busy preparing for the fair, the two branches of the Grassland Beef and Lamb Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant were also ready to open.

On October 14, after nearly two months of preparation, the first branch, located next to Dong’an Market, officially opened.

On opening day, Li Yi personally attended the opening ceremony!

At the same time, representatives from the Second State Cotton Mill, the Municipal Candy Factory, and the Yanjing Television Factory all attended the ceremony, presenting various plaques and congratulatory gifts, making the event exceptionally grand!

Even more encouraging was that business at the branch was excellent right from the opening day.

Moreover, due to its proximity to Dong’an Market—which attracts far more foot traffic than Beiguancun—and the promotional activities held on opening day, the store was absolutely packed at both lunch and dinner!

Seeing this success, the second branch in Xizhimen also opened its doors at the same time.

By this point, Li Yi’s barbecue and hot pot restaurant had three locations in Beijing.

Just as Li Yi was busy with all this, Xu Xinmao reached out to him again.

This time, he brought news that the $200 million worth of gold was ready and could be shipped to Hong Kong at any moment, asking Li Yi what the next steps should be.

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he replied immediately that he would go in person to handle the matter.

As for the timing, they would set it for the coming days, depending on when a suitable flight was available.

Subsequently, Xu Xinmao mentioned that the higher-ups intended to have Zhou Rui accompany him to Guangzhou.

On one hand, Zhou Rui would help him communicate with the comrades in Guangzhou; on the other, he would be responsible for receiving the foreign currency.

Li Yi had no objections to this; after all, transporting such a large amount of gold overseas would be no easy task without an official representative to handle the negotiations.

Furthermore, the higher-ups had instructed him to repatriate two hundred million US dollars from Hong Kong. Entrusting such a massive sum to just anyone would be unwise, so it made perfect sense for them to have Zhou Rui, the Director of State Security, handle it.

More importantly, with Zhou Rui handling things, he wouldn’t have to worry about many of the details of this trip south—such as booking flights or arranging transportation!

Great, that’s a relief!

Soon, Zhou Rui called to say that the flight tickets and everything else had been booked, with departure scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on the 18th.

He would arrive at the courtyard house ahead of time to meet up with Li Yi!

After receiving Zhou Rui’s call, Li Yi immediately delegated his current tasks to An Hong, Long Zhanjun, and the others, then prepared to head south!

What he didn’t know, however, was that the situation in Hong Kong had already become highly volatile, with tensions running extremely high…

………..

The higher-ups responded quickly. Just one day later, Zhou Rui and Xu Xinmao came calling again.

First, they relayed the response from the higher-ups to Li Yi: the gold, valued at 200 million US dollars, would arrive in full in Guangzhou within the next week.

Due to the agreement we’d reached with Hong Kong, Huang Lixing’s fleet would have to make another trip to transport the gold there.

As for how this gold would be handled once it reached Hong Kong, the higher-ups had no control over that—it was entirely up to Li Yi.

Upon receiving the response from headquarters, Li Yi wasted no time and immediately adjusted his schedule.

He had originally planned to depart for Hong Kong at the end of the month, but now it seemed he would have to leave earlier.

After all, in his eyes, this gold was a hot potato!

The reasons were simple: first, international gold prices were about to experience severe volatility; after reaching their peak, they would soon begin a steady decline, so the timing and method of the transaction were crucial for securing a high selling price.

Second, the quantity of gold was simply too large. Based on current international gold prices, this batch of gold—worth 200 million US dollars—amounted to a full 10 tons.

Such a massive influx of physical gold into Hong Kong would inevitably have a huge impact on local gold prices, which would in turn create significant difficulties in selling it at a favorable price.

Therefore, Li Yi didn’t dare entrust this matter to Lan Xinyi and her team. He feared that if they dragged their feet, the gold price would plummet.

After much deliberation, he had no choice but to go himself!

However, before heading to Hong Kong Island, Li Yi still had a few matters to attend to.

First, he needed to finalize the plan for the trade show and have An Hong and the others begin preparations, aiming to launch the exhibition in November.

Second was the matter of opening a branch store. Although Li Yi had entrusted Long Zhanjun with full authority to handle this, and things were going quite smoothly on their end, Li Yi still wanted to stay until after the grand opening ceremony.

And he wanted to spend some quality time with Jiang Xue and the kids!

Over the next few days, Li Yi’s life followed a very regular routine: he would drive Jiang Xue and his mother-in-law to school on time every morning and pick them up again in the evening.

The rest of the time, he stayed home working on the exhibition plan, and in his spare moments, he helped his older sister look after the children.

In just a few short days, Li Yi took his older sister and the children to every interesting or memorable spot in Beijing, and they sampled every delicious local delicacy the city had to offer.

Li Yi was thoroughly satisfied with this lifestyle, which blended busyness with a touch of leisure. If it weren’t for the mountain of work waiting for him later, he would have loved to keep living like this forever!

Before long, a week had passed, and Li Yi’s proposal was finally ready!

During that time, a sudden craze for prize-based sales had swept through the domestic home appliance industry. From televisions and refrigerators to small appliances like electric fans, everyone had jumped on the prize-based sales bandwagon.

They were all copying the playbook of the Second National Cotton Mill and the Yanjing TV Factory, using the same formula: spend a certain amount to receive a scratch-off ticket, and scratch it to potentially win a prize. The tactics were identical across the board.

As the first wave of copycats, these factories achieved fairly good results, with most of them making a tidy profit.

It couldn’t be helped; people back then were just too trusting.

Of course, the scarcity of goods was also a major factor.

In short, various factors drove the rapid rise of prize-based sales campaigns in the country, turning them into a phenomenon in a very short time.

But the public isn’t stupid; seeing everyone playing this game, they’ve caught on.

Talk of “giving back to the people” or “thanking customers” was all nonsense; these factories were simply trying to sell their products.

Soon, the general public began to show some resistance to this prize-based sales model.

But the major manufacturers didn’t realize this; seeing that the companies that had jumped on the bandwagon earlier had all made a profit, even more companies joined the prize-giving sales campaigns.

More importantly, the companies joining in this time weren’t limited to the home appliance industry—bicycle manufacturers, sewing machine makers, radio companies, and even sunflower seed vendors all jumped on the bandwagon.

Overnight, prize-based sales campaigns of all kinds sprang up across the country, one after another, in an endless stream!

Moreover, to attract the public, the grand prizes became increasingly extravagant.

People had thought that the 10,000-yuan prize from the Yanjing Television Factory was already jaw-dropping, but the grand prizes offered by subsequent manufacturers were even more shocking—soaring from 20,000 to 100,000 yuan, with some factories even offering prizes like cars and houses.

For a time, the entire domestic sales market was a veritable showcase of ingenuity, with every company pulling out all the stops—it was a truly lively scene…

………

State Cotton Mill No. 2. Second Floor of the Factory Office!

In the factory director’s office, Li Yi, An Hong, Jiang Longcheng, and Ye Jianhua were gathered around a small round table drinking tea. In the center of the table lay a thin document bearing a bold, forceful line of penmanship: “National Light Industry Exhibition and Sales Fair Activity Plan.”

Gently setting his teacup down on the table in front of him, Li Yi said, “You’ve all read the document. What are your thoughts?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than An Hong was the first to speak up: “Brother Li Yi, I understand the profit model for this exhibition, but there are still a few points I’m not quite clear on. Could you help me sort them out?”

“Sis, what exactly are you unclear about? Please tell me,” Li Yi replied.

“As I understand it, the main sources of revenue for this fair are participation fees, booth rental fees, and things like sponsorships and advertising. To put it simply, we’re mainly making money off those factories, right?”

“Exactly!”

“But if that’s the case, why are we imposing restrictions on the participating companies? We turn this one away and that one too—aren’t we just pushing people away?” An Hong asked.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Ye Jianhua chimed in, “That’s exactly what I wanted to ask. Since the more units that come, the more we earn, why not accept them all?”

Li Yi immediately replied, “As I’ve said before, our trade fair is different from others. We’re selling the public high-quality, premium goods—not junk from ‘clearance sales’!”

“That’s why we have to act as gatekeepers for the public—we’ll block out any products that don’t meet quality standards right at the door. We absolutely cannot let people pay top dollar for a pile of junk with terrible value for money.”

When it came to product marketing, Li Yi was an absolute expert.

He understood clearly that, regardless of the era, the core of competition has always been differentiation. Only by being different from others can you establish a competitive barrier and stand out from the crowd.

Trade shows are nothing new—they’re essentially just sales events. Why on earth should people choose to buy from your trade show?

The answer is that everything I sell here is top-quality, high-end merchandise, and I can even negotiate a better price for you. Tell me, isn’t that tempting?

At this point, An Hong spoke up again: “If we go with this plan, most of the exhibitors will be large organizations. Their products aren’t exactly cheap—will the general public buy into that?”

“They will!”

Li Yi’s response was unwavering!

When people shop, they’re not just looking for the lowest price—they’re seeking the best value for their money.

The “foundation” of brand competition remains the provision of high-quality products or services.

Consider the live-streaming sales team from a certain educational brand that pivoted to this field in later years. Why were they able to gain consumer recognition so quickly and become a sensation in the already fiercely competitive live-streaming sales industry? The reason was their strict control over product quality, allowing consumers to purchase desirable and affordable goods without leaving home or haggling over prices.

In fact, the products in that livestream weren’t the cheapest online, yet consumers still flocked to them. So, it’s not necessarily true that the cheaper something is, the more it will win over the public.

Just as An Hong and Ye Jianhua were about to ask more questions, Jiang Longcheng suddenly spoke up: “You two stop asking all these questions. When has my brother-in-law’s idea ever gone wrong? With our limited understanding, we might not even grasp it even if we asked. Just follow the plan!”

Although An Hong and Ye Jianhua were tempted to argue back, they realized he had a point.

After giving it some thought, they both obediently kept their mouths shut!

“Brother-in-law, tell us—how exactly should we handle this trade show? We’re all counting on your plan!” Jiang Longcheng said.

Li Yi didn’t beat around the bush. “Third Brother, you find the venue for the trade show. It has to be spacious and easily accessible—and ideally, we should be able to rent it for several years at once!”

“Got it!”

“Sis-in-law, you’ll handle the venue decoration. I’ve already drawn up the plans; you just need to find a team to follow them!”

Li Yi continued, “Also, we’ll need staff for the trade show. Sister-in-law, please recruit some people as soon as possible to put together a temporary team—keep the headcount under eight!”

“Got it!”

“The rest is finding suppliers. Third Brother and Brother Jianhua, you two handle the phone calls. Sister-in-law, you’ll be in charge of contacting them, inspecting their products, and most importantly, negotiating to drive the prices down!”

“Okay…”

………

The Grill & Hot Pot Restaurant!

The moment Li Yi saw Zhou Rui and Xu Xinmao push open the door together, he knew trouble was brewing.

These two were the type who never visited without a reason—they either didn’t come at all, or when they did, it was sure to be about something.

But since they represented the authorities, Li Yi couldn’t just ignore them.

As they approached, Li Yi asked casually, “What brings you two here?”

Zhou Rui glanced at Long Zhanjun and Li Na standing beside Li Yi, then said, “Comrade Li Yi, we’d like to discuss something with you. Would now be a good time?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Then come with me.”

With that, Li Yi led them to the private room at the very back of the restaurant.

Once the three of them were inside the private room, Zhou Rui immediately instructed Zhang Ziqiang to stand guard outside the door and strictly forbid anyone from approaching.

Seeing how tense they were, Li Yi asked, “Chief Zhou, why all the tension? What’s going on?”

“Let Director Xu tell you himself!”

Li Yi turned his gaze to Xu Xinmao and asked, “Director Xu, what instructions do you have from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange?”

Xu Xinmao hurriedly replied, “I wouldn’t call them instructions. It’s like this: based on orders from higher-ups, we’d like to discuss something with you!”

“What is it?”

“We’d like to allocate additional funds for you to manage on our behalf,” Xu Xinmao said.

“How much?” Li Yi asked, somewhat surprised.

“Two hundred million dollars!”

“Does your State Administration of Foreign Exchange even have that much money?” Li Yi asked, looking skeptical.

Although this might make it seem like Li Yi was looking down on the Foreign Exchange Bureau, it was indeed his most genuine reaction at that moment.

As far as he knew, the country’s total foreign exchange reserves amounted to no more than 1.2 billion US dollars. After deducting the 200 million already shipped to Hong Kong, there were at most 1 billion US dollars left on the mainland.

Moreover, those 1 billion dollars weren’t just sitting idle; they were on standby to cover payments for companies’ imports from abroad.

In fact, it was even uncertain whether the State Administration of Foreign Exchange currently held 1 billion US dollars in reserves; perhaps they had already disbursed those funds to cover payments.

Moreover, for a country of this size, a mere 1 billion US dollars in foreign exchange reserves is simply too little—how could they possibly spare any funds for additional investment?

Xu Xinmao immediately replied, “We may not have that much foreign exchange, but we have gold!”

“Gold?”

“That’s right. The higher-ups plan to entrust you with gold worth 200 million US dollars and have you manage it on their behalf!” Xu Xinmao said in a solemn tone.

Li Yi didn’t agree right away. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Xu Xinmao and said, “Director Xu, the higher-ups wouldn’t make a decision like this out of the blue. I need a reason!”

Xu Xinmao glanced at Zhou Rui beside him. Seeing him nod, he said, “Comrade Li Yi, to be perfectly honest, there are two main reasons we’re doing this!”

“Oh? I’d love to hear the details!”

Xu Xinmao replied immediately, “The first reason is that we urgently need a large amount of foreign exchange to deal with a crisis that could arise at any moment!”

“A crisis?”

“Yes. You know our country is short on foreign exchange, but you may not fully grasp just how severe the shortage is. Let me put it this way: the total foreign exchange reserves held by our bureau currently amount to less than 300 million US dollars!” Xu Xinmao said with a touch of resignation.

“Only 300 million?”

Li Yi was genuinely startled by Xu Xinmao’s words. For a country of this size, even 1 billion in foreign exchange reserves would be considered meager, let alone 300 million.

“That’s right. Most importantly, we have a large number of foreign exchange payment plans scheduled for the end of the year, totaling 290 million. If we don’t see a significant inflow of foreign exchange by then, our reserves will run dry. Any delays in payments would severely damage our country’s reputation!”

Xu Xinmao continued, “Furthermore, according to the latest plans from the State Planning Commission and the Ministry of Commerce, next year we’ll need to import 112 key technologies and a large quantity of equipment and instruments from abroad, requiring at least 1.5 billion US dollars in foreign exchange. Therefore, generating foreign exchange has become a national priority!”

“And what is the second reason?” Li Yi asked again.

“The second reason is that the state is very satisfied with your previous foreign exchange investment and believes you can generate even more foreign exchange for the country!” Xu Xinmao said.

“Is there news from Hong Kong?”

Li Yi was exceptionally astute; he could read between the lines, and he quickly pieced together the situation regarding Hong Kong.

Xu Xinmao made no attempt to hide it; he nodded immediately and said, “That’s right. Comrade Yang Qian sent back the latest news the day before yesterday: the international gold price surged to $598 per ounce in early October, and the people under your command have already begun quietly closing in!”

“According to Comrade Yang Qian’s estimates, with this investment alone, the $200 million in foreign exchange the state gave you will turn into $420 million—a net profit of a full $220 million.”

Hearing Xu Xinmao’s explanation, Li Yi felt a sudden sense of relief.

They say money moves the heart, and a profit of $220 million is certainly enough to tempt those bigwigs up there. After all, if this money were to be earned through export revenue, who knows how many raw materials would have to be sold to bring it back.

“In that case, you simply need to entrust the proceeds from this investment, along with the original $200 million principal, to me for continued management. Why is it necessary to ship gold over there separately?” Li Yi asked.

Xu Xinmao hurriedly replied, “According to the higher-ups’ instructions, the plan is to withdraw 200 million US dollars from there for emergency use, and then use gold to fill the resulting gap!”

Hearing this, Li Yi looked at Xu Xinmao and said, “I suspect there’s more to it than that. If I’m not mistaken, the higher-ups believe gold prices are about to fall, so they want to use me to offload the gold and convert it into foreign exchange. Is that the idea?”

“Well… the higher-ups didn’t say so explicitly. We wouldn’t dare speculate on whether that’s actually their intention!” Xu Xinmao replied.

“Hmm, I see.”

“Comrade Li Yi, so what do you suggest?”

“You’ve all come to me—how could I possibly refuse?” Li Yi said with a smile.

“So, Comrade Li Yi, you’ve agreed!” Xu Xinmao said excitedly.

“I agree, but if the higher-ups want to use gold as investment collateral, they must ship the gold to Hong Kong Island by mid-October!” Li Yi said.

“That soon?”

“Yes!”

The reason for the urgency was that Li Yi knew the price of gold would reach its peak for the year by the end of the month, making it the most opportune time to sell.

Most importantly, due to broader market conditions, gold was set to enter a decade-long slump, with prices hovering between $200 and $400 per ounce.

Therefore, the period around the end of October would mark the final peak in gold prices; selling now would mean a profit.

If you miss this opportunity, you won’t see prices this high again for another ten years.

Although Xu Xinmao didn’t know what Li Yi was thinking, he was well aware of this young man’s temperament. He immediately replied, “All right, I’ll report this situation to my superiors and get back to you as soon as possible!”

“Alright!”

No sooner had the two finished speaking than Zhou Rui, standing nearby, chimed in!

“Comrade Zhou Yang, aside from this matter, we’ve come here today to discuss something else with you!”

“What is it? Please go ahead,” Li Yi said.

“According to our intelligence, those British bastards from the British-funded conglomerate have been stirring up trouble lately. It seems they’re plotting something against you. You need to be on your guard!” Zhou Rui said.

“Oh? I wonder what those bastards are planning?”

“Our influence over there is limited, and since those foreigners don’t trust people outside their inner circle, our informants only know that something is afoot. We haven’t yet figured out exactly what they plan to do!” Zhou Rui said.

“Alright, thanks for the heads-up. I’ll keep that in mind!” Li Yi said.

“Comrade Li Yi, if you need any help, just let us know. Although our State Security influence over there isn’t particularly strong, we can still be of some assistance!” Zhou Rui said.

Li Yi knew his words reflected the attitude of higher-ups, so he nodded immediately and said, “I’ll contact you if I need anything!”

“All right, then. If there’s nothing else, we’ll head back for now. We’ll get in touch with you later!”

“Alright, I’ll walk you out…”

………

Beiguan Village. Hot Pot Restaurant!

It wasn’t even 11 o’clock when Li Yi and Zhang Ziqiang arrived.

Apart from a few young staff members busy prepping ingredients, there wasn’t a single customer in the shop.

Li Na, who was at the counter, looked up and was taken aback for a moment when she saw Li Yi, then said happily, “Xiao Yi, why did you come over so early?”

“I happened to be at the Second State-Owned Cotton Mill today to take care of some business, so I stopped by to check on things!”

Li Yi then asked, “How’s business been these past few days? Are you keeping up?”

“It’s the same as always, but since we dropped that set menu, we’ve finally been able to catch our breath!” Li Na replied.

“How much is the daily turnover?”

“It’s around two thousand every day, and on busy days, it can go up to two thousand seven or eight hundred!”

“That’s not bad!”

Li Yi looked around and asked, “Where’s my third sister’s husband? I don’t see him.”

“The tables and chairs ordered for the branch store arrived today, so he went over there to take delivery!” Li Na said.

“Oh, the tables and chairs arrived that quickly?”

“Yeah, after receiving our order, Factory Manager Lin worked overtime to ramp up production. He managed to produce over 150 sets of dining tables and matching chairs in less than a week!”

“So, does that mean our branch will be open in just a few days?” Li Yi asked.

“My brother-in-law said we should be able to open by the 15th!”

“So, Third Sister, are you ready? Once the new store opens, you’ll be the manager there!” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“What’s there to prepare for? I’ll just do it the same way we do here. There’s no reason why I can’t do it just as well as your brother-in-law!”

Seeing his third sister as confident as ever, Li Yi couldn’t help but smile.

His third sister might not have many other strengths, but that self-confidence was something she was born with.

“Alright then, if you have any questions, just ask my brother-in-law!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

Then Li Na added, “Oh, by the way, your brother-in-law and I have discussed it, and we’re planning to hold the wedding at the end of the year!”

Li Yi’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, “Where do you plan to hold it—in Yong County or right here in our village?”

“From the sound of it, your brother-in-law wants to hold it in Beijing!”

“Beijing?”

“Yeah, according to your brother-in-law, ever since his father’s incident, most of their relatives have cut ties with them, so they don’t really have any close friends or family left in Yong County.”

Then Li Na added, “Besides, our shop is bound to be incredibly busy during the New Year. If we went back to Yong County for the wedding, the round trip alone would take at least half a month—that would really hurt business!”

“So we’re planning to bring his mom, his sister, and our parents all to Beijing, then pick a quiet time to have a meal together—that’ll count as getting the ceremony done…”

Before she could finish, Li Yi cut her off, saying, “Getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime event—how can we be so careless about it?”

As the last one in the family to get married, Li Yi certainly didn’t want his third sister’s wedding to be too simple.

After all, this might only happen once in a lifetime; he didn’t expect it to be extravagant, but it had to be decent at the very least.

“So what do you plan to do?”

“We can’t skip a single step of the standard wedding process—it’s not like we can’t afford it!” Li Yi said.

“That’s not necessary. Marriage is just a formality…”

“Don’t worry about it—I’ll take care of everything!” he said authoritatively.

“Alright then…”

Before she could finish, Li Yi asked again, “By the way, have you guys got your wedding home ready yet?”

“Not yet. My brother-in-law has saved up over a thousand yuan, but he wants to help you out with your financial struggles first. As for the apartment, we’ll just rent one for now!” Li Na said.

“My money isn’t urgent right now. Let’s buy a place first… Never mind, don’t worry about the house either!”

“No need—we have money; we can buy it ourselves…”

“Enough. Keep that money for your own spending money!”

In his previous life, the person Li Yi felt most guilty toward was his third older sister. Because of him, she had lived her whole life burdened by guilt and self-reproach, and had wasted her entire life.

In this life, he hoped his third sister could live a happy and fulfilling life!

As for money and such, it was something he didn’t need to worry about at all now…

Just as the two were talking, a commotion suddenly erupted at the shop entrance.

Li Yi turned to look and saw Long Zhanjun and Liu San’er walking in from outside, each carrying a large burlap sack on their shoulders.

Judging by the round, bulging shape protruding from the outside, the sacks were likely filled with Chinese yams.

Seeing this, Li Yi immediately stepped forward to help.

But before he could get there, he heard Long Zhanjun say, “Stay right where you are—we can handle this!”

Soon, Long Zhanjun and Liu San carried the two large bags of yams to the kitchen. After washing their hands, they returned to the bar.

“It’s not busy today. Why didn’t you give us a heads-up before coming over?” Long Zhanjun asked with a smile.

“Things are going okay. Have you sorted out the matters at the new shop?”

“Yeah, all that’s left is to buy the pots, pans, refrigerators, stoves, and other kitchen equipment. Once we get those, we can pick a date to open!” Long Zhanjun said.

“Well, you guys take care of that then!”

Then Li Yi added, “I heard from my third older sister that you two are planning to get married by the end of the year?”

Long Zhanjun nodded and said, “That’s right. We’re both getting on in years, and we’ve known each other for so long—I think it’s time to tie the knot!”

“Alright, but getting married is a major life event after all—we can’t make it too simple!”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’ about it. You two are busy with work, so I’ll handle the wedding planning. We’ve still got three or four months, so I’m sure I can get everything perfectly organized for you!” Li Yi said.

“Well… it’s not exactly proper for a brother-in-law to plan his brother-in-law’s wedding. People will laugh at us!” Long Zhanjun said.

“What’s so funny about that? I’ll just handle the planning, but you’ll have to reimburse me for all the expenses!”

Knowing Long Zhanjun had a strong sense of pride, Li Yi immediately retorted.

“Well, I guess that’s acceptable…”

“Whether you agree or not, that’s a done deal. Also, I’ll buy you a courtyard house as your wedding home!”

Seeing that Long Zhanjun was about to speak up, Li Yi quickly interjected, “Don’t be so quick to refuse. The courtyard isn’t just for you and my third sister—my eldest and second sisters have them too. We’re all siblings. Now that I’m doing well, I can’t just ignore my sisters, can I?”

“Xiao Yi, it’s your business if you have money. We can’t keep asking you for it!” Li Na said.

“That’s right. We both make a decent living; if we save up for three or five years, we can buy our own place!” Long Zhanjun added.

Li Yi smiled and said, “If you’re thinking of buying a house with that mindset, it’s probably not going to be easy to get a whole courtyard!”

“Why?”

“It’s hard to explain this fully right now, but you’ll understand later. It’s settled—just focus on helping me run the shop and make money, and I’ll take care of planning your weddings!”

He knew full well that in another year or two, housing prices in Beijing would enter a “runaway” phase—especially after 2010, when they would skyrocket beyond control.

“Wait until you’ve saved enough to buy a house”—how many people have missed their chance to buy in Beijing because of that very advice?

Even if they managed to buy later, the price would likely be several times higher than before.

“Well…”

Before Long Zhanjun could speak, Third Sister cut in: “Let’s listen to Xiao Yi!”

“Alright, then…”

Just as they were speaking, the sound of a car engine suddenly echoed from outside, and moments later, a Volga sedan pulled up right in front of the store.

The door swung open, and two figures familiar to Li Yi stepped out of the car, striding purposefully into the shop…

……….

The next morning!

Still half-asleep, Li Yi suddenly heard a series of “coos and gurgles” by his ear, followed by a warm sensation on his face.

Li Yi jolted awake instantly. A certain thought crossed his mind, and he opened his eyes immediately.

The moment his eyes opened, he was met with a rosy, delicate little face… and a half-foot-long trail of drool.

It turned out his little daughter had woken up at some point, crawled over to Li Yi’s pillow, and was now stroking his head while drooling.

Thankfully, it was his daughter’s drool—Li Yi breathed a huge sigh of relief!

His biggest fear was opening his eyes to see his son’s little “water gun”—just imagining that scene was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

He sat up, cradled the little girl in his arms, and then glanced to the side.

His son, Yunrui, had also woken up and was playing with the cloth tiger his big sister had made for him in the corner.

As for Jiang Xue, she was nowhere to be seen—no idea where she’d gone!

He glanced at the wall clock—it was barely 6:30. It shouldn’t be time for school yet.

Li Yi called out, “Xiao Xue!”

Jiang Xue’s voice quickly came from the kitchen in the back room: “Just a minute, I’ll make some formula for Yunrui and Yunjin first!”

“Okay!”

Li Yi immediately tucked his arms under his precious daughter’s armpits, lifting her up to eye level, then said with a smile, “Mommy’s gone to make formula for you. You’ll get to drink Grandma’s milk soon—aren’t you happy?”

Whether she understood what Li Yi said or it was simply the bond between father and daughter, the little girl immediately burst into giggles upon hearing his words.

Attracted by her sister’s laughter, Yunrui immediately dropped the cloth tiger and crawled over toward Li Yi.

Believe it or not, though she was tiny, the little one crawled surprisingly fast.

Before long, another soft, chubby little bundle crawled onto Li Yi, and her drool-covered little hands kept groping all over him!

Luckily, it was his own flesh and blood; if it had been someone else’s child, Li Yi couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t have made a hasty retreat…

When Jiang Xue returned to the bedroom with two bottles, she saw Li Yi holding one baby in each arm, his head tilted back.

The two babies thought their dad was playing with them, holding up their four little hands high, trying to touch his face.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Xue found it both amusing and heartwarming.

This was her man and her children—it felt so good to have them here!

“Honey, you finally made it. Hurry up and give them the bottles, or I’m going to be drowned in their drool…”

“You’re complaining about your own kids?”

Jiang Xue said as she lifted her son off Li Yi’s lap.

“Hahaha, I’m not complaining—I’m just worried the kids will go hungry!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

Jiang Xue ignored him. After handing the bottle to her son, she quickly took her daughter from Li Yi’s arms and gave her a bottle as well.

With their bottles in hand, the two children forgot all about their dad and immediately started gulping away!

Li Yi took this opportunity to quickly get dressed and out of bed, then prepared to head out to buy breakfast.

But just as he opened the door, he saw his older sister pushing the door open from the outside, carrying quite a few things in her hands.

“Big Sis, did you go buy breakfast again?”

“Yeah, is Xiao Xue awake yet?” his older sister asked with a smile.

“She’s up!”

“If she’s up, tell Comrade Zhang and Comrade Zhou to come eat breakfast!”

“Okay…”

……….

After watching Jiang Xue and his mother-in-law walk into the school, Li Yi glanced at his watch and realized it was almost eight o’clock.

He then turned to Zhang Ziqiang, who was driving beside him, and said, “Head to the Second State-Owned Cotton Mill!”

“Yes, sir!”

The car pulled away and headed straight for the cotton mill.

By the time they arrived at the cotton mill, it was already nine o’clock.

Upon arriving at the factory administration office, Li Yi first greeted Jiang Longcheng, then made his way to An Hong’s office.

When Li Yi pushed the door open, he saw An Hong bent over her desk, writing something.

Hearing the door open, she immediately looked up.

When she saw it was Li Yi, she immediately said with a look of delight, “Brother Li Yi, you’re here! Come on in and sit down!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “Xiao Xue told me you came by our place looking for me yesterday afternoon, so I came over first thing this morning!”

“Hmm, I actually wanted to talk to you about something, but I didn’t expect you to be so drunk!”

An Hong knew how Li Yi handled his liquor, so she added, “With your drinking habits, you really shouldn’t touch alcohol anymore—it’s bound to cause trouble!”

“Hahaha, you’re right, Sister-in-law. I’ll try to cut back from now on!”

That said, Li Yi knew himself well—he was the type who couldn’t hold his liquor but loved to have a good time.

Even though he clearly couldn’t hold his liquor, whenever something good happened, he just had to take a couple of sips. The result was always the same: he’d start off on a high note, only to end up in a total mess!

Li Yi didn’t want to dwell on his drinking habits, so he immediately asked, “Sis, what did you want to talk to me about yesterday?”

An Hong poured Li Yi a glass of water as she said, “I think the sales channels for Feixue Apparel are pretty much set up now. Do you think I can step back?”

“Step back?”

“Yes. Right now, Feixue Apparel has direct-operated stores in most provinces across the country, with a total of  stores. And according to our plan for the final quarter of this year, we’re aiming to reach  stores by the end of the year.”

An Hong continued, “By then, Feixue Apparel’s sales channels will be largely established. From there, we’ll just need to expand from these provincial capitals and prefecture-level cities down to the counties and districts. My work here will be pretty much done!”

Hearing this, Li Yi frowned briefly before asking, “Sis, is someone at the factory giving you a hard time?”

An Hong paused briefly before replying, “It’s true that some people are gossiping behind my back. After all, I’m not originally from State Cotton Mill No. 2, yet I’m now in charge of its most profitable business. It’s only natural that some people feel uncomfortable about that.”

“But my decision to step back isn’t just because of them. What they say doesn’t really affect me. I just feel that opportunities are everywhere right now, and there’s no need to waste my time here!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “So, what are your plans after you step down? Do you have any ideas?”

“I’m just checking to see if you have any other projects on your end. If you need me to take them on, I’ll keep working. But if you don’t have anything, then I’ll…”

Before An Hong could finish, Li Yi cut in, “We do. Actually, there’s a pretty good project right now that needs someone to take the lead!”

“What kind of project?”

“Organizing a trade show!”

Li Yi then explained his plan to organize the trade show to An Hong.

He’d been worried about finding someone to take the lead on the trade show—after all, Li Yi was far too busy himself to handle it personally; he could only offer advice, and it was clearly unrealistic for him to organize it all on his own.

As for Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, although they had connections and resources, they were both busy with their own affairs and simply couldn’t spare the time.

Besides, given their capabilities, Li Yi didn’t have much confidence in them!

If An Hong really wanted to step back from Feixue Apparel, having her handle the practical arrangements for this trade show would be the perfect solution.

With her capabilities, organizing a small exhibition like this would be a piece of cake.

If she handled it smoothly, he could eventually hand the entire operation over to her. When the time was right, he could even set up a company and have An Hong run it.

Upon hearing Li Yi’s proposal, An Hong’s eyes lit up immediately. With her sharp business acumen, she quickly grasped the exhibition’s profit model and potential.

If done right, this would be a highly profitable venture—a surefire way to make a fortune.

“Sis, I’ve already discussed this with Factory Director Jiang and one of Xiao Xue’s cousins. We plan to run this as a three-person team!”

Li Yi continued, “If you’re willing to join us, I can give you a 20% share of the profits!”

An Hong didn’t hesitate. “Alright, when do we start?”

“I’ll try to finalize the event plan within a week. In the meantime, you should use this time to hand over your responsibilities at Feixue Apparel to the factory. Once my plan is ready and you’ve wrapped things up here, we’ll get started!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll follow your lead, but I’m worried the factory won’t let me go!” An Hong said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Third Brother about it. Plus, when you leave the factory, I’ll make sure they give you a severance package. And once I get my share of the dividends from State Cotton Mill No. 2, you’ll get a cut of that too!” Li Yi said.

“Actually, there’s no need…”

“Don’t be so polite, Sister-in-law. You deserve it!”

For Li Yi, recruiting a powerhouse like An Hong to his side was worth every penny.

Seeing that Li Yi was resolute, An Hong didn’t press the matter further. She nodded and said, “All right, then.”

“Alright then. You go ahead and get back to work, Sister-in-law. I’ll go talk this over with Third Brother!”

“Alright…”

……….

: I went back to my hometown today and am really exhausted, so just one chapter!

It was late at night, and all was quiet!

In the main room, both children were already asleep, and Jiang Xue was crouched on the floor washing their diapers.

Just then, Li Yi, who was on the kang, suddenly let out a few groans and sat up, still half-asleep.

Seeing this, Jiang Xue hurriedly set down the diaper she was holding and immediately went to his side, asking softly, “Do you need to use the bathroom, or do you want a drink of water?”

Li Yi shook his dizzy head and asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s 9:30!”

“Is it that late already?”

He remembered that it had been around 3:00 PM when he’d been drinking with those two idiots, Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, but he had no idea what had happened after that.

He hadn’t expected to wake up six hours later.

Seeing that Li Yi had come to his senses, Jiang Xue couldn’t help but say, “You really are something. With a drinking tolerance that’s so low, you still dared to go drinking with my older cousin and my cousin—aren’t you just asking for trouble?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I just finished up some work and was in a good mood!”

“Do you no longer need to handle matters at the TV factory?”

“Not for now, but whether I can let go of it entirely depends on how the city authorities decide to handle it!”

That said, Li Yi had no idea when the city authorities would actually make a decision.

After all, the efficiency of these bigwigs was truly nothing to write home about; as long as it wasn’t an urgent matter, it was perfectly normal for them to drag things out for a month or two.

“Oh, I thought you’d be able to take some time off!”

“What’s up? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing really. I just saw how busy you’ve been lately, and since you’re heading to Hong Kong at the end of the month, I wanted you to get some proper rest!” Jiang Xue said.

“I think I’m fine, but since you put it that way, I’ll stay home with you and the kids for a while and not worry about anything else!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“You, you’re just saying that. How can you just walk away from such a huge pile of work?”

Even so, Jiang Xue was still very happy inside.

No matter what, her husband’s attitude was clear.

Li Yi rubbed his throbbing temples and said, “You’re right. I really can’t just sit back and relax right now. On one hand, our business is just getting started, and I can’t let go of it yet.”

“On the other hand, we’re still young—it’s the perfect time to build our careers. If we were to just stay cooped up at home every day, it wouldn’t feel right!”

This was Li Yi’s honest opinion. Although his life plan prioritized family, it didn’t seem right to do nothing and stay home with his wife at such a young age.

Therefore, Li Yi planned to work hard for ten years, using the initial wave of the Reform and Opening-Up era to achieve financial freedom, and then retire from the public eye.

“Hmm, I support you!”

Seeing that Li Yi didn’t look quite well, Jiang Xue immediately poured him a cup of warm water and brought it over.

After handing him the cup, she moved behind him and began massaging his head.

Sipping the water his wife had poured for him and enjoying her massage, Li Yi felt incredibly comfortable.

But as she massaged, Li Yi sensed something was off and asked, “Honey, do you smell anything?”

“What smell?”

“It stinks…”

Jiang Xue looked at her hands and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“What’s up? What’s so funny?” Li Yi asked curiously.

Jiang Xue immediately held her right hand up to Li Yi’s nose and said with a smile, “Take a whiff—is that the smell?”

Li Yi sniffed the air and said, “Yeah, that’s exactly it. What did you do to your hands? Why do they smell so strong?”

“I was just washing your son and daughter’s diapers!”

Hearing this, Li Yi instantly realized where that stinky smell was coming from!

“Wash your hands right away—this is way too stinky!”

“Your son and daughter made a mess—why are you complaining? You should be the one washing these diapers every day!”

Though she said this, Jiang Xue still knelt back down on the floor and continued scrubbing the small pieces of cloth that hadn’t been washed yet.

Just as Li Yi was about to speak, Jiang Xue added, “Oh, by the way, Sister-in-law An Hong came over this afternoon, but you were drunk, so she only stayed for a little while before leaving!”

“I know. I’ll go see her tomorrow,” Li Yi said.

“Hmm, and also, what’s the deal with you, my third brother, and Jianhua?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’?”

“This afternoon, you guys were drunk and rowdy, shouting about making big money and talking about some trade show. What are you planning to do?” Jiang Xue asked.

Li Yi smiled and said, “Nothing much. My third brother and Jianhua just want me to help them make some money to supplement their household income, so I’m planning to organize a trade show with them!”

“They’re both officials. Their monthly salaries aren’t exactly low. Why do they need to make extra money to support their families?” Jiang Xue asked, puzzled.

“Heh, you know them both well enough. They’re used to living it up—that salary isn’t even enough for their own spending, let alone with an extra mouth to feed now!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“That’s true, but can a trade show really make money?”

“Of course it can. If we pull this off right, it’ll make way more money than running a restaurant!”

Li Yi knew all too well whether the trade show would be profitable.

If done right, it’s not just about making money—even those selling sky beads, amber, and aged Ban Zhang tea for tens of thousands would have to step aside.

After all, with collectibles and tea, you’re just ripping off one person at a time, but with a trade show, you’re fleecing a whole bunch of factories!

More importantly, this is a long-term game!

“Is it hard to pull off? If it’s too exhausting…”

Jiang Xue never doubted Li Yi’s abilities, but seeing him spinning around like a top, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern.

She cared deeply for her husband and truly didn’t want Li Yi to be so exhausted.

Li Yi could sense Jiang Xue’s concern for him, so he immediately smiled and said, “This time, I’ll just handle the planning and do the talking. I’ll leave the rest to Third Brother and Brother Jianhua. They’ve got the connections and the inside channels—they’re way better at this than I am!”

Setting up an exhibition hall for a trade show isn’t difficult; the real challenge is convincing manufacturers to spend money to showcase their products here—and attracting large crowds of ordinary citizens to come and spend money!

If Li Yi had to handle this on his own, it would indeed be a bit of a hassle. He’d have to visit each factory one by one to invite them to his exhibition hall.

But if he handed this over to Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, it would be a piece of cake.

They wouldn’t even need to make phone calls to invite anyone—all they’d have to do is let the word get out, and a flood of companies would be lining up with cash in hand.

As the organizers, they could not only collect exhibition fees and booth fees from each factory, but also charge sponsorship and advertising fees, and so on…

Moreover, once the first edition is a success, they can simply follow the same formula and keep organizing it year after year.

Hearing Li Yi say it wouldn’t be too tiring, Jiang Xue immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Then you decide what to do!”

“By the way, when do you have winter break?” Li Yi suddenly asked.

“From the end of [month] to mid-[month]—it depends on the school’s schedule. Why?”

“I’d like to take you and the kids to Hong Kong once you’re on break!” Li Yi said.

Jiang Xue’s eyes lit up instantly, and she replied, “Sure, I’d love to see what our family’s company actually looks like!”

“Great!”

Then Li Yi asked again, “Honey, are you done washing up?”

“I’m done. What’s up?”

“I’m craving some meat!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xue’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she let out a soft “Mm-hmm.”

Seeing this, Li Yi immediately jumped off the floor and picked her up, carrying her straight to the bed!

In an instant, the room was filled with passion…

……….