Chapter 263 All gone to waste overnight!
At seven o’clock in the morning, most of the vendors at the Xiwan Night Market had packed up their stalls and were ready to go home to sleep. Only a few breakfast stalls were still busy. The aroma of wontons, steamed buns, and fried dough sticks filled the air.

Ah Liu hurriedly crossed the street holding a box of fish balls he had just bought. He hadn’t slept the whole night and felt uneasy. Recently, more and more things happened in Dongwan, and the stall owners became erratic. The enthusiasm of tourists seemed to remain unabated, but the hidden worries behind Xiwan became more and more obvious.

“Hey, Brother Liu, why are you in such a hurry?” Mrs. Li, who sells soy milk, called him while holding a bowl of hot soy milk.

“Sister-in-law, don’t ask me anymore. I’m very busy!” Ah Liu turned around and laughed, then continued walking forward. He was thinking about the news Xiaolong had asked someone to bring back from Dongwan last night, saying that Young Master Jin was not only trying to attract stall owners, but was also planning a large-scale night market opening ceremony. He even heard that a celebrity was going to come and cut the ribbon. This news kept him awake all night, and he felt that something was going to happen sooner or later.

Ah Liu turned into the boxing gym and put the fish balls on the table: “Where’s Brother Long?”

A young man who was mopping the floor looked up and said, “In the back alley, someone came back last night to report that there was a problem with the stall owner agreement in East Bay. He is looking into it now.”

Ah Liu nodded, cursing in his heart, “Young Master Jin is really treacherous,” and walked straight to the back alley without stopping. In the back alley, Xiaolong was squatting on the ground, holding a few stall contracts in Dongwan, frowning.

The skinny guy next to him was mumbling something: “Brother Long, these contracts look good on the surface, with low rents and promotions, but look here, it says in small print ‘operate at your own risk’. If something goes wrong with Young Master Jin, none of these stall owners will be able to escape.”

Xiaolong nodded and said nothing. He raised his hand and slapped the contract on his lap, then glanced at Ah Liu: “What do you think Young Master Jin is planning to do? He has dug up a lot of stalls, but where does he get the confidence to hold on?”

Ah Liu sneered, reached out and picked up the contract and flipped through it. “I think this guy thinks he is the banker at the gambling table. If something happens to the stall owners he has recruited, he will be finished. We are not afraid of him opening the game, but we are afraid that he will mess up the whole game, and then we will have to clean up the mess.”

After Xiaolong heard this, he threw the contract on the ground and said, “The Dongwan incident is not over yet. We have to keep an eye on it and see what tricks he is playing. Ah Liu, go talk to a few more stall owners and see who is wavering. Quickly persuade them to come back. Shouhou, go to the Dongwan construction site and don’t just focus on the progress. Check to see if there are any problems with the suppliers they brought in.”

The skinny monkey responded and turned and ran away. Ah Liu also picked up the fish balls and stuffed a bunch into his mouth: “I’m leaving. Brother Long, these fish balls are quite spicy. Next time, buy some without the spicy ones.”

In Dongwan, Jin Shao stood in the middle of the construction site, with the scorching sun above his head and a cigar in his hand. He was wearing a white suit and black leather shoes, looking elegant and not like a boss busy with a project at all.

Zhang Hai beside him reported in a low voice: “Master, the stars have been confirmed. Miss Liu and Mr. Mai will be invited to come to the opening day to support the event. Even the Governor’s wife’s friends may be there.”

Young Master Jin nodded and said lazily, “Not bad, this is starting to look good. But how are the stall owners doing? Is anyone still hesitant?”

Zhang Hai paused and said, “It is true that some stall owners are reluctant to sign the contract. They are mainly worried that our store will not have enough customers after it has just opened. After all, Xiwan is more famous than us, and the stall owners are afraid of risks.”

Young Master Jin took a puff of his cigar, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: “You don’t want to sign the contract? Then let them see what the consequences of staying in Xiwan will be. Zhang Hai, go find someone to spread the word that someone came to check the site in Xiwan recently. Find a few henchmen to create some trouble and force them to sign first.”

Zhang Hai nodded, turned around and left, but he felt a little uneasy. Young Master Jin’s actions were getting more and more wild, and he didn’t know who would have the last laugh in this gambling game.

Meanwhile, in a high-end coffee shop in Central, Lin Qiming was meeting with several investors. His assistant was taking notes, and their discussion was about the return on investment in East Bay.

“Mr. Lin, Mr. Jin’s project is indeed interesting, but it is also very risky. His capital chain will not last long. If the Dongwan venue cannot be opened, our money will be invested in vain.” said a middle-aged man in a gray suit.

Lin Qiming smiled slightly, picked up the coffee and took a sip: “Investment is always risky, but the more risky the place, the more profitable it is. Young Master Jin has played a big card this time, and he has invited celebrities. If the opening is successful, the return on his project will increase several times. Besides…” He put down the coffee cup, his eyes were a little shrewd, “We are not putting all our money on him, I have another plan.”

The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows: “Another plan?”

Lin Qiming smiled lightly and did not answer. He just raised his hand to signal his assistant to continue recording.

On the boxing ring in the boxing gym, Su Hanze was punching a sandbag. He was wearing a vest, his forehead was covered with sweat, and he was surrounded by several boxing brothers. He had been a little irritable recently, feeling that things were increasingly out of his control.

“Boss, there’s news from Ah Liu that Master Jin is planning to hold an opening ceremony and will invite celebrities.” A young boxer standing aside reported cautiously.

Su Hanze stopped and wiped his sweat with a towel: “Celebrity? He has that ability? He doesn’t even have enough money to open the show, how can he have spare money to hire a celebrity?”

The boxer nodded: “I heard that they attracted some investors from Central China, and they have been gaining momentum recently.”

Su Hanze frowned and said nothing. He looked at the sandbag next to the ring and threw a heavy punch: “So what if he’s strong? As long as he shows a flaw, we’ll destroy his place.”

The boxer didn’t dare to answer, but just stood aside silently. Su Hanze panted, looked at his fist, and thought about the next countermeasure in his heart.

This battle is not just a contest between West Bay and East Bay, but also a reshuffle of the capital and power of the entire Hong Kong Island. He knows that his opponent is not only Young Master Jin, but also those forces hidden behind the scenes.

On the streets of Xiwan, a kebab vendor was chatting with the stall owners. He held a bamboo stick in his mouth, but his eyes occasionally glanced at the crowd: “It’s a bit strange recently. I heard that the rent in Dongwan is ridiculously low, and some people have already signed contracts. Do you think this is reliable?”

The pancake vendor next door sighed: “No matter how good Dongwan is, it’s a new place and not very popular. Although the rent here is high, there are many tourists and good business. To put it bluntly, it still depends on whether the land under our feet can continue to prosper.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a few tourists came over with smiles to buy pancakes. The stall owner immediately smiled and greeted them: “Come on, come on, freshly made, hot pancakes!”

The morning air was filled with the salty and humid sea breeze. The newspaper stand on the street had just been set up, and a young milkman was walking through the old streets with a cigarette in his mouth. Ah Liu got up early today. He rode the rusty bicycle with a box of documents and two boxes of breakfast tied to the back seat.

He didn’t sleep well last night. The news from Dongwan was running around in his mind like a mouse, making him upset. He rode his bike all the way to the end of the street of Xiwan Night Market and stopped in front of a stall selling glutinous rice chicken.

“Brother Liu, you’re here so early?” The glutinous rice chicken uncle greeted him with a smile, and quickly packed a box of glutinous rice chicken and handed it to him, “Didn’t you sleep well? You guys are really worried about the night market recently.”

Ah Liu took the sticky rice chicken and stuffed two yuan into the stall: “I can’t sleep well. The stall owners have been restless these past two days. How about you? Has anyone come to see you?”

The glutinous rice chicken uncle sighed, looked around, and lowered his voice: “Someone did approach me, saying that there was a new place opening in Dongwan, with low rent, and they would help the stall owner with publicity. I told them that it sounds good, but the customer flow in Xiwan is real money, and changing places is a risk.”

Ah Liu nodded, but he still felt a little uncomfortable. He knew how attractive the conditions in Dongwan were, but attractiveness did not mean he could hold on. Dongwan was opening so fast, and the financial pressure was definitely great, but the problem was that the stall owners in Xiwan were wavering, and at this critical juncture, there could be no mistakes.

“Okay, hold on. We are also trying to find a way to deal with this matter. Don’t let anyone fool you.” After saying this, Liu put the glutinous rice and chicken into the bicycle basket and continued riding to the boxing gym.

In the backyard of the boxing gym, Su Hanze was practicing boxing. His movements were crisp and sharp, and sweat dripped down his chin to the ground. Opposite him stood Xiaolong, holding a document in his hand, his face full of uncontrollable words.

“Boss Su, I just received news that Young Master Jin not only invited celebrities, but also brought in several Macau casinos to cooperate. Their opening ceremony is scheduled for next week, and the scale is much larger than we expected.” Xiaolong said while waving the documents, “Dongwan is determined to steal our popularity.”

Su Hanze closed his fist, took the document and looked at it for a few seconds, his expression did not change. He wiped the sweat off his face and threw the document aside: “If they can hold the opening ceremony, so can we. The key is whether they can hold on after the opening. Xiaolong, keep an eye on their capital chain. When they can’t hold on, that’s our chance to take action.”

Xiaolong scratched his head, a little unconvinced: “Boss Su, we can’t just wait now, can we? The news about Dongwan has been so widespread these past two days that several stall owners are backing off.”

Su Hanze thought about it, suddenly stood up, and patted Xiaolong on the shoulder: “Well, you go find a few young people and organize some interesting activities to draw the attention of tourists and stall owners back. We can’t lose in momentum.”

Xiaolong nodded and immediately ran to make arrangements. Su Hanze put on his gloves again and continued to punch. He knew in his heart that now was not the time for a head-on confrontation. Dongwan was in high spirits and it would be easier to reveal flaws.

At the same time, in the makeshift office at the Dongwan construction site, Young Master Jin was getting angry at a pile of account books on the table. His secretary stood by, holding a cup of hot tea, not daring to say a word.

“This bunch of idiots, where did my money go? We’ve only built half of the venue, and the money in the account is almost gone!” Young Master Jin threw the account book on the table, his eyes grim, “Where’s Zhang Hai? Tell him to come over quickly.”

Zhang Hai didn’t let Jin Shao wait too long. Five minutes later, he pushed the door open and came in. As soon as he stood firm, he heard Jin Shao’s cold voice: “Zhang Hai, tell me, how many stall owners have not signed the contract yet?”

Zhang Hai hesitated for a moment and said, “Master, there are still about 30% left. They are waiting and watching. They are mainly worried that they will not be popular enough and will not make money.”

Upon hearing this, Young Master Jin threw the teacup on the table to the ground. “Are you worried about lack of popularity? Then let them see the strength of Dongwan! Go, set up the stalls of the stall owners who have signed contracts, find people to pretend to be customers and line up, and let the media take some lively photos and send them out.”

Zhang Hai nodded and reminded quietly: “Master, this may scare the stall owner, but our budget is really limited.”

Young Master Jin waved his hands, not wanting to listen: “Budget? Once the stall owners sign the contract, the funds will naturally come back. Tell them that if they don’t sign, there will be no space, and let them figure it out.”

Zhang Hai turned and left, feeling somewhat uneasy. He knew that Jin Shao’s move was too ruthless. Although it would work in the short term, it would be very risky in the long run. If the opening ceremony did not meet expectations, the stall owners would probably leave in a hurry, and then the Dongwan market would completely collapse.

In a bar in Central, Lin Qiming and Xia Yan were sitting at the bar, with a half-opened bottle of red wine in front of them. While shaking his glass, Lin Qiming asked Xia Yan with a smile: “I heard that you have been going to Sai Wan a lot recently. Do you think there is still an opportunity there?”

Xia Yan took a sip of wine and smiled softly: “I don’t care who wins or loses between Xiwan and Dongwan. I just like to watch this kind of lively drama. It’s interesting to watch the two sides fight.”

Lin Qiming nodded, seeming to agree: “Indeed, Xiwan still has a solid foundation, and tourists’ spending habits cannot be changed overnight. Young Master Jin is too impatient. Although his situation looks good, the more it is like this, the more problems will arise.”

Xia Yan raised her eyebrows and said in a brisk tone, “You have invested so much money in Dongwan, aren’t you afraid that it will all go down the drain overnight?”

Lin Qiming smiled and took a sip of wine: “Investment, in the first place, has both risks and benefits. What’s more, I have some ‘backup plans’. Even if East Bay collapses, I can still get out of it unscathed.”

Xia Yan didn’t say anything else, but just tapped the wine glass lightly with her fingers, her eyes seemed to reveal a hint of deep meaning.

On the streets of Xiwan, Ah Liu was chatting with several stall owners. He stood in front of a stall selling siu mai and pointed at the lanterns that had just been set up and said, “Look, once these lanterns are hung up, aren’t they much prettier than those in Dongwan? Tourists come and take pictures, it looks so lively at night!”

The siomai vendor smiled and nodded, but still a little worried: “Brother Liu, ours is lively, but I heard that the opening ceremony in Dongwan was very grand, and they even invited celebrities. How can ours compare?”

When Ah Liu heard this, he immediately waved his hands and said, “What’s a star? Can stars attract tourists every day? Xiwan relies on its flavor and bustle. Can stars bring these things? Don’t worry, our status is earned by working hard, not by a few glamorous signs.”

The thin monkey smiled, stuffed the notebook into his arms, turned around and ran out. This news must be told to Xiaolong as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)