Chapter 264 The means are too dirty!
The wind blew across Victoria Harbor, and the sound of whistles mixed with the sound of busy footsteps.

Workers at the port are unloading a batch of soybeans shipped from Singapore. The unremarkable tea restaurant next to the dock has now become a place for several “important people” to stay.

The proprietress was busy serving tea and water, and the newspaper on the table was casually spread out. The headline read “East Bay Project Boosts Economy” and a line of small characters read: “Young Master Jin may become the youngest business leader.”

A middle-aged man in a gray Tang suit was sitting by the window, playing with an old lighter in his hand.

Sitting opposite him was Lin Qiming, who was wearing a well-tailored suit today and had a faint smile on his face, seeming to be quite respectful to the old man in front of him.

“Seventh Master, I heard that you have been helping with the capital turnover of the Dongwan project recently?” Lin Qiming’s tone was very light, as if he was talking about the weather.

Master Qi lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke: “I can’t help it. Young Master Jin is bold and sweet-talking. He talked a lot of nonsense, so I just helped him a little. You know, I never lose money in this business.”

Lin Qiming smiled, picked up the teacup and took a sip: “Mr. Jin is courageous, but Master Qi, have you ever thought that his project is so urgent and so big that it may not be stable. If the capital chain is broken, you are so smart, don’t let him drag you down.”

Qiye’s hand paused, and his eyes became sharper: “Mr. Lin, what do you mean by this?”

Lin Qiming put down his teacup, crossed his hands, and said in a gentle tone: “It’s nothing, I just want to remind Master Qi that although Master Jin is the son of the gambling king, he is young after all, and it is inevitable that he will be eager for quick success. Master Qi, you are an old man, you should understand that he can’t win the game of Dongwan.”

Qiye didn’t say anything, just smoked quietly, his eyes fixed on the port outside the window. There were several trucks loading and unloading goods, just like chess pieces on a chessboard, being manipulated at will. He suddenly laughed and put out his cigarette in the ashtray: “Mr. Lin, I heard that you also invested in Mr. Jin’s project?”

Lin Qiming smiled slightly: “Yes, but I can withdraw my money at any time.”

Master Qi nodded and stood up: “I know Mr. Lin’s ability, but let’s wait and see about this matter.”

At the same time, in an upscale club in Kowloon, Jin Shao was lying on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in his hand, and two beautifully dressed women were sitting next to him.

Zhang Hai stood aside, looking anxious and whispering, “Master, the progress at the construction site is still a bit behind schedule, and the supplier has blocked several batches of materials. If it drags on, the opening ceremony may have to be postponed.”

Young Master Jin frowned, drank the whiskey in one gulp, and sat up suddenly: “Postponement? Absolutely not! The news of the opening ceremony has already been released. If it is postponed, how will the stall owners and investors see me?”

Zhang Hai gritted his teeth and cautiously suggested: “Master, why don’t you borrow some money from Master Qi to settle the material issue first.”

Young Master Jin sneered, “Borrow money? I already owe Master Qi enough. If I borrow more, I’ll have to pay with my life. Zhang Hai, go tell the people at the construction site to work overtime and beat the deadline. As for the supplier, send a few people to keep an eye on them. If they don’t deliver the goods, block their warehouse.”

Zhang Hai nodded and was about to leave when Jin Shao suddenly stopped him and said, “Wait, what’s going on in Xiwan recently?”

Zhang Hai turned around and replied, “I heard that they are working on a new entertainment project. It seems that they are going to build a small theater to attract tourists to watch the show and have fun while they eat, drink and have fun.”

Young Master Jin sneered, “They can only do such small things. How can a theater be compared with a night market? We are building the commercial center of the entire East Bay, not their street tricks.”

Zhang Hai said nothing more, nodded and left, but he felt a little uneasy. He knew where Young Master Jin got his confidence from against Xiwan, but the news he heard recently made him feel that Xiwan’s counterattack might not be that simple.

In a waste factory in Xiwan, Su Hanze was taking a few brothers to look at a batch of equipment that had just arrived. These equipment were prepared for their upcoming “Xiwan Theater”. Although they were not high-end, they were definitely enough.

Ah Liu patted the box excitedly and said, “Boss Su, this is good. Once the equipment arrives, we can set up the stage for our theater. I heard that there are a few veteran actors over there who are very interested in our plan. Maybe we can bring them over.”

Su Hanze nodded, but his expression was not relaxed. He wiped the dust off a machine with his hand and whispered, “We have the equipment and the venue, but what about the flow of people? Tourists are willing to watch a show, but will they stay? If the publicity efforts in Dongwan are further increased, can we snatch these customers?”

Ah Liu scratched his head and said, “Boss Su, we in Xiwan still have a solid foundation. Besides, our theater is new, so tourists will definitely be curious. Don’t worry too much.”

Su Hanze didn’t say anything. His eyes fell on the distant skyline, as if he was thinking about something. Ah Liu glanced at him, turned around and ran to help the workers move the equipment. He knew that Su Hanze had been under a lot of pressure recently, but the current situation was indeed not optimistic.

At the same time, in the VIP room of an underground casino, Qi Ye was sitting at the gambling table, shuffling the cards slowly. Opposite him sat a man in a well-dressed suit, who was the representative of the Longxing Society from Macau.

This middle-level figure of Longxing Society wore a pair of sunglasses and smiled: “Seventh Master, I heard that Mr. Jin’s project is a bit tight recently. Do you plan to continue supporting him?”

Qi Ye smiled and pushed the cards in his hand: “It depends on whether he can hold on. Mr. Long, don’t you often play like this in casinos in Macau? Only in the storm can we see who the real winner is.”

Mr. Long took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of sharp eyes: “But the problem is that sometimes the wind and waves are so strong that even the winners will be swept away.”

Qi Ye’s smile froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure: “It depends on whose boat is more stable.”

Mr. Long didn’t say anything else, but slowly picked up the teacup, as if hinting at something.

Qi Ye knew that these people in Macau never did business at a loss, and no matter how uncertain the situation of Young Master Jin was, they would withdraw sooner or later. And if Young Master Jin collapsed, Dongwan would become a complete joke.

The evening at the dock is always busy, with tugboats roaring across the sea, workers sweating as they move cargo, and the air filled with the smell of diesel and the salty smell of sea water.

A creaky old tricycle wobbled through the crowd. Ah Liu sat behind the tricycle, holding a box of miscellaneous goods. He chewed on some fried dough sticks he had just bought from a stall and shouted to the tricycle driver, “Master, don’t be too hasty. I can’t afford to pay for this thing if it breaks!”

The driver turned around and smiled, revealing his yellow teeth: “Brother Liu, the road is full of people, I can go slower.” Liu took a bite of the fried dough sticks, turned his head and looked at the dock, thinking about what Su Hanze had just ordered. Su Hanze sent him here to talk to a few old dock people to see if he could attract some suppliers from other places to the new theater project in Xiwan.

Although the project in East Bay is very high-profile, the idea of ​​the theater caught the attention of many people, and this “cultural gimmick” is indeed eye-catching.

At a small tea stall on the dock, several dock workers in vests were drinking tea. There were several plates of peanuts and Chinese sausage fried rice on the table. Ah Liu jumped off the tricycle and walked over with the box, “Brother Jie, why aren’t you busying yourself on the construction site today?”

The dockworker called Brother Ajie looked up at him and grinned, “Ah Liu, what’s the matter? Boss Su is short of workers and wants to recruit us?”

Ah Liu smiled and sat down at the table. “How dare I poach you? I have something serious to discuss with you. Has your construction site received any orders from East Bay recently?”

Ajie put down his chopsticks, his face a little unnatural: “They said they took a few jobs. Young Master Jin’s construction site needs people to transport goods, but the price is too low, I don’t like to go.”

A young worker nearby couldn’t help but interrupt: “Brother Ajie, I heard that Master Jin’s shop is about to open, and he has attracted many suppliers from other places. I heard that he is making a lot of money.”

Ah Liu’s heart skipped a beat, but he still had a smiling face: “Making a lot of money? Don’t listen to these superficial boasts. The place hasn’t taken off yet. Who knows if we can make back the money? What if Young Master Jin can’t hold on? What about the suppliers behind us?”

Ajie didn’t respond, but just picked up the teacup and took a sip, seeming to be thinking.

Ah Liu took the opportunity to pull out a flyer of Xiwan Theater from his pocket and slapped it on the table: “Brother Jie, to be honest, we have been doing something in Xiwan recently. This is our new project, ‘Xiwan Theater’. Tourists can watch the show, stall owners can make money, and suppliers from other places can be guaranteed to receive payment on time. It’s not like some places that only talk big.”

Several workers came over to look at the flyer and nodded, thinking that the theater in Xiwan was quite interesting. Seeing that the time was almost right, Ah Liu ordered another bottle of soda for everyone: “Come on, let’s have another bottle after we finish talking. We can all make money by cooperating in this matter.”

In Dongwan, Jin Shao’s office was filled with the smell of cigarettes, and the air was so oppressive that it made people breathless. He stood by the window, the cigarette in his hand was half burned, and the ash was about to fall on the carpet.

Zhang Hai stood behind him and reported in a low voice with a complicated look: “Master, several suppliers have started to delay delivery recently. They heard that the payment period for our construction site might be extended, so they are a little afraid to supply us.”

Jin Shao’s hand trembled, and the ash fell to the ground. He turned around abruptly, staring at Zhang Hai with eyes like knives: “Delaying the delivery? Do they know that our opening ceremony is less than two weeks away? They dare to delay the delivery at this time, do they want to see me laugh at them?”

Zhang Hai lowered his head and spoke even more quietly: “Master, our funds are indeed a bit tight, and some rumors have spread…the suppliers are unsure.”

Young Master Jin gritted his teeth, pressed the cigarette butt hard into the ashtray, and said coldly: “Aren’t these people bullying us because our project is big and it’s easy to delay payment? Fine, since they want to see me fail, let them know that there is a price to pay for offending me, Young Master Jin. Zhang Hai, find someone to block their warehouse and take back all the goods, even if it means paying them in installments, so that they can shut up.”

Zhang Hai responded and hurried out to make arrangements. As soon as he left, a man in a fancy suit pushed the door open and came in, smiling a little weakly: “Mr. Jin, I just heard that there are some minor problems with your progress. I can help you contact a few new suppliers, but…”

Jin Shao glanced at him with a hint of impatience in his eyes: “Just what?”

The man touched his nose and moved closer: “It’s just that you get what you pay for. The price from the new supplier may be higher.”

Jin Shao frowned, then suddenly laughed: “Money is not the problem. The problem is whether the goods can be delivered to the construction site on time. I need all the materials in place within two weeks.”

The man nodded and said in a somewhat flattering tone, “Don’t worry, Mr. Jin, leave it to me.”

At the same time, Su Hanze was sitting in an old-fashioned taxi, staring at the street view outside the window. He was not here to take care of the theater, but for another more difficult matter – Young Master Jin seemed to be secretly suppressing the merchants in Xiwan recently. Several old stall owners reported that their stalls were smashed at night, and it sounded like it was done by people from Dongwan.

The taxi stopped at the entrance of an alley in Wan Chai. Su Hanze paid the fare, got off the car and walked into an inconspicuous teahouse. This is a place for information exchange, and all kinds of gossip flow from here to the entire Hong Kong Island.

As soon as he entered the door, the boss came up to him with a smile: “Hey, Boss Su, how come you have time to come here today?”

Su Hanze nodded: “Let’s find someone to talk to and have a cup of tea.”

The boss took him into a small private room, and a thin old man came in after a while. He smiled and sat down and said directly: “Boss Su, what do you want to ask?”

Su Hanze was not polite and asked directly: “Are the people in Dongwan doing something naughty recently? They smashed several stalls in our Xiwan. Do you know who arranged it?”

The old man raised his eyebrows and smiled meaningfully: “Boss Su, this isn’t hard to guess, is it? Young Master Jin from East Bay is in a hurry to hold his opening ceremony recently. I guess he wants to use this method to force your people to go over.”

Su Hanze frowned: “He is a brave man, but his methods are too dirty.”

The old man smiled and said, “Boss Su, the mall is like a battlefield, who can be clean? However, I heard that Dongwan is not doing so well now. His suppliers are all upset, and it seems that there is a problem with the payment period.”

Su Hanze was silent for a while, then nodded slowly: “Thank you very much, I’ll treat you to a drink some other day.”

The old man waved his hand and smiled like an old fox: “If Boss Su’s theater really opens, don’t forget to save a good seat for me.”

The streets were still full of cars. The street vendors were starting to close their stalls, but some midnight stalls had just set up their stoves, with smoke rising. White-collar workers in suits and dock workers in vests mingled together, eating roasted meat rice and talking about the “news” they had heard recently.

(End of this chapter)