Chapter 265 Add some chips!

Ah Liu was squatting next to a barbecue stall, holding a piece of shiny barbecued pork in his hand. Next to him was a skinny guy, chattering excitedly, “Brother Liu, do you know? Someone in Dongwan smashed his car yesterday to scare the supplier, saying that there was not enough materials and the construction period could not be met. As a result, almost all the suppliers ran away.”

Ah Liu took a bite of the barbecued pork and asked incoherently, “Your car was smashed? Is this Young Master Jin crazy?”

The skinny monkey chuckled, “He’s not crazy, he’s just too impatient. I heard that Master Qi has been tightening his funding chain recently, so Young Master Jin has started borrowing money from everywhere to keep the business going, and even found people in Macau. But those people in Macau are not easy to deal with, and if Young Master Jin really fails, they will be the first to deal with him.”

Ah Liu smacked his lips, feeling that things were getting more and more complicated. He swallowed the rest of the barbecued pork in one gulp and patted Shouhou on the shoulder: “Don’t just listen to gossip, we need to keep a close eye on this matter. Our boss Su is busy with the theater recently. If something unexpected happens in Dongwan, we need to be prepared.”

The skinny monkey nodded, turned around and dived into the crowd at the night market, disappearing without a trace.

At the same time, Jin Shao was standing in a temporary office at the Dongwan construction site, holding a report in his hand, his face livid. Zhang Hai stood aside, his forehead covered with cold sweat, and said cautiously: “Master, the materials are still not in place, and the opening ceremony scenery may not be ready in time.”

Young Master Jin slammed the report on the table and shouted, “Why is it a material problem again? Are these suppliers just eating for free? It’s already this late, and they still dare to delay!”

Zhang Hai explained in a low voice: “Master, it’s not that the supplier doesn’t want to deliver the goods, it’s that our payment terms are too long, and they are also worried that the funds will not be returned.”

Young Master Jin sneered, turned around and took out a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet next to him, poured a full glass, and drank it in one gulp. He sat back in his chair, his eyes gloomy: “These people are bullies. Go tell them that if the goods don’t come, I will have people move them directly to their warehouse. Don’t blame me for not giving them a chance then.”

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

Zhang Hai hesitated for a moment and said, “I heard that their new theater is almost finished, and Su Hanze has even brought in a few veteran theater troupes. Although the theater is not big, the customer flow has been very steady.”

Young Master Jin snorted coldly: “How much money can a theater make? It’s just a trick to fool people. Su Hanze is only capable of this. Once my commercial center opens, will those tourists still go to watch the theater?”

Zhang Hai nodded his head, but he felt a little uneasy. He knew where Young Master Jin’s confidence came from, but Dongwan had too many problems right now. If he wasn’t careful, the entire project could fail.

At this time, in a coffee shop in Xiwan, Su Hanze was sitting by the window with a cup of cold coffee in front of him. He looked at the crowd outside the window, thinking. Ah Liu walked in, sat down opposite him, and threw a document on the table: “Boss Su, this is what I just found out. There are indeed some problems in Dongwan recently. Suppliers are delaying delivery, there is a shortage of funds, and the workers even had a fight over overtime pay.”

Su Hanze picked up the document and looked at it for a few seconds, then said calmly, “This is not our chance. Instead, this is their most dangerous time. The more dangerous the situation is, the more likely Jin Shao will go crazy. If he can’t get back on his feet, he will definitely reach out to us.”

Ah Liu nodded: “Then what should we do?”

Su Hanze put down the documents and took a sip of cold coffee. “Hurry up and get the theater done before the opening. Also, have Xiaolong keep a close eye on our stall owners and tourists, and don’t let the people from Dongwan take the opportunity to sabotage us.”

Ah Liu scratched his head and said, “Boss Su, there’s a lot of talk in East Bay that they’re going to invite celebrities to the opening ceremony. What should we do? We don’t have that much money.”

Su Hanze smiled, but his eyes were cold: “Money is not omnipotent, and celebrities are not saviors. The bigger their opening ceremony is, the easier it is to make mistakes. It is more important than anything else for us to keep our feet on the ground.”

At the same time, in a high-end bar in Central, Lin Qiming was drinking with several investors. The table was filled with high-end foreign wines and cigars, but he seemed a little absent-minded.

His assistant whispered, “Mr. Lin, Mr. Jin’s project has had a lot of problems recently. Should you consider withdrawing?”

Lin Qiming shook his head, lit a cigar, and said slowly: “Mr. Jin’s problem is temporary. He still has Mr. Qi to support him. Dongwan will not collapse so quickly. What’s more, my investment has long been diversified. Even if he fails, I will not lose too much.”

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What about West Bay? Su Hanze’s theater has been quite popular recently. Will it have an impact on East Bay?”

Lin Qiming smiled and exhaled a puff of smoke: “Xiwan has a solid foundation, but Su Hanze is too conservative. The theater is a good idea, but his resources and vision are limited, and he can’t support a big venue. In the battle between Dongwan and Xiwan, the final winner will not be any of them.”

The assistant said nothing more, but nodded silently.

In a tea restaurant in Wan Chai, Xiao Long was discussing countermeasures with Shou Hou. Xiao Long picked up a pineapple bun and shouted, “Hou Hou, we have to keep an eye on the people in East Bay recently. Those guys are restless and may cause trouble at any time.”

The skinny monkey nodded and wiped the oil off his face: “Brother Long, I heard that Master Jin recently found a few unscrupulous people to keep an eye on the stall owners in Xiwan. I think they want to poach people or cause trouble.”

Xiaolong snorted coldly, “Poaching people? With his limited skills, who can he poach? We are not just looking at money. Besides, no matter how cheap the stalls in Dongwan are, can they have the same customer flow as ours?”

The skinny monkey chuckled and said, “Brother Long is right. I will turn around and watch to see what those guys are up to.”

The weather in Hong Kong Island has been abnormal recently, with the humidity as heavy as a wet towel sticking to everyone’s face.

On the streets of North District, Hong Kong Island, an old minibus wobbled by, honking its horns. The driver had a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth and tapped the steering wheel rhythmically with his fingers. The bus was packed with sweaty passengers.

Ah Liu sat in the last row, carrying a bulging canvas bag on his back, and occasionally wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm. His target today was a newly opened electronic parts wholesale store in the North District. He heard that the boss there had some dealings with several suppliers in East Bay, so he wanted to take the opportunity to test the waters and find out where the material problem in East Bay was stuck.

The minibus stopped at an intersection. Ah Liu jumped out of the car and stood on the street to look at the map and confirm the location of the wholesale store. He turned into a narrow alley, which was filled with cardboard boxes and shelves on both sides. The air was filled with the unique metallic smell of electronic components. Walking deep into the alley, he saw a store with a sign that read “Xinchang Electronics”. The door was filled with all kinds of accessories.

“Boss, are you busy?” Liu greeted with a smile and walked into the store.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses stood behind the counter. He looked up at Ah Liu and asked warily, “Buying something?”

Ah Liu smiled even more brightly, put the canvas bag on the counter, took out a business card and handed it over: “I’m in charge of purchasing for the theater in Xiwan. I heard that your goods are good, so I came to take a look.” The bespectacled boss took the business card, glanced at it, and then glanced at Ah Liu’s bag: “Xiwan? Theater? What do you want to buy there?”

Ah Liu pretended to be an expert and pointed at a few electronic switches on the counter. “That’s it. We are upgrading the stage lighting in our theater recently, so we need some new switches and circuit boards.”

The glasses owner nodded, his guard down. He took out a few samples from behind the counter and placed them in front of Liu: “These are the best products in our store. They are all recently imported from Southeast Asia. The price is fair.”

Ah Liu pretended to casually flip through the samples and suddenly asked, “I heard that your store also supplies goods to East Bay? That place has been doing quite well recently.”

When the glasses owner heard this, his expression froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered: “We do have cooperation with Dongwan, but they want a large quantity, and we are too busy to handle it.”

Ah Liu sneered in his heart, knowing that this person had something to say. He deliberately lowered his voice and pretended to be tacitly aware of what was going on: “Boss, I heard that Dongwan is short of funds recently, and many suppliers are getting anxious because of the delays. You are also delayed in payment, right?”

The glasses boss’s expression changed. He looked up at Ah Liu and asked tentatively, “Who are you?”

Ah Liu grinned and said in a relaxed tone: “I’ve already told you, we’re from the Xiwan Theater. Don’t worry, we have sufficient funds over there, and the payment will be made in person. It won’t give you a headache like the Dongwan Theater. If you’re interested, why don’t we talk more?”

The glasses owner hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: “Okay, wait a minute.” He took out a business card from behind the counter and handed it to Ah Liu, whispering: “Let’s talk some other time. The store is busy today.”

Ah Liu was very proud, knowing that the man had already been moved, so he exchanged a few more pleasantries, took the sample bag and left the store. When he reached the entrance of the alley, he cursed in a low voice: “Young Master Jin’s place is really a mess, this man doesn’t even dare to speak a complete sentence.”

On the other side, in Master Jin’s office, the atmosphere was just as tense as a balloon about to explode. He sat in the large boss chair, his face gloomy, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. Zhang Hai stood aside, his forehead covered with sweat, and reported in a low voice: “Master, I just received news that several suppliers have indeed stopped supplying. They said that the payment period is too long, and they dare not continue to supply for the time being.”

Jin Shao’s face suddenly darkened. He slammed the table and roared, “These bastards! Without them, can I still hold my opening ceremony?”

Zhang Hai waved his hands quickly: “Master, we are contacting new suppliers, but the quotations from these new suppliers are ridiculously high, and the budget may be exceeded by a lot.”

Young Master Jin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart: “No matter how much it costs, we have to get the goods here. We can’t postpone the opening ceremony for even a day. Do you understand?”

Zhang Hai nodded and asked cautiously, “What about the old supplier…do you want to try to negotiate again?”

Young Master Jin sneered, “Talk? What else is there to talk to them about? They’ve pushed us to this point. If we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll think I, Young Master Jin, am a pushover.”

Zhang Hai opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but when he saw the expression on Jin Shao’s face, he finally shut up and walked out.

At the same time, Su Hanze was moving wooden boards with several workers at the construction site of the Xiwan Theater. His white shirt was already soaked with sweat, and his hands were still stained with sawdust. He put the wooden boards down, straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked the foreman next to him: “How is the progress? Can we catch up with the opening ceremony?”

The foreman nodded and said with a smile, “No problem, Boss Su, don’t worry. We are used to doing this kind of work, and we won’t let you down.”

Su Hanze forced a smile, but he was not completely relaxed. He knew that the theater in Xiwan was his only bargaining chip to compete with Dongwan, but no one could say whether this bargaining chip could hold up.

A younger brother hurried over and whispered in his ear, “Boss, Ah Liu is back and said he has important news.”

Su Hanze patted the foreman on the shoulder and said, “Just watch over here. I’ll go over there.”

He walked to the shade nearby. Ah Liu was sitting on a pile of debris eating an apple. When he saw Su Hanze coming, he immediately put the apple down and took out a sample bag and business card from his bag: “Boss Su, I just got these back from the North District. This supplier has a partnership with East Bay, but I think they are a little shaken.”

Su Hanze picked up the sample bag, looked at it, and nodded: “Is there really a problem in Dongwan?”

Ah Liu chuckled, “That’s right. I talked to them for a while, and the boss didn’t even dare to look me in the eye, which means their payment for the goods must be stuck. However, this family is also very smart, and we may have to add some chips if we want to win them over.”

Su Hanze pondered for a moment and asked, “If we can bring this supplier over, will it make the construction schedule in Dongwan tighter?”

Ah Liu blinked his eyes. “It will definitely have an impact. Dongwan is already short of stock. If the supplier runs away, it’s hard to say whether their opening ceremony can be held successfully.”

The night in Hong Kong Island is as usual, with flashing neon lights and noisy streets crowded with white-collar workers getting off work and workers just finishing work at the docks.

In a small alley in Wan Chai, Ah Liu was leaning against the iron railings on the street, with an unlit cigarette in his mouth and a list of goods he had just received in his hand. He looked deep into the alley, anxiously waiting for someone to appear.

“Did you get tricked again?” The skinny man came out from the alley with half a steamed dumpling stuffed in his mouth, and his words were unclear.

“Shake your head! If you say another word, I’ll smear this bill on your face!” Ah Liu replied unhappily, glaring at him, “The people will be here soon. Do you think this is so easy to handle?”

The skinny monkey wiped his mouth with his hand and leaned against the wall without saying anything. After a while, a middle-aged man came over, with hurried steps and a hat brim pulled down low, apparently afraid of being recognized.

“Brother Liu, I’m sorry, I was delayed on the road.” The middle-aged man said in a low voice with a hint of nervousness.

(End of this chapter)