Chapter 266 Don’t you want to do this anymore?
Ah Liu raised his chin and pointed at the railing beside him: “It’s okay, come over and tell me. What’s the specific situation of the invoice you mentioned? I heard that your store has been in a big fight with Dongwan recently?”

When the middle-aged man heard “Dongwan”, an unnatural look appeared on his face. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said, “Oh, don’t mention it. The accounts in Dongwan have been delayed for too long, and the boss is almost going crazy. So, I secretly took out a few lists a few days ago to see if there is any other way. Brother Liu, if you really have a way, please give us brothers some way out.”

Ah Liu sneered, put the cigarette back in his mouth, took out a lighter and lit it: “You should have known that you can’t have a good life if you cooperate with people like Dongwan? We in Xiwan insist on paying and delivering goods, and we never default. If your boss is willing to transfer the order, go back and tell him that our theater has as many orders as Dongwan, and our payment terms are more reliable than theirs.”

The middle-aged man nodded, with a hint of hesitation in his tone: “This… If I go back and tell my boss about it, will he not believe it? After all, Dongwan has said so much, and the opening ceremony was so grand…”

“A big deal?” Skinny Monkey couldn’t help but interrupt, sneering, “What do they call a big deal? Let me tell you, they can barely pay the workers on the construction site. The opening ceremony will only last one day at best, and it’s only a matter of time before the whole thing collapses. If your boss doesn’t believe me, he can just keep waiting until Dongwan has drained all his money, and we won’t stop him.”

The middle-aged man’s expression became more complicated after hearing this. He hesitated for a while and whispered, “I’ll go back and discuss it with the boss to see what he means. But, Brother Liu, if he agrees, can you really negotiate the terms?”

Ah Liu blew out a puff of smoke, smiled and patted his shoulder: “Don’t worry, as long as you are willing to come, the conditions are easy to negotiate. We in Xiwan value win-win situations.”

After sending the middle-aged man away, the skinny monkey came up to Ah Liu and whispered, “Sixth Brother, can this man be trusted? Will he report our affairs to Dongwan?”

Ah Liu snorted coldly, “If he really dares to stab us, we can make him suffer first even if the debts from Dongwan haven’t killed him yet. Do you think we can really give Young Master Jin a good life?”

At the same time, in the construction site office of Dongwan, Young Master Jin was leaning back in his chair, holding a list of suppliers in his hand, with a frighteningly gloomy expression on his face. Zhang Hai stood aside, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible: “Master, I just received news that several suppliers have recently contacted Xiwan and may want to transfer orders.”

Young Master Jin slammed the list on the table, staring at Zhang Hai with eyes like knives: “Transferring orders? Do these people want to quit? Tell them, if they dare to sign a contract with Xiwan, I will make sure they can no longer survive in Hong Kong Island!”

Zhang Hai swallowed his saliva and whispered: “Master, how about we give some more benefits? After all, if all the suppliers run away, our construction period…”

Young Master Jin slammed his fist on the table, his voice filled with suppressed anger. “Give them benefits? I’ve already made enough concessions! If they still don’t know what’s good for them, don’t blame me for being rude. Go, find someone to keep an eye on the theater in Xiwan and see where their goods come from. If you find any flaws, report them directly!”

Zhang Hai nodded, not daring to say anything more, and turned to leave. He knew Young Master Jin’s temper, and at times like this, he was more likely to make crazy decisions.

In a private club in Central, Lin Qiming was chatting and laughing with several investors. The red wine on the table was still unopened, but he seemed particularly relaxed, as if the recent turmoil in East Bay and West Bay had nothing to do with him.

“Mr. Lin, I heard that there are some problems in Dongwan recently. It seems that Mr. Jin’s capital chain can’t hold up.” An investor asked tentatively, with a bit of worry in his tone.

Lin Qiming smiled slightly, picked up the cup and shook it: “Dongwan does have a lot of problems, but the more problems there are, the greater the opportunities. Everyone, don’t forget that Master Jin still has Master Qi behind him, he won’t fall down easily.”

The investor frowned: “But Master Qi’s patience is limited. If the East Bay project really can’t hold up, even Master Qi will withdraw, right?”

Lin Qiming put down the cup and said calmly: “Seventh Master will withdraw, but Young Master Jin will not. His character determines that even if everyone else leaves, he will fight to the last moment. This kind of person is likely to fail, but it is also easy for him to create miracles.”

Meanwhile, in the theater in Xiwan, Su Hanze was setting up the stage with the workers. With his sleeves rolled up and a hammer in his hand, he discussed the details of the lighting arrangement with a foreman.

“Boss Su, if the position of this lamp stand is a little more to the left, the effect will be better. However, we still have two batches of lamps that have not arrived. Should we urge the supplier?” said the foreman, wiping his sweat.

Su Hanze nodded and said, “I’ll tell Ah Liu to get the goods delivered today. Otherwise, our rehearsal tomorrow will be delayed.”

The foreman nodded and added, “But, Boss Su, I heard that Dongwan is also keeping an eye on us. Do you think we should send more people to prevent them from causing trouble?”

Su Hanze frowned, thought for a moment and then said, “Go find Xiaolong and ask him to arrange a few people to stay in the theater at night. Dongwan has a lot of problems right now, and they may indeed do something desperate.”

The foreman responded and turned to make arrangements. Su Hanze stood in the center of the stage, watching the busy figures of the workers, but he did not feel relaxed at all.

The wind at Victoria Harbour is much cooler at night than during the day, but the air is still filled with hot and humid humidity, occasionally mixed with the smell of gasoline and grilled squid.

The nightlife of Hong Kong Island has just begun. The lights shine down from the skyscrapers, making the crowds on the streets look bustling.

The construction site of Xiwan Theater was still brightly lit. Ah Liu stood at the edge of the site with a supply list in his hand and shouted to a group of porters: “Hurry up, this batch of lighting equipment needs to be delivered directly to the backstage! Don’t bump them, you can’t afford the compensation if you break one!” The porters looked at each other, complained and quickened their work.

A sweaty young man ran up to Ah Liu and handed him a note: “Brother Ah Liu, a stranger just sent it to me, saying it’s urgent.” Ah Liu frowned, took the note and looked at it, his face changed instantly. He cursed in a low voice, stuffed the note into his pocket, hurriedly left the construction site, took out his phone and dialed.

“Hey, Xiaolong, bring two people to the warehouse at Kowloon Wharf immediately. Someone wants to steal our goods.” After he said that, he hung up the phone without waiting for the other party to reply, raised his hand to stop a taxi, and got in.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Dongwan construction site remained tense. Standing in front of a pile of construction materials, Jin Shao stared at the workers in front of him. He looked very handsome in a well-tailored white suit and a diamond-studded watch. But he could not hide the anger on his face, and his fingers tapped the cigarette box in his pocket impatiently.

“If the construction is delayed for one day, the cost of the opening ceremony will increase! Do you want to bankrupt me?” His voice echoed in the construction site, and several foremen stood aside and dared not breathe. Zhang Hai hurried over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Jin Shao’s face darkened, and he looked up at Zhang Hai: “What did you say? Has the lighting equipment for Xiwan arrived?”

Zhang Hai nodded and added in a low voice: “Yes, their equipment is all shipped from suppliers in the North District. I also heard that several suppliers have stopped accepting our orders recently. They may have been poached by Xiwan.” Jin Shao’s fists clenched and creaked. He turned to look at Zhang Hai with a sneer on his face: “Do these people want to have two meals? Go and suppress all the suppliers you can. See if they dare to go against me.”

Zhang Hai hesitated for a moment: “But Master, if we put all the pressure on, the materials on our construction site will also have problems…”

Young Master Jin narrowed his eyes and said, “Let’s take a gamble. Whoever can’t hold on first will be finished.”

On the other side, Su Hanze was in an old teahouse in Xiwan. On the table in front of him was a cup of steaming Pu’er tea, but he didn’t drink a sip.

Opposite him sat a man in a dark suit, his eyes were shrewd, but his tone was calm: “Boss Su, I heard that Master Jin of East Bay has been putting pressure on suppliers recently, and some of them have begun to waver.”

Su Hanze raised his eyebrows, picked up the teacup and turned it around, but still didn’t drink it: “It’s only a matter of time before it swings, but what we in Xiwan should do is not to take advantage of others’ misfortune, but to stabilize our own footing. Suppliers are afraid that they won’t get paid and will have nowhere to go after the people leave. What we have to do is to let them know that they won’t regret coming to Xiwan.”

The man opposite smiled and said, “Boss Su has a point. But if Young Master Jin finds out that a supplier has transferred the order, he will probably not let it go. Are you prepared for this?”

Su Hanze put down his teacup, his eyes calm, “No matter how anxious Young Master Jin is, he can’t be as anxious as me. As long as my theater runs smoothly, tourists stay, and stall owners stay, his night market will not be able to survive no matter how lively it is.”

The man nodded and said nothing more. He just stood up and straightened his collar. “Since Boss Su knows what’s going on, I won’t say any more. I wish you a smooth opening.”

At the same time when Su Hanze came out of the teahouse, on the other side of Kowloon Wharf, Ah Liu had already rushed to the warehouse with Xiaolong and Shouhou. There were several old trucks parked here, the lights at the door were dim, and there were some abandoned wooden boxes scattered around, which looked a bit desolate.

“Sixth brother, is the information reliable?” the skinny monkey asked in a low voice, looking around, holding an iron rod tightly in his hand.

“Reliable as hell,” Ah Liu rolled his eyes, “but our goods must be at the theater tonight. If they don’t come to rob them, they have a conscience. But if they do come, they won’t have an easy time!”

The three were about to reach the back of the warehouse when they heard a few muffled noises in the distance. Then, several figures emerged from the darkness. The leading man was wearing a hat, so his face could not be seen clearly, but he was holding a thick stick. Behind him were five or six strong men, who were obviously not friendly.

“Who? Stop!” Xiaolong shouted in a low voice and raised the iron rod.

The other party showed no sign of weakness and even laughed: “People from Xiwan, do you think no one dares to touch you? Leave the goods tonight, and don’t blame us for being rude.”

When Ah Liu heard this, he was instantly furious. He threw off his coat, rushed over and hit him with a stick: “Your grandfather is here, come and try to grab one!”

A melee broke out instantly, and the sound of sticks and irons colliding was particularly harsh in the night at the dock. Ah Liu swung his stick fiercely and powerfully, but the other side was obviously well prepared and outnumbered, and soon forced the three of them into a state of difficulty.

“Sixth brother, we can’t hold on any longer!” the skinny monkey shouted, with a bruise on his forehead.

“I can’t hold it back!” Ah Liu panted and turned back to shout, “As long as the goods are here, they won’t be able to take them away!”

Just when the situation was at a stalemate, the lights of a truck suddenly lit up, shining a dazzling beam of light on the crowd. The door was pushed open, and five or six strong men jumped out of the car, holding sticks in their hands, and directly joined the fight.

Ah Liu was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter: “I knew that God would not let us suffer! Today I will teach these guys a lesson!”

The enemy obviously didn’t expect that the people from Xiwan could call for reinforcements. Their momentum weakened a lot, and they fled in all directions soon. The skinny monkey sat on the ground, panting, wiping the blood from his nose: “Sixth brother, these people are too cruel. We have to find out who sent them later!”

Ah Liu supported his knees and stood up, with a hint of cruelty in his eyes: “No need to investigate, this is most likely the work of Dongwan. Go back and tell Boss Su that the people in Dongwan are not only trying to play dirty, they are also robbing openly. We can’t be soft-hearted anymore!”

That night, the wind at Kowloon Wharf was particularly cold, and the goods from Sai Wan were delivered safely.

The morning light shines on the sea, making the waves sparkle. Early risers at the dock are busy unloading cargo, and street vendors have begun setting up steamers to sell siomai.

Jin Shao got up early, standing in the middle of the construction site in Dongwan, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, frowning as he looked at the unfinished opening stage. Several foremen stood beside him, watching his face carefully.

“Didn’t I tell you that we must put up the stage structure today?” Young Master Jin put his coffee cup heavily on the makeshift table, his voice as cold as the morning sea breeze, “Now there’s not even a shadow of the stage, don’t you want to do it anymore?”

A foreman wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained in a low voice: “Master, only part of the materials arrived yesterday. The workers worked overnight, but it was still not enough time.”

“Time?!” Jin Shao sneered, turned around and stared at him, his eyes as sharp as a knife, “My opening ceremony is still three days away, and you tell me there’s not enough time? If there aren’t enough materials, go and rob them! If there aren’t enough workers, go and recruit them! If the stage can’t be set up in three days, all of you, get out!”

The foremen looked at each other, no one dared to say a word, they could only lower their heads and step back to continue their work.

Zhang Hai came over at this time, holding a document in his hand, and whispered: “Master, I just checked, the theater in Xiwan has completed the stage decoration, and I heard that their opening promotion has also begun.”

(End of this chapter)