Chapter 102: The Company's Predicament

The two sat in the living room, exchanging words that flowed from ideals to dreams, from life’s encounters to personal experiences. It felt as if they had an endless supply of things to say. Li Ruo discovered that after pouring her heart out to Ye Chen, she felt remarkably relieved. She couldn't help but exclaim happily, "Ye Chen, I suddenly find you even more capable than a psychologist!"

"Then you’ll have to pay me!" Ye Chen teased, extending his hand. Li Ruo let out a playful, coquettish sound and gave his hand a light tap, only for Ye Chen to capture her slender, delicate fingers in his. Li Ruo said softly, "Ye Chen, will you... will you promise to help me resolve the crisis facing Tianya Group?"

"Alright, I promise you." Ye Chen nodded, feeling a sudden weight settle onto his shoulders, as if he had shouldered yet another massive mountain.

Li Ruo was overjoyed. A faint smile graced her lips as she began to explain the current plight of Tianya Group to Ye Chen. Ye Chen quickly grasped the general situation. On the surface, Tianya Group appeared to be a flourishing, immensely successful enterprise, but who could truly understand the bitterness hidden behind such success?

Due to a single flawed decision, Tianya Group had purchased a plot of land in the North District. The investment, exceeding ten billion, had left the company gasping for air. For years, they had lacked the manpower and resources to develop it. This plot had been purchased at the same time as the "Jiangnan No. 1" project. Nearly all their capital had been poured into the development of Jiangnan No. 1. While that residential complex had since opened for sales and was performing remarkably well, the recovered funds were still insufficient to develop the North District site.

According to national regulations, if a developer fails to break ground on a plot of land within two years of the contractually specified date, the state reserves the right to reclaim it. That deadline was drawing near. This plot, once the hottest piece of real estate in Jiangbei City and famously dubbed the "Land King," had become a hot potato. Tianya Group had reached out to numerous companies, hoping for a joint venture, but almost all had refused. The few remaining ones offered only vague, evasive excuses.

"Someone is definitely pulling strings behind the scenes," Ye Chen said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"Of course," Li Ruo said with a cold laugh. "It’s none other than Yan Bu'er!"

"Yan Bu'er?" Ye Chen paused.

"Exactly," Li Ruo nodded. "Back then, several companies had their eyes on that plot, and Yan Bu'er was among them. The price was only about three billion at the time, but the bidding war drove it up to over ten billion before Tianya Group finally secured it."

"Sigh, this was clearly a trap—a trap set by Yan Bu'er and others conspiring to make you jump right in," Ye Chen said, shaking his head helplessly.

"Actually, it was my father who purchased that land," Li Ruo sighed. "Afterward, he realized Yan Bu'er’s scheme, which caused him to fall ill. Even now, he has barely recovered, and the root of his ailment remains."

"Let's handle that North District plot according to my plan," Ye Chen said, looking at Li Ruo earnestly.

"But that will require the board of directors' approval," Li Ruo replied, nodding. "Ye Chen, please accompany me to the board meeting the morning after tomorrow."

"What?!" Ye Chen’s eyes widened. What kind of joke was this? He was just a lowly business supervisor; how could he possibly have the qualifications to attend a board meeting? Nevertheless, under Li Ruo's insistent request, Ye Chen reluctantly agreed.

Without realizing it, Li Ruo had finished three cans of beer. Her cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue, and her watery eyes were bright and spirited. She looked at Ye Chen and said, "Ye Chen, if you can really help the company through this crisis, I... I don't think I could ever repay you enough."

"Then you can just give yourself to me!" Ye Chen joked.

"Do... do you want that?" Li Ruo asked, her gaze shy and hesitant, barely daring to look up at him.

"Haha, just kidding!" Ye Chen quickly waved his hand. Li Ruo was momentarily stunned, then her eyes filled with indignation. She grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa and hurled it at Ye Chen. He dodged left and right, eventually evading her attack. Li Ruo let out a soft huff and said, "Fine, get to work early on Monday. I’m leaving."

After she departed, Ye Chen watched her retreating figure. Even from the back, she looked like a celestial being; one could only imagine how breathtaking she was from the front. Alas, Li Ruo was a rose with thorns, and he couldn't afford to get tangled up with her, or he would be in for trouble.

Once she was gone, Ye Chen stood at the balcony window and watched as Li Ruo climbed into her Ferrari. She suddenly rolled down the window and blew him a kiss. Ye Chen paused, smiled, and just as he was about to blow one back, he saw her window go back up. Li Ruo drove the Ferrari away at high speed, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Ye Chen smiled helplessly. By promising to help Li Ruo, he had effectively declared war on Yan Bu'er. His mind raced as he contemplated how to build a force powerful enough to at least stand against him. Suppressing Yan Bu'er was not as simple as dealing with someone like Zhang Dadan. Yan Bu'er had already "whitewashed" his identity—he was a model entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a member of the Political Consultative Conference. To clash with him directly would be suicide.

"It seems this will be a long game," Ye Chen sighed.

...

That night, Ye Chen was roused from a hazy slumber by a call from Liu Momo, asking him to help out at the barbecue stall. The roadside stalls in the university town had regained their former bustle. Even though the urban management officers were a threat, life had to go on. Most of these people relied on the business from the university town for their livelihood, so they would rather risk being beaten by the authorities than stop selling their small wares.

When Ye Chen arrived at the outskirts of the university town in his small Alto, the area was ablaze with lights. Many female students were wandering about, some clinging to men with burly builds, others to men with bloated, pig-like faces. Regardless, such scenes were inevitable at any university in China.

"Brother Chen!" Seeing Ye Chen approach with his hands in his pockets, wearing a white shirt, Liu Momo immediately set down her work and waved. Ye Chen smiled faintly, looking at the girl whose beauty made one want to pull her into their arms. He said with a grin, "Momo, how’s business today? No trouble from the urban management?"

"No, they haven't come. Business is great today!" Liu Momo chirped. "Have you had dinner, Brother Chen? Do you want to eat something here?"

"Sure," Ye Chen nodded.

Business all around remained booming. Ye Chen’s eyes drifted toward the neighboring Liu’s Barbecue stall. Fatty Liu stood at his entrance, glaring fixedly at Liu Momo’s stall. His own shop was empty, with barely a customer in sight, while Liu Momo’s place was packed, with many people waiting in line. It was a stark contrast. Gritting his teeth, Fatty Liu turned and retreated into his shop to make a phone call. If things continued this way, he wouldn't even be able to afford a meal, let alone keep the shop open.

People die for wealth, and birds die for food. Although Fatty Liu had been taught a lesson by Ye Chen once before, with his business failing and on the verge of closure, he no longer cared about such things.

As Ye Chen stepped in, he noticed Li Wen and Qianqian, the two girls he had eaten with last time. Seeing him, they greeted him with bright smiles. Both girls wore their school uniforms, looking fresh, cute, and stunning—it was no wonder business was so much better here than at Fatty Liu’s. Li Wen and Qianqian were simply there to help out, which made Liu Momo’s mother incredibly happy.

Just as Ye Chen’s usual order arrived and he hadn’t even taken two sips of his beer, a silver-gray van sped toward them. Five or six men in urban management uniforms jumped out, each wielding a plastic baton. Their appearance instantly terrified the crowd. Damn, since when did the authorities show up in vans instead of official enforcement vehicles?

The group of men marched toward Liu Momo’s stall.

"Damn it, nobody move! Whoever runs, I’ll smash their stall first!" the leader said, staring coldly at the crowd. "From now on, our North District Urban Management Office has taken over this area. Starting today, everyone setting up stalls here is officially authorized!"

"Wow, really? That’s great!"

"We won’t have to keep running away anymore!"

As the vendors whispered among themselves, Liu Momo couldn't help but hug Ye Chen’s arm, saying, "Brother Chen, we won't have to be afraid of the urban management anymore!"

"Silly girl, do you believe them? They’re just here to extort money," Ye Chen said, clutching his beer and taking a long gulp.

Ye Chen’s guess was proven right immediately. The officers shouted loudly, "However, starting today, every stall must pay a management fee of five hundred yuan per month!"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Damn, if this wasn't a scam, what was? Five hundred per stall—with over a hundred stalls along this few-hundred-meter stretch of road, their monthly earnings would be astronomical!

"Damn it, why don't you just go rob someone!"

"Exactly, we barely make a thousand a month, and you want to take half of it!"

"They aren't urban management; they’re gangsters wearing uniforms!"