Chapter 219 218: Give Me a Chance

"Hello, may I ask who's calling?"

"Hello. I heard the Li Group has been having some issues with its suppliers recently. I was wondering if you might give me an opportunity?"

Li Xue was instantly suspicious.

The Li Group was a pariah right now; countless people were waiting for it to go under.

'And you actually dare to come knocking?'

'How absurd!'

Suspecting a trap, Li Xue was on high alert.

"But… may I ask what company you're with? And why would you want this business?"

"We're the Tianshui Building Materials Trading Company. My name is Zou Jing, and I'm the owner. I know you're not going to just take my word for it, showing up like this out of the blue. That's fine. You have a full day to look into us. How about I come to your offices tomorrow at this same time with a contract?"

Li Xue said,

"We'll discuss it."

With that, she hung up.

Seeing Li Xue's strange expression, Li Yinhe asked urgently,

"What is it?"

Li Xue said slowly, enunciating each word, "A company is actually willing to supply us with building materials."

"It's not a trap, is it? What are their prices?" Li Yinhe pressed.

"He didn't say over the phone, but I don't think we have a choice…" Li Xue fought the urge to scratch her head. "If work stops, the Group is finished. If it just means spending more money, that's still acceptable."

"What if it's a trap?" said Li Yinhe. "The Li Group can't afford to take a blow like that!"

"We won't sign a contract. If worse comes to worst, we'll just send him packing."

Li Yinhe sighed. "I suppose we can only take it one step at a time."

Li Xue jotted down the caller's name and number on a sticky note and placed it on her father's desk.

"Ultimately, you should be the one to meet him. You're the chairman, after all!"

Li Yinhe glanced at the note and exclaimed, "Tianshui Building Materials? Isn't that the leading building materials supplier in Songyang? Zou Jing... Good heavens, does he have a death wish?"

Li Xue didn't know much about them, so she found her father's reaction rather baffling.

At the end of the workday, Mu Lin and Li Xue met in the underground parking garage.

"Why are you back? I thought I approved your time off."

"You're not jealous, are you?" Mu Lin said.

"Who's jealous?" Li Xue stomped her foot resentfully. She wasn't jealous! It was just that Mu Lin was such a jerk, and she couldn't stand by and watch.

"Alright, alright, you're not jealous," Mu Lin said. "There's something I wanted to ask you… What's the deal with Cheng Xin?"

"He's the CFO I hired," Li Xue said. "Do you have a question or an objection?"

Mu Lin pursed his lips. "The moment he started, he began making trouble for the Special Group. Can you get him to stop meddling?"

Li Xue shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. The company doesn't just belong to the Li Family; it's where everyone makes their living."

"He's not just targeting the Special Group. He's raised objections for every department."

"But he only wants to dismantle the Special Group. Did the Special Group do something to get on his bad side?"

Mu Lin pressed his point, and Li Xue found herself at a loss for a comeback.

"Chen Xi worked desperately to learn so much and can finally handle things on his own. And now you're just going to dissolve the group? What a waste!"

"Who said I agreed to it?" Li Xue retorted. "I shut him down! I'm not an idiot; the board would never be happy if I agreed to that."

"Then why is he still coming around and causing trouble for the Special Group?" Mu Lin asked.

"Because he came back with an incredibly aggressive proposal," Li Xue said. "I didn't even have a chance to object! I had no choice but to let him proceed with his plan."

"It's out of my hands now…"

"No, I'm not asking you to manage it," Mu Lin said. "Just let it play out. Things are actually pretty good as they are."

Mu Lin's words left Li Xue feeling frustrated and confused about his intentions.

That night in bed, the two were a study in contrasts: Mu Lin slept like a log, while Li Xue tossed and turned.

The next morning, Zou Jing arrived as promised.

Li Yinhe had spent much of the previous night investigating, but he couldn't find anything suspicious. It seemed highly likely that this Zou Jing was simply after a massive profit.

Carrying a briefcase, Zou Jing strode to one side of the conference room and sat down brazenly.

Li Yinhe extended his hand, and Zou Jing shook it.

"President Zou, your reputation precedes you! The building materials tycoon of Songyang. A real heavyweight!"

Zou Jing smiled. "I wouldn't dare compare myself to you. You're the one who's made the real money! The Li Group swallowing the Yuelong Group whole—what a magnificent move!"

"Ah, well, we know our own troubles. It wasn't quite that simple."

Once they were both seated, Zou Jing immediately produced a contract and handed it to Li Yinhe.

"President Li, please take a look. This is the contract I've drafted."

'He's definitely going for the kill,' Li Yinhe thought. 'An exorbitant price.'

In any case, he was mentally prepared. Getting ripped off was a far gentler fate than having to halt construction.

But when he saw the unit price, he still felt a sharp pang of anguish.

Some items were more than seven times the market price; others were over ten times as much.

'This is far beyond what I can afford.'

"President Zou, this price… it's unacceptable. It's far too high!"

Zou Jing just smiled. "I don't think it's too much at all. Think about it—right now, continuing construction is what's most important. The media has already said that if you halt work, the Li Group is completely finished."

"Compared to that, paying a bit more for materials at least allows you to finish the job. And I've even left you a considerable profit margin."

Li Yinhe's expression turned grim. There was a limit to how much you could extort someone.

"President Zou, can't you be a little more flexible? I absolutely cannot accept this price."

Li Yinhe was dead serious, treating this as a matter of life and death.

The most critical point was this: if he agreed to this price today, could Zou Jing possibly keep it confidential?

In this business, there were no secrets.

Once the word got out, even if other suppliers returned, they would all quote the Li Group unbearably high prices.

The Li Group would be working its fingers to the bone just to line the pockets of materials suppliers. Li Yinhe could not accept that, no matter what.

"Chairman Li, my time is limited as well. Let's not waste it. You're not going to get a better offer."

"From this day forward, for the foreseeable future, no one is going to supply the Li Group."

Li Yinhe's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Refuse me, and you're pushing the Li Group into the abyss."

"No one dares to take your calls anymore, do they?" Zou Jing said with a small smile.

Li Yinhe sighed. It was true. The moment he introduced himself, the other party would hang up immediately. There was no room for negotiation.

"President Zou, are you saying you know who's targeting the Li Group?"

Zou Jing smiled faintly. "You should have thought of that before. Don't ask. I'm not going to say anything. I'd get into trouble if I did."

"To be honest, I was sent here. Otherwise, who wouldn't want to gobble up a sweet deal like supplying you at an inflated price?"

"But it's not that they don't want to. They don't dare. For them, taking this deal could lead to even greater losses down the line."

Li Yinhe's hands trembled as he listened. The massive Li Group, the very same company that had just swallowed the Yuelong Group, was now nothing more than meat on someone else's chopping block, its fate being calculated on their abacus.

His earlier fears were coming true…

'Zou Jing came here with ill intent!'

The power of the person pulling the strings was even more terrifying.

Zou Jing watched Li Yinhe with a mocking expression. He couldn't imagine how someone in a pissant city like Anhua would dare to offend Master Ning.

'They must have a death wish.'

When the financial news reported that the Li Group had swallowed Yuelong Group, he'd wanted to go have a "chat" with them himself.

But before he could make his move, someone else had already backed the Li Group into a corner.

He felt incredibly lucky. If he'd come any earlier, this lucrative gig of bleeding them dry would have gone to someone else.

Silence fell over the conference room. Li Yinhe's trembling hand reached for the pen.

But just then, a secretary approached and said,

"Chairman Li, President Chen from Xingchen Building Materials of Songyang has arrived. President Li has already gone to receive him. She asked me to come and inform you."

Li Yinhe was stunned, thinking he must have misheard. "Who did you say? Did I hear you correctly?"

To them, the name Xingchen Building Materials was legendary!

And Chen Xiaoyou himself had come in person? What kind of dream scenario was this?

It was unbelievable!