Chapter 325: Another New Opponent

"The pleasure is all mine. I’m honored to have you all here," Chen Qingdi replied politely with a small smile.

The ceremony began. First, Chen Qingdi went on stage to give a speech. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Friends, today marks the official founding of the Mingyue Commerce Association. This is a major event in the journey of our Mingyue Group, and it also represents a significant transformation in our city’s business landscape." His voice, filled with passion, moved the audience.

Applause immediately erupted from the audience. It was filled with respect and admiration, but also tinges of envy and jealousy.

After all, the establishment of the Mingyue Commerce Association meant that the city’s business landscape was about to undergo an earth-shattering change.

"President Chen, you’ve really done it! I can’t believe you actually pulled this off!" Chen Qingdi’s friend, Zhou Mingxian, exclaimed admiringly from the audience.

"This is all thanks to everyone’s support," Chen Qingdi said humbly with a small smile.

A moment later, the ceremony continued.

Next, Chen Yuan took the stage and eloquently presented the Mingyue Commerce Association’s future development plans and goals. His speech was filled with passion and determination, filling the audience with excitement for the newly established association’s prospects.

"We aim to do more than just facilitate business exchanges; we want to foster genuine connections. We will build a platform where members can share experiences and resources." Chen Yuan’s words echoed through the venue, each one filled with power.

The small and medium-sized business owners in the audience nodded in agreement, their faces beaming with anticipation for the future.

They knew that by joining the Mingyue Commerce Association, they could share customer resources and technical information with the Mingyue Group. This was undoubtedly a huge opportunity for their businesses.

"Mr. Chen! After hearing your speech and President Chen’s, I’m all fired up! I want to join the Mingyue Commerce Association!" a middle-aged man shouted.

"Me too! Me too!" A chorus of agreement immediately rose from the hall.

Watching this unfold from the head seat, Chen Qingdi’s heart swelled with satisfaction.

After the ceremony, Chen Qingdi invited the guests to tour the Mingyue Group’s office building. There, they would further discuss the Mingyue Commerce Association’s future operations and development plans.

During the tour, a young man quickly walked up to Chen Qingdi and introduced himself. "Hello, President Chen. My name is Zhang Ning, and I’ve just returned from studying abroad. I’m very interested in the Mingyue Commerce Association you’ve founded and hope to join and contribute to its development."

Chen Qingdi was delighted. "Zhang Ning, welcome! Please, feel free to share any suggestions or ideas you might have."

Zhang Ning nodded. "Of course, President Chen. I’d like to help introduce some international business concepts and models to the Mingyue Commerce Association."

Chen Qingdi nodded in approval. "Excellent! I’m confident your involvement will bring more vitality and innovation to our association."

「In the days that followed, the Mingyue Commerce Association gradually found its footing.」

While the Mingyue Commerce Association under Chen Qingdi was thriving, its old rival, the Niu Group, had fallen into a slump.

The atmosphere in Chairman Niu Fugui’s office was incredibly tense. Smashed plates and chopsticks littered the floor, and several subordinates stood by, terrified and walking on eggshells.

"Useless fools!" Niu Fugui cursed, his fingers drumming a furious beat on the desk.

"Chairman, what should we do now?" a subordinate asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"What should we do? You’re asking me what to do?" Niu Fugui glared at the subordinate, his face contorted with rage.

"Weren’t you the ones who said the Mingyue Commerce Association would just be a flash in the pan? And now? The Mingyue Commerce Association is getting stronger and stronger, while our Niu Group is declining by the day!"

"Chairman, there’s truly no way for us to fight the Mingyue Group anymore," another subordinate said. "Why don’t we just join the Mingyue Commerce Association and get their protection?"

"What did you say?" Niu Fugui flew into a rage. "Join the Mingyue Commerce Association? Get their protection? You want me, the dignified Chairman of the Niu Group, to go grovel before Chen Qingdi? Have you no spine?"

"Chairman, it’s not about groveling before Chen Qingdi. It’s about leveraging his power," a subordinate explained. "With the Mingyue Commerce Association, we can also get a slice of the pie under the Mingyue Group’s banner."

"A slice of the pie? You think it’s that easy?" Niu Fugui snorted. "Do you know what kind of person Chen Qingdi is? He won’t tolerate people like us."

"But Chairman, we have no other path to take," another subordinate said. "We can’t just keep going on like this, can we?"

"Let me tell you, I will never let you go grovel before Chen Qingdi!" Niu Fugui roared. "I would rather prop up this group by myself than let you do something so disgraceful!"

Niu Fugui’s rage seemed unquenchable. His subordinates lowered their heads in silence. Suddenly, the office door was pushed open, and a young man walked in.

"Father," the young man said, "we can’t keep going on like this."

"Shut up!" Niu Fugui yelled. "What do you know?"

"I know that we can’t keep going on like this," the young man said calmly. "If we don’t make a change soon, we will lose our chance completely."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Niu Fugui asked.

"We can try talking to Chen Qingdi," the young man said. "Not to grovel before him, but to leverage his power."

"Leverage his power?" Niu Fugui sneered. "Why on earth would he help us?"

"Because we have something he needs," the young man said.

"The Mingyue Commerce Association may be powerful, but they don’t have much experience in our field. We can sell them our experience and resources in exchange for their support."

"Sell to the Mingyue Commerce Association?" Niu Fugui was stunned. "Is that... a good idea?"

"It’s the only way out," the young man said. "Besides, we stand to gain more from it."

"But... something about it feels off," Niu Fugui said hesitantly.

"Father, it’s the only way out," the young man repeated. "We can’t keep going on like this."

Niu Fugui fell silent for a moment, but he ultimately decided to fight the Mingyue Group to the bitter end. He refused to surrender.

Chen Qingdi sat in his magnificent office, sipping high-quality Longjing tea, his gaze deep and resolute.

’I have to stay vigilant and keep moving forward.’

Recently, he had been poring over the Mingyue Group’s financial reports. Through the dense columns of figures, he saw the company’s rapid growth. However, this very growth also brought him a hint of worry.