Chapter 19: A Message in the Dark
It was late. The moon cast a pale light over the Ruihua factory yard, where silence had finally settled after another long day of work. Inside the small office, Chen Rui leaned back in his chair, sipping a lukewarm cup of tea while reviewing the day's numbers.
Efficiency was up. Scrap rates were down.
The factory was beginning to hum like a well-oiled machine.
Just then, Li Wei rushed in, holding a small package.
"This was left at the gate. No name, just this."
Chen Rui narrowed his eyes. The package was wrapped in brown paper — neat, clean, too intentional.
He unwrapped it.
Inside: a broken clamp bracket. Cracked down the middle. Smeared with red paint that looked like dried blood.
And a note:
"Don't forget where you belong."
Li Wei's voice was sharp.
"This is a threat."
Chen Rui didn't speak immediately. He held the cracked part up to the light.
"No. This is panic."
Meanwhile — Dongfang Parts Group
Zhao Peng poured himself a drink, smiling faintly as his assistant delivered the news.
"They got the message."
"Do you think they'll back down?"
"No," Zhao said calmly. "But the others will start to move now. All it takes is a little fear, a little pressure."
But Zhao had underestimated one thing.
The factory owners he expected to manipulate — the same ones who had benefitted for years by controlling suppliers and keeping Ruihua on a leash — didn't like being pawns either.
That night, in a separate meeting…
"Zhao's getting too bold," one of them said. "He's pulling strings without warning us."
"He's using Ruihua to bait us into overreacting."
"Maybe it's time we push back."
The room went quiet. Then one of them smirked.
"Let him deal with our pressure for once."
Back at Ruihua
Despite the warning, Chen Rui showed no signs of fear. He gathered the core staff.
"We've stirred the waters. Good. That means we're moving."
His father, Chen Zhong, frowned.
"This could turn ugly."
"Only if we react like it's a war. We're not retaliating. Not yet. We're going to let them burn each other down."
"How?"
"Simple. We do what they can't — make quality parts at a lower cost and deliver on time. That will force their clients to start calling us."
He turned to Li Wei.
"And you — I want you to set up a simple food cart. Start testing recipes. If they try to starve us from the supply side, we'll build a whole new market."
Li Wei blinked.
"Wait, seriously?"
"You're going to build your restaurant chain one dumpling at a time. If they want a fight, we win by building, not breaking."
[SYSTEM UPDATE – Passive Skill Unlocked: "Strategic Deterrence"]
✅ Bonus: Calm Leadership
✅ Bonus: Enemy Infighting Chance Increased
✅ Bonus: Public Perception: +5 Favor
The storm was coming. But Chen Rui wasn't running from it.
He was learning how to redirect the lightning.