The goods had been returned, and Zhang Hao and the others had been rescued. Xu Hu from the Dock Gang had been humiliated, and Yu Mingyuan slapped Tang Baiqing across the face. In the end, Mingyuan's company didn't have to pay any financial price.
On the surface, it seemed that Yu Mingyuan and his team had won this round of power struggle and vented all their frustrations. But looking at it from a future perspective, Mingyuan Trading Company was already facing a situation where there was no business left to pursue.
...
Two days later.
Su Tianyu had arranged for the brothers who were injured in the incident and organized the distribution of the returned goods. After handling the follow-up matters, he finally went to the company.
In the office, Yu Mingyuan, wearing a white shirt, sat on the sofa, smoking a cigarette intensely.
"Brother Yuan!" Su Tianyu walked in, greeted Yu Mingyuan, and then sat down next to him. "I've taken care of everything that needed to be done."
Yu Mingyuan nodded. "As long as everything's arranged, that's fine."
Su Tianyu looked at Yu Mingyuan but didn't bring up the company's current predicament. Since Yu Mingyuan was the boss and had made his choice, the direction should be decided by him.
Sure enough, after taking a couple of drags from his cigarette, Yu Mingyuan turned to Su Tianyu and said, "We've offended the Dock Gang and the port connections. It's going to be difficult to get goods in from here on out."
"That's right," Su Tianyu nodded in agreement.
"Got any good ideas?" Yu Mingyuan asked.
"We need to build new connections, get back into the supply chain," Su Tianyu said, resting his chin on his hand. "The Dock Gang and port connections are definitely going to retaliate, but we can't rush it. We need to sort things out before deciding how to strike back."
"Do you have a specific idea?" Yu Mingyuan asked.
"I'm still thinking about it, but nothing concrete yet," Su Tianyu replied softly. "We need to walk two paths: one to build relationships, and the other to plan a counterattack."
"Does Wang Daolin have any connections in Customs? If he can help us set up a new channel, I don't mind giving him a cut," Yu Mingyuan said.
"I'll have my second uncle talk to him. They're war buddies, so it should be easy," Su Tianyu replied. "Once they're done, I'll let you know."
"Good."
Suddenly, Yu Mingyuan stood up and walked over to his desk. He opened the drawer and pulled out some materials, placing them in front of Su Tianyu. "Take a look at these."
Su Tianyu picked up the materials and quickly skimmed through them. He found there were lists of requirements and related course materials for applying to Customs positions.
"What's this?" Su Tianyu asked, looking up.
"Next year, you should apply for a public service position in Customs, preferably in the Coast Guard or the Anti-Smuggling Department," Yu Mingyuan said, sitting back down and picking up his teacup. "I'll help you with the process."
Su Tianyu looked at him in confusion. "This… is this to get me embedded in the enemy's camp?"
"Fuck it, better to rely on yourself than others," Yu Mingyuan said bluntly. "This career path isn't short-term. Having someone inside the system will make things much easier. Since you want to take the public service exam anyway, just go for this one."
"Shouldn't you have discussed this with me first?" Su Tianyu asked.
"You go for the exam. I'll pay to train you, support you, and get you set up. If you don't go, I couldn't care less which department you end up in," Yu Mingyuan said pragmatically.
Su Tianyu looked at the materials, quickly trying to make up for it. "Dragon City is a port city. The Customs department has real power, and there's plenty of room for advancement. Actually, this could be a pretty good option."
"Not just good, it's perfect!" Yu Mingyuan responded. "Out of the four district leaders in Dragon City, the seven or eight major department heads, and the current mayor, they all come from Customs. This city's economy depends 70% on port trade. Big picture, the Customs department is a fast track for political achievements and experience. Small picture, it's a goldmine. If you do well, you'll be the king of the sea!"
"Alright, for this king of the sea, I'll study it," Su Tianyu said with a smile.
Yu Mingyuan grinned and glanced at his watch. "Let's go. We're meeting someone."
"Who are we meeting?" Su Tianyu asked.
"You'll know when we get there," Yu Mingyuan said, standing up and calling out, "Let's go."
...
At Tianhong Port,
Tang Baiqing, sweating heavily, drove his car and hurried to a certain entertainment club run by the Dock Gang.
Inside the lobby, a manager, who had been chatting with a receptionist, noticed Tang Baiqing, pale-faced and sweating, walking in. He immediately approached and asked, "What's up, Brother Tang?"
Breathing heavily, Tang Baiqing frowned and replied, "Get me something, quick!"
"Come, come, let's head to the private room!" The manager immediately understood and led him upstairs to a room with a hidden door. He then took out needles, rubber tubes, and other equipment from a drawer.
Two minutes later, Tang Baiqing, his complexion flushed, and his spirits lifted, lay back on the sofa. "Call… Call a woman over."
"Sure thing," the manager smiled and went out the door.
Tang Baiqing curled up on the sofa, about to relax, when his phone in his pocket rang.
"Hello? Dad!"
Tang Baiqing sat up straight and answered the call when he saw the caller ID.
"Where are you?"
"At work!"
"... Did you fall out with the Yu family?" Tang's father asked coldly.
Tang Baiqing scratched his head and looked down. "Dad, it's not that I had a falling out with them, it's that the Yu family never took us seriously. The Dock Gang didn't like that Yu Mingyuan's business was growing, so they wanted to get involved. I tried to mediate, but who knew Yu Mingyuan would turn on me!"
"... I've told you so many times, the Dock Gang and Customs are like water and fish, but your situation is different! You're a public servant. When things get rough, you need to stay in the background, especially when it comes to conflicts on the ground. You should never be out there fighting with them!" Tang's father scolded, his mood clearly agitated. "You could've come out looking good in this situation, but not only did you fall out with the Yu family, you've put yourself in the middle. You can't even help the Dock Gang properly. You've got a pig's brain!"
Listening to his father's scolding, Tang Baiqing didn't dare to argue.
In recent times, his life has been anything but smooth. The previous case had cost the Tang family a lot of money and connections to suppress. And now, after all the trouble, he had fallen out with the Yu family again. Nothing had gone right in the past few months, and he was feeling increasingly frustrated.
As his father continued to scold him on the phone, Tang Baiqing loosened his collar and felt his previously relaxed mood slipping away. Frustrated, he injected himself again.
...
In a Chinese restaurant in the Zha Nan District,
After placing the order in the private room, Su Tianyu leaned in and whispered to Yu Mingyuan, "Who are we meeting? Do I know them?"
"Bang!"
Before Yu Mingyuan could respond, a man stepped into the room, and Su Tianyu looked at him in surprise. "Fuck, you're meeting him?"