Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Tian Jianfeng's wholesale market was doing quite well, and the construction was already halfway done. However, the project manager told him that the prices of steel bars and cement had risen across the board, and it seemed that the steel from the steel mills and the cement from the cement plants were being bought up by large customers, resulting in a supply shortage.

"You guys are really useless. Couldn't you have bought this little thing in advance?" Tian Jianfeng said angrily.

He originally thought that money could solve all the problems, and that he would leave everything to the construction company. Little did he know that these companies also had different qualifications, and different qualifications represented different capabilities.

In practice, two million is simply not enough; one can only afford the worst-qualified company.

Such companies have limited purchasing power for materials. When supplies are plentiful, things are fine, but once a shortage of materials occurs, the situation will be immediately apparent, and the project timeline will be extended accordingly.

Extended construction periods mean manpower is idle, leading to increased costs.

The project manager calculated that at least two million more would be needed before the project could continue.

Tian Jianfeng thought to himself, if it were just a matter of money, it would be easy to handle. At worst, he could cry to his grandfather again and ask his uncle for another two million.

My uncle's money will be his sooner or later. Giving it to him sooner so he can build a career is the best way to use the money.

Unexpectedly, when he brought up the matter of asking Tian Guangrong for money again, he flatly refused:

“I’ve given you over five million yuan in total, and I haven’t heard a thing. I’ve already invested the money in Lao Zhou’s son’s electronics company. I’m a major shareholder there, and he gives me dividends every month.”

Tian Jianfeng was furious and glared at him angrily:

"Uncle, you're really getting senile. Old Zhou is an outsider. Investing in his son's company is like throwing a meat bun to a dog—it's gone forever."

Tian Guangrong chuckled inwardly, but remained calm on the surface: "Jianfeng, I do hope you can achieve something with my money, but as capitalists say, you can't put all your eggs in one basket. I also need to consider the risks."

Upon hearing this, Tian Jianfeng became somewhat embarrassed and angry, and started arguing with him, insisting on asking his grandfather for help, once again morally blackmailing him.

This time, however, Tian Changshou had no choice. He had agreed that last time was the last time. If he continued to pressure them, what if they simply took the money and left?

Moral blackmail is fine once, but if you use it too often, it will easily backfire.

However, he dared not offend Tian Jianfeng and his wife, and only promised that he would try his best to persuade them and find an opportunity to ask for the money.

Unexpectedly, even in his nineties, he still had to appease everyone when it came to the issue of retirement.

Zhou Ling watched as Tian Guangrong actually invested several million yuan into some electronics company, feeling as if she had been hit by a blunt object, in pain but daring not to speak out.

Ultimately, she was just Tian Guangrong's bed partner, without any official status.

The fact that he was willing to pay for Tian Mufeng's schooling was already an immense favor; asking for anything more would only lead to being abandoned.

Unbeknownst to her, her son had become quite familiar with Miaomiao and had even visited his uncle's technology company with her by his side.

Han Tao naturally accompanied his niece and her friend throughout the visit, showing them around the company's existing production lines.

"Uncle, Mu Feng is amazing. After getting the phone, he took it apart and put it back together. He's quite talented in this area. Should we let him come for an internship in advance?"

Miaomiao highly recommended it.

Tian Mufeng and Ququ should be about the same in terms of intelligence. If Ququ can do research projects at the company, he can too.

Han Tao did not refuse. The company has many positions, and he also encourages college students to intern at the company, as the industry lacks highly intelligent talent.

The people recommended by Miaomiao are definitely not bad.

However, Tian Mufeng did not agree immediately, saying he would go home and ask his family for their opinion.

When Zhou Ling heard that he wanted to intern at a technology company, her first thought was Old Zhou's son's company.

"Mu Feng, your father has invested in an electronics company. Why don't you go and help him?" Zhou Ling coaxed.

Just then, Tian Guangrong returned with a frown on his face, and Zhou Ling quickly told him that Mu Feng had visited other people's technology companies and could help her own electronics company research new products.

The electronics company's research has recently stalled, which is causing Tian Guangrong a lot of worry. He slapped his thigh and thought that Mu Feng was studying electronics, so why not ask him to help?

Mu Feng is intelligent; he might actually be able to research something. Even if he doesn't, he can still help supervise and prevent Xiao Zhou from squandering the money.

Zhou Ling was overjoyed to see Tian Guangrong agree, and agreed on his behalf even though Mu Feng wasn't particularly willing.

Tian Mufeng had always listened to his mother since he was a child, and this time he did not argue back. He quickly adapted to working at the electronics company.

Miaomiao was a little unhappy when she found out he had gone to intern at another company.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken you to my uncle's company. Now I'm caught in the middle."

Tian Mufeng, however, was worried about something else:

"I'll be free for a few hours this weekend, could you come out and meet me?"

We're already busy with classes during the week, so we don't have much time to meet. Now that weekends are also taken up, the chances of us meeting are even fewer.

"I'll try my best. There are many people in my family, and we often get together. We'll keep in touch by phone." She didn't rule out the possibility of a relationship.

Mu Feng's expression was indifferent; he somewhat regretted agreeing to his mother's request for an internship.

...

In a private restaurant, A Biao and Luo Hao were raising their glasses to drink together, their faces beaming with undisguised smiles.

"Brother Luo, thank you so much this time. Tian Jianfeng never dreamed that the market he spent millions to build would come to a standstill because of a little steel and cement." After saying that, A Biao finished his drink.

Luo Hao also gulped down the beer in his glass:

“We’re like family! You’re President Lu’s friend, which makes you my friend too. Besides, you asked me to do all this for the sake of the company.”

It turns out that most of the steel and cement on the market had been bought up by Luo Hao's construction company and stockpiled at the construction site.

Suddenly, demand far exceeded supply, causing prices to soar, and these two items became twice as expensive as usual.

Tian Jianfeng spent a high price to buy the materials, but this only solved part of the problem. The construction site still had to stop work due to a lack of materials.

Luo Hao heard that the construction company he hired was contacting steel mills and cement plants everywhere, but their orders were all fixed and they couldn't possibly allow him to work overtime.

A Biao was pleased with this situation, and even thought that if Tian Jianfeng couldn't continue, he could just buy the land back.

He had already planned everything out: to also do clothing wholesale, expand the business of the Dong'an Market, and develop the Zoo Wholesale Market into a large-scale market combining wholesale and retail.

Just then, the financial crisis spread to Beijing, and Wenwan Group was caught off guard.

The Dong'an wholesale market was affected, with many long-term customers significantly reducing their purchases, and some smaller customers even going bankrupt and leaving the industry altogether.

The unprecedented economic downturn has plunged the group into a huge crisis.