Chapter 18
Zhou Ruilin turned his gaze to the urban redevelopment project across from the school. This news hung like a heavy cloud over Mingyu Trading, which had just begun to recover. Unlike the previous abrupt supply cuts and whistleblowing, the resources and methods available to this behemoth of a real estate development company were on a completely different level. If they were to use "urban planning" or "project construction" as justification, their rented warehouse would likely have no chance of survival.
The team's morale took another hit. Even the usually optimistic Liu Qiang sighed, feeling that the opponent was so powerful that it was despairing. Zhao Zhendong used all his connections to inquire, and the feedback he received was not optimistic: the Zhou family was determined to win that project and had already begun preliminary operations and lobbying.
"Damn it, how are we supposed to play like this?" Zhao Zhen rarely swore, scratching his head in frustration. "They just draw a circle and we're kicked out."
Li Ming remained calm. He knew that confronting absolute power head-on was foolish. He had to find his opponent's weakness, or, perhaps, leverage it.
He locked himself in the library, researching all the policies, regulations, and past cases related to urban renewal, as well as Zhou's Real Estate's project records in recent years. Like a seasoned hunter, he meticulously traced the prey's movements, searching for any potential flaws. At the same time, he accelerated the pace of acquiring those domain names, quietly registering several more keyword domain names related to local life and future technology—important reserve ammunition for his future plans.
Just as he was racking his brains for a way out, an unexpected turning point appeared in a subtle way.
That evening, Li Ziqing found Li Ming, her expression somewhat complicated, with a hint of hesitation and worry.
“Li Ming, I came home yesterday… and I heard my dad talking on the phone in his study.” She lowered her voice. “It sounded like… he was talking about the Zhou family.”
Li Ming's heart stirred, and he gestured for her to continue.
“I couldn’t hear the specifics clearly, but my dad seemed to be dissatisfied with some of the Zhou family’s practices in this urban renewal project.” Li Ziqing tried to recall, “He mentioned things like ‘ugly behavior’ and ‘overreaching.’ It seems the Zhou family wanted to monopolize the biggest profits, excluding several other companies that were originally qualified to participate, which caused a lot of people to have objections.”
Li Ming's eyes lit up instantly! This was undoubtedly an extremely important signal!
As a leader in the Shanxi business community, Li Yuanshan might look down on Li Ming's "petty stunts" and even be happy to see Zhou Ruilin teach him a lesson. However, this would never mean he would unconditionally support all of the Zhou family's actions, especially when their actions harm the broader interest structure or challenge his, Li family's, authority. In the business world, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
Zhou Ruilin's greed and arrogance may be creating more enemies for him.
"Ziqing, this news is very important." Li Ming looked at her, his tone solemn. "Thank you."
Li Ziqing shook her head, her eyes resolute: "I don't want to see them suppress you in such an unfair way." She paused, her voice even lower, "I also heard... my dad mention something like, 'It's good for young people to experience some setbacks, but don't let them be used as pawns.'"
This statement is quite meaningful. It could be Li Yuanshan's dissatisfaction with Zhou Ruilin, or it could be... a subtle reminder or even a test for Li Ming?
Li Ming's mind raced. He had to seize this opportunity! He needed to find a way to amplify the discontent caused by the Zhou family's "monopolizing" of resources, and even find a way to bring Li Yuanshan, or rather the Li Group, to his side, or at least keep them neutral, or create a check on the Zhou family.
Going directly to Li Yuanshan to plead his case would be tantamount to humiliating himself. He needed a more subtle "knife."
He thought of Shen Yan, that astute journalist. But Shen Yan's influence was mostly in the realm of public opinion; he would have limited effect on dealing with local bullies like the Zhou family.
He then thought of Zhao Zhen. Although the Zhao family was not as powerful as the Zhou and Li families, they still had a certain foundation in the local political and business circles.
"Zhao Zhen," Li Ming found Zhao Zhen, who was on the phone smoothing things over, "you said before that the Zhou family's project squeezed out several powerful companies?"
Zhao Zhen hung up the phone and said irritably, "Yeah, what? You want to team up with them? Those old foxes won't act until they see a benefit. Who would offend the Zhou family for something as trivial as this?"
“It’s not for us,” Li Ming said, his gaze deep. “It’s for their own benefit. What if… they knew that the Zhou family could act so recklessly because there might be some… unknown promises or deals behind it? What if someone could provide a platform for them to voice their opinions?”
Zhao Zhen was taken aback for a moment, then understood what Li Ming meant: "You mean... to create public opinion? Or, to report it to higher authorities?"
“Not just.” Li Ming shook his head. “We need more specific ‘information.’ In the past projects, was the Zhou family really completely clean, without a single flaw?” He looked at Zhao Zhen, his eyes sharp. “You have a wide network of connections. Find a way to collect information on the ‘flaws’ in Zhou's Real Estate’s past projects, such as demolition disputes, construction quality issues, environmental penalties… anything that might cause controversy. We don’t need solid evidence, just some rumors and clues will do.”
Zhao Zhen gasped, "You brat... are you playing with fire? Investigating the Zhou family's dirty laundry? If we get caught, we'll be dead even faster!"
“We don’t need to take action ourselves, nor do we need to publicly challenge them,” Li Ming calmly analyzed. “We just need to subtly pass these ‘rumors’ on to those competitors who have been ostracized by the Zhou family, or… to certain people who are dissatisfied with the Zhou family. Naturally, someone will dig deeper and make use of them.”
Using someone else to do his dirty work! Looking at Li Ming's calm, even somewhat cold, demeanor, Zhao Zhen suddenly realized that his classmate from a small county was far more cunning and shrewd than he had imagined. He pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth: "Fine! I'll give it a try! But this is too risky; it must be kept absolutely secret."
At the same time, Li Ming also began to work on another plan. He met with Wang Hao and put forward a new idea.
“Wang Hao, we need a backup base that’s not so easy to find,” Li Ming said. “If the warehouse really can’t be saved, our servers, data, and core operations can’t be shut down. Can you figure out a way to build a remote, encrypted office and data storage system? Even if we’re scattered in different places, we can still work together.”
Wang Hao pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of a tech geek facing a challenge: "□□ plus a private cloud? Technically, it's achievable, but it requires a high-performance server located in a secure place, as well as stable bandwidth."
“I’ll figure out the money and equipment,” Li Ming said immediately. He realized that while dealing with both overt and covert attacks, he needed to improve his own ability to withstand risks.
Just as Li Ming was making various plans and trying to break through the deadlock, an even more unexpected message came.
The message was brought by Li Ziqing, whose face showed a mixture of worry and disbelief.
"Li Ming, I just heard... Zhou Ruilin, he... he seems to have made contact with someone from 'Lei Yao Capital'!"
“Leiyao Capital?” Li Ming was taken aback. He recognized the name; it seemed to have been mentioned in the outline. It was one of the giants in the future internet field.
“Yes, I heard it’s an investment company with a strong background. They just returned from overseas and are very powerful.” Li Ziqing said urgently, “Zhou Ruilin somehow got in touch with them and wants to bring ‘Leiyao Capital’ to participate in the urban renewal project. They might even… want to use their power to suppress us in the internet sector!”
Leiyao Capital... Zhang Lei!
Li Ming suddenly remembered! The future internet giant mentioned in the detailed outline, the judge Zhang Lei who noticed him at the National College Student Entrepreneurship Competition and gave him his business card, was none other than the founder of Leiyao Capital!
Zhou Ruilin actually beat him to the punch and got involved with Zhang Lei? And they even want to join forces?
This is undoubtedly adding insult to injury! The Zhou family alone is already struggling; if another powerful and astute future tycoon is added to the mix…
Li Ming felt an immense pressure bearing down on him. All his previous arrangements seemed so insignificant and powerless in the face of such a powerful alliance.
However, under extreme pressure, his thinking became exceptionally clear and calm.
What is Zhou Ruilin's purpose in joining forces with Zhang Lei? Is it really just for an old city redevelopment project? Or does Zhou Ruilin also want to leverage Zhang Lei's influence to enter the internet sector, which he sees potential in?
As for Zhang Lei... would someone like him be easily manipulated by a spoiled brat like Zhou Ruilin?
There must be some room for exploitation here!
Li Ming stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the deep night and the old city in the distance, a place that symbolized both immense profits and crises. His gaze sharpened and hardened once more.
Crisis often coexists with opportunity. Zhou Ruilin's acquisition of powerful external support also means stirring up the waters even more, introducing more forces and conflicts into the situation.
The muddier the water, the more opportunities there may be for him, the "little fish" lurking in the shadows.
He picked up his phone and found Shen Yan's number. Perhaps it was time to have another good talk with this "observer." About the Zhou family, about the old city redevelopment, about... the sudden entry of "Lei Yao Capital."
A storm is brewing, and various forces are taking center stage. Can this small fish find a glimmer of hope in the power struggle among the giants, or even... rise to prominence by riding the wave of change?
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