Chapter 19
That brief yet subtly turbulent meeting with Zhang Lei was like a boulder thrown into a still lake, stirring endlessly within Li Ming's heart. Zhang Lei's words, "Keep in touch," were like an open port, offering both an astonishing opportunity to connect with a future giant ahead of time and the enormous risk of having one's hand laid bare. Li Ming knew very well that in front of someone of Zhang Lei's stature, his newly acquired cleverness and so-called "foresight" had to be used with utmost caution.
Back with his team, Li Ming didn't reveal the details of his meeting with Zhang Lei, only briefly stating that the other party had shown goodwill, but reminding everyone to proceed with caution. He focused his main efforts on the comprehensive upgrade of "Mingyu Trading." The potential alliance between Zhou Ruilin and Leiyao Capital hung like a sword of Damocles, forcing him to build his own moat more quickly.
First, there was the complete "formalization." Under Zhao Zhen's full-fledged efforts, the registration process for "Mingyu Technology Co., Ltd." entered its final stage. Li Ming insisted on using "technology" rather than "commerce" in the name, demonstrating his long-term ambition. Referring to the structure of established companies from his memory, he initially established clear departmental responsibilities: Zhao Zhen concurrently served as head of the marketing and strategy department, Wang Hao led technology research and development, Liu Qiang was responsible for warehousing, logistics, and administrative affairs, and Li Ziqing was in charge of finance and customer relations. Although each person was currently acting alone, the framework had been established.
Next came "depersonalization" and "risk isolation." Li Ming persuaded Li Ziqing to gradually transition the online store's operation to the newly established "Mingyu Technology," and her personal account would no longer be the primary source of payments. Simultaneously, he instructed Wang Hao to expedite the deployment of the encrypted private cloud collaboration system, gradually migrating all core data, customer information, and operational documents to it, ensuring that even if the physical location (warehouse) experienced problems, the company's central processing unit could continue operating.
These measures elicited varying reactions within the team. Zhao Zhen greatly appreciated them, believing it was an essential step for the company to become more standardized and aligned with his understanding of "standardized operations." Liu Qiang, though not entirely familiar with them, unconditionally followed through. Wang Hao, on the other hand, was immersed in the challenges of technical implementation, finding great enjoyment in the process.
Only Li Ziqing sensed a subtle change. She understood Li Ming's considerations, but being "separated" from specific business operations made her feel vaguely lost, as if she were being excluded from the core circle. She watched Li Ming become more and more like a calm commander, rather than a partner who could pack in the warehouse and share a bottle of mineral water, and an indescribable bitterness welled up in her heart.
Li Ming noticed her mood and one evening, he took the initiative to ask her to take a walk by the school playground.
“Ziqing,” he stopped, gazing at the magnificent sunset, his tone sincere, “gradually withdrawing you from day-to-day operations isn’t out of distrust; quite the opposite, it’s to protect you, and to protect our fledgling business.” He turned to her, his gaze clear, “Your father’s attitude, Zhou Ruilin’s threats, all dictate that you can’t remain in the limelight indefinitely. Entrusting you with finance and core client relationships is because these two things require absolute trust. You are the strongest support for our team.”
Looking into his sincere eyes, the slight resentment in Li Ziqing's heart quietly dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling of being trusted and a greater sense of responsibility. "I understand," she nodded gently, "I will do my best."
While internally restructuring, Li Ming also quietly began his external maneuvering. He instructed Zhao Zhen to leak, through extremely secretive channels, the less-than-honorable "rumors" and "flaws" he had previously collected about Zhou's Real Estate's past projects, piecemeal and unsystematic, to developers excluded from urban redevelopment projects, as well as several local CPPCC members known for their outspokenness. He didn't need these materials to immediately ignite an explosion; he only needed to sow the seeds of doubt and discontent, like planting seeds.
On the other hand, he increased his investment in domain names. The successful registration of the first batch of ten domain names (costing only a few thousand yuan) further convinced him of the potential of this path. He used almost all the available cash on hand to register and attempt to acquire dozens more keyword domain names related to future hot areas (such as group buying, online video, and smartphone applications). Zhao Zhen and Li Ziqing still considered this investment to be extremely risky, but Li Ming overruled their objections and insisted that it was a "strategic reserve."
Just before "Mingyu Technology" was about to be officially listed, Zhao Zhen brought news that was both exciting and alarming.
"Li Ming, it seems the Zhou family is in trouble!" Zhao Zhen said with a hint of schadenfreude. "I don't know who leaked it, but several developers they kicked out have joined forces to report to higher authorities, saying the Zhou family is suspected of transferring benefits and engaging in illegal operations in the urban renewal project. Although there's no concrete evidence yet, the rumors have already spread, and it's said the project approval may be temporarily suspended for reassessment!"
Li Ming understood; the seeds he had sown were beginning to sprout. His expression remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger: "This is their own fault for acting improperly. For us, it's a temporary relief from the warehouse crisis."
“That’s right!” Zhao Zhen said excitedly. “Moreover, I heard that because of this matter, Zhou Ruilin got into trouble with his father and has been keeping a low profile lately. As a result, he doesn’t seem to be in such a hurry to contact Lei Yao Capital anymore.”
This is indeed good news. The Zhou family's troubles and Zhou Ruilin's setbacks have given Mingyu Technology valuable breathing room and time to develop.
However, Li Ming did not relax in the slightest. He knew that the Zhou family's troubles were only temporary, and with their established power, they could likely resolve them quickly. As for Zhang Lei, he was an even more uncertain factor.
Sure enough, a few days later, Li Ming received a call from an unfamiliar number, which appeared to be from Beijing.
He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.
"Li Ming? This is Zhang Lei." Zhang Lei's distinctive, slightly metallic, yet calm voice came from the other end of the phone. "I heard you guys have had a little friction with the Zhou family?"
Li Ming felt a chill run down his spine; the other party's information network was indeed impressive. "Mr. Zhang, your information comes quickly. It's not really a conflict, just normal business competition," he replied cautiously.
"Hehe, young man, it's good that you can keep your composure." Zhang Lei chuckled, seemingly not delving into the matter. "The Zhou family's side is a bit complicated. However, I'm very interested in your idea about 'local life service aggregation' that you mentioned earlier. I wonder if you have time to prepare a more detailed business plan? Perhaps we can have a chance to discuss it in more depth."
Here it comes! Zhang Lei has finally extended a formal olive branch, but in the form of requiring a detailed business plan. This is both an assessment and a potential trap—if Li Ming's plan is too "advanced" or "precise," it will inevitably arouse deeper suspicion from the other party.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Zhang." Li Ming agreed without hesitation, "I will prepare as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, Li Ming felt unprecedented pressure. He had to deal with the potential retaliation from the Zhou family, the scrutiny of a big shot like Zhang Lei, and lead his fledgling team forward with difficulty.
He sat in a warehouse cubicle that would soon serve as the temporary office for "Mingyu Technology," before him piled high with domain registration documents and business plans that needed to be organized. Outside the window, the night was deep.
He knew that his "in-depth conversation" with Zhang Lei would be a real test. He had to come up with a business plan that could both demonstrate his value and perfectly conceal his "precognition."
He must play this hidden move with utmost precision.
While he was focused on dealing with the formidable opponent ahead, he failed to notice that within the team, beneath the newly mended rifts, new undercurrents were quietly brewing. Zhao Zhen watched Li Ming make a series of bold, even somewhat risky, decisions (especially in domain name investment), and the doubt in his eyes grew stronger. As for Li Ziqing, although she was trying to adapt to her new role, the feeling of being neither too close nor too distant from the core decision-making team occasionally made her feel a touch of indescribable loneliness.
With "Mingyu" newly established, external threats have temporarily subsided, but internal troubles are already brewing. Can Li Ming, this small boat that has just set sail, keep every crew member on board stable as it ventures into wider waters?
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