Luxury is the only theme here.
A middle-aged man, dressed in a loose silk Tang suit, slightly overweight, and wearing a large jade thumb ring on his finger, was sitting with his back to the door, leisurely smoking a cigar and admiring the view outside the window.
He is Tang Zhong.
Guided by his secretary, Lin Fan entered the office, which reeked of cigars. Behind him followed two tall, alert-looking security guards, but the secretary stopped them at the door.
"Mr. Tang, I've long admired your name." Lin Fan spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, his gaze calmly fixed on Tang Zhong's back. He wore a well-tailored dark suit, which seemed somewhat out of place with the luxurious style of the place, yet he possessed a calm and sharp aura.
Tang Zhong slowly turned around, scrutinizing Lin Fan from head to toe with a critical gaze, a hint of mockery playing on his lips. "Oh? You're Lin Fan from Qihang Technology? Much younger than I expected..."
His voice carried a condescending arrogance, as if he were commenting on a piece of merchandise.
Lin Fan ignored his rudeness and got straight to the point: "Mr. Tang, I think there might be some misunderstanding between us. Qihang Technology's goods fully comply with all the regulations of Xingzhou Port, and the procedures are complete. I don't know why they were detained by your side?"
"Misunderstanding?" Tang Zhong scoffed, walked behind the huge mahogany desk, plopped down in the wide executive chair, picked up the cigar cutter on the desk, and slowly trimmed a new cigar. "President Lin, in Singapore, if I say there's a misunderstanding, then it's a misunderstanding. If I say there's no misunderstanding, then that's the rule."
He raised his eyelids, glanced at Lin Fan, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt: "You Qihang Technology, you're getting all the rage lately. Chips? Artificial intelligence? Hmph, what's the use of all that fancy stuff? In the end, you still have to rely on us, the ship carriers, to get your 'treasures' to where you want them to go?"
His face darkened, but his tone remained restrained: "Mr. Tang, Qihang Technology respects the rules of all industries. We paid the freight at market price and complied with all transportation agreements. Your unjustified detention of our goods not only violates the spirit of commercial contracts but also damages the reputation of Xingzhou Port."
"Reputation?" Tang Zhong laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, his obese body shaking in the chair. "President Lin, you're talking to me about reputation? Hahaha! On this sea, my word is the rule! My rule is reputation!"
He abruptly stopped smiling, his face darkened, and he stared at Lin Fan with a sinister look: "You Qihang Technology want to do business on my turf without even giving me a heads-up? Don't you think you're taking me, Tang, too seriously?"
Lin Fan understood immediately; they were indeed here to extort him. He suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice, "Then, according to Boss Tang, how can I 'take you seriously'?"
Tang Zhong crossed his legs, tapped the table with the finger holding a cigar, and said slowly, "It's very simple. All of Qihang Technology's future logistics business in Southeast Asia must, and can only, be handled by Sihaitong. As for the price... it's negotiable. Three times the market price isn't unreasonable, is it? After all, I guarantee you a smooth journey, and no one will dare to cause trouble."
Three times the price! That's outrageous! The Southeast Asian market has huge potential, and the future volume of goods transported will undoubtedly be astronomical. Three times the price means that Qihang Technology will have to pay hundreds of millions more in costs every year for no reason!
“Mr. Tang, I’m sorry, I cannot agree to this request.” Lin Fan’s tone was firm. “Qihang Technology seeks fair and legal business cooperation, not to succumb to any form of monopoly and extortion.”
"Oh?" Tang Zhong's eyes narrowed, flashing with a dangerous light. "So, Mr. Lin is refusing a polite offer and instead wants to suffer the consequences?"
Lin Fan met his gaze without flinching: "We just want to take back what is rightfully ours and walk the path we should walk. If Boss Tang insists on resolving the issue this way, then Qihang Technology will have no choice but to fight to the end. I think the Singapore government and the International Commercial Court will be very interested in this kind of behavior that undermines free trade."
He tried to exert pressure using laws and regulations, but clearly, he underestimated Tang Zhong's arrogance and impunity.
"Hahahaha!" Tang Zhong burst into laughter again, as if he had heard the funniest joke of the century. "Singapore government? International court? Mr. Lin, have you been in Silicon Valley for too long and your brain has turned into code? You think this is a place where you talk about 'rules'? Let me tell you, here, my fist is the rule!"
He slammed his hand on the table, making the cigar box on the table jump.
"You're asking for it!" Tang Zhong's face darkened completely, his eyes as cold as a venomous snake. "A small tech company owner dares to mention court in front of me? You're courting death!"
He picked up a walkie-talkie from the table and said in a chilling tone, "Ah Biao, bring a few men in and 'invite' President Lin to our 'VIP room' to calm down!"
Lin Fan's heart sank. He realized that the other party had no intention of reasoning with him and was going to resort to force directly!
"Tang Zhong! This is illegal detention!" Lin Fan shouted sternly, while secretly on guard.
"Illegal?" Tang Zhong sneered, leaning back in his chair and watching Lin Fan like he was watching a show. "Soon, you'll know what it means to be 'crying to heaven and earth in vain'!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the heavy office door was suddenly pushed open.
Four burly men in black suits, with imposing builds and stern expressions, walked in. The one in the lead, with a long scar on his face and fierce eyes, was none other than Tang Zhong's trusted henchman, A Biao.
Without uttering a word, they approached Lin Fan directly, emanating a suffocating sense of oppression.
Lin Fan instinctively took a step back, his eyes turning icy cold. Although he knew some basic self-defense techniques, he had absolutely no chance against four burly men who were clearly professional thugs.
"Mr. Lin, our boss wants you to rest in the 'VIP room' for a few days. How about you cooperate?" Ah Biao grinned maliciously, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and stretched out his large, fan-like hand to grab Lin Fan's shoulder.
Lin Fan suddenly turned to the side, trying to dodge.
"Oh ho? You dare to dodge?" A fierce glint flashed in Ah Biao's eyes, and he moved even faster, grabbing Ah Biao's arm with his other hand like an iron clamp.
A tremendous force surged through him, and Lin Fan felt a sharp pain in his arm, as if his bones were about to be crushed. He struggled desperately, but the opponent's strength was simply too great, and he couldn't budge an inch.
Three other burly men surrounded him, two of them roughly twisting Lin Fan's other arm behind his back, controlling him tightly. Under the immense pressure, Lin Fan's body was involuntarily lowered.
"Let me go!" Lin Fan roared, his eyes burning with fury. He had never suffered such humiliation! As the head of Qihang Technology, he had been treated like this in broad daylight by a group of thugs!
Tang Zhong sat in his executive chair, legs crossed, leisurely puffing on a cigar, enjoying Lin Fan's pathetic struggle, a smug smile on his face like a cat catching a mouse. "Mr. Lin, young man, don't get so worked up. Think it over carefully in my 'VIP room'—is money more important, or freedom?"
Ah Biao roughly twisted Lin Fan's arm and dragged him outside. "Let's go, Mr. Lin! Our 'VIP room' is excellent!"
Lin Fan gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and kicked hard with his feet, trying to resist, but all in vain. He was like a trapped lion, with boundless ambition, but at this moment he could only be dragged along in humiliation in the face of absolute violence.
The office door slammed shut behind him.
Inside the luxurious office, only Tang Zhong remained. He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the still bustling port outside, exhaled a thick smoke ring, and a sinister smile of absolute control appeared on his face.
"Qihang Technology? Lin Fan? Hmph, what an arrogant brat..."
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