Chapter 402

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

Zheng Datong couldn't possibly agree to Chen Congyu's conditions — that would be tantamount to admitting his own guilt. So he had no choice but to leave Chen Congyu's office and report the entire meeting to the head of Mingde Group, Ming An Tu's father, Ming Kuang.

The latter quickly deduced Chen Yi's existence, a conclusion reached through the dead ends many people had walked into. Thinking of Chen Yi brought to mind Jinsheng Securities, and linking that to the tripartite agreement among Jinsheng Securities, Jiangnan Shipyard, and Mitsubishi Group, Ming Kuang roughly grasped the reason.

"Looks like it's not our son who offended someone, but someone who wants to swallow us whole." Ming Kuang spoke with a tone full of sighs; if he stood on the Loess Plateau with a long shot added, he'd be a lonely old donkey.

Ming Kuang's wife, You Jiaoli, was also a lady from a prominent family. Though in her early fifties, she still dressed like a beautiful middle-aged woman. She asked in a light but slightly fiery voice, "Is it Lao Sun or He Fuhan?"

From the difference in how she addressed "Sun Maoxin" and "He Fuhan," one could tell Secretary Sun's miserable situation in Jiangning. A grand Secretary, unable to make his voice heard was one thing, but these years he couldn't even get the simplest things done. So You Jiaoli quickly corrected herself, asking strangely, "What does He Fuhan want?"

"It's not He Fuhan, it's the Chen Family." Ming Kuang inhaled in two stages like a mule, saying, "That kid of the Chen Family now, Chen Yi, has audacity beyond the heavens. I'd say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance he's the one who grabbed An Tu."

"He dares?"

"A newborn calf fears no tiger. And word is, the Political and Legal Committee in Jiangning now all listen to Chen Yi."

You Jiaoli said in disbelief, "Strange things happen every year, but this year especially. How old is he, to dare act as an underground political and legal high official?"

"Underground what." Ming Kuang scoffed, "He got Lao Yan promoted from Deputy Bureau Chief, and took that Zhu Guangliang — a name no one had heard before — all the way to Bureau Chief. More capable than Lao Sun. An Tu is in the Security Bureau right now; if not Chen Yi, then who?"

"Then it's troublesome..." You Jiaoli lit a lady's menthol cigarette, smoking and thinking. Merchants like them preferred officials over fifty-five — bold yet careful, fair-priced. Least willing to deal with officials under thirty-five, especially bureau chiefs under thirty — they're all single-mindedly chasing their careers, who knows who they'll turn in for merit. Even if occasionally willing to take money or goods, they have the flaw of excessive boldness, prone to crashing.

In her view, the current Chen Yi was exactly that sort. Boldness was an attribute already shown; next would probably be a huge appetite.

"Or, find someone else to talk to Zhu Guangliang?" You Jiaoli asked.

"He doesn't take calls anymore."

"Coward." Ming Kuang had actually known for a while.

The conversation between the two stopped. Only the air conditioner in the living room emitted a soft wu-wu sound, like the final signal from a woman smothered under a blanket — continuous, enduring, a desperate signal.

"We need to set some rules." Ming Kuang's words interrupted the air conditioner's solo. He slowly stood up, leaning on the chair, and said weakly, "This matter, no matter who did it, we can only swallow our broken teeth. The videotape affair must not leak. With this bottom line, An Tu's grievance can only be endured. Whatever he wants, we... after bargaining, will have to pay up."

"What if he wants shares in Mingde Group?"

Ming Kuang's eyelid twitched, and he hurriedly said, "He wouldn't go that far."

"What if he wants 100 million in cash?"

"That's kidnapping." Ming Kuang straightened his back and said fiercely, "A mere Security Bureau, does he really think he's the Gestapo?"

In a flash, his back bent again. He said in a low voice, "Jiangning is the Chen Family's Jiangning. If Chen Yi names a price, we need to agree beforehand — what we can give, what we absolutely cannot, what we can haggle over."

"Useless, this is outright robbery." You Jiaoli was so angry she stopped smoking, her hand touching the necklace on her neck, wanting to cry.

"Forget it." Ming Kuang persuaded her, patting her back, "If Old Master Chen saw us, wouldn't he give whatever he wanted? Who let our fathers die early? Having rules set in advance means we'll suffer less loss when the time comes."

The couple thus muttered and calculated, and adding the time for exchanging conditions and the transaction, Ming An Tu unknowingly stayed another day in the Security Bureau compound, during which he enjoyed bright sunshine and a broad hard bed. All in all, aside from the terrifying reputation of the secret institution and the unpredictable spiritual decay from the outside, Ming An Tu didn't have it too bad.

At noon on the third day, just as Ming An Tu had put on his clothes and shoes preparing to go out for exercise, a stern-looking man in a suit appeared at his cell door and announced, "You are released."

"I'm not leaving." Ming An Tu immediately grabbed the iron bars of the gate, shouting pretentiously, "You think you can arrest me whenever you want, release me whenever you want?"

His voice was sharp and high; many people heard it.

"Suit yourself." The suited man left without another word. Security Bureau officials — they're all chamber pots made of tin, seeking nothing from anyone, and stinking to high heaven; they're not threatened by him at all.

Ming An Tu hugged the bars mockingly, waiting for them to come apologize.

After a while, Ming Kuang's board secretary appeared in the courtyard, leaned by his ear, and said, "Young Master Ming, let's go."

"Just like that?" Ming An Tu's eyes widened, as if someone had stabbed him in the back with a stick.

The board secretary exhaled lowly, "Just like that —"

Ming An Tu let go of the bars and asked quietly, "Who was it?"

"Sigh... we'll talk when we get back."

Ming An Tu wasn't stupid; hearing this, he understood. His grievance was for nothing; most likely his own family had pleaded to get him out.

No wonder that suited man was so arrogant!

Ming An Tu gritted his teeth in hatred, like a new prisoner just walking out of the prison boss's room, limping out of the Security Bureau's small courtyard. The suited man who opened the door for him wore a mocking expression similar to his earlier one, his white teeth forest-like, as if they could bite through his neck.

Ming An Tu was so angry he couldn't speak, until he got into the family Mercedes-Benz, then asked in a hoarse voice, "What conditions did you give?"

During his detention he had still fantasized about how to make those ill-mannered Security Bureau scum apologize to him. But looking at the situation now, the ones who need to apologize are clearly not the Security Bureau people.

You Jiaoli hugged her son, whispering, "It's fine, he just wants our Jiangbei Port equity. Let's give it to him."

"Give it for free? His gall is truly fat." Ming An Tu's eye corners nearly split open.

"Not free. 500 million RMB, pure cash, filled a whole truck." You Jiaoli didn't know how to describe her feeling seeing that cash. 500 million RMB — that's half a warehouse stacked, more than 300 bags of flour, needing a big truck to haul away. She naturally assumed it was black money, so she didn't dare ask too much, found a trusted accountant, counted bills for half a day, then had someone take it back, slowly considering how to launder it.

Compared to Europe and America's black money control, China's anti-money laundering work has just begun. Anyone with a bit of industry can very conveniently turn black money white. Making movies, investing in factories and machinery, buying real estate, etc., can all use large cash payments, so many foreign institutions also open their money laundering business in China... The bills Chen Yi took out were exchanged from precious metals. Actually, bills from the West Continent are like Western girls — they all have a bit of a purity problem.

Ming An Tu's mind was full of his "suffering," holding in anger he asked, "You sold the port equity, what do the Japanese say?"

"Haven't told them." You Jiaoli stroked her son's hair, heart aching to the point of foot cramps.

Ming An Tu sat up straight, "Didn't tell them?"

"This world, ultimately belongs to the Party. While you were inside you didn't hear — Chen Yi joined with the Liang Family and slashed Mitsubishi hard. In one morning, net profit several hundred million." Ming Kuang spoke, becoming embarrassed. He sold the equity cheap at 500 million; the Japanese paid the Chen Family 280 million premium and double that in stocks, plus what the Liang Family earned — equal to the Chen Family getting 10% of the port equity empty-handed from one bidding conference.

Nothing makes money faster than finance.

China's finance has always been the government's finance, always the Red Families' finance. Even Mingde Group can only eat some leftover scraps. Ming Kuang envies, but truly letting him in, he dares not, afraid of being swallowed alive by those guys in Xijing.

Even Jiangning, he doesn't plan to come anymore — simply too stifling.

Ming An Tu silently looked out the window, just like Ming Kuang and his wife last night, he carefully considered all kinds of means, including exposure and upper-level routes. But the lost videotapes and discs were like a thick black wooden stick suspended above his buttocks, making him dare not act rashly.

During Ming An Tu's three days of imprisonment, he never even saw Chen Yi's face. Thinking that insiders who knew this might have already publicized it to a boil, Ming An Tu felt a sense of social death.

"He definitely holds a grudge." Ming An Tu suddenly said this, then panting, recounted the scene from years ago when he and Fang Yu together met Chen Yi, and said, "He burned my car, I didn't do anything to him, but when he got the chance, he... just like this... I feel we still need to notify Mitsubishi."

"Notify, of course we must notify." Ming Kuang's tone was weary like he'd just left the bed of the African mountains. His face flushed red as he said, "When paying yesterday, we said — only after tonight can we notify the Japanese."

"After tonight? The Japanese will go crazy with rage."

"Let them be. The current Chen Family is best not provoked." Ming Kuang looked ready to leave at once, and Ming An Tu could only resign himself to it.

The next afternoon.

Before boarding the plane, Ming Kuang sent an email to Iwasaki Masayoshi, without describing the ins and outs, merely stating the result.

At the same time, the Jiangning Municipal Government notified the Mitsubishi Group that the City Government would jointly establish a Jiangbei Port Holding Company with Jinsheng Securities, controlling the 29% equity held by Jinsheng Securities and the City Government's 30% equity.

Jiangbei Port changes hands!

……(Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to cast Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)