Chapter 18: Scared the Customers Away

Guo Chenliang was indeed a bastard, and he wouldn't even deny it himself.

But he truly ached for his daughter who had gotten into university, thinking she would marry a university student or a teacher, thus entering a scholarly family.

At the very least, she should marry the son of a town mayor or bureau chief to enter the system.

As for Tang Wen?

"Get out, get out of here right now! You think you can date Panpan?

Panpan, go back to your room and don't come out!"

Last time he came at night, Panpan wasn't even willing to cook instant noodles for him, yet this time he's actually cooking noodles for him in the middle of the night?

I've only been gone for a few days, and this rascal Tang Wen dares to lay hands on his little flower?

This isn't an ordinary customer anymore; a heavy blow must be struck!

"Dad!"

Guo Panpan frowned and called out, then explained:

"I was hungry, so I happened to cook noodles for him. I..."

"What 'I'? I know this kid better than you do!

Isn't he just making money by selling fake diesel? How much money can he have? Can't I give you money?"

Damn it, can you put your pants on first, hey!

Tang Wen's face was already streaked with black lines; had it not been for his look of restraint, Tang Shiqi might have charged up already.

He also wanted to explain, but Guo Chenliang looked so disbelieving that there was nothing he could do; staying any longer would only invite further embarrassment.

Noticing the nearby houses starting to light up, Tang Wen expressionlessly took two yuan from his pocket, placed them on the table, then turned to bid farewell to Guo Panpan.

"I'm sorry..."

The latter mouthed an apology; Tang Wen quickly returned a smile, then coldly swept his gaze over Guo Liangchen.

And Tang Shiqi, who had been shouted at by the commander, stared at him with the look one gives a dead man, as if a sandpot-sized fist would swing down the next second.

Guo Liangchen finally realized something was off, swallowed hard, and forced calmness as he said:

"Don't do anything rash tonight, I am..."

However, Tang Wen had already strode out, got into the vehicle, the ten-wheeled truck started quickly, and disappeared into the night with its taillights.

Guo Liangchen finally breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to ask his daughter:

"Where did that kid get that broken vehicle? Don't believe his words; if you need money, Dad has it here; I'll send you to university."

Guo Panpan truly didn't know how to look at her father; in the end, she only said, "Put your pants on first," then turned and went into the room, slamming the door shut hard.

Fortunately, Guo Liangchen was long accustomed to being treated this way; instead, he spotted the noodles Tang Wen had barely touched, and tired and hungry as he was, sat down directly, scooped up a huge mouthful, and ate ravenously.

Thinking back to how he had just asserted his authority in front of his daughter and scared off two ungrateful fellows, Guo Liangchen couldn't help but let out a soft snort.

Having a steaming late-night snack interrupted was a small matter, but Tang Wen was somewhat worried about whether the search for the sunken ship data could proceed smoothly.

If it really doesn't work out, he'll have to go to the city himself; the system's 100-day limit has only ninety-plus days left.

After sleeping until dawn, Tang Wen was about to go to the canteen to get two steamed buns when he heard faint voices from the direction of the main gate.

He hurried outside and saw Tang Er Er (Security Chief) blocking a man trying to enter.

The latter's eyes lit up upon seeing Tang Wen; he hurriedly waved and said:

"Tang Wen, I'm Li Chang, Ah Chang; Brother Hai sent me to buy a boat from you.

How has this place changed? When was this built?"

Li Chang's attitude was almost unrecognizable compared to before, but that was because he had been greeted warmly by Tang Er Er.

The professional Security Chief Tang Er Er stood two meters twenty tall and weighed two hundred twenty; standing there, he looked like a door god.

Early in the morning, Li Chang arrived on a motorcycle wearing sunglasses; seeing the towering walls and the "Gaijin Shipyard" sign, he thought he had gone to the wrong place, then asked Tang Er Er if he knew where Tang Wen was.

Perhaps because his expression, honed by frequently collecting protection fees, was too provoking, the moment he asked, Commander Tang Er Er keenly sensed Li Chang wasn't a good person and deliberately pressed him with questions.

Li Chang, still carrying his momentum, instinctively invoked Zheng Hai's name to intimidate, but Tang Er Er directly drew the baton at his waist; immediately, his eyes cleared up considerably.

As a "society person" who had risen from the bottom, Li Chang knew the essence of the underworld was bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Shipyard workers, big men full of strength, were clearly not wise targets; Tang Er Er was visibly unbeatable.

Especially after hearing from the other party that Tang Wen was suspected to be the shipyard owner, Li Chang decisively lowered his stance.

This change of attitude caught Tang Wen somewhat off guard; he had been worrying about the shipyard's massive transformation, but seeing this scene, his thoughts suddenly shifted:

Now he was no longer fighting alone; with a magical shipyard and loyal system slaves, could he still fear a gang?

Tang Wen quickly adjusted his mindset; he had no intention of inviting Li Chang inside, so he blocked the doorway and said:

"Buying a boat is certainly possible, but my place is currently undergoing upgrades and renovations, so it's inconvenient to invite Brother Chang inside.

I wonder how many boats Brother Hai wants to buy, and what changes from before?"

Li Chang could certainly sense Tang Wen's obvious change in attitude, but now he was alone and weak, so he could only answer honestly:

"The boat you gave Brother Hai last time worked very well; we want all the remaining four. The deposit is ten thousand; we need the goods in three months."

Two boats for twenty thousand wasn't small, and a Level One shipyard built them especially fast; Tang Wen immediately nodded:

"No problem, but why three months? Four speedboats don't take that long."

"It's not because of the boat; the motors must be bought from Xiangjiang, so we have to wait for now."

Li Chang shook his head and said:

"Only Yamaha has 180-horsepower motors; these imported goods are in high demand. You must book in advance; arrival will take at least two months.

Besides, a motor costs ten times more than a boat; the motor of one boat could buy an entire village."

The latter sentence was added deliberately; although he didn't know how such a vast complex of factories and a door-god-like security guard had suddenly appeared, he still wanted to intimidate Tang Wen with numbers.

However, Tang Wen suddenly thought of something and asked Li Chang:

"How much do you pay for a motor? Do you have fifty thousand?"

Li Chang had been involved in buying motors, so he nodded.

"Something like that."

"I have 250-horsepower motors, only forty thousand each, and I can supply as many as you want—do you want them?"

"If you pair them with a boat, I'll give you the hull for free—a complete boat for one hundred sixty thousand, and I can deliver four in half a month!"

As Tang Wen spoke and calculated, his heart quickened with excitement.

How could he have forgotten? Tax-exempt officials have plenty of money—they're willing to spend two hundred thousand on four motors per boat. Making money from them would be much faster.

If all four boats bought their motors from him, sixteen motors would be six hundred forty thousand—equivalent to over ten thousand silver coins!

A Yamaha 180-horsepower motor costs fifty thousand; the Gaijin Shipyard's 250-horsepower motor costs only forty thousand—any fool knows which to choose.

Tang Wen assumed Li Chang, at the very least, would respond with delighted agreement—but the latter looked as if he'd been startled, nodded, and stared at him with an odd expression, then finally said, "I need to discuss this with Hai Ge," before riding off on his motorcycle.

Wait, the deposit hasn't even been paid yet!