Chapter 720: A Desperate Gamble

In the blink of an eye, another year had passed.

Ever since the price war began with Xu Xinghai's Fenghua Garment, Xueru Clothing had been like a cheat code, opening store after store.

They didn't just open their own stores; they started wholesaling, and even built their own wholesale city, allowing merchants they approved of to move in.

Beijing Zoo, Xidan, Wangfujing, Xiushui Street—their wholesale markets were everywhere.

With high-quality, low-priced clothing, shoes, hats, and bags being sold incessantly, Xu Xinghai's Fenghua Garment was utterly decimated.

At first, Xu Xinghai was still stubborn, thinking that Chen Xueru couldn't keep this up for long.

But one day, two days, one month, two months—Chen Xueru persisted for a whole year.

Xu Xinghai drew funds from everywhere to fill the void, even losing the nest egg he had saved over the years, yet he still couldn't win.

Chen Xueru's money seemed to have been blown in by a gale; no matter how much she lost, it never ran out.

This year, Xueru Clothing completely made a name for itself, and merchants from the entire Huabei region came here to stock up.

At Hongbinlou Restaurant, Xu Xinghai slapped the table and cursed: "That woman Chen Xueru is too ruthless! She's not leaving us any way to survive!"

Liu Guangtian advised: "Xinghai, we can't stay in Beijing anymore. Why don't we move to Tianjin?"

"Tianjin, my ass!" Xu Xinghai glared at him irritably. "Haven't you noticed that the entire Huabei region is going to Chen Xueru to stock up? We're finished!"

"He Yuzhu has twenty restaurants over there, making a fortune every day. The money Chen Xueru is losing is probably being covered by him. We really can't beat them," said Liu Guangfu.

Tian Xiaohao asked with a bitter face: "Big Brother, what should we do next? We can barely pay the brothers' wages, and there's a lot of resentment."

A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Xu Xinghai's eyes: "Since she is heartless, don't blame me for being unrighteous. Liu Guangtian, you know the warehouses for Xueru Clothing, right? Tomorrow night, go and torch them."

Liu Guangtian frowned: "Xinghai, that's illegal. Once caught, your life is over."

"You raise an army for a thousand days to use them for an hour." Xu Xinghai's voice dropped. "I've been supporting you lot for nearly two years, and you can't even handle this?"

Liu Guangtian slapped the table, also getting angry: "Xu Xinghai, that's uncalled for. I've led the brothers to handle plenty of things for you over the years, and I didn't take your money for nothing."

"Then handle one last thing," Xu Xinghai stared at him. "Torch all three of Xueru Clothing's warehouses."

Liu Guangtian shook his head: "I don't get along with the He Family, but I haven't reached the point of torching their warehouses. Fighting or grabbing territory is fine. Torch a warehouse? That's a death sentence. I'm not doing it."

Tian Xiaohao also chimed in to persuade him: "Big Brother, we need to be careful. The mainland is different from where you're from. The laws here are strict, and there are many surveillance cameras; one check and you're caught."

Xu Xinghai suddenly burst into laughter: "Brothers, I was just joking with you! Testing your loyalty. Now it seems, it's not so great."

Liu Guangtian's face remained dark, and he didn't laugh: "Xinghai, we grew up together, you don't need to test me. I've been in the streets for many years and have my own principles. If people don't offend me, I don't offend them. We started the price war; if our skills are inferior, we admit defeat. They are competing with us fair and square. If we can't beat them, we move elsewhere. What's the big deal?"

"Good! Brother Guangtian said it well!" Xu Xinghai clapped hard, but his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

The meal ended amidst hypocritical pleasantries.

After Liu Guangtian and Tian Xiaohao left, Xu Xinghai called Xu Xingfu to his home.

Once the door was closed, Xu Xinghai got straight to the point: "Second brother, we have to act in these two days. Burn all those warehouses, and then we'll head to Myanmar."

Xu Xingfu hesitated: "Brother, why must we set this fire?"

Xu Xinghai said coldly: "I'll tell you the truth. We're finished. All the money is lost, and we owe the suppliers a mountain of debt. That woman Chen Xueru destroyed thirty years of my hard work, and I won't let her have it easy either."

"Brother, doesn't our nephew still have a factory in Guangdong Province?"

Xu Xinghai sighed: "That's finished too. I pulled a large amount of working capital over here, and that side collapsed along with it. Xu Xiaowei has already returned to Hong Kong, and he also owes a lot of money. If we burn Chen Xueru's warehouses, we can't return to Hong Kong either; I owe people there a lot of money too. We have to go to Myanmar."

Xu Xingfu frowned, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Xu Xinghai looked him straight in the eye: "Second brother, are you willing to do this with me or not?"

Xu Xingfu slapped his thigh: "Brother, we were separated for thirty years, and you still came to find me; I am very moved. From now on, I won't be separated from you again. Wherever you point, I'll strike."

Xu Xinghai nodded and asked: "Among our brothers, which ones do you think can come with us?"

Xu Xingfu thought for a moment: "In terms of loyalty, Tian Xiaohao counts as one, and Feng Baoshan and Ma Xiaowei are also not bad. Chen Zhiguo and Sun Qiang are passable too. As for the others, I'm not so sure."

Xu Xinghai made the decision immediately: "Then call them over tomorrow night and give each of them ten thousand yuan. We'll torch all four of Chen Xueru's warehouses at once and flee Si Jiu Cheng overnight."

The next night, Tian Xiaohao, Feng Baoshan, Ma Xiaowei, Chen Zhiguo, and Sun Qiang had all arrived.

Xu Xinghai didn't waste words and said directly: "Brothers, I can't swallow this insult. Tonight, we are going to burn all four of Chen Xueru's warehouses. After we're done, we'll meet downstairs at the company, and I'll take you to Myanmar to make a comeback."

The men looked at each other, no one saying a word.

Xu Xinghai pulled a pistol from his waist and slapped it on the table: "If you don't want to go along with this, I'll tie you up and leave you in the company with water and food. You can only leave after we've been gone for a few days."

"Big Brother, we'll do it with you! We'll follow you to the ends of the earth!" the men said almost in unison.

Xu Xinghai smiled with satisfaction. He gave each of them ten thousand yuan and began assigning tasks: "Tian Xiaohao, you take Feng Baoshan to the warehouse at the Beijing Zoo. There are two security guards there who love to drink; they'll be drunk by nine or ten o'clock. Xu Xingfu, you take Sun Qiang to the one at Xiushui. There's a big dog in that courtyard; throw a few meat buns in first." As he spoke, he handed over a plastic bag. "Chen Zhiguo and Ma Xiaowei, you go to the one at Wangfujing. There's a hole in the wall outside that courtyard you can crawl through. The incendiary materials are in the car at the door. Once done, meet downstairs at the company."

After the assignments were finished, Xu Xinghai drove off alone, heading straight for the warehouse in Xidan.

Courtyard, East Cross Courtyard.

A burst of urgent phone ringing dragged He Yuzhu out of his sleep.

He answered the phone groggily and glanced at the clock—it was already the middle of the night.

On the other end of the line was Li Xiangxiu's voice: "Zhuzi? Xu Xinghai's gang is going to burn the four warehouses of Xueru Clothing!"

He Yuzhu broke out in a cold sweat and instantly sobered up: "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"They have our people inside. The mole knocked one person out before sending the message, but the other three groups have already set off."

"Which location do you want me to go to?" He Yuzhu decided decisively.

"The one at Xiushui! It's the furthest from us; we won't make it in time if we go there."

"Alright, I'm going now!"

Chen Xueru was woken up and asked groggily: "Zhuzi, what's wrong?"

"Xu Xinghai is going to make a move on your warehouses."

Chen Xueru broke out in a cold sweat and was completely awake: "Then what should we do?"

"Is there a lot of stuff in your warehouses?"

"There isn't much. Prices are low now, turnover is fast, and most of the goods are shipped out after being stored for a day or two."

"That's good. I'm going to the one at Xiushui."

Chen Xueru heard this and grew anxious: "Over at Xiushui... a large batch of goods just happened to be stored there!"