As Di Junda was lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang out beside him. When he looked up, a young man had appeared opposite him, smiling at him. Di Junda nodded slightly. "I am Di Junda, and who are you?"
"My name is Tan Jingwei. I'm currently making a living in the Shanghai Steamship Association thanks to everyone's help." Tan Jingwei took out his business card holder from his jacket pocket, picked out a business card, and instead of handing it to Di Junda, he placed it on the table and pushed it towards Di Junda with two fingers.
Upon hearing the name Tan Jingwei, Di Junda's expression changed slightly, and even the corner of his eye twitched slightly. He then glanced down at the business card and said, "I have long admired Mr. Tam's name."
"Oh? Mr. Di already knew about me?" Tan Jingwei raised his champagne glass to Di Junda, then took a sip himself before calmly asking Di Junda a question.
"I originally intended to salvage any leftovers or scraps from Boss Zeng's business, but after thinking it over, I realized that Mr. Tam had taken over Boss Zeng's assets, leaving not a single scrap for anyone else—clean and efficient." Di Junda picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said that he had heard of Tan Jingwei's name before, "Not just me, I'm afraid many people in the Shanghai Shipping Gang know Mr. Tam's name, they just haven't met him yet."
Tan Jingwei replied casually and politely, "Oh dear, it's my fault for not being meticulous enough. Please forgive my shortcomings."
Di Junda, or rather, some members of the Shanghai Steamship Association, or the Shanghai Shipping Gang for short, had known the name Tan Jingwei for some time. They were not interested in Tan Jingwei before, nor did they want to know. What they were really eyeing was Zeng Chunsheng, or more specifically, Zeng Chunsheng's assets.
Zeng Chunsheng acted on his own initiative, attempting to sink Lei Danzi's cargo ship and sowing discord between the two sides, putting Chairman Yu Shiting in a very difficult position. Yu Shiting was not going to let him go. From the day Yu Shiting invited Di Junda and his men to listen to the opera "The Sudden Change," everyone had already realized that even if Zeng Chunsheng didn't die, Yu Shiting wouldn't keep him in Hong Kong. Therefore, Zeng Chunsheng's businesses in Hong Kong couldn't be taken away; they could only be disposed of. These people had been keeping a close eye on Zeng Chunsheng 'Zeng Chunsheng assets and every clue he might have, ready to surround him and tear off his prize at any moment.
Unexpectedly, Zeng Chunsheng's assets did not wait for Yu Shiting to take over, nor did they get the chance to get a share. Zeng Chunsheng did not even encounter retaliation from the Hong Kong Boat Gang guild. Instead, Zeng Chunsheng's widow sold the Zeng family's entire business in Taiwan to a man named Tan Jingwei.
The fact that Zeng Chunsheng had close ties with certain people in Taiwan was no secret to many in the Shanghai Shipping Gang. However, the fact that Taiwan had actually come to the forefront was somewhat unexpected. Tan Jingwei's appearance in Hong Kong, although many members of the Shanghai Shipping Gang had not yet met him, had already guessed Tan Jingwei intentions. He was simply taking advantage of the deteriorating relations between the two sides to stop all ships smuggling prohibited goods to the mainland, thus cutting off the mainland's supply of goods.
It's not surprising that Taiwan would do something like this. On the North Korea battlefield, Di Junda heard that Chiang Kai-shek sent the Nationalist Army to fight for the United States. It wasn't shameful enough that hundreds of thousands of troops in Taiwan were beaten into a state of utter defeat, so why send people to the North Korea battlefield to continue the disgrace? Losing the war isn't shameful, but to help foreigners stab your compatriots in the back and cut off their supply lines after losing the war is truly despicable.
"I wonder what Mr. Tam wants to talk to an unknown nobody like me about?" Di Junda asked with little interest.
He had made up his mind that no matter what the other party said, whether it was cooperation, alliance, or asking him to do business in Taiwan, he would ignore it all. He would just watch these Taiwan guys try to help the United States cut off China person supplies. He, Di Junda, would never bother with them again. Back in Shanghai Bund, he was the one who had to curry favor with the Nationalist Government officials. Now, he never expected that people with Taiwan backgrounds would actually come to him to curry favor. Times had really changed.
"I've come to see Mr. Di specifically to ask him something, Fourth Brother."
After Tan Jingwei finished speaking, his Fourth Brother, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and handed him a small bag he was carrying. Tan Jingwei placed it on the table, slowly opened it, and took out a black cloth bundle from the bag. As he untied the bundle, he spoke to Di Junda:
"I've long heard that Mr. Di is a renowned collector. I know nothing about antiques, but I was lucky enough to acquire one a few days ago. I'd like to ask Mr. Di, since we're both members of the Shanghai Steamship Association, to take a look at it."
After saying this, the black cloth bundle was untied, and in Tan Jingwei's hand was an octagonal cup with a sky-blue and lilac-purple glaze.
Di Junda's gaze was immediately drawn to the octagonal cup, and he couldn't look away.
He was not interested in women or gambling, but he had one hobby that wasn't exactly a vice: collecting antiques. When he saw the octagonal cup in Tan Jingwei's hand, and then looked at Tan Jingwei's ambiguous smile, it seemed like he already had it all figured out.
Di Junda sighed, carefully wiped his hands with a napkin, and reached for the octagonal cup in Tan Jingwei's hand. "It looks like the glaze from Jun ware?"
"I know absolutely nothing about antiques, Mr. Di. Please take your time to examine it for me. As you look at it, I'll slowly explain the history of this antique." Tan Jingwei smiled and handed the octagonal cup in his hand to Di Junda.
Di Junda took it, delighted with it, but even so, he still glanced at Tan Jingwei and said, "Let's not talk about cooperation or joining forces. I'm afraid you've said such things to Zeng Chunsheng, and now Zeng Chunsheng's fate is unknown."
Tan Jingwei touched his forehead, clearly surprised that Di Junda, while holding his favorite antique, still managed to calmly signal him to shut up. Tan Jingwei chuckled, then suddenly his face hardened, his eyes turned icy, and his tone carried undisguised murderous intent:
"That wouldn't be good, would it? Wouldn't that mean I'd let you see my antiques for nothing? Besides, Mr. Di, if you don't discuss cooperation with me, I think you might end up like Boss Zeng, your fate unknown."