A Major Expansion

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, two days had gone by.

That day, Wang Yan was discussing the logistics company with Lü Shouyi when his phone rang.

He answered without thinking. It was Cheng Yong.

"I need three hundred thousand. I need it now," Cheng Yong said bluntly.

Wang Yan was a straightforward man too. "Wait for me at your shop." Then he hung up.

Looks like he's at the end of his rope, Wang Yan thought.

He went to the supermarket and bought a large bag, then took three hundred thousand in cash from his storage space. That was something Wang Yan always kept on hand.

He drove straight to Cheng Yong's God Oil Shop.

Inside, Cheng Yong was sprawled on the floor, smoking with one hand and holding a bottle of alcohol in the other. He looked up at Wang Yan without saying a word.

It was the despair of someone who'd lost hope in life. Wang Yan had never experienced it and never would, but he understood.

Wang Yan said nothing. He tossed the bag containing the three hundred thousand onto the floor in front of Cheng Yong with a smack.

Three hundred thousand in cash had some heft to it. Cheng Yong looked noticeably more alert.

Wang Yan said, "This definitely won't be enough. Consider it a deposit for now. The rest will depend on how things turn out. You understand what I mean, right?"

Cheng Yong said, "I understand. What do you need me to do?"

"No rush. Get settled first. Contact me once you're ready."

"All right, I'll get going. I'll wait for your call." With that, Wang Yan walked out of Cheng Yong's God Oil Shop.

Another week passed, and both Cheng Yong and Huang Mao had finished taking care of their affairs.

They called Wang Yan at almost the same time.

Wang Yan arranged for them to meet, found a restaurant, and began planning their next steps.

Seated at the table, Wang Yan noticed that Huang Mao had cut off his dyed hair and gotten a buzz cut. He looked a lot more presentable.

Wang Yan nodded in approval. "Look at you. You look much better. What was that mess you had before?"

Then he asked, "Did your family all get tested? Was there a match?"

"My older brother was a match for me. He agreed to do it."

Huang Mao nodded. Several days had passed, but knowing he could be saved still left him unable to contain his excitement.

"Good. Then you can have the surgery in a few months."

Afraid Huang Mao might misunderstand, Wang Yan explained, "I'm not stringing you along. I still need you to help get things started. Two or three months should be enough."

Then he turned to Cheng Yong and asked with concern, "Your father's doing all right now, isn't he?"

Cheng Yong replied, "He's had the surgery. There's nothing seriously wrong now. He just needs to take it easy and recover."

"He's getting on in years, after all. He can't handle much more. Don't send him to the nursing home again. They have too many old people to care for as it is. Hire a caregiver instead. Do you still have money?" Wang Yan asked.

"I've still got plenty," Cheng Yong answered.

"Good. I won't say anything more. If you run short, tell me."

As he spoke, he turned to Huang Mao. "Same goes for you."

After a pause, he continued, "That's enough family talk. Let's discuss what you'll be doing next."

"It's simple. Old Cheng, you have connections in India, don't you? You'll handle smuggling the medicine. A-Hao, you'll find more patients and sell it to them. Clear division of labor."

"Any questions?"

When he saw them shake their heads, he said, "Good. Then let's go over the details."

Wang Yan then explained everything to them in detail.

He trusted Cheng Yong. The man had weathered decades of ups and downs and understood plenty. He'd been smuggling for years and knew the ropes, so Wang Yan didn't need to explain much.

Huang Mao, on the other hand—oh, right, he couldn't be called Huang Mao anymore. He'd shaved it all off, so what was left to call yellow?

Peng Hao, then. Wang Yan had to worry about him quite a bit. Peng Hao was young and stubborn, and he had no experience managing a group. Wang Yan had to teach him everything step by step.

Wang Yan wasn't much of an expert himself. He'd never had experience in this sort of thing before. He had the four months since his transmigration to thank for his progress, along with his much higher mental stats. He'd improved remarkably fast. Teaching Huang Mao was well within his abilities, and it gave him some practice too.

Wang Yan talked on and on for quite a while. At last, he made sure they both—Peng Hao in particular—understood what to do.

From then on, he could keep an eye on things and step in when needed. There shouldn't be any major problems.

"That's all. You both understand what needs to be done, so get started."

When Wang Yan finished, the three of them went their separate ways and got to work.

Over the next while, Wang Yan took Cheng Yong and Peng Hao to India.

He transferred the domestic distribution rights to Peng Hao and had them deliver the goods to Cheng Yong. Cheng Yong then used his connections to transport the medicine into the country.

As for Peng Hao, Wang Yan handed him all the patients who had previously been under Liu Sihui's care. Peng Hao would be responsible for maintaining those relationships and handling sales.

Peng Hao was quick to learn. Wang Yan spent some time training him, and Peng Hao soon had things running smoothly. It wasn't flawless, but it was at least respectable, with few mistakes. He also grew more and more mature.

Wang Yan was very satisfied with Peng Hao's progress. In this line of work, the most important thing was to stay steady.

And Peng Hao was on the right track.

Wang Yan, meanwhile, used his two companies to get things moving. The companies benefited from the boom that followed Hua Nation's entry into the WTO and quickly got onto the fast track. Shanghai was also a major port, and its cargo throughput kept increasing, allowing Cao Cao Logistics to expand rapidly.

Wang Yan arranged loans for both companies. With their recent rapid growth, getting the loans approved was easy.

He kept the loan money separate from the laundered funds. Then he hired aggressively and set up logistics channels in different areas.

Of course, many of the employees he hired were still family members of patients. Their benefits and pay were among the best of the era.

Money still went a long way in those days. With the funds at his disposal, Wang Yan helped the logistics company spread everywhere, expanding its operations further and further.

Money made everything easier, no matter the era. In two months, he had expanded the logistics company throughout the areas surrounding Shanghai, using its network to deliver medicine to patients.

The rapid growth of the logistics company and the Clothing Factory aroused suspicion in some people. But Wang Yan's books were impeccable. Every transaction was clear, the businesses were operated legally, and they never dodged taxes. They paid on time. Besides, Lü Shouyi—not Wang Yan—was the legal representative. He hadn't put Wang Jia's name down because, if anything went wrong, Lü Shouyi could take the fall. It wouldn't be a big deal anyway. After an investigation turned up nothing, people eventually stopped paying attention to Wang Yan's rise.

With Cheng Yong and Peng Hao handling their side of things, Wang Yan only needed to check in occasionally. There wasn't much else to worry about.

Liu Sihui and Lü Shouyi managed the companies, and they were becoming more and more capable.

As for Wang Jia, she stayed home to look after Lü Ping. When she had nothing else to do, she'd take the stroller out shopping with Liu Sihui. It was a comfortable life.

They were all doing well, and Wang Yan didn't need to spend much energy worrying about them. He only had to make sure things stayed on course.

Although he didn't have much work to do, Wang Yan still wasn't idle.

Every day, he trained his body, studied all kinds of subjects, and kept improving, adapting, and elevating himself. Every now and then, he used what he remembered to trade stocks. The virus was beginning to show signs of emerging, and people in some areas were growing uneasy. The stock market was also in constant turmoil, and Wang Yan made quite a bit from it.

It wasn't that Wang Yan was heartless or anything. The truth was, nobody could do much in a situation like that. He wasn't highly placed and didn't have that kind of influence. What could he do besides donate some supplies and money?

It wouldn't be wrong to say Wang Yan was worth tens of millions now, and that didn't even include the funds he hadn't fully laundered yet.

He opened the System Panel.

Wang Yan

Attributes: Strength 8

Agility 8

Constitution 9

Spirit 13

Unallocated Points 0

Storage Space 1m

Skills: English LV2

Fighting LV1

Management LV1

...A bunch of omitted Level 0 skills.

Wang Yan had made great progress with his training and studies during this period.

His weight had gone from 145 to 150. His strength, agility, and constitution had each increased by one point. He'd improved quickly at first because his body had been out of shape. Now he wouldn't be able to keep improving at the same rate for the next six months. All in all, though, he was making steady progress.

His English skill had reached LV2. According to the system, he now had a proficient command of English—that is, he'd reached the proficient level. He'd also been studying Sanda, Mixed Martial Arts, and other fighting disciplines, and had finally gained a basic grasp of fighting. With his current physical condition, if he fought an ordinary person without exceptional talent, he should be able to win, though he might get hurt.

Wang Yan had also spent half a year managing things, and it hadn't been for nothing. His management skill had reached the introductory level, LV1. Many of his other skills, like stocks and finance, physical fitness and health maintenance, and a whole lot more, had improved to some extent too.

To tell the truth, Wang Yan was starting to think he didn't want to leave. Here, he was a successful man worth tens of millions, with plenty of free time and nothing to do but improve himself. In the real world, he was just an ordinary, unpopular real estate salesman. It was obvious which life was better.

Wang Yan knew it wasn't realistic to stay. All he could do was keep learning and improving. He might end up in a world torn apart by war and gunfire someday. The more skills he had, the better his chances of survival.

Over the past two months, Wang Yan's medicine-selling business had developed into a complete industrial chain.

At the top, Cheng Yong smuggled the medicine into the country. In the middle, the logistics company and transportation of the medicine supported each other and continued to expand. At the final stage, Peng Hao distributed the medicine to patients, who paid in turn.

Countless people were involved along the way, but very few knew the truth. Delivering medicine and collecting money were handled through separate channels, both under Peng Hao's control.

To be honest, Wang Yan was taking advantage of how honest the kid was. On the other hand, if he hadn't been honest, Wang Yan wouldn't have dared to use him.

As sales grew, Wang Yan could no longer keep things under control.

Nuowa Company had already noticed the counterfeits while he was selling them before. Now Wang Yan had increased the volume and kept selling for another two months. The counterfeit medicine had flooded the market. Nuowa Company had suffered direct losses of over a hundred million during this period.

Nuowa Company erupted. It immediately began a fierce crackdown.

There was nothing to be done. The pharmaceutical industry was deep water, and once Nuowa Company started making waves, the power of the pharmaceutical giant was on full display.

One leader after another made phone calls, piling on pressure until it reached the Shanghai police. The officers didn't want to deal with this mess either, but what choice did they have? One order from above, and those below had to run themselves ragged.

Wang Yan had prepared for this. With only a few days left until the New Year, he put everything on hold and decided to resume after the holiday.

January 31, 2003. New Year's Eve.

On this day of twinkling lights and nationwide celebration, Wang Yan gathered a group of people to celebrate the New Year together.

Lü Shouyi and Wang Jia brought their child, Liu Sihui and Liu Tiantian came together, and Huang Mao, Peng Hao, joined them since he hadn't gone home.

Cheng Yong had planned to come too, but his family consisted of only the three men, and his father wasn't well enough to go out, so Wang Yan told them to stay home.

They happily watched the Spring Festival Gala together, ate their New Year's Eve dinner, and reminisced about the past while looking toward the future.

Listening to the firecrackers crackling outside, Wang Yan sighed, "Now this is what New Year's is supposed to be like." Shanghai hadn't banned fireworks and firecrackers yet, and the Spring Festival Gala was still putting on one classic performance after another. It was well worth watching.

Wang Yan drank quite a lot that day. Lü Shouyi made an exception and drank a little too. He was truly grateful to his brother-in-law. Without him, he wouldn't have the happy life he had now.

There was no need to say much about Peng Hao. Wang Yan had already told him his surgery would be arranged after the New Year. He now had enough to eat and wear, and the hope of a better future was just around the corner. He was deeply grateful to Wang Yan.

Liu Sihui needed no further mention. Wang Yan had her completely wrapped around his finger.

The table was filled with laughter. Everyone there had a better life because of Wang Yan. This was the happiest New Year they'd had in years.

The world wasn't full of laughter, of course. People's joys and sorrows didn't always align, but Wang Yan couldn't hear the commotion elsewhere.

As the Spring Festival Gala counted down and countless fireworks bloomed outside the window, 2003 arrived.

After the New Year, Wang Yan arranged for Peng Hao to have the surgery. Before he left, Huang Mao gave him the phone number of one of his men.

Wang Yan resumed selling Gleevec remotely. The authorities were cracking down hard in Shanghai, so Wang Yan stopped selling there and moved from place to place instead.

Before long, Zhao Lizhong, Nuowa Company's domestic manager, was at his wits' end. Falling sales and the money he was losing were secondary concerns. The main problem was that Switzerland had already expressed its displeasure several times. If he still couldn't find a solution, Zhao Lizhong's career would soon be over.

But no matter how desperate he was, there wasn't much he could do. He could only keep pressuring the police, while the parent company pressured India.

India wasn't the least bit intimidated. Everything came down to an exchange of interests, and empty threats wouldn't scare them. They stood their ground and used the opportunity to negotiate all sorts of conditions.

The police were in a difficult position too. When they went out to investigate and question people, patients looked at them like enemies.

They managed to arrest a few people. Even the tightest organization had its weak links, but these were all minor players, and they were patients too. Since they'd been paid well, they said nothing. The police could do nothing about it and had no leads at all.

Wang Yan also felt that the situation was getting complicated. He'd always thought he'd planned for every possibility, but when trouble came, he realized there were still plenty of gaps.

That was only natural. Wang Yan was just an ordinary person. Everything he'd learned and experienced before didn't add up to as much as what he'd learned over the past six months. Without the advantage of knowing what would happen ahead of time, he'd already have been behind bars, singing "Tears Behind Bars."

As Wang Yan was thinking, Peng Hao called and told him that someone named Zhang Changlin had contacted him, asking for a channel to get Gleevec.

Peng Hao's surgery had gone very well. He was recovering under observation in the hospital, and there were no signs of rejection. If things continued that way, he'd be discharged after a while. Aside from directing his men to sell the medicine, he had nothing to do all day. He was just waiting to get arrested and go to prison.

Over the past six months, Wang Yan had unknowingly become immersed in this whole affair. He'd also been studying constantly, and since he didn't have perfect recall, some of the things he'd remembered at first were starting to slip away.

Peng Hao's call reminded Wang Yan. "How could I have forgotten about him?" He was so excited he slapped his thigh.

"This Zhang Changlin really is a professional. The police haven't even found Peng Hao, and he's already here." Wang Yan could only marvel at how everyone had their specialty.

Wang Yan gave Huang Mao some instructions and told him to deal with Zhang Changlin and negotiate terms first.

Huang Mao would need a while longer to get out of the hospital, so he couldn't do much right now. They could stall for a little while.

Wang Yan made up his mind and disappeared without a trace.

At this point, he couldn't afford to consider the patients' feelings. All he could do was try his best to reassure them. He'd never faced a situation this serious before. If he couldn't keep things under control, he'd be behind bars, singing "Tears Behind Bars."

For now, he could only say everything he could think of to placate them, promising to resume sales in at most a month, when the price would be reduced to four thousand. After a great deal of effort, he finally managed to stabilize the situation...