Su Tianyu looked up at the young man in the doorway and grinned. "Been a few days, Brother Kong!"
The newcomer was none other than the quiet, deadpan Kong Zhenghui. He nodded at Su Tianyu. "Life's treating you well, Brother Tianyu."
"Not bad. Mingyuan treats me to fancy food every day and parties every night."
"Keep at it. I've known since you were little that you had a future-a real talent for shady business." Kong Zhenghui patted Tianyu's shoulder with dry humor, then bent down and sat on the sofa.
"You already know each other, so I'll skip the introductions." Yu Mingyuan smiled at Su Tianyu and said plainly, "The Kong Family has a stake in this."
Su Tianyu nodded slowly. "Any business Brother Kong sees potential in can't be bad."
Yu Mingyuan got straight to the point. He took the cups from the tea tray, arranged them in his own order, and said, "Sanitation companies all have their own regional networks. There's the Fuzi Chamber of Commerce's Changqing network, the Shanghai Association, and your Su Family's northern network. Those are all hidden assets. If we work together, we'll establish the initial sales channels, and you'll develop new ones. If you can open up distribution within your own networks, this business will make money in your sleep."
Even without Yu Mingyuan spelling it out, Su Tianyu had already considered that. According to their earlier discussion, the Su Family would only handle transportation and assist with sales, but that was the lowest rung a team could occupy. Any other team could do the same work; there was no specialized expertise required whatsoever. So Yu Mingyuan must have approached the Su Family for something else. That wasn't hard to guess.
The three sat drinking tea and chatting. After they briefly discussed the outlines of the business, another young man walked in.
Su Tianyu had met him before. His name was Tang Baiqing, and he was about thirty-two or thirty-three. He was thin and handsome, but he always looked half asleep, as though his health wasn't very good.
Su Tianyu had a good memory. He remembered Yu Mingyuan introducing this man to him before. He seemed to work for the Coast Guard, though his exact position hadn't been mentioned.
"Tianyu, you've met Baiqing."
"I have. Hello, Brother Tang." Su Tianyu offered him his hand.
"Hello." Tang Baiqing's face was very pale. He yawned, shook Su Tianyu's hand, and sat beside Yu Mingyuan.
"Baiqing works at the Coast Guard Anti-Smuggling Bureau," Yu Mingyuan said with a smile. "Our business won't get far without his help."
Tang Baiqing lounged lazily on the sofa, his left foot propped on the coffee table and his hands tucked together. "You're the one looking after me, Young Master Yu, giving lowly civil servants like us a chance to earn something on the side."
"We help each other out, haha!" Yu Mingyuan grinned, then quietly added, "Baiqing's father and my dad are good friends too."
"So your families go way back." At that, Su Tianyu understood everything.
Why had Yu Mingyuan been taking him to all those big parties and dinners every day? Looking back, none of it had been casual. Yu Mingyuan had two goals: to let Su Tianyu see the extent of his connections without making a point of it, and to introduce him to people involved in this business.
With that realization, Yu Mingyuan rose a few notches in Su Tianyu's estimation. He felt that the man was methodical and patient.
"Tianyu, go home and discuss this with your second uncle. If you're interested in joining us, we'll start putting things together." After chatting with everyone for a while, Yu Mingyuan got to the point. "I can't promise anything else, but if we keep this business running for a few years, come rain or shine, your Su Family will be in a completely different league."
Su Tianyu smiled. "I'm just an idle guy at home, and I'll definitely be applying for a civil service job down the line. I don't have a say in this. It'll be up to my second uncle. But if it involves breaking the law, I'm afraid he might... You know how older people are. They're cautious."
"I'll tell you again: this business isn't smuggling. We have special supply permits," Yu Mingyuan explained with a frown. "But we can't operate openly either, because we'd be stepping on a lot of people's interests."
Su Tianyu nodded slowly.
"Right, go back and talk to him. If he's in, we'll work out the details."
"All right." Su Tianyu nodded.
Tang Baiqing glanced at Su Tianyu and said in a weak voice, "Kid, what on earth are you thinking, applying for the civil service? Even a bureau director only makes a few thousand a month. What's the damn point? Take Mingyuan's advice and focus on trading. Once you've got money, you can just buy yourself an official position."
"Haha, sure." Su Tianyu didn't argue. He simply nodded along.
After their discussion, Su Tianyu left alone and took a ride home.
A little after five that evening, the Su Family gathered in the courtyard for dinner. The moment Su Miaomiao saw Su Tianyu, she called out, "A really pretty girl came looking for you today."
"Huh?" Su Tianyu was baffled.
"Not bad, Dog Six! You've only been working a few days, and you're already bringing women home?" Su Miaomiao teased with a smile. "You're just like your second brother."
"Who was it?" Su Tianyu was still confused.
"I think... I think her name was Qiqi or something. I was busy and didn't remember."
"Shit, I forgot!" Only then did Su Tianyu remember that he still hadn't fixed An Qiqi's car as promised. "Never mind. I'll go see her in the next couple of days."
"How have things been lately, Six? Settling in at the company?" his eldest brother asked.
"Let's eat first. Afterward, I'll have a private meeting with you and the old man." Su Tianyu picked up his bowl and started eating.
After dinner, Su Tianyu called his eldest brother and second uncle into a side room in the main building, where they sat down to talk.
After hearing Dog Six's explanation, Su Zhengcai frowned slightly. "Smuggling? Is this reliable?"
"It's not smuggling. From what Yu Mingyuan said, these are special supply permits tacitly approved by the authorities, and only a handful of people are allowed to operate. The Kong Family is already getting ready to join, and I've met Yu Mingyuan's main contact." Su Tianyu considered it, then added, "Personally, I think the Yu Family has the clout to make this work."
"Being framed last time left me a little wary." Despite his rough appearance and his distinctly rough-and-ready manner of speaking, Su Zhengcai was actually a thoughtful man. "We're doing the legwork. That means we'll have to collect and deliver the goods ourselves. If anything goes wrong, it won't be easy to sort out."
Su Tianyu thought carefully. "Uncle, you mean...?"
"It'd be best if someone could test the waters first and see how things go."
Su Tianyu paused, then blurted out, "Could Zhannan District's greatest man of culture-Bai Hongbo-test the waters?"
As soon as he said it, the three scheming bastards in the room exchanged looks.
"Absolutely!" Su Zhengcai slapped his thigh. "Six, hanging around that idiot hasn't been a waste after all!"
"The Bai Family has the capital to get involved, and they've got the chamber of commerce backing them. They've got built-in sales potential. Yu Mingyuan probably didn't invite them because they haven't caught on yet and haven't made the right overtures." Su Tianyu immediately stood up. "I've got to do this good deed. I'll go talk to Big Bai."
"Go now. If that idiot figures it out first, we'll be in trouble." Su Tianbei, who had overheard their conversation from outside, walked in and added that snide remark.
Half an hour later, at the Bai Family's freight yard, Bai Hongbo gave Su Tianyu a sidelong look. "You're already that close with Yu Mingyuan?"
"Just a little, just a little," Su Tianyu said quietly. "If you want in, I'll make the connection and put in a word with Yu Mingyuan."
"I've got plenty of friends at the docks. There's good money in this line of work. I want in, but I don't know... whether my dad will agree!"
"Hurry home and ask him. I'll wait to hear from you, okay?"
"All right. I'll head home."
Once they'd agreed, Bai Hongbo drove his big off-roader straight home.
In the Bai Family's study, Old Man Bai sat reading in his chair and scolded him. "Have you got the brains for this? And you want to get involved?!"
"I think it's an opportunity. Just now..."
"Stop messing around. I'll be perfectly happy if you look after what little our family already has."
"Dad, the Su Family is going to do it, and the Kong Family is in too!"
"...!" Old Man Bai abruptly looked up. "That old bastard Su Zhengcai is willing to get into this business too?"
"He is!"
"Then we're in!" Old Man Bai replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "He's already tested the minefield. Wouldn't we be idiots not to do it?!"
With that single remark, Zhannan District's most cultured family committed itself fully, and a bloody struggle quietly drew near.
At the Yu Family home.
Phone in hand, Yu Mingyuan said softly, "We just talked, but I think it's pretty much settled. Start getting ready."
Before you continue