A fool wouldn't understand

Merchants valued profit over loyalty. Years of friendship came to nothing; what mattered most was getting cold, hard cash into their pockets.

Plenty of people refused to accept what Ding Ding said.

"Then give us a definite answer! When will you transfer the money?"

"Exactly... the slow season's almost here. I've got to make a living too!"

"Raw material prices went up this year too. The price I gave you barely covered my costs. I really can't hold on if you keep dragging this out!"

"..."

Ding Ding did the math. Selling off the factory buildings and equipment he had would still take time, and the fifty thousand tonnes of fabric hauled back from the docks wouldn't fetch much domestically. He really couldn't give them a definite answer.

It was hard not to take that silence as a sign of guilt. Several owners immediately kicked up a fuss, their clamor enough to give anyone a headache.

Clenching his back teeth, Ding Ding hurled the teapot in his hand onto the desk. The flying shards finally intimidated the crowd into silence.

"What good does shouting do? Do you think I can conjure money out of thin air?"

"But you can't just keep dragging this out! We've got to make a living!"

"Exactly, exactly... Mr. Ding..."

While the office was still in chaos, more noisy voices came from the elevator.

Several men dressed like migrant workers charged in. Ding Ding's headache worsened, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught the cold, triumphant smile on Li Hao's lips.

Business was war. Ding Ding wasn't naive enough to think these two groups had come together by coincidence.

He had known all along that today's events were a carefully planned setup. He just hadn't expected the other side to abandon even the last pretense of decency.

These migrant workers weren't as decorous as the owners. They all came in carrying implements, looking fierce and menacing.

"Boss! Our factory manager ran off. Doesn't that mean we should come to you for our wages?!"

"Your business is so big, so why are you still withholding wages? That's pretty damn underhanded!"

"If we don't get paid today, nobody's getting off easy!"

Ding Ding genuinely hadn't heard about the factory manager running away. Though caught off guard, his expression remained unshaken.

"You'll definitely get your wages. Go back first. The money will reach your accounts in the next couple of days."

"No way!"

"..."

Amid all the shouting, Ding Ding's mind wandered.

Ding Ding had personally taken part in decorating this office.

The ninth floor was neither high nor low. Hardly any street scenery was visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows; signs for other companies filled the view.

A law firm's blue logo and a tech company's silver emblem proclaimed, day and night, an orderly world of business.

He had fought tooth and nail to get in. At the thought that he might get his head bashed in and be thrown out, Ding Ding laughed aloud.

"Who are you trying to scare with that mop?"

Even a clay figurine had some fight in it. Faced with a group of people who couldn't be reasoned with at all, Ding Ding lost all patience.

He wasn't some young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth. After struggling his way through all these years, he wasn't the sort to swallow abuse.

"Come on." Ding Ding pointed at his own head. "Hit me here. Will killing me get you your money?"

"..."

Now that all pretense was gone, Ding Ding felt increasingly at ease.

"I don't care who sent you here today. If you want your money, you'll have to listen to me. I said a couple of days, and I mean a couple of days!"

The leader glanced toward the corner. Seeing the expression on Li Hao's face, he felt reassured and began shouting as he waved the implement in his hand.

"What couple of days? If I don't see the money today, don't think you're walking out that door upright!"

Ding Ding sneered. "I'd like to see how you plan to stop me from walking out upright!"

"You think I wouldn't dare?!"

"Then come on!"

As they went back and forth, both sides struggled to contain their tempers. Blood rushing to his head, the workers' leader actually charged forward with his stick.

Ding Ding wasn't afraid either. He stood straight, facing him.

Several suppliers looked as though they wanted to intervene, but in the end, none moved. They all felt it might be good to let this play out. Perhaps Ding Ding would buckle under the pressure and hand over the factory himself.

They shared an unspoken understanding. Everyone knew they wouldn't get their money at this juncture, and none of them had come to make trouble for the money.

The stick rose overhead. Ding Ding reached out to block it, only for a head to appear from nowhere in front of him.

The workers' leader hadn't intended to really strike him. He had judged the distance and held back his strength, but that head unexpectedly got in the way, taking the blow at full force.

The thud startled everyone present.

The workers' leader even dropped his stick and began to stammer.

"H-he charged over here himself! You all saw it!"

Ding Ding came to his senses and looked into the eyes staring blankly at him.

Surrounded by jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, Ding Ding suddenly found someone utterly untainted before him, and even his breathing grew a little shallower.

"You... what are you doing here?"

This fool... how did he find his way here...

Seeing beads of blood forming on Bai Congming's head, Ding Ding gave him no chance to speak. He pulled him behind him and pointed viciously at the workers' leader.

"There are security cameras in my office. Just wait for the police to come knocking!"

Then he turned to the other suppliers. "I know what you're after. Let me make this clear: don't even think about it!"

With that, Ding Ding grabbed his car keys and dragged Bai Congming out.

The roomful of people exchanged looks, none of them sure what this meant.

Intimidated by Ding Ding, the workers' leader turned to Li Hao in a panic.

"M-Mr. Li, wh-what do we do now?"

"Don't panic." Li Hao finally stepped forward and settled into Ding Ding's executive chair. "It's a minor injury. At most, you'll pay some compensation and be done with it."

"B-but he's bleeding."

Several suppliers grew uneasy too. After dealing with Ding Ding for so many years, they knew something of his temper. Judging by his expression before he left, he would probably be very difficult to deal with from now on.

"That's all the better," Li Hao said unhurriedly. "To be honest, Mr. Ding is a capable man."

"Then why are you still..."

"If we don't crush him now, once he gets back on his feet... will there be any room left for us?"

Ding Ding's weaving and dyeing factory had quite a few high-precision machines imported from abroad. With the orders Li Hao already had in hand, they could start making money as soon as they got hold of it. Who wouldn't covet that?

"All right." The cotton yarn factory manager, who was owed the most, stood up. "I'll head back now and prepare to sue."

"...Then we'll also..."

"..."

All the world's bustle was for profit; all the world's jostling was for gain.

In principle, there wasn't a single fault to find. In terms of loyalty, it was utterly laughable.

The car sped down the road, while the injured man instead displayed boundless energy.

Bai Congming held one hand over his bleeding head and curiously reached out with the other to touch the ornament hanging at the front of Ding Ding's car.

"Wifey, why were the bad guys asking you for money?"

"Should we tell the police officers?"

"Do you... have any ouchies..."

The fool's head was split and bleeding, yet he was asking whether Ding Ding was hurt.

Ding Ding remained silent. For a moment, he wanted to voice all the pressure and resentment he had felt lately, but when the words reached his lips, he closed his mouth again.

What would a fool understand?

"Stop moving around."

His voice was hoarse. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, Ding Ding concentrated on the wheel. "Don't call me wifey."

"..."