Chapter 489: It’s Obvious I’m Taking Advantage of You!Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Something serious had happened!
Hong Weiguo’s heart immediately skipped a beat hearing that.
He was at the Door to Heaven, and he had to be cautious with every step he took. If he were to make even the tiniest mistake, he could lose an ally. To lose an ally in the Resource Chamber of Commerce would mean gaining another enemy.
No matter how vast Hong Weiguo’s business empire was, this was still something he definitely would not take lightly.
“What serious matter? Calm down, tell me about it slowly.” Hong Weiguo sat down on the sofa and slowly said, “Who has been lassoed away this time?”
“Yes… yes…” Secretary Xiao Liu anxiously said, “Not yet, but they are wavering. CEO Hong, please quickly take a look! If you delay, I’m afraid they will join the other side!”
“Yes, alright!” Hong Weiguo took a deep breath. “I will go now!”
…
Door to Heaven, Level eighty-nine, small conference room.
Qian Youjin’s father, Qian Guangzhao, sat on the sofa looking at the uncertain faces of the three people opposite him. “I know the three of you have been on good terms with Hong Weiguo. However, doing business is like going to war, and there’s a saying that there are no friends that last forever, only benefits that last forever. All three of you have enjoyed good relations with Hong Weiguo previously, but the current situation is obvious. Once the Resource Chamber of Commerce Meeting begins, we will impeach Hong Weiguo, so now is the best time to choose sides. There will definitely be benefits if the three of you join me.
“This…” The three people started to hesitate.
The undercurrent had been surging since the Resource Chamber of Commerce Meeting got underway. As CEOs of the top one hundred companies within the country, the minds of these three people were definitely not dull. At today’s Resource Chamber of Commerce Meeting, Hong Weiguo, partly due to Hong Dali, and partly due to the fact that he had always had a tense relationship with the Qian Family, was bound to come to heads with Qian Guangzhao.
On Hong Weiguo’s side, Hong Weiguo, Mu Tie, and Liu Yihui made up the iron triangle. Hong Weiguo was the strongest amongst them and was the one which attracted the most hatred and firepower. Mu Tie was calm and good at analyzing. He covered the background work. Liu Yihui was cunning and his methods cruelly effective. He was the main attacking force.
The three of them almost monopolized the entire Internet. In the Heavenly State, wherever there was Internet, there would be traces of the three of them.
However, no matter how strong they were, they were still just three people. Even if they had allies, how many members were there in the entire Resource Chamber of Commerce? Less than sixty. As for the members on Qian Guangzhao’s side? More than forty! Forty!
The disparity was huge.
Qian Guangzhao had taken the initiative to come to them. It was not every day that such an opportunity presented itself. If Hong Weiguo was successfully impeached and ousted from the Resource Chamber of Commerce, it would be hard for them to switch sides.
However, if they really wanted to switch sides, Hong Weiguo’s son, Hong Dali…
“CEO Qian, we are all understanding adults here, and straightforward people do not resort to insinuations.” One of them frowned and thought for a while before saying, “Let’s not talk about switching sides now. The key problem here is Hong Weiguo’s son, Hong Dali. What does CEO Qian plan to do with him? Don’t use the excuse that he’s nothing but a prodigal to flub us. Take for example the Spiritual Sword incident. I believe that even if I had coughed out ten times the amount, I still may not be able to achieve the effect he managed.”
Hong Dali was the real reason behind their hesitation.
They simply could not properly assess a legendary prodigal like Hong Dali.
However strong Hong Weiguo was, he was still just a man. His methods were shrewd and effective, but they were just that, shrewd and effective. If one were to analyze them carefully, they would be able to figure out how he did it. The worse thing was, in the end, one would suddenly realize—”Oh, so that was how he did it. I get it now.”
But Hong Dali? He was something else entirely. Practically not human! Going through the vocabulary, the only word suitable to describe him was “freak.” There was logic in other people’s methods. However, Hong Dali’s methods were usually met with reactions like: “Why is it like that? How did it become like that?”
No one could guess what kind of effects would result from his prodigal ways. Even if it had already happened, the general reaction would still be disbelief.
Facing such a person, it was hard to stay uncaring. “All kinds of strengths and abilities are unable to deal with Hong Dali’s unbeatable luck!” This was not just said in jest. It had been proven right countless times!
“Hong Dali?” Speaking of Hong Dali, Qian Guangzhao frowned. He really had no way of describing this prodigal. However, he quickly smiled and said, “To be honest, the prodigal Hong Dali is a puzzle. However, to the three of you, I have something to say. Hear me out and then you can decide which side you want to take.”
“Ok, please go ahead.” The three nodded.
“We’re doing business now, and doing business is like fighting a war. Hong Dali’s luck indeed defies heaven, that’s something I do not deny.” Qian Guangzhao slowly said, “That’s precisely why I say joining us would be the best option for the three of you. You know what happened to Spiritual Sword. I will not ramble on about it then, I shall just talk about the aftermath.”
After saying that, he picked up a tea kettle and continued, “This is Spiritual Sword at its most popular.” Then he picked up a teacup. “This is Dream Dota League.” When the three had nodded, Qian Guangzhao continued, “Hong Dali is able to swap the places of the teacup and the tea kettle within an extremely short period of time. I assume the three of you agree with me on this?”
“Right, that we agree.” One of the three replied.
“Right. Now, I would like to ask you. If Hong Dali were to dabble in the same business as you, what would happen to you?” Qian Guangzhao said ominously, “You are now the tea kettle. What about in the future? Who can say for sure if you will be the teacup or the tea kettle?”
“This…” Upon hearing this, the three of them visibly faltered.
Qian Guangzhao was right. The example he gave was exactly why Hong Dali was so scary.
One would never know which teacup or tea kettle they could be. The main thing was, no matter if it was the teacup or the tea kettle, he could swap their positions in an instant.
“We…” The three looked at each other and prepared to make their decision.
Just then, a voice rang from the door. “What teacup and tea kettle? Are you discussing a tragedy?”
It was Hong Weiguo!
“CEO Hong, we…” Upon Hong Weiguo’s appearance, the three men immediately got nervous.
With Hong Weiguo here, no matter what they said, it would be hard to explain themselves. Even if they did not switch camps, their positions as allies would still be blemished in Hong Weiguo’s mind.
“Hehe, no need to be nervous.” Hong Weiguo looked at Qian Guangzhao. “Talking about such matters in public, and without locking the door. Old Qian, you have planned everything down to the finest detail. Whether I came today or not, once I learned about it, I would not be happy, right?”
Seeing that his devious plan had been instantly seen through by Hong Weiguo, Qian Guangzhao immediately changed the topic. “Old Hong, I think you are taking things too seriously? I was just discussing tea receptacles with the three old CEOs. Don’t overthink it. Hehe.”
“I’m not overthinking it.” Hong Weiguo drew blood with his reply. “I’m just worried you are over scheming.”
“Hehe, whether or not my schemes are well thought out is not important,” Qian Guangzhao laughed darkly. “The important thing is, this time it’s obvious I am out to get you! You should know that very well.”
Hong Weiguo did not show any signs of distress. “Haha, there are many people out to get me, who do you think you are?”
“We will wait and see, then. Hehe, goodbye!” Saying that Qian Guangzhao stood up. Just before he left, he reminded the three men. “Three of you should consider what I said carefully. This is not a joke. This opportunity does not come often.” Then he exited.
“CEO Hong, we…” the three old CEOs simply could not come to a decision.
They had been working with Hong Weiguo for more than a decade and could be considered friends. However, once they thought of how scary Hong Dali was…
Collaboration was not as important as ensuring that their business would endure.
“I understand your feelings.” Hong Weiguo thought about it and quietly said, “All I can say is, do not decide so hastily. At least observe for a few days first. If you pick the wrong side, it would be too late for regrets then.”
The three men looked at each other and nodded at the same time before getting ready to leave.
Just as they were about to leave, one of their phones suddenly rang. He answered it and after listening for a while, exclaimed in shock, “What? Really? Where? Quickly, send me the address of the video!”
He was so shocked that he had turned pale, and the other two people were completely stunned. Hong Weiguo’s was full of questions.
This man’s company was much smaller than his own, but he was still a member of the Resource Chamber of Commerce. He was, at the least, the CEO of a company and should not react so strongly to anything. Hong Weiguo’s curiosity was piqued.
Soon, the man had his secretary bring him a tablet. The other side had already sent the address of the website and the four men started watching.
What they were looking at, was Hong Dali’s interview. The video was titled “Protecting the peace of the world, I am Mechanical Man!”
“This…” Hong Weiguo, too, was stunned. “I have not seen him for just a few days, and our Dali has made this?”
The other three men were too stunned for words. ” CEO Hong, your Dali… this…”
Their minds whirled rapidly and reached a decision quickly. The man who had the tablet reacted the fastest. He said loudly, “CEO Hong, I have decided! I will stand on your side! I will definitely not waver—oh, could you ask your Dali if he could advertise for my company using his Mechanical Man’s armor?”
He was no fool. It would be a waste if he did not make use of such an opportunity!
Without considering other factors, just by looking at the popularity of this video, he knew that the popularity of this new project was going to go through the roof!