Chapter 45: Meeting Challenges as They Come
Chapter 45: Meeting Challenges as They Come
San Jiuxiang’s face turned green.
His mind was as clear as a mirror: he had fallen into a trap.
Even if it wasn’t five hundred thousand, the figure of fifty thousand meant those who came to make trouble wouldn’t let him off, because he had only distributed a few thousand yuan.
The gazes of the Caotian Tribe members gathered on San Jiuxiang’s face. The man who had been supporting him suddenly let go, and his body instantly lost balance, collapsing onto the ground with a thud.
“Disgraceful! Take him back. I’m going to deal with him according to the tribe’s rules!” Kaqianda Jielong said harshly.
Two Caotian Tribe members stepped forward, each grabbing one of his arms, and dragged San Jiuxiang away.
Li Zian said, “Brother Jielong, ask your people to disperse. When the money is retrieved later, I’ll call you. Whoever the copper mine owes will be paid back, not a cent less. Once the copper mine resumes normal operations, people from the village are welcome to work here. Wages of over ten thousand won’t be a problem.”
“You’re a true brother!” Kaqianda Jielong laughed heartily and gave Li Zian a big hug.
Li Zian didn’t like this way of greeting, but he still raised his hand and patted Kaqianda Jielong’s back twice. He thought Kaqianda Jielong would let go, but Kaqianda Jielong continued to hold him tightly.
Kaqianda Jielong leaned closer to Li Zian’s ear and whispered, “Brother Zian, your surgery really worked. I got your sister-in-law pregnant, and it might just be a success on the first try.”
Li Zian: “…”
Was this really the time to talk about such things?
Kaqianda Jielong finally released Li Zian and patted his shoulder again. “Brother, don’t worry. I promise no one will come to the mine to cause trouble again. If anyone dares, I’ll break their legs!”
As he said this, he glanced around.
No one dared to make a sound.
“What are you standing around for? Get back, all of you!” Kaqianda Jielong roared.
His words were more effective than anything else. The Caotian Tribe members who had come to cause trouble dispersed quickly, each trying to leave faster than the last.
In the blink of an eye, only Ge Jun and his few bodyguards, along with the fashionable woman in the red spaghetti strap dress, remained in the open space in front of the gate.
Li Zian walked toward Ge Jun.
“What do you want?” Ge Jun immediately grew nervous.
Li Zian smiled. “You’re my brother-in-law. Can’t I have a chat with you?”
Ge Jun spat. “Who’s your brother-in-law? You little rascal, you don’t deserve it!”
Li Zian continued toward Ge Jun.
Several bodyguards stepped in front of Ge Jun, eyeing Li Zian and the dozen or so mine employees following him warily. Though the situation wasn’t as intense as yesterday, Li Zian alone was enough to give them a headache.
“You just said you wanted to beat me to death. I’m here now. Will you fight me one-on-one, or shall we have a group fight?” Li Zian said casually.
“I don’t fight with rough people. Stay away from me!”
Even with several tall and burly bodyguards shielding him, Ge Jun still felt uneasy and couldn’t help stepping back.
As he retreated, the bodyguards also moved back.
“Cousin—oh no, I should call you cousin sister. I haven’t even laid a hand on you. Why retreat so far? What’s the difference between you and a woman?” Li Zian said with a smile.
You have a sore spot?
Plenty of salt to rub in.
Thump, thump, thump…
A deafening roar suddenly echoed from the sky. Amidst the sound, a helicopter flew over from above a mountain toward them.
Everyone looked up at the helicopter as it quickly approached.
Li Zian recognized that helicopter—it belonged to the Dajiang Group. It was the same helicopter Yu Meilin had used to pick him up from Crescent Moon Village.
Though he couldn’t see who was inside, Li Zian had already guessed who it was.
Ge Jun suddenly laughed. “Hahaha! Li, weren’t you so full of yourself? The Second Young Master is here. Let’s see how you keep up your act now!”
Li Zian replied, “Cousin sister, I used to have a dog that got just as excited when it saw me. When it wagged its tail, I’d give it a bone. I wonder if Yu Jiahao will give you one?”
Ge Jun sneered, “You won’t be so cocky for much longer!”
The helicopter slowly descended.
“General Manager Li!” Wang Cheng’s voice called out.
Li Zian turned and saw Wang Cheng jogging over, followed by dozens of miners carrying tools.
Wang Cheng had clearly gotten the news and brought people for support. However, River Bend was a bit far from here, and there was no proper road, so they arrived a little late.
“General Manager Li, whose helicopter is that?” Wang Cheng’s first question. He had originally wanted to ask where San Jiuxiang and the troublemakers had gone, but the helicopter was just too eye-catching.
“A fool’s helicopter,” Li Zian said.
Wang Cheng looked baffled.
The helicopter landed in the open space. The rotor blades didn’t stop, stirring up a strong wind and clouds of dust. The fashionable woman’s red spaghetti strap dress blew up, revealing her pale legs and lace-edged underwear. Including Wang Cheng, dozens of rough miners stared openly at the revealing sight. Many got sand in their eyes but still struggled to keep them wide open.
The fashionable woman noticed the attention on a certain part of her body and hurriedly tried to press her dress down, but it was no use.
Fortunately, the helicopter’s rotor blades stopped.
The rough miners rubbed their eyes, and some spat out sand.
The helicopter’s door opened, and a ladder was lowered. Yu Jiahao stepped down, dressed in a crisp white suit, a luxury watch, and shiny leather shoes. At first glance, he looked like a wealthy young man from high society. His dashing and elegant aura couldn’t be easily replicated by just any nouveau riche with brand-name clothes and accessories.
Following Yu Jiahao, a few more people descended—men and women of various ages, dressed plainly.
Li Zian hadn’t seen these people before and couldn’t guess their identities.
Just then, Wang Cheng leaned close to Li Zian’s ear and whispered, “Those people are from the local government. They come from time to time to inspect the mine and check on environmental compliance. I know all of them.”
With just that one sentence, Li Zian had already guessed what move Yu Jiahao was making.
“When they come over, you handle it,” Li Zian said.
“But what about you…” Wang Cheng felt it was inappropriate. After all, dealing with officials was usually the chief’s responsibility. If a subordinate stepped up to handle the leaders in front of the chief, it usually didn’t end well.
Li Zian said, “I’m going to make a phone call.”
“Alright then,” Wang Cheng agreed.
Li Zian turned and walked into the mining site.
“Hey! You little rascal, you’re scared, aren’t you? Stop right there!” Ge Jun’s confidence surged. He pointed at Li Zian, but his finger formed a delicate gesture.
Li Zian ignored him and continued walking into the mining site. Only after stepping over the collapsed gate did he take out his mobile phone, find Wen Sheng’s number, and dial.
The call connected in just three seconds.
“Oh, Master! I was just about to invite you for lunch, and you called. Tell me where you are, and I’ll come pick you up,” Wen Sheng’s voice was extremely courteous.
“I’m in Yun Di,” Li Zian said.
Wen Sheng sounded surprised. “Master, how come you’re in Yun Di? You didn’t even say anything. I have many friends there. If you’d taken me along, I guarantee it would’ve been fun.”
“Well, there’s something…” Li Zian hesitated, finding it hard to say what was on his mind.
Wen Sheng was silent for two seconds before speaking. “Master, are you in some kind of trouble? If you think of me as a brother, just say it straight. Let’s not beat around the bush. If it’s something I can do, I’ll make sure to get it done for you.”
Li Zian was also silent for two seconds before finally speaking. “It’s like this—my wife owns a copper mine in Yun Di. For the past few years, no one could find the ore vein. Last night, through Star Observation, I located the ore vein. It’s a really good one, with extremely high-quality ore. But…”
“You’re treating me like an outsider, aren’t you?” Wen Sheng sounded a bit displeased.
Li Zian smiled. “It’s just hard for me to ask. My wife’s company isn’t doing well. This copper mine has always been an expense without any returns. It owes over ten million in Mineral Resource Compensation Fees to the local government. They’re pressing for payment, and she can’t come up with the money right now. Waiting for the bank to approve a loan would take too long. Do you think you could lend me the money? I’ll pay you back as soon as possible.”
“Account number,” Wen Sheng said succinctly.
“Wait, don’t you want to come see the copper mine first?” Li Zian felt oddly uncomfortable.
“Do you really think of me as an outsider?” Wen Sheng was unhappy again.
Li Zian smiled wryly. “Fine, I’ll give you the account number.”
He found the account number Yu Meilin had given him and relayed it to Wen Sheng.
He had considered giving his own account number, but then he remembered it was just an ordinary account with a daily transfer limit of only one million, which wouldn’t work. Besides, the most important thing between husband and wife was trust. Yu Meilin wasn’t the type of woman to cheat her husband. Of course, her temper was a bit fiery, and her personality was a little odd.
“Got it. Is two thousand enough?” Wen Sheng asked.
“That’s too much, way too much. Thirteen hundred is enough,” Li Zian hurriedly replied.
“You see, you’re not treating me like a brother again.”
Li Zian: “…”
“I’m hanging up now. I’ll go to the bank and transfer the money right away.” Wen Sheng hung up.
Li Zian stood there, phone in hand, lost in thought.
When he had called Wen Sheng, it was with the idea of testing the waters. After all, he wasn’t asking for just a few thousand, but millions. And he had only met the man once. Before asking, he hadn’t held out much hope for success. Yet, he hadn’t expected Wen Sheng to be so straightforward. He asked for thirteen million, and the other directly offered twenty million.
This whole situation left him unsure of how to interact with the man.
However, there’s no such thing as unconditional brotherhood in this world. He had performed Divination for Wen Sheng, helping him avoid disaster. Wen Sheng, in turn, was counting on him to restore his health and fulfill his desire for an heir. For someone of Wen Sheng’s stature, twenty million was just the price of a car or a single gambling round—small change. Spending a small amount to have a master owe him a favor—why wouldn’t he be willing?
“Brother-in-law, come here for a moment,” Yu Jiahao’s voice called out.
Li Zian lifted his gaze and saw Yu Jiahao waving at him, a bright smile on his handsome face.
What a fine brother-in-law.
Still, he wasn’t as handsome as Li Zian.