Chapter 30 — The Week Everything Broke
The Monday began with no beef patties.
A regional meat supplier had been "temporarily suspended" after a surprise government inspection uncovered improper storage.
The suspension would last two weeks.
On Tuesday, a refrigerated truck from the dairy plant broke down halfway to the city.
By the time it arrived, the cheese was unsalvageable.
Wednesday brought the worst blow: a shipment of bread was stopped at a toll station.
Rumor was that the competitor's logistics company had "accidentally" failed to file the right clearance papers, and the bread sat in the sun for hours.
Li Ming's Answer
By Thursday morning, Li Ming was leaning on the counter of his Italian restaurant, sketching on a napkin.
"Cold storage facilities… our own trucks… and farmland," he muttered.
The store manager peeked over his shoulder.
"Boss, that looks like… an empire."
Li Ming shook his head.
"It's a money pit."
The Misunderstanding
When the managers met Friday, he laid out his plan:
Secure farmland for dairy and feed.
Build cold storage hubs in three cities.
Create a logistics arm to move goods between the chains.
He ended with, "It's the only way to control the losses."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then, one manager grinned.
"Boss… you're planning for national expansion, aren't you?"
Another added, "With both chains and our own supply network, we'll be untouchable."
By the time the meeting ended, they were already talking about future outlets in neighboring provinces.
A Name for the Beast
On Saturday, the paperwork began for a new holding company.
Li Ming didn't want something too flashy — but his secretary insisted it needed weight.
They settled on:
Horizon Group Holdings.
The name sounded like it belonged on the side of a skyscraper.
To Li Ming, it sounded like the name of a ship that would sink under its own weight.
Perfect.
The Quiet Start
The first land deal was small — fifty mu on the outskirts of the provincial capital, enough for a trial dairy farm.
Two cold storage units were leased temporarily while designs for permanent ones were drawn.
A second-hand fleet of refrigerated trucks was bought, all repainted with the new Horizon Group logo.
Li Ming stood in the depot yard one evening, watching the trucks idle.
"They're like big metal wallets," he murmured, "and all they do is leak money."
Somehow, he didn't notice the operations manager smiling like a man who believed the company's future was just getting started.