Xiao Ming turned his head and his eyebrows slightly raised.
Surrounded by four or five people, two young men were making their way through the crowd. One of them, leaning on a cane with a resentful expression and evasive eyes, was Zhou Jicang's son, Zhou Fangjing,
while the other, the one who had just spoken, was reasonably handsome. However, with slanting brows and a sneering smile, he came off as a street thug despite his tailored suit. It was Shen Siyi's old adversary, the one whom Xiao Ming was planning to take down, Cao Bangxi.
"Nemesis? Are you worthy?"
Without waiting for Xiao Ming to speak, Shen Siyi responded with disdain, "Cao Niaoku, if you're not planning on acting like a human, just say the word, and I'll gladly spread the word for you.
Otherwise, when you see me, you'd better take a detour. Haven't forgotten, have you?"
Cao Bangxi's cheeks twitched violently, "Shen Siyi, this is an auction organized by the Government Office, and I'm here by invitation. If you have the guts, then kick me out!"𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"Just admit you're going back on your word, don't bother using the Government Office to pressure me," Shen Siyi rolled his eyes, "I think from now on, you shouldn't be called Cao Niaoku. How about changing it to Wet Crotch instead? Doesn't that sound marvelous and resonant?"
"Shen Siyi..."
In a rage, Cao Bangxi was about to retort when his father, Cao Zhining, came over, frowning, "The auction is about to start. What's the meaning of shouting and making a scene here?"
Cao Bangxi suppressed his anger, "Nothing much, just ran into some friends and had a little chat."
Upon turning around, Cao Zhining saw mostly familiar faces and started with a smile asking Yun Shi Yu, "Miss Yun, are you also venturing into real estate?"
"Mr. Cao, hello!" Yun Shi Yu smiled and nodded, "I just started a small company with some friends, just for fun, really."
Once Cao Zhining realized that it wasn't associated with the Yun Group, he felt relieved and politely said, "Miss Yun's reputation precedes her. Your idea of fun surely won't be simple.
You're all about the same age as my son Bangxi, and I hope you can interact more with each other and help one another to progress."
"You're too kind, Mr. Cao. Rest assured, I will," she replied.
Cao Zhining couldn't detect the subtext in her words and nodded, then his gaze shifted to Shen Siyi's face.
"I just saw your father and brother over there. Aren't you with them?"
"Hello, Uncle Cao! The little company that Yu just mentioned, I'm involved too, but it's unrelated to the Qianshan Group," Shen Siyi answered politely.
Cao Zhining's eyebrows quirked up slightly as he smiled, "Being able to stand on your own is good, much better than my son Bangxi."
"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Cao."
Cao Bangxi's mouth nearly curled to the roots of his ears in the back, clearly discontent with his father's belittling of him.
At that moment, Cao Zhining also exchanged brief greetings with Yang Hanqing before finally turning to Xiao Ming.
"This gentleman looks unfamiliar, may I ask your name?"
"No need for formalities, my surname is Xiao, Xiao Ming."
"Ah! So you are the Mr. Xiao whom Sir Zhou has mentioned. Pleased to meet you!"
Cao Zhining suddenly became enthusiastic and reached out to shake hands with Xiao Ming.
"Mr. Xiao, you might not know this, but Sir Zhou speaks very highly of you!
Especially regarding that deal with the ten thousand tons of river sand. With just a change of hands overnight, the value doubled and more. It truly was like turning stones into gold.
I certainly didn't have such an ability when I was younger. When you have the time, I would be honored if Mr. Xiao could join me for a meal so we can have a good chat."
"Mr. Cao flatters me; it's all thanks to Sir Zhou's support of the younger generation, nothing worth mentioning. To have the honor of dining with a senior figure in the business world is my privilege,"
"Very well! Let's exchange contact information and we can talk more later."
Cao Zhining waved his hand, and an assistant behind him took out a business card. Xiao Ming also produced his own, freshly printed, and they made an exchange.
"Chairman and CEO of Ruiye Investment Holdings," Cao Zhining muttered to himself, then looked at Yun Shi Yu, Shen Siyi, and Yang Hanqing in turn, asking, "And these few..."
"They are all directors of our company," Xiao Ming said.
Cao Zhining's gaze sharpened, but he didn't ask anything more, offering only a few hollow compliments about being "young and promising" before taking his leave.
"I can't believe Cao Zhining has actually gotten in touch with Canghai Group," Yun Shi Yu said gravely. "This is really disadvantageous for our plans!"
"Yeah!" Shen Siyi also chimed in, looking worried, "Compared to Dabang, Canghai Group is like a mountain next to a grave. Our little bit of capital is nothing compared to even a subsidiary of theirs, how are we supposed to compete?"
"You're overthinking it!" Xiao Ming said, "If the two had already started collaborating, the news would have been everywhere by now. In other words, at most, they are currently in the preliminary stage of negotiations, just taking the first step."
Yun Shi Yu's eyes lit up, "Right! Since you're so close to Zhou Jicang, can you disrupt their deal?"
"There's no need to disrupt it," Xiao Ming shook his head, "Having the backing of Canghai Group can cause our stock price to rise quickly after we take over Dabang, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages."
"But they've already come together for the real estate auction. Is it likely they will wait until we finish before announcing their cooperation?"
Xiao Ming smiled confidently and pulled out his phone: "Don't worry, leave this matter to me. You go find a seat, I'll make a call and join you shortly."
Leaving the unsettled group behind, Xiao Ming walked to a secluded corner and dialed Zhou Jicang's private number.
"Xiao Ming, what brings you to chat with this old man today?" Zhou Jicang's voice was hearty, indicating he was in good spirits.
Xiao Ming responded with a smile, "I had a little disagreement with your son a few days ago and felt like I had lost your face. I was afraid you were angry and wanted to wait until you calmed down before reaching out!"
"Oh? So, you are calling to apologize?"
"To you, yes. But for your son, he'd get the same if he dared again."
Zhou Jicang laughed heartily, "You speak my language, boy. All right, I'll accept your apology. Out with it now, what do you want from this old man?"
"It's like this," Xiao Ming began, "I'm at the auction site for the land sale and just now I saw your son with people from the Cao family, so I wanted to confirm with you: is Canghai Group considering a partnership with Dabang Group?"
Zhou Jicang immediately sensed the subtext, "Why, do you see a problem?"
"No problem, just a small suggestion. I'll just throw it out there, and you can take it or leave it," Xiao Ming offered.
"Let's hear it then," Zhou Jicang responded.
"If Dabang Group proposes a land-for-shares deal and wants to co-develop with you, I suggest you reject it. Even if you feel you must accept, it's best not to take the land acquired from today's auction."
"Why not?"
"All I can tell you is that it would lead to huge losses for you."
"The auction hasn't started yet. How do you know which plot Dabang Group will buy?"
"Remember the cigarettes you once shared with me? It's as trivial as that," Xiao Ming replied.
Zhou Jicang was silent until the auctioneer began an enthusiastic introduction on stage. Finally, he spoke in a grave voice, "Fine! I will give the instructions. Thank you!"
"Don't mention it! You are a senior in the business world whom I deeply respect. So, to be frank, I have my own motives for telling you this, but it's harmless to Canghai Group.
Of course, this requires your unconditional trust, for which I am deeply grateful!"