Linfengchun

Kapitel 131

The other party remained smiling, hands clasped, waiting without uttering a word.

Yin Xunzong didn't put on airs. He just sat in the main room, neither greeting them nor avoiding them. He sat there as steady as a mountain, watching Qiu Shanglin and Cheng Chong enter the room with a cold eye.

Cheng Chong bowed respectfully: "Mr. Yin, we meet again."

Yin Xunzong snorted, his attention not on him. His gaze blatantly fell on Shang Lin, scrutinizing and appraising him.

Shang Lin also bowed respectfully: "Uncle Yin, hello."

Yin Xunzong sneered: "I'm not good enough for you. You haven't even married Yin Yeyao yet."

Shang Lin, with his usual composure, said, "Ye Yao and I have known each other since childhood, and we can be considered friends, if not friends. Before I came, he specifically asked me to give his regards to Uncle Yin."

Yin Xunzong sneered: "I dare not accept that."

He was in his forties, inheriting the handsome features of the Yin family. Though his youth had faded, his demeanor and face still hinted at his former charm. His tumultuous life experiences had shaped his gloomy personality; at least in Cheng Chong's eyes, he was a ruthless and ambitious man.

Yin Xunzong was the son of the elder brother of Old Master Yin's stepmother, and not the son of the principal wife. His mother was a hostess in a restaurant.

Yin Xunzong's father did not treat his illegitimate son differently because of his own birth as an illegitimate child, and Yin Xunzong and his mother lived a difficult life in the Yin family for a time. After he turned eighteen, his father realized that his illegitimate son was no less capable than himself. The father and son were eager to seize power, but ultimately failed. Yin Xunzong was demoted from the center of power in the Yin family by the old master of the family, a promotion in name only. Afterwards, Yin Xunzong broke with his father and brothers and went alone to Yunnan, which was considered a wild and undeveloped region at the time. There, he made a name for himself and built a successful business.

He had dealt in drugs, transported arms, resold salt, and smuggled with horse caravans. In the words of Old Master Yin, he was a lone wolf, and luckily he was a 'lone wolf'.

Such a ruthless drug lord, who managed to survive numerous crackdowns and successfully launder his money, transforming himself into a VIP guest of government officials, is undeniably a successful lone wolf.

Unless absolutely necessary, Shanglin was unwilling to deal with him. The worst outcome of dealing with this kind of person was to be swallowed whole, and the best outcome... would probably be a lose-lose situation.

With a do-or-die attitude, she made this decision.

At worst, we can abandon the Yunnan base, suffer heavy losses as bougainvillea growers, and start all over again.

With Mocha Cat supporting me and the real estate she has accumulated over the years as a safety net, I don't believe that if I fall again, I can fall to the basement.

People say that in the business world, men and women alike are all beasts in disguise. Shanglin Lolita tilted her head and asked Cheng Chong, "Do you know the difference?"

Cheng Chong thought for a long time, then tentatively asked, "Male animal and female animal?"

She shook her head seriously and said solemnly, "Real beasts and fake beasts."

The driver's hands trembled slightly as he gripped the steering wheel, causing the car to veer uncontrollably into another lane. Although his skillful driving prevented an accident, the startled vehicles in the adjacent lane honked their horns aggressively. The driver of the car following behind rolled down his window, leaned out, and was about to unleash a torrent of abuse when his gaze fell on the license plate on the rear of the car. He shut his mouth tightly, pulled back, and quietly, obediently, and safely drove away from them. Seeing the car ahead slow down, the vehicles behind him, bewildered, overtook and followed Qiu Shanglin's car.

The driver who was overtaken spat and cursed, "Idiot!"

Follow the license plate, swaying every three steps.

So what if the other driver is a novice? Even if it's all his fault, you can't explain yourself no matter how hard you try!

Shanglin wanted to continue explaining the difference between real and fake animals. However, Cheng Chong was eager to see the sun rise the next day and strongly expressed his unwillingness to listen. Shanglin couldn't force him and was very disappointed.

But she still muttered, "Actually, I'm a fake animal."

Cheng Chong pretended to be asleep, acting as if he hadn't heard anything.

Sitting on the century-old sandalwood chair in the main room, Cheng Chong really wanted to tell Qiu Shanglin, "Actually, you are a real beast." His expression must have been very, very sincere when he spoke.

Anyone can lie. Cheng Chong always thought he was good at boasting and lying.

Today, I was confronted with the sharp wit of these two, and I admit my inferiority.

In his memory, Qiu Shanglin was always a humble, amiable, down-to-earth, and hardworking businessman. He didn't make empty promises or boast; he let his actions speak for themselves.

Let's take another look at her performance today.

"Ye Yao has always admired Mr. Yin. When he was in Zifang Town, he once told me that if he couldn't return to the Yin family in the future, he wanted to become a hero like Uncle Yin, a powerful figure who would roam the martial world and live a life of unbridled joy..."

When Yin Yeyao was in Zifang Town, she was unaware that her uncle, Yin Xunzong, existed in the Yin family.

"I believe Mr. Yin has also investigated the profits of bougainvillea in the Yunnan flower base. What seems like an insignificant small business actually has huge and considerable profits. What we show to the outside world is only a small part of it. In the future, when we achieve scale, I am confident that we can make tens of millions in dried flower exports alone—net profit after deducting everything." Qiu Shanglin spoke in a very indifferent tone, with a slight hint of pride, yet with just the right amount of restraint. It was as if she were having a casual conversation, rather than trying to persuade someone.

Cheng Chong did some mental calculations.

With net profits in the tens of millions, it means they aim to capture the entire European and American markets, the Southeast Asian markets, and perhaps even expand into the African and Antarctic markets.

Are we going to sell dried flowers to Antarctic penguins?

"Flower production is a simple process. Although the standards are strict and the actual operation is a bit complicated, the investment is small and the results are quick... especially since our company's technology is at the world's leading level..."

Cheng Chong recalled the rows of laboratories and distillation rooms in the base, as well as a series of equipment that needed to be updated every year, the huge investment, and the enormous amount of money spent on supporting technical personnel...

Describing the promising prospects of the flower market, she smiled and said, "If Mr. Yin is willing to help, I'd be happy to share a third of the pie."

Yin Xunzong had also put on a smiling face, though it looked rather awkward no matter how you looked at it.

"Was it Yin Yeyao's idea to send you to see me, or Old Man Yin's?"

Shang Lin smiled and said, "Bougainvillea is my own business. Although Ye Yao also has a share, as you know, Ye Yao is busy enough just dealing with the Yin family's business. I can't bear to trouble Old Master Yin with this little thing."

"Oh?" Yin Xunzong picked up his tea and took a few sips.

“Yin Yeyao has invested in your company. You should know that I was expelled from the Yin family years ago and I hate the Yin family to the core. I wish every person with the surname Yin would die a horrible death. If it were purely your own business, there would be some room for consideration. But since the Yin family is involved, if I get involved, aren't you afraid of being reduced to ashes?”

"Look at what you're saying."

"The character 'Yin' cannot be written with the same stroke. No matter how deep the hatred, no matter how much you want to destroy the Yin family, it will be destroyed by your own hands, right? If someone else gets there first and takes over the Yin family's assets, it will certainly be gratifying, but there will always be regrets in your heart. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Yin Xunzong clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Good, good, what a perfect example of ruining oneself!" He suddenly stopped laughing, his gaze sharply fixed on Qiu Shanglin:

"Are you instigating me to destroy the Yin family? Aren't you and Yin Yeyao friends?"

Shanglin remained calm and composed: "Speaking of friends, in peacetime we are all friends. But when it comes to life and death, we should always leave ourselves a way out."

Yin Xunzong stared at Shanglin thoughtfully for a while, then served tea to see him off: "We'll talk again next time."

Borrowing the East Wind

No wonder Cheng Chong felt like dying.

Looking at the massive flower base, Shanglin sighed with emotion.

The flower base of the Bougainvillea Company in Kunming was designed and led by Cheng Chong. Out of trust in Cheng Chong, Shang Lin read the planning documents and signed them, without even having time to conduct an on-site inspection. Of course, even if she had conducted an on-site inspection, she could not have guessed that it would end up like this, but with Qiu Shang Lin in charge, it was better than Cheng Chong betting everything on one thing.

Although she has big ambitions, she is used to being cautious and never puts all her eggs in one basket.

Looking at the greenhouses that occupied three hilltops, the endless flower fields, and the luxurious main building, Shanglin sighed.

"You were careless."

Cheng Chong felt guilty.

Shanglin sighed again: "To be young and not reckless is to be a foolish youth." When she said this, her expression was weathered and her words were earnest, as if she had lived for seventy or eighty years.

Yes, Bougainvillea is growing stronger and stronger, with its annual output value almost comparable to Mocha Cat. No other company in the same industry can rival Bougainvillea. No wonder Cheng Chong and his leadership team are so proud of themselves.

He murmured, "I specifically sought out venture capital experts for evaluation and also conducted a detailed market survey and comparison..." All the data showed that the base would only make a profit and not lose money. Who could have predicted that Xu Mi would interfere?

Bundles of roses were carelessly discarded in the fields, like rotten cabbages and radishes. Despite the countless efforts of researchers and the meticulous care of flower growers, they ended up like this. I wonder if they weep in the dark of night.

Cheng Chong followed her gaze to the discarded roses and explained, "Rose No. 5 is exclusively for the Japanese market. Since the export channels were blocked, we have tried our best to promote it in the domestic and European and American markets, but the market share is limited. If we sell No. 5, the other varieties of flowers will be unsaleable. We can't sacrifice the king to save the queen."

I took a few steps forward and pulled out a flower. It seemed to have just come out of the field, as the petals were still covered with morning dew. The delicate edges of the flower could not withstand the pressure and had already faded and withered.

"Can't they capture the domestic market?"

Cheng Chong smiled bitterly: "I contacted several large flower merchants, but they also wanted to take advantage of the situation and drive down the price to an extremely low level. After losing money on transportation, it's better to just leave it there."

Shanglin remained silent. Looking out over the distance...

How many of the number five roses are still unpicked?

Cheng Chong's lips were bluish and his face was ashen. He spread his arms and made a large circle: "This flower field is full of No. 5 roses. The ones planted earlier are now starting to produce, while some planted later are still in the cultivation period."

The flower field was quiet; there wasn't a soul in sight.

No matter what, they couldn't be sold. In order to save some expenses, he ordered the No. 5 roses to stop production. The flower growers who were taking care of them also temporarily stopped working. The poor roses were not well cared for and weeds grew wildly.

The circle he drew was huge, so big that you couldn't see the end of it at a glance.

Shang Lin's expression was solemn. He walked around the nearby flower fields and gave the order: "Find all the flower farmers who have stopped working and take good care of Number Five."

An employee who followed questioned, "But the sales..."

Shanglin ignored him: "It's no good to leave roses lying around in the fields. We'll transport them back to the processing plant, make some into dried flowers, and then select the best ones and contact a jam factory to make rose jam."

Cheng Chong's secretary meticulously recorded everything Shang Lin said, respectfully taking in every word.

In their hearts, although Qiu Shanglin did not often appear at the company, whenever there was a major event involving the company's future decision-making direction, she was always able to grasp the situation correctly and guide Bougainvillea to a higher level.

"How is the flower tea market expanding?" she asked casually, glancing at the flower fields.

Cheng Chong was embarrassed, and an employee fawned over him: "We've focused on expanding our base and exports these past two years, and haven't had time to..."

Shang Lin flew into a rage, glaring at Cheng Chong: "Didn't I tell you? The domestic flower tea market must be expanded; we can't rely entirely on the overseas market!"