Chen Guangwei was greatly impressed. If he had had Zhao Qiang's boldness back then, not only would his second brother be under Chen Guangwei's thumb, but even Old Master Chen would be completely subdued by him. No one in the Chen family would object to him bringing any woman home.
Chen Shuxian's eyes welled up with tears. She knew she hadn't misplaced her trust in Zhao Qiang; he was undeniably good to Chen Xinxin. Of course, Chen Xinxin loved Zhao Qiang too; otherwise, she wouldn't have tolerated his relationship with Zhao Ling. She would either have argued fiercely with him or already left him. But now, she couldn't live without Zhao Qiang and had no choice but to accept his romantic entanglements.
Actually, the reason Chen Xinxin didn't make a fuss or leave was not only because she and Zhao Ling had a good relationship, but also because Zhao Qiang appeared too powerful in front of her. He was so powerful that Chen Xinxin felt he wasn't an ordinary person and therefore couldn't live an ordinary life. Besides, Chen Xinxin thought it would be quite exciting for the three of them to sleep together...
Chen Guangwei said, "Qiang, to tell you the truth, I have been kicked out of the Chen family and will probably be staying in Baiyuan City for a long time, so I have time for management."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's fine then. Xin Xin is a beginner and doesn't know anything. Uncle, you need to teach him."
Chen Xinxin was the first to object: "I don't need him to teach me."
Chen Guangwei said, "Qiang, do you think I would harm my own daughter? I owe them so much. If this factory weren't involved in whether I could return to the Chen family, I wouldn't want any shares at all; I would give them all to Xinxin."
Zhao Qiang said to Chen Xinxin, "Did you hear that? Now Uncle Chen has also been kicked out of the Chen family. You are both in the same boat. So if you want to get revenge, you have to fix this factory. Only in this way can you fight back."
Seeing that Zhao Qiang had made up his mind, Chen Xinxin did not refuse and said, "Okay, Mom, you have to help me too. I don't care whether someone can come home or not. I just want to get revenge on that heartless old man."
Chen Shuxian said, "Don't worry, Mom will definitely help you, it's just that we owe Zhao Qiang too much."
Chen Xinxin chuckled, "I will repay him, so you don't need to worry about it."
With the location chosen and the manager selected, Chen Guangwei was naturally in charge during the initial phase, since he couldn't go home and was just sitting around doing nothing. However, the future owner of this new company was clearly decided: Chen Xinxin. But Chen Xinxin knew perfectly well whose side she belonged to. Having figured this out, she didn't refuse Zhao Qiang's decision to give her 70% of the shares. She even wondered if Zhao Qiang was testing her love for him.
(Thanks to "Dead Love" for the 1888 coin reward and to "Only for You" for the monthly ticket support)
Volume 2 [498] Qiao Hua
[498] Qiao Hua
Chen Guangwei said, "I called Qiao Hua, the Party Secretary of Baiyuan City. Now that the factory site has been decided, we should use him."
Zhao Qiang nodded. No matter how powerful the Chen family was, they couldn't act beyond the local government's authority. So, after the two of them decided on the general outline, they would notify the Baiyuan Municipal Government. Chen Guangwei's call to Secretary Qiao was simple. He only said a few words: "Secretary Qiao, this is Chen Guangwei. I want to invest in building a rubber industrial park in Baiyuan City. Let's talk."
Qiao Hua, the Party Secretary of Baiyuan City, was also very straightforward: "Hello, Mr. Chen, please come over right away and we can talk in detail."
Chen Guangwei checked the time and said, "Let's all have a simple lunch together at 11:00 AM at the Shangri-La Hotel."
Qiao Hua said, "Okay, I will make a reservation and inform Mr. Chen of the room number later."
The two ended their call there. The Shangri-La Hotel is the highest-class hotel in Baiyuan City. It is an international chain, and a meal there would cost at least tens of thousands of yuan. However, Chen Guangwei didn't need to worry because the Baiyuan City Government would cover the cost.
There were still nearly two hours until 11 o'clock, so naturally no one was in a hurry to get there. Zhao Qiang asked Chen Guangwei, "Uncle Chen, has the car involved in the accident been identified?" Why did Zhao Qiang ask? Because with the emergence of the synthetic rubber industrial park, safety issues would become more serious. Zhao Qiang himself wasn't too worried, but he was concerned about the safety of Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling.
Chen Guangwei was very angry: "It was interrupted. The car was stolen, and no clues were found on the deceased driver."
Zhao Qiang said, "I've heard that the Chen family has six top experts? I'm very curious."
Chen Guangwei was taken aback: "Qiang, are you reminding me that the last attack was by an inside man?"
Zhao Qiang shook his head and said, "These are two different things. I was just asking casually. It's okay if Uncle Chen can't talk about it."
Chen Guangwei said, "What's wrong with that? Given our current relationship, there's nothing we can't talk about. The Chen family did indeed have six loyal and highly skilled bodyguards, but now only five remain." Chen Guangwei didn't elaborate on the reason, because Cold-Faced Fox was crippled by Zhao Qiang. Although Zhao Qiang might not remember this incident now, Chen Guangwei chose to skip it.
"The three strongest bodyguards have always followed the old man. Even my second brother and I don't know exactly what kind of power they have. They even change their appearance frequently, making it impossible to figure out their pattern."
Chen Guangwei was not lying. Old Master Chen's bodyguards cannot casually reveal their strengths. Otherwise, the enemy can naturally come up with a way to deal with them based on their characteristics. Even if there are rumors outside that a certain bodyguard has some special skills, it may not actually be his special skills. Because these experts are better than ordinary people in any skill, so in the eyes of ordinary people, he is a certain specialty.
“My second brother Chen Guangmin, my sister Chen Yumin, and I each have a full-time bodyguard. My second brother Chen Guangmin’s bodyguard is Leng Qinghu, my eldest sister Chen Yumin’s bodyguard is Zuantianbao, and my bodyguard is African Lion. They all use code names. I guess only the old man knows their real names. We can’t see them normally. They only hide in the shadows and only show up in the most critical moments.”
Zhao Qiang laughed and said, "It seems I was a bit too hasty about the last car accident. I should have waited for them to take action. It was a bit of overstepping my bounds."
Chen Guangwei said, "We can't think of it that way. They are human after all. The situation happened too suddenly. Even the African lion that was protecting me might not have had time to act."
Zhao Qiang said, "I think their strength and codenames must be related. Does 'African Lion' mean that Uncle Chen's bodyguards are very strong and fast?"
Chen Guangwei said, "I think that's roughly the idea. My eldest sister's bodyguard, Zuan Tianbao, has a very strong attack ability. I learned this from my nephew, Li Zhongyuan. As for my bodyguard, I haven't seen him make a move yet."
Zhao Qiang stopped discussing the topic. To be honest, he didn't trust the so-called six top experts. It wasn't that he didn't trust their abilities, but rather whether they were trustworthy. It was just that Zhao Qiang had no one else available. Otherwise, he could have reconfigured the security force for the company's future senior management.
Looking at the time, Chen Guangwei said, "Let's go, don't keep Secretary Qiao waiting." Chen Xinxin and Chen Shuxian did not go with them. It was their first time meeting Qiao Hua, and there was no need to bring their families. Qiao Hua was not yet familiar enough to have a meal with Chen Guangwei's family.
On the way, he received the room number reserved at the Shangri-La Hotel. Upon arriving at the door, he was personally greeted by Secretary Qiao, followed by a deputy secretary in charge of investment promotion and a deputy mayor in charge of the economy. Zhang Feng was not present, and it seemed that the two leaders did not get along very well; otherwise, he would have been there for today's occasion. However, these two accompanying officials were not allowed into the room by Chen Guangwei's bodyguards. Qiao Hua did not mind; after all, they were the eldest son of the Chen family, and their security was naturally not to be compromised.
Upon entering the room, Qiao Hua personally hung up Chen Guangwei's coat and said, "Mr. Chen, your arrival is truly an honor for Baiyuan. I heard about you some time ago, but I dared not disturb you without your permission. In addition, I am attending a meeting in the province. Please forgive me if I have been negligent in any way."
Chen Guangwei said, "Secretary Qiao, you're too kind. We'll be spending a lot of time together in the future, so there's no need to be so formal. Otherwise, we'll just waste a lot of time exchanging pleasantries when we meet, which isn't worth it."
Qiao Hua chimed in, "Yes, yes, Mr. Chen is right. Then I'll get straight to the point about the investment that Mr. Chen mentioned earlier."
Chen Guangwei said, "The production of synthetic rubber should reach half of the domestic demand."
Qiao Hua frowned and said, "Mr. Chen, there's something I don't know if you've heard about. There's a new technology in China that can synthesize artificial rubber with properties that surpass natural rubber. Are we going to launch an artificial synthetic rubber project at this time...?" Qiao Hua thought Chen Guangwei was going to start producing ordinary artificial synthetic rubber.
Chen Guangwei smiled faintly: "Secretary Qiao, you overestimate me, Chen Guangwei. Why would I make such a fuss about a product that has already been phased out?"
Qiao Hua's spirits lifted: "Mr. Chen, could you be referring to the application of this new technology when you say rubber industrial horticulture?"
Chen Guangwei said, "That's right. I wonder if Secretary Qiao is interested in whether I need to prove to you that I have all the information on this technology."
“Of course, how could I doubt it without Mr. Chen’s words?” Qiao Hua was so excited that he almost knelt down on the spot. “Yes, of course I am interested. I was not thinking clearly before and misunderstood Mr. Chen’s meaning. I deserve to be punished. Let’s have a drink first and then talk in detail.”
Zhao Qiang remained silent after entering, and Chen Guangwei didn't introduce him to Qiao Hua. Qiao Hua assumed Zhao Qiang was Chen Guangwei's bodyguard; he would vaguely recognize him if Zhao Qiang's name was mentioned, knowing he was the guy who had caused trouble at the city's Public Security Bureau a few days ago. When they started drinking and eating, Qiao Hua became puzzled. Normally, a bodyguard wouldn't sit down and eat with Chen Guangwei, but Zhao Qiang not only sat down but also had a drink with him.
Seeing Qiao Hua's confusion, Chen Guangwei smiled and introduced him to Qiao Hua: "This is my friend, Zhao Qiang."
Upon hearing the name 'Zhao Qiang,' Qiao Hua suddenly realized who it was. He quickly stood up, shook hands, and said, 'So it's Mr. Zhao. My apologies for not recognizing you.'
Chen Guangwei waved his hand: "Don't be so polite, everyone can make themselves at home."
Qiao Hua said, "Before I was in Baiyuan, a lot of things happened there, which must have caused trouble for Mr. Chen and Mr. Zhao. But from today onwards, I assure you both that similar problems will never happen again. Baiyuan occupies a strategic geographical location with convenient land and air transportation and a good investment environment."
Chen Guangwei said, "I can disregard all of that. I just want to know if Secretary Qiao can support my factory to the end. I don't want to give up halfway."
Qiao Hua patted his chest and said, "Of course I will support you to the end. Mr. Chen can rest assured about me, Qiao Hua. How could I dare to have any disloyalty in front of Mr. Chen?"
Chen Guangwei said, "That's good. A more detailed plan will need to be developed later. Today we're just discussing the general idea."
Qiao Hua said, "The Baiyuan Municipal Party Committee and Government guarantee that there will be no problems and will do their utmost to cooperate with Mr. Chen to build the rubber industrial park. They will definitely offer the most favorable support policies and select the best site for the industrial park."
Chen Guangwei raised his glass and said, "Okay, let's wish each other success in advance, cheers."
Given Chen Guangwei's current status and position, his willingness to negotiate with Qiao Hua in this way would naturally not lead to a bad outcome. Before parting, Qiao Hua mentioned Chen Guangwei's safety, and he had to ask if he would be absolutely responsible if anything went wrong. This was because Qiao Hua was unaware of the car accident in front of the hotel. If he had known, he was afraid he wouldn't have been able to sleep at night.
What Chen Guangwei finds most annoying is having police cars escorting him wherever he goes. What's the fun in that? Besides, his bodyguards are quite capable, so he refused Qiao Hua's request for the Municipal Public Security Bureau to take over his security work. Doing so would not only be a waste of money and manpower, but it would also expose A Shuxian's identity, unless Chen Guangwei could resist the urge to go to Chen Shuxian.
After leaving Shangri-La, Chen Guangwei gestured to Zhao Qiang, inviting him to get in the car. Few people would be treated this way by Chen Guangwei, which shows Zhao Qiang's importance in Chen Guangwei's heart.
Zhao Qiang said, "Uncle Chen, I'll walk home. Please tell Xin Xin that you can send someone to take her back later."
Chen Guangwei said, "Alright, I'll have someone send you back first." Chen Guangwei couldn't wait for Chen Xinxin to stay with him for as long as possible.
Zhao Qiang waved his hand: "No need, I'll just take a stroll along the way and check out the environment of Baiyuan City."
Chen Guangwei didn't insist: "Then you decide for yourself. I'm going back now."
The sun was shining brightly today. Zhao Qiang strolled through the city. He wasn't planning to observe where the most suitable place to build an industrial park would be; that would naturally be handled by Qiao Hua. Right now, Zhao Qiang had many things to consider. The first was how many companies' survival would be affected by the production of the new synthetic rubber, and how many enemies it would bring him.
Although many rubber-related industries in the north have experienced varying degrees of stock price declines, with Xu Xiaoya and Hu Qian pulling the strings behind the scenes, the northern rubber industry won't collapse. At most, it will be in a slump for a while. Once he has the power to influence the Chen family, he can authorize northern companies to produce synthetic rubber. Zhao Qiang is worried that the southern rubber industry, due to Xu Xiaoya's limited influence, might lack the funds to weather the storm and collapse. If they collapse, they might direct their hatred towards the new synthetic rubber companies, creating many more enemies. As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow; these are things he has to consider in advance.
The second issue Zhao Qiang needed to consider was whether the Chen family had any other motives besides wanting to steal his technology. Especially since Zhao Qiang now knew that Leng Qinghu was Chen Guangmin's bodyguard, and that he had been crippled by his past self—a fact Hu Qian had told him. Would Chen Guangmin harbor resentment over the loss of his bodyguard? Would the Chen family abandon Zhao Qiang at a crucial moment, or even eliminate him? Of course, the Chen family might not have the ability to eliminate Zhao Qiang, but it's always wise to be cautious.
The third issue is the safety of those around us. Even Chen Guangwei was attacked, so the safety of Zhao Qiang, Zhao Ling, and Chen Xinxin must also be at risk. Should we ask Hu Qian for 'g' materials? Besides making her a compression gun, the most important thing is to make self-defense weapons for ourselves, Chen Xinxin, and Zhao Ling.
The fourth question is actually quite complicated. Zhao Qiang can recall being captured with an alloy fishing net and nearly being killed in Yihai. So, who ambushed him? Who ordered them? Was it the Chen family behind it, or was there another mastermind? Could it be General Li's men from Mengta Valley seeking revenge? Or some hostile force from abroad, or perhaps Leng Qinghu's companions seeking revenge? If it's the latter, Zhao Qiang doesn't need to worry too much. He was captured last time because of his body's reboot, and such a situation is unlikely to occur again. But if it's the former two, Zhao Qiang must be cautious. Their power is not as simple as Leng Qinghu's friends seeking revenge.
Furthermore, Zhao Qiang's advanced biochip even connected these events together: Could the attacks on Chen Guangwei and Zhao Qiang have been carried out by the same group? Given the prestige of the Chen family, no one should have dared to ambush Chen Guangwei, so what kind of force supported the truck driver's belief that he would still dare to run over Chen Guangwei even knowing he was going to die?
Furthermore, Zhao Qiang received intelligence about Chen Guangwei. According to the intelligence Hu Qian gave Zhao Qiang, the Chen family was not peaceful. As the eldest son, Chen Guangwei had the right to inherit the Chen family business, and he also had the ability to do so. However, he lacked economic and political power, which gave Chen Kezong's second son an excuse.
Although Chen Kezong's second son, Chen Guangmin, was incompetent, it was entirely possible for Chen Guangmin to "ascend the throne" with the assistance of his two extremely shrewd sons, provided that Chen Guangwei's status as heir was first removed. Assassination was one such method. Based on this, it cannot be ruled out that the attack on Chen Guangwei in front of the hotel was carried out by someone sent by Chen Guangmin.
Whether Zhao Qiang acted intentionally or not, to outsiders he is now in cahoots with Chen Guangwei. Chen Guangmin hates Chen Guangwei and will inevitably hate Zhao Qiang as well. Moreover, Zhao Qiang even crippled Chen Guangmin's bodyguard Leng Qinghu. Will Chen Guangmin be able to swallow this? Perhaps the incident where he was caught by Alloy Fishnet was orchestrated by Chen Guangmin.
Although Zhao Qiang's super biochip has strong computing power, it is unable to analyze the mess of things for the time being. Zhao Qiang had no choice but to give up. He decided to immediately manufacture equipment for Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin, otherwise, the consequences of not being by their side were still unknown.
The streets were filled with the spirit of the New Year. Zhao Qiang, preoccupied with his own thoughts, walked into an internet cafe. He not only wanted to check the latest technological information, but more importantly, he wanted to contact Hu Qian on QQ. Firstly, he hoped to obtain more intelligence about the Chen family, which would be beneficial for future cooperation with Chen Guangwei; secondly, he hoped that Hu Qian could provide 'g' materials, which Zhao Qiang desperately needed right now.
Volume 2 [499] Mixing Up is Also a Way of Life
【499】Living a carefree life is also a way of life.
Zhao Qiang found a corner and noticed that the girls' QQ accounts were always online. He wondered if someone was keeping them logged in for him or if they were really that relaxed.
The internet cafe reeked of cigarette smoke. Although Zhao Qiang also smoked, he wasn't addicted and was now quite sensitive to the smell of smoke. He opened the window next to him, leaving a crack, and a blast of cool air rushed in. Zhao Qiang took a drag and then texted Hu Qian.
Hu Qian replied quickly, and the two started chatting. At this moment, Zhao Qiang heard someone cursing in front of him. He looked up and saw that it was his brother-in-law, Zhao Mingming. Zhao Qiang laughed. This guy was almost like a thug. No wonder Zhao Shan had a headache with him.
"**, Yang Peng is nothing, he's already been taken down by me, hasn't he?" Zhao Mingming was talking to a young man, but he didn't stop playing the game.
"Get lost! You're the one who brought down Yang Peng. Who do you think you are?" The young man clearly didn't believe him.
Zhao Mingming said, "Why would I lie to you? Ask He Shan." He Shan was chatting on a machine next to Zhao Mingming.
"You two are in cahoots, what's the point of me asking He Shan?"
Zhao Mingming pushed aside the keyboard, abandoning his game. "Sun Dongming, I'm really not lying to you. That bastard Yang Peng is never going to get back up. You must have heard about his father's downfall, right? It was my brother-in-law who brought him down. You're someone important around here, so I'm only asking you for your sake. Can't we join forces and build an empire? You're from out of town and don't have a local base, but you're good at fighting. I'm a local strongman, but I lack capable generals. If we join forces, I guarantee we can succeed. We could even become the boss of Baiyuan City."
Sun Dongming said, "My mom would kill me if she found out."
Zhao Mingming said, "If my dad finds out, he can cripple my leg. I have to let them know. Just imagine how impressive it would be if we had a bunch of brothers behind us, and everyone would call us 'Big Brother' wherever we went." Zhao Mingming's thinking was still too naive.
Sun Dongming said, "I have dozens of men under my command in Donghai City..."
Zhao Mingming said, "Keep bragging. Anyway, I'm not going to investigate. If you're so capable, let's make a comeback here."
Sun Dongming said, "My mother just doesn't want me to associate with these people, otherwise she wouldn't have changed my environment. Actually, Baiyuan City's economy is not as good as Donghai's, especially Donghai's rapid development in the last two years. We have Haifeng Group and Hongwang Technology there, you know them, right? Jiayuan Investment is even more impressive. My mother has connections with these big bosses."
He Shan stopped chatting, pushed away the keyboard and said, "Then why don't you ask your mom to find you a job in Donghai?"
Sun Dongming said, "Forget it, I can't handle working. I once wanted to follow an older brother, but he wouldn't take me. If he had, I would be a senior manager by now. Don't underestimate Donghai just because it's not the provincial capital. It has the strength to surpass the provincial capital. I really miss those turbulent days."
Sitting in the back, Zhao Qiang listened and chatted with Hu Qian. On the screen, Hu Qian said, "We're going back to Donghai for the New Year tomorrow. What about you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's stay in Baiyuan. You know I don't remember much right now, and it would be awkward to go back."
Hu Qian gave a disappointed look: "Actually, I really wanted to tell you everything from the past."
Zhao Qiang said, "I can imagine it even if you don't tell me, but now is not the time to talk about this. With the release of news about the rubber industrial park, the security situation in Baiyuan will become very complicated. I cannot leave at this time, so I need the support of weapons and equipment even more."
Hu Qian said, "You're not pretending to be ignorant, are you? You're afraid the Chen family will become suspicious of you, so you refuse to stay with us."