When Zhao Qiang arrived at the hotel where the Red Dragonfly performance troupe was staying, Zhang Wenjing and Li Jingjing were already anxiously waiting at the door. When they saw Zhao Qiang get out of the car, they ran over. Zhang Wenjing said, "My dad is on his way. Why were you so impulsive? I just called my dad, and he said this matter is difficult to handle. The Feng family is on strike and demanding a resolution."
Zhao Qiang waved his hand and said, "I'll go and meet with Regiment Commander Liu Wen first. He came back last night after getting a cast. I'm afraid he'll leave Baiyuan today, and then I won't have another chance."
Zhang Wenjing, true to her word, said, "I'll go in with you."
Zhao Qiang shook his head and said, "Wait outside, otherwise it will put your dad in a difficult position."
Li Jingjing said, "I'll go in with you." As she spoke, she winked at Zhao Qiang. Although Li Jingjing wasn't particularly beautiful, she was quick-witted, but she was stubborn when it came to relationships, completely devoted to Zhang Wenjing. Her decision to go in with Zhao Qiang had a deeper meaning, and Zhao Qiang nodded.
Li Jingjing made a strange hand gesture towards the distance, and two burly men in black suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Usually, people in black are bodyguards, because that's what they say in books. Despite the heat, they weren't sweating at all; their skill was truly admirable. Zhang Wenjing, however, was somewhat surprised: "Jingjing, are these your bodyguards?" It seemed Zhang Wenjing had only just realized.
Li Jingjing nodded with a hint of pride, "Yes, she's a second-generation expert in our Chen family." Of the first generation of top experts, only five remain. Although Li Jingjing is of noble birth, she is not yet qualified to be protected by a first-generation expert.
Zhang Wenjing wiped her sweat: "Luckily I didn't do anything to you, otherwise they would have attacked me from the shadows long ago."
Li Jingjing rolled her eyes at Zhang Wenjing: "Why don't they hide in the shadows and come out to disturb our normal lives?"
At this moment, Zhao Qiang had already led Su Xiaosu into the hotel, and Zhang Wenjing and Li Jingjing hurriedly followed.
Su Xiaosu knew where Liu Wen lived, so there was no need to ask; everyone went straight to the room.
Liu Wen was struggling because his thigh was in a cast. The troupe sent two young models to take care of his daily life. They were having breakfast at the moment. One model was feeding him porridge, while the other was preparing water for him to wash his face. Although Liu Wen was in excruciating pain from the broken bone, he still felt quite good being taken care of.
With a bang, the door was pushed open, and Liu Wen saw Su Xiaosu walk in. Liu Wen hurriedly shoved aside the small model next to him and shouted, "Su Xiaosu, you dare come back? Don't you want to terminate the contract?"
Li Jingjing frowned. She was disgusted by Liu Wen's attitude, as if he were the most important person in the world. Li Jingjing beckoned to her bodyguard, then pointed at Liu Wen and said, "Cripple his other leg."
These bodyguards were no pushovers; their strength, second only to the six top experts, was proof enough. One of them stepped forward and grabbed Liu Wen's intact thigh bone. Liu Wen was startled: "W-who are you? What do you want?"
With a snap, the bodyguard used his fingers to break Liu Wen's thigh bone. How much strength would that require?
"Ah!" Liu Wen screamed in agony.
Zhao Qiang pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Liu Wen. Liu Wen's shouts were so loud they hurt people's eardrums, so Zhao Qiang pulled out a pillowcase and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Commander Liu, you used to frequently drug and rape contracted artists, didn't you?" Zhao Qiang asked.
Seeing that the two young models were too scared to approach, Liu Wen realized that his life was in their hands and he had no choice but to admit defeat. Since his hands were still functional, he pulled the pillowcase out of his mouth and said, "No, no, I'm not that kind of person. Please, have mercy."
Zhao Qiang pointed at Su Xiaosu and said to Liu Wen, "Tell me what you did to her last night."
Liu Wen glanced at Su Xiaosu with some fear, then lowered his head and said, "She...she wanted to terminate the contract, but the head office wouldn't allow it, so I tricked her into going to a hotel to work as a hostess, and then secretly drugged her..."
Li Jingjing coldly uttered, "Shameless."
Liu Wen hurriedly defended himself, saying, "I was only doing this under orders from above; it has nothing to do with me."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Where is Su Xiaosu's contract?"
Liu Wendao said, "Her contract is in Beijing, and this is a decision that only Wang Yipeng at the head office has the authority to make."
"Wang Yipeng?" Zhao Qiang thought this person had some connection with Wang Yifan, the director of the Baiyuan City Public Security Bureau, but in reality, the two were unrelated.
Liu Wendao: "Yes, the big boss of Red Dragonfly Entertainment is very influential in Beijing. He knows everyone from all walks of life, from ministers to grassroots leaders. Everyone in Beijing has to give him face..."
Li Jingjing interjected, "Are you trying to threaten me with Beijing officials? Slap yourself!"
The bodyguards were very obedient. One of them held Liu Wen down while the other started slapping him repeatedly. Liu Wen's tone had indeed been threatening before, but after a few slaps, he became obedient and said, "Spare me, spare me, I wouldn't dare threaten you."
Zhao Qiang lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then pressed the burning butt against Liu Wen's face. He said coldly, "This is to mark you. Go tell Wang Yipeng that I've taken Su Xiaosu's contract. If he's not happy, come find me. There's no penalty for breach of contract."
Li Jingjing was even more ruthless. There was a steaming bowl of rice porridge on the table. She picked it up and poured it all over Liu Wen's head. Liu Wen was already screaming, but now he was screaming in agony. The porridge had cooled slightly on the outside, but the inside was still very hot, scalding Liu Wen's face until the skin peeled off.
Li Jingjing laughed and said to Zhao Qiang, "I admire your style. You're straightforward, just like my brother."
Zhang Wenjing was dumbfounded. He had always ignored Li Jingjing, but she had been relentlessly clinging to him. He hadn't expected her to be such a violent woman; if she treated him like that, he would be in big trouble.
Li Jingjing turned around and naturally saw Zhang Wenjing's worry. She immediately changed her expression and walked gently to Zhang Wenjing's side, took his arm and said, "But I love Wenjing. I like him and I am willing to change for him."
Zhang Wenjing looked at Zhao Qiang with a smug expression. Zhao Qiang chuckled, took Su Xiaosu's hand, and Su Xiaosu knew that everything Zhao Qiang had done was for her. A wave of happiness washed over her, and she even imagined the Zhao Qiang before her as the Zhao Qiang she remembered. Overwhelmed with emotion, she threw herself into Zhao Qiang's arms and burst into tears, crying, "Zhao Qiang!"
Zhao Qiang knew that Su Xiaosu was imagining him as her past self. He patted Su Xiaosu on the shoulder and said, "Alright, everything's fine now. Stay with Lingdong Entertainment and you'll become famous soon."
Suffering immense physical pain, Liu Wen was nearly driven mad, screaming, "I won't let you get away with this!"
Li Jingjing was about to turn around when Zhao Qiang snorted. Without him making any move, the surrounding metal objects suddenly flew up, all aimed at Liu Wen on the bed. First, a spoon pierced Liu Wen's arm, the handle deeply embedded in his flesh. Then came keys, a cell phone, a chair, and a basin. Liu Wen initially screamed, but then keys were shoved into his anus, a cell phone was stuffed into his mouth, and a basin was smashed in his face, turning into a broken basin shaped like a human. Liu Wen lost consciousness.
Qiao Hua and Zhang Feng arrived at the doorway just as the jumbled objects began to fly up on their own. This was a special ability! The two were stunned. They swallowed their initial rant about Zhao Qiang, fearing those things might come and pierce them.
Li Jingjing said to Liu Wen, "Remember, my name is Li Jingjing. If Wang Yipeng wants revenge, come at me." She said this to the two young models squatting on the ground in the corner, because Liu Wen was unconscious.
Li Jingjing winked at Zhao Qiang at the hotel entrance, trying to take the blame for this matter. It was a way of returning the favor. Zhao Qiang had helped Zhang Wenjing a lot and was now making millions every day. She wasn't heartless; she naturally wanted to thank Zhao Qiang for such a good thing. In Baiyuan City, Li Jingjing wasn't afraid of anyone. Even if Wang Yipeng was really dissatisfied, he wouldn't run wild in the south unless he wanted to die.
Qiao Hua and Zhang Feng were already in a state of utter confusion, as if things weren't chaotic enough. Zhang Feng, in particular, was extremely nervous. He was afraid that Li Jingjing would also abuse his son in the future, and that his son wouldn't dare to resist and would have no one to turn to for help.
Zhao Qiang saw Qiao Hua and Zhang Feng and said with a smile, "Secretary Qiao, Mayor Zhang, what brings you here?"
Qiao Hua sighed: "Zhao Qiang, you're having a good time now, but we're doomed."
Li Jingjing was frightened when she saw Zhang Feng and immediately hid behind Zhang Wenjing. Zhang Wenjing said to his father in a very manly manner, "Dad, I did this. It has nothing to do with Jingjing."
Zhang Feng waved his hand: "Go stand aside, you can't take this responsibility."
Seeing that more and more hotel staff were gathering around, Qiao Hua said, "It's not convenient to talk here. How about we find a quiet place?"
Zhao Qiang agreed, and everyone left in a hurry. As for Liu Wen, who cared? He was an insignificant person. The reason for making things difficult for him was to show Wang Yipeng.
Municipal government meeting room.
"Zhao Qiang, things are very troublesome," Qiao Hua said anxiously. The situation on Jia Lili's side was just as she had threatened. After arriving at work, all the companies under the Feng family's name had stopped production, and the workers were having a meeting, preparing to go to the municipal government to demand an explanation later.
Li Jingjing sat beside him, and because she wanted to take responsibility for the matter, she quickly said, "Secretary Qiao, this is my responsibility."
Volume 2 [526] Finding Another Collaborator
[526] Find another collaborator
Zhang Feng looked at Li Jingjing with difficulty and said heavily, "Jingjing, things are not as simple as you young people imagine. This matter still needs to be dealt with openly. Regardless of whether Feng Youyang is the mastermind behind the drugging, his broken arms and legs are already a serious mistake, not to mention what you just did..." He implied his dissatisfaction with what had happened in the hotel.
Li Jingjing said, "I called my parents. I don't believe they won't take responsibility." Turning to parents when things go wrong is a typical mentality of some children of officials.
Qiao Hua glanced at Zhang Feng, who nodded. They wanted to hear the Chen family's opinion on the matter; otherwise, who would dare to impose punishment so easily?
Li Jingjing went to another room to make a phone call, while Qiao Hua continued to lecture Zhao Qiang, "Zhao Qiang, someone has to step in and calm this down, don't you think?"
Zhang Feng coughed and said, "Secretary Qiao and I think it's better to let Sun Dongming and Zhao Mingming take the blame for you. Of course, we will do our best to mediate and ensure that the punishment is not too severe. The Feng family will get a way out and won't pursue the matter any further."
Zhao Qiang said, "Secretary Qiao, thank you for your kindness, but I think the government should try to delay this matter for now. You'd better not get involved, or you'll get yourself into trouble."
Qiao Hua and Zhang Feng exchanged a glance, neither understanding Zhao Qiang's meaning. Qiao Hua said, "According to the news from the factory, the workers are already gathering, and the local police station has sent people to intervene. However, with so many workers, the police force is definitely not enough. So sooner or later they will go to the municipal government to cause trouble. If we delay, it will only worsen the situation, and then the responsibility will be even more complicated."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's wait and see. Otherwise, do you have any other ideas? I won't let you take away Sun Dongming and Zhao Mingming. If you two don't believe me, feel free to try."
Qiao Hua and Zhang Feng felt goosebumps. If Zhao Qiang were an ordinary person, the two of them would have slammed their fists on the table long ago, but unfortunately they didn't dare. The scene they had just witnessed at the hotel was still stimulating them.
Just then, Li Jingjing returned and said, "Secretary Qiao, why don't you take a call?"
Qiao Hua knew it was Li Jingjing's family. He took the phone very respectfully and said, "Hello, this is Qiao Hua from Baiyuan City... Um, I understand, I understand, okay, I got it..."
After putting down his phone, Qiao Hua said to Zhang Feng, "Let's go to the factory first and do some ideological work with the workers."
Zhang Feng was completely baffled, but since Qiao Hua was leading the way, he had no choice but to follow, leaving Zhao Qiang and the others behind in the conference room.
Zhang Wenjing, bewildered, asked Li Jingjing, "What's going on?"
Li Jingjing said, "My mother said that we should make a fuss about this first. The Feng family has been asking for too many privileges in recent years. It's time to teach them to restrain themselves."
Zhao Qiang said to Li Jingjing, "Thank you."
Li Jingjing said, "Don't be so polite. You are Wenjing's friend, which means you are my friend. I don't care about any Southern or Northern factions. I only know that if someone is good to Wenjing, I will be good to them." Simple thoughts, but practical.
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "Jingjing, we can actually cooperate further."
Li Jingjing: "Oh? Brother Qiang, tell me about it. I'm not very interested in business, but I think Wenjing definitely wants to start a business."
Zhang Wenjing said, "I'm very content now. The total revenue from selling cosmetics these past few days has reached tens of millions. I'm so excited that I can't sleep every night. Thank you, Brother Qiang."
Zhao Qiang said, "Why are you thanking me? This is your own hard work. However, you are only an agent for sales at the moment. It's not your own business yet. Have you ever thought about expanding the company and turning it into a real business?"
Zhang Wenjing said, "Of course I want to, but I need to have a good project that makes money, otherwise I'll just lose money even if I start a company."
Zhao Qiang said, "I have a patented technology..."
Li Jingjing asked anxiously, "Is it like the level of synthetic rubber?"
It is important to know that synthetic rubber is now the foundation of heavy industry. Numerous rubber industries use products from Bafang Chemical Group, especially in the tire industry. If Bafang Chemical Group were to stop production for even a day, the vast majority of the domestic tire industry would be affected. Now, the central government has issued a document requiring Bafang Chemical Group to expand the production scale of its rubber industrial park. Chen Guangwei and Chen Xinxin have already hired experts to conduct research on this matter, and the Baiyuan Municipal Government has also allocated land again. Expanding the industrial park is imperative, and the Chen family's dependence on Chen Guangwei and Chen Xinxin is gradually increasing.
Zhang Wenjing, displaying his chauvinistic attitude, glared at Li Jingjing. After all, they were classmates, and Li Jingjing loved Zhang Wenjing deeply, so she quickly shut her mouth and obediently sat down next to Zhang Wenjing, waiting for Zhao Qiang to continue.
Zhao Qiang said, "The levels should be about the same. Our goal is to replace some or even all of the steel with plastic."
Zhang Wenjing said, "How is that possible? I know some special plastics are very hard, but it's impossible to compare them to steel."
Zhao Qiang said, "Nothing is impossible in this world. There is a special metal material in the north. I don't know if you've heard of it."
Zhang Wenjing glanced at Li Jingjing, who asked, "Is it the 'G' substance used to manufacture super batteries?" This was a classified matter, but for a family like Li Jingjing's, it was a trivial matter. Moreover, the individual flying vehicles and huge solar arrays flying over Africa had already exposed the secret of the super batteries.
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Yes, this material has many properties, including the plasticity and flexibility of plastic."
Zhang Wenjing said, "Is this what you're talking about? But the production of this substance has always been controlled by the northerners. We don't have the production technology here at all. Even if we could get the production technology, the country wouldn't allow us to invest in construction again."
Zhao Qiang said, "No, what I'm talking about now is just an extension similar to it, but it's different from 'G' matter. Our production targets are mainly aerospace and military products."
Zhang Wenjing asked, "What are the applications in aerospace?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Using special plastics to replace certain alloys will further reduce the weight and mass of aerospace equipment."
Zhang Wenjing asked, "Are you sure the plastic you're talking about can achieve the strength of an alloy?"
Zhao Qiang said, "It's confirmed. I'll bring the samples later so you can submit them to the experts for evaluation."
Zhang Wenjing slammed her hand on the table and said, "Great! If we have samples, everything will be much easier."
Zhao Qiang continued, "I have a type of elastic plastic for military products that can completely replace ordinary tires, or even tank tracks, allowing it to travel in more complex environments. It can also be used to make tank armor that can withstand most armor-piercing projectiles currently available."
Li Jingjing stared wide-eyed. "Impossible! Is there really such a magical plastic?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Absolutely, you'll believe it soon enough."
Li Jingjing said, "If that's the case, let's cooperate. As long as you can help Wenjing, I'll do anything you ask."
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't need you to do anything, but I want to own 70% of the company's shares, and it will be affiliated with Bafang Chemical Group."
Zhang Wenjing hesitated for a moment: "This..." Seventy percent, that doesn't belong to his company.