Chapter 153: This Matter Isn’t Over

Bang!

The office door was suddenly pushed open with force. Zhou Ming, Du Peng, and Luo Han turned around to see a furious person storming in. It was none other than Hua Shao, who Zhou Ming and the others had mentioned earlier.

"Zhou Ming, you're so bold! How dare you design a trap for me?" Hua Shao stormed in and questioned Zhou Ming.

"Hua Shao, let's be reasonable. What exactly did I trap you in?" Zhou Ming calmly countered.

"What do you mean, 'what'? Look at these stocks!" Hua Shao said, pulling out a stack of stock certificates. "You deliberately tricked me into buying these stocks and then made their value drop. Isn't this a trap?"

Du Peng, visibly displeased, said to Hua Shao, "Hua Shao, what you're saying doesn't make sense. You requested to buy these stocks yourself. Zhou Ming and I never forced you to buy them."

"And," Zhou Ming continued, "Hua Shao, have you forgotten? Whether it was in the private room at Nanhu Hotel or last week in the securities company's reception room, I repeatedly advised you not to buy these stocks. But you wouldn't listen and even threatened me. Now that the stocks have lost value, you come back to say I trapped you? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Hua Shao's face turned ugly. He clearly understood Zhou Ming's point, which made him even more infuriated.

For Hua Shao, if Zhou Ming had intentionally framed him, it would have been easier to accept because at least there would be an outlet for his anger. But now, Zhou Ming had consistently advised him not to buy stocks. Hua Shao had ignored this advice and now, having suffered losses, he was coming back to trouble the person who advised him against buying. This was completely unreasonable.

Of course, Hua Shao wasn't an idiot. He understood that Zhou Ming's advice was designed to provoke him, knowing that during the stock market's rise, he was unlikely to listen.

This realization made Hua Shao feel even more frustrated. He knew Zhou Ming was right, but finding trouble with him felt like a losing battle. It was incredibly maddening.

"This was a trap you set up! You did it on purpose!" Hua Shao insisted stubbornly.

Zhou Ming, slightly amused, asked, "Hua Shao, don't you think your argument is absurd? Also, according to my knowledge, last week your stocks rose by thirty percent. Now they've only dropped by thirty percent. Hua Shao, you haven't actually lost money, have you?"

"Ridiculous! I'm telling you, you must compensate me for the three million yuan I lost today!" Hua Shao demanded.

"Hua Shao, you're being unreasonable. You're someone of status. Isn't it inappropriate to make a scene like this?" Zhou Ming said.

Hua Shao was clearly determined to act like a troublemaker. "Screw you! I see it's you who are being unreasonable. You…"

Before Hua Shao could finish, Du Peng couldn't hold back and slapped him across the face, silencing him.

"Damn it, are you finished? You're the one who was foolish and ignored our advice. Now you want to blame us? You haven't lost money, but still want us to compensate you? Even if you grew up under the red wall, you should at least have some self-respect. Stop acting like those petty speculators making a fuss!" Du Peng scolded Hua Shao.

Du Peng had long been displeased with Hua Shao. Despite being a red-blooded youth from Yan Jing, Hua Shao had acted arrogantly due to his strong connections in Lingnan, treating Du Peng with disdain. Even during previous nightclub and stock issues, Hua Shao had threatened him. Although some of it was for show, it was still intolerable for Du Peng.

Now, Hua Shao had come to his office to cause trouble, thinking he was an easy target. Du Peng was not afraid of him.

Hua Shao stood there, clutching his face in shock. "You dare hit me? You actually dare to hit me? Du Peng, do you know where this is? Do you want to fight me?"

"I would have hit you already if it weren't for the fact that this is Lingnan!" Du Peng said, pointing at Hua Shao. "Damn it, look at yourself. You're so arrogant and think no one can handle you. Do you want to fight? Let's see who falls first. But let me remind you, my Uncle Chen is now the Executive Vice Governor and Secretary of the Nanjiang Municipal Party Committee."

Hua Shao's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, so you were prepared for this. But don't think you've won. The boss will definitely not let you off!"

"You don't need to worry about Hua Shao. I'll contact Brother Tan for you," Du Peng said.

Du Peng picked up the office phone and made a call, which was soon answered. On the other end, a very arrogant voice came through: "Xiao Peng, what's up?"

Upon hearing this voice, Hua Shao shivered. Clearly, this was the Brother Tan they had mentioned. According to Du Peng, Brother Tan was the top figure in the capital, holding significant influence and leading a nationwide group.

Even on the phone, Du Peng was respectful. "Brother Tan, we have a bit of a misunderstanding with Hua Shao here. Hua Shao bought stocks from the Nanjiang Securities Company…"

Du Peng briefly explained the situation to Brother Tan, who replied after a moment's consideration, "Alright, Xiao Peng, I understand. Let Xiao Hua take the call."

Xiao Hua was Hua Shao's nickname, and only someone like Brother Tan would dare to call him that.

Du Peng handed the phone to Hua Shao. Hua Shao greeted Brother Tan, who said, "Xiao Hua, stop causing trouble and go back."

"But Brother Tan, they deliberately tricked me and made me lose millions. This isn't a small amount! I have to make them pay…"

Before Hua Shao could finish, Brother Tan's voice grew stern: "Xiao Hua, didn't you hear me? I told you to stop making a scene and go back. They've been advising you not to buy stocks all along, but you insisted on buying. Now you're trying to blame others for your losses. When did I teach you to act like this?"

Despite Brother Tan's calm tone, Hua Shao couldn't help but shiver. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, Brother Tan, I'm leaving right away."

Brother Tan responded with an "mm" and said to Du Peng, "Xiao Peng, this is my fault for not educating my people. Don't take it to heart."

Du Peng replied, "Brother Tan, don't say that. This matter wasn't related to you at all. You didn't know."

Brother Tan smiled and added, "Xiao Peng, I've heard that you're doing quite well in Nanjiang. I know you've used your business moves to help the family. It's a smart approach."

Du Peng thanked Brother Tan and praised him, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, they hung up. Once the call ended, Du Peng, seeing Hua Shao still present, asked deliberately, "Hua Shao, do you have anything else to say?"

Hua Shao, fuming with anger, could only grit his teeth and say, "Alright, Du Peng, you won this round. But we'll settle this account later!"

With that, Hua Shao left the office. Du Peng looked at his departing figure and laughed, "Zhou Ming, did you see that? Hua Shao's expression was priceless. After threatening him for over a month, we finally got our revenge and even got him to put money into the stock market. I bet he's regretting it now!"

"Indeed. In business, it's really tough without political backing," Zhou Ming sighed.

Zhou Ming felt deeply about this. Hua Shao had dared to be so arrogant and threaten both him and Du Peng because of his strong influence in Lingnan, even getting the Nanjiang Deputy Secretary to seal off his nightclub.

But once he heard that Chen Yunfei had become the Executive Vice Governor and Secretary of the Nanjiang Municipal Party Committee, Hua Shao was stunned. He had to call in his backer, Brother Tan.

In the present era, while the Mayor and Secretary might seem like equal rivals in the future, back then, the Party Secretary held the highest authority. The Mayor was comparatively weaker. With Chen Yunfei's promotion to both Secretary and Executive Vice Governor, he wielded absolute power in Nanjiang and substantial influence in the province.

Even if Hua Shao's family had strong connections in Lingnan, facing such a powerful figure made them reconsider. They couldn't afford to clash with someone like Chen Yunfei.

Without Chen Yunfei, Zhou Ming would have faced significant trouble dealing with Hua Shao's retaliation. But with Chen Yunfei's support, the problem was easily resolved. This political difference was a stark contrast to the ease of Du Peng's situation, which is why Zhou Ming had this realization.

But despite this, Zhou Ming, frowning, said, "However, Du Shao, I think trouble is coming."

Du Peng was surprised. "What trouble? Didn't Brother Tan resolve it?"

"If you were cheated out of three million, would you just laugh it off?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Of course not," Du Peng said. "But

 Brother Tan…"

"It's that phone call!" Zhou Ming said. "If Brother Tan had been angry or hung up, I could understand. After all, he's a top figure in the capital, and he would have been upset. But his calmness and the polite conversation were unusual. Don't you find that strange?"

Du Peng thought for a moment and said, "It is indeed strange. Brother Tan isn't known for his patience."

"That's the point," Zhou Ming said. "So, I believe this matter isn't over."