Chapter 190: Li Qingyuan's Suffering (Part 2)

In a private room of a relatively good restaurant near Hangzhou City's Nancheng Middle School, Ye Jianlin and Wu Zheng sat facing each other. In front of them was a table of dishes that hadn't been touched much, three wine glasses that had only been half-drunk, but the bowls and chopsticks on the table were a bit askew. The waiter at the door was peering in cautiously, all of which indicated the unhappy end of this meal.

'We're fine here, don't look here, get the hell out!'

Ye Jianlin said impatiently to the waiter outside the door, while Wu Zheng smiled apologetically at the waiter, indicating for her to leave first, that everything was fine here, and then turned back to see Ye Jianlin lifting his glass to drink. Wu Zheng quickly snatched his glass away, 'Okay, Ye, you should drink less too, we still have things to do this afternoon.'

Ye Jianlin then shook Wu Zheng's hand off: 'What's the big deal? You saw what a piece of shit Li Qingyuan was just now. He's so hell-bent on quitting that he just wants to do his own beverage and food business. Isn't that sick? I really want to crack his head open!'

'Qingyuan is indeed stubborn. Nothing can change his mind,'

Wu Zheng sighed as he recalled the situation. He had persuaded them to come and eat first, saying all sorts of things. He had originally thought that if everyone ate and drank well at the table, they could also talk things over. But he hadn't expected that although they had persuaded them to come to the table, they had started arguing again after just a few words. The source of the argument was none other than the old problem of continuing to make oral rehydration solution and restructuring to make drinks and food.

Li Qingyuan still insisted on his principle, which was to engage in beverage and food production, and Ye Jianlin also firmly disagreed. As a result, the two had another row, and they even almost came to blows. Fortunately, I was here to act as a peacemaker, which prevented them from actually fighting. However, in the end, the matter was definitely not going to work out, and Li Qingyuan stormed off without finishing his meal.

As Wu Zheng sighed, Ye Jianlin grabbed the wine glass again and gulped down a mouthful of wine before saying, 'Brother Wu, we can't go on like this, especially if Li Qingyuan continues to act recklessly!'

'So what do you want to do?' Wu Zheng asked.

'I know that Li Qingyuan borrowed the money for the shares he invested, so I've already spoken to the other side and urged him to pay up quickly. If he doesn't pay, they'll take the house he's mortgaged,' Ye Jianlin said.

'Ye, isn't this a bit bad of you? After all, we are partners in business, and we just have different opinions. Don't you force someone else to break up their family?' Wu Zheng said with some concern.

Ye Jianlin immediately explained, 'Brother Wu, where did you get that idea? I'm not a gangster, so how would I do such a thing? I'm just putting a little pressure on him, so that he doesn't think about all that nonsense.'

As Ye Jianlin said, he couldn't help but sigh again: 'It's just that he's really hard to read. You see, our oral liquid business is doing well, with sales growing every month. From a few thousand a month at the beginning, we've reached the million mark now. How could he think of giving up now, saying that oral liquids are finished and insisting on getting into beverages and food? He's not stupid, he's just plain stupid!'

'So Ye Laoshi, you're thinking of using this method to force him to change his mind?' Wu Zheng asked.

Ye Jianlin nodded and said, 'Of course. We always keep our word. No matter how crazy his current ideas are, at least he is a very good businessman. Our Baby Smile oral liquid is basically supported by his business methods. If we want to break through the million mark and make more money, we still have to rely on him.'

Having said that, Ye Jianlin turned his head towards Wu Zheng again: 'By the way, Wu, I know that Li Qingyuan's wife, Zuo Huizhen, is a teacher at our school. Could you see if you can do something about it?'

Wu Zheng frowned: 'Ye, are you asking me to find the school leaders and help you threaten to fire her?'

Ye Jianlin nodded and said yes, but then immediately explained: "Wu, you're not doing this to help me threaten him, but for our Baby Smile company. Right now, our oral liquid is selling well, and you don't want Li Qingyuan messing around here and ruining our business, do you?'

Wu Zheng thought about it for a moment and finally nodded, saying, "I understand. I'll call the school leaders right away.'

...

In the restaurant, Ye Jianlin and Wu Zheng were plotting together, while outside Li Qingyuan walked into a park and kicked a tree hard.

'Idiot! You idiots only care about immediate interests! How could I ever partner with such stupid people as you? Oral rehydration solution is doomed no matter how good it is. The only way out is to transform and get into drinks and food. Didn't you see that the cannery in Linyang that went bankrupt was only saved by making congee? A small factory is fine, so are we, only you idiots would think of holding onto oral rehydration solution for the rest of your lives!'

Li Qingyuan said, kicking his legs up and then kicking the tree twice, knocking off a few leaves. Li Qingyuan spat and said, 'Oh b! If you all have no vision, then just give me the Doll Smiling company and let me run it. I will definitely make this company bigger and stronger and make it the number one company in the country!'

While Li Qingyuan was cursing, a young man came out from behind the tree and said, 'Are you fucking stupid? Why are you kicking the tree? Get lost, or I'll beat you up!'

Li Qingyuan was also angry at this point, and when he saw the young man come out, he shouted at him, 'Does it bother you when I kick the tree? Today is really a bad day. I'm in a bad mood, and you little brat just showed up. Come on, let's practice!'

Li Qingyuan said this and walked towards the young man, reaching out to grab his collar. He was menacing, but the young man lifted his foot and kicked Li Qingyuan in the stomach, then slapped him on the head, and beat Li Qingyuan up.

Afterwards, Li Qingyuan was lying on the ground, hugging his head in pain, 'Damn it, who did I offend today, why are they all targeting me?'

After a while, Li Qingyuan got up, tidied himself up a bit, and then walked home after he was almost ready. His wife, Zuo Huizhen, was a teacher at Nancheng Middle School, and his home was also next to Nancheng Middle School. When he returned home, his wife, Zuo Huizhen, was sitting in the living room. When she saw him come in, she stood up and said, 'You're back? You know what? You've gotten into trouble outside!'

Li Qingyuan was confused by these questions: 'I haven't done anything.'

Hearing Li Qingyuan say that, Zuo Huizhen was even more angry. She glared at him and said, 'If you haven't done anything, then why did the loan sharks come looking for you today to demand repayment, and say that if you don't pay they'll take our house? And Uncle Wu and Uncle Li also called, saying that they want their money back.'

'Damn it, this is all Ye Jianlin's bastard doing behind the scenes. They couldn't convince me, so they resorted to these despicable tactics to force me to give in!' Li Qingyuan understood.

'Qingyuan, did you say you were going to set up a beverage and food factory and give up on the oral liquid?'

Zuo Huizhen also reacted at this time. As Li Qingyuan's wife, she of course knew what Li Qingyuan had been doing recently and also knew the reaction to it over there.

'Of course I want to do it!' Li Qingyuan said. 'Oral liquid health products can only fool people with advertising, but in reality, the positioning of this product is very awkward. You can make a lot of money in the short term, but if you continue to do it in the long term, it will definitely cause big problems! So you must take advantage of the opportunity to let go and transform while you still can. Only going into beverages and food is a long-term development plan. Look at Lin Yang Ba Bao Congee, it's doing very well, isn't it?'

'But that's just your own opinion, isn't it?'

Zuo Huizhen blurted out, but then she said to Li Qingyuan with patience, 'Qingyuan, I know you are a person with ideals and ambitions, and you are also very good at business, but this Baby Smile company is not just yours, and you are not the only one working on oral health supplements. I heard that the Education Bureau is going to invest more money to continue promoting it, so why do you want to change?'

'Then I would rather not have them, this company is mine alone!' Li Qingyuan said, 'Ye Jianlin is simply a stubborn pig, he has no idea how to run a business, he just knows to point his finger and use those despicable tactics. And Wu Zheng, he is a wallflower with no opinions, he just knows to be a peacemaker and a goody-goody, he is not helpful at all to the development of the company!'

'If I can develop the Doll Smile company in the future, I definitely don't want these meddling vice presidents. I'd rather manage the company on my own!' Li Qingyuan concluded.

'Fine, you're so capable, you can be the emperor of this Doll Smile company, but that's all in the future. What about now?' Zuo Huizhen said, 'The problem before us now is that those loan sharks want us to pay back the money. If we don't pay, they'll come and repossess our house. Do you want me and our seven-year-old daughter to sleep on the street?'

'And,' Zuo Huizhen added, 'just before you got back, the head of our school called me and said that if you messed up Doll Laugh Company, he would have to fire me. Do you want me to be fired from school and then go with our daughter to beg for food with you?'

Zuo Huizhen's words left Li Qingyuan momentarily speechless. He just looked at his wife in a daze and couldn't say a word. Seeing him like this, Zuo Huizhen persuaded him to get up again, 'Qingyuan, can't you just do a good job running the business? You were born into a poor family, you've never had a formal job, you've always been on the edge, earning just a little money every month. It was hard to make a little money with the oral liquid, so let's just do this business quietly, why do you have to mess with all that nonsense?'

'You said there would be problems with the oral liquid, and I believe you. But Ye Jianlin and Wu Zheng are not stupid. The district education bureau is behind Baby Smile. Even if something happens, someone will take the blame. You're holding so many shares, you won't go hungry. Why do you have to take the lead?'

Li Qingyuan lowered his head at Zuo Huizhen's words. His hands grasped his hair, and he felt great pain in his heart: Obviously, the company should transform, and obviously, the company can only have a way out by making beverages and food. But why...why does no one believe in their own judgment? Everyone is only concerned about the little profit of the oral liquid, and they are all desperately singing against the tune with me, and resorting to such despicable means?

If I'm given a chance, I can definitely build a beverage and food empire. But...will I get that chance? Who can give me that chance?

Who has such a good eye? Who can see it all? Who?

Li Qingyuan cried out in his heart.