Chapter 133: Taking the Initiative

In the following two days, rumors about Li Dong spread like wildfire across major universities in Pingchuan, with countless gossip about him emerging.

First, Li Dong's ex-girlfriend came forward to speak. Then, even his previous ex-girlfriend made an appearance.

By the end of it, it seemed that Li Dong had dozens of girlfriends.

True and false, false and true, it all became increasingly confusing.

Even those who recognized Li Dong and tried to speak out ended up being ignored and dismissed.

These insiders could only sigh and wonder why the truth was always so hard to believe.

...

In a small building outside Jiang University.

"Damn it, not only do they not believe me, but they also insult me!" Meng Qiping slammed his mouse onto the table, his face full of indignation.

If you zoomed out, you'd see his computer screen displaying a thread with over a thousand replies.

The topic of the post was something like, "My Upper Bunkmate: The Rise of a Billionaire."

Cheng Nan glanced at him and said disdainfully, "You really think anyone would believe you! 'My upper bunkmate,' do you even have an upper bunkmate?"

"It's a rhetorical device, don't you understand? Even if it's not an upper bunkmate, it's still a nearby bunk. I didn't lie!" Meng Qiping immediately defended himself.

He had written the post just to show off, but instead, he got bitten by the backlash.

In the past two days, his post had been pinned and criticized intensely.

No one believed that the rich guy was his bunkmate; his show-off had gone too far and made him seem too boastful.

Cheng Nan didn't bother with him further. After finishing her tasks, she asked, "Since Li Dong is so rich, should we invite him for a meal and get close to him?"

Meng Qiping gave her a dismissive look and huffed, "What kind of relationship do I have with Brother Dong? Do I need to curry favor with him?"

"Do you understand human relationships and social etiquette? You've only known Li Dong for a few days, and you haven't kept in touch for long. Is there even any friendship?"

Cheng Nan scolded him a bit, then continued, "Let's hold off on the invitation for now. When Qin Yuhan returns to Pingchuan, we can invite them for a meal."

Meng Qiping grumbled but didn't refuse.

Although he was not very clever, he wasn't foolish.

...

Li Dong had no idea that "My Upper Bunkmate: The Rise of a Billionaire" was written by Meng Qiping.

If he had known, he would have been furious.

Li Dong had read the article out of boredom. If he didn't relate it to himself, it would have been a good male-male romance novel.

But relating it to himself and the fat guy made Li Dong want to die.

Since he didn't know, Meng Qiping escaped a beating.

Of course, Li Dong wasn't in the mood to deal with those writing posts right now.

In the past two days, small suppliers had been coming to demand payments, and Li Dong felt like he was being driven to the edge.

Although the amounts weren't large, combined they amounted to over three million in just two days.

This three million was temporarily gathered from several branches.

He couldn't avoid paying this money. If it wasn't paid, the larger suppliers would come next.

After paying out over three million, Li Dong had peace for two days.

After dealing with a batch of small suppliers, Li Dong asked Liu Qi, "How much money do we have left?"

Liu Qi picked up a notebook, did some quick calculations, and said, "We have 380,000 left, but the revenue from Longhua today hasn't been included. It's over a million."

Li Dong breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to have money, but he feared running out.

However, it couldn't go on like this. If it dragged on for a few more days, he would be in dire straits.

The revenue couldn't be moved around easily; aside from the profit, the rest was for paying suppliers.

Using the revenue to cover expenses was like robbing Peter to pay Paul. If something went wrong, it would only make things worse.

After thinking for a moment, Li Dong said, "Have General Manager Sun come to see me."

Liu Qi agreed and went out to call Sun Tao.

Sun Tao, whose leg injury hadn't healed, was pushed in by Liu Qi.

Li Dong looked at Sun Tao, who had lost weight again in the past few days, with a mix of regret and self-blame.

If it weren't for the trouble Li Dong had caused, Sun Tao wouldn't have had to work while sick and help manage the supermarket, dealing with suppliers. Over the past few days, besides Li Dong, Sun Tao had been the busiest.

But Li Dong couldn't let Sun Tao leave. Sun Tao was like the pillar holding everything together. Without him, Li Dong wouldn't even dare step outside.

Li Dong didn't want to indulge in pleasantries. What he needed to do now was resolve the issues as quickly as possible.

Then, he could give Sun Tao a long vacation—that was the right thing to do.

...

On June 12, Yuanfang Supermarket sent invitations to various suppliers, inviting them to Pingchuan for a gathering.

The event was scheduled for June 16 at the Tianhu Grand Hotel.

All the suppliers who received the invitations agreed to attend the supplier conference organized by Yuanfang.

They knew this wasn't just an ordinary gathering but a way for Yuanfang to reassure them.

Whether Yuanfang was truly wealthy or not would be clear then.

Li Dong's office.

Sun Tao said with admiration, "Mr. Li, this move is brilliant!"

Li Dong modestly smiled and then laughed heartily, "I didn't expect myself to be so clever. Look, these past few days, no one has come to bother me!"

Rather than passively getting beaten, it was better to take the initiative.

Besides, the four-day gap in between was enough for Li Dong to handle many things.

Last time, Zhao Jinsheng promised that the loan would be processed in a week. By the 15th, it would be exactly a week, and once the loan was disbursed, Li Dong would be worry-free.

Sun Tao was smiling but not as optimistic as Li Dong. He advised, "We should still communicate with Zhao Jinsheng. If the funds don't come through, we'll be in serious trouble."

Li Dong's confidence in holding the supplier conference relied on the 20 million loan.

If the 20 million didn't arrive on time, and suppliers raised issues, Yuanfang would be in trouble, leading to a situation where they lost both ways.

Li Dong understood this logic and thought for a moment before saying, "You're right. I need to go to the bank to check on the situation."

Although Zhao Jinsheng had taken a bribe and would likely be diligent, there was always the risk of something going wrong. If the funds didn't come through, it would be a big loss.

The more Li Dong thought about it, the more uneasy he became.

What if the funds really didn't come through?

Relying entirely on others wasn't a good idea.

The more Li Dong thought about it, the more anxious he became. He stood up and said, "I'm going now. I can't let Old Zhao fool me."

"Wait a moment!"

Sun Tao stopped Li Dong and said in a low voice, "Take 200,000 with you. Zhao Jinsheng will feel more secure seeing the cash."

Li Dong thought about it and agreed. It's better to show the money rather than just speak nicely.

Although he was short on cash, he could still manage to come up with 200,000.

Taking 200,000 from the safe, Li Dong put it in a discreet bag and then called Zhao Jinsheng to arrange a meal together.