Chapter 134: Competitors and Enemies

June 16.

Third floor of Tianhu Grand Hotel, banquet hall.

As guests flowed in continuously, the small conference room next to the banquet hall was filled with smoke.

Chief Financial Officer Liu Hongmei opened the window to clear the smoke and advised, "Mr. Sun, you should smoke less. Your health isn't fully recovered yet."

Sun Tao, looking like a wounded beast with bloodshot eyes, grunted, "Smoking won't kill me! But if things continue like this, someone might really die!"

"Isn't Mr. Li at the bank…"

Before Liu Hongmei could finish, Sun Tao gritted his teeth and said, "What's the use of going to the bank now! Can Zhao Jinsheng conjure up money? Twenty million, not just two hundred thousand or two million!"

Since the loan hadn't come through yesterday, Sun Tao knew things were dire.

But with the arrow already on the string, there was no turning back. It was too late to cancel the gathering.

Zhao Jinsheng dared to take the money and not deliver, and this matter wasn't over!

Even if Yuanfang were to go under, Zhao wouldn't have an easy time either!

Having not slept all night, Sun Tao looked exhausted. He turned to Liu Qi and said, "Take me out!"

Liu Qi glanced at Liu Hongmei and softly advised, "Mr. Sun, perhaps you should rest for a while. With Director Liu and Manager Zhang handling the reception, it should be fine."

"Less talking, just push me out!" Sun Tao said impatiently.

His mood was terrible today. Despite Yuanfang's steady development, how had things come to this?

If suppliers caused trouble later, with nearly thirty million in payments due, how could Yuanfang manage to pay?

...

Bank of China, Yaohai Branch.

In the president's office, Li Dong sat with his legs crossed, a look of cold indifference on his face.

Zhao Jinsheng was sweating profusely and said bitterly, "Mr. Li, pressuring me won't help. The bank has money, but it's not mine to give. I can't just hand it over to you."

Li Dong's lips curled into a sneer as he retorted, "How could I dare pressure President Zhao? It's clearly President Zhao who's pushing me to the edge!"

"Yesterday, didn't you assure me that the money would be available today? Where is it?"

Li Dong's anger grew as he demanded, "Tell me where the money went! Don't treat me like a fool. Do you think my money is so easy to come by?"

Zhao Jinsheng was startled and quickly checked the office door, then whispered, "Mr. Li, be careful with your words!"

"What am I afraid of? Without this twenty million, Yuanfang is finished. If Yuanfang is done for, what am I afraid of? I still have hundreds of millions in Baidu shares. Even if Yuanfang collapses, I won't lack money!"

Li Dong had reached the breaking point. Zhao Jinsheng's deception was too much.

If you took the money, you had to deliver on your promises!

Taking the money and then failing to deliver was unacceptable. Does he think money can just be picked up off the street?

Zhao Jinsheng realized that if he didn't give Li Dong an explanation, he would face consequences.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Jinsheng reluctantly said, "Mr. Li, it's not that I'm making things difficult for you. I've run around for this matter, and the money did come through…"

"Then where did the money go?" Li Dong's gaze was icy.

"That money…"

Zhao Jinsheng hesitated, his words catching in his throat. He tried several times to speak but ultimately said nothing.

Li Dong didn't press further, maintaining his cold stare.

After about three to four minutes, Zhao Jinsheng finally sighed and said, "To be honest, the twenty million did come through, and it was prepared to be transferred to Yuanfang's account. However, it was intercepted midway."

"Who?" Li Dong asked, narrowing his eyes.

He knew things weren't as simple as they seemed. Zhao Jinsheng wasn't an idiot; he must have considered the possibility before accepting the money.

If he thought the deal was impossible, he wouldn't have accepted the money so readily.

Now that things had fallen through, someone must have been sabotaging them.

Li Dong stayed there to force out who exactly was working against Yuanfang.

This was clearly an attack on Yuanfang. Not knowing who was behind it made Li Dong uneasy.

Enemies hidden in the dark are the most terrifying. As long as Li Dong knew who was targeting him, he wouldn't fear retaliation in the future.

Since Zhao Jinsheng had spoken, he confessed, "It was Vice President Chen from the branch."

Li Dong showed a look of suspicion. He didn't seem to have any previous conflict with the vice president of Pingchuan branch.

Understanding Li Dong's confusion, Zhao Jinsheng added, "Vice President Chen has close ties with Carrefour and RT-Mart, and he's responsible for their business."

Li Dong understood now!

The competitors in Pingchuan had finally struck, and it was a lethal blow!

Yuanfang had been progressing smoothly lately, and Li Dong had forgotten about the many competitors in Pingchuan.

No wonder they chose this timing so well. Yesterday, when he asked Zhao Jinsheng, the guy confidently said the money would be in.

It was probably all an act. Those competitors had likely been planning this sabotage for a while, making their move at the last moment to prevent Li Dong from securing additional funds.

Other suppliers might not be paying attention to Yuanfang's supplier conference, but Carrefour and RT-Mart certainly would.

Li Dong could even guess their next moves.

His suppliers weren't exclusive; many had good relations with Carrefour and RT-Mart. They didn't even need spies—just a few carefully placed words, and people would come forward.

Once troublemakers appeared and Yuanfang couldn't silence them with money, the outcome would be predictable.

Knowing who was behind it, Li Dong sighed in relief and prepared to leave.

Zhao Jinsheng quickly stopped him and said apologetically, "Mr. Li, what about the money?"

Li Dong glanced at him and said calmly, "Just forget it. I'll pretend it never happened. I won't hold this against you."

Zhao Jinsheng quickly agreed, showing no dissatisfaction.

Whether Li Dong asked him to return the money or even if he had to face severe consequences, Zhao wouldn't be surprised.

He had really messed up Li Dong this time. Yuanfang's collapse meant Li Dong's losses were more than just twenty thousand; it could be in the tens of millions.

Li Dong not holding it against him showed great tolerance. Zhao Jinsheng, realizing this, said earnestly, "Mr. Li, if you ever need money in the future, come find me. I might have messed up this time, but I won't let Chen off the hook. I've worked hard to get where I am, and a vice president won't easily bring me down."

This was heartfelt talk. Li Dong looked at him, smiled, and remained silent.

Even if Yuanfang did collapse, would he really lack money?

But having connections with Old Zhao was still valuable. He wasn't an ordinary person.

If not for being sabotaged, Old Zhao's competence was quite reliable.

Even though he had acted improperly, the money was withheld, yet Old Zhao remained his president, indicating he had substantial backing.

Li Dong didn't say much more, waved his hand, and left the bank.

There were still many people waiting for him at Tianhu Grand Hotel. Li Dong was curious to see who would enjoy watching his misfortune.

Since they had shown themselves, he had to cooperate properly with them.