Chapter 135: Harmony Brings Wealth?

"Mr. Sun, what exactly does Mr. Li mean?"

"Exactly, he said nine o'clock. What time is it now? Is he playing us?"

"Mr. Sun, can Mr. Li even come? If not, you can represent Mr. Li and speak!"

"Everyone, don't push Mr. Sun too hard. His leg injury isn't healed yet. Let him rest."

...

By the time Li Dong arrived, the banquet hall was in disarray.

Sun Tao, confined to a wheelchair, was blocked in the middle of the aisle and couldn't move.

As the crowd grew denser, Li Dong's face darkened, and he shouted, "What's going on here!"

Hearing the voice, everyone quickly turned around. Upon seeing Li Dong, some suppliers who recognized him immediately greeted him with forced smiles, "Mr. Li, you're here."

Li Dong nodded and frowned, "Everyone return to your seats. We'll talk later."

Some people wanted to say more but were pulled back by those around them.

There was no need to stick their necks out at this moment; it was not beneficial to make things worse with Li Dong.

Since they were all adults and considered social elites, the crowd quickly dispersed and returned to their seats.

Li Dong gestured for Liu Qi to step back and personally pushed Sun Tao to the stage.

Seeing Sun Tao's puzzled expression, Li Dong gently patted his shoulder and gave a barely noticeable nod.

Sun Tao instantly felt relieved, and his tense nerves relaxed.

Having not slept all night and still injured, Sun Tao almost slumped in his wheelchair.

Li Dong supported him, feeling a pang of sadness. To be honest, when it came to contributions to the supermarket, Li Dong could not compare to Sun Tao.

Sun Tao had invested too much effort into this.

If Yuanfang did go under, the most heartbroken would definitely be Sun Tao, not Li Dong.

Not saying anything further, Li Dong took a deep breath and turned his attention to the people in the hall.

There were quite a few suppliers present today. With Yuanfang now having six stores, there were nearly fifty to sixty suppliers.

As Li Dong looked over, the murmurs from the crowd gradually diminished until they were almost inaudible.

Between supermarkets and suppliers, supermarkets had always held the upper hand. If it weren't for the rumors that Li Dong had messed with their funds, the suppliers wouldn't have been so aggressive.

But even with the tiger fallen, until the last moment, no one could guarantee Yuanfang's demise.

If Yuanfang still had money and survived this crisis, it would be the suppliers who were in trouble.

It wasn't about Li Dong seeking revenge, but losing a major client like Yuanfang would mean significant losses for them.

In business, no one wants to be at odds with money.

Seeing everyone quiet down, Li Dong smiled lightly and said, "The reason for inviting everyone to Pingchuan today is probably clear to you all."

No one responded or made a sound.

Li Dong wasn't bothered and continued, "There are rumors outside saying that I, Li Dong, have messed with everyone's funds…"

Li Dong paused, scanning the audience with his eyes.

Seeing some people on the verge of speaking, Li Dong smiled and pointed at one of the suppliers preparing to speak, "Mr. Qin, if you have any doubts, please feel free to ask!"

The supplier, singled out, felt uneasy under the attention of the crowd but spoke up, "Mr. Li, you say it's a rumor, but I've heard it's true?"

"Oh? I'm not sure where Mr. Qin heard this. If you don't mind, could you tell me? Is it about the funds? Besides me and Mr. Sun, only Director Liu would know. Did Mr. Sun or Director Liu tell you?"

Mr. Qin's face showed a fleeting expression of embarrassment, and he forced a smile, "Mr. Li, whether it's true or not, you should know better than we do."

Seeing Li Dong remain silent, Mr. Qin continued, "We're not necessarily trying to force Mr. Li to give us an explanation. But considering the amount involved, which is in the tens of millions, it's only fair for us to be informed whether Mr. Li used the funds."

"Mr. Qin is right. Mr. Li, your business is big, and hundreds of thousands or millions may be insignificant to you. But for us, a hundred thousand is a huge amount. If it's gone, we might not be able to continue our factories."

After Mr. Qin's statement, others joined in.

Li Dong smiled and said calmly, "I said I haven't touched the funds, and no money is missing from you. I don't understand what you're worried about."

This statement did indeed silence many.

Yuanfang hadn't deducted any money from them. Holding funds was a common practice in the industry. Unless they didn't want to continue working with Yuanfang, it would be unreasonable to complain.

Everyone fell silent.

Mr. Qin, the first to speak, looked around and said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Li, anyone can talk without evidence. We all know whether Yuanfang's financial chain is broken or not. If Yuanfang still had money, why would the Tongshan branch be in a semi-shutdown state?"

This statement shocked some uninformed suppliers.

The branch was shut down!

Considering Yuanfang's current expansion, time was of the essence. How could there be an unexpected shutdown?

Some major suppliers, who had previously been calm, also became anxious. A middle-aged man in his forties sitting in the front row frowned and asked, "Mr. Li, is it true that Yuanfang's Tongshan branch is shut down?"

Li Dong did not respond but looked at Mr. Qin and said, "Mr. Qin seems to have done thorough research."

This was as good as admitting it since it was not a secret and could be verified later.

As soon as this was mentioned, the banquet hall erupted in discussions.

Apart from a few major suppliers who remained calm, other small manufacturers and company heads became agitated.

"Is it really shut down? Could Yuanfang really be out of money?"

"It must be. If they had money, why would they shut down? I still have seventy thousand in funds with Yuanfang. I hope I'll be able to get it back."

"That might not be the case. Yuanfang's stores are still making a profit. Even if they're out of money, they'll come up with it eventually."

"Mr. Wang, your business can afford to wait, but we can't. If we don't receive our payments next month, my small factory won't survive."

"..."

The crowd was in an uproar, and Li Dong didn't try to calm them down. He stood on stage, watching the commotion.

Sun Tao tugged at Li Dong's pant leg lightly. Li Dong bent down to listen, and Sun Tao whispered, "It's better to call it a day. If we change too many suppliers, it will be a big hassle."

Since Li Dong patted his shoulder, Sun Tao knew what Li Dong intended to do.

But some of these suppliers had been working with them for almost a year. Regardless of personal feelings, they were familiar with the process.

If they changed suppliers now, it would create unnecessary problems and delays.

In business, there's no need to drive people to the edge. Harmony and cooperation are the right approach.

Li Dong understood this principle but felt uncomfortable!

Despite not having taken a single penny from them, they acted like death was upon them, fearing he might abscond with the funds.

If that's the case, Li Dong didn't mind letting them leave Yuanfang's supply system!

Those who could stay calm and didn't take advantage of the situation would continue to work with him.

But suppliers like Mr. Qin, who stirred up trouble, would definitely be kicked out!

Did other big supermarkets in Pingchuan think they were better?

Li Dong didn't claim to be the top in Pingchuan, but Yuanfang's Longhua store was among the best in terms of scale and profitability.

These suppliers had made a lot of money from him and then turned around to flatter others. Li Dong definitely wouldn't tolerate that!