Chapter 136: A Big Start with a Small End

The commotion below grew louder and louder. Some suppliers were now shouting at Li Dong to return their money.

Li Dong remained silent and casually took a seat.

Seeing that they weren't getting a response from Li Dong, some suppliers, already anxious, became even more nervous.

Mr. Qin shouted louder, "Mr. Li, at this point, aren't you going to give everyone an explanation?"

"What kind of explanation do you want?" Li Dong asked淡淡道.

"First, pay the funds!"

By now, things had escalated, and Mr. Qin didn't care about being more confrontational.

Li Dong didn't look at him but addressed the crowd, "Holding onto funds is a standard practice. Are you all planning to disregard the rules now?"

With hundreds of thousands or even millions at stake, standard practices were set aside.

Just after Li Dong spoke, someone chimed in, "Mr. Li, whether it's a standard practice or not, let's put that aside for now. I have a question: are the Baidu shares part of Yuanfang's assets or your personal assets?"

"Does it make a difference?" Li Dong asked.

"Of course it does!" The speaker, excited, continued, "If they're part of Yuanfang, we're not afraid of you defaulting on the payments. But if they're your personal assets, once Yuanfang goes bankrupt, you might just find an excuse to transfer the shares to someone else. Will we then have to chase you through lawsuits?"

This statement made everyone suddenly realize they had overlooked something.

After he finished speaking, another person added, "Yes, Mr. Li, what's the deal with the Baidu shares?"

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Li Dong calmly replied, "That seems to be my own business. Why should I tell you?"

The suppliers, large and small, were dumbfounded. Did he really not care about pushing them too far?

Li Dong had had enough of the spectacle and was no longer interested in playing along.

He glanced at Mr. Qin and a few others and said leisurely, "I won't waste more words. Since you want to break the rules, I won't stop you."

"Those who want to continue doing business with Yuanfang, I welcome you with open arms. But you must follow the rules. Those who don't want to do business with Yuanfang, step up now and take your money. There are plenty of suppliers out there, and we're not short of a few of you!"

The crowd was stunned by Li Dong's bold statement.

Did he really not care about offending them all and risking a collective supply cut? If supplies were cut off, even if Yuanfang temporarily switched suppliers, it would be too late.

Li Dong knew what they were thinking, but he wasn't afraid.

In this business, everyone wanted to make money. Could fifty or sixty people truly unite? As long as Yuanfang had money, Li Dong could find replacements within three days.

Moreover, with the supermarket's inventory, Li Dong wasn't worried about a temporary supply shortage.

These people actually thought they could threaten him just by gathering together? What a joke!

"You were all just demanding money. Anyone who wants to take their money, come forward now. After today, if you still complain, don't blame me for using the contract to settle things. If the money isn't paid, I've got a lawyer team ready for you!"

Holding funds was standard practice, but it was also contractual.

In the past, everyone played nice, and with the relationships in domestic business, contracts were rarely invoked.

But now that it had come to this, Li Dong wouldn't be talking about relationships.

If they pushed him too far, he wouldn't give them a single cent. What could they do?

Li Dong wasn't afraid of lawsuits. He could drag them out, and in three to five months, he could ensure that at least half of these people would be financially devastated.

Even if he lost the lawsuit in the end, he would just pay back the money and bear the extra litigation costs. He didn't care.

However, if he proceeded this way, doing business in the future would become difficult unless he intended to retire on Baidu stock.

Everyone fell silent. Was Li Dong's bravado real money or just bluster?

If they took the money, their business with Yuanfang would definitely be over. But if they didn't, and Yuanfang did go bankrupt while Li Dong moved the Baidu shares, they might end up being dragged down.

Mr. Qin gritted his teeth. At this point, whether he took the money or not made no difference.

"Mr. Li…"

Li Dong waved his hand to cut him off and said, "Alright, you're counted. Anyone else?"

A few more people came forward, but they were all small suppliers.

Li Dong looked at the few major suppliers in the front row who remained unmoved and smiled, "You all, what's your stance now?"

The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier smiled and said, "Mr. Li, I came here today for the gathering. As for the funds, we'll follow the rules."

"Is that what all of you think?" Li Dong asked again.

The others nodded in agreement, leaving Mr. Qin and the others stunned!

What's going on?

Li Dong might not have understood, but they knew. They had been encouraged by these big manufacturers to stand up earlier.

Yet, after a few harsh words from Li Dong, these people suddenly backed down?

If they had known it would turn out like this, they wouldn't have stuck their necks out. Now not only was their business ruined, but their reputations were also damaged.

Suppliers who don't follow the rules aren't liked by many. If everyone had broken the rules, it wouldn't have mattered, but now the result was only a few of them. This made the few who stood up look very bad.

Li Dong hadn't expected this outcome. He thought there would be a major confrontation.

Instead, it ended up like this.

Aside from Mr. Qin, who had some influence, the total amount owed by the small suppliers didn't even exceed three million.

Li Dong had prepared for a big scene, and now it was neither here nor there. He felt frustrated.

It was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—his efforts had been in vain!

If he had known that harsh words would have this effect, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

Exchanging a glance with Sun Tao, who looked equally perplexed, Li Dong wondered if their earlier concerns had been unfounded.

Li Dong exhaled. No matter what, the current situation was in his favor. As for what the other suppliers thought, he couldn't be bothered to guess.

Ignoring Mr. Qin's unhappy face, Li Dong turned to the door and said, "Come in!"

As soon as Li Dong finished speaking, the door of the banquet hall was pushed open.

First, four fully armed security guards entered, followed by six bank staff, each carrying a large box.

Seeing this setup, everyone was dumbfounded.

Li Dong was also feeling frustrated. Without speaking to the others, he went directly to open one of the boxes.

Then everyone was dazzled by stacks of red banknotes!

Money, all money!

Three large boxes of cash, each containing ten million!

Thirty million. While many large manufacturers here had this amount, it was the first time they had seen so much cash piled together.

Li Dong didn't know what others thought, but he wasn't in a good mood.

After all the effort, only a small number of people came forward. How could he feel good?