Chapter 210: Hu Wanlin's Frustration

In the following days, neither Li Dong nor Sun Tao mentioned the shares issue again, as if Li Dong had never brought it up.

On September 20th, Li Dong arranged for a tea meeting with Hu Wanlin through Wu Jianguo.

The meeting location was their usual place, where Hu Wanlin and Li Dong had previously had a falling out.

Upon meeting Hu Wanlin, Li Dong said directly, "Ms. Hu, business should be conducted with a spirit of harmony and mutual benefit. But when you corner a rabbit, it will bite. I'm no rabbit, so you need to give me an explanation!"

Li Dong was demanding an explanation right from the start, leaving Hu Wanlin somewhat bewildered.

Then Hu Wanlin came to her senses and replied coldly, "Mr. Li, I should be the one saying that. Don't push me too far!"

Hu Wanlin was fuming inside. Li Dong was too arrogant! The last time, due to the incident with Wang Jia and some instability in her old man, she had refrained from causing trouble for Wang Jia, despite Li Dong's involvement.

She had already shown Li Dong enough courtesy by not pursuing the matter further. Now Li Dong was coming to her door.

Li Dong, with a half-smile, said, "So, Ms. Hu, you think it's reasonable for you to have people vandalize my five stores?"

"Li, don't be excessive!"

Hu Wanlin couldn't hold back anymore. She was used to setting others up; when had it been her turn to be blamed?

She had heard about the vandalism of Li Dong's stores and had initially taken pleasure in it.

Although she had no major grudge against Li Dong, their previous conflicts made her somewhat pleased to see his stores vandalized.

But enjoying someone else's misfortune was different from having Li Dong dump dirty water on her head. Hu Wanlin couldn't tolerate that.

Even if it weren't her doing, admitting it was out of the question.

Li Dong's expression grew cold as he said, "Ms. Hu, let's be straightforward. Chen Si is one of your people, right?"

Hu Wanlin's brow furrowed, sensing something was wrong. She replied, "I know Chen Si. What are you implying?"

"Ha, my stores were vandalized by Chen Si's people. I don't believe Ms. Hu was unaware."

"Since Ms. Hu denies it, there's nothing more I can do. After all, there's no evidence. If Ms. Hu doesn't give me face, we'll see how it goes."

Li Dong sneered, deciding not to continue the conversation and leaving immediately.

Once Li Dong left, Hu Wanlin's brow furrowed deeply, her expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Chen Si was behind the vandalism?

Although Chen Si wasn't officially part of her company, he was one of her most important partners.

Few people who engaged in high-interest lending could recover their money smoothly. Any tough roles were usually handled by Chen Si.

Even now, Hu Wanlin considered Chen Si part of her team.

If Chen Si vandalized Li Dong's stores, Hu Wanlin couldn't believe he acted without her instruction.

But Hu Wanlin was frustrated; she genuinely didn't know about this!

Chen Si had no enmity with Li Dong. Vandalizing Li Dong's stores was essentially undermining her own interests!

Of course, Hu Wanlin wouldn't just take Li Dong's word for it.

Hu Wanlin made a call, asked a few questions, and her face grew darker.

After making several more calls, the results confirmed that Chen Si was indeed responsible.

Hu Wanlin tried to call Chen Si, but his phone was off. This made Hu Wanlin even more enraged.

It was clear now; this was definitely Chen Si's doing.

Chen Si was probably hiding now, but how was Hu Wanlin supposed to deal with this mess?

Li Dong wasn't someone to be trifled with. It was obvious he wouldn't let this go easily. Even if she didn't want to bear the blame, she had no choice but to.

---

Pressuring Hu Wanlin and Niu Meng to clash required more than just harsh words.

Without pressure, there's no drive. Li Dong's "we'll see" was not just a threat. The day after their meeting, Hu Wanlin experienced Li Dong's aggressive tactics.

First, a few debtors refused to repay their debts. The people Hu Wanlin sent to collect the debts were dealt with by enthusiastic bystanders before they could act. These bystanders were so enthusiastic that they not only dealt with the debt collectors but also sent them to the police station.

Before Hu Wanlin could react, those debtors had already filed a lawsuit against Hu Wanlin's company.

High-interest lending was not legitimate business. Previously, Hu Wanlin could operate due to the leniency from the public security and legal departments and her own influence. Most people dared not confront her directly.

Hu Wanlin planned to use her old methods to resolve the issue. But before she could act, local media in Pingchuan had started reporting shocking headlines like "Black Society Engages in Usury, Driving People to Ruin."

Although the reports didn't explicitly name Hu Wanlin's company, they indirectly pointed to her company and background.

This left Hu Wanlin in a terrible position. She knew who was behind this.

Originally, she thought Li Dong might just be trying to scare her, but it turned out Li Dong was taking real action.

Hu Wanlin was seething with anger, but there was no one to turn to for justice.

If she were in a legitimate business, she wouldn't fear a confrontation with Li Dong. But her business wasn't legitimate.

Previously, she had people backing her and wasn't afraid of troublemakers.

Now, Li Dong was a tough opponent, and with Far Horizon's recent investment in Pingchuan, the local government treated Far Horizon like a treasure.

At this point, few were willing to cause trouble for Hu Wanlin, and even the usually cooperative public security and legal departments were no longer accommodating.

Hu Wanlin was furious but had no choice but to resolve the situation.

Her old man, although nearing retirement, still hoped to secure a position in the national legislature and didn't want Hu Wanlin's troubles to ruin his plans.

With no other options and unable to beat Li Dong, Hu Wanlin had to grit her teeth and call Li Dong to negotiate.

---

At the Global Building.

After hanging up the phone, Li Dong smiled and said, "Ms. Hu has bowed her head. I'll have someone spread the word. Now, we don't need to worry about them fighting."

Sun Tao, somewhat resigned, said, "Don't push her too hard. If you drive her to desperation, are you afraid she might retaliate?"

According to Sun Tao, the best approach was to sit back and watch. Li Dong should avoid getting directly involved. A subtle hint to Hu Wanlin would make her aware of the situation.

Whether they fought or not, Far Horizon wouldn't suffer any loss.

But if Li Dong insisted on taking advantage and pushing Hu Wanlin to desperation, she might retaliate against him instead of Niu Meng. That would be a huge loss.

If that happened, the Niu family would probably be laughing all the way.

Li Dong chuckled and said, "I know what I'm doing. Even if Hu Wanlin doesn't come after me, I'm not planning to continue this."

"For officials, our little dispute with Hu Wanlin is minor. The position is the most important. Once Hu Wanlin realizes the Niu family's schemes, she'll probably forget about me and focus on that. We'll just watch the drama unfold."

Sun Tao shook his head. Li Dong always seemed to enjoy stirring up trouble.

Fortunately, this matter hadn't caused any major issues yet, and it hadn't escalated to the level of deadly enmity. He didn't want to say more.