Chapter 254: Equivalent Exchange

In Dongping, Li Chengyuan was just a small figure.

Whether he was in jail or out of jail, few people cared, and even fewer were concerned.

Even Feng Jinsong himself didn't know that Li Chengyuan had already been released. While he hadn't forgotten about it, he wasn't about to keep watch at the police station every day.

In Feng Jinsong's eyes, the Li family was just a bunch of has-beens.

Besides being rash and combative, Li Dong had no other skills. This time, teaching Li Chengyuan a lesson was also a way to give Li Dong a wake-up call.

As for whether Li Chengyuan got out of jail or not, it didn't matter much to him. In Feng Jinsong's view, even if Li Chengyuan got out, he'd have to pay a hefty fine.

The fine alone would be enough to make the Li family feel the pinch for half a year.

Chen Li, on the other hand, wasn't about to warn Feng Jinsong after being reprimanded by Director Niu, and knowing that the Li family wasn't to be trifled with.

So, both the Feng father and son were completely unaware that someone was watching them.

Feng Bin was even more clueless. For Feng Jinsong, dealing with a fish seller was trivial, so there was no need to inform his old man.

...

On the afternoon of the 3rd, Li Dong drove Li Lan back to Chenjiawan.

Ever since Chen Jing and Wang Li reached an agreement, they had moved back to Chenjiawan from Qingyang.

Li Dong didn't enter the village, stopping the car at the village entrance.

After Li Lan got out, Li Dong took out over ten large and small bags from the trunk and handed them to Li Lan, saying, "You can come to my place during winter break. Whether in Dongping or Pingchuan, I'll take you out to have some fun."

Li Lan obediently nodded.

Li Dong continued, "I'm not going into the village, will you be okay going back on your own?"

"Mm, I'll be fine."

"Did you memorize my phone number?"

"I remember it."

"Good, give me a call if anything comes up."

Li Dong nodded slightly. He didn't think much of Chen Jing, nor of Li Nanming and Li Qing, but his cousin Li Lan wasn't bad.

Whether out of sympathy or family ties, he didn't mind helping out where he could.

Watching Li Lan's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Li Dong then got back in the car and drove toward Dongping.

When he returned to Dongping, Li Dong didn't go home but instead went to a building opposite his house.

Going upstairs, he knocked on the door, and Zhou Haidong opened it.

This was the base for Wang Cheng and his men; they had been staying here for the past three months.

Seeing Li Dong enter, Wang Cheng and the others quickly stood up, but Li Dong waved them to sit down and found a seat himself. He then asked, "How's the investigation going?"

Wang Cheng glanced at Zhou Haidong, who frowned and said, "You report it yourself, why are you looking at me?"

Wang Cheng gave a dry laugh before saying, "We've figured it out. The Feng family currently owns two restaurants, two hotels, one guesthouse, a KTV, an internet cafe, and a cinema in Dongping."

"These are the businesses on the surface, but in reality, the Feng family has other assets."

"According to our investigation, Dongping's Tianfeng Furniture City belongs to the Feng family, and the Feng family also holds shares in Dongping's largest market, collecting a portion of the profits."

"Moreover, the Feng family operates two gaming arcades in Dongping, primarily running gambling machines. I've heard business is quite good."

"Additionally, the Feng family controls two construction teams, employing around two hundred people in total."

...

After Wang Cheng finished his report, Li Dong stroked his chin.

This old fox Feng Bin was indeed not to be underestimated. Although his businesses appeared scattered, these were the most profitable ventures in Dongping.

This guy was involved in all kinds of shady businesses, and he held a near-monopoly in most of them. His wealth was likely even more than Li Dong had initially estimated.

Li Dong scratched his head. The scattered nature of Feng Bin's business was a problem for him.

If the businesses were concentrated, he could find a way, spend some money, and maybe manage to ruin them.

But with the businesses so scattered, Li Dong didn't have the energy or resources to tackle them all at once. It wouldn't be easy to take him down in a short time.

Even if he managed to shut down one or two of Feng Bin's businesses, it wouldn't be enough to hurt him.

On the contrary, it might alert him, and if you strike the snake but don't kill it, you'll get bitten. Li Dong understood this well.

After thinking it over, Li Dong asked, "Drugs, gambling, and prostitution—he's into gambling, but what about the other two?"

Wang Cheng nodded, "He's likely involved. His KTV isn't exactly clean, but they're very cautious. If you don't specifically look for it, most people wouldn't notice. And his hotels offer those kinds of services, though on the surface, it doesn't seem connected to him."

Li Dong started pondering. This issue had to be handled officially.

If the government could take action, then things would be straightforward. If he could gather evidence of involvement in these three areas, Feng Bin wouldn't be able to escape.

But for Feng Bin to have established himself in Dongping for so many years, it was hard to believe he didn't have connections in the police and government.

Moreover, with Feng Bin recently venturing into real estate, it was clear his network extended deeply into the government.

Li Dong was self-aware. Despite being wealthier than Feng Bin and having previously used County Magistrate Lü to intimidate Chen Li, if he really went head-to-head with Feng Bin, it was uncertain whose side Lü would take.

It was entirely possible that Feng Bin had already roped Lü in; otherwise, Feng Bin wouldn't be thriving so well.

If Dongping wasn't an option, then Li Dong would need to rely on Qingyang.

If he could pull strings in Qingyang and have the city police send people over, getting the evidence wouldn't be hard.

The key was how to get Qingyang to take action.

Although he had a branch store in Qingyang and some connections, it wasn't certain that anyone would take a risk for him.

A single Feng Bin wasn't scary; the problem was if Feng Bin's network had already infiltrated Qingyang, or if Feng Bin's ties to the Dongping government had connections in Qingyang. That could be problematic.

Seeing Li Dong deep in thought, Wang Cheng eagerly suggested, "Why don't I gather a few dozen brothers and we just take him out?"

Li Dong snapped out of his thoughts and glared at him, "What kind of idiotic idea is that? Besides fighting, do you know how to do anything else?"

Feng Bin wasn't a pushover. If you go after him with force, it's uncertain who would end up on top.

If things went south and Li Dong got dragged into it, it would be a disaster. Li Dong wasn't about to make that mistake.

After thinking it over for a while, Li Dong thought of someone who might be able to help.

With that in mind, Li Dong pulled out his phone and made a call.

...

Hu Wanlin arrived quickly, reaching Dongping by the morning of the 4th.

Seeing Li Dong, Hu Wanlin beamed, "Mr. Li, I thought you looked down on my small business. I didn't expect you to invite me over this time. I'm truly honored!"

Li Dong chuckled, "You're being too modest, Ms. Hu. If you're a small business, then what does that make me?"

Hu Wanlin covered her mouth and laughed, "Mr. Li, you really know how to joke."

Li Dong didn't respond, instead sitting down to pour himself a cup of tea before asking, "Are you really planning to switch industries, Ms. Hu?"

"Sigh, business is tough. I have to switch industries," Hu Wanlin sighed.

The old man behind her was about to retire, and while loan sharking was profitable, it was only a matter of time before they got caught.

It was better to get out now and switch to a legitimate business before ending up in prison.

Li Dong took a sip of tea and got straight to the point, "The landscaping project for Huafu and the distribution center combined is worth over eight million yuan. Can you handle it?"

Hu Wanlin's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "Of course, as long as you trust me!"

Li Dong smiled, "There are plenty of people stronger than you eyeing these projects. What makes you think I'd give them to you?"

Hu Wanlin chuckled, "Mr. Li, let's be honest. If you weren't interested, you wouldn't have called me."

She wasn't foolish. If Li Dong was talking to her about the landscaping project, he clearly wanted something.

Otherwise, someone as pragmatic as Li Dong wouldn't have contacted her.

With an eight-million-yuan project and a profit margin of about thirty percent, it would yield over two million yuan.

That money could go to anyone.