Chapter 58: Li Yulong’s Methods

“All right, their moment of triumph won’t last long,” Li Yulong said with a smile.

“Brother Long, are you thinking…” Qian Sen’s eyes lit up with excitement as he spoke.

Li Yifan, standing nearby, was also intrigued. He asked eagerly, “Big brother, what clever idea have you come up with this time?” Since childhood, he had admired his older brother. Not only had Li Yulong achieved some success as the owner of a construction materials company—making a tidy profit each year—but he also possessed a never-ending supply of cunning schemes. Often, when others suffered misfortune, they wouldn’t even know who was behind it.

Although Li Yifan hadn’t entered politics himself, his father, the county’s executive deputy magistrate, was always pleased with Li Yulong’s abilities. He often told Li Yifan that, even without relying on his father, his elder brother would accomplish great things, encouraging him to learn from him.

“Tell me, why do you think they rented those storefronts?” Li Yulong asked with a subtle smile.

“What else could it be?” Qian Sen replied dismissively. “Of course they’re planning to resell them, just like us. They must have caught wind of something.” This was the obvious assumption; after all, no one would rent ten storefronts at once just to open shops.

For clothing stores, opening one is enough—any more would just be a waste of money.

“Are you thinking…” A sudden idea flashed through Li Yifan’s mind, but he hesitated.

Seeing his brother’s confirming look, Li Yifan quickly continued, “Big brother, are you planning to wreck their storefronts? If we do that, even if they want to sublet, they won’t be able to! Brilliant! You truly live up to your reputation!” Overcome with joy at the thought, Li Yifan burst out laughing.

Li Yulong shook his head with a wry smile. His brother was certainly squandering that handsome face of his—always the first to rush into a fight, but when it came to using his head, his talents were questionable.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This clothing market isn’t privately owned. If you smash things up here, the consequences will be very serious. Even we would have to compensate honestly and face punishment. Try using your brain instead of always thinking with your fists,” Li Yulong rebuked, then explained, “Qian Sen is right. They rented those storefronts to sublet them. But suppose we stop them from doing that—what do you think will happen?”

“If they can’t sublet, those storefronts will just rot in their hands! They’ll definitely lose money!” Li Yifan exclaimed, now grasping the crux of the matter.

“Exactly. As I recall, this clothing market is managed by Gao Ge. We’ll invite him to dinner today and ask him to give these particular storefronts some ‘special attention.’ Then I’d like to see the looks on their faces,” Qian Sen, sharp as ever, immediately caught on.

“Let’s keep this under wraps for now,” Li Yulong said, a cold smile playing at his lips. “When word gets out and the value of the storefronts soars, we’ll block them just as they’re about to sublet. Let them come begging us for help.”

He always prided himself on being as venomous as a snake, striking at the perfect moment with lightning speed. No one had ever escaped his calculations.

…

After leaving the market’s administrative office, Zhang Ye’s brow remained furrowed in deep thought.

“Don’t worry, there’s still more than half a month before classes start. By then, he’ll have forgotten all about me. As long as I steer clear of him, there shouldn’t be any trouble,” Zhao Haidong said optimistically, believing Zhang Ye was concerned for him. His cheerful nature soon put the earlier unpleasantness behind him, and he began to offer comfort instead.

“I’m not worried about you. At worst, you’ll get beaten up at school—you’ve got enough padding for that. What concerns me is that they might try to interfere with our plans,” Zhang Ye replied, casting a sidelong glance at Zhao Haidong.

At this, Zhao Haidong grew disgruntled and looked himself over, realizing he’d put on even more weight lately—round and chubby, not unlike Fatty Takeshi from Doraemon.

“They probably wouldn’t…” Liu Wentao started, but recalling the group’s attitude and methods, he promptly fell silent.

“Whether they will or not, we should be prepared,” Zhang Ye said, rising to his feet and steering the conversation in a new direction. “How’s the renovation going?”

The fruit shop had been closed for good, and Zhang Ye had no intention of reopening it. The storefront was his to use, and leaving it idle was not an option. They planned to open their first internet café there.

With the renovation underway, Liu Guangxiang and his team were overseeing everything.

“It’s all being done according to your instructions. I checked this morning, and there’s no real difference from what you wanted. The back door and window ventilation issues have been resolved after talking with the landlord, so everything should be finished within two days,” Liu Wentao replied confidently.

“That’s good.” Zhang Ye had only brought it up to change the subject. He nodded in agreement, then said, “That’s it for today. I’m heading home. Don’t forget to catch the bus tomorrow.”

They divided the tasks: Liu Guangxiang and Chen Fang were in charge of renovations, while Zhang Ye and Liu Wentao would handle buying the computers. Liu Wentao was already an adult and didn’t need to account for his actions—he only needed to inform his parents and Sister Mei. Zhang Ye, however, was a different matter; his parents kept a close eye on him, and it was hard for him to go out.

Fortunately, the family was busy with preparations for the clothing store. Since Zhang Ye knew all about the features and models of those so-called South Korean imported garments, Liu Meiju had granted him special permission to accompany them to Guangyang City. They were set to leave the next day, likely sharing a ride with Liu Wentao.

“Wait a second,” Liu Wentao suddenly called out. “Wu Dongjun came to me this morning asking about our plans—he wants to join us.”

“He wants in? Isn’t he being a bit too optimistic? Our business secrets aren’t going to be handed to him that easily,” Zhao Haidong burst out before Zhang Ye could answer. He was very optimistic about the prospects of their internet café, and anyone wanting to join now would only be competing for his share—of course, he was anxious.

Zhang Ye frowned in thought, hesitating.

It was true that Wu Dongjun had been the first to open an internet café in Lihua County—a capable man who later became a major player in the business. If he joined them, regardless of how much money they made, the café would certainly develop faster.

After all, the more computers in the café, the greater the profits.

However—

Handing over hard-earned money to someone else was not his style.