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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 153: Shipment
In a war, the side that tends to stretch its front too long often encounters a series of ongoing problems, leading to collapse, much like the long Maginot Line in France throughout history.
Now, Xu Feng and Shen Qingyi's group is facing such an issue. In their eagerness to make quick profits in a short time, their mindset is even more anxious than that of Wei Yuan before.
In a chain of interests, too many weaknesses have been exposed, waiting for others to exploit. At this moment, what consequences they will face, Wei Yuan is unsure, but he knows that the timing to deal with them is approaching.
The two had already agreed to cooperate, so Wei Yuan naturally needed to consult Yuan Ziyi's opinion. "I think the time to deal with Xu Feng is about right. What do you think?"
Yuan Ziyi replied, "We're just a little short."
But what exactly is lacking? Yuan Ziyi did not elaborate, and Wei Yuan did not press further. After a moment of silence between them, feeling bored, Wei Yuan simply got out of her bright red Ferrari and prepared to return to his rented apartment.
After walking past the low-rise building, Wei Yuan suddenly remembered something: his cousin had been brought into his room to sleep mainly because she was drunk, and he had forgotten to call Cousin Xie Ge to inform him.
It was already around eleven o'clock at night. As a father of a fourteen-year-old girl, Cousin must be anxiously worried by now and probably ready to rush into the city looking for her.
Wei Yuan quickly took out his phone, searched for Xie Ge's number, and dialed it.
When the call connected, Wei Yuan first said, "Uncle, I just ran into Yufei. She couldn't wait for her ride home, so I let her stay here for the night. I forgot to inform you."
On the other end of the line came Cousin's voice: "You child, you've made me worry myself sick."
Since Wei Yuan had just discussed Xu Feng's gang with Yuan Ziyi and recalled that part of the special processing drugs they used was ordered from Cousin's processing factory, he asked, "Uncle, are Xu Feng's orders still being processed?"
"Before there were more, but now there are fewer. I didn't dare to take the big orders he offered."
Wei Yuan understood his uncle's concerns, especially after he learned that Xu Feng and Shen Qingyi might have tampered with the drugs a second time, which naturally made him more cautious.
Moreover, Wei Yuan had already asked Cousin to take the drugs for testing, and all the orders placed by Xu Feng were kept intact for potential future use.
"Uncle, have we collected all the money from the previous orders?"
On the other end of the phone, Cousin sighed and said, "The orders from the last two months were cash on delivery. The quantity of orders in the last month has been increasing, but the payments have been delayed."
Damn it, they are indeed playing this trick.
Wei Yuan's father had fallen victim to a futures company scam planned by Xu Feng, which led to him becoming a scapegoat. Later, he died after falling off a cliff while fleeing. Since then, Wei Yuan had been very attentive to domestic fraud cases.
Xu Feng and Shen Qingyi's scheme was not particularly sophisticated, but it was a typical scam in the mainland business circle.
Most previous cases were like this: a suddenly emerging wealthy businessman rents several storefronts in a certain area and stocks up on goods. At this point, he appears very honest, looking just like a prosperous merchant, making timely payments and acting as if he is afraid of delaying payments to suppliers—he owes nothing at all, almost delivering goods directly to their homes.
Then, he would wildly promote the products through advertising and low-price sales to attract customers. Within a few months, with the reputation of affordable and high-quality goods spreading, he would become well-known. After gaining fame, he would contact major manufacturers and start hoarding goods while playing tricks.
In the domestic business world, there has always been a practice known as "credit terms," which refers to a cash-on-delivery period that involves cash flow turnover issues. Sometimes it lasts for six months; at best, it's three months. In short, after receiving the goods, they would delay payment.
Taking advantage of this time difference and their previously established reputation, they would sell off all their stock and then disappear without a trace after pocketing hundreds of thousands or even millions. By the time you win a lawsuit in court, you still won't be able to recover your money; by the time you actually catch them, they will have likely spent most of it.
Wei Yuan believed that Shen Qingyi and Xu Feng were also planning something similar—using Poppy Powder, an addictive substance, to create market hype and inflate prices for profit.
All they needed to do was place orders at various Pharmaceutical Processing Plants, utilizing the properties of different drugs and adding various forms of drug additives like Poppy Powder. They could make huge profits by selling to upstream customers and would not spare the downstream suppliers either.
First, they used their cash flow to conduct a loss-leading sale to retain their main customers, particularly those addicted to the drugs. Once someone started using, they wouldn’t hesitate to buy more. They also made prompt payments to downstream suppliers to gain trust from all parties.
Then, they created an excuse for cash flow issues and withheld payments for orders, planning to take action once they had enough money in hand.
What was the most common way to handle this situation? Wei Yuan fell into deep thought and arrived at one answer: running away.
Xu Feng had already used this trick before, and it was likely that he had already found a scapegoat. In this way, both Xu Feng and his father-in-law Shen Qingyi could profit while remaining free from consequences.
From their intention to default on payments, Wei Yuan realized that they were not completely blinded by greed; rather, they intended to shift the risk onto others.
These two old scoundrels were calculating enough; it was truly despicable.
Wei Yuan said into the phone, “Uncle, you’re absolutely right. Do not accept any more of their orders, and pursue the payment for previous goods. It’s best to incite other suppliers to create chaos for him—the more chaotic, the better—but don’t get involved yourself.”
When facing malicious people, one must be even more ruthless and cunning than them in order to withstand their schemes.
Through analysis and Yuan Ziyi's attitude, Wei Yuan understood that Xu Feng and Shen Qingyi's plans had reached their limit. What they needed to do next was find a way out, and Wei Yuan certainly wouldn’t allow these two scoundrels to succeed.
Inciting others to create chaos while sitting back and watching was somewhat unethical, but Wei Yuan had no choice; he needed to use others' hands to escalate the situation so that he could later come out and take back what Xu Feng had taken from his home—tenfold or even a hundredfold.
“I understand this.”
Before any military action is taken, provisions must be prepared first; this is a principle that has been true throughout history.
In the meantime, aside from preparing for the college entrance examination at school, Wei Yuan occasionally went out with Lan Xue for some relaxation before the exams.
As for the relationship with Yang Ying, it had eased a bit after that night. Wei Yuan would occasionally discuss some medical topics with Yang Ying, and although they had not shared a bed again, Yang Ying truly treated him like a boyfriend.
Every detail was arranged thoughtfully for Wei Yuan; even when he returned home, Yang Ying had soup and meals prepared for him, which deeply moved Wei Yuan but also left him feeling conflicted.
Of course, before preparing to deal with Xu Feng, sufficient resources were necessary. Therefore, Wei Yuan took the time to move the defective Jade pieces hidden in Liu Lei's workshop.
Once his Restorative Power reached the Third Form, the time taken to repair this large batch of defective Jade was only one-third of what it had been before. Soon, he had completely restored all the high-end and low-end defective Jade pieces.
Today was the scheduled shipping date. Wei Yuan did not have much time to slowly process these defective Jade pieces and ended up giving a significant discount to Liu Haisheng, that old fox, allowing him to make over twice the profit. However, selling all these Jades would take a considerable amount of time.
Liu Haisheng paid cash directly, spending nearly six hundred thousand on this batch of defective Jade pieces. After Wei Yuan's Restorative Power worked its magic, they were flawless and sold back to Liu Haisheng's Jade Origin Studio at nearly three million.
Wei Yuan made about five times the price, while Liu Haisheng still had two or three times the profit margin after purchasing them. This illustrates the immense profits in the Jade industry.
However, Wei Yuan didn't mind; he considered it a favor returned to Liu Haisheng. With cash in hand, he could start preparing for some matters, and sometimes having money brought him a sense of pride.
At this moment, another concern for Wei Yuan was his evolved Restorative Power at the Third Form. Although it had been confirmed that it could be applied to humans, he was still unsure about any potential side effects.
While he had used it to heal his foot injury and Han Ling's Snow White Fat Cat had shown no issues for a week now, Wei Yuan still hesitated to use it on others immediately; sometimes, however, he felt he had no choice.
With the last holiday before the college entrance examination approaching, Wei Yuan and Lan Xue were inseparable. Under Lan Xue's encouragement, they studied together. Moreover, since Blue Old Man regarded Wei Yuan as a prospective son-in-law, his visits to the Lan Family became routine.
Wei Yuan also noticed that after experiencing certain events and evolving into a true man, his desires regarding that matter had significantly increased.
Lan Xue suddenly realized that the boy who used to blush slightly when holding her hand was becoming bolder lately. He often liked to hug her without hesitation, and his hands were becoming increasingly restless.
However, Lan Xue understood that continuing their relationship meant such things were unavoidable. Female love itself was a wonderful thing; she just wasn't prepared to give herself to Wei Yuan during this special period.
Of course, Wei Yuan couldn't choose to do this before the college entrance examination; it was better to just hint at it. After a heavy review process, Wei Yuan forcibly pulled Lan Xue out and proposed the idea of balancing work and rest, believing they shouldn't be cooped up in a room studying together.
Walking along the pedestrian street in the city, it happened to be the weekend, so there were many pedestrians on the street. In recent years, with more young people embracing Korean and Japanese culture, one could also see girls with heavy makeup resembling "fat pigs" in Huaxia.
Their entire faces looked as if they had been painted over like a wall, heavily coated with milky white makeup that completely altered their appearance. Coupled with their exaggerated skin tones, it resembled the Caribbean style. In Wei Yuan's view, this was no different from medium-rare beef at a barbecue.
"Do you really like those kinds of girls? Why do you keep staring?"
Wei Yuan actually thought that having the courage to go out with such makeup was quite brave. To compliment their bravery, he reluctantly gave a little attention back, not expecting it to cause a misunderstanding with Lan Xue.
Looking at Lan Xue's snow-white skin that could rival frost and snow, her face untouched by any powder yet still radiant and charming, serene and elegant—this was truly pleasing to the eye. No wonder Wei Yuan had been secretly in love with her for years without changing his heart.
Hearing Lan Xue's words, Wei Yuan quickly replied, "Of course not! If you really had the chance to see an alien, you'd probably have the same expression."
Seeing a smile appear at the corner of Lan Xue's mouth, he continued, "I haven't been to the city for a long time. Occasionally seeing girls like this naturally feels novel. I really don't understand how people find characters in Avatar so fresh when there are so many Avatar-like girls walking around."
Lan Xue linked her arm with his and laughed, "How come I never noticed you were so sarcastic before?"
At this moment, Wei Yuan was no longer as clueless as he used to be about making girls happy with just a few words. In fact, as long as a girl genuinely likes you, you don't need too much humor; it can come naturally to make her happy.
"Well, before I met you, I didn't have anyone to compare you with. After being with you, you're the perfect girl in my eyes—there's nothing about you that I could criticize, so naturally, I never had the chance to tease you."
Wei Yuan wore an expression that seemed sincere yet playful. This made Lan Xue smile happily while also teasing him a bit: "When did you become so smooth-talking?"
"That happened after I got to know you," Wei Yuan replied.
Lan Xue was surprised that knowing her could change a man so much and immediately asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Before, my tongue was too dry, and I would stumble over my words. Now that I have your saliva to moisten it, speaking naturally becomes much smoother."
Lan Xue naturally thought about what Wei Yuan's saliva meant. The two had only recently crossed into this level of intimacy, and she didn't expect the seemingly honest Wei Yuan to joke about such things.
Hearing this made Lan Xue blush instantly. She looked at Wei Yuan and pouted, "You bad egg."
Wei Yuan remained calm. Their current state felt more like a couple; although they had both cared for each other before, there was still some awkwardness. Now, things were much better.
"Free street clinic! Free household medicine giveaway! Don't miss out; this opportunity won't come again!"
Suddenly, a voice blared through a loudspeaker, catching Wei Yuan's attention. People nearby began to gather toward the source of the sound.
Most common folks love a bargain, so when they heard something was free, they rushed forward in droves.
In recent years, many people have set up free clinics on the streets, offering free medical consultations and treatments, making it seem like a modern-day Huang Feihong's Baozhilin was making a comeback.
However, Wei Yuan knew that among these people were some medical students showcasing their skills during their break, diagnosing patients to test their medical knowledge.
But the vast majority of those claiming to offer free clinics were merely promoting their products.
During these days, while Wei Yuan diligently reviewed his studies, he spent more time studying the annotated notes on the Medicine King Divine Canon that Yang Ying had given him. He had already gained some insights into medicine.
Outsiders watch for excitement while insiders look for the details. Wei Yuan had never liked joining such crowds, but now he considered himself somewhat of an insider. He was fortunate to have received intimate medical teachings from Yang Ying, the direct disciple of the previous Purple Robe Marquis from the Purple Robe Pavilion.
So it wouldn't hurt to observe these street free clinics' methods and content during his spare time. Unfortunately, what he saw at this so-called free clinic were nothing but worthless medicines being promoted under the guise of free services while pushing high-priced health products.
This situation seemed truly ridiculous, yet many common folks fell for it and lined up one after another, though there were certainly some who liked to cut in line.
At this moment, an old woman in her fifties or sixties suddenly appeared in the crowd, standing among the line of people. However, when those in front saw her appearance, they immediately looked terrified and quickly jumped aside like mice fleeing from a cat, making way for her.
At this time, Wei Yuan was also captivated by the old woman. She looked pale and emaciated, her body so thin that she seemed like nothing but skin and bones, the kind of person who might lose a few parts just from sneezing.
Her eyes were hollow, resembling those of a skeleton, trembling in the cold wind. There was a large, very noticeable scar on her neck, and it was unclear how it had been caused. Wei Yuan estimated that the old woman weighed less than seventy pounds; she looked truly frightening.
No one wanted to look at her, feeling that this woman must be a creation of special effects from a horror movie. How could someone like this exist in the real world? It was too terrifying.
However, among the onlookers, those girls who covered their faces and dared not look were suddenly drawn to a man standing behind the old woman.
He was a man around thirty years old, clearly successful in his career. His hair was slicked back, and he wore an expensive suit. With his fair and delicate complexion, he looked like a pretty boy. He was tall with broad shoulders—definitely a handsome guy.
At this moment, the man stepped forward to support the old woman and asked, "Can you see a doctor here?"
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