Road to Revival

Luo Shaoxing delivered the "Sichuan liquor" to Brownstone Village and on his way back, he encountered Tang Yikun's Bentley. Tang Yikun must have gone to the city government. Luo Shaoxing believed that Ma Lin definitely hadn't seen him because he had borrowed a friend's Tiguan instead of his Land Cruiser.

Despite his seemingly rough and unrefined appearance, Luo Shaoxing possesses an innate sensitivity in certain aspects.

He would never hand over "Shaokuo" to the police, because "Shaokuo" was his brother. This was Luo Shaoxing's principle in dealing with things.

"Shaoguo" was actually named Zhang Yan, the younger brother of one of his deceased cellmates. He arranged for him to work at Deng Guoming's Yinqiao Company, thus fulfilling his promise to his friend.

The fatality during the Huajin Road demolition was a complete accident. "Shaoguo" was a good guy in every way, except he was too impulsive after drinking. It was also that guy's fault for being so reckless as to fight "Shaoguo"—wasn't that just asking for death? "Shaoguo" had received expert instruction and was highly skilled with a baton. Normally, "Shaoguo" could easily break that guy's leg, but that day he had drunk at least eight liang (approximately 400ml), and so things went wrong. One swing of the baton, and the other guy was done for.

Luo Shaoxing knew that if he hadn't shared his concerns with "Shaoguo," "Shaoguo" wouldn't have been so agitated. Why the anxiety? Because Yinqiao Construction was essentially his company. Deng Guoming was merely a puppet he'd placed on the front lines. While Deng Guoming was indeed the legal representative of Yinqiao Construction, what did the original Yinqiao possess? Almost all its equipment was rented, making it impossible to undertake large projects. After a chance encounter with Deng Guoming at a dinner party, he decided to secretly acquire Yinqiao. Deng Guoming and the other two investors were extremely welcoming, as they had already planned to use Luo Shaoxing to climb the social ladder through Donghu Real Estate. Thus, Luo Shaoxing continuously injected capital into Yinqiao until he completely controlled the company, becoming its behind-the-scenes boss. His "benefactor," Tang Yikun, should have been fully aware of all this, but never mentioned it.

Tang Yikun is always the same, calm and collected, unperturbed. You never know what he knows. Things you think he doesn't know, he actually does.

He secured the demolition contract for Huajin Road from Yinqiao and Donghu Real Estate by leveraging Tang Yikun's connections. Otherwise, Qi Zhen and his gang wouldn't have agreed. The Huajin Road demolition project was originally a lucrative opportunity, but the holdout residents caused contract delays. Qi Zhen, who was already unwilling to award the project to Yinqiao, ruthlessly penalized Yinqiao according to the contract—5 yuan for each day of delay. That was truly vicious. Luo Shaoxing knew that in terms of cunning, he was no match for the seemingly refined Qi Zhen. He was at most ruthless in his methods, while those people were ruthless in their hearts.

Unable to withstand Qi Zhen's pressure, Luo Shaoxing had no choice but to resort to drastic measures to resolve the issue. Similar troubles had occurred before, but they were easily resolved. Since last year, however, things had become much more tense. Tang Yikun had repeatedly warned Luo Shaoxing to restrain himself and not to play by the old methods. Sure enough, after the fatal assault on Huajin Road, the government intervened forcefully. In the past, those corrupt officials in Xicheng would definitely have helped him find a way, but not now. They all had stern faces, arrogant and condescending, acting like complete fools. If it weren't for past connections, they probably would have shut down Yinqiao! The city's attitude had also changed drastically; everyone was handling matters strictly by the book, showing no leniency. Tang Yikun also warned him not to get involved, completely adopting an attitude of sacrificing the Yinqiao building.

Yinqiao Construction cannot be sacrificed. Most of Luo Shaoxing's earnings over the years have been invested in it, and his future hopes lie there. Luo Shaoxing thought bitterly, Tang Yikun always thinks that paying him a high salary is all that's needed; doesn't he realize that money is never enough? Earning 100,000 a year is how you live with 100,000. Earning a million a year is how you live with a million. Tang Yikun understands this himself, so why does he assume others don't understand this principle or will act accordingly? If Tang Yikun had shown some consideration for their past relationship and given him even a small share of Donghu, even just two percent, he wouldn't have gone through all this trouble. But that damned man is truly ruthless, stubbornly clinging to the shares. Little does he know, not only him, but all the veterans who started the business with him are filled with resentment.

He understood perfectly that he was different from Qi Zhen and the others. If Donghu Industry was a speeding train, it relied on two tracks. In Luo Shaoxing's view, one was white, and the other black. Qi Zhen and the others were the white track, while he, Luo Shaoxing, was the black track. Donghu's development history couldn't be fully revealed to others, or rather, it couldn't be completely revealed. Because it was filled with deception and bloodshed. Others might not know, but Luo Shaoxing knew it all too well. Over the years, he had been the one to resolve all the goals Tang Yikun couldn't achieve through legitimate means. Without him, Luo Shaoxing, in a sense, there would be no Donghu as it is today. But he dared not blackmail Tang Yikun, because he knew that Tang Yikun was far superior to him in both cunning and skill. Like the martial arts novels he loved, he was at most one of the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan, while Tang Yikun was Ouyang Feng.

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan had fought with Ouyang Feng, and as a result, all of them except for the blind leader Ke Zhen'e were killed.

Luo Shaoxing was no longer the carefree hoodlum he once was. He now had an enviable life. He owned two houses in Pingquan, one of which, a large one, was a reward from Tang Yikun to commemorate his fortieth birthday. He also owned three well-located shops in Beiyang, the provincial capital. He had two cars: a Land Cruiser for off-road adventures and a Porsche for city driving. He had a secret savings account, mostly from Tang Yikun's rewards. He had deposited that money in a foreign bank; it was his lifeline. He owned a promising construction company—actually, it should be called a demolition company—that made over ten million yuan in net profit annually. He also had two wives, one publicly and one privately, and three adorable children: two sons and a daughter. All of this prevented him from living as freely as before. He didn't care about the 80 yuan annual salary Tang Yikun gave him, but he couldn't leave Tang Yikun's Donghu, because he knew that without Donghu's support, his Yinqiao Construction would be like water without a source, a tree without roots.

Therefore, when Tang Yikun strictly ordered him to properly resolve the Huajin Road incident, he had no choice but to obey. For this, he unjustly paid 75 yuan. But he absolutely could not hand "Shaoguo" over to the police, both for the sake of friendship and for his own safety. So he sent "Shaoguo" to Heshi Village in Dongshan, where he had a hunting lodge, and let "Shaoguo" hide there. He firmly believed that after the aggrieved party received a huge compensation, the Huajin Road incident would soon be over.

Tang Yikun definitely went to see Zhou Hongyou, but it probably wasn't about Huajin Road. That's not something Tang Yikun would care about. So it must be about Hongxing again… Tang Yikun has been planning this for a long time… This is what I admire most. Since Tang Yikun entered the real estate industry, Donghu Real Estate Company has had a smooth run, quickly surpassing its competitors to become the leader in Pingquan's real estate industry. From 2006 to the present, Donghu's business volume has averaged over 40% of Pingquan's market share, squeezing out its competitors to the point of near extinction. At its peak, Pingquan had 12 real estate companies, half of which were state-owned.

Donghu's true rise to prominence occurred during those few years. Without the massive wealth it amassed in the real estate market, Donghu Industry's rapid expansion would have made it the leading private enterprise in the province it is today.

Compared to coal mining and logistics, real estate is practically robbery. The skyrocketing housing market over the past decade is absolutely the result of the combined efforts of the government, banks, and developers. First, the government, in pursuit of development, has to manage cities, but with limited capital, it must attract developer investment. The only capital exchanged between the government and developers, besides policies, is land. For developers to increase their capital, their primary task is to acquire land from the government. After acquiring land, they immediately use it as collateral to obtain large loans from banks. And banking operations must comply with the government's economic development needs; in the housing market, this means lending to developers. Of course, banks also need the support of developers, needing them to hold mortgage loans. Thus, a powerful triangle of interests is formed between the government, banks, and developers. This is the reason for the soaring housing market. But why did other real estate companies collapse while Donghu continued its rapid growth? This is where Luo Shaoxing admires Tang Yikun; Tang Yikun had long since "subdued" the government and banks. That's not all. Why do other real estate companies' properties always sell worse than those in Donghu? It's not the price, the quality, or even the service. It's the location. Tang Yikun always acquires "good land," always getting ahead of the city's development. He dares to acquire barren land that no one else cares about. And then highways are built, schools are relocated there, hospitals are relocated there, and large supermarkets are built... Take the North Suburb Industrial Development Zone, for example. While the plans were still in the leaders' minds, Tang Yikun had already amassed a large amount of land. It would be hard not to make a fortune.

You could say Tang Yikun had vision beyond most people, but Luo Shaoxing knew it was the result of Tang Yikun's management of the government. Take Zhou Hongyou, for example; Tang Yikun's investment in him was long-standing. Back then, Zhou was just a deputy director in the Economic and Trade Commission, yet Tang Yikun had already established a deep friendship with him. Luo Shaoxing even suspected that Zhou Hongyou's smooth rise to vice mayor was all arranged by Tang Yikun. And the banks were the same; like that self-important Gu Meijun, they were nothing more than Tang Yikun's kept dog…

How can anyone compete with him? While others focus on strengthening management and improving operations, Tang Yikun never considers these issues. He focuses on interpersonal relationships; he operates in the government and banking sectors.

This is why Luo Shaoxing fears Tang Yikun.

Luo Shaoxing knew that Tang Yikun had his eye on Hongxing. The work had been underway for some time, but no one knew the specifics. Now that Tao Tang had taken over as the head of Hongxing, Tang Yikun seemed to be in an even more advantageous position. "You'll see," he thought, "Hongxing will proactively propose relocation; the government won't need to bother with any persuasion."

Luo Shaoxing parked his car in front of the Hakone Cafe at the intersection of Baita Road and Dingxiang Street. His white Land Cruiser stood out conspicuously among the row of cars. He didn't get out immediately, but instead lit a cigarette and carefully observed his surroundings. Everything seemed normal; there was nothing to worry about. Then he casually entered the cafe and went straight to the second floor. Bai Lizhe and the others should be playing cards at this time. Sure enough, at the end of the corridor, he heard the clattering sound of shuffling cards.

He knocked on the door, and Bai Lizhe opened it. "Old Luo, you're finally back! Hurry up, my luck was absolutely terrible today."