My absurd experiences in North America over the years

Before Li Fu could even go to find Williams, the other man preemptively came to visit him.

That afternoon, Li Fu was in his office reviewing the progress of Time Warner's shopping spree when Thompson knocked on the door and said that Mr. Williams had something urgent to discuss with him.

Li Fu was stunned for a moment. He had only met Williams once at a banquet at Forrest Manor, and they hadn't even exchanged a few words. He hadn't had a chance to tell Williams about his plans.

If they come knocking at this time, it's probably not a good thing.

"Please invite him up," he said, putting away the documents.

When Williams entered, Li Fu almost didn't recognize him. The last time he saw him at the manor, he was pot-bellied and all smiles, and his voice was full of energy when he clinked glasses with people.

The person standing at the door now has lost weight, has deep eye bags, much grayer hair, a slightly loose collar, and their belly has shrunk a bit.

"Mr. Li, I apologize for disturbing you," he said, his voice slightly hoarse.

"It's no disturbance at all, please have a seat."

Li Fu stood up from behind his desk and led him to sit down on the sofa.

Thompson brought in two cups of coffee, then left, closing the door behind him.

Williams picked up his coffee but didn't drink it, then put it down again. His fingers tightened slightly, a small gesture that people usually make when they are nervous.

"Mr. Li, I'm here today to ask for your help," he said, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush. "I contacted Cole before, and he said you've been very busy lately and told me to wait for you to come back. I've been waiting for almost two months, and I really can't wait any longer."

Li Fu leaned back on the sofa, his brow slightly furrowed. "What happened?"

Williams pulled a stack of crumpled papers from his briefcase, placed them on the coffee table, and pushed them towards him.

Li Fu looked down and saw that it was a list with seven or eight names, each followed by a string of numbers and a few lines of notes.

"These are all contractors who have been working with me for over ten or twenty years," Williams said, his voice trembling slightly.

According to his explanation, Li Fu quickly got the gist of it: Williams's financial chain was cut off immediately after the financial crisis broke out.

He initially thought it was just temporary, since this hadn't happened in decades, so he didn't immediately cut his losses. His contractors all thought the same, and each of them had invested their own money, some even taking out high-interest loans, hoping that the funds would be recovered once the project was completed.

Who knew the market would collapse so suddenly? It's unclear when construction sites will resume work, and project payments are even further away.

Henry, an old earthwork contractor under Williams, had worked for him for eighteen years, providing $600,000 in advance, $300,000 of which was loan at a high interest rate of four percent per week.

Now, with interest compounded, it has reached over 800,000.

All the excavators and bulldozers under his name have been mortgaged.

Besides Henry, there was also the Klein family business, which dealt in cables and conduits.

Because Williams has been slow to pay, they have advanced more than 800,000 in material costs, of which 350,000 is high-interest loans, and the interest has now doubled.

The company's equipment was also mortgaged.

There's also Wilkins Residential Framework Company, whose owner, Wilkins, worked with Williams for twelve years.

Similarly, I borrowed 550,000 yuan in high-interest loans to cover expenses, thinking it was just for working capital. However, the construction site was shut down for several months, and the interest ballooned to more than one million yuan.

His tower cranes and construction elevators have now been mortgaged because he can't repay the money.

Li Fu picked up the list and read it from beginning to end. Southern Electric, ABC Masonry, Middle Tennessee Metal Processing... each name was followed by a shocking story.

The total amount of high-interest loans owed by these people exceeds four million US dollars.

The mortgaged equipment, including tower cranes, excavators, pump trucks, and construction elevators, is precisely what Williams' projects need to resume operations.

"Who did these loan sharks borrow from?" Li Fu put down the list and looked at Williams.

He had a vague idea that loan sharks usually had gang connections.

Williams' lips twitched. "Vice Lords!"

Upon hearing this, Li Fu frowned.

He's been in Nashville for two years, so naturally he's heard of this name.

Vice Lords, whose Chinese name is "罪罪令主" (Sin Lords), originated in 1958 from a group of black teenagers in Chicago's South Side. They met and formed an alliance in the St. Charles Juvenile Detention Center in Illinois, and after their release, they gradually developed into one of the largest and most organized street gangs in Chicago.

Over the decades, its reach has spread from Chicago to all parts of the United States, and its branches are now very active in central Tennessee.

According to the FBI investigation, there were 400 to 500 members in the Nashville area alone, involved in serious crimes such as armed robbery, drug trafficking, and murder.

In February 2008, a member of the Vice Lords carried out a retaliatory assassination in Nashville, causing a sensation.

Taking advantage of the unemployment wave caused by the economic recession, they are expanding their influence on the streets. In the second half of this year alone, they have added hundreds of new recruits.

"Does Cole know about this?" Li Fu didn't know how to describe his feelings at this moment.

"I didn't tell him," Williams sighed.

He didn't borrow these high-interest loans, but if he had been able to pay the project funds on time, none of this would have happened.

"So, you're looking for me to borrow money?" Li Fu guessed Williams's thoughts. He probably didn't want to see his old partner of many years dragged down by gangster loan sharks.

"Yes, I hope you can lend me ten million US dollars. I can use my projects as collateral," Williams said, looking at Li Fu with a pleading expression.

He was probably afraid that Li Fu would think his projects were no longer valuable and would refuse to lend them to him.

Li Fu picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and found the coffee had gone cold and was very bitter.

To get those devices back now would cost more than ten million dollars. Although the amount is huge, it's not a big deal for him right now.

However, even the gangsters might not be willing to pay back the money now.

He was well aware of some of the gang's operating models. The companies and equipment that were mortgaged could be used by the higher-ups to legally launder money. The contractors had something on them and were powerless to resist, and probably wouldn't dare to resist either.

As for Williams, he himself is about to file for bankruptcy protection.

"I can definitely lend you the money, but..." Li Fu hesitated for a moment, "You have to make sure you can get those devices back if you pay me."

Those gangsters may have initially been motivated by a desire to make money through lending.

However, the situation is different now.

They acquired the equipment and operating rights to the company, which meant they had several more companies that could be used for relatively safe money laundering.

It's not so easy to spit out what you've already eaten.

Williams was taken aback by what he heard, but he quickly realized what Li Fu meant.

This was indeed because he was too hasty and oversimplified things.

"Don't worry too much. Send someone to talk to them first. If money can solve the problem, that would be great. If not, we'll think of another way," Li Fu patted Williams on the shoulder.

There was no other way; he had to help, otherwise his plan wouldn't be able to proceed.