"By the way, let me share a tip for self-defense: among all the designer bags, the Hermes Birkin Bag is the best for hitting someone. You should be grateful that what I have today is a Dior, or your forehead would have ended up with more than just a small cut," Su Ziceng glared at the few female students still blocking the way, who immediately stepped aside.
"Seeing red as I step out," Su Ziceng glanced at the sky, the sun also veiled in a layer of fresh red, a bloodied sun, "this month, the Wine Shop’s business is bound to be booming."
"Utterly useless," after Yu Feng and others took the female student to the infirmary, she immediately made a call to Wen Maixue. The chilling voice and disdainful tone made Yu Feng feel even more aggrieved; it was clearly under the instruction of Senior Sister Wen that she went looking for trouble.
"Don’t even think about reporting this to the school committee," Wen Maixue knew very well that even if it was reported to the school committee, the matter would still be blocked. These useless female students, under Teacher Pei Luo’s gentle persuasion, would surely spill everything.
After Yu Feng hung up the phone, her demeanor changed entirely; her face, formerly submissive like a little lamb, immediately became sharp and malicious, "Pfft, do you really think you can boss me around, you shameless bitch, even if you threw yourself at Teacher Pei Luo, he wouldn’t want you." She then made another call, cooingly said, "Mr. Shang, things got screwed up, we..."
As Shang Yin listened to the call, Fei Qing was sitting beside him. This time, it was Fei Qing who had asked Shang Yin to help him get revenge with that slap. The outcome of the matter was somewhat unexpected for both of them.
"Young Master Fei, it seems Lady Su is not the little kitten you described, but rather a little lioness with sharpened claws and teeth," Shang Yin tone was full of mockery.
Fei Qing was well aware of the ins and outs of the matter, not expecting Su Ziceng to be so tough, "Whether it succeeded or not is secondary, what I didn’t expect was that Brother Shang, you’d be so loyal. I had thought you and Su Ziceng were in cahoots. You know, I had even heard that Mr. Shang and she were running the Wine Shop together."
"Joint management is joint management, but we’ve had some unpleasantness recently. This time was just a little lesson for her, although instead of teaching her a lesson, I got taught one. But... there’s always another chance," Shang Yin took a sip of the wine, the crimson liquor disappearing on his thin lips. Fei Qing flattered him and poured another glass of wine, slobbering, "There’s one more thing, Brother Shang, do you still have some of those drugs on hand?"
"As much as you want, there’s always supply, but my yacht isn’t a place for just anyone. This time, I’d like to invite two people aboard for a visit, depending on whether you’re up for it, Mr. Fei," Shang Yin gestured for someone to bring over a pack of drugs, shaking it in front of Fei Qing.
Fei Qing’s eyes were utterly drawn to that big pack of drugs, his expression uncontrollable, repeatedly saying, "Done, done, I’d even invite my father for you if I had to."
"Your father is getting on in years, he can’t withstand the sort of play we young people enjoy. Better leave him to enjoy his ’peace’ later on. I just want to invite Young Master Hang, who I’ve offended, to come aboard and apologize, and I also want to meet another Miss Su from the Su Family, Chang Chi." The drugs were thrown in front of Fei Qing, Shang Yin stood up and called two women inside, and soon the yacht was only filled with waves of flirtatious chatter.
At the Wine Shop, Su Ziceng first checked last month’s accounts, noticing that though the turnover had increased, there was also a substantial added entry of unpaid debts. Looking at the list of debtors, they were all government institutions and large hotels linked to them in the city.
"Uncle Zhou, these accounts have been outstanding for over a month, haven’t they been settled yet?" Su Ziceng inquired of Zhou Dagen. At best, she was just an absentee owner; most of the Wine Shop’s business was managed by Zhou Dagen. From purchasing stock to inventory and accounts, her role was merely oversight.
"The Wine Shop’s business seems to be up, but with that come the issues," Zhou Dagen analyzed, "As you know, because of the last auction, our distribution channels opened up, but government officials drinking on account, it could be half a year before they clear it once."
This was the very issue that had been troubling Zhou Dagen in recent days, "I’ve been round to chase it up a few times, but each time I’ve been sent packing; those administrative units’ logistics departments, every single one acts all high and mighty. If we offend them, I fear inquiries and audits, the increase in taxes and costs would make it not worth it." Zhou Dagen, who had been a leader in a state-owned enterprise for a few years, was already accustomed to these matters.
"What about the hotel’s payments?" Su Ziceng also knew that the accounts of the administrative units couldn’t be cleared for a while, but why was even the hotel’s profit so meager?
"The hotels have entry fees, bottle opening fees, after all sorts of deductions, there’s not much left," Zhou Dagen sighed, "These aren’t the most troublesome things. A few days earlier, Boss Shang personally came by, he checked the accounts and proposed some new avenues for sales. I saw something fishy and refused; then... he started talking about withdrawing his investment."
The Wine Shop was owned jointly by three people: Su Ziceng, Sister Mu, and Shang Yin, all with a significant amount of money involved.
The matter of withdrawing investment was serious; why hadn’t Shang Yin personally discussed it with her? Listening to this made Su Ziceng’s heart sink; it was because of capital and liquor supply constraints that she sought the eccentric Shang Yin. Now that the Wine Shop was on the rise, for him to withdraw investment created unnecessary chaos. In her rush to take over the Wine Shop and auction issues, not even a basic partnership contract was written, putting her at a disadvantage.
"Uncle Zhou, don’t rush things. What exactly did he say to you that you outright refused?" Shang Yin was a businessman; whatever he proposed was bound to be profitable. So why did Uncle Zhou refuse? There must be something tricky going on. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation.)