Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 63

Brainstorming

“Yes, kill that bastard!” Er Dezi jumped up from the sofa, then slowly sat back down and promptly began to snore. Hou Longtao glanced back at him. “Ma Zi, get a blanket.” Da Pang walked behind the bar, poured himself a glass of Erguotou [a strong, clear liquor], and downed it in one gulp. “How do we handle it this time? A knife would be safer.”

“What do you need a knife for?”

“Aren’t you going to kill him?”

“Who said anything about killing him?”

“You… you just did.”

“I think Monkey’s plan is to use the police.” Wu Da chuckled and poured Da Pang another glass of wine. “Right, right, right, let Ru Yun accuse him of rape, and then let Lao Zeng [Old Zeng, a term of respect] coerce a confession. We might even be able to kill him directly.” Da Pang seemed to suddenly understand. “That’s no different from doing it ourselves; there will still be an investigation.” Long already sensed something was off.

“Basically, any serious injury will trigger an investigation, and Lao Zeng doesn’t want to offend him at all. Wang An risked Yun Yun’s safety to repay the favor he owed me. He didn’t come upstairs first because he wanted me to make a scene, so he could step in and ‘save’ me.”

“Oh, that’s why he didn’t let us go up. If we had acted, he wouldn’t have needed to lecture those security guards.”

“He wants me to be grateful that he stopped you guys from getting involved.”

“What do you mean?” Da Pang didn’t understand. Although he was good at underworld dealings, he wasn’t so clear on official matters. “Lao Er, do you get it?”

“I’m guessing Lao Zeng knew who Yun Jie was having dinner with. If he had rushed in rashly, and nothing had happened yet, wouldn’t he have offended Mao Zhengyi? Plus, he wasn’t specifically asked to rescue her the moment he arrived.”

“That was my mistake. I thought he would be aware of it, and Kuang Fei’s people were there too. Damn it, who knew… Second Brother, go on, I want to see how far you can analyze this.”

“Hmph, hmph, hmph, if he had let Big Brother and Long go up, a brawl with dozens of people in the China World Hotel would have been all over the news. Once the matter was exposed, you’d probably spend two or three years inside, but now you don’t have to, so you naturally have to be grateful to him.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Horse Face was completely confused. “Fourth Brother is saving someone, it’s self-defense. Do you even understand the law? If you ask me, Fourth Sister should directly sue him for attempted rape. We’re not afraid of a wealth competition. Fourth Sister is an American citizen; I don’t believe we can’t win.”

“Who doesn’t understand the law here? One is the richest man in Shanghai, and the other is a business queen. A high-profile case like this is like this, right, Monkey?”

“Yes.”

“In this kind of case, the media follows closely. If there’s any unfair handling, it’s easy to be discovered. You have money, but no one dares to take it.”

“Isn’t that even better? Just handle it according to the law.”

“Handling it according to the law is even more troublesome. We only have Yun Jie and Kuang Fei as witnesses. Only Kuang Fei heard the conversation between the Wu guy and those two bodyguards. Even if they admit to saying those things, those words don’t prove anything. The waiters at ‘Normandie’ all saw Yun Jie enter the room herself; no one forced her, and she didn’t have any external injuries. How can you be sure it was rape?”

Wu Da took a sip of water. “Once the matter is exposed, the relationship between Monkey and Yun Jie will definitely come out. It’s nothing in itself; they’re both single, and no one cares even if there’s a bit of an age gap. But if you connect the two things – Ru Yun is having an affair and was discovered by Monkey, so she claims she was raped – this becomes a case of both sides having their reasons. In my opinion, the prosecutor’s office might not even file a public prosecution.”

“Then let Fourth Sister find the embassy. Her American citizenship can’t be for nothing.”

“American citizenship is a double-edged sword. If you insist on having Americans intervene without any unfair treatment, waving that human rights stick, it will only backfire. People who originally believed in us might turn against us. Think about it, ‘Using American citizenship to oppress national entrepreneurs,’ doesn’t that sound bad?”

“Second Brother is really unusually clever.” Hou Longtao laughed.

“You flatter me, you flatter me,” Wu Da made a cupped fist salute [a traditional Chinese greeting]. “Then my guess was right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I don’t understand. Why doesn’t Mao Zhengyi sue you? Based on the injuries of his bodyguards, you’d be in a lot of trouble without any tricks. You said he has some tricky things to deal with right now. Is that why he’s letting you off for the time being?”

“Ask Third Brother.”

“The main purpose of the Mao guy’s secret visit to Beijing this time is to raise funds,” it was Liu Nan’s turn to speak. “To put it bluntly, he’s here to beg for money. If a listed company has financial difficulties, it’s a big blow to the confidence of the shareholders. To prevent this from happening, he absolutely can’t let last night’s events come to light.”

“That’s perfect. Let’s go now and beat him up again. Anyway, he won’t dare to make a sound.” Da Pang was energized again.

“Hehehe,” Hou Longtao laughed. “That’s what I was thinking too, but I promised Yun Yun last night that I wouldn’t use violence anymore. And I called the hotel today to check; that guy checked out and left this morning. The plane tickets were booked through the hotel, three first-class tickets straight to Hong Kong.”

“Damn it, that bastard ran fast.” Da Pang couldn’t hide his disappointment and sullenly lit a cigarette.

“Stinky Monkey, stop with the nonsense and tell us your plan.” Having understood the ins and outs, Wu Da was eager to know if Hou Longtao’s idea matched his own. He believed that Mao Zhengyi’s visit to Beijing must have a hidden reason, and that hidden reason was probably what Fourth Brother wanted to exploit. “I checked Mao Zhengyi’s history today. Do you know what he started out doing?” Hou Longtao began to talk about the main topic.

“Didn’t my uncle say it? They started out with a wonton shop, do we need to check?”

“Hmph, a wonton shop? According to reports, that shop’s annual profit is over ten million. Damn it, only an idiot would believe that. Are his wontons filled with gold?”

“Then how did he get rich?”

“To be honest, I haven’t figured it out yet. That’s why I need to ask your uncle. But one thing is certain: to reach the sky in the stock market, you first need a large amount of cash.”

“You suspect he’s doing illegal business, and the wonton shop is just for laundering money?” Long interjected.

“Hey, don’t say that, I really didn’t think about that. It’s possible. I asked my colleagues at the IC [Industrial and Commercial] Shanghai office to inquire with people at the bank. In the past ten years, Mao Zhengyi has borrowed over ten billion from various banks in Shanghai…”

“I fuck his mother!” Horse Face jumped up, his eyes wide like copper bells. “Over ten billion!?”

“The ruthless part is still to come. Last May, he got 2.2 billion Hong Kong dollars from ‘Bank of China Hong Kong’ in one go.”

“Damn, that old bastard is really not made of paper.”

“Yeah, that’s what I can’t figure out. That guy came to Beijing this time wanting to get 1.6 billion Hong Kong dollars. Why? He used to be able to borrow so much money; his relationship with the bank must be extraordinary. It shouldn’t be impossible to add another billion or so. Why would he risk losing face and come to Beijing to beg for money? And getting money from the bank wouldn’t depress the confidence of the shareholders.”

“Wait, wait, wait, you said he borrowed over ten billion from Shanghai banks, and then borrowed twenty-two from ‘Bank of China Hong Kong.’” Wu Da frowned.

“Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“Too wrong. Shanghai is his territory, and he’s so familiar with the banks there. He probably already put the money into the most core areas, but he went to Hong Kong to get those 2.2 billion, re-establishing relationships.”

“He wants to enter the Hong Kong market. Relationships have to be established sooner or later.”

“That’s a big difference. What kind of momentum do you have when you bring 2.2 billion to Hong Kong? What kind of momentum do you have when you slowly accumulate money in Hong Kong?”

“That’s true, so what’s the reason?”

“In my opinion, there’s only one reason. Hong Kong dollars are still considered foreign exchange. No matter what form you borrow Hong Kong dollars in, you need the approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. He must not have this approval, so even though the banks in Shanghai have a good relationship with him, they still don’t dare to give him money.”

“Why does ‘Bank of China Hong Kong’ dare to give it?”

“‘Bank of China Hong Kong’ is listed in Hong Kong under the name of a limited company. Its operating procedures are different from other Chinese banks. There is no superior unit to inspect it, so as long as you bribe its main person in charge (负责人), it’s easy to get a loan.”

“I see, but that still doesn’t explain why he doesn’t borrow more from ‘Bank of China Hong Kong.’”

“You were smart when you were studying, but sometimes you’re really stupid.” This was Liu Nan’s comment.

“Damn you, you don’t fart for half a day, and when you do, it’s never good. Smart guy, hurry up and enlighten me.”

“Did you forget what Mao Zhengyi wanted my uncle to do? 1.6 billion Hong Kong dollars; my uncle can’t come up with that much cash either.”

“Ah, right, right,” Hou Longtao was really enlightened. “Hong Kong isn’t Shanghai. He can’t just throw out two broken houses and exchange them for hundreds of millions. Although it’s not in accordance with the procedures, there must be asset collateral. He has nothing left to mortgage to ‘Hong Kong banks.’”

“That’s right, now every penny he loses in the stock market reduces his assets by one penny.”

“But I want to make sure he has no chance to recover.”

“That’s not too difficult. He must have many problems in the economic aspect. The key is how to find evidence.”

“How about asking your uncle?”

“Not very likely.”

“What’s impossible? If Mao Zhengyi is overthrown, no one can stop Evergreen from expanding in Shanghai.”

“That’s not bad, but one thing is that my uncle initially broke away from Shanghai Real Estate. Mao Zhengyi wouldn’t let him take away any evidence.”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as he can give us clues, we’ll collect the evidence ourselves.”

“Still not good. My uncle came from Shanghai Real Estate. In the Chinese business world, personal connections are still very important. If he really brings down Lao Mao, will anyone dare to cooperate with Evergreen? Furthermore, my uncle isn’t necessarily willing to kick someone when they’re down.”

“No matter what, go back and ask, explain the stakes. If you don’t take the chance to strangle Mao the bastard now, he’ll retaliate against me sooner or later. Will you not help me then? Who will guarantee your safety?”

“Okay, I’ll help you ask.”

“Then it must be as soon as possible.”

“Okay, I’ll ask tomorrow.”

“That’s best,” Hou Longtao turned to Da Pang. “Big Brother, I need you to do something for me.”

“Tell me, what is it?”

“I want you to find someone to keep an eye on Wu Beiying.”

“Didn’t he go back to Hong Kong?”

“No, I had Qian Qian check the records for me. Mao Zhengyi and his wife left, along with a bodyguard. The Wu guy didn’t leave; he just changed hotels. I called around and found out he’s staying at the ‘Wangfu.’ Have someone follow him tomorrow and record where he goes.”

“Is he important?”

“Very important. He’s Mao Zhengyi’s advisor. If anyone can truly grasp the evidence of Lao Wangba’s [old turtle, a derogatory term] economic crimes, it’s him. When necessary, we have to forcibly pry open his mouth.”

“He’s very loyal though,” Liu Nan reminded him.

“Loyal? No one is as loyal as Yue Fei [a famous historical general known for his loyalty] these days.” Hou Longtao raised his eyebrows…

“Fourth Brother, did Second Brother return that 100 million to you today?” Long lived in the same courtyard as Hou Longtao, and he didn’t drive today, so he hitched a ride with him. “Yeah.”

“Feels good, right? A weight off your mind.”

“I guess so. More than getting the money back, do you know why Lao Zeng was so anxious to repay my favor?”

“Why?”

“The old thing is very greedy. If he doesn’t settle his old debts, he won’t get any more benefits.”

“Old bastard.”

“But that’s good; we’re not afraid of him being greedy, we’re afraid of him being clean.”

“Makes sense.”

“Then help me pick out a gift tomorrow, something around 50,000 will do.”

“Is that okay? Wasn’t that watch last time 300,000?”

“He played me; I have to let him know I’m very dissatisfied.”

“Understood.”

“Open the storage box; there’s a box inside.”

“Okay.” Long did as he was told, took out a box; inside were two green leaves. “What’s this?”

“For you, keep it safe, it’ll be useful.”

“What for?”

“I have something more difficult to ask.” Hou Longtao didn’t answer directly. “Just tell me.” From childhood, Long had treated Hou Longtao like his own brother; no matter how difficult the matter, he would never refuse…

As soon as Hou Longtao entered the house, Ru Yan greeted him and helped him take off his coat. “Go take a bath; I’ve already put your pajamas in the bathroom.”

“Okay.” The man walked past his beautiful wife. Ru Yan stood still, a little disappointed that her lover didn’t hug or kiss her, which he used to do. “What are you thinking about?” Hou Longtao suddenly hugged the beauty’s slender waist from behind. “So unaware, don’t you know to come and accompany your brother in the bath?”

Ru Yan felt a sweetness in her heart, but she declined. “I’ve already showered.”

“Come on, shower again.”

“Don’t make trouble, Mom and Dad just went to sleep.”

“Then be honest and don’t struggle anymore; do you want to wake them up?” Hou Longtao, being a shameless rogue, carried and dragged the long-legged beauty into the bathroom, pulled down her pajama pants, and while she was undressing him, he kneaded her round, upturned buttocks through her cute pink panties.

Entering the bathtub, Ru Yan slightly tiptoed, her arms tightly wrapped around her lover’s neck, burying her head, wearing a shower cap, into his neck. “Brother…”

“Baby, I’m going to Qinhuangdao in a couple of days; I might have to stay there for a week.”

“Okay, you go, I’ll come see Mom and Dad.” The beauty stuck out her tongue and licked her lover’s neck, and raised a slender leg to rub against his leg.

Hou Longtao really just wanted to take a bath with his beloved wife, but now with warm water washing over his back, holding a fragrant, soft body in his arms, and being teased by her like this, his dick immediately stood up high. This was a side effect of his long-term medication; he would react with the slightest stimulation, even if he didn’t have a particularly strong desire in his heart. The man grabbed Ru Yan’s raised thigh, his glans just touching her tender pussy…

The next day at noon, Hou Longtao was called out for dinner by Liu Nan; it was his uncle’s intention. There was nothing important during the meal, Gu Quanzhi didn’t take the lead, and Hou Longtao didn’t want to appear too eager. After the meal, Gu Quanzhi took the two juniors to a teahouse; it seemed they were going to have a secret talk here. He sat in the main seat of the square table. “Today I’ll make tea for you; the ‘Tiger Spring Dragon Well’ here is very famous throughout Beijing.”

Hou Longtao and Liu Nan exchanged glances, helplessly sitting opposite each other on either side of the table. “‘Tiger Spring’ isn’t as good as ‘Lion Peak,’ but no one drinks ‘Lion Peak’ at this shop.” Gu Quanzhi muttered to himself, turning his head to look at the kettle that had been placed for a while; the thermometer showed seventy-six degrees Celsius. “You can’t use boiling water to brew Dragon Well; seventy or eighty degrees is just right.” He poured the water into the teapot.

While Gu Quanzhi was concentrating on making tea, Hou Longtao gently kicked Liu Nan under the table, winking at him, meaning to ask: “What’s going on?” Liu Nan shrugged his shoulders, not giving any hints. “Why do people who come here only drink ‘Tiger Spring’? Because the water used to make tea here is extracted from Hangzhou Tiger Spring, sealed and transported to Beijing.” Gu Quanzhi poured tea for the two children, and the small room was immediately filled with a rich aroma.

“Tiger Spring water brews Tiger Spring Dragon Well?” Liu Nan seemed interested.

“Yes, this Tiger Spring water has a large molecular density and surface tension; it’s a top-grade ‘mountain spring water,’ but Tiger Spring water would taste even better with Lion Peak, but people like to be refined, Tiger Spring water plus Tiger Spring tea, it’s just two tigers, which fits the Ming Dynasty essayist Song Lian’s ‘Inscription on Tiger Spring.’” Gu Quanzhi smiled and took a sip of tea. “This first brew of Dragon Well is for enjoyment.”

“Uncle Gu, please forgive my rudeness, shouldn’t we talk about serious business?” Hou Longtao had no interest in these messy tea ceremonies; he couldn’t help but interrupt. Gu Quanzhi acted as if he didn’t hear his words, continuing to taste the tea on his own. “But I drink this ‘Two Tigers’ not because of some ancient essayist; ‘Dragon Well tea with Tiger Spring water’ is known as the ‘West Lake Double Marvel,’ and the Dragon Well tea here refers to the ‘Tiger Spring’ produced locally in Hangzhou.”

Hou Longtao scratched his head and gulped down the green liquid in his cup, grabbed the teapot, and filled himself another cup; he had lost his patience. “Dragon Well becomes tasteless after the first three brews, so it’s suitable for slow drinking, to slowly savor the aroma.”

“Thank you Uncle Gu for teaching me.” Hou Longtao felt that Gu Quanzhi’s words were directed at him, and the meaning was definitely not limited to telling him how to drink tea.

“Back then, after we earned our first million, Zhengyi took Beiying and me to Hangzhou for sightseeing, and we happened to drink this ‘Two Tigers;’ I was addicted to it after one sip. From then on, every time I earned a million, I would take a trip to West Lake, specifically to drink tea. ‘Lion Peak’ is fragrant, but I can’t get used to it, just like being used to smoking ‘Black Temple of Heaven’ [a brand of cigarettes]. Marlboro, ‘555,’ and ‘Tashan’ all have no taste.” Gu Quanzhi ignored Hou Longtao again.

“Later, I left Shanghai Real Estate. According to the agreement, in order not to make Zhengyi ‘nervous,’ I couldn’t set foot in the South. Over the years, I have strictly adhered to this gentleman’s agreement, and I have never drunk real ‘Two Tigers’ again. Although the water used here is Tiger Spring water, it may not be done well in the transportation or storage环节 [section/link], the taste is always not pure enough. Alas, this has always been my regret; I think it’s time for me to visit West Lake again.”

“Are you agreeing to help me?” Hou Longtao’s voice trembled a little.

“Hmph, hmph,” Gu Quanzhi laughed. “I know Mao Zhengyi too well. This time I didn’t lend him money, I will definitely be regarded as a betrayal; he will retaliate against me sooner or later. Instead of passively defending, it’s better to eliminate the root of the trouble first, to avoid future worries.”

“Then do you have any good ideas?”

“I want to hear if you have any ideas.”

“Third Brother must have told you. I want to start with Wu Beiying. Although you also know Mao Zhengyi’s bottom line, to get real evidence, only the Wu guy has it.”

“Nannan told me. Your analysis is all correct. From beginning to end, nine out of ten of Mao Zhengyi’s deals are illegal. Tell me your specific plan.”

“Okay.” Hou Longtao told his thoughts in detail. There was no need to hide anything from comrades in the same trench.

“Very good, very good, the first half is very good, the second half is a little reckless.” Gu Quanzhi admired Hou Longtao’s mind. “You’re right, even the most loyal people won’t be willing to be Yue Fei now, but you slightly underestimated Beiying. If you really send someone to pretend to be Mao Zhengyi’s subordinate to ‘kill and silence,’ it will probably be seen through. In my opinion, you implement the first half of the plan, and leave the rest to me.”

“It seems you have a high opinion of Wu Beiying.”

“Yes, Beiying is a rare commercial genius, especially in investment. If Mao Zhengyi really valued him, he could still make a fortune without any crooked ways.”

“Listening to you, I have no confidence. Can he be easily hooked?”

“Smart people have the weaknesses of smart people. Beiying himself knows that Mao Zhengyi has the grace of discovering him, but in reality, he is truly underappreciated now. On the surface, he is full of business acumen, but in his bones, he is a scholar.”

“I understand, I know what to do. Your understanding of Wu Beiying is of course much deeper than others. Since you have no problem, I’m relieved.”

“That’s best. I estimate that Beiying will stay in Beijing for at least a few more weeks. Don’t rush to take action, give him a chance to run into walls everywhere.” Gu Quanzhi poured himself tea. “The tea has been brewed to the second brew; it’s time for us to talk about serious business.”

“Se… serious business?” Hou Longtao looked at Liu Nan in confusion. “Haven’t we talked about serious business yet?”

“Uncle, did I tell him?”

“Tell him.”

“Monkey, fifteen percent of Evergreen for five percent of Dongxing, how about it?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Just the literal meaning, think about it carefully, you can figure out the reason.” Gu Quanzhi smiled and sipped his tea, patiently waiting for the young man’s reply.

After an hour of silence, Hou Longtao raised his head. “Uncle Gu, please prepare the necessary procedures and contracts; I can sign at any time.”

“Okay, three brews of tea have passed; it’s tasteless to drink anymore, let’s end it here today.” The three stood up and came outside the teahouse. There was no need to say goodbye; anyway, Hou Longtao was going to see Liu Nan tonight. Two Benz drove off in different directions.

As of now, the value of fifteen percent of Evergreen far exceeds five percent of Dongxing; even if you include the five percent that Liu Nan got for nothing, there is still a difference of several hundred million. Why would an old fox in the business world like Gu Quanzhi make this kind of deal? Hou Longtao had already figured out the reason clearly. The other party valued Dongxing’s great prospects and unlimited market potential, but that was only one of the reasons.

The securities and real estate industries are two extremely unstable industries. The profits are large, and the risks are even greater. Rather than investing, it’s better to speculate. No matter how shrewd a person is, they can’t guarantee that they will never make a mistake. Once a speculation goes wrong, it will definitely hurt their bones. Back then, Yang Bin, the second richest man in China, abandoned his original industry and switched to speculating in the financial market, eventually reaching a point of no return.

Right now, if Mao Zhengyi can be successfully eliminated, Evergreen’s next target will definitely be Shanghai. Without the obstruction of Shanghai Real Estate, it should be invincible, but things are unpredictable, and the investment is super large. One mistake and the entire army could be wiped out. Because of this, Gu Quanzhi urgently needs to find a solid insurance rope for himself, and what Dongxing can provide is an industry with almost zero risk…(Golden scales are not things in a pond) [meaning a great person won’t stay in a small place]

Golden Scale [EN]

Golden Scale [EN]

金鳞岂是池中物
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] From the bustling streets of Beijing to the sun-kissed shores of California, witness the audacious journey of a reformed hooligan turned unlikely millionaire. Armed with a college degree and a lottery ticket from the Golden State, he's about to shake up the world of high finance. Back in Beijing as an investment department manager, he navigates a treacherous landscape of seductive beauty, cutthroat competition, and unforeseen crises. Watch as he leverages his street smarts, newfound wealth, and a dash of pure luck to transform every obstacle into an opportunity, rising through the ranks to become a titan of industry. Prepare for a thrilling saga of ambition, intrigue, and the intoxicating allure of power.

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