Chapter 134: Who’s More Ruthless
Chapter 134: Who’s More Ruthless
“That’s right, Elder Peng. Our Southeast Province Business Alliance has been around for over thirty years, and the entry threshold gets higher every year. But I’ve never heard of a company that’s barely a month old being allowed to join. Back then, my Gaoyuan Group had over 1.3 billion in assets and more than ten thousand employees, but we were denied entry simply because we’d been established for less than two years. Why can Nuwa Company, with less than 100 million in assets and fewer than a hundred employees, and barely a month old, become a member?” A young industrialist in his early thirties also stood up abruptly, voicing his protest loudly.
Seeing the discontented faces below, Peng Huai quickly stood up and gestured downward with both hands, signaling everyone to calm down.
Then he looked at Zhang Yang, showing a kind smile, and said calmly, “I understand how everyone feels, but let’s not get too worked up. Let me explain.”
“Here’s the situation. I was entrusted by President Du, who’s currently abroad, and also strongly recommended by Chairman Bai Wensheng of Bai Pharmaceuticals Group. After discussion among the Alliance Council, we made this decision. So don’t misunderstand. Of course, as a newly established company, Nuwa still has many shortcomings—that’s natural. But we can all help it grow, right?”
As soon as he finished, Bai Wensheng beside him immediately led the applause. “Well said!”
Seeing the two of them like that, everyone got the hint—it was time to clap. So the crowd followed with sparse applause.
“Since no one’s objecting anymore, I now officially announce that Nuwa Company will become the three hundred sixty-second mem—”
“Hold on.” Before Peng Huai could finish, a lazy voice came from the corner, cutting through the heated atmosphere. “I just heard the word ‘Nuwa.’ May I ask, are you all talking about my Nuwa Company?”
Everyone turned toward the voice. Zhang Yang, the President of Nuwa Company, was leisurely wiping his mouth with a white napkin. In front of him was an empty plate—if they guessed right, it had originally held spiced duck tongues…
This guy actually treated the snacks as lunch? And while everyone was seriously discussing business, he was just… eating? So all that discussion—they’d been talking to themselves!
All eyes stared at him blankly. He wasn’t just the rat in the soup anymore—he’d become the poison.
“Of course it’s your Nuwa Company. Congratulations, Zhang Yang—you’re now the newest member of the Southeast Province Business Alliance. From now on, you’ll be able to share resources and exchange business information. It’s also a symbol of prestige. I hope you’ll cherish this hard-earned honor and maintain unity with other members.” Though irritated, Peng Huai’s smile remained polite.
Zhang Yang tossed the hot towel onto the tray, looked at Peng Huai, and asked slowly, “You’re the old man who called me?”
“Old man?” Peng Huai nearly choked on his anger. No one ever dared speak to him so rudely. But since he was acting on someone’s request, and as a senior, he couldn’t lose face by getting angry in front of so many people. Forcing himself to stay calm, he snorted coldly and nodded. “Yes, I’m the ‘old man’ on the phone—Peng Huai.”
The word “old man” came out heavy, full of irritation and displeasure.
“Didn’t you call me to talk about reconciliation? Why’s this suddenly about membership? If it’s not about that, I’m busy—I’ll be leaving.” Zhang Yang’s tone was indifferent, tinged with impatience. “Oh, and by the way, that duck tongue was way too spicy. Trash.”
Zhang Yang finally saw through it. The whole elaborate setup was just a trick—to lure him in, offer some benefits, and make him give up on revenge against the Bai family. Otherwise, Bai Wensheng wouldn’t have been pushing it so hard.
Too bad—they picked the wrong target.
He knew a bit about this so-called Business Alliance. It wasn’t an official organization, completely different from a chamber of commerce. It consisted of large, privately owned enterprises in the Southeast Province—each with assets over a billion, annual revenue over two billion, more than a thousand employees, and over two years of establishment. It was a loose alliance formed voluntarily by wealthy industrial tycoons—a private circle, basically.
Joining this circle meant immense prestige and easier business opportunities. The more connections you had, the bigger your ventures could grow. That’s why so many people were desperate to squeeze in.
But to Zhang Yang, compared to his mission of revenge, this kind of crap was nothing.
“I don’t quite get what you mean!” Peng Huai’s expression stiffened after hearing Zhang Yang’s words. The tone clearly showed he didn’t care for the Alliance. Was this kid brain-dead? But thinking about it, maybe his company was too new to understand. Peng Huai placed his hands on the table and explained patiently, “Perhaps you don’t understand the benefits of a private business alliance. I’ll have someone explain it to you later.”
“Why the hell would I listen to you? I’m not joining your stupid alliance.” Hearing the name Peng Huai, Zhang Yang instantly remembered—this was the grandfather of that Peng Peng he’d investigated earlier. No wonder he was standing up for Bai Wensheng.
With that realization, Zhang Yang completely lost interest in this so-called alliance circle.
“Uh…” Peng Huai was speechless. He’d been blatantly slapped in the face. In all his years as vice president, he’d never met anyone who’d reject his goodwill—and in such harsh words.
At that point, he no longer cared about trying to recruit Zhang Yang or mediating with the Bai family. His expression darkened, ready to scold Zhang Yang.
But before he could speak, someone else beat him to it.
“Zhang Yang, right? We know you’ve been riding high lately, setting up that Cancer Rehabilitation Center. But so what? You’re just a rookie—what can you really pull off? Since you look down on our Alliance, fine! My Hitter Biotech will never buy anything from you again, nor will we supply you any raw materials!”
“My Puke Group won’t do business with you either!”
“Same for my Wenhe Pharmaceuticals!”
…
The large conference room erupted with similar voices one after another. Zhang Yang’s head buzzed from the noise. Once everyone finally finished, he spoke slowly, “Why don’t you all tell me your names? That way, if one day you or your family ever get cancer or something, don’t use Nanxing One. Oh, and just so you know—from now on, Nanxing One sales will be on a real-name basis.”
Everyone looked at each other in stunned silence…
“And another thing—you think your shitty companies ever had dealings with me? Bullshit. You—Hitter Biotech, right? Doing nanomaterials? What the hell have you even made? By this time next year, we’ll see if your company’s still around. Puke Group, you sell radiology equipment, don’t you? No patents, just rebranding imports—you’ll be bankrupt soon. Wenhe Pharmaceuticals, selling antibiotics and vaccines? You’ll fold even faster—first half of next year.”
The three who spoke earlier turned red-faced, glancing between Peng Huai and Zhang Yang, suddenly wanting to punch themselves in the face…
They’d gotten carried away. Shouldn’t have shouted out their company names like idiots. Now he knew their details—and who the hell could guarantee they’d never get cancer?
Could he really mean that real-name system? Damn, that’s ruthless!
“Cough… cough… Zhang Yang!” Seeing the huge conference room fall silent, Bai Wensheng, who had been quiet until now, couldn’t sit still any longer and stood up.