Chapter 646 - 646: Cooperation, or Hostility?
As soon as Ye Qing spoke, the clamor of the crowd came to an abrupt halt.
Just like Ye Qing had said, they didn't have the strength to fight him!
Everyone looked at each other, and those who had been ready to make a move also promptly returned to their seats, inwardly frustrated by their own impulsiveness. Had it not been for Ye Qing's men holding them back, if they really had gone up to fight, they would probably all be bleeding from their heads right now.
"Ye, no matter how good you are at fighting, you're just one person!" a man said in a deep voice, "We have so many people here, and we have all our brothers at our command, what makes you think you can contend with us?"
"Right, we have so many people here, what makes you think you can contend with us?"
The crowd's jeering was unceasing, surprisingly united in this moment.
Li Lianshan looked at Ye Qing with a sulky expression, whispering, "Ye Zi, you've really stirred up trouble now. With so many people banding together, this could be a bit troublesome!"
Ye Qing smiled faintly and waved his hand at him, signaling him not to get agitated.
"I wasn't planning to fight you all!" Ye Qing said calmly to the crowd, "I invited everyone here today mainly to discuss a few matters. Could you please quiet down and let me finish what I want to say?"
The noise of the crowd gradually subsided, though they glared at Ye Qing angrily, curious to see what he would say.
"No involvement in prostitution or drugs—that's Director Liu's stance. I'm just conveying his wishes. If you don't like it, you can keep on doing what you've been doing, just don't get caught. That's your business, not mine," said Ye Qing, pausing for a moment before continuing, "However, I can't say that I took over Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens by myself. Li Wenyuan is dead, Shangguan Tian is insane, the police found a lot of criminal evidence against the two of them, so much of their property has been confiscated. Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens were part of their assets and were auctioned off. I've already partnered with Li to buy these two places."
"What the hell, when did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?"
"An auction? Since it's an auction, it should be publicly known. How come I've never heard of it?"
"Ye, I know you have connections within the police, but don't assume we're all fools. Your auction is illegal, don't think you can fool us!"
The crowd erupted into debate, and Li Lianshan looked at Ye Qing with surprise—he hadn't been involved in any auction.
Ye Qing gave a faint smile and waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking softly, "Whether the auction was legal or not, that's none of my concern. All I know is that I bought these two places with my money, so it's my right to manage them. You all have arranged for your people to be in these places, but the ones who drove your people out were armed police from Tianhui City, enforcing the change of ownership from a distance. Starting today, these two places belong to Li and me, under our management, and this is protected by the law and the police. If any of you want to act unlawfully or challenge the dignity of Shenchuan City police, feel free to send your people to try and take it back!"
The crowd looked at each other, realizing if Ye Qing was in cahoots with the police, then this matter would be tricky to handle. If they really were to send people to take it by force, they needn't worry about Ye Qing; the police would deal with them.
"Ye, aren't you being too despicable?" a man shouted angrily, "It's our internal dispute, why involve the police? Don't think just because you have a little connection and background, we won't unite to sue you!"
"Sure, go ahead!" Ye Qing spread his hands and said, "The auction and enforcement are both legal, with records in the province. Feel free to sue me."
"Ye, don't think your little provincial connections can protect you!" another person shouted, "You have driven us to a corner, and we won't let you live in peace. It's all or nothing, I'll risk my life to make sure you can't live comfortably!"
"Right, right, right, that's it! We're willing to stake our lives so you don't get to have it easy!" the crowd shouted out, nearly unanimous in their resolve to confront Ye Qing.
Li Lianshan was somewhat anxious, thinking Ye Qing was attracting too much animosity. What on earth was he trying to do today?
Yet, Ye Qing appeared calm, smiling as he waited for the noise to settle before speaking softly, "Gentlemen, I think you are worrying too much. Since we are all operating in Shenchuan City, why would I push you to desperation? I've thought it through; I'm willing to sell forty percent of the shares in Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens to twenty individuals. These twenty people will be able to work with me and Li to manage Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens together, taking part in the profits. We can all make money together."
"Ah?" Li Lianshan looked at Ye Qing in astonishment. Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens were both money trees, and the shares in these places were very valuable—who would want to sell them? Yet, Ye Qing actually made such an offer; what on earth did he mean by that?
He couldn't help but recall the phrase Ye Qing had just uttered: a shot in exchange for sugar. Was this the 'sugar' Ye Qing was offering? But what did he really intend?
As soon as Ye Qing said this, everyone at the scene quieted down. They looked at each other, harboring their own schemes. They were well aware that if they fought over Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens themselves, they probably wouldn't be able to determine the winner within a year. And during that year, many of them would be dragged down. They were actually quite worried about this matter.
And now, Ye Qing had actually taken out shares of Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens to sell to them, which was an opportunity for them to participate in the operations and receive dividends. If they could get in on this, they wouldn't have to worry about food and drink in the future!
Suddenly, a man sitting in the front said, "Ye, you bastard, you're just trying to use these shares to divide us, aren't you?"
Once these words were spoken, the whole place erupted into chaos, and even Li Lianshan was taken aback. He suddenly understood Ye Qing's intentions. By offering these shares, he was tempting these people. And since he was only selling to twenty people, it meant that in this room, there would be ten people who wouldn't get any shares. But those who bought the shares would definitely side with Ye Qing. By then, most people would have essentially joined Ye Qing's side, and the remaining ten people would not have much power to stir up trouble. In the end, wouldn't they all be swallowed up by Ye Qing?
Thinking this, Li Lianshan couldn't help but inwardly admire Ye Qing's cunning strategy. However, at this moment, he was also a bit vexed. Ye Qing's tactic was clever, but now that someone had seen through it, was it still useful?
"Ye, don't even think about dividing us!"
"You despicable lowlife, using such shameless tricks—everyone, don't fall for it!"
"Right, nobody buy his shares! Let's fight him to the end!"
The crowd was shouting non-stop, planning to unite and deal with Ye Qing.
Li Lianshan was very anxious, but looking at Ye Qing, he still maintained a calm demeanor, as if he had not heard the shouting of the people at all. It was only after a full five minutes that the shouting gradually came to a halt.
Ye Qing smiled faintly and said, "Whether it's about division or not, that's beside the point. However, there are some things I must clarify with everyone. Starting today, Shenchuan City prohibits all activities related to gambling and drugs. I'm afraid your financial capabilities won't last long. As for the income from Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens, you all know it well enough. If everyone is willing to come in and make money together, even with the prohibition in Shenchuan City, you don't have to worry about food and clothing. Of course, you might also think that I, Mr. Ye, am trying to divide you all, so you choose not to cooperate with me and decide to confront me together. If that's the case, I have nothing to say. Let's just keep fighting this out. I will apply for police protection to ensure Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens operate as normal. Li's and my income won't change, but considering your financial situations, how long can you last? One month? Two months? Or half a year?"
The crowd looked at each other in dismay. Ye Qing's words had hit the nail on the head. If Ye Qing really applied for police protection, within a month or two, at least half of the people here were bound to collapse. After all, how can one survive in this world without money? Without money, they couldn't support their subordinates, and before long, with all the underlings gone and they're left as sole commanders, wouldn't they be doomed?
Listening to Ye Qing's words, Li Lianshan was also very excited, and he gave Ye Qing a thumbs up. No wonder he started by stirring up hostility as soon as he walked in, mentioning the prohibition of gambling and drugs, cutting off all these people's financial means. Then, by throwing out the shares of Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens, he forced these people to cooperate with him—that was true skill.
"Ye Zi, don't worry. Just the income from the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena is enough to support us for a year or two; we have plenty of time to play this slow game!" Li Lianshan laughed loudly, seemingly comforting Ye Qing but actually pressuring everyone else.
Ye Qing chuckled and said, "Qingfeng Club and Nine Heavens together make up eighty percent of the shares. Now, I'm putting up ten percent of the shares of Qingfeng Club for sale, which is two million for each portion. Ten percent of the shares is twenty million in total—a set price, first come, first served. Gentlemen, you don't want to miss this chance. This is the biggest slice available; subsequent shares won't be as large as this one!"
Everyone hesitated, looking at each other, unsure whether to cooperate with Ye Qing. And just as they were wavering, the man who was the first to accuse Ye Qing of trying to divide them suddenly stood up and shouted, "I'll buy this portion!"
"Damn it!"
"You bastard, betraying us!"
"Bastard!"
The crowd erupted into curses, all standing up intending to snatch that portion, but it was already too late. Because the man had already spoken, Ye Qing had decided to give that portion to him.
"Very good!" Ye Qing stood up with a smile, shook hands with the man, and said, "Ten percent of the shares of Qingfeng Club are yours. As long as your money comes through, you'll become a shareholder of Qingfeng Club. Every month, you can take away ten percent of the dividends. I've done the calculations for you; you'll net about ten million a month in dividends."