75: Let's see who goes to hell first.

A cold wind whistled at the entrance of the Merchants Hotel.

The once bustling parking lot was now quite empty.

Huang Xingguo, accompanied by several dejected shareholders, climbed into the Audi that didn't even have license plates yet.

"Uncle! Uncle Huang!"

Zhang Yaoyao clutched her swollen cheek and her broken bag, stumbling after them for a few steps.

"Give me a ride! I don't have money for a taxi!"

The car window rolled down halfway.

It wasn't Huang Xingguo's kind face that appeared, but a face full of malice.

"Get the hell away from here!"

Huang Xingguo spat, his eyes looking vicious enough to kill.

"You useless thing! If it weren't for a jinx like you, would I have suffered such a huge setback?"

"Don't let me see you in Harbin again, or I'll beat you every time I see you!"

"Drive!"

The Audi accelerated, spewing a cloud of black smoke as it sped away, leaving Zhang Yaoyao covered in exhaust and dust.

Zhang Yaoyao stood blankly by the roadside, watching the car disappear around the corner.

She turned her head to look nearby.

That white tiger head benz was slowly driving out. Although the windows were tightly closed, she felt as if she could see the man who once belonged to her inside, chatting and laughing with that unattainable Eldest Miss of the Chu Family.

The fallen leaves kicked up by the wheels felt like slaps to her face.

Oh my god!

Her heart felt ice-cold!

"Waaa..."

Zhang Yaoyao squatted on the curb, tears falling uncontrollably.

Her heart was filled with deep regret!

Back when they were dating, Lin Chuan had given her his whole heart!

Even though he didn't have much money then, he not only spent it on her but even paid for her older brother's meals.

And that one time.

He brought Long Wu over and risked his life against those thugs for her!

Why was she so possessed back then?

She just had to show off, insulting him and even trying to scratch him for the sake of some bullshit 'face.'

If she had just softened up and acted a bit spoiled back then...

The person sitting in the passenger seat of that tiger head benz, wearing a designer outfit worth thousands and being called 'sister-in-law' by all those big bosses...

That would have been her, Zhang Yaoyao!

"It's all Li Hu's sister's fault! That bitch!"

Zhang Yaoyao slammed her bag onto the ground, gritting her teeth, her once pretty face now hideously distorted.

"If that crazy woman hadn't provoked me, would I have fought her?"

"If I hadn't fought her, how would all this mess have happened?"

"And Lin Chuan! You're really a piece of work too!"

Zhang Yaoyao wiped her nose, her regret gradually turning into venomous resentment.

"We were together for a month, and I even let you hold my hand!"

"How can you be so heartless?"

"Watching your ex-girlfriend get slapped and humiliated, and you just sit there watching the show?"

"Couldn't you have given me a hand? You have so much money, would it kill you to give me eighty or a hundred thousand?"

"Men are all the same! All heartless bastards!"

At this moment, Lin Chuan had no time to worry about his ex-girlfriend's mental state.

He was very busy.

The Second Glass Factory he had just taken over was filled with the roar of machinery and bustling activity.

Chen Jiacheng truly lived up to his reputation as a top manager; his efficiency was terrifying.

In just one afternoon, he had purged the original management and replaced them with obedient and hardworking core staff.

Inside the workshop.

Lin Chuan held a sample bottle fresh off the line, examining it closely.

It wasn't the kind of green glass bottle seen everywhere on the streets.

Instead, it was completely transparent, with a rounded body and a slight frosted texture. The cap wasn't a tacky yellow tin lid either.

It was a specially made black frosted screw-on cap.

Simple, elegant, and exuding a sense of high-end quality from a later era.

Moreover, it had a capacity of 800 milliliters, making it a real bargain.

"Boss, this design is brilliant."

Chen Jiacheng stood beside him, also full of praise.

"If this kind of bottle is placed on a shelf, it will definitely be the most eye-catching."

"If we fill it with yellow peaches, that golden fruit showing through—who wouldn't want to buy it?"

Lin Chuan nodded with satisfaction and put the bottle down.

"Mass produce it according to this standard."

"Also, print the Lin's Fresh Fruit trademark a bit larger for better recognition. When you have time, find a designer to create a nice logo for me."

"I want the people of Harbin to only recognize our black-capped bottles when they want to eat canned fruit!"

As they spoke, a person in charge of the Thermal Power Plant, wearing overalls, ran in, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Boss Lin, Huang Xingguo's side at the Jiufu Factory called to urge us again."

"They said the boiler pressure is insufficient and asked when we'll restore power and gas."

"They said if it's not restored soon, those furnaces of molten glass will be ruined."

Hearing this, Lin Chuan sneered.

He picked up a pack of Chunghwa cigarettes from the table and pulled one out; Chen Jiacheng quickly lit it for him.

He took a deep drag and blew out a smoke ring.

"Restore my ass."

"Tell them the equipment is undergoing maintenance."

"As for when it'll be fixed?"

Lin Chuan flicked the ash, his eyes cold as knives.

"That depends on my mood."

"Maybe three days, maybe three months."

"Let Huang Xingguo figure it out himself."

The man in charge shrank back upon hearing this.

This was a move to drive them to their deaths!

Three months?

By then, the Jiufu Factory's buildings would probably be torn down by creditors!

Late at night.

Jiu Fu Glass Factory, factory director's office.

The lights were off, and it was pitch black.

Only the flickering glow of a cigarette butt in the large ashtray remained.

Because the power was cut, the air conditioning had stopped, and the room was as sweltering as a steamer.

"Bang!!"

Huang Xingguo suddenly slammed his newly bought mobile phone onto the floor, the battery flying out.

"This is too much! This is just too much!!"

"Equipment maintenance? Maintenance my ass!!"

Huang Xingguo's bloodshot eyes looked like two ghost fires in the darkness.

Just now, the workshop director had come to report.

Due to the sudden power outage, the cooling system had stopped.

Furnace number three had exploded!

Although no one was hurt, that furnace of molten glass had completely solidified inside, and the furnace was a total loss!

That was a loss of hundreds of thousands in an instant!

And this was just the beginning.

If there was still no power tomorrow, the remaining furnaces would all be finished!

"Big Brother, we can't go on like this."

In the darkness, a burly, bald man with a mean face and a beltfish tattoo on his arm spoke up.

This was Huang Xingguo's loyal confidant, a ruthless man who had followed him since his days in the underworld, named Zhao Dabiāo.

"We have no money in the accounts. The workers heard they won't get paid and are causing trouble."

"The bank is also starting to press for loan repayments."

"That kid Lin is using a scorched-earth tactic against us!"

"He wants to drive us to our deaths and then swallow our factory!"

Huang Xingguo panted heavily, his chest heaving.

How could he not know?

There were only two paths before him now.

Either bankruptcy and liquidation, carrying a mountain of debt and begging for the rest of his life.

Or... "Dabiao."

Huang Xingguo's voice became hoarse and low, carrying the madness of someone at a dead end.

"Tell me, if that kid Lin died."

"Would all of this be resolved?"

Zhao Dabiāo was stunned, not even reacting when the cigarette butt burned his hand.

But the murderous light in his eyes soon brightened.

"Big Brother, you mean... take him out?"

"As soon as he dies!" Huang Xingguo gnashed his teeth. "That Hong Kong coward Chen Jiacheng will definitely run away!"

"Then, the Second Glass Factory and the Thermal Power Plant will be ownerless!"

"I have connections and channels!"

"With just a little maneuvering, this immense wealth will eventually return to our hands!"

"Wealth is found in risk!"

Zhao Dabiāo licked his lips, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"But Big Brother, didn't you say Zhang Yaoyao mentioned it?"

"That kid has a bodyguard named Long Wu who is really tough."

"A direct confrontation might not work."

Huang Xingguo smiled sinisterly, a laugh that made one's skin crawl.

"Are you stupid?"

"Who said anything about a direct confrontation?"

"No matter how good his kung fu is, he only has one pair of eyes and two hands."

"Lin Chuan has to be alone sometimes, right?"

"That kid is riding high right now; he definitely won't be on his guard."

"Find a few desperadoes with criminal records to keep a close eye on him!"

"Wait for a time when Long Wu isn't around!"

Huang Xingguo made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Whether he's eating, going to the bathroom, or sleeping!"

"As long as there's an opportunity!"

"Do it!"

"Even if you have to hit him with a car! Stab him with a knife! Use a homemade shotgun!"

"Be as ruthless as possible!"

"I want to make sure he doesn't see tomorrow's sun!"

"After he's dead, tie two big rocks to his legs and throw him into the Songhua River to feed the fish!"

"No one will ever know!"

"In this Harbin, no one dares to play me, Huang Xingguo, like this!"

Zhao Dabiāo suddenly stood up and crushed his cigarette butt onto the table.

"Got it, Big Brother!"

"I'll take this job!"

"I'll go gather some men right now!"

"As long as that kid shows his face, it'll be his funeral!"

Watching Zhao Dabiāo's departing back.

Huang Xingguo slumped back in his executive chair, looking out at the pitch-black factory grounds.

"Lin Chuan."

"You want me dead."

"Then let's see who goes to hell first!"