101: Chapter 101 The War of the Heirs

After breakfast, Zhang Wei carried the meteorite to the Museum office. At this hour, only Dr. Zhang was at the workbench, restoring artifacts.

Zhang Wei went over and greeted him: 'Good morning, Dr. Zhang. I was wondering if you have any connections to help me get an appointment with a geology expert.'

Dr. Zhang stopped his work and smiled: 'Is this a meteorite? You know, I actually have a few alumni who specialize in this field. Let me contact them for you.'

Due to the nature of their work, archaeology and geological surveys often collaborate and corroborate each other's findings. So, Zhang Wei wasn't at all surprised that Dr. Zhang had such connections.

Tang Yi, standing nearby, was somewhat surprised. Initially, he thought Zhang Wei was a relative of the Museum director. Just moments ago, he assumed he was a Museum staff member. But now, listening to their conversation, that didn't seem to be the case either?

Dr. Zhang made a phone call, then said to Zhang Wei: 'I have an alumni who happens to be in the City Name right now, but he has an academic conference this morning. He probably won't be able to come until the afternoon.'

Zhang Wei nodded: 'That works. I have some things to attend to as well. Dr. Zhang, I'll leave this in the studio for now. Please keep an eye on it for me.'

'Alright, go ahead with your business.'

After leaving the Museum, Zhang Wei pulled Tang Yi into the car. He stepped on the gas and headed south.

'Where are we going now?' Tang Yi realized that this Zhang Wei fellow today was a complete enigma.

Zhang Wei smiled without answering. The car drove south all the way to a port on the East China Sea. Fruit Island stood isolated in the middle of the East China Sea, only reachable by ferry. Fortunately, cars could be driven directly onto the ship; otherwise, Zhang Wei would have had to carry all those shovels and equipment himself.

After another two-hour voyage, they disembarked. The car circled half the small island before arriving at an abandoned fishing village.

The place had been deserted for over a decade. Vines covered the brick walls. Many houses had collapsed, and the remaining ones were on the verge of falling apart.

Zhang Wei, carrying a shovel, went to an ordinary small courtyard based on the information he had.

He tossed the shovel to the ground and said to Tang Yi: 'Hurry up and start digging.'

Tang Yi had been experiencing inexplicable things since following this man last night. His patience had now reached its limit.

'Are you insane? Why should I listen to you!' he shouted at Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei remained calm: 'I promise, once you finish digging, you'll have your answer.'

Tang Yi kicked the shovel away forcefully and yelled: 'Screw the answer. I've had enough!' Then he turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Wei said in a calm tone: 'The answer is right in front of you, and you're giving up again? Seems like going back to being a waste is still the best fit for you.'

Tang Yi's body stiffened instantly. After a long while, he walked back with a livid expression, picked up the shovel, and began digging without a word.

Half an hour later, Zhang Wei leisurely walked to a spot in the courtyard and stood still: 'You're digging in the wrong place. Dig right here under my feet.'

Tang Yi was furious: 'I've been digging for so long! Why the hell didn't you say so earlier?'

Zhang Wei shrugged: 'You didn't ask. Besides, you were shouting at me with a bad attitude just now. Why should I tell you?'

Tang Yi's face flushed red, but he ultimately said nothing and started digging again.

Perhaps the fleeing spies back then were in a hurry, as the burial spot wasn't very deep. Tang Yi had dug less than half a meter when his shovel hit a wooden box.

There really was something? Tang Yi was surprised. The man before him grew even more mysterious. He wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was quite clever. The previous tidal flat, like this courtyard, showed no signs of recent burial, meaning Zhang Wei hadn't planted it beforehand. Could it be something his ancestors buried, so he knew about it? Tang Yi felt this was the only plausible explanation.

Zhang Wei cleared away the soil and lifted out the wooden box. It wasn't locked. Opening the lid revealed a cardboard box inside, with a faintly visible seal bearing the words 'Guizhou Maotai'.

Without opening it, Zhang Wei simply carried the liquor and left the abandoned fishing village.

After placing the liquor in the trunk, Zhang Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had checked earlier; today, a single intact bottle of 1979 Maotai was auctioned for 650,000. An unopened original case like this typically contained 12 bottles. It was worth at least 8 million. This would greatly ease his financial pressure.

'The digging's done. Can you tell me now exactly how you're going to help me?' Tang Yi stared intently at Zhang Wei. If Zhang Wei said 'no', he'd smash this guy with the shovel right then and there.

Zhang Wei smiled: 'Through these two digging sessions, I just wanted to show you that in the City Name, there's no information I don't know. If you haven't completely become a waste yet, then by cooperating with me, I can help you become the heir of Tang Sheng Culture.'

Tang Yi remained silent for a long moment before saying: 'I admit you are somewhat mysterious. But competing for the heirship of Tang Sheng isn't as simple as digging up a rock. Are you sure you can do it?'

Zhang Wei smiled: 'Do you have any other choice? Besides, even if it fails, you have nothing to lose, right?'

Tang Yi nodded: 'Alright, I'll trust you for now. But you didn't need to go through all this trouble making me dig holes. Couldn't we just have had an open and honest talk?'

Zhang Wei burst out laughing. Free labor was free labor; might as well use it. Consider it interest for helping him.

They drove to a fairly well-known seafood stall on the island. Zhang Wei ordered two local specialty swimming crabs and some other small seafood dishes. They chatted while eating.

Tang Yi briefly explained his current predicament, then sighed: 'I don't know why my luck has been so incredibly bad these past few years. Otherwise, I'd at least have some say within the company.'

After listening, Zhang Wei was also speechless: 'Have you ever considered that all these incidents happened a little too conveniently?'

Tang Yi's eyes widened: 'Are you saying someone deliberately framed me? Now that you mention it, it does seem suspicious.'

'So, for you to become the future chairman of Tang Sheng Culture, we need to proceed in two steps,' Zhang Wei analyzed. 'First, find out who framed you to shed the 'waste' label. Then, secure a position within Tang Sheng, achieve some results, and gain trust from both above and below. That way, you'll be in an unbeatable position.'

Seeing Tang Yi hesitate to speak, Zhang Wei cut him off: 'I know you can't handle it alone. Don't worry; gathering information is my forte. In the entire City Name, if I say I'm second, no one dares claim first. Your job now is to thoroughly understand Tang Sheng Group's business. After all, that part still depends on you.'

'Now, let's talk about compensation. I can't exactly work for free, right? But rest assured, I won't take a single cent until you become the heir.' Zhang Wei wasn't afraid of Tang Yi reneging; with his system, he feared no one in the City Name.

Tang Yi thought for a moment, then raised one finger: 'If you can help me get to the top, how about this amount then?'

'One hundred million?' Zhang Wei thought the offer was reasonable.

Tang Yi shook his head: 'You probably don't fully understand Tang Sheng Culture's valuation. I'm talking about one billion. And that's in US dollars.'

Zhang Wei's heart skipped a beat. Was Tang Sheng Culture that valuable?

As the largest film and cultural enterprise in China, it had numerous contracted stars under its banner, including some at the superstar level. It also owned China's largest offline cinema chain, film and television bases, five-star hotels, and more. It invested in a vast number of movies and TV series annually. A billion US dollars was just a drop in the bucket.

'Deal. Now, tell me who your competitors are. Your uncles or cousins?'

Tang Yi replied, somewhat puzzled: 'My grandmother only raised my father. I don't have any uncles or cousins?'

Zhang Wei was taken aback. Then who exactly was Tang Yi competing against?