Chapter 276

The next day, as the sun was high in the sky, Xie Wendong lazily got up from bed. As usual, he first exercised. His exercises were simple—just a few repetitive movements. One involved using dumbbells: fifty repetitions with one hand; if no dumbbells were available, a chair could serve as a substitute. The room where Xie Wendong lived was a three-eye room—a small apartment of about 70 square meters. Despite its size, its price was quite high, as it was located on DL’s busiest commercial street, on the 32nd floor. Standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see half of the city below, with ships constantly moving on the blue sea in the distance. In three-eye’s words, the value of this apartment was enough to buy two BMW cars.

Xie Wendong picked up the three-eye dumbbells and weighed them in his hand—they were about one or two kilograms heavier than those he usually used. The dumbbells were shiny silver, clearly often used by three-eye. He smiled slightly and slowly raised his arm back. His movements were slow, with every muscle in his arm straining and bulging. Though he appeared thin, he possessed far more strength than most people, especially in terms of explosive power, which was truly astonishing. After fifty repetitions, Xie Wendong’s arms felt slightly sore. He put down the dumbbells and began stretching his legs and doing sit-ups. Each set of movements took nearly an hour. He had just taken a shower and hadn’t had breakfast yet when the doorbell rang. Wiping his wet hair, he opened the door to find Chen Baicheng. Smiling, he said, “Old Chen, you really came early.” Chen Baicheng pointed to the watch on his wrist and said, “It’s not early, Brother Dong. I’ve arranged a meeting with an important person today. What do you think? Should we talk to him?” “An important person?” Xie Wendong tossed the towel aside and put on his clothes while asking, “Who is it?”
“The vice mayor in charge of the economy in DL,” Chen Baicheng said proudly. “His surname is Feng, and his name is Feng Yi. It wasn’t easy to get him to come out…”

Xie Wendong fastened his shirt buttons and waved his hand, saying, “He’s just a vice mayor—not even a deputy leader. What do you want me to talk to him about?” Chen Baicheng’s face turned red as he said, “Brother Dong, this is already quite difficult. The mayor has too much influence; we can’t even invite him. Although Feng Yi is a vice mayor, he controls the economy, which is very beneficial to us.” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and asked, “You say the mayor has too much influence—what exactly gives him that influence?” Chen Baicheng glanced around, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, “The mayor’s name is Zhou Jianguo. His father is a powerful leader at the central level.” “Oh!” Xie Wendong realized, “So he’s another son of a high-ranking official!” Chen Baicheng hurriedly said, “No, no—he’s different. Zhou Jianguo isn’t an ordinary person. It’s true his father is a central leader, and he became mayor in his thirties, but it’s not entirely because of his father’s influence; he’s also very capable. The rapid development of DL these days is entirely due to his actions and decisive leadership. So, I really think inviting him over isn’t easy.”
“Hmm!” Xie Wendong finished getting dressed and fell into thought. Fearing that Xie Wendong might think he was useless, Chen Baicheng added, “Zhou Jianguo is cautious and extremely honest. We… we’re probably not able to get him on our side.” Xie Wendong snorted, took out a cigarette, and fiddled with it in his hand. His fingers moved up and down, causing the cigarette to spin continuously. Perhaps due to regular practice with a sword, his fingers were unusually agile. Chen Baicheng couldn’t help but stare in fascination at his movements. Xie Wendong stopped, snapped his index finger, and the cigarette jumped into his mouth. He tilted his head slightly and lit it, taking a drag before saying, “No matter who he is or what kind of person he is, as long as he’s beneficial to us, we should find a way to get him to work for us!” Chen Baicheng was still stunned by his dazzling cigarette-handling skills and stammered, “What kind of method should we think of?”
Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and smiled, “I’m asking you.” Chen Baicheng patted his confused head and nodded repeatedly. “Okay, I understand. I’ll find a way. But this Feng Yi…” Xie Wendong waved his hand. “Since he controls the economy, we have no reason to waste time. By the way, what’s his character like?”
Chen Baicheng followed Xie Wendong outside and said, “Feng Yi isn’t old either—under forty. On the surface, he seems honest, but actually, he has greed hidden inside. These days, no matter where you are, it’s harder to find an absolutely clean official than it is to find a toad with three legs.”

Xie Wendong smiled and nodded after hearing this, saying, “That makes sense.” As the two left the room, a figure appeared in the corridor. Jin Rong jumped out of nowhere and grabbed Xie Wendong, saying, “Big brother, where are you going? Stay and walk around with me today!” Xie Wendong sighed helplessly, glanced up, and saw Li Shuang and the others behind Jin Rong. He said, “I have something to attend to.” Then he turned to Li Shuang and said, “Brother Zhang, take Rongrong out for a walk!” Upon hearing this, Li Shuang shook his head vigorously, saying, “I’m not used to taking kids out. Let Xiao Shuang go; he’s more innocent and can play well with kids.” “Pfft!” Li Shuang almost spat blood on the spot, glaring at Li Shuang and breathing heavily. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, “I really want to beat you up!” Li Shuang raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, seemingly challenging him to do so. Li Shuang added, “I’m just afraid I can’t beat you!”
“If big brother isn’t going, I won’t go either!” Jin Rong pouted, turned around angrily, and walked away. Xie Wendong had no choice but to grab her arm, pinch her soft cheek lightly, and exclaim, “You’re really a little demon sent by heaven to torment me. Wait for me!” Jin Rong’s face lit up instantly, and she nodded repeatedly. Except for Li Shuang and Ren Changfeng, who stayed to keep Jin Rong company, everyone followed Xie Wendong, eager to see what the differences were between the mayor of DL and that of H City.
Feng Yi was 39 years old, but he looked younger. With his thick black hair, sharp eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses, fair complexion, and handsome appearance, along with a dark gray suit, he gave off an image of a successful young man. He waited in the hotel lobby for a while, growing impatient as he kept checking his watch. Then Xie Wendong and the others arrived. Chen Baicheng was the first to greet them, apologizing, “I’m so sorry for the traffic jam, which made Mayor Feng wait for so long.” Feng Yi, being experienced, didn’t show any displeasure on his face. He nodded and said, “It’s okay. I haven’t had much to do lately. I’m just curious why Mr. Chen asked me to come out.”

Chen Baicheng didn’t know Feng Yi before; even if they met on certain occasions, it was just a fleeting encounter. It was thanks to the relationship with the city mayor that he could get Feng Yi to meet him. While others might ignore Wen Donghui or refuse to cooperate, the city mayor’s support was essential. Without official backing, it was all just talk. As Chen Baicheng interacted more with the city mayor and gave him large and small sums of money, their relationship naturally became extraordinary. “Oh…” Chen Baicheng laughed heartily, rubbing his hands together. “It’s nothing serious. I just want to communicate more with Mayor Feng and have a heart-to-heart talk.”

Feng Yi smiled. He knew things wouldn’t be as simple as he said. Standing upright, he said, “If that’s the case, let’s talk another day!” With that, he turned to leave. Chen Baicheng tried to stop him, but was held back by a glance from Xie Wendong. Smiling, Xie Wendong said, “Since we’re here, why rush to go? Mayor Feng, since you’ve taken the time to come, there’s no need to hurry away.” Xie Wendong’s smile always gave off an impression of sincerity, warmth, and brightness. Feng Yi was stunned. He had never seen Xie Wendong before and found him unfamiliar. Looking him up and down, he saw that although Xie was young, his presence was beyond what one would expect of his age. His slightly slender build seemed to hide unparalleled explosive strength. His heart trembled, and he didn’t dare underestimate him. Turning around, he asked seriously, “Who are you?” Xie Wendong replied calmly, word by word, “Xie Wendong!”

Feng Yi’s frown deepened. If Xie Wendong’s appearance made him feel strange, then the name meant nothing to him at all. He turned to Chen Baicheng in confusion. The latter smiled and said, “Mayor Feng, this Mr. Xie isn’t from around here. It’s normal if you’ve never heard of him or met him. It’s actually him who wants to meet Mayor Feng.” “Oh!” Feng Yi nodded, finally understanding. His nerves relaxed, and he said to Xie Wendong, “Mr. Xie, please go ahead and speak.” Chen Baicheng added, “Mayor Feng, this isn’t the right place to talk. I’ve reserved a room upstairs. Let’s go there and discuss it.” Feng Yi’s eyes sharpened as he considered whether to go with them. After all, he had heard about who Chen Baicheng was. If he intended to harm him, the consequences would be unimaginable. Xie Wendong sensed his thoughts and smiled up at him, saying, “Mayor Feng, rest assured. We only have ‘good news’ for you—no ill intentions at all.”

Feng Yi’s face turned slightly red as she nodded and said, “Okay, please lead the way.” The group went upstairs. Before entering the room, Xie Wendong left the others to wait at the door, going in alone with Feng Yi. Xie Wendong had grown more experienced; he knew that having too many people would put pressure on the other party, making them tense and making it harder to reach an agreement. Sure enough, when Feng Yi saw only Xie Wendong entering the room with a smile, her expression relaxed immediately, and she sat down gracefully, waiting for him to speak next.

Xie Wendong took out a cigarette, offered one to Feng Yi, lit one for himself, and said with a smile, “I’m always very direct in my speech.” Feng Yi also smiled and said, “I like dealing with people who don’t beat around the bush.” “It seems we’re similar in that regard!” Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes and said, “It’s simple. I want my company to become one of the key enterprises supported by the government.” Feng Yi was stunned for three seconds before slowly taking a drag from her cigarette and smiling, “Mr. Xie, this doesn’t seem like a simple matter.”

“That’s why,” Xie Wendong said, “I brought Mayor Feng here. Of course, it might be difficult for others, but for you, it’s just a matter of communication between superiors and then giving approval.”

“Hehe!” Feng Yi laughed. “Mr. Xie makes it sound too simple. The government isn’t just mine; I have leaders above me as well. And just casually recommending a company I don’t even know to be a key government-supported enterprise—don’t you think that’s ridiculous?” Xie Wendong shrugged and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t care if it’s ridiculous or not. What I want to show Mayor Feng is that I’m a generous person.” With that, he reached into his pocket, took out a check, placed it on the coffee table in front of Feng Yi, and stared at her without blinking, saying, “This is two million—just a gift to start, if Mayor Feng can help me.”

Two million was no small amount for anyone. A vice mayor couldn’t earn that much in a lifetime just from his monthly salary. A glint appeared in Feng Yi’s eyes but quickly faded. Without even looking at the check, she shook her head and said, “It seems Mr. Xie has misunderstood me.” Xie Wendong lowered his head and said calmly, “I like making friends. I regard Mayor Feng as a friend, but it seems she sees me as a scoundrel.” Feng Yi pressed her index finger on the check on the coffee table, causing it to tremble slightly, then moved it in front of Xie Wendong and said, “That doesn’t seem like the way to treat a friend!” Xie Wendong raised the corner of his mouth and said, “As I said, I’m a generous person. As long as my friend likes it, I can give him everything.”

The muscles on Feng Yi’s face twitched as he stood up and walked to the window, turning his back on Xie Wendong. He asked, “What’s the name of your company?” Xie Wendong’s smile deepened as he replied, “Dongxing Group.” “Oh?” Feng Yi perked up, turned around, and looked at Xie Wendong in disbelief, asking skeptically, “Is Dongxing Group your company?” Xie Wendong nodded and said, “Absolutely! What? Has Mayor Feng heard of it too?” Feng Yi let out a long sigh, his expression relaxing as he said, “I have. From what I know, your company seems quite strong. You’ve secured several big deals right after entering Dalian, and I’ve heard you’re planning to build factories in District K to create your own brand in the clothing industry. That’s very impressive!” Xie Wendong didn’t know anything about what he was talking about. He rarely paid attention to such matters—firstly because he trusted Yu Chao, and secondly because he spent most of his time on the Wendong Association and the Hongmen. He had no energy to deal with other things. Most importantly, he knew nothing about legitimate business; even if asked, he wouldn’t understand, and listening to it would only give him a headache. Xie Wendong chuckled awkwardly, secretly regretting not bringing Yu Chao with him. But with quick thinking, he immediately replied, “Yes! But since I’m new here, I don’t have many connections, which makes things difficult for me. If we can get government support, our company will be greatly strengthened and able to make significant progress.” Knowing that the company Xie Wendong mentioned was Wendong Group, Feng Yi also felt much more relaxed. If Xie Wendong had mentioned some unknown small company, it would indeed be hard for him. Although the government had previously supported small businesses, the results hadn’t been ideal—either they defaulted on loans or closed down. Only a few truly survived. He smiled and said, “Since Mr. Xie regards me as a friend, I won’t turn him away. But I must make one thing clear: government support comes with conditions. It’s not just about having strength. Most importantly, we support local enterprises. Mr. Xie is sensible enough to understand what I mean.” Local protection for local development. Xie Wendong understood this. He smiled and said, “That’s simple. Within a month, Wendong Group’s headquarters will be established in Dalian. We already have branches in many other cities. If Mayor Feng gives us strong support, I guarantee that within a year, Wendong Group will become a flagship among private enterprises in Dalian.”

Feng Yi also smiled and said, “Young people really have drive.” Xie Wendong laughed and replied, “Mayor Feng is quite young too! As long as we work together—you help me, I’ll help you—we can all get rich.” With that, he picked up the check with two fingers and stuffed it into Feng Yi’s jacket pocket, saying with a smile, “This is just a token of appreciation.”