Chapter 261 - Reached an Agreement
Chapter 261 of "Super Soldier in the City" kicks off with action-packed scenes: Chapter 261: Chapter 267 Reached an AgreementYao Mingyuan had maintained an aloof attitude ever since... Discover more!
Chapter 261: Chapter 267 Reached an AgreementYao Mingyuan had maintained an aloof attitude ever since Li Yifei and Lin Qiong appeared, which had also secretly surprised Li Yifei. Generally, those in the underworld business, including smugglers with a good downstream buyer, would value such a relationship, but Yao Mingyuan seemed indifferent; he acted as if reaching a deal with Li Yifei wasnât anything significant.
This also meant that the contraband of this smuggling group was very popular and they always had good sales channels, so they werenât concerned about finding buyers. It was evident how large this smuggling group was, and their meticulous way of conducting business also demonstrated their strength.
"Elder Fourth, Little Ma must have told you about my situation. I am a straightforward person. My wife keeps a tight hold on the purse strings, so I donât have a lot of spare cash. I only have one million right now, and I want to take one million worth of goods this time. Iâm not sure whether we can make this deal happen," he said.
"One million..." Yao Mingyuan looked at Li Yifei with a hint of surprise and said, "Are you sure you want to take goods worth one million in one go?"
It was only the mention of one million that seemed to pique the other partyâs interest. Li Yifei quickly added, "Yes, I want to test the waters this time. If this line of business works out, I can definitely raise more funds. Taking three or five million worth of goods next time will not be a problem."
Fortunately, he had prepared one million this time. If he had prepared less, it really wouldnât have attracted any attention from the higher-ups, and he and Lin Qiong wouldnât have been able to get in touch with them at all.
Yao Mingyuan took a puff of his cigar, and as thick smoke curled from his mouth, he said, "Brother Li, donât you think youâre being a bit reckless? Itâs no problem for me to supply the goods, but selling them may not be so easy, and avoiding trouble is not a simple matter either."
Li Yifei laughed proudly and said, "Elder Fourth, youâre overthinking it. In my territory, I can definitely take care of customs and police. As long as the goods get there without any issues on the way, I can guarantee that within a month, my one million worth of goods will be sold out."
"Then Brother Li, what kind of goods do you want exactly?" Yao Mingyuan asked.
Li Yifei quickly said, "Do you have any high-end watches? These items are in great demand in our area, and due to their small size, theyâre less likely to cause problems."
"High-end watches are not only in demand in your area but also here. Although this shipment includes a number of watches, most of them have already been pre-ordered."
"Ah? Then what about cameras, cell phones, or similar electronics?"
"We do have those. Tell you what, since itâs our first time doing business, Iâll give you fifty thousand worth of watches, another twenty thousand in cameras, and thirty thousand in cell phones. How does that sound?"
Excited, Li Yifei slapped the table and stood up, exclaiming, "Okay, okay, Iâm really grateful to Elder Fourth for this."
Yao Mingyuan nodded and said leisurely, "Donât mention it. I hope we can work together over the long term. However, letâs be clear about the ugly part up front. You need to give me a three-hundred-thousand down payment first before I can prepare the goods. The rest of the payment must be settled upon delivery, and there will be no contracts or receipts of any kind. If you agree, then we have a deal. If you have any doubts, we can drop the matter."
Li Yifeiâs expression stiffened and his face changed several times. Yao Mingyuanâs demand was too risky; if he gave the money to Yao Mingyuan and Yao just walked away, that one million would be completely lost.
After gritting his teeth, Li Yifei slammed his hand on the table again and said loudly, "Fine, letâs do it that way."
"Are you sure?" Yao Mingyuan asked with a sly smile.
"Iâm sure! In this business, even if Iâm given any kind of contract, itâs completely pointless and provides no legal protection at all. So, whether I have it or not makes no difference. Iâll just trust Elder Fourthâs word," Li Yifei affirmed.
Yao Mingyuan laughed heartily and said, "Good, Brother Li is really straightforward. I like doing business with someone like you."
With that, Yao Mingyuan gestured to Ma Yiwei and said, "Go ahead and serve the food. Today I want to drink heartily with Brother Li and toast to our successful partnership." SŃará´h the NovelĆire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Everyone enjoyed the meal greatly. Li Yifei and Yao Mingyuan drank quite a bit, with Lin Qiong also offering her toasts to Yao. Since the business was nearly settled, Yao didnât give Lin any unpleasant looks. However, when Lin went to the restroom, Yao Mingyuan patted Li Yifeiâs shoulder earnestly and said, "Look, brother, itâs no problem for a man with money to enjoy himself, but women... they often bring disaster. Many have fallen because of them. If you want to aim for big things in the future, youâd best not bring women into the mix."
Li Yifei laughed heartily and replied, "Donât worry about that, Elder Fourth. Little Lin is completely loyal to me. If it wasnât for me, sheâd have been long dead."
Yao Mingyuan smiled faintly and said, "The minds of women are something men can never quite figure out, and their demands can change at any time. Itâs okay to have fun with them, but when it comes to big ventures, involving women is not a good idea."
At that moment, Li Yifei said humbly, "Elder Fourth is right. Next time I venture out, I wonât bring her along."
"Thatâs not necessary. Since sheâs already involved in this matter, you need to keep a tight grip on her heart to prevent her from causing trouble later. But as for other women, they cannot get involved," Yao Mingyuan advised.
"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Elder Fourth."
"Youâre good, listening to my advice," Yao affirmed.
Li Yifei nodded repeatedly and said, "Elder Fourth is a senior figure, and Iâm just a greenhorn. Your advice is definitely for my own good." He raised his glass, "Elder Fourth, I toast to you."
"Good!" Yao Mingyuan clinked glasses with Li Yifei and drank heartily.
The meal didnât take long, and neither Li Yifei nor Yao Mingyuan drank much. After the meal, Yao Mingyuan said to Li Yifei, "Little Ma, accompany Little Li to get some money. The goods will be delivered at midnight the day after tomorrow."
Then he said to Li Yifei, "Little Li, Iâm pretty busy these next couple of days, so I wonât be able to keep you company. But weâll still need to keep in touch frequently in the future."
Li Yifei immediately responded, "Youâre busy, Elder Fourth. I believe weâll have plenty of time to get together later."
Elder Fourth nodded, then left with two bodyguards. Li Yifei and Ma Yiwei headed to the bank, where Li Yifei withdrew three hundred thousand yuan and handed it over to Ma Yiwei, who then left.
Back at Lin Qiongâs home, Li Yifei said, "There goes three hundred thousand, just like that. It really hurts."
But Lin Qiong was excited, "Why feel bad? Weâve now hooked a big fish. Iâve long known about Elder Fourth; heâs quite famous in Mile City, with a significant standing in both the legal and underworld scenes. I never imagined he was involved in smuggling."
"Are you saying heâs the big boss?"
"No, no, heâs definitely not the big boss. However, within this smuggling ring, heâs certainly a pivotal figure. Did you see those two bodyguards he had with him? They were quite formidable. If his status wasnât high, he wouldnât have such strong protection."
"So if we catch him, can we completely take down this smuggling ring?"
"Impossible. Yao Mingyuan is important, but without more evidence, we can only arrest him, not hurt the smuggling ringâs foundation. So for now, with him, we can only collect evidence. After this deal is done, weâll try to make contact with more important figures."
"Big Sister, once we put a million into this deal, weâll be out of money. How will we negotiate the next deal?"
Lin Qiongâs expression stiffened, having not considered this aspect yet.
"I think itâs about time anyway. Capturing Yao Mingyuan would at least make the others lay low for a while. And by catching such a big fish, youâve made a significant contribution, with a chance for a promotion or something. Why push yourself so hard?"
Lin Qiongâs face darkened, "My aim in cracking this case isnât for promotion or wealth; I just want to maintain social stability and public peace. If theyâre criminals, I want to catch them."
Li Yifei rolled his eyes at Lin Qiong, "You really are stubborn. Consider your own abilities. Youâre just a precinct chief, so you should act according to the role of a chief. Youâre attempting to do the work of a bureau chief. What will your leaders think? Moreover, you donât have that many resources. I know your sense of justice is strong, but I suggest waiting until you move up the ranks, become a Sub-bureau Chief, and then do what a Sub-bureau Chief can. Once at the Municipal Bureau Chief level, you can take on bigger tasks."
Lin Qiong pondered for a moment, then shook her head resolutely, "In this matter, I donât necessarily have to be the one doing it. I just need to gather enough evidence, and then I can let the higher-ups take action. That way, Iâm not overstepping my authority or offending anyone. It would be like handing them a significant achievement on a silver platter; why wouldnât they appreciate it?"
"You really are foolish, working yourself to death only to dress someone else for the wedding."
"Thatâs just the way I am. But what do we do next? After we handle this batch of goods, weâll be out of money."
"Then weâll sell the goods, right? This will also earn their trust even more."
"Sell them? Wouldnât that mean weâre smuggling too?" Lin Qiongâs eyes widened.
"Thatâs what I mean by you being stubborn. If we want to gain their trust, we naturally have to sell the goods. Thatâs what really counts as smuggling. Otherwise, how would they trust us? Besides, it solves our money problem, so why not?"
"But... if we sell the goods now, wouldnât it be a huge hassle to seize them later? And the people who bought our goods would suffer significant losses. Itâs practically scamming them."
Li Yifei rolled his eyes at Lin Qiong. This policewoman was always about the law, about principles, with not enough flexibility, which could be quite frustrating.
Just then, the phone rang. It was Xu Yingying calling. Li Yifei answered, and Xu Yingyingâs voice came through, "Honey, howâs the deal going?"
This endearment of "honey" really sent a shiver down Li Yifeiâs spine. It sounded so much like a wife calling her husband that Li Yifei almost believed Xu Yingying was indeed his real wife.