Chapter 352: Go with the Flow
Hu Yaoqing never expected that Song Yuanchao and Luo Yang would work together to decide the matter like this. This result was beyond his expectations.
For a moment, Hu Yaoqing was stunned. He never expected that Luo Yang would completely sever ties with Dazhalan and withdraw completely. Even Xiao Qiao and the others would not work in Dazhalan anymore.
This is different from his original purpose! Hu Yaoqing is a man of honor. If this gets out, won't it be considered as forced by him? Thinking of this, Hu Yaoqing was a little anxious, and immediately advised: "Yangzi, there is no need to be so thorough, right? The business in Dashilar was hard to build up by you. Now Granny Zhang and Zhao Minglei can't do it anymore. Most of the business is in the hands of your brothers. If you let them withdraw like this, the loss will be huge!"
"It's a loss, it's a loss. Who made it like this?" Luo Yang said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do about it. We can't keep it around and use it as a handle for others to use against us, right? It's just some money, right? What's money? Money is nothing but a bastard! Brother Qing, don't you agree?"
Hu Yaoqing was a little dumbfounded. Luo Yang retreated so cleanly and decisively. This was not what he wanted!
"Brother Qing, are you interested in Dazhalan?" Song Yuanchao suddenly asked at this time.
"Interest? No, no, what interest could I have? I'm very lazy and I just like to play. How would I know anything about doing business? Besides, I know myself and I'm just not cut out for it." Hu Yaoqing shook his head repeatedly, but his words sounded insincere. Song Yuanchao saw through what Hu Yaoqing was thinking at a glance.
"Luo Yang, it would be a pity to just throw this away. Why don't you ask Xiao Qiao and the others to find someone to transfer it to? This way you can recover some of the losses." Song Yuanchao looked at Luo Yang and gave him a look.
Luo Yang understood Song Yuanchao's meaning instantly. He tilted his head and thought about it, then shook his head and said, "It's okay to transfer it, but who should I transfer it to? Most people can't afford such a big plate. Besides, this is not a small matter. I have to think about it carefully."
"Yes, think about it, whether it's transferring it or closing it down directly, anyway, do it as soon as possible. Brother Qing has already said before that you must not be blamed by others because of this." Song Yuanchao said meaningfully.
"No, no, no!" Hearing Song Yuanchao and Luo Yang talking more and more outrageously, Hu Yaoqing quickly raised his hand to stop them.
"Yangzi, Yuanchao..." Hu Yaoqing restrained his previous cynical smile and said seriously: "Yangzi, I won't say anything. We have known each other since childhood. As for Yuanchao, although this is the first time we meet today, no matter from Yangzi's side or Lin Yuhang and Yanzi's side, we are not outsiders."
"I called Yangzi here today, firstly to reminisce about the past, and secondly, there is no other meaning, just to remind you. After all, Granny Zhang is not an ordinary person. Yuan Chao may not know what kind of person he is, but you know Yangzi."
"Yangzi, we are also friends. Although we haven't interacted much in recent years, I always treat you as a brother. Don't try to guess what I'm thinking. I really don't have any bad intentions today. I just mean well. Besides, if I really wanted to take advantage of you, would I have to do this? And if this gets out, how can I face you in the future?"
Song Yuanchao was slightly stunned by Hu Yaoqing's words. Did he guess Hu Yaoqing's purpose wrongly? Was he really inviting Luo Yang to dinner today just to remind him kindly?
This was the first time Song Yuanchao met Hu Yaoqing and he was not familiar with Hu Yaoqing. However, Song Yuanchao's attitude towards dealing with people has always been cautious. This is true for ordinary people, but he has to be even more careful with people like Hu Yaoqing. There are too many people in this world who say one thing and do another.
He looked at Luo Yang and the two exchanged glances. Song Yuanchao didn't speak for the time being. Luo Yang thought for a while and then spoke.
"Brother Qing, I appreciate your kindness. To be honest, this matter has nothing to do with me. How can I put it... If Zhang Liming really thinks it has something to do with me, then I can't do anything about it. It's my fault for making trouble in Dashilar. But having said that, Brother Qing, you can say these things because you treat me as a friend and a real brother. I will remember this in my heart. Come on, I will toast you a glass."
As he spoke, Luo Yang raised his wine cup and gestured, and Song Yuanchao also raised his glass. The two of them toasted Hu Yaoqing with a sincere look on their faces.
"Okay, now that Yangzi said that, I'm relieved. No matter what, if you have any troubles in the future, remember not to keep them in your heart. Tell your brother if you have any problems. Others are afraid of Granny Zhang, but I'm not afraid of him. With me here, Granny Zhang won't dare to do anything rash."
Hu Yaoqing said with a smile, raised his hand and touched the two of them, and then the three of them did it together.
The drinking party returned to its initial relaxed atmosphere. Hu Yaoqing, Song Yuanchao and Luo Yang stopped talking about these things and started talking about other things, laughing and chatting. They drank from the evening until after eight o'clock in the evening before they dispersed.
After having a good meal and a few drinks, Hu Yaoqing originally wanted them to stay here for one night as there were rooms upstairs, but Song Yuanchao and his friends found an excuse to decline.
Hu Yaoqing personally saw Song Yuanchao and the others off and watched them get into the Lada that was arriving. The Lada, with its headlights on, left the small building in the night. When the car was far away and its taillights could no longer be seen, Hu Yaoqing walked briskly back into the house, went straight to the study, picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"It's me! Yes... um... I'll tell you guys when we meet tomorrow... Okay, let's talk when we meet... I'm hanging up..."
After hanging up the phone, Hu Yaoqing sat on the sofa and smoked a cigarette. He seemed to be in a good mood. After finishing his cigarette, he stood up and turned on the recorder next to him.
"Ah! Peony... the most colorful among all flowers... Ah! Peony... the most magnificent in the land of fragrance..."
As the song on the tape recorder sounded, the excited Hu Yaoqing couldn't help but sing along with the Peony Song, tapping the beat as he sang, and when he was singing excitedly, he even started dancing in the study.
On the way back, Luo Yang drove silently, and Song Yuanchao sat in the passenger seat also without saying a word. Until the car drove out of the mountain road and left for a distance, Luo Yang found a place and slowly stopped the car.
After stopping the car, Song Yuanchao casually handed over a cigarette. Luo Yang took it and lit it up. He took a puff and smiled bitterly, "I thought I would become a popular person. Am I the reincarnation of Tang Monk?"
"What truth are you talking about?" Song Yuanchao teased, and then asked, "Have you decided?"
"It's decided!" Luo Yang nodded. "Hu Yaoqing is right. This matter should be settled. We need to close down the business in Dazhalan. Zhang Liming is not a fool. He doesn't need any evidence if he really suspects something. Zhang Liming can think of what Hu Yaoqing can think of. If I wait for Zhang Liming to come to his senses and take action, it won't be a problem for me, but it's hard to say for Xiao Qiao and the others. Rather than let it go to that point, it's better to close down the business once and for all."
"Besides, we also need people to go over to Hong Kong. I was originally thinking about who to send, but now I'll just let the three of them go together. I'll feel more at ease with them over there. Zhang Liming can't reach Hong Kong even if his hands are long. As for Dashilan, it's a pity, but it's nothing."
Song Yuanchao nodded in agreement. What Luo Yang said was exactly what he was thinking.
The current market competition is much more intense than at the beginning, and coupled with Zhao Minglei's troubles in the past few months, the business profits in Dazhalan have decreased a lot. But overall, this stall is still doing very well. Even if it continues, the monthly profit is not a small amount.
Luo Yang had already thought about closing the stall completely. The loss was not small in terms of money, and he had to convince Xiao Qiao and the others to agree. Although Luo Yang was not worried about Xiao Qiao and the others' attitude, he was confident that he could make them agree to his idea, but after all, doing so would still not be a good result for them.
"Hu Yaoqing is not a simple person." Song Yuanchao sighed while smoking a cigarette, "What do you think is the real purpose of his words today? Is he trying to give you a favor and sell you a good deal? I don't think so. It's very likely that he is eyeing this piece of Tang Monk meat."
"Haha, he has always been an extraordinary person, otherwise he wouldn't have such a great reputation in the circle." Luo Yang smiled and said, "But compared to Zhang Liming, Hu Yaoqing is more particular about what he does, so we can rest assured about that."
"I'm not familiar with him, so just know what you're going to do about this." Song Yuanchao said, "If you've decided, just do it. If you take a step back, the world will be wider. This deal is at best a transfer from one hand to the other. As long as you control the source, it's fine. If you really don't do anything else, it's not a bad thing."
Luo Yang nodded silently. This was the key to his choice. Compared to Zhang Liming, Hu Yaoqing at least had a good relationship with him. Although they didn't understand Hu Yaoqing's real purpose today, they could guess a little. He just wanted to take this opportunity to get along well with Luo Yang and others, and he was probably planning to get a piece of the pie in this business.
Luo Yang really had no intention of cooperating with Hu Yaoqing. He also didn't want Xiao Qiao, Dabing, Junzi and others to get involved in this matter. Once they were involved with Hu Yaoqing, it would be difficult for them to get out of it in the future.
Maybe Zhang Liming and Hu Yaoqing wouldn't do anything to him, but Xiao Qiao and the others were different. No matter who got the upper hand, there would be no benefit in getting involved. As the leader of Xiao Qiao and the others, Luo Yang didn't want anything to happen to his brothers.
At the dinner table, Luo Yang denied it outright, leaving no evidence for Hu Yaoqing. He would never admit it, and neither would Song Yuanchao. But now it was better for Xiao Qiao and his men to retreat than to continue, and take the initiative to give up the market in Dashilan, get out of the game, and get out of it from being an insider.
Song Yuanchao was right. Taking a step back would open up a new world. To others, this would be a big loss and a pity, but for Luo Yang, it was an opportunity to completely escape the vortex. Hu Yaoqing probably guessed what he was thinking. Everyone knew what they were planning, and some things didn't need to be said out loud.
After smoking a few cigarettes in the car, Luo Yang threw the last cigarette butt out of the window, lit the car again, and drove towards the city.
