Earning 100 million a day, yet trapped in a county town.

Chapter 42 Is anyone willing to take over?

The security guard looked up at him, then at the "Chunghwa" brand on the cigarette pack. Without thinking much, he reached out and took the cigarette, putting it in his mouth.

Wang Guanxi then took out a lighter and lit it for him.

The security guard took a drag and squinted at him.

"Young man, who are you looking for?"

"Sir, I'd like to ask if you're hiring for this job?" Wang Guanxi asked with a smile.

The security guard took another drag of his cigarette, looked around, and lowered his voice.

"What a load of crap, hiring nobody."

He flicked off his cigarette ash, leaned closer, and whispered:

"We haven't been paid for almost three months."

Wang Guanxi frowned, but didn't respond to the question.

He moved closer to the door of the security room, pretending to be very gossipy, and asked in a low voice.

"Sir, I heard that your boss owes more than a million yuan in high-interest loans, and a few days ago he was even harassed by debt collectors who beat him up and sent him to the hospital. Is that true?"

The security guard didn't say anything.

His gaze fell on the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes in Wang Guanxi's hand, his eyes clearly saying "I want it."

"Young man, would you like to know the inside story?"

Wang Guanxi understood immediately.

He shoved the whole box of Zhonghua cigarettes into the security guard's hand.

"Sir, please speak."

The security guard quickly put the cigarette in his pocket, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then leaned closer and whispered.

"Young man, you're quite well-informed. It is true."

He paused, then took another drag of his cigarette.

"However... the boss's wife came to the factory yesterday afternoon."

Wang Guanxi's heart skipped a beat.

"What are you here for?"

"They said the money has already been paid off."

"The boss said that as long as everyone finishes this batch of goods by the end of the month, they can get paid."

Wang Guanxi frowned.

Has the money been paid off?

Where did Cheng Wanhua get the money?

And the movements were so fast.

Wang Guanxi sneered inwardly.

It seems that Cheng Wanhua had already made arrangements and was determined not to transfer the factory to him.

Row.

Then don't blame him for being ruthless.

Wang Guanxi showed no sign of anything amiss, and pulled out another pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from another pocket, stuffing it into the security guard's hand.

"Thank you so much, sir."

The security guard immediately beamed, took the cigarette and put it in his pocket, not forgetting to give a word of advice.

"Young man, if you want to find a job, go look somewhere else, don't come here."

He pointed outside again.

"Don't go to that Jiangdong Garment Factory on the next street either. I heard that factory has been behind on its workers' wages for several months, and they've even taken it to the local authorities."

Wang Guanxi was stunned for a moment.

Is Jiangdong Garment Factory also in arrears with wages?

Are these garment factories really doing so poorly now?

Cheng Wanhua's Chengda Garment Factory was scammed by Meiwei. Could it be that Jiangdong Garment Factory was also scammed?

Or is it that the clothing industry in this area is in a slump?

Wang Guanxi thought about it and figured he didn't have anything else to do today, so he might as well go and take a look.

"Okay, sir, I've got it. Thank you."

He turned and left.

Back in the car, Wang Guanxi told Xie Baizhi to drive to "Jiangdong Garment Factory" on the next street.

Xie Baizhi started the car, drove the Cullinan out, turned a corner, and parked on the side of the road opposite the Jiangdong Garment Factory.

Wang Guanxi glanced out the car window.

I saw a dozen or so people gathered at the factory gate, including men and women, young and old.

Some were wearing work clothes, some were wearing casual clothes, and all of them had a common look of anger and exhaustion on their faces.

They were holding a banner with red background and white lettering that read, "Give me back my hard-earned money!"

There were also several pieces of cardboard standing up next to them, with the words "Jiangdong Garment Factory owes wages for four months," "We need to eat," and "Unscrupulous boss, pay back the money" written on them in marker.

Several people sat on the stone steps at the factory gate, arms crossed, expressionless.

Several people stood there, holding up cardboard signs and shouting into the factory area.

A few older men sat on their own small stools, quietly smoking.

Wang Guanxi stood across the street and watched for a few seconds.

Nobody noticed him.

The workers' attention was focused on the factory area. Occasionally, someone would come out of the factory, and they would swarm around them and ask, "When will we get paid?"

Those who came out waved and quickly left.

After watching for a while, Wang Guanxi understood.

It seems that the situation at Jiangdong Garment Factory is much more serious than that at Chengda Garment Factory.

Chengda Garment Factory is still managing to stay afloat. Although the workers are owed wages, they haven't reached the point of putting up banners.

The relationship with Jiangdong Garment Factory has completely broken down.

However, Wang Guanxi thought about it and realized that if he hadn't helped Cheng Wanhua get the IOU back, Chengda Garment Factory would probably be in a similar situation now.

Feeling that it was about time, Wang Guanxi said to Xie Baizhi, "Let's go back to the company."

Then I sent her the address of Jiangcheng Guanxi Trading Co., Ltd.

Throughout the journey, Wang Guanxi kept thinking about the two clothing factories.

……

Jiangcheng Guanxi Trading Co., Ltd. has its offices in an office building in Jiangcheng Development Zone.

Although it's called an office building, it's actually just a five-story old building with several company signs hanging on the exterior wall.

Wang Guanxi's company is on the third floor, in two combined storefronts, with only two tables inside.

Su Qingyu helped rent the place when we registered the company, and Wang Guanxi has hardly ever been there.

Today marks my official start of "working".

Wang Guanxi sat at one of the tables, took out his phone, found Zhong Zhaolong's number, and dialed it.

I answered the phone after it rang twice.

"Mr. Wang, what are the instructions?"

"Boss Zhong, I need to ask you something."

"you say."

"Jiangdong Garment Factory, do you know anything about this?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Jiangdong Garment Factory? Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

"I just passed by and saw some workers at their factory holding banners demanding unpaid wages. I'd like to know more about it."

Chung Chao-lung said "Oh," his tone carrying a hint that "this is a long story."

"Jiangdong Garment Factory? I've heard about it from a friend. The situation is pretty bad."

"How badly?"

Chung Chao-lung said, "I heard that last year they received an order from a large factory and advanced money to produce a batch of goods. But the factory suddenly defaulted, refusing to accept the goods or pay them. Their cash flow in Jiangdong suddenly dried up."

Wang Guanxi frowned.

Another major company has breached its contract.

Her experience was exactly the same as Cheng Wanhua's.

"and then?"

"Then there was the issue of unpaid wages. They hadn't been paid for several months. The workers protested several times, trying everything they could."

Zhong Zhaolong sighed.

"It's driving me crazy. Jiangdong Garment Factory is really out of money. The boss has been called in for talks many times, but no money is no money. Talking to him a hundred times won't help."

"So what are you planning to do?" Wang Guanxi asked.

"Just one word: delay." Zhong Zhaolong's tone carried a sense of helplessness. "Let's just drag it out and see if anyone's willing to take over."

Wang Guanxi's ears perked up.

"Take over? What do you mean?"

Zhong Zhaolong perked up and spoke a few minutes faster.

"They want to get rid of this mess as soon as possible. They're looking everywhere for someone to take over the Jiangdong Garment Factory. They're offering pretty generous terms."

"What are the conditions?"

"In addition to the factory buildings and equipment of Jiangdong Garment Factory, the government also promised to allocate 100 acres of commercial land and waive the rent for five years for the people who took over the land."

Wang Guanxi tapped his fingers twice on the table.

One hundred acres of commercial land, rent-free for five years.

In a small place like Jiangcheng, land is a scarce resource.

You may have money but not necessarily be able to buy land, but if the local authorities offer land to you voluntarily, that's another story.

As for the wages of those hundred-odd workers, it's only a few million at most, which is nothing to him now, just like losing a hair.

What he cares about is what he can do after taking over this project.

The garment factory is just a shell.

The earth is the meat.

"Is there anyone willing to take over?" Wang Guanxi then asked.

Chung Chao-lung chuckled, his tone suggesting, "Are you kidding me?"

"Mr. Wang, who wants to take on this mess these days? We need to pay the wages of over a hundred workers, the factory equipment is old and broken, and we'll have to find business ourselves after taking it over. It's not worth it at all."

He paused, then added.

"Your beautiful teaching assistant is more promising for playing games with you."

Wang Guanxi smiled, ignoring the question, and instead asked:

"Mr. Chung, do you know anyone in charge of this matter?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I know him. The local authorities set up a special task force for this matter, headed by a deputy director of the Commerce Bureau named Dong Chenggang. I know him quite well; we've had dinner together several times."

Wang Guanxi's eyes lit up.

"Could you help me arrange a meeting with him?"

Zhong Zhaolong paused again.

"Mr. Wang, you're not thinking of taking over the Jiangdong Garment Factory, are you?"

His tone carried a sense of disbelief.

"I'm just a little interested and want to learn more about it," Wang Guanxi said casually.

Zhong Zhaolong remained silent for two seconds.

He could sense that Wang Guanxi wanted more than just to learn about it.

But since Wang Guanxi didn't say anything, he didn't press him further.

"Okay, I'll make the appointment for you." Zhong Zhaolong agreed readily. "I'll call you when it's arranged."

"Thanks, Mr. Chung."

"Don't mention it."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Guanxi didn't put it down immediately.

He leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then flipped to another number and dialed it.

Hun Sen.

The phone rang several times before I answered it.

The sound from the other end was a bit noisy, like someone playing mahjong.

"Mr. Wang? What a rare guest." Hun Sen's tone carried a hint of surprise.

"Boss Hong, busy?"

"No, no, no, you tell me."

Wang Guanxi didn't beat around the bush.

"Boss Hong, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"you say."

"Do you have a few clever henchmen on your side? Do me a favor and let them cause some trouble at Chengda Garment Factory."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"A joke?" Hun Sen's voice rose slightly. "Mr. Wang, you're not kidding me, are you?"

"I'm not kidding."

"Didn't you spend two million to get your stepfather's IOU back? Why are you targeting his factory now?"

Wang Guanxi didn't explain the reason, he only said one sentence.

"Times have changed. Boss Hong, just tell me whether you'll help or not."

Hun Sen remained silent for a few seconds, probably pondering the intricacies of the situation.

But he's a smart man; he knows not to ask what he shouldn't ask.

"Help. How exactly do you want to cause trouble?"

"It's very simple," Wang Guanxi said. "Have a few henchmen mingle among the workers, lead the way in unfurling banners and shouting for their money back. Just like the way they did at the Jiangdong Garment Factory."

"this one?"

"That's it. Let those workers who are owed wages make a big fuss, preferably so big that Wanhua can't sit still and the local authorities have to get involved."

"this one?"

"That's it. Let those workers who are owed wages make a big fuss, preferably so big that Wanhua can't sit still and the local authorities have to get involved."

Hun Sen smiled.

"Mr. Wang, what's the meaning of this trick? You paid off your stepfather's debt, and then you sent people to cause trouble for him."

Wang Guanxi didn't respond to that.

"Boss Hong, don't worry about the compensation. You won't work for nothing."

Hun Sen laughed even louder when he heard the word "reward".

"Mr. Wang, what are you saying? What's our relationship? Why are you talking about compensation for such a small matter?"

"Let's keep things separate," Wang Guanxi said. "Your people can't work for free. I'll make arrangements after it's done."

Hun Sen then stopped being polite.

"Alright. I'll have Chicken take a few men over to check it out. When do you want it done?"

"The sooner the better. Ideally, we'd start tomorrow."

"OK."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Guanxi put his phone on the table and let out a long sigh.

Now all he has to do is wait for news.

Wang Guanxi withdrew his gaze and glanced at the office.

It seems a bit too rudimentary.

I didn't come here often before, so it was just okay.

But it's different now.

He started having a secretary, and later he needed to hire more people, meet with clients, and discuss business.

This shabby office doesn't even have a decent reception area; anyone who comes here will frown.

Wang Guanxi turned his head and said to Xie Baizhi:

"Find some time to tidy up this office. Buy some office supplies, buy whatever you need, don't skimp."

. . . . . .

Hun Sen's subordinates were more efficient than Wang Guanxi had imagined.

The next morning, the employee group chat of Chengda Garment Factory exploded.

It all started with a message.

"@Everyone, when will the company finally pay salaries? My family is out of rice, and the kids are eating porridge."

The message was sent by an old employee in the cutting workshop, named Lao Li, who had worked at the factory for seven or eight years.

He's usually quiet, honest, and never posts in the group chat.

This sudden comment made the group chat lively.

"Old Li, you haven't sent it either? I thought I was the only one dragging it out."

"I haven't received my salary for three months, and I can't even pay my mortgage."

My husband argues with me every day, saying I'm useless.

"Is anyone going to say something? When will this be released?"

Messages kept popping up, scrolling through them incredibly fast.

Zhou Lijuan was also in the group and felt a pang of anxiety when she saw these messages.

She knew the workers were anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

She used part of the money she raised to pay bank interest, and the rest was all tied up in this batch of goods. She had no money left to pay the workers' wages.

However, in order to appease the employees, she still promptly replied with a message in the group chat.

"Dear colleagues, please be patient. As I said before, we'll get paid as soon as we finish this batch of goods. Let's hang in there for a few more days."

This might have been somewhat useful if said before.

But now, it's useless.

Because someone was already waiting in the group.