Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing knew he couldn’t convince Li Lianshan, in fact, it wasn’t just Li Lianshan—many people in Shenchuan City were involved in the same things. Compared to them, Li Lianshan was much better.

At the very least, he was only involved in gambling and prostitution, but he didn’t push people into dire straits or engage in the despicable acts that Boss Lin did, which was why Ye Qing could consider him a friend.

At five thirty in the afternoon, Ye Qing received a call from Liu Yuan, whose voice sounded very anxious over the phone.

”Ye brothers, what... what have you been doing lately?” Liu Yuan asked as soon as the call went through.

”What happened?” Ye Qing felt a sense of unease. Could it be that Liu Yuan was also implicated?

Liu Yuan said anxiously, ”I heard that several big companies in Shenchuan City have joined together to drive out your Yunchi Company. Those companies have already sent notices to our company to terminate our contract with you. They’ll compensate for the losses, but they won’t let your company get a single business deal!”

Ye Qing frowned. He knew that these big companies must be the families of those who died or were injured last night. It seemed that his release did not signify the end of the matter; instead, he was facing bigger troubles in Shenchuan City. Driving him out of business was just the first step— who knew if someone would try to harm him secretly?

Liu Yuan whispered, ”Ye brothers, my boss has already ordered me to terminate our contract with your company immediately.”

Ye Qing sighed and said, ”Manager Liu, about terminating the contract, I’ll talk to Director Mu about it. How about I give you an answer tomorrow?”

”This matter, it really…” Liu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, ”Ye brothers, do you trust me?”

Ye Qing replied, ”Manager Liu, you transferred the business funds to our company so early on, how could I not trust you?”

”If you trust me, then I’ll give you some advice,” Liu Yuan said. ”Here’s what we can do: bring the contract tomorrow, and we’ll terminate it. But, let’s not refund the money just yet, and I’ll still accept the goods you produce. This time, our deal won’t be restricted by a contract. What do you think?”

Ye Qing was touched. Liu Yuan really had his interests at heart.

”This might not be good for you,” Ye Qing said. ”If your boss finds out, you might get into trouble too!”

”No worries!” Liu Yuan exclaimed. ”I just brought in several big contracts for the company; my boss appreciates me a lot right now. He won’t fire me over this. Besides, those companies just want to see the contract terminated. If we transport the goods without letting them know, there won’t be any problems.”

Ye Qing nodded and said, ”But still, there is some risk involved.”

”Who cares about the risk? We’re friends, and it’s nothing to take some risks for a friend,” Liu Yuan insisted. ”Go back and discuss it with Director Mu. If it seems fine to you, bring the contract over tomorrow, and we’ll get it terminated first.”

Ye Qing sighed softly and said, ”Manager Liu, thank you!”

”Why the formality with me? Remember to call me for tea when you have time.”

After Liu Yuan hung up, Ye Qing fell into silence. Ultimately, the matter had implicated Mu Qingrong. The company was already struggling; if all the contracts were terminated, the company would truly collapse. He wondered how Mu Qingrong was doing at the moment.

Ye Qing hesitated for a while, holding his phone and about to call Mu Qingrong, when a strange number called him directly.

As soon as Ye Qing answered, Wang Xuan’s voice, almost roaring, came through: ”Ye, what on earth have you done? Why have those companies come together to drive you out? Why are all these companies coming to us to terminate contracts? Do you realize how much loss this has caused for the company? Do you understand that the company absolutely cannot withstand this blow right now?

Are you trying to develop the company, or are you trying to sabotage it? If you don’t want to work, just terminate your own business—that’s fine, but why involve mine too!”

After a tirade from Wang Xuan, and Ye Qing quietly listened until Wang Xuan paused, he then asked softly, ”What about Director Mu?”

”You still have the nerve to mention Director Mu? Do you even have the face to see Director Mu now? Let me tell you, I have nothing to do with this mess. You’d better sort it out. My business absolutely cannot be lost because of you, got it!” Wang Xuan paused and then angrily warned, ”Ye, I’m warning you. If you mess up my business too, I’ll make sure you pay dearly for it!”

Ye Qing didn’t want to say much to Wang Xuan and hung up the phone, then dialed Mu Qingrong’s cell phone.

The phone rang many times before Mu Qingrong finally picked up, a weak voice coming through: ”Hello.”

”Director Mu, where are you?” Ye Qing asked urgently, truly afraid that Mu Qingrong might have given up hope.

Mu Qingrong was silent for a while before responding softly, ”Yipin Tea House.”

Ye Qing was stunned. At this moment, did Mu Qingrong still have the mind to drink tea? Or perhaps, the blow she received was so severe that she had become somewhat despondent?

”Wait for me, I’ll be right there!” Ye Qing hung up the phone, went out, and immediately hailed a taxi to Yipin Tea House.

Yipin Tea House is a fairly well-known tea-drinking spot in Shenchuan City with an elegant environment. It’s a popular place for discussing business and emotions. Ye Qing had been here once before when Lin Tianyou invited him for tea, so he knew the place reasonably well.

Ye Qing found Mu Qingrong in a small private room. She was sitting quietly on the sofa, the tea in front of her had gone cold, and she had yet to take a single sip.

There were two cups on the table, which meant that before Ye Qing arrived, there must have been another person sitting there.

At this time, it made no sense for Mu Qingrong to be meeting a friend. So, what exactly was she doing?

Seeing Mu Qingrong’s distracted appearance, Ye Qing felt worried. He sat down opposite her and softly said, ”Director Mu, Director Mu.”

Mu Qingrong looked up at Ye Qing, her eyes slightly red, suggesting she had just been crying.

Ye Qing sighed softly and asked, ”You already know about the situation?”

Mu Qingrong did not speak, but a flicker of pain crossed her eyes. How could she not feel distressed when the company she had tirelessly run for so long might collapse in a few days?

”Director Mu, they are mainly targeting me. How about I resign?” Ye Qing looked at Mu Qingrong and earnestly suggested, ”If I resign, Yunchi Company will be fine. They won’t chase us out anymore!”

”It’s useless!” Mu Qingrong slowly shook her head and said, looking at Ye Qing, ”You are my friend, and so is Pingping. They know all this. Even if you resign, even if you leave Shenchuan City, they will still drive my company out. They are not seeking revenge now; they are venting their anger. They won’t stop just because you leave!”

Ye Qing sighed again. Mu Qingrong was right. Those people were now bordering on hysterical, capable of doing anything.

”Manager Liu from Das Group called me just now...” Ye Qing relayed what Liu Yuan had said, and hearing this, a glimmer of hope finally appeared in Mu Qingrong’s eyes. However, it soon faded.

The bit of business from Das Group wasn’t enough to sustain the company; it could only delay the collapse by a few days.

Seeing that Mu Qingrong was silent, Ye Qing didn’t know what else to say and just quietly sat across from her.

The silence lasted for nearly half an hour before Mu Qingrong seemed to finally pull herself out of her grief. She looked at her watch and said, ”It’s getting late. Let’s have something to eat together.”

Ye Qing could tell that Mu Qingrong was feigning strength. In fact, she surely couldn’t eat much at all now.

Ye Qing followed Mu Qingrong as they left Yipin Tea House. The dark night cast a solitary shadow on Mu Qingrong in the evening breeze. It was never easy for a girl alone to uphold a company!

Ye Qing followed behind Mu Qingrong, and honestly, he truly pitied the current Mu Qingrong. Having worked at her company for so long, he had never seen her show such an expression. She used to be so confident, so cool. But at this moment, she seemed so alone that it was heartbreaking.

The two stopped at a night market stall. Mu Qingrong ordered a lot of beer, hardly eating anything, just drinking.

Ye Qing kept her company, though he didn’t drink much. He generally didn’t like to drink unless there was a reason.

After a few bottles of beer, Mu Qingrong’s fair face slowly reddened, and her gaze no longer held the sadness it did before.

”Why aren’t you drinking?” Mu Qingrong took a bottle of beer and handed it to Ye Qing, saying, ”Drink, let’s drink together!”

Ye Qing took the beer bottle, took a sip, then set it aside again, softly saying, ”You should drink less.”

”No, I want to drink!” Mu Qingrong wouldn’t be persuaded and continued to drink several more bottles, finally unable to hold back and starting to sob on the table.

Ye Qing watched her sobbing and sighed softly, saying, ”I’m sorry, I’ve dragged you down.”

”It has nothing to do with you!” Mu Qingrong raised her head, wiped away her tears, and said, ”Actually, I shouldn’t have been the boss in the first place. Being a girl trying to make something of herself in Shenchuan City is not easy. My dad told me so, but I didn’t believe him. I thought that with my capabilities, I could carve out my own place here. But later, I realized I was wrong.

Here, a woman trying to start a business faces much more difficulties than a man. No one notices your capabilities; they just see you as a woman.

When you go out to negotiate business, their focus is not on the deal but on figuring out how to make a move on you, constantly figuring out how to get you into bed, always figuring out how to make it difficult for you unless you satisfy their disgraceful demands!”

Ye Qing was silent. Huo Pingping had also mentioned this; she too had encountered such issues not just once while running sales. They say it’s easier for a girl to run sales than a man, but the price is indeed very high!