"You don't need to say any more. We don't believe you. The facts are right before our eyes, and further words are useless.
Don't treat us like fools. Think about it yourself, why is it that every time, only we get tricked, while you remain unharmed? Don't try to fob us off with 'coincidence' or 'luck.' We've heard enough of that." 138 Reading Net
"..."
What could Gu Lou say to this? He could evade it because he was one of them, the one helping the Hong Kong businessmen trick everyone.
Otherwise, why would he be fine?
But he couldn't say this out loud; he could only think it in his heart.
"President, don't listen to his sophistry. He is definitely that spy, no one else."
"Yes, President, he's full of lies, tricking us into depositing money. If we hadn't discovered it early, we would have been tricked again."
"Damn it, I took all the money from home to deposit. If we had been tricked, my whole family would have to drink the northwest wind. Gu Lou, that traitor."
"..."
Listening to everyone pointing at him and looking as if they wanted to kill him, Gu Lou finally realized he was ruined.
Not only his reputation, but his family's factory would also be completely paralyzed.
With so many people boycotting him, he would have to rely on the Hong Kong businessmen. But Hong Kong businessmen were much shrewder than domestic ones; they didn't even like to share a shred of meat. Cooperating with them was purely working for them.
The opportunity to move up was impossible.
"Alright, throw him out. Don't cooperate with him anymore, and don't offer him any help, or you can get out of the Chamber of Commerce."
After saying this, Wen Qinmin turned and left.
However, as he passed by Zhang Liunian, his steps paused slightly. If Zhang Liunian hadn't been watching him, he wouldn't have noticed.
After Wen Qinmin left, the meeting was declared over.
Zhang Liunian, along with Sun's father and Kang Dafu, left the venue. On the way, Sun's father said excitedly, "The Gu family is finally going to fall. This is thanks to Comrade Zhang Liunian. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known when we could bring them down."
Gu Lou's downfall was truly the biggest surprise of the day. Sun's father wished he could offer Zhang Liunian a toast to express his gratitude.
Zhang Liunian smiled and said, "It's not just you who wanted to bring him down. I did too. He has always wanted my life. Now that the opportunity is in front of me, of course, I wouldn't miss it. I just didn't expect the members to believe my words so much."
This was something Zhang Liunian hadn't expected. He thought it would take more effort, but he didn't expect them to be so easily persuaded. Most importantly, Sun's father's report was the crucial evidence.
"Actually, even without you saying anything, we all suspected Gu Lou. We just lacked evidence to do anything about him. Your words were just the spark, and my report was the hammer. The two together perfectly sealed Gu Lou's fate."
Sun's father was still endlessly excited.
Zhang Liunian smiled, but he didn't fully relax. "Although the Domestic Merchants Chamber of Commerce has a bad impression of Gu Lou and will ostracize him, what if he switches allegiance to the Hong Kong businessmen?"
Would he still be depressed then?
"..."
If Zhang Liunian hadn't mentioned it, Sun's father would have almost forgotten. Gu Lou was a lackey of the Hong Kong businessmen. If he wasn't accepted here, he would surely be accepted there. Therefore, the best solution was for Gu Lou to be eliminated.
Thinking of this, Sun's father's eyes darkened.
Zhang Liunian watched Sun's father's expression without speaking. At this moment, their thoughts were unprecedentedly aligned, though neither said it aloud.
"Don't worry, there are many people who can't tolerate Gu Lou. I believe we will see his end soon."
Sun's father believed that everyone would not just stand by and watch him continue to prosper; they would surely take action.
Zhang Liunian nodded and said nothing.
Of course, he also wished for Gu Lou's permanent disappearance, but as Sun's father said, there would be many people who wanted his life. After all, swindling people of their money was akin to killing their parents.
Now that it was confirmed that Gu Lou was the one who had been helping the Hong Kong businessmen trick them, it would naturally enrage some people. At that time...
"It's six o'clock, just in time for dinner. Why don't we have dinner together?" Sun's father was happy and intended to treat Zhang Liunian to a meal.
Zhang Liunian did not refuse and went with them to the Pengcheng Restaurant, only to coincidentally encounter Zhang Ya yelling at someone.
"What are you afraid of? With us backing you, who will touch you? Just do as we say, and we'll find a way to protect you."
"I don't want to be the third person to die mysteriously at home. You should find someone else!"
As he said this, a man suddenly rushed out of the private room, brushing past Zhang Liunian and the others, leaving in anger.
"Wait a minute..." Zhang Ya opened the door to chase after him, but accidentally ran into Zhang Liunian and the others face to face, immediately swallowing the words that were about to come out.
Zhang Liunian looked at Zhang Ya's flustered state and thought that they still hadn't given up on finding cannon fodder.
But it didn't seem to be going smoothly.
"Let's go!" Sun's father saw Zhang Ya but didn't greet him. After all, Zhang Ya's actions had drawn the attention of many. Although Sun's father felt that Zhang Ya wasn't entirely wrong, his behavior was indeed infuriating to them.
Zhang Ya probably knew he wasn't welcome. He glanced at Zhang Liunian, then turned to close the door and sat down again to chat with Comrade Sun.
"This is the twentieth person. Why don't we just find Zhang Liunian?"
After thinking it over, Zhang Ya felt Zhang Liunian was the most suitable. Moreover, he had heard that Zhang Liunian had offended the Hong Kong businessmen yesterday, and today he would probably offend the domestic businessmen as well.
Why was he so sure? Because he understood the domestic businessmen very well; they were all timid and bullied the weak while fearing the strong.
How could a righteous youth like Zhang Liunian tolerate them?
If he went, he would definitely offend them again.
This was good; if Zhang Liunian offended both sides, wouldn't it be perfect for them to achieve this goal?
However, perhaps it would require a different approach.
"Why find him? Didn't you say he has already offended the Hong Kong businessmen? They might not necessarily accept his participation." Comrade Sun had just heard about Zhang Liunian's activities in the Hong Kong businessmen's circle and knew that he had already offended the Hong Kong Businessmen's Chamber of Commerce.
Therefore, it was unlikely for Zhang Liunian to infiltrate the enemy's ranks and then dismantle them from within.
"It's precisely because he offended them that it's easier to find him. We don't need him to dismantle from within; he can dismantle from the outside. In any case, our goal is not to let them drag their feet and affect our construction progress."
Zhang Ya had always been clear about their goals and didn't care about the method used to achieve them.
Comrade Sun thought about it and felt it was feasible. "Will he agree? Zhang Liunian looks young, but he has his own ideas and might not follow us."
"Then let's increase the incentives a bit, give him a sweet deal. For example, give him some development rights after the task is completed?" Zhang Ya believed that if Zhang Liunian didn't agree, it was because the benefits weren't great enough. Besides the railway station project, if they offered something else, it might work.