Chen Fan’s lips curved upwards upon seeing this. “I heard your Brother Zhi laid out quite a few conditions for me? I’d like to see what these conditions are.”
He then glanced at Da Xiong, who stood beside him.
Da Xiong understood Chen Fan’s intention and stepped forward, reaching for the document the man had thrown onto the table earlier.
The man panicked completely. He knew the contents of the document by heart; they were essentially all draconian terms. Before leaving, he had asked Zhao Zhi if Da Xiong and the others would agree to such harsh conditions. Zhao Zhi had assured him they would, as Da Xiong was in dire need of his support, and this was the perfect opportunity to extort him.
Recalling Yuan Shaohua’s fate just moments ago, the man, on some unknown surge of courage, lunged onto the table and snatched the document.
Ignoring the strange looks from those around him, he tore off the cover and shoved it into his mouth.
He was certain that if Chen Fan and Da Xiong saw the contents, he would be as good as dead.
However, with so many bodyguards present, how could they let him swallow the document?
Before the man could tear off a second page, several bodyguards had already pinned him to the ground.
“Kid, relax. Brother Fan has prepared food for you at noon, no need to eat this. If word got out, people would think Brother Fan treated you poorly,” Da Xiong said teasingly, snatching the document from the man’s hand and handing it to Chen Fan, who sat in the main seat.
Seeing Chen Fan open the document, the man was on the verge of pissing himself. His face turned ashen, his body trembled violently, and he kept muttering, “I didn’t write this, this has nothing to do with me.”
After a brief scan of the contents, Chen Fan smiled calmly and read out a few points: “Cancel the annual commission from the entertainment and gambling industry in Longhua City, and pay Longhua City ten million yuan in protection fees annually. All businesses previously cooperating with Ma Peng in Longhua City will belong to Zhao Zhi. Do not suppress the development of the underground forces in Longhua City in any form. If any business conflicts arise, Da Xiong must yield unconditionally.”
Having read this far, Chen Fan tossed the document onto the table.
His gaze then shifted to Zhang Yaoye and Zhou Yihai, who stood beside him. “Gentlemen, what do you think of Zhao Zhi’s demands?”
Zhang Yaoye and Zhou Yihai’s hearts sank, and their faces turned tense.
In fact, they both had a similar document on them. They had already discussed it and planned to present the same conditions.
But at this moment, who would dare to bring out their own conditions?
Zhang Yaoye, suppressing his panic, said, “Mr. Chen, these conditions are a bit excessive.”
“Yes, yes, they are a bit excessive. The annual commission is essential, and I’ve never heard of any protection fees. Zhao Zhi is a bit greedy, what a scumbag!” Zhou Yihai chimed in, cursing.
“Is that so? Then I’d like to know if you gentlemen have any conditions?” Chen Fan asked Zhou Yihai and Zhang Yaoye, temporarily ignoring the man on the ground.
“No, no,” they both shook their heads in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized.
“Really none?” Chen Fan pressed.
“Really none,” they replied with absolute certainty.
The man pinned to the ground looked utterly bewildered. He clearly remembered that their Brother Zhi hadn’t said this. Their conditions were supposed to be identical, all aimed at crushing Da Xiong’s spirit.
But now it seemed Zhang Yaoye and Zhou Yihai had both backed out at the last minute.
“You don’t have any, but I do,” Chen Fan’s expression suddenly turned cold.
Zhang Yaoye and Zhou Yihai looked at Chen Fan with grim faces.
Chen Fan continued, “First, from now on, all your families must move to Mingzhou to live. Don’t worry, Da Xiong will arrange everything for their food, clothing, housing, and transportation. You can also come to Mingzhou to visit your families anytime.”
“Wh-what?!” Both men exclaimed in shock.
This was clearly taking their families hostage. They had been leaders for so many years and had never encountered anything like this.
Chen Fan had no intention of explaining himself. After all, to deal with such people, only more ruthless methods could make them compliant.
“Second, Da Xiong can waive the previous commission to Ma Peng. However, if you dare to touch certain things, I won’t hesitate to purge you.”
The first part of Chen Fan’s statement brought a flicker of joy to their faces; not having to pay the commission meant a significant saving each year. But the latter part filled them with dread and fear.
“Do you have any objections to these two conditions?” Chen Fan asked.
Both men fell into silence. Chen Fan knew they were all calculating their own interests and did not rush them.
After a moment, Zhang Yaoye and Zhou Yihai exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. “Mr. Chen, we agree!”
After all, that fifty percent commission brought them considerable income each year!
They also understood that having their families in Mingzhou wasn't necessarily a bad thing. As long as they remained loyal to Da Xiong, their families would at least be protected, and they wouldn’t have to live in constant fear.
“Mr. Chen, how should we handle the businesses in Shunjì and Longhua? Perhaps…” Zhang Yaoye began.
Both of these were major cities. If they could acquire these businesses, Zhang Yaoye and Zhou Yihai would surely make a substantial profit.
“Da Xiong will handle Shunjì City. As for Longhua City…” Chen Fan said, turning his gaze to the man pinned to the ground.
“Master Fan, I really didn’t write this, this has nothing to do with me,” the man pleaded continuously.
Chen Fan sneered, “Zhao Zhi, you’ve been listening for quite some time now. Shouldn’t you have made a decision?”
His sudden words stunned everyone present.
They looked around, but there was no sign of Zhao Zhi.
Chen Fan nodded at Da Xiong.
Da Xiong, understanding, stepped forward to the man’s side, grabbed his collar, and pulled off a necklace from his neck. He placed it on the table and slammed his palm down. The necklace cracked open, revealing a hidden listening device.
Seeing this, Zhang Yaoye and Zhou Yihai were dumbfounded, wondering how Chen Fan had discovered it.
In the next second, Da Xiong’s phone suddenly rang.
Da Xiong looked at Chen Fan. “Brother Fan, it’s Zhao Zhi.”
“Put it on speaker.”
As soon as the call was connected, Zhao Zhi’s fawning voice could be heard. “Brother Xiong, Master Fan, I truly didn’t mean to not come. I was simply unable to get away, so I sent a trusted subordinate. As for the contents, I genuinely had no idea. It was all written by one of my subordinates. Damn it, that dog dared to write such things, he was practically pushing me into a fire pit! Don’t worry, I’ll deal with that dog. I’ll chop off his hand right now!”