As night fell, Jin Pangzi discovered that Huang Mao was missing.
"Xiao Si, where did Huang Mao go? Have him come see me."
"Master Jin, I haven't seen hide nor hair of him all day. I don't know whose bed he's crawling into."
Jin Pangzi's brow furrowed. Something felt off. Not a word, what was going on? He had a bad feeling about this.
Why hadn't this Huang Mao shown up yet? Could he have been caught by Zhang Tianxing? If so, he hoped Huang Mao's mouth was sealed tight and he wouldn't give himself away.
Otherwise, he'd be in a bit of trouble.
Jin Pangzi hated trouble more than anything. But at the moment, his canned goods business hadn't opened for days.
If this continued, his factory would go under, and he'd lose all his investment.
Zhang Tianxing was playing dirty. Everyone sold their cans the same way. Why did he want to sell at a lower price? If this kept up, other can factories would grow resentful of Zhang Tianxing.
He'd then contact other can manufacturers and launch a full-scale assault on Zhang Tianxing.
"Master Jin, it's bad news! I heard from someone that Huang Mao left in a car. He said you sent him on urgent business?"
"Master Jin, next time I want to go on urgent business too!"
Hearing this, Jin Pangzi almost choked. What was going on? That Huang Mao had run off.
He'd even taken his thirty thousand deposit with him! What kind of scam was this?
Were these young punks so lacking in honor these days? Couldn't even uphold the basic principle of taking money and doing the job?
This was a serious offense. Taking money means doing the job; that's the bare minimum moral requirement.
He never expected Huang Mao to be this kind of person. He had worried about Huang Mao being caught just moments ago.
"Find Huang Mao's family! I'll make them pay!"
"Master Jin, Huang Mao is an orphan. He has no family."
"Pfft!"
At this, Jin Pangzi spat out a mouthful of blood, scattering it on the ground.
"This is infuriating!" Jin Pangzi felt terrible all over, not just from anger, but also from the heartache of his lost money.
It was a good thing he hadn't given him a hundred thousand, but thirty thousand was still a considerable sum. He only made that much in a year. It felt like his hard work of a year had gone to waste.
It was maddening! This blockhead was useless. Jin Pangzi's face turned ashen. Damn it, it seemed he'd have to resort to his trump card.
Jin Pangzi's state terrified his few underlings. They feared he might just drop dead.
But thankfully, it seemed he was alright. After a while, with the help of his subordinates, Jin Pangzi let out a long sigh, slowly regaining a bit of spirit.
"Go find my sister and tell her to get my brother-in-law. I need his help," Jin Pangzi roared weakly.
Jin Pangzi's brother-in-law was none other than Jiang Tian'er, the second-in-command of the Yangcheng Administration for Industry and Commerce. He was a ruthless man. Coupled with his minor position, he had committed many acts that incurred the wrath of heaven and earth.
However, he was living a comfortable life now. With his position in the Administration for Industry and Commerce and his cooperation with Jin Pangzi, they had amassed a lot of ill-gotten gains.
Upon hearing the news, Jiang Tian'er dropped everything and rushed over. Though his brother-in-law was rather unscrupulous, his wife, Mrs. Jiang, was stunningly beautiful and in the prime of her life. She was Jiang Tian'er's darling.
Moreover, Jin Pangzi, despite being greedy, had also done many favors for Jiang Tian'er. Many things that were inconvenient for him to handle were taken care of by Jin Pangzi. In essence, they were mutually prosperous and vulnerable.
Arriving here and seeing Jin Pangzi's miserable state, Jiang Tian'er's expression turned grim. He had been in Yangcheng for so many years, and no one had dared to treat his people this way.
Who didn't know that Jin Pangzi was his brother-in-law? And he was still in a position of power. He could even advance further. Who would have thought someone would dare to oppose him?
"Brother-in-law, you've come at the right time. The one opposing me is Zhang Tianxing! And that Huang Mao actually swindled me out of thirty thousand," Jin Pangzi gasped, narrowly avoiding mentioning his plan to hire an assassin.
After listening to Jin Pangzi, Jiang Tian'er surprisingly did not rage. He said softly, "Zhang Tianxing? The aspiring college student from the crayfish association, Zhang Tianxing?"
Jin Pangzi nodded. "That's right, the very kid. He's arrogant, deliberately engaging in price wars, and maliciously seizing the market. I can unite with other can manufacturers to file a lawsuit against him."
"That would be difficult, unless we find leverage against Zhang Tianxing," Jiang Tian'er said with a headache. If it were someone else, he would have gone to confront them immediately. As long as you're in business, there's nothing Jiang Tian'er can't meddle in.
However, Zhang Tianxing was proving to be a headache. It couldn't be helped. Zhang Tianxing had gained too much notoriety recently. The crayfish festival had only just passed.
Zhang Tianxing was now a favored figure of the leaders. News had spread that the Yangcheng local government officials were the biggest beneficiaries of the crayfish festival.
Each of them gained significant achievements, smoothing their path for future promotions. This was a distinct advantage on their records.
Therefore, at this crucial juncture, moving against Zhang Tianxing would not be wise.
Seeing Jiang Tian'er's predicament, Jin Pangzi asked with some confusion, "Brother-in-law, what are you thinking? Find someone to deal with him! Shut down his can factory first, then his crayfish shop, and his barbecue joint. I'll have them all closed."
Jiang Tian'er remained silent, deep in thought. Jin Pangzi grew anxious. "We can't touch Zhang Tianxing?"
"No, unless we have evidence that he is engaged in illegal or disciplinary misconduct."
Upon hearing this, Jin Pangzi's eyes lit up. "That's easy! The can market all uses preservatives now. The better ones use potassium sorbate, and the inferior ones use sodium benzoate. We can exploit this."
Jiang Tian'er's eyes brightened. "Is this information reliable? And what are the long-term effects of consuming these two?"
"Where would I get such information? These are unwritten rules in the canning industry. It's just a matter of how much is added," Jin Pangzi chuckled.
He then added, "This kid, he started with a price war to seize the market. If the profit is too low, he won't be satisfied. He'll definitely add them. Long-term consumption can lead to benzene poisoning."
Jiang Tian'er smiled and agreed upon hearing this. Jin Pangzi specifically reminded him, "Don't take samples of our cans then, or there will be problems."
Jiang Tian'er smiled and nodded, a plan already forming in his mind. The crayfish market was vast, and countless people wanted to enter it but lacked the opportunity. The Wu family of Zhonghai's setback in the crayfish business had made everyone wary.
It also solidified a belief: either don't act, or act decisively to eliminate the threat. Jiang Tian'er believed that as long as he could break through the crayfish association, his career would advance by two steps without issue. It was a win-win cooperation.