Changed “Tian Chen (天宸)” to “Tian Chen (天辰)”?
This was contract fraud.
Tang Hong En smiled slightly: “Liu Tian Quan does dishonest business as a Hong Kong merchant, thinking he can operate in Shenzhen like in Hong Kong. He has close ties with Hong Kong’s Cheng Rong Group. Of course, we welcome Hong Kong merchant investments – mainland reform and opening up needs external capital and technology… but we can’t be completely unprepared for capital operating in grey areas.”
To Tang Hong En, Liu Tian Quan represented the grey capital.
The background of Cheng Rong Group needed no detailed investigation – many in Hong Kong knew Du Cheng Rong’s origins.
Tang Hong En watched Liu Tian Quan closely because he wanted to get involved in Shenzhen’s port operations. With Cheng Rong Group’s shady background, Tang Hong En didn’t want Shenzhen to become a smuggling haven – he despised that.
Initially, he thought Xia Xiao Lan came to Shenzhen as a smuggler. If so, Tang Hong En wouldn’t have dealt with her, regardless of how sweet-talking or capable she was – why would he associate with a smuggler?
Only after Xia Xiao Lan proved she wanted a legitimate decoration business did Tang Hong En interact with her.
With Tang Hong En’s explanation, Xia Xiao Lan understood why Liu Tian Quan was unwelcome.
Tang Hong En was a barrier blocking Liu Tian Quan’s aggressive expansion in Shenzhen. His expansion was likely scouting for Cheng Rong Group. As a special economic zone, Shenzhen represented an unimaginably huge potential market. Whatever was sold to the mainland, with such a large population, whoever entered the market first would profit – industrial goods were fine, but they feared Liu Tian Quan would bring shadier things.
“Liu Tian Quan is Du Cheng Rong’s brother-in-law. I heard Du Cheng Rong’s concubines are fighting fiercely…”
Was Liu Tian Quan trying to handle this for Du Cheng Rong to help his sister gain advantage?
Tang Hong En tapped the table: “How big is your business? Why investigate the Du family? Du Cheng Rong isn’t someone you can mess with.”
Liu Tian Quan wasn’t someone Xia Xiao Lan should mess with either.
Aside from his triad connections, just the business scale difference meant Liu Tian Quan could crush Liu Yong’s ‘Yuan Hui’.
But Tang Hong En knew that, likely with Xia Xiao Lan’s guidance, ‘Yuan Hui’ had repeatedly avoided Liu Tian Quan. After Liu Tian Quan pursued Liu Yong for months, even the most vigilant had their moments of weakness – wasn’t that how Liu Tian Quan trapped him? Xia Xiao Lan didn’t argue, and Tang Hong En knew she hadn’t done wrong. He pondered briefly:
“The Xiangmi Lake project started before I took office, breaking ground in ’81. It’s now in the final stages, expected to open next year. Special Energy and Zhengtai Group won’t allow problems there, and of course, the Shenzhen government closely monitors this project. No wonder your uncle fell for it when Liu Tian Quan used this project as bait.”
This was excessive.
Liu Tian Quan was too crude, transplanting Hong Kong methods to Shenzhen!
Did he think Shenzhen was 1970s Hong Kong? Where triads ran rampant, corrupting the police force – nine out of ten officers were corrupt, taking bribes to protect triads.
“90,000 isn’t a small sum. Want me to help resolve it?”
Xia Xiao Lan shook her head: “The 90,000 doesn’t need Uncle Tang’s attention. More than the contract’s minor issues, I wanted to tell you about Shenzhen’s problematic rising dance halls, especially Nanyang Dance Hall – Liu Tian Quan might be the secret owner… He’s using hostesses for his schemes. If this trend continues, it’ll be harder to stop later.”
Complaining required skill – pointing out Liu Tian Quan’s minor faults was useless.
People like Liu Tian Quan were poisoning Shenzhen’s business environment.
Must business deals happen in dance halls?
What kind of business involves drinking while embracing hostesses?
Her uncle fell for it but surely wasn’t the first victim. Liu Tian Quan used a combination attack – wine, women, money, and influence – those who didn’t fall for it were probably the minority.
Take the hostesses – reform and opening up were only a few years old, how could simple state enterprise cadres handle such situations?
“You’re right.”
Tang Hong En’s brief response told Xia Xiao Lan he understood.
Tang Hong En wasn’t ordinary. Despite his frequent illnesses, he cared deeply about Shenzhen’s development. When Xia Xiao Lan met him again in Shenzhen, he was inspecting construction sites, then by the sea with only Little Wang – she suspected he was conducting undercover investigations, checking coastal fishing villages for smuggling situations.
Official mayoral inspections would reveal nothing real – lower levels would whitewash everything, and smugglers weren’t foolish, with entire villages involved in smuggling, covering for each other before leaders.
The Liu Tian Quan topic ended there. Xia Xiao Lan brought up Ji Jiang Yuan’s distance:
“Everyone’s busy with studies. We only met at the English competition written test.”
“Remember what I said before? Don’t bring business approaches here. Aren’t you and Jiang Yuan classmates? I wouldn’t have agreed to this meal otherwise?”
After his initial excitement, Tang Hong En, having weathered many storms, could think calmly. He certainly wanted to be closer to Ji Jiang Yuan – his only blood son, and with no plans to remarry, likely his only son ever.
But after years apart, with Ji Jiang Yuan raised in America, their distance was natural.
Father-son relationships develop gradually, and can’t be forced. The current situation was the best possible – despite ex-wife Ji Ya’s hysteria, she’d raised Ji Jiang Yuan well. The boy who studied at Huaqing, seemed positive and bright – what more could Tang Hong En ask for?
Better than twelve years across the Pacific without news.
Xia Xiao Lan could only admire Uncle Tang’s acceptance.
Different people had different perspectives. Tang Hong En focused mainly on his career – who could pity such a powerful figure? Like in modern times, when people sympathized with celebrities being slandered, one clever response ended all foolish fans: Check your bank balance before pitying others!
Though Xia Xiao Lan’s bank balance exceeded Tang Hong En’s, she remained diligent. How could a private business compare with a leader? Tang Hong En’s position came from decades of struggle.
Hearing Xia Xiao Lan brought her whole family this time, as she left, he added: “My month’s salary is enough to treat your family to dinner. Your mother helped with some issues last time – before you leave Shenzhen, I’ll have Secretary Peng arrange a place.”