Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.
As the cherry blossoms fluttered in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written inside.
In the midst of the continuous flirtation between the socialites and the tycoons, the socialites seemed like frightened deer, each one displaying their shyest and most alluring side to the already intoxicated tycoons, further stirring their hearts.
Hailong watched with great interest the alluring scene in the banquet hall, where the girls, dressed in loose tops in the cold winter, would inadvertently lean forward while chatting with the tycoons, revealing their round, snowy chests, causing the tycoons to fix their gazes on the exposed flesh.
With their innocent big eyes and shy glances, they would look up and, upon noticing the lecherous gazes of the surrounding crowd, pretend to be frightened deer, coquettishly saying, "Bad boys, you're bullying me," with their innocent appearances, fiery figures, and half-revealed bodies, their seductive words thoroughly igniting the tycoons' passions.
Seeing the scene before him, Hailong could not guarantee that, if those 20-something girls treated him in such a manner, he, a young man in the prime of his life, could withstand it.
At the very least, from what he could see, every girl easily aroused the desires of the men around them. Under the influence of the lively music, the already warm banquet hall was filled with people drenched in sweat. Although they wanted to take off their clothes and loosen their ties, this was Li Wanhao's castle, and they had to maintain their image in front of him. Despite the high temperature inside, the crowd, provoked by the beauties, was drenched in sweat, but they only took off their outer coats.
If this were their own homes, they would have stripped and taken the beauties to bed long ago. Fortunately, Hailong was sitting in a corner and had not been noticed by the women yet. It seemed that the women were all gathered around the front tables, where the guests were usually the VIPs or more important guests.
No wonder Li Jihao had told him not to leave after signing the contract at noon, saying that he had arranged something special for the evening. It seemed that he would be arranged a beauty soon.
At noon, after signing the contract, Li Wanhao told Hailong that to celebrate, he had prepared a grand banquet for the evening, inviting all the elites of Donghai City. Although Hailong did not like such occasions, he had to be grateful for everything Li Wanhao had done for him. By doing this, Li Wanhao was essentially telling everyone in Donghai City that Hailong was his protégé, and anyone who wanted to trip him up in business would have to consider whether they could withstand the pressure from Li Wanhao.
Hailong's rise was too rapid, almost like a swift step, so fast that it instilled fear in some. However, despite the rapid rise, his foundation was not solid. One could say that Hailong had no foundation at all.
If one is in legitimate business, one must build good relationships with business partners. As the owner of four medium-sized cargo ships, one must have a certain network of connections. One must establish an inseparable relationship with suppliers, manage the dynamics of one's employees, and be aware of potential issues in the sales channels.
Apart from these, as a boss, one must also maintain good relations with the industrial and commercial bureau, tax bureau, customs, environmental protection bureau, safety supervision bureau, public security bureau, transportation bureau, and fire department. Otherwise, any small official from any bureau could make life miserable, for example, the fire department could say that there are safety hazards on the ship during the annual inspection, preventing it from going to sea. Those who understand the situation know to pay the necessary fees, while those who don't will spend a year rectifying the issues without ever understanding them.
Managing government relations is relatively easy; preparing a few million would solve the problem. The truly dangerous part is the business itself. One misstep could lead to bankruptcy, losing everything, and even accumulating huge debts, leading to suicide.
There is a classic scam: if you are a middleman, and you take a ship to Vietnam, a Vietnamese boss approaches you, saying that Chinese televisions are very popular in the market and are highly favored by Vietnamese people, so he wants to buy a batch from you.
You happen to have a friend who can contact the television manufacturer to place an order. As long as you guarantee it, he will take you to his "company," which is very large, worth millions. You sign the contract inside, and he is willing to pay a 30% advance.
Seeing his company, his boss, and his sincerity, and with the contract as a guarantee, you take the money and immediately return to China to place the order with the television company. However, when the televisions are produced, loaded onto the ship, and transported to Vietnam, the other party suddenly tells you that the company has gone bankrupt and cannot pay the remaining balance. You check the accounts and find that it is just a shell company, and the office building was rented. Now that they say they have no money, what can you do?
You can only reluctantly bring the televisions back to China and watch them rust.
Just as you are about to lose hope, another Vietnamese boss appears, offering to buy the televisions at a very low price. You see that you can't sell them back home for a profit, so you might as well sell them to him.
In fact, the two Vietnamese bosses are in cahoots, scamming you. Although they paid a 30% advance, the actual cost was only 50% of the original. You can't bear to lose money, so you have no choice but to accept their offer.
Hailong, who was inexperienced in the world, would be ruined if he fell for such a scam. Not only would his business suffer, but he might be blacklisted by many merchants, leading to bankruptcy. At that point, even Li Wanhao would find it difficult to help, as Hailong would lose not only money but also his business acumen and courage.
For the entire afternoon, Hailong listened to Li Wanhao's stories about the business world. These were things Hailong had never encountered before, the most valuable experiences and the essence of Li Wanhao's life. Hailong listened attentively as Li Wanhao recounted the scams he had experienced, analyzed them systematically, and taught Hailong how to avoid, solve, and recover from them, greatly benefiting Hailong.
Hailong never realized that there were so many scams in the world, so varied and unimaginable. Previously, he had only dealt with selling crabs, and the buyers were either rich or noble, who had no interest in cheating him for a small amount of money and needed a steady supply of crabs.
However, the current business was different. He was an outsider, taking away others' business. In overseas trade, where large sums of money were involved, the territories were already divided. Hailong's sudden intrusion, without any connections or social status, made him a target. Even with Li Wanhao's support, it was impossible to shield him from everyone's greed.
It wasn't until the evening, just before the banquet started, that Li Wanhao finished his conversation with Hailong. He had to personally greet some important figures, and only after the banquet began would he introduce Hailong to the leaders of various circles in Donghai City.
Li Jihao also accompanied his father to greet the guests, so Hailong could only sit alone. However, Hailong enjoyed this state the most, hiding in the dark corner, observing the myriad of people in the world, and judging their needs and fears.
After merging with the Dragon King's soul, Hailong's personality gradually changed, becoming more cunning and ruthless. These were the instinctive reactions of the Dragon King's soul. Hailong was only unaffected by the Dragon King's soul when he was with Hu Jing or his mother. At other times, he would unconsciously enter a hunter's state, observing the world.