"Alright, I understand what you mean." These words were almost squeezed out from between Old Hou’s teeth.

He no longer looked at Qi Yun, his gaze shifted to the heavy night outside the window, waving his hand to issue an eviction order: "You may leave."

Qi Yun stood up, without saying another word, and left the office with steady steps.

The door closed gently, isolating two worlds.

Qi Yun understood in his heart that he had completely offended Old Hou. Whether this guy would make things difficult for him was hard to say, but in the future, if given the chance, he would definitely add insult to injury.

After Qi Yun left, Secretary Wang entered the office. He glanced at his leader and immediately guessed the result.

"Leader..."

...

The next day, just as Qi Yun arrived at the company, he received a call from Xia Shaohua of the business administration.

Looking at the name on the screen, Qi Yun had a faint guess.

"Hello, Brother Xia."

"Old Qi, have you offended someone recently?" Xia Shaohua asked straight to the point.

Qi Yun smiled: "Why do you say that?"

Xia Shaohua paused, lowered his voice, and explained: "There’s just been a notice from above to set up a governance team including business administration, tax, and fire departments to sort and inspect some enterprises in the area. I noticed your company is on the list."

As expected, it came quite quickly.

Qi Yun was familiar with this trick. When he dealt with Ji Liyang in Shanghai, he had used the same method, and within days had nearly ruined Ji Liyang’s business.

But Qi Yun’s industries were different from Ji Liyang’s. The latter was mostly in construction, which inherently had many under-the-table dealings; whereas Qi Yun’s companies were all clean, typically not prone to such issues, though the operations might be affected.

"Old Qi, they’re about to hold a meeting to discuss you here, and it looks serious. You better prepare well and don’t underestimate this." Xia Shaohua cautiously reminded again.

"Got it, I know."

After hanging up, he frowned in thought about how to best defend against this wave.

Should he ask Xiao Hanguang or Wendong’s leaders to stand up for him?

For such a minor issue, running to them seemed a bit like a child reporting to parents before even being hit...

After thinking it over, Qi Yun had a preliminary idea and got up to consult with Brother Peng in the next office.

"Such a big deal?" Brother Peng showed a surprised expression when he heard the one offended was Old Hou.

He knew Qi Yun was making big strides now, but he didn’t expect Qi Yun to already be able to hold his own against such big figures.

"If worst comes to worst, we’ll just quit the business!"

Qi Yun handed him a cigarette and said slowly, "It hasn’t come to that yet. I want to first test his attitude to see if he’s simply venting anger or truly wants to finish me off."

"What do you suggest we do? I’m listening to you."

Qi Yun slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke: "Let’s give the employees a few days off first, so they don’t become nervous. Keep an eye on the finances to avoid problems, and let them check slowly."

Brother Peng nodded: "Hmm, okay, after all, we just sent out a batch of goods, so there’s no rush for now."

"But what about your internet company? If they shut down the game, wouldn’t you lose tens of millions a day?"

"I’ll take care of that side..."

After discussing, Qi Yun found Xiang Xiaoyue and instructed: "Tell everyone, except for the finance department, those without urgent work will have a holiday these days, and salaries will be paid as usual; those who need to work can work from home as overtime."

"Huh?" Xiang Xiaoyue was surprised and asked doubtfully, "Boss, is something wrong?"

"No worries, just do as I say." Qi Yun didn’t explain further.

"Oh, okay." Seeing Qi Yun was unwilling to elaborate, Xiang Xiaoyue didn’t inquire further and turned to leave the office.

Whew~

Giving you an out, but don’t go too far, Qi Yun muttered to himself.

As for the other companies, he made no arrangements since he wasn’t the legal representative and they weren’t on the list.

....

In the afternoon, after a sumptuous roast lamb feast, Qi Yun personally escorted Wei Zhe and Zhang Wei to the airport.

At the entrance, the three shook hands in farewell.

"President Qi, thank you for your warm hospitality. It’s great to meet a friend like you, see you on the other side!"

"Alright! Safe journey!" Qi Yun watched the prized guests’ silhouettes disappear into the depths of the channel, and only then did his smile gradually fade. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Boss, shall we return?" An Zai, who was driving, asked.

Qi Yun looked at his watch, "No rush, let’s wait here for a bit, there’s another person to pick up."

More than forty minutes later, a flight from Shanghai landed.

Zhao Weilin, along with his assistant Dong Anyun, disembarked, and Qi Yun waved to them from a distance before they drove away together.

"Uncle, you arrived quite fast."

Sitting in the back seat, Zhao Weilin glanced at Qi Yun, feeling that this kid somewhat lacked respect in the way he spoke to him now.

"How’s Xiaoqing’s health?"

This haste to come over was partly driven by a desire to see his daughter.

"Rest assured, Xiaoqing is recovering well. I plan to bring her home in the next couple of days." Qi Yun reassured him.

"Hmm." Zhao Weilin’s gaze turned out the car window, "When is the meeting with Guanghui Group scheduled?"

Speaking of business, Qi Yun no longer wore a cheeky grin, and said seriously: "Chairman Liu is very keen on this cooperation, and knowing you were coming personally, has set aside a whole day tomorrow for a detailed discussion with us."

"The meeting will be at Guanghui Group, and other directors will also be attending."

Zhao Weilin nodded slightly and gestured to Dong Anyun beside him. Dong Anyun promptly took a file from the briefcase and handed it to Qi Yun.

"President Qi, this is our risk management team’s preliminary cooperation plan key points. Please have a look and let us know if there are any adjustments or additions needed."

Qi Yun took the file and quickly skimmed through it.

The document was detailed and well-structured, covering not only market analysis and financial forecasts but also various potential risks in the cooperation.

For instance, technical issues and market fluctuations were graded and countermeasures suggested.

It even included facing potential online backlash from netizens...

Qi Yun closed the file: "Very thorough, especially the risk contingency sections. They’re deeply considered."

This document alone showed that the scale Maple Capital achieved was indeed based on solid capabilities.

It also boosted Qi Yun’s confidence in the upcoming cooperation even more.

Having invested so much in Dawn Technology, he naturally hoped for a good outcome. So far, inviting Old Zhao’s team to participate seems a wise choice.

...

Simultaneously, after comprehending the governance team’s work situation, Secretary Wang found Old Hou to report back.

"Leader, after preliminary investigation, that Qi Yun’s company is very clean; they found no issues."

Old Hou was engrossed in a document and didn’t lift his head, only letting out a light "humph" that revealed no emotion.

Standing slightly bowing at the desk, Secretary Wang continued cautiously: "His internet company just released a highly popular game on the market. Do you think it’s necessary to strictly review the game’s content?"

"Besides, he’s also the major shareholder of several other companies..."

Finally putting down the document, Old Hou leaned back in his chair, gently tapping his fingers on the desk: "We conduct these checks and reviews legally and regularly to standardize business operations and promote healthy development, not to deliberately make things difficult for anyone or interfere with normal market behavior."

Secretary Wang immediately nodded: "Yes, I know what to do."

After leaving the office, he took out his phone and sent out a text.

The content was just one word, "Investigate!"