Chapter 778 - 747: This Wine Is Fake
Tang Jinglun realized what was going on only when he heard him say that. His older brother was suspecting him, suspecting that he and Zhao Feiyang were in cahoots. Bearing his disdain for Tang Jingwei, Tang Jinglun said, "Big brother, those two hundred million were indeed what you promised him..."
"Shut up!" Tang Jingwei roared.
Tang Jinglun was stunned by his shout. He hesitated for a moment and then made a move that further infuriated Tang Jingwei by directly hanging up the phone.
Tang Jingwei heard the sound of the phone being disconnected and dialed again, only to be prompted that the other party’s phone was off.
He was beyond furious, pacing in his office like an agitated lion. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he looked at the bustling streets of Nanjiang. In the past, he felt a sense of pride as if the entire Nanjiang was at his feet, but now he felt as if the towering buildings were like swords pointing at him, ready to fly at him at any moment and pierce him with thousands of holes.
Tang Jingwei roared, "Jumping clown! Who do you think you are?" He always believed he was the one who made Zhao Feiyang successful, the same with his brother.
Elder Qiao woke up at noon, and Xu Chunliang suggested getting something to eat. Xiaowu drove into a service area.
Elder Qiao didn’t want to get out of the car, so Xiaowu made him a cup of instant noodles to eat in the car.
Xu Chunliang went out for a stroll, leaving Xiaowu in the car to keep Elder Qiao company.
On the way to the restaurant, he saw a special cabinet in the most prominent area of the supermarket entrance, displaying Five-Whip Rejuvenating Wine, a booth set up by Qianfan Group. Xu Chunliang went over to take a look. Chen Qianfan’s business strategy was indeed quite unique, targeting the highway service areas. Was it because of the saying that nine out of ten drivers are restless, thus locking onto a specific consumer group?
A salesclerk quickly approached Xu Chunliang with a smile, "Sir, our Qianfan Group is a listed company. The Five-Whip Rejuvenating Wine produced by our company is sold worldwide, with effects such as nourishing yin, strengthening yang, and delaying aging. Now’s our company’s 20th anniversary celebration, with large-scale promotional activities. Buy one box and get one free. Since I joined Qianfan Group, I’ve never seen such a big promotion."
Xu Chunliang smiled, glanced at the price, and saw that there were high, medium, and low grades. The cheapest box cost 688, and with the promotion, it was effectively 344, which wasn’t expensive. Of course, he had no interest in buying wine, just came to see because of the name Qianfan Group.
As Xu Chunliang was about to leave, a pockmarked man walked over, "Xiaoli, has Old Qiu arrived yet?"
Xu Chunliang recognized this pockmarked man. A group of people had once bribed the former deputy director of the winery, Yan Zhongmin, to privately enter the winery for inspection. According to Yan Zhongmin, these people claimed to be from the Qianfan Group. But later, Chen Qianfan flatly denied this, saying he hadn’t sent anyone to conduct any private inspections.
The salesclerk said, "Mr. Cai, President Qiu hasn’t arrived yet."
Xu Chunliang thought to himself, so this guy’s surname is Cai. He picked up a bottle of wine and deliberately asked the pockmarked man, "Brother, have you tried this wine?"
The pockmarked man laughed, "Yes, this wine is great, with powerful effects."
Xu Chunliang followed with a laugh, looked down at the wine, and noticed the packaging seemed a bit rough, different from what he had tried before. Could it all be fake wine?
The salesclerk said, "Sir, would you like a box?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Do you have a sample? I’d like to try it."
While the salesclerk went to pour him some wine, Xu Chunliang started chatting with the pockmarked man, "Brother, is this shop yours?"
The pockmarked man shook his head, "No, it’s a friend’s. Speak of the devil, here comes Cao Cao."
At that moment, a small, skinny man entered through the door. Xu Chunliang recognized him too; he was with the pockmarked man during the winery inspection, and the pockmarked man had called him the second brother.
Chen Qianfan, oh Chen Qianfan, how are you going to explain yourself now? Although one thing puzzled Xu Chunliang—if this place was associated with Chen Qianfan, he wouldn’t be selling fake wine, right? That would ruin his reputation.
The pockmarked man called out to the second brother and went over to chat with Old Qiu.
Xu Chunliang took the wine offered by the salesclerk and had a sip. This wine tasted completely different from what he’d had before—definitely fake. He frowned, "I say, this wine is awful. Did you mix it with industrial alcohol?"
The salesclerk said, "Sir, our wine is brewed with solid grains and soaked with eighty-eight kinds of precious herbs. You can’t make wild accusations."
Xu Chunliang sniffed the wine in the glass, "It’s terrible."
Cai Mazi and Old Qiu both looked at Xu Chunliang, and Old Qiu walked towards him, "Young man, it’s wise to watch your words when you’re out and about. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean this wine is bad."
Xu Chunliang said with a smile, "Can’t I speak the truth if it tastes bad? I’ve tried this wine before, and it tasted completely different from yours. The packaging wasn’t so rough either. You’re selling fake wine, aren’t you?"
Old Qiu snorted coldly, "Young man, are you looking for trouble?"
Cai Mazi said, "Second brother, calm down, calm down. Young man, why don’t you settle the bill?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Why should I pay?"
"Oh, you’re planning to drink for free, huh?" He turned to the salesclerk, "Which type did he drink?"
The salesclerk said, "The Royal Edition, 2888."
Xu Chunliang was so amused that he laughed in anger. They were not only selling fake wine but also trying to extort money from him—2888, even more expensive than the listed price of Flying Maotai.
Xu Chunliang said, "I just took a sip."
Old Qiu said, "Even if you took half a sip, this bottle is already opened. Who am I going to sell it to? Pay up quickly, or you won’t be leaving today."
At this moment, two more burly men came over. Xu Chunliang looked coldly at these guys and nodded, "Alright, I didn’t bring that much money. Let me make a call to have a friend transfer some."
Cai Mazi said, "Don’t play tricks."
Xu Chunliang said, "I’ll do a video call on WeChat. If you don’t believe me, you can watch together."
Xu Chunliang directly invited Chen Qianfan to a video call. Once connected, Xu Chunliang aimed the phone camera at the shop counter.
Old Qiu shouted, "Don’t play tricks! Transfer the money quickly!"
Chen Qianfan said, "Damn, where are you?"
Xu Chunliang told him the location and included all the guys in the shot, "Brother Chen, does this shop have anything to do with you?"
On the other end, Cai Mazi also saw Chen Qianfan on Xu Chunliang’s phone and quickly ducked away from the camera. Chen Qianfan had already spotted him and said angrily, "Cai Mazi, Qiu the Second, how could you do this? When did I authorize you to sell my wine? Alright! So you choose to scam my buddy."
Xu Chunliang said, "I’ve just had a sip, and it’s truly some fake wine!"
Chen Qianfan was furious, "I’ll damn well bring people over right now and smash their shop! Chunliang, give the phone to Feng the Second."
Xu Chunliang gestured for Feng the Second to come over. Feng the Second, whose arrogance had vanished, sheepishly walked over. Xu Chunliang pulled him in, and Feng the Second reluctantly waved at the camera, "President Chen, President Chen, it’s a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding. The river flooded the Dragon King Temple; we’re all family here. I really didn’t know he was your friend."
Chen Qianfan angrily said, "Feng the Second, I’ve heard recently that a lot of counterfeit Five-Whip Rejuvenating Wine has hit the market, and it turns out the root is with you."
Qiu the Second said, "President Chen, please don’t misunderstand. I’m just wholesaling to make a small profit. I was also tricked. How would I dare to make and sell fakes?"
Chen Qianfan said, "Qiu the Second, do I not know what kind of person you are? You can make money, but don’t tarnish my reputation."
Qiu the Second and his group were very afraid of Chen Qianfan and continuously apologized. Xu Chunliang hung up the phone, and Qiu the Second didn’t dare ask him for money anymore, treating him like a god of plague and seeing him off respectfully.
Xu Chunliang said, "You’re not gonna ask me for money?"
Qiu the Second shook his head like a rattle, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, I’m friends with President Chen too, I wouldn’t dare take your money."
Xu Chunliang said, "That won’t do. I just drank fake wine. What if it causes some harm?"
Qiu the Second understood; this guy was blackmailing him with the black market. With just a little sip, you want to extort me? Qiu the Second pulled out his wallet and handed Xu Chunliang a thousand yuan, "Brother, this mistake is on me. Consider this as compensation for your nutrition."
Xu Chunliang beckoned with his fingers again, causing Qiu the Second great annoyance. Gritting his teeth, he took out all three thousand-plus yuan from his wallet and handed it to Xu Chunliang.
Xu Chunliang pocketed the money and then turned to Cai Mazi, "Buddy, I’ve met you before."
Cai Mazi was taken aback, "What?" He had no impression of Xu Chunliang.
Xu Chunliang said, "Been to Weishan Island, right?"
Cai Mazi looked bewildered.
Xu Chunliang laughed, "Forgotten? You guys know Yan Zhongmin, right?"
Cai Mazi turned pale, and Qiu the Second didn’t look much better. The two watched Xu Chunliang leave with wide eyes.
Qiu the Second bit his teeth and said, "Let’s go, let’s pack up and disappear quickly. I say, Cai Mazi, how did you bring this person here?"
"It’s none of my damn business; he came on his own."
Before Xu Chunliang got back to his car, Chen Qianfan called again.
"Chunliang, are you okay?"
Xu Chunliang laughed, "I’m fine. Guys like them couldn’t do anything to me. If I wasn’t in a hurry today, I’d have smashed their counter."
Chen Qianfan sighed, "I didn’t expect these people to counterfeit our products for profit. I won’t let them go. I’ve already contacted the local industry and commerce department, and they’ll be investigating soon."
Xu Chunliang said, "Brother Chen, how do you know these people? They sure don’t look like good guys."
Chen Qianfan said, "They were workers from the wine factory back in the day, back when we were still a small workshop. They were early pioneers with my dad. Later on, I had to let them go because they were dishonest. By the way, how do you know them?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Remember I mentioned last time someone went to the wine factory under the Qianfan Group’s name to secretly inspect? Among them were these guys."
Chen Qianfan said, "I remember, Chunliang, you don’t suspect I sent them, do you?"
Xu Chunliang had good reason to suspect him. Various signs indicated that Chen Qianfan’s business activities were not simply about running a wine factory.
Chen Qianfan said, "I’m going to call the police immediately; these people are too detestable, going to such lengths to ruin my reputation."