I See through Everything

...

As National Day arrived.

Shanmei, a half-baked tourist city, naturally saw a flood of people returning from the Pearl River Delta for the holiday, along with a smaller number of actual out-of-town tourists.

Inside a top-floor suite at Emperor Karaoke, which was suddenly booked solid.

"Young Master Gu, I heard Seaview Company and Hailufeng Company are working together. Do you know that Jiang Miao guy?" a young man with a Pikachu tattooed on his hand asked, leaning back on a soft leather sofa and gently swirling a glass of red wine.

Gu Yiming took a sullen gulp of his drink, then said with a gloomy expression, "Tch. I’ve met him a couple of times. Don’t tell me you’re getting ideas about him?"

"Heh, I know my own limits. Investing in a KTV or a hotel is one thing, but I wouldn’t dare touch Hailufeng Company. If I did, my old man would go down with me," the young man said, feigning a look of fear.

"Good that you know. He’s extremely close with Li Jianming and the others. His company is on the verge of becoming the leading local enterprise. Even my old man doesn’t dare to cross him." Gu Yiming took another sip of red wine.

"Still, Hailufeng Company’s expansion over the last six months has been explosive. Raising five billion all at once... isn’t he worried he won’t be able to pay it back?"

Although Gu Haijing had kicked him out of the company’s management, Gu Yiming still had plenty of cronies in the city, so he knew a thing or two about the inside scoop on Hailufeng Company’s frantic expansion.

"I heard from my uncle that Hailufeng Company paid its taxes for the first half of the year early, back in August. They paid 180 million."

"Holy crap, that much?"

"They’ll probably pay even more in the second half of the year. But that’s also because Hailufeng Company doesn’t engage in extreme tax avoidance," the young man said, setting down his glass. He suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Hailufeng Company is holding a trade fair at Ciyun Mountain Park today. Want to go check it out?"

The moment he heard the name Hailufeng Company, Gu Yiming blurted out, "What’s there to see? Besides eel fry, their company just makes canned goods and strawberries."

"You really don’t want to go?"

"Nope. I’m happier staying here and counting my money," Gu Yiming said with a wave of his hand.

"Then I’ll go by myself."

The young man went down to the pool hall on the floor below and found another friend.

Since he’d had a couple of drinks, he had to reluctantly abandon his Lamborghini and call a DiDi to get to Ciyun Mountain Park.

Even in October, Shanmei was still scorching hot.

"I’m telling you, Haoyu, you’re not the type to join a crowd. Why go to Ciyun Mountain Park? Are you trying to suck up to them too?"

Chen Haoyu, the one with the Pikachu tattoo on the back of his hand, yawned and replied with a smile, "I just want to check it out. That punk Yiming has a screw loose. It’s not like they ever did anything to him, so why does he get so triggered every time he hears about them?"

"Heh, his old man probably gave him a lecture, and now he’s got this rebellious streak."

"He’s a grown man, in his twenties, but he’s still as childish as a middle schooler," Chen Haoyu complained with a look of resignation.

"Stop beating around the bush, you punk. Just tell me what you’re really thinking."

"Can’t hide anything from you, Brother Liang."

Peng Jialiang, who was beside him, rolled his eyes. "Since we were kids, your every little thought has been written all over your face. Do I even need to guess? Spit it out. What’s on your mind?"

"I’m planning to see if there are any opportunities to make money."

"What? Since when are you short on cash?" Peng Jialiang asked, looking at him as if for the first time.

Hearing this, Chen Haoyu immediately started pouring out his grievances. "Bullshit! I only get a few tens of thousands a month for spending money. My mom bought me my car. How is that rich? My older brother is going to inherit the company in the future. I’ll just get some dividends from my non-voting shares."

"So you want to follow Yiming’s example and strike out on your own?" Peng Jialiang teased.

"What? Can’t I? The family company isn’t going to be mine anyway. I might as well start some of my own businesses while my old man is still around."

Peng Jialiang, for his part, strongly agreed with this. "That’s progress. You’re actually thinking about your future."

"In that case, Brother Liang, are you going to support me a little? It doesn’t have to be much. An investment of a few million would be enough."

"Get lost! My entire net worth is just over ten million, and it’s all in fixed assets. How am I supposed to invest a few million in you?" Peng Jialiang rejected him flatly.

"I knew it. All these years of brotherhood, and it turns out our friendship is just this fragile..." Chen Haoyu feigned crying, a look of utter despair in his eyes.

The corner of Peng Jialiang’s mouth lifted in a smirk. "Heh, can you do that look for me again? The one that’s three parts cold, three parts heartbroken, three parts helpless, with a dash of anger thrown in?"

"You really don’t love me..."

"Get off me. I’m straight, damn it."

As the two joked around, the car arrived at Ciyun Mountain Park.

Ciyun Mountain Park was located right off Shanmei Avenue. Across the street were the Meilihua Hotel, which had been abandoned for over a decade, and the office building for the Mobile Company Shantou Branch.

On the northwest side of the park, facing Shanmei Avenue, there was a sizable plaza. The northern part of the park featured the Ciyun Mountain Library, which had sailboat-inspired architectural elements.

As soon as they got out of the car, the two saw the "Little Egg" arena at the top of Ciyun Mountain.

On the park plaza, there was a giant inflatable archway, along with several huge inflatable cartoon animals.

"Let’s go!" Chen Haoyu clapped Peng Jialiang on the shoulder, and the two walked side-by-side toward the exhibition booths inside.

Maybe it was because of the National Day "Golden Week," but the foot traffic here was surprisingly heavy. Besides local families with kids in tow, there were also many backpackers and fashionable young people touring the various exhibition areas.

As soon as they walked in, Peng Jialiang looked completely baffled. "That’s weird. Is it not just one company here? Why are there so many different exhibition areas?"

"Jadeite? Hailufeng Company is in the jadeite business too?" Chen Haoyu was just as surprised. Although he knew a few things about Hailufeng Company, it was all secondhand gossip he’d picked up. He didn’t really have a clear picture of how many industries the company was actually involved in.