Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

Li Xiangyang took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. He knew that Manager Sun was taking advantage of his misfortune, but since he was in the wrong, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

“Manager Sun, 200,000 is indeed a considerable sum,” Li Xiangyang said, trying to remain calm. “Could you give us some time to raise the money?”

"Three days at most." Manager Sun seemed confident. "If the money isn't in three days, we'll have to take legal action."

As Zhao Zhiqiang left the appliance company, his face was grim: "Director Li, this Manager Sun is clearly trying to extort money from us. Similar things have happened before, but never this ruthlessly."

“It’s pointless to say all this now,” Li Xiangyang shook his head. “As we agreed before, it’s half for each of us. I’ll contribute 100,000, and you’ll contribute 100,000.”

“This…” Zhao Zhiqiang hesitated for a moment, “Director Li, 100,000 is a lot of pressure for me. The company’s cash flow has been tight lately.”

Li Xiangyang's heart sank; he could tell Zhao Zhiqiang was trying to back out. If his partner withdrew at this point, he would have to bear the loss of 200,000 yuan alone.

“Mr. Zhao, you can’t say that,” Li Xiangyang’s tone turned serious. “This batch of goods came from a client you introduced, and the transportation contract was signed by your company. If you withdraw now, I’ll have no choice but to proceed according to legal procedures.”

Zhao Zhiqiang sensed the threat in Li Xiangyang's words, and his expression changed: "Director Li, we're partners, let's not ruin our relationship. How about this, I'll cover 80,000, and you cover 120,000, how about that?"

“No,” Li Xiangyang said firmly. “Either we split it 50/50 as we agreed before, or we’ll proceed according to legal procedures. I trust the judge will make a fair judgment.”

The two stood their ground on the street for over ten minutes before Zhao Zhiqiang finally gave in: "Fine, 100,000 it is. But I need to pay in two installments: 50,000 upfront, and the remaining 50,000 a month from now."

"Okay." Li Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief, "but you'll have to cover the one-month extension fee."

It was already 8 p.m. when Li Xiangyang returned to the factory. He called Wang Ergou to his office and explained the whole story in detail.

"Two hundred thousand...!" Wang Ergou gasped. "That's no small sum. Can our factory come up with that much cash right now?"

Li Xiangyang did some quick calculations: "The factory currently has 150,000 yuan in cash, and with this month's payments, we can barely make enough. But this will put a strain on raw material procurement next month."

"Should we apply for a bank loan?" Wang Ergou suggested.

"I don't want to owe the bank money unless absolutely necessary," Li Xiangyang shook his head. "This incident has served as a wake-up call; we must be more careful in the logistics sector in the future."

Wang Ergou nodded: "Indeed, this loss was too unfair. That Manager Sun was clearly extorting us."

"But we also need to learn from this," Li Xiangyang said thoughtfully. "First, we must buy insurance for transporting valuable goods in the future, even if it costs more, to ensure that the risks are controllable. Second, we must be more cautious in choosing partners and not just focus on immediate profits."

The next morning, Li Xiangyang went to the bank and withdrew all the money from the factory. Looking at the thick wad of cash in his hand, he felt a mix of emotions. This money was originally intended to expand production, but now it was going to be given away to that greedy Manager Sun.

In the afternoon, Li Xiangyang and Zhao Zhiqiang returned to the appliance company. Manager Sun smiled with satisfaction when he saw the two men arrive with money.

"You two are quite sincere," Manager Sun said, counting the money. "Then let's call this matter settled."

"Manager Sun, are there any future opportunities for cooperation?" Zhao Zhiqiang asked tentatively.

"Well..." Manager Sun feigned hesitation, "It depends on your performance. But to be honest, this incident has also affected our company's reputation, so the possibility of cooperation in the short term is slim."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangyang finally understood. This Manager Sun not only wanted to extort money from them, but also planned to kick them out of the company.

"Manager Sun, leave some room for maneuver; you might need to meet again in the future," Li Xiangyang said coldly. "I hope you won't go too far."

"I like hearing that," Manager Sun said dismissively. "However, the business world is like a battlefield. Your defeat today can only be attributed to bad luck."

Leaving the appliance company, Zhao Zhiqiang looked apologetic: "Director Li, I'm truly sorry this time. I never imagined that Manager Sun would be so unscrupulous."

"What's done is done, there's no point in saying anything." Although Li Xiangyang was seething with anger, he maintained a calm facade. "However, we must all remember this lesson."

Back at the factory, Li Xiangyang locked himself in his office, lit a cigarette, but quickly put it out. He wasn't a smoker, but today he felt incredibly stifled.

Two hundred thousand yuan! That's his hard-earned profit from more than half a year's work. What upset him even more was that the money was wasted.

"Knock knock knock." A knocking sound came from outside the door.

"Come in."

Wang Ergou pushed open the door and entered, holding a cup of hot tea: "Xiangyang, have some water first, don't worry yourself too much."

"Ergou, do you think we're being too hasty?" Li Xiangyang took the teacup and said with a wry smile, "Maybe we should have taken a more cautious approach and not gotten involved in logistics so quickly."

“You can’t say that,” Wang Ergou said, sitting down opposite him. “Logistics is indeed a major sector, and we’ll have to deal with it sooner or later. Consider this loss as tuition.”

Li Xiangyang nodded, but he was still unwilling to give up: "The key issue is that Manager Sun; he's clearly extorting money. Two hundred thousand yuan in compensation is outrageous."

"Xiangyang, I have an idea," Wang Ergou said in a low voice. "How about we get someone to investigate this Manager Sun? I have a feeling something's fishy about this."

Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "You mean...?"

“Yes, a legitimate businessman wouldn’t be that shady. Unless there’s something fishy going on behind his back,” Wang Ergou analyzed. “Besides, think about it, how could a purchasing manager in such a large company as an appliance retailer have that much power?”

Li Xiangyang thought about it for a moment and realized that Wang Ergou made sense. Things in the business world are often not as simple as they seem on the surface.

"So how do you think we should investigate?"

“I know a few friends in the provincial capital; I can ask them to help me find out,” Wang Ergou said. “But it will cost some money.”

"Spending money is fine, the key is to find out the truth," Li Xiangyang resolved. "If there really is a problem, we can't let ourselves be scammed for nothing."

Two days later, Wang Ergou brought back the news.

"Xiangyang, guess what?" Wang Ergou exclaimed excitedly, "That Manager Sun really is suspicious!"

Li Xiangyang immediately put down his work: "What's the problem?"

“He was in charge of external procurement at the home appliance company, but my friend found out that he frequently takes kickbacks and his methods are very shady,” Wang Ergou said in a low voice. “More importantly, he’s in cahoots with several transportation companies, specifically setting traps for out-of-town transport operators.”

"A trap?" Li Xiangyang frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He deliberately causes accidents and then demands exorbitant compensation," Wang Ergou said. "My friend said that in the last six months, three transportation companies have already been ripped off like this."