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

"This says our product failed the test," Li Xiangyang said, holding up the leaflet and raising his voice a few decibels, "which organization issued your test report?"

The bespectacled man stammered, "This...this is inside information..."

"Insider information?" Li Xiangyang's voice grew louder, attracting a growing crowd of onlookers. "Without a formal test report, you dare to say the product is defective? What is this if not defamation?"

The onlookers began to whisper among themselves, clearly harboring doubts about these so-called "volunteers."

"And here," Li Xiangyang pointed to another spot on the flyer, "it says our factory is heavily in debt and about to go bankrupt. What's the source of this information? Our financial statements are all publicly available, and we're repaying our bank loans on time. Where did this claim of being heavily in debt come from?"

The bespectacled man's forehead began to sweat, and the other "volunteers" also seemed restless.

At this moment, Wang Ergou also walked over, holding a small notebook: "Everyone, since you're volunteers, you should have the relevant identification, right? I'll just write it down here so I can verify it with the relevant departments."

The "volunteers" exchanged glances, clearly flustered.

“We…we have something else to do…” the bespectacled man stammered.

“Don’t rush off,” Li Xiangyang stopped them. “Since it’s about consumer rights, then explain yourself clearly. Who instructed you to spread this false information?”

The bespectacled man turned deathly pale, and the others wished they could disappear into the ground.

Just then, someone in the crowd recognized one of the "volunteers": "Hey, aren't you the one who handed out flyers in front of the Wangjiacun pickle factory last month?"

These words immediately caused an uproar at the scene.

"Yes, yes, I've seen him too! These people do this kind of thing all the time! So they're professional trolls!"

Knowing he had been exposed, the bespectacled man could no longer stay and told his accomplices to run away.

As the onlookers watched the group flee in disarray, they burst into laughter.

"Xiangyang, that's a good move," Wang Ergou gave a thumbs up. "Exposing them in public is more effective than anything else."

Li Xiangyang nodded, but his expression remained serious: "This is just a small skirmish; Zhang Jianguo definitely has more tricks up his sleeve."

Sure enough, the next morning, several of the factory's main suppliers called to say they wanted to reconsider their partnership.

"Mr. Li, it's not that we don't want to cooperate," said Mr. Liu, the largest packaging material supplier, with difficulty on the phone, "it's just that some people came to our factory and made a scene, saying that cooperating with you would bring us trouble..."

Li Xiangyang cursed Zhang Jianguo's despicable behavior in his heart, but calmly said aloud, "Old Liu, we've been working together for so long, don't you know my character?"

“Of course I understand, but…” Old Liu sighed, “they’re making it sound so convincing, and they’ve even produced some so-called evidence, so we have to be careful.”

After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang's face darkened. Zhang Jianguo was trying to cut off his supply chain at its root; he was truly a cunning old fox, his methods were ruthless.

"Ergou," Li Xiangyang called Wang Ergou over, "go to our main suppliers immediately and bring them our cooperation contracts and payment records. Clarify what needs clarifying and explain what needs explaining."

"And what about you?" Wang Ergou asked.

A cold glint flashed in Li Xiangyang's eyes: "I'm going to meet Zhang Jianguo. It's time to have a serious talk with him."

This time, Li Xiangyang came to Tianhua Trading alone without bringing anyone with him.

The receptionist, visibly nervous upon seeing him, asked, "Mr. Li... are you looking for Manager Zhang?"

“Yes, tell him I’m here.” Li Xiangyang’s tone was calm, but inexplicably made people feel pressured.

Soon, Zhang Jianguo appeared, a smug smile on his face: "President Li, what brings you here today?"

“Manager Zhang, let’s get straight to the point,” Li Xiangyang said, looking directly into Zhang Jianguo’s eyes. “What do you want?”

Zhang Jianguo pretended not to understand: "I don't understand what President Li is saying."

“Let me put it more bluntly,” Li Xiangyang took a step forward, “what is your purpose? Do you want to ruin my factory, or something else?”

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Jianguo's eyes; he hadn't expected Li Xiangyang to be so direct.

“Mr. Li is certainly straightforward,” Zhang Jianguo finally dropped his pretense, “Since you’ve asked, I won’t beat around the bush.”

He walked to the window, his back to Li Xiangyang, and said, "I want your factory."

"Is it that simple?" Li Xiangyang asked.

“It’s that simple,” Zhang Jianguo turned around. “In this industry, the big fish eat the small fish—that’s the natural law. Your factory may not be big, but it’s in a good location and has good equipment, which perfectly suits our needs.”

Li Xiangyang nodded: "What if I don't want to?"

Zhang Jianguo laughed: "President Li, do you think you have a choice? The supplier issue is just the appetizer; there's more to come."

"For example?"

“For example, the environmental protection department might suddenly come to inspect, the tax department might conduct a special audit, and the fire department might find safety hazards…” Zhang Jianguo said, emphasizing each word, “Of course, these are just normal law enforcement actions; I never said I was targeting you.”

After listening, Li Xiangyang laughed instead: "Manager Zhang, do you think these tactics will work on me?"

Zhang Jianguo was somewhat surprised: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, go ahead and make your move," Li Xiangyang's voice suddenly turned icy. "Let's see if I'm afraid or not."

After saying this, Li Xiangyang turned and left, leaving Zhang Jianguo standing there alone, his smug smile gradually freezing.

As Li Xiangyang walked out of Tianhua Trading's building, his face remained expressionless, but he already had a complete plan in mind.

Zhang Jianguo thought he could do whatever he wanted just because he had resources, but he didn't know that Li Xiangyang was no longer the naive young man who only knew how to hunt. His years of ups and downs in the business world had taught him a great deal.

Back at the factory, Wang Ergou was waiting for him in the office, his face full of worry.

"Xiangyang, how is it?" Wang Ergou asked anxiously.

“He wants our factory,” Li Xiangyang said simply, sitting down and lighting a cigarette.

"So what do we do? Should we ask someone for help?" Wang Ergou suggested. "Old Zhou is a section chief in the Forestry Bureau now; his network of connections should be quite extensive..."

Li Xiangyang waved his hand: "We can't rely on others for this; we have to solve it ourselves."

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, his mind racing to list the resources he could utilize. Zhang Jianguo did have some connections, but he wasn't entirely alone.

"Ergou, contact Lin Yajing immediately and tell her about our situation. See if Hualian can provide some support," Li Xiangyang instructed.

"Also, could you contact Zhang Guohua at the machinery factory again and tell him I'd like to speak with him?"

Wang Ergou nodded and immediately went to make a phone call.