Chapter 16 Bidding War

It was a little after four in the morning when the passenger ships docked at Little Shuangniu Island.

Gui Mengjun, wearing a light windbreaker, led the guard battalion commander of the Southwest Theater Command and over sixty heads of small families and suppliers. He was in high spirits as he headed for the Cabin Hotel.

Before Gui Mengjun even reached the hotel, the island's police chief, with thirty officers, had surrounded the main roads and the docking points, restricting all movement.

On the island, the military officer who had previously been stationed there to support the Tai family was now on the third floor of the hotel, holding a phone and standing by the window, saying to Tai Tanwei, "It's not convenient for me to show my face now..."

"If you don't show your face, I won't be able to deal with Gui Mengjun. He's already on the island," Tai Tanwei emphasized.

"It's not that I don't want to help you, but I just received a call from higher-ups. You guys caused a big incident on the border. If we get involved, we won't be able to explain ourselves even with eight hundred mouths," the officer said with a frown. "There's nothing I can do, I have to avoid suspicion. Deal with it yourself."

"Listen to me...!"

"Beep beep!"

The officer hung up the phone directly, refusing to continue the conversation.

"Damn it!" Tai Tanwei cursed, standing in the living room with his hands on his hips, his composure shattered.

Silence filled the room as the Tai family members, at a loss, anxiously smoked and exchanged glances.

A short while later, a knock came at the door.

Tai Tanwei, his face grim, shouted, "Enter!"

The door opened, and a young man walked in, his face flustered. "Gui Mengjun has shown up, with military officers from Hua District and people from other families. They're already in the conference room on the sixth floor. He wants you… to come over."

"This is definitely a power play."

"Damn, what good will it do not meeting him? Let's just leave. I don't believe the police would dare stop us," a middle-aged man cursed with a dark expression. "We haven't committed any crimes, what grounds do they have to detain us?"

"…!"

The crowd began to chatter, the room in a chaotic uproar.

Tai Tanwei waved his hand and roared, "Stop arguing, we can't avoid it. Adjust your mindset, we're going downstairs!"

Tai Tanwei was a meticulous and steady man. Although his composure was shaken, he also knew that no one in the room could handle this for him. If he didn't show his face, no one else could resolve anything.

Tai Tanwei took a deep breath, grabbed his coat, and strode out of the door.

…

Five minutes later, outside the conference room on the sixth floor, Tai Tanwei took a deep breath before pushing the door open and entering.

Inside, Gui Mengjun sat in the main seat, sipping tea, relaxed and casual.

Before tonight, Tai Tanwei was the one who could put on such an impressive display, but now the positions had been quietly reversed, a poignant reminder of changing fortunes.

Tai Tanwei glanced around the conference room, noticing that all the seats were occupied, leaving him with no place to sit, which made him feel awkward.

"Get him a chair," Gui Mengjun ordered.

Upon hearing this, Pao Ge stood up, went into the conference room's restroom, and brought out a small stool used by cleaning workers, placing it directly next to Gui Mengjun.

Tai Tanwei stared at the small stool, clenching his fist tightly, but didn't sit down. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Sit down, let's talk sitting down," Gui Mengjun looked up at him and replied with a smile.

Tai Tanwei stood beside the main seat, looking down at Gui Mengjun. "I want to talk standing up!"

"Heh, what do you mean? You have to look down on me to talk?" Gui Mengjun retorted, crossing his arms. "Do you even have the right?"

The two men stared at each other, Tai Tanwei gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, pulled over the small stool, and sat down next to the main seat.

The small stool was very low, and Tai Tanwei was not a tall man, so when he sat down, his entire body was hidden behind the conference table, leaving only the top of his head bobbing in front of everyone.

"Heh!"

A mocking laugh broke out in the room, quiet but clear.

"Haha!" Gui Mengjun looked down at Tai Tanwei. "You really know how to yield when necessary."

Tai Tanwei remained silent.

"Sigh."

Gui Mengjun sighed, slowly raised his teacup, and said softly, "The Tai family will withdraw from this exhibition, is there a problem?"

Tai Tanwei paused for a moment and said, "No problem."

"After withdrawing from the exhibition, the Tai family's share of goods supplied will be adjusted from the previous fifteen percent to five percent, is there a problem?" Gui Mengjun continued calmly.

The share of the military supplies business directly affected how much money each family could make and how large a stake they could hold in the industry.

The total trade volume of goods exported from the Golden Triangle each year was about seven billion, and it was still growing explosively. How much pure profit would the Tai family make each year with a fifteen percent market share?!

The military supplies business was an extremely lucrative industry! The money the Tai family made from it each year was an astonishing figure.

But Gui Mengjun's slashing of ten percent was equivalent to cutting flesh from the Tai family!

Tai Tanwei, his face flushed, looked at Gui Mengjun. "You don't want to talk, you want to kick us out!"

"You have a choice! You can choose not to work with everyone anymore and give up the remaining five percent," Gui Mengjun replied indifferently.

Hearing this, Tai Tanwei didn't care about saving face anymore and said bluntly, "Gui Mengjun, don't push people too far! If you really force us to a desperate fight..."

Gui Mengjun turned around and grabbed Tai Tanwei's chin with his left hand. "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly?!"

Tai Tanwei trembled with anger, staring at the other man with bloodshot eyes, not saying a word.

"Slap!"

Gui Mengjun, with his left hand pinching Tai Tanwei's chin to keep his face still, raised his right hand and slapped him hard across the face.

Tai Tanwei's face was swollen and blood dripped from his nostrils.

Gui Mengjun pointed at his face and said in a hoarse voice, "Is it a little late to talk about a desperate fight now?! From the moment you wanted to kill me, to kill my whole family, haven't we already reached that point? Do you think there's still room for us? Is there?!"

Tai Tanwei bit his teeth, not uttering a word.

"Listen carefully, that five percent isn't for you, it's for those above you! Understand?!" Gui Mengjun pointed at him, saying each word carefully, "In addition to cutting your ten percent share, you have to take out thirty million to sponsor this exhibition for free. If you dare say no, I'll immediately add another ten million, do you understand?!"

Tai Tanwei remained silent for several seconds, then suddenly grinned. "Alright, I understand, President Gui, we'll do as you say!"

Gui Mengjun released him, wiped the blood from his palm with a tissue. "The exhibition will be extended by two days. Send me the information of all the shortlisted distributors immediately, I want to re-evaluate their qualifications. That's all, meeting adjourned!"