Chapter Two: The Path to Success 31. The Battlefield of Sales (Part Six)

The next day, Lin Xiaolong and I quietly visited several more clients. Of course, the products these clients were using had all been sold to them by Li Qiang. We did not use our company’s name for these visits; instead, we borrowed the identities of smaller manufacturers that produced similar goods. Based on our preliminary findings, the situation was far from optimistic. The primary issue was that our factory’s current pricing lacked any competitive edge. Fortunately, due to our company's strong reputation, most clients were still barely holding on, though some were considering switching to smaller manufacturers to cut costs. If this were to continue, the outcome for our products would likely be grim.

While traveling between clients, fueled by my suspicions regarding Lin Xiaolong’s desire to go out alone the previous day and hints in Li Qiang’s words suggesting he had other channels within the factory, I deliberately spoke to Lin Xiaolong about my stance on Li Qiang and his associates. I made my position sound very firm. My goal was that if Lin Xiaolong was indeed colluding with them, the information would leak, and the people behind the scenes would naturally reveal themselves. Even if I didn't know who they were now, I would soon find out. Only once they emerged could I identify the true problems and obstacles.

Based on my current judgment, it was highly likely that Lin Xiaolong was involved. His character, his long-standing association with Li Qiang’s group, and his behavior since arriving in Jiyang all gave me reason to doubt him. However, even if Lin Xiaolong were compromised, he couldn't stir up much trouble; the key was who was pulling the strings.

After we finished our work for the day, I naturally declined Li Qiang’s invitations for the evening. Lin Xiaolong suggested we go out to sample some local Jiyang snacks. I thought that sounded fine; since we were planning to establish an office in Jiyang, getting to know the local atmosphere would be beneficial.

On our way back to the hotel after our late-night snack, we had to pass through a small alley. Perhaps because it was rarely frequented at that hour, the alley was deserted, even though it was only a little past ten o'clock.

We hadn't walked far when two men—one fat and one thin—suddenly lunged from a dim corner and blocked our path. Each seemed to be holding a dagger. At first, I assumed we were being robbed. I wasn't carrying much cash, so I didn't feel particularly afraid.

I said calmly, "Brothers, you’re out of luck. We don't have any money on us today."

To my surprise, both men froze simultaneously. Then, the thin one shook his dagger at me and growled in a low voice, "Keep it quiet, or I won't mind letting some of your blood out."

Knowing they were armed, I realized I couldn't afford to be reckless and risk unnecessary injury. I raised my hands, and Lin Xiaolong followed suit. It was clear the thin man was the leader, so I addressed him:

"Brother, we are being very honest. We only have a few hundred yuan on us; if you want it, take it all."

The thin man pressed his dagger against my chin, the tip grazing my neck. I could feel the sharp sting of the blade against my skin and the coldness of the metal against my chin. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the fat man holding a dagger toward Lin Xiaolong as well, though not quite as closely.

I remained calm, already beginning to suspect their goal wasn't just robbery. If they were after money, they would have been focused on valuables from the start, but they hadn't shown any interest in that. Moreover, if this were a simple mugging, they wouldn't need to press their blades so close to us while we were cooperating. I suppressed the pain and demanded, "What exactly do you want?"

"What do we want? Let me tell you—someone wants us to teach you a lesson. Don't be so arrogant, and you’d better keep your head down, or you won't even know how you died." As he spoke, he pressed the blade harder. I felt the tip pierce my skin, and the pain intensified sharply.

My mind raced. I was a stranger in Jiyang; if someone wanted to teach me a lesson, it had to be Li Qiang. It couldn't be Lin Yuanyuan—even if I didn't agree to her request, she still hoped I would help her because she seemed to have no other choice; she would never send people to attack me. It had to be Li Qiang. After learning of my firm stance, he had moved from soft tactics to hard ones, hoping to threaten and intimidate me into backing down. Once I realized this, I actually felt relieved. If that was the case, they would only use threats and intimidation; they couldn't actually do anything substantive to us.

Thinking this, I endured the pain and feigned fear. "We won't do it again. Could you two brothers please show some mercy and let us go?"

"Hmph, letting you go isn't that easy. If we don't teach you a lesson, I’m afraid you won't learn to behave."

Hearing this, I knew my life wasn't in immediate danger, but if I didn't find a way out, I was going to suffer some physical harm. My only fear was that these two didn't know their own strength and might cause a lasting injury.

My mind continued to work quickly, searching for an escape. Just then, I vaguely saw someone walking in the distance. At that same moment, the thin man’s grip loosened slightly. Seizing this rare opportunity, I suddenly shouted:

"Manager Li, what are you doing here!"

As the thin man paused in confusion, I quickly stepped back, then performed a dodging maneuver similar to one I used in basketball, side-stepping and delivering a hand-blade strike to his bicep. With a clatter, the dagger fell to the ground. I immediately followed up with a simple grappling move, twisting his right arm behind his back and pinning him down so he couldn't move. Thanks to my habit of playing basketball, my reflexes were quick, and these movements were completed in a flash.

The situation shifted instantly. The fat man, still pointing his dagger at Lin Xiaolong, looked panicked. He was torn between continuing the attack or abandoning his partner. The thin man struggled, but with his arm twisted behind him, he had no leverage, and being physically weaker than me, he was helpless.

I shoved the thin man forward a step, stepped on the dagger that had fallen to the ground, and applied more pressure to his arm, causing him to yelp in pain. I said sternly, "Tell your partner to drop his weapon, or you're going to suffer." Lin Xiaolong was with me, after all; even if I suspected him, I couldn't just leave him to his fate.

The fat man hesitated, sweat beading on the thin man's face. Still, the thin man yelled, "Don't listen to him! Don't drop it! Otherwise, we're both finished!"

I hadn't expected the thin man to be so stubborn, and he was clever, too. With that shout, the fat man stopped hesitating and instead pressed his dagger against Lin Xiaolong’s neck. Despite Lin Xiaolong’s usual swagger, he didn't dare to breathe under the threat of the blade. We were back in a stalemate.