Chapter 223: Chapter 220: 220 Old Resentment

This kind of discussion on major principles was something the others could only listen to, and Zhang Wei’s reaction at the moment was a bit strange.

However, Wang Haifeng knew what he was laughing at and gave him a stern look, “What are you laughing at?”

Li Yongrui was quite surprised when he heard this, “Is what I said that funny?”

Seeing this, Feng Jun couldn’t help but chuckle and explain, “It’s not that, I gave Haifeng a piece of jade a while ago…”

Li Yongrui had seen that piece of jade and upon hearing this, he suddenly understood and nodded thoughtfully. Curiosity once again took over, “I remember the shape of that jade, it was a bit… Did you really carve that thing out of it in the end?”

Indeed, the jade that Feng Jun gave to Wang Haifeng was eventually carved into that object, and the one who carved it, Old Chen, who was also the tall, thin man acquainted with Ye Qingyi, was the one mixing in to get the intangible heritage subsidy.

But Wang Haifeng was also cunning. After the carving was completed, he showed it to Feng Jun, and then immediately sent the jade back to be recarved.

This time, Old Chen carved for him an arm stretching towards the sky, with a fist at the very top.

——A very clever modification, but very apt, showing that Old Chen earning the intangible heritage subsidy was not without reason.

This episode quickly diffused the dispute between President Li and Boss Liang. In fact, Li Yongrui had held this viewpoint for quite a long time, and his goal for the public relations effort today was not aimed at Henglong, but to leave an impression on Feng Jun.

Strictly speaking, Feng Jun wasn’t really a part of Funiu Jewelry Industry, not even a Funiu local, but the resources he controlled were indispensable for the jewelry industry and were also notable nationwide, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Li Yongrui knew that this guy had a fickle nature, acting on whims and without loyalty to either Zhengyang or Funiu at large — in fact, in today’s morally declining society, expecting loyalty from others was itself somewhat laughable.

However, he could see that Feng Jun did have a fondness for Funiu — which was not surprising. So he did not expect to impress him in one go, only to maintain this fondness, so that it could become a local assistive force when the local jewelry industry needed to fend off competitors from other regions.

Of course, this was mostly a lofty idea; who in these times resents money? People talk about business, and if the profit is high enough, it’s not uncommon to see those who would betray their ancestry. What’s the worth of sentiment, can it be eaten?

But to Li Yongrui’s surprise, not only did Feng Jun understand his point, but he also indicated that next year, he actually intended to consolidate his jade business — at least to regulate it better, and not operate as he was now, shooting once and moving on.

Li Yongrui was quite intrigued, “Are you planning to settle down in your business? I think… opening a shop might not be a bad idea.”

He believed that Feng Jun’s style of selling without a physical shop was doomed to be short-lived. Not only was it unconventional, giving an impression of being informal, but it also did not help in establishing a brand or building a reputation, which is not a strategy for long-term development.

“I’m not very interested in shops,” Feng Jun shook his head, “Opening a shop means hiring staff, and it can also tie you down with day-to-day matters.”

“As a big boss like you, you, of course, should have some employees,” Zhang Wei said with a chuckle, “That’s your social responsibility. If you don’t hire people, you can’t expect us who earn a meager salary to hire.”

“If it’s about society, go talk to her,” Feng Jun said with a smile, pointing at Sister Hong, “She’s the one closely related to society.”

“Whether or not to open a shop, that’s not a big deal,” Sister Hong looked quite indifferent about it, “Others open shops to attract business, but President Feng’s business doesn’t need the reputation from walk-in customers, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Once you rent a shop, you need to have a company, and then comes the issue of paying taxes,” Zhang Wei spoke earnestly, “Being free and easy like now, how nice is that?”

“Yeah, taxes are a major issue,” Wang Haifeng nodded in agreement. Although he wasn’t managing a business himself, his family was involved in the real economy and he was keenly aware of how heavy the tax burden was, “Unless absolutely necessary, there’s no need to take on such a burden.”

“When it comes to taxes, we can think of solutions, there are ways to legally avoid taxes,” Li Yongrui, seeing everyone pushing Feng Jun away, grew anxious. After all, a shop is what solidifies a customer base, “Although Li Dafu is a state-owned enterprise, we also wouldn’t just naively pay the full amount of taxes.”

Feng Jun laughed upon hearing this, “A state-owned enterprise that owes taxes is still a state-owned enterprise. Who can do anything about it?”

It was then that Liang Haiqing coldly interjected, “The business environment in Zhengyang is bad to begin with. It’s good for Boss Feng to not open a shop; he can advance or retreat as needed.”

“Eh?” Li Yongrui looked at him curiously, “It makes sense when others say Zhengyang’s business environment is bad, but coming from Henglong, it seems like you’re not feeling the pinch. Doesn’t everyone know how powerful Henglong is?”

The chairman of Henglong was very good at maneuvering, had a considerable reputation, and had many connections in the industrial and tax sectors, often showing losses and paying little in taxes.

“Every company has its own difficulties,” Liang Haiqing replied composedly, then gave a light cough, “In Zhengyang’s jewelry industry, the existence of places like Jubaozhai is somewhat difficult to justify.”

Once these words were spoken, the lively atmosphere at the table suddenly stagnated. Everyone present knew about the grudge between Feng Jun and Jubaozhai, didn’t they?

Feng Jun’s face also showed some embarrassment. He glanced at Liang Haiqing and with a smile that was not quite a smile, he said, “I didn’t expect Boss Liang to still be thinking about me, haha, it’s quite interesting.”

“My Henglong has never gotten along with Jubaozhai,” Boss Liang answered with righteous indignation, “That scoundrel Wang Tiechen, I will make him regret it sooner or later.”

Just then, Li Qiang, who hadn’t said much all evening, spoke up, “Boss Feng, Wang Weimin has been very active lately, even publicly declaring that you were framing and sabotaging Jubaozhai.”

Feng Jun looked at him curiously, “Huh, aren’t you supposed to be recovering from your injuries? How come you’re concerned about these things?”

Li Qiang was seriously injured the last time he was tricked by Liu Hong but he disappeared after receiving an airplane ticket. Li Qiang was quite grateful to both Boss Feng and Sister Hong.

Seeing Feng Jun’s inquiry, Li Qiang replied with a smile, “Jubaozhai recently sponsored a film for the province, and the leaders have a high opinion of them. The Wang Family thinks they have a ‘get out of jail free’ card, and they’re getting a little carried away.”

“‘Get out of jail free’ card,” Liang Haiqing scoffed disdainfully, “It’s just a sponsorship for a promotional film. Others don’t want to throw money away, but they’re tossing it willingly. It’s just to buy Wang Weimin’s impunity.”

Wang Weimin was currently out on medical parole, and his scheming against Feng Jun would not be so easily cleared.

Not only Liang Haiqing had heard about this, but Li Yongrui had also caught wind of it. Frowning, he said, “I heard that Wang Tiechen has been in frequent contact with the people from the capital recently?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Leigang couldn’t stand it anymore, “Master… President Feng, this guy is too shameless. It seems he needs to be taught a lesson.”

“Exactly,” Li Qiang nodded in agreement, his body still recovering from being an innocent victim in this mess. He despised those who were unscrupulous and shamelessly underhanded, “He definitely needs to be dealt with, to punish the evil is to promote the good.”

Feng Jun also had plans to deal with Wang Weimin, and after sorting out Liu Hong, he had included this in his plans. However, something else came up later and he had to put this matter on hold for the time being.

Seeing the crowd’s passionate response, Feng Jun realized it seemed inappropriate to continue to shelve this issue. He turned to glance at Xu Leigang, “How can we take him down a notch?”

Fatty Xu thought for a moment and responded, “Set up a trap and wait for him to walk into it, then just reel him in.”

The suggestions from the young elites were mostly this type – simple and crude, even verging on entrapment, with little technical content. But to be fair, they were quite feasible.

“Your creativity really leaves something to be desired,” Feng Jun expressed his disappointment with a shake of his head, then cleared his throat, “I think targeting him is meaningless. There’s really nothing noteworthy about Wang Weimin himself. It’s Wang Tiechen and Jubaozhai behind him that we need to focus on.”

“Exactly,” Li Qiang nodded, “Without Jubaozhai, Wang Weimin is nothing. But as long as Jubaozhai stands, toppling Wang Weimin a hundred times would be pointless.”

At this statement, Xu Leigang nashed his teeth in frustration, “Taking down Jubaozhai…”

He was fine with the rough-and-tumble stuff, but bringing down a big company seemed to be a much bigger challenge.

“We don’t necessarily have to take it down,” Sister Hong said indifferently, “Fabricate some fake news, create a trust crisis for it…such a large corporation will naturally have people targeting it eventually.”

It had to be said, her suggestion was particularly vicious. Jubaozhai was not just any company, it was a part of the jewelry industry which required a higher standard of credibility compared to other businesses.

At the sound of this, Feng Jun started to laugh, “Then I’ll leave it to you, Sister Hong. Actually, there’s no need for you to make a move. Just spread the word that we’re going to target Jubaozhai.”

Liang Haiqing blinked in confusion and asked, “Even if you don’t spread the word, who doesn’t know that you’re targeting Jubaozhai?”

He thought it was unnecessary to be so conspicuous because the rivalry between Henglong and Jubaozhai had been going on for years. Up till now, although the two were bitter enemies, they hadn’t really been able to do anything to each other.

To this Feng Jun simply smiled at him, “I’m not like you. Maybe you haven’t heard, but I’m planning to completely halt all jade sales to the capital.”

“What?” Those present were all taken aback at his words, with Li Yongrui reacting most vehemently, “Are you serious?”

If Feng Jun’s jade supply line was completely shut off to the capital, it would be extremely good news for Zhengyang’s jewelers.

But Liang Haiqing was surprised, “Boss Feng, you’re not joking, are you? The jade sales in the whole country, the capital accounts for a major share!”