"Tsk, he increased his security?"
Chen Fei clicked his tongue as his secretary reported,
"Yes, he's always accompanied by at least 30 bodyguards whenever he leaves the factory."
"Thirty? Damn it. Should I give up?"
It would be difficult to attack him with just one or two people, like before.
He would need dozens of men, which would escalate the situation from a simple assault to a full-blown gang war.
He had connections with some gangs, but a gang war would attract the attention of the police, and with Xinhua Investment backing Park Sol, the risk was too high.
"You made sure there are no loose ends, right?"
The secretary bowed.
"Of course. We hired the attackers through multiple intermediaries, so it's impossible to trace it back to us."
Chen Fei had known from the beginning that he would be a suspect.
"As long as there's no evidence, they can't do anything to me."
Chairman Zhao Yang of Xinhua Investment had called him immediately after the attack.
He had feigned ignorance, so Chairman Zhao Yang could only issue another warning.
"That restored IC chip technology is so tempting."
Based on the information he had gathered, Chunha Trading had generated sales of at least hundreds of millions of yuan in the past month.
Chen Fei was envious, thinking that 60% of that money could have been his if it wasn't for Xinhua Investment.
"Is it difficult to infiltrate their factory?"
The secretary shook his head.
"The fence is too high to sneak in, and even if we plant someone as an employee, they have a six-month travel ban."
"What about contacting them through phone or email?"
"The office and production staff are separated, and it's unlikely for a production worker to have a cell phone…"
Chen Fei frowned and said impatiently,
"Stop saying it's impossible and find a way! It's just a factory, how can you not infiltrate it?"
The secretary said nervously,
"I'm sorry, I'll look into it again."
"Go and find a solution!"
After the secretary left, Chen Fei muttered,
"Useless idiots."
He could have figured out the technology himself if he had studied it, but he had always made his fortune by stealing factories and technologies through financial manipulation. Research wasn't an option for him.
"There must be a way."
As he was racking his brains, his phone rang.
"Hello, this is Chen Fei from Renyi Investment."
[Chairman Chen, it's Wang from Guangming Electronics.]
Guangming Electronics was a cassette player manufacturer in Shenzhen.
"Ah, CEO Wang, what's up? I can't extend your payment deadline any further."
Chen Fei assumed it was another request for an extension, but CEO Wang said excitedly,
[It's not that, Chairman Chen. You mentioned restored IC chips before, and asked me to let you know if anyone came by with samples.]
Chen Fei said indifferently,
"Did someone come by again? Are they just small-timers?"
After Chunha Trading started producing restored IC chips, some small-time operators had occasionally come by with a few chips as samples.
But the chips they offered were usually different from what the factories needed, and the quantity was too small, so no deals were ever made.
Chen Fei assumed it was the same this time, but CEO Wang said excitedly,
[This is different. A Korean came by with samples, and they're definitely Z720s, the ones we use. He has a large quantity, and I tested them, they're working perfectly. They're exactly the same as the ones from Chunha Trading!]
Chen Fei's eyes gleamed.
"The same? Are you sure? You tested them?"
[Yes, I even got his contact information… Can you extend my payment deadline? And maybe reduce the principal a little? I'll tell you everything.]
Chen Fei smiled.
"If this Korean is the real deal, I'll do it for you."
He arranged a meeting with the Korean and sent his men to the usual restaurant.
Two men were sitting nervously in the private room, waiting for him.
As Chen Fei entered, his men stood up and greeted him. The two men also started to stand up, but Chen Fei smiled and said,
"It's okay, please be seated."
One of the men said something to the other in Korean, and he nodded and sat back down.
Chen Fei, taking the main seat, said to the man who seemed to be the interpreter,
"Are you the interpreter?"
"Yes? Yes!"
"We've already arranged for an interpreter, so you can leave."
The interpreter gulped and looked around nervously.
The atmosphere created by Chen Fei and his seven men was overwhelming for a simple interpreter hired for a day.
The interpreter whispered something to the Korean man and then said to Chen Fei,
"Th-then I'll be going."
"Yes, goodbye."
The Korean man said something to the interpreter in a pleading voice, but he just opened the door and left without looking back.
The Korean man was sweating nervously, and Chen Fei said to Kim Jin-won, his Korean-Chinese interpreter,
"This is important, so translate carefully. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
Chen Fei smiled gently.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Chen Fei from Renyi Investment."
The Korean man, his eyes filled with anxiety, said,
"He says he's glad to meet you. But he thought this was a meeting to test the IC chip samples."
Chen Fei laughed heartily.
"We can have dinner and drinks while we're at it. Relax."
The Korean man's constant fidgeting and trembling legs made Chen Fei feel confident that things would go his way.
"Let's have a drink."
They exchanged drinks and emptied their glasses. Chen Fei said,
"So, can I see the samples?"
The Korean man took out an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table.
Chen Fei opened the envelope eagerly and examined the contents.
"IC chips. Definitely. Restored IC chips."
Slight scratches and faded model numbers.
They were clearly used IC chips.
Chen Fei said excitedly,
"CEO Wang said he tested them. Perfect."
Kim Jin-won asked,
"What should I say?"
"Ask him if these are restored IC chips."
The Korean man was startled.
"He's asking how you knew."
Chen Fei smiled.
"There's a company in Shenzhen that's been selling restored IC chips for two months now. It's called Chunha Trading. Have you heard of them? The CEO is Korean."
The Korean man's face hardened.
"He's asking if it's really Chunha Trading."
"Yes, it is."
The Korean man slammed his hand on the table angrily.
"He's cursing Chunha Trading. He says they stole his business and now they're blocking his path again."
Chen Fei, intrigued by his animosity towards Chunha Trading, asked,
"Do you have a history with Chunha Trading?"
The Korean man fumed,
"He says Chunha Trading ruined his previous business. He developed this technology to make a comeback, but they beat him to it again."
"I see."
The Korean man's face was red with anger.
"I'm not familiar with the Korean market, but is Chunha Trading a well-known company?"
"They're the undisputed number one in secondhand goods and electronic waste in Korea. They're notorious for being ruthless and backstabbing people."
Chen Fei nodded.
"I see. So they had a strong foundation in Korea. That explains their capital and drive."
He smiled at the trembling man.
"So, what are your plans now? Are you going to let Chunha Trading win again?"
"He says he can't let that happen. But he's worried that Chunha Trading won't leave him alone. He heard they have connections with gangs and bury people alive."
Chen Fei feigned surprise.
"Bury people alive? How monstrous! Those bastards!"
The Korean man nodded.
"He was originally planning to set up a factory in China, but he's worried about his safety because of Chunha Trading, so he's going to manufacture in Korea, where it's safer."
Chen Fei, who had been planning to acquire the technology for a cheap price, was startled.
"Why don't you just sell the technology to me? I can guarantee your safety and pay you handsomely. It's a win-win situation."
The Korean man shook his head.
"He says he can't do that. He wants to run his own factory with the technology he developed."
Chen Fei looked at him with a troubled expression.
"This is troublesome. Should I just threaten him and take it?"
Kim Jin-won said,
"It's best to be cautious. He might agree here and then run back to Korea."
"You're right."
His first encounter with Chunha Trading hadn't been pleasant either.
Xinhua Investment and Renyi Investment were similar in their methods, but the difference was that Renyi had resorted to threats from the beginning, while Xinhua was content with the interest payments.
If Chen Fei had played his cards right, he could have been in Xinhua's position.
He said gently,
"Wouldn't it be better to set up your factory in China? The labor costs are lower, and there are many government incentives for foreign investment."
The Korean man shook his head.
"He says it's too dangerous because of Chunha Trading."
"Don't worry about that. I, Chen Fei, will protect you."
The Korean man's eyes widened.
"He's asking what you mean."
"There aren't many people in Shenzhen who are more powerful than me. Chunha Trading might be influential in Korea, but not here. They're already making a fortune with that technology. We can do the same."
The Korean man tilted his head.
"He's asking what you mean by 'we.'"
"Exactly what I said, 'we.' You said you're trying to make a comeback, so I assume you're short on funds, right?"
The Korean man nodded, and Chen Fei said excitedly,
"With my power and resources, combined with your technology, crushing Chunha Trading would be a piece of cake. I don't know much about your industry, so I'll leave the management to you. But we'll take a larger share. You need a local partner to do business in China. What do you think?"
He continued, seeing the man ponder,
"There's no point in starting small. We need to catch up with Chunha Trading, so we need a large investment, a huge site, and hundreds of employees. Chunha Trading has already set a precedent, so it'll be easy to make money if we just follow their model. I, Chen Fei, will invest generously if you can prove the viability of your technology."
The Korean man's eyes wavered at the mention of a large site and hundreds of employees.
"He's asking if you can guarantee his safety and the investment."
"Of course. But you need to prove that the technology is real. I need to see the IC chip restoration process. I can't invest blindly."
After a long hesitation, the Korean man said,
"He says he'll send samples and someone to Korea, and you can see the results at his workshop. You can mark the IC chips to be restored and verify the results. He'll fully disclose the technology once the joint venture is established and the factory is operational."
Chen Fei, thinking the Korean had been won over, laughed heartily.
"Of course, I can accommodate that. This is a great day. We should celebrate with more drinks. Waiter! Two more bottles of baijiu!"
They discussed the share distribution while drinking, but it was clear who had the upper hand: Chen Fei, with his capital and connections, or the Korean with only his technology and himself.
Although he didn't want to give away any shares, Chen Fei, eager to catch up with Chunha Trading and start the factory immediately, agreed to an 80/20 split and burst into laughter.
"Chunha Trading, I'll teach those bastards a lesson. Oh, by the way, we've agreed to be partners, but I still don't know your name. What's your name?"
The Korean man smiled and said,
"He says his name is Park Jong-bum."