Chapter 156: Eating at the Table While Breaking the Pot
"From a moral standpoint, Land Mining Company has a valid argument. From a legal perspective, Gongcun Gold Company indeed acquired the exploration rights legally and in compliance with regulations."
Chen Aimin had mediated many mining rights disputes before and knew how complex such matters were. His goal was always to find a balance between the two parties—ideally something both sides could accept.
But that was easier said than done. In truth, he had never succeeded in making both sides satisfied.
"He's a thug!"
The silence was suddenly broken by someone who jumped up and hurled sharp accusations at Li Tang.
Li Tang looked up, surprised, as Parker, the CEO of Xinan Resources Company, pointed an accusing finger at him.
Parker bared his teeth—two of which were clearly missing—and glared fiercely at Li Tang with his small, malicious eyes. "This man is a savage thug! He knocked me to the ground for no reason and punched out my teeth! Are all Chinese people this barbaric? Do your regulatory authorities protect uncultured brutes like him?"
Chen Aimin was even more shocked than Li Tang. He stared at Parker's broken teeth and listened to the whistling lisp of his speech. Part of him even wanted to laugh.
Of course, he knew who Parker was. Xinan Resources Company had a record with the Department of Mineral Resources for its Baika Gold Mine project in Caiyun Province.
Chen glanced at Li Tang, silently asking for an explanation.
Before Li Tang could speak, Parker pointed at the back of Li Tang's right hand, excited as if he had found a smoking gun. "Look at his knuckles—two scars! That's the proof! He used that hand to knock out my teeth!"
Chen Aimin's expression turned stern as he glared at Li Tang.
In his eyes, using violence to gain leverage was absolutely intolerable and would never be condoned.
"Speak! Did you hit him or not?" he barked.
It was only then that Li Tang realized the presence of Parker, Alice, and the others—they were here to hit him with a heavy blow.
He stared coldly at Parker.
If the man continued to insult him and accuse him without restraint, would he lose control again and repeat his previous mistake?
There was no answer. But what was done could not be undone.
He didn't want to explain.
His silence implied guilt.
That's how Chen Aimin interpreted it. From that moment on, he began to lose trust in Li Tang.
As regulators, they loathed this kind of behavior—the type that turned the mining environment into chaotic, cutthroat disorder. Such behavior often led to illegal excavation and massive waste of resources.
Could Li Tang be one of those violent profiteers?
But on the surface, Li Tang appeared cultured and calm—nothing like a crude outlaw.
And all the previous stories about him at Wukuang Group had been inspiring and full of positive energy, restoring confidence in the industry.
The discovery of the Qinglong Copper Mine had stunned the global nonferrous metal sector and attracted foreign mining companies to invest in China.
All of it—positive influence.
For a while, everyone in the Ministry had been discussing Qulong and Qinglong, and analyzing this remarkable figure—Li Tang.
He had always been portrayed as a heroic figure shrouded in a shining halo.
But the man standing before him now—why was there such a stark contrast?
"You're not going to explain?" Chen Aimin asked, his gaze deep and fixed on Li Tang.
Li Tang's lips moved slightly, but he still didn't speak.
"She's Alice from Gaosheng. She was there that day and can testify!" Parker continued, then turned and pointed. "And him! He threw a chair at me. If I hadn't dodged, I'd be dead!"
Prompted, Alice stood up. She looked around the room, her eyes finally falling on Li Tang's face.
"Yes, he hit someone," she said. "Parker visited Li Tang's company to discuss the Baika Gold Mine project, and Li Tang punched him."
"You—tell me, is this true?" Chen Aimin snapped at He Runqi.
He Runqi trembled in fear, his mind blank. He stammered, "Y-yes…"
Bang!
Chen Aimin slammed his fist on the table. "Such barbaric behavior toward a foreign guest! He came into your home, and you greet him with fists? Don't you feel shame?"
Alice remained standing after speaking, then added, "I'm an honest person. It's true that Li Tang hit him—I saw it, and I have to say it."
"You did well!" Chen Aimin commended her. "Courageously testifying and exposing such misconduct deserves praise!"
"I have more to say," Alice hurried, fearing she wouldn't get the chance. "Actually, when Parker and Li Tang were talking business, I found Li Tang to be rather civil—he treated us very politely."
"Then why the violence?" Chen Aimin asked.
"Because Mr. Parker insulted people. He said that Chinese people are all monkeys."
Despite Parker's furious and accusing glare, Alice bravely continued. "I think what Parker said was even worse than the violence. Maybe that's why Li Tang hit him—I can understand his anger. We're from different countries. I think the most important thing is mutual respect."
"What?"
The moment Chen Aimin heard that, his fury ignited.
If it weren't for his position, if he had personally heard such a humiliating slur, he might not have been able to control himself either—he might've landed a solid punch on Parker's remaining teeth.
Hmm?
Even Li Tang looked at Alice in surprise—he never expected this foreign girl to speak on his behalf.
Aside from their professional positions, she was clearly a person of integrity.
"I was just angry and said something I shouldn't have!" Parker tried to explain.
But Chen Aimin no longer had any goodwill toward him. He didn't listen to a word of Parker's excuse. His tone turned harsh.
"Mr. Parker, you're in China now. I expect you to show the most basic respect to our people. That's the bottom line. If you don't understand that, we have every right to expel you from the country! You eat our food and then try to smash our bowl—we Chinese people will never tolerate that!"
Parker was so frightened that he immediately shut his mouth.
"I've heard everyone's requests. It's getting late, and I've prepared lunch. Let's eat and rest for now. We have an old saying: 'Food is heaven for the people.' Eating is the priority."
Chen Aimin instructed his staff to escort the foreign guests to lunch, but he asked Li Tang, Xiao Yongyue, and Nobu to stay behind.
"You all go wait outside. I need a few private words with Li Tang," he said, waving them out.
Xiao and the others filed into the corridor, closing the office door behind them.
There were wooden benches along the corridor wall. They sat down and stared at the closed door of the director's office.
"In a situation like this," Dawa said, patting Xiao Yongyue on the shoulder, "they'll likely consider the bigger picture and sacrifice the small for the greater good."
"I don't mind," Xiao replied easily. "We haven't invested anything yet. If they order us to give up the exploration rights to the foreigners, I'll follow the directive."
He had never been involved for the sake of the project's value. He had no idea if Gongcun was truly worth 5 billion, as Li Tang had claimed—it sounded like pure exaggeration.
After all, in business, who doesn't exaggerate?
"We can't guess Director Chen's thoughts. He sees further than us and will make the best decision," someone said.
"If we want to keep the exploration rights, Boss Xiao, it's time to leverage your network."
"This is Yanjing. I wouldn't dare stir trouble here if I want to live," Xiao said seriously.
"Still… Li Tang used to be with Wukuang Group. Maybe he really can pull some strings."
"Why did Director Chen only ask to speak with Li Tang and leave the rest of us outside?"
These industry veterans saw themselves as high-status individuals. On the surface, they were calm, but inside, they couldn't help but feel that they were on a higher level than Li Tang.
Back in Tubo Province, when Li Tang had first approached Dawa for cooperation, Dawa barely gave him the time of day.
Now, the situation had flipped in a very interesting way.
They looked around at each other, all seated on the worn wooden bench in the dim hallway, feeling unexpectedly dejected.
After a long silence, Nobu spoke again. "Did you notice how seriously Director Chen takes Li Tang?"
"If he didn't, would he have shut the door to speak with him in private?"
"In a place like Yanjing, only someone like Li Tang can move so freely."
"He used to be a leader at Wukuang Group. That influence isn't something we can imagine."
"Someone who made waves in a state-owned enterprise and is now striking out alone in the mining industry—can he really be an ordinary person?"
"Let's just wait for the leader's decision and stop speculating."
"Whether we keep the rights or not… it all depends on how Li Tang talks with Director Chen."
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