After leaving Qin Minghui’s office and getting into the car, Qi Yun felt no great emotional turmoil.

Qin Minghui’s attitude was both expected and understandable.

This man had ability and certain resources, but his biggest problem was the lack of courage to draw his sword at critical moments.

This was evident from the matter with Zhang Dayong.

People were blatantly targeting his people, yet he was still hesitating, afraid to offend one person or upset another.

This time is no different; since deciding to be on the same boat, there should be no hedging bets and pleasing both sides.

However, fortunately, Qin Minghui ultimately chose to stand on Qi Yun’s side, although his support was hesitant and limited.

...

The next day, just as the workers were clocking into their jobs, a sensational piece of news began to spread rapidly online.

"Breaking news: Guanghui Group and Maple Capital, two giants, simultaneously announced that their upcoming new energy enterprise would be based in Shanghai. The specific reasons remain unclear. Furthermore, Guanghui Group declared that it is contemplating shifting its future development focus inland..."

"According to internal sources from Maple Capital, the group has issued the latest strategic adjustment, stating it will no longer consider project investments in J province in the short term."

"The latest announcement from Nongfu Spring’s website states that due to obstacles in the implementation of new projects, it will gradually reduce its investment in J province, and may even cancel the preparation for the ’Tianshan Ice Spring’ company..."

"The largest jewelry company in J province announced that it is considering moving its headquarters to Shanghai to better connect with international markets and capital..."

A series of earth-shattering news items burst out almost simultaneously. These enterprises issuing announcements held significant weight, and even if their scale didn’t match that of Guanghui Group, the likes of Blue Sky Jewelry Company contributed nine figures in tax annually.

Their simultaneous announcement of such an issue suggested a clear expression of concern.

...

Zhongshan Road, in the office.

"Bang!"

Old Hou heavily slammed the briefing summaries of all related news on the mahogany desk.

His face, usually adept at concealing emotions, was now veiled in a layer of oppressive coldness.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy, making it nearly impossible for Xu Yunliang, who stood by, to breathe.

"Good... very good!" Old Hou’s voice squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an undisguised anger.

For decades, this was the first time he had encountered someone like Qi Yun, daring to ally with several heavyweight enterprises to almost overturn the table and push him to concede.

Xu Yunliang glanced at him, not daring to speak immediately, waiting until Old Hou’s mood slightly calmed before he carefully spoke, "Before I came to your office, someone from above already called to inquire."

"It was the one in charge of investment promotion and industry who personally called, asking about the situation, and the tone was... very serious. They requested that we resolve the issue properly, eliminate negative impacts, and stabilize these enterprises, especially Guanghui and Nongfu Spring."

"They said... this is no longer a simple local matter, but one that affects the entire business image and development pattern."

Old Hou closed his eyes, his chest slightly heaving.

The reaction from above was expected, but being directly questioned and pressured still left him feeling stifled and... a bit powerless.

His face darkened, his heart mixed with various emotions; on one hand, he was shocked by Qi Yun’s tactics, able to convince so many companies to apply pressure simultaneously.

On the other hand, he also realized his previous judgment was correct: this Qi Yun was an uncontrollable explosive.

A mere slight tap from him, and Qi Yun dared to retaliate so fiercely, this behavior amounted to confronting him publicly! 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He felt not only anger but also a public challenge to his authority and a sense of humiliation.

In this region, it had been a long time since someone dared to so openly and assertively defy his will.

Seeing Old Hou remain silent, Xu Yunliang handed over his teacup, trying to console him, "Calm down, now is not the time to get angry."

"The phone call from above had a very clear message, the weight of Guanghui, Maple, and Nongfu Spring combined... is too great."

"If they truly withdraw collectively or shift their focus, the chain reaction it would cause is something nobody could bear. By then, it wouldn’t just be a matter of the business environment..."

How could Old Hou not understand this reasoning?

He closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, trying to suppress his raging anger.

Rationality told him Xu Yunliang was right; if the situation escalated further, it would be very disadvantageous for them.

To suppress Qi Yun, to vent his anger, gambling the entire investment environment of J province and his political reputation, was not worth it.

But... to simply admit defeat? Where would his prestige go? How could he establish authority in the future?

This tearing between humiliation and the pressures of reality caused him inner anguish.

Observing his expression, Xu Yunliang cautiously suggested, "The most important thing now is to first calm the situation and stabilize the mood of the ones above and those companies."

"As for... the rest, there is time."

It’s no wonder he managed to rise to the position of chief steward; his words effectively gave Old Hou an out.

"You said it was that person who personally called? Did he receive the news so quickly?" Old Hou did not comment, instead asking a seemingly unrelated question.

The situation had only occurred less than an hour ago; logically speaking, even if accountability was to be pursued... the call shouldn’t have come this quickly.

Moreover, the call wasn’t made directly to Old Hou, but to Xu Yunliang... this still left some leeway.