Qin Chuan had no idea that the letter he wrote would, by chance, be noticed by a clerk and then be forwarded further up the chain.
Of all this, he was, of course, unaware.
In the small county town of Yongnan, the torrential rain outside had already weakened considerably.
The downpour had come and gone quickly, and in less than two hours, the rain had significantly subsided. Three hours later, raindrops were no longer falling, leaving only a gloomy sky.
Due to the sudden rain, the construction site's corrugated iron rooms were filled with idle workers. A group of them were loudly playing cards, creating a lively atmosphere.
However, this was only the case for the ordinary workers. A core group of key personnel, centered around Qin Chuan, were in another corrugated iron room. Listening to the boisterous sounds from next door, none of them were in a mood to play.
The scene of Han Shifei and Qin Chuan's failed negotiation just a few hours earlier was vivid in their minds. Everyone knew that the coming days would likely be difficult, and their moods were correspondingly subdued.
After all, a man's reputation precedes him; Han Shifei's nickname "King Han" was not earned lightly. His influence was truly immense.
Who knew how Han Shifei would retaliate against them?
Qin Chuan noticed this shift and couldn't help but tease:
"Tsk tsk, look at all of you, looking so glum, your brows are practically pinching your fingers!"
"No matter how capable Han Shifei is, he's still just a man, and he's already over fifty! More than half of him is in the grave, what are we afraid of him for!"
As Qin Chuan's teasing subsided, a spark of life finally appeared in the somber corrugated iron room.
"Boss, it's not that we're truly afraid of that old geezer!"
Yao Dong said, "It's that we're worried about what methods Han Shifei will use to retaliate against us!"
"Right, that's what we're all worried about!"
Bai Xiaoguang immediately chimed in, "If it were a straightforward fight, whoever so much as frowns is a coward!"
As he spoke, a hint of ferocity re-emerged from Bai Xiaoguang. This personality seemed ingrained in his bones, difficult to change.
"Xiao Chuan, Han Shifei is very powerful. We really need to be careful!"
The usually taciturn elder brother also spoke.
Qin Chuan smiled slightly and reassured them, "Don't worry, as formidable as Han Shifei is, we're not made of clay anymore!"
"Han Shifei's methods of dealing with us are limited to a few categories. Since we have nothing else to do, I might as well give you a prediction. Listen closely!"
"Boss, tell us quickly!"
As Qin Chuan finished speaking, everyone's expression became extremely interested.
"Firstly, we currently have a cooperative relationship with him, specifically regarding the supply of sand. Han Shifei will definitely cut that off first!"
Qin Chuan spoke slowly, "We still owe them money, right? I guess Han Shifei will demand payment, and he'll likely take the opportunity to significantly raise the price and extort us."
Qin Yang, Qin Gang, Zheng Chengdao, Bai Xiaoguang, and Yao Dong all nodded. Such actions had a very high probability, over ninety percent.
"Then, if they extort us, should we pay?"
Yao Dong couldn't help but ask.
"Pay them? Hell no! We've fallen out, we have no money, only our lives!"
Qin's second brother cursed loudly.
"Second Brother, calm down!"
Qin Chuan appeased him, "If Han Shifei isn't being too unreasonable, I'm prepared to pay. This way, we'll be even, owing each other nothing!"
"But if he's truly excessive, then that's another matter!"
As he finished the last sentence, a cold glint flashed in Qin Chuan's eyes.
"Secondly, Han Shifei will leverage his extensive network of connections to continuously pressure us. Today it'll be the fire department, tomorrow sanitation, the day after quality inspection, and so on."
Qin Chuan continued his analysis, "However, just like the sand supply, I've already laid some groundwork. Han Shifei's network might be strong, but ours is not weak, so we're not afraid of him!"
Everyone couldn't help but recall Qin Chuan having dinner with the county magistrate at Yongnan Grand Hotel last night. It was evident that their boss had already prepared for what was to come.
They could only admire him. He had already foreseen all of Han Shifei's tactics.
"When Han Shifei discovers that his proud network of connections is not very effective, he will resort to less savory methods."
Qin Chuan continued his analysis.
"What kind of methods?"
Everyone asked urgently.
Qin Chuan let out a cold laugh, his face full of disdain, "It'll be nothing more than sending people to intercept our sand transportation vehicles, as well as other construction material transports. They'll cause trouble at the construction site in secret, preventing our buildings from progressing."
"This is the most insidious. We need to guard against it in advance."
Everyone nodded, but their expressions were no longer dispirited or worried, as they now had a direction.
"Boss, is there anything else? Continue! Continue!"
The crowd was getting into it and couldn't help but urge him on.
"Other methods..."
Qin Chuan wore a thoughtful expression. After a few seconds, he grinned, "When Han Shifei realizes that none of his methods can stop us, he'll probably enter the real estate business himself and engage in direct competition with us!"
"Damn it, that shameless old bastard. He'll join if he can't beat us?"
Qin's second brother couldn't help but curse.
"This is a perfectly normal behavior. After all, no one dares to go against money. With the real estate market showing promise, anyone with capital wants a piece of the pie!"
Qin Chuan explained with a smile.
"Han Shifei definitely won't give up. When he starts building as well, that will be true commercial competition, where we'll see who's who!"
"I actually welcome Han Shifei's entry, because only then will our county's real estate market thrive and become increasingly prosperous!"
"As the saying goes, one flower does not make a spring; a hundred flowers blooming together is true spring!"
Sensing the natural leadership aura emanating from Qin Chuan, everyone's hearts filled with deep admiration.
Some people are truly born to be kings, their every move exuding charisma.
Qin Yang and Qin Gang felt this most acutely. As elder brothers, they both realized that their third brother was increasingly developing the demeanor of a boss!
As if to confirm Qin Chuan's prediction, less than an hour after the rain stopped, a group of people barged onto their construction site.
Leading them was a bald man, dressed flashily, with a face full of coarse flesh. Everyone recognized him as Baldy, a loyal henchman of Han Shifei.
Behind Baldy followed seven or eight swaggering subordinates, their expressions unfriendly.
"Where are all the people? Where has everyone gone?"
As soon as Baldy entered, he bellowed loudly.
In the corrugated iron room, Qin Chuan saw the situation outside through the open door and smiled faintly, "See? Didn't I say it? It hasn't even been an hour, and the people over there couldn't wait. They've come to extort us!"