Siheyuan: Pretend to be a Pig and Eat the Tiger

Li Huaide didn't take it to heart and continued along with He Yuzhu's words. He believed he knew He Yuzhu well, and now it seemed that this person was no longer the considerate deputy director he used to be!

Afterwards, the two reminisced about the glorious past, talking about the hardships and difficulties they had faced. In order to get meat for the factory, Li Huaide would invite Director Wang to dinner every few days, asking for large quantities of meat, etc.
In fact, the two were testing each other. He Yuzhu never trusted Li Huaide. Everything in the drama explains a lot. Why was Li Huaide able to quickly rise to prominence after being dismissed from his post? Wasn't it all due to the crazy accumulation he made during his years as director?

Otherwise, why would anyone do business with someone like Dong Yong? Dong Yong ran the pigeon market, so he must have accumulated a lot of wealth, and with the support of the Dong family behind him, he was able to achieve such success.
What makes Li Huaide so special? His influence as Director Li at the steel rolling mill was limited to the mill itself; he didn't have much power outside. But now? He's dressed in a suit, has a beautiful secretary, and is a successful man.

These are all the substantial accumulations made during special periods. Therefore, such people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals and will not act without self-interest. Now that they have said so much, they must have some ulterior motives!
After talking for so long, Li Huaide had not been able to find out He Yuzhu's background, nor had he found out who supported He's Restaurant. He seemed honest and kind, and his attitude had not changed.

However, upon closer analysis, He Yuzhu is truly flawless. This was true during his time at the steel mill. After several rounds of struggle, no flaws could be found in He Yuzhu, and it remains true now!
With that in mind, Li Huaide stopped trying to probe and get straight to the point. He only wanted to win over He Yuzhu to invest or cooperate; nothing else mattered!

"Zhu Zi, we're old acquaintances. I have a lucrative business opportunity. I wonder if you'd be interested? It's a sure-fire way to make money!"

Taking advantage of Director Wang's need to relieve himself, Li Huaide blurted out that since he was in business, no one was uninterested in money.
Li Huaide was confident that as long as he mentioned the project, He Yuzhu would definitely agree, since his goods were a rare commodity in Beijing!
"Old boss, a huge profit? You really dare to ask for that. It's not opium or something, is it? Old boss, listen to my advice. We're doing legitimate business. There are some things we can't touch, no matter how much money we make."

As you know, I've always been a law-abiding citizen. A gentleman loves money, but he earns it honestly. I can't resort to shady dealings; otherwise, I'll regret it!

Televisions are just televisions, yet they're incredibly profitable. You probably don't know that my foreign trade company has already imported quite a few televisions, do you?

Hehe, and it's the kind with all the materials. If the timing wasn't too bad, I could even get the car. But I'd rather not do petty theft; Grandpa wouldn't dare touch it.

The Ho family will one day become a behemoth. Getting involved with you would be like planting a time bomb. How foolish!

"Ahem, what are you thinking? Do you think we dare touch that stuff? It's a TV set. I have a batch of TV sets. You have money and connections, and I have the goods. If we join forces, our chance to make a fortune has arrived!"

Li Huaide almost choked to death by He Yuzhu. He really dared to say that. So, in your eyes, that's the kind of person I am?

If He Yuzhu knew what Li Huaide was thinking, he would definitely give a yes without hesitation!

"That's good. Tell me, what project is it? Nobody in the world dislikes having more money, and neither am I. Isn't the point of doing business to make money?"

He Yuzhu raised a glass of wine and looked at Li Huaide meaningfully!
"Zhu Zi, I have a batch of color television sets. If you're willing to take them, they'll be shipped over from the south tomorrow. What do you say?" "Television sets? Those are rare items. To be able to get one of these, and a whole batch at that, it seems the old leader has quite a wide network of connections!"

He Yuzhu looked at Li Huaide with admiration, but in his heart he was unconvinced. "I wouldn't dare take your TV, it's too hot to handle!"

"Of course, so what?"

Li Huaide couldn't read He Yuzhu's expression, so he naturally couldn't guess what he was thinking. Even You Fengxia became serious.
She considered herself to be beautiful and have a stunning figure; which man wouldn't be captivated by her? Yet He Yuzhu remained polite throughout, his eyes clear and devoid of any desire.

If it weren't for years of hard work and struggle, You Fengxia would have doubted her own charm. This can only mean one thing: either He Yuzhu's sexual orientation is abnormal, or this person has extremely high self-control and remains so even in the face of beauty.

Since this person is already married and has a close female friend, it means that his sexual orientation is normal. In other words, He Yuzhu's willpower is very strong, at least stronger than Li Huaide's!
"Director, I didn't want to say this, but for the sake of our years of friendship, I'll give you some advice: you must sell your television within two months, or you'll lose everything!"

He Yuzhu looked at Li Huaide with a serious expression. He originally wanted to tease him and even take the opportunity to trick Li Huaide, but after thinking about it, he realized that tricking Li Huaide would not do him any good.
Li Huaide's interests do not conflict with his own. If the smuggling operation fails, it is Li Huaide who will be arrested. What does it have to do with him?
However, if he doesn't accept it, Li Huaide will go to Xu Damao. Once he finds Damao, this guy is capable enough to drag the Liu family and the Yan family into the mess. At that time, the most troublesome person in No. 95 Courtyard will be too easy to deal with.
Even decades from now, Nanluoguxiang will not be demolished. With the arrival of Li Huaide, the opportunity to take over the courtyard has come. It is time to slowly start preparing. This is the He family's ancestral home.
"Oh? What do you mean? Zhu Zi, we've known each other for a long time, you can't let me down!"

Li Huaide couldn't sit still any longer. Two months? Damn, that's too tight a timeframe. He Yuzhu wasn't planning to take over, and he'd already paid a deposit in the south. If he couldn't make a move in time, this time it wouldn't be as simple as just a crippling blow!

"Let me put it this way, I own a trading company. The Lou family in Loubancheng has some influence in Hong Kong, so I placed an order with them, a legitimate, fixed-location order, which, coincidentally, is also for color televisions..."

Li Huaide shuddered. Dong Yong's fate was still fresh in his mind. If He Yuzhu hadn't spoken up, and the two sides had suddenly clashed, wouldn't he have suffered heavy losses? It seemed that the Lou family's departure was not unrelated to He Yuzhu. Unfortunately, it was too late!

"Pillar, thank you for bringing this news, otherwise, all of us brothers would be finished!"

“You are my former leader, and I received a lot of care from you back in the days at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. Now that I have heard this news, I naturally do not want you to go bankrupt.”

Two months later, my television will be ready to be shipped to Tianjin Port, with all the paperwork completed. Therefore, you only have two months!

Li Huaide felt a sense of urgency. Two months was all it took; he needed to transport the goods south as soon as possible. Otherwise, once He Yuzhu's goods arrived in Beijing, his own goods would not only be affected by price fluctuations but could also be in danger, because this batch of televisions lacked the necessary permits! (End of Chapter)