Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

After several rounds of drinks, although the atmosphere was lively, the unseen smell of gunpowder in the air grew stronger and stronger.

Ye Lingqing put down her wine glass, her gaze lingering for a second on Jiang Mengyao and Bai Jingyou's tightly clasped hands. Then, a playful smile appeared on her lips: "President Bai, now that the manpower problem at the logistics park has been solved, shouldn't you give me, the chief financial officer, a break about the cash flow? Two billion yuan in cash has been thrown out, and while Deep Blue Technology's books look good on paper, the subsequent investment to turn that mess around is a bottomless pit."

Although Jiang Mengyao didn't understand the specifics of financial operations, she understood the meaning behind Ye Lingqing's words: she was declaring her importance to Bai Jingyou in their careers.

Bai Jingyou watched the two women exchange blows with such skill and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, they are all smart people who know their limits.

"Alright, stop just drinking." Bai Jingyou put down his chopsticks, his expression becoming slightly more serious. "Lingqing, tomorrow you need to arrange for another 20 million to be transferred from the company account to this newly established logistics subsidiary. This money isn't for buying equipment; it's for making friends."

"Make friends?" Ye Lingqing was taken aback. "Make friends with whom?"

Bai Jingyou smiled mysteriously, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "The Li family has now sold the land and has two billion in cash. Li Zifeng must think he's all set. But he's forgotten that the core business of the Li Group isn't land, but chain retail. And the lifeblood of retail lies in its suppliers."

Sitting next to her, Zhang Yi's eyes lit up. She tossed aside the duck carcass she had just finished gnawing on and excitedly leaned over: "You're trying to cut off their supply?"

"No, cutting off the supply is too simplistic; that's something only children do." Bai Jingyou shook his head, his eyes deep. "I want to help them 'find' a source of goods. Only when they feel there's still hope will they bet even more frantically with their remaining chips."

At this point, Bai Jingyou's phone vibrated.

It was a message from Li He: "Brother Bai, I just got word that Li Zifeng is meeting with the group's biggest suppliers tomorrow at headquarters. He wants to use the money from the land sale to settle some of the outstanding payments and stabilize the supply chain."

Bai Jingyou's lips curled slightly as he replied: "The opportunity has arrived. You go tomorrow too. Remember, don't say a word, just watch the show. Wait until Li Zifeng messes things up before you make your appearance. I've already sent the script to your email."

……

The next morning, at the Li Group headquarters, in a small conference room.

The atmosphere was tense and ready to fight.

On one side of the oval conference table sat five middle-aged men with unfriendly expressions. They were some of the largest suppliers to Li's Supermarket chain, covering various fields such as fresh produce, daily necessities, and grains and oils.

On the other side, Li Zifeng was dressed in an expensive suit, his hair slicked back, trying to project an air of confident shrewdness. But the dark circles under his eyes and his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his anxiety.

Li Jianguo sat in the main seat, his face gloomy, and remained silent.

Li He sat obediently at the very back, holding a notebook, looking like a diligent student taking notes.

"Gentlemen, it's been a long time." Li Zifeng forced a smile and had tea poured for the suppliers. "I know the group was a bit short of funds recently, and we were behind on payments. But just yesterday, we received a large sum of money—two billion! Cash! So rest assured, the Li Group won't collapse!"

"Young Master Li, stop with the pretense." Mr. Wang, a portly man in the middle who ran a grain and oil business, coldly interrupted him. "Twenty billion is a lot, but that was money earned from selling ancestral property to save us. The bank will take a large portion to repay loans, and whether the remaining amount will be enough to cover the losses is another matter. We're here today with only one demand: settle all outstanding payments for previous goods, and all future orders must be paid in cash!"

"Cash payment? Mr. Wang, isn't that a bit unreasonable?" Li Zifeng's expression changed. "We've been cooperating for so many years, and we've always settled accounts monthly, or even quarterly. Demanding cash payment now is practically pushing us to the brink!"

"So you know you're being driven to the brink of ruin?" Another manager, Mr. Zhang, slammed his teacup on the table. "Li Zifeng, go ask around yourself. Who doesn't know your Li family is a hopeless case? What if you go bankrupt tomorrow? Who will we ask for money? Your suspended father, or you?"

"Watch your mouth!" Li Zifeng slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, pointing at President Zhang's nose. "Let me tell you, the Li family has been in Beijing for decades. What storms haven't we weathered? You think you few grocers dare to try and force us into a corner? Believe me, I'll replace you right now and make sure you starve in Beijing!"

The moment these words were spoken, the conference room fell into a deathly silence.

Li Jianguo closed his eyes in anguish.

What an idiot! What a complete idiot! Provoking the supplier at this time is like digging your own grave!

Sure enough, the faces of the suppliers instantly turned ashen.

Mr. Wang stood up, sneering repeatedly, "Fine, so you're quite the capable young master Li. Since you're so capable, then there's nothing more to discuss. Starting today, I will inform all members of the Chamber of Commerce to cease supplying goods to the Li Group. Let's go!"

With that, the group got up to leave.

If the supply is indeed stopped, hundreds of supermarkets under the Li Group will face a situation where they have nothing to sell within three days. For the Li Group, which is already in dire straits, that would be a devastating blow.

Li Jianguo wanted to speak to persuade him to stay, but he was so angry that his heart ached and he clutched his chest, unable to speak.

At this critical moment, Li He, who had been sitting in the corner, suddenly moved.

"thump!"

A muffled thud startled everyone.

Li He knelt down at the entrance of the conference room, blocking the way of several suppliers.

"Uncles and elders! Please, don't leave!" Li He cried, his face a picture of utter despair. "My brother was just being unreasonable; he was only saying those things in anger. Please don't take it to heart! The Li family is indeed facing difficulties right now, but we will never renege on our debt! Please, for the sake of my uncle's many years of cooperation with you all, give us another chance!"

Everyone was stunned.

Li Zifeng, too, stared wide-eyed at his usually cowardly cousin, completely bewildered.

Ignoring everything else, Li He immediately kowtowed to Boss Wang: "Uncle Wang, you watched me grow up, you even held me when I was little. The Li family can't collapse, what will happen to the thousands of employees? I know everyone wants immediate pay to avoid risk, so here's a plan, would you like to see if it works?"

As he spoke, he took out a document that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and held it above his head with both hands.

When President Wang looked at Li He kneeling on the ground and then at Li Zifeng with his arrogant expression, the scales in his heart instantly tipped.

He sighed, took the document, and flipped through it.

His expression changed upon turning the page.

The document not only promised a detailed installment repayment plan, but more importantly, it included a third-party guarantee agreement.

The guarantor turned out to be a very powerful offshore financial company.

"This...you got this?" Boss Wang looked at Li He in surprise.

Li He wiped away his tears, his eyes red, and said, "This is a guarantee I managed to get after begging and pleading with everyone I know these past few days. As long as everyone continues to supply goods, this company is willing to fully guarantee the payment for this batch of goods. If the Li family can't pay, they'll compensate us!"

Several suppliers huddled together and looked at the guarantee agreement; their expressions finally softened.

With a guarantee, the risk is greatly reduced.

Moreover, Li He's attitude was truly touching.

"Alright." President Wang closed the file, gave Li He a deep look, then turned to Li Jianguo. "Old Li, you've raised a good son... oh no, a good nephew. Since you have this guarantee, we'll trust you one more time. But let's make this clear: from now on, all dealings will be handled by Li He. As for that young master..."

He glanced at Li Zifeng and snorted coldly, "You should go home and study for a few more years."

After saying that, the suppliers took the documents, patted Li He on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Only the Li family remained in the meeting room.

Li Zifeng's face flushed red, feeling utterly humiliated.

He pointed at Li He, who was still struggling to get up from the ground, and cursed, "Li He! You traitor! Who told you to kneel? You've disgraced the Li family! And where did that guarantee agreement come from? Were you secretly plotting something behind my back?"

"Enough!!!"

With a loud shout, Li Jianguo slammed the teacup to the ground, sending shards flying.

He was breathing heavily, his finger trembling as he pointed at Li Zifeng: "Shut up! If it weren't for Xiaohe, the Li family would be finished today! How dare you insult him? What can you do besides throw tantrums and offend people?!"

"Dad! I..."

"Don't call me Dad!" Li Jianguo stood up, leaning on the table, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

He walked up to Li He and personally helped him up.

Looking at the red mark on Li He's forehead, a hint of guilt and emotion flashed in Li Jianguo's eyes.

"Xiaohe... I'm sorry you had to go through all this." Li Jianguo patted the dust off Li He's clothes, his tone complicated, "In crucial moments, you're still the one I can rely on."

Li He lowered his head, looking utterly apprehensive: "Uncle, this is what I should do. I am a member of the Li family, and even if it costs me my life, I cannot watch the family fall. My brother... he was just under too much pressure, please don't blame him."

These words only made Li Zifeng seem like an unreasonable and useless person.

Li Jianguo turned around and looked coldly at Li Zifeng, the last glimmer of hope in his eyes shattered.

"Pass on my orders," Li Jianguo said coldly. "Effective immediately, Li Zifeng is relieved of his position as Vice President of the Group and sent home to reflect on his actions. All retail operations and supply chain management within the Group are to be transferred to Li He. Li He is promoted to Executive Vice President of the Group and will report directly to me."

"What?!" Li Zifeng was struck dumb, his body slumping into his chair. "Dad! You can't do this! I'm your own son! What is Li He? He's just a bastard's child..."

"Snapped!"

Li Jianguo slapped Li Zifeng hard across the face, interrupting his roar.

"Say one more word, and you're out of the Li family's house, and you won't get a single penny!"

Li Zifeng covered his face, staring at his father in disbelief, then glanced at Li He, who stood timidly to the side. His eyes were filled with venomous resentment. But he dared not speak further, and could only turn and storm out of the conference room in anger.

"Uncle... this... I'm afraid I can't do it..." Li He waved his hand in a panic.

"Alright, stop refusing." Li Jianguo waved his hand wearily. "You've been exhausted these past few days. Go back and rest for a bit. You'll officially start your new job tomorrow. Do a good job, and your uncle won't treat you unfairly."

"Yes... thank you for your trust, Uncle."

The moment Li He stepped out of the conference room, the fear and humility on his face vanished without a trace.

He walked to the restroom at the end of the corridor, looked at his reflection in the mirror with a slightly red forehead, and slowly, a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He took out his phone and sent Bai Jingyou a message: "[It's done. Li Zifeng is out, retail business is secured.]"

A few seconds later, Bai Jingyou replied: [Congratulations, President Li. The real show is just beginning. That guarantee agreement has an expiration date. If Li's Group can't repay the money in a month, that guarantee company will become the largest creditor. At that time… the entire Li's Retail Group will truly belong to Bai.]

Li He stared at the screen, his eyes gleaming with greed.

He washed his face and straightened his tie. From this day forward, he was no longer the marginalized figure who could be bullied at will; he was the sole helmsman on this sinking giant ship. Although the ship was destined to sink, he would move all the treasure to his lifeboat before it sank.