The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

The departure dinner, three days later, was arranged at an old restaurant that had been open for over ten years on the outskirts of Hohai City. The courtyard was spacious with parking, and we could reserve the entire backyard to talk behind closed doors—open yet private.

When Lin Feng arrived, everyone at both tables was already seated.

Kui Zi stood at the gate to greet him, with nine men standing in a row behind him. They all had short haircuts, broad shoulders and narrow waists, and even sitting there, they exuded the upright and sturdy air that had been honed on the training ground.

Upon seeing Lin Feng enter, more than a dozen pairs of eyes swept over him. They weren't slick or worldly; instead, they exuded the capable air of someone who had served in the military.

"Brother Lin." Kui Zi took half a step forward to greet him, his voice low. "I picked four of them from my old comrades in the Special Operations Brigade. They're tight-lipped, steady, and have a good fist and feet. The other five were recruited by Brother Biao from the reconnaissance company. They used to do fieldwork and have a natural talent for gathering information and getting to the bottom of things."

Lin Feng nodded, lifted the curtain, and walked inside.

Brother Biao, sitting at the head table, saw him jump up with a "whoosh," and said in a loud voice, suppressing a laugh, "President Lin has finally arrived!"

Everyone in the room stood up with a "whoosh." Lin Feng raised his hand and gestured for everyone to sit down. He then sat down in the main seat, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and got straight to the point.

"I've gathered everyone here, and I have only one message: Go to Cangzhou, go back to our old ways, and get a feel for things first."

He tapped his finger lightly on the table, speaking slowly, "Brother Biao leads his brothers to open a mahjong parlor, and Kui leads his brothers to open a billiards hall. They should run it however they want, get all the licenses and permits, pay all the taxes, and do legitimate business. Privately, they should find out who the local bigwigs are, who the rules are, and who the big and small forces are—who's influential on the streets, who's backing them, and who owns which venue. The more detailed the information, the better."

"Double your salary, and each person will receive an initial settlement allowance of 20,000 yuan. If you handle things well, you'll receive an even bigger reward upon your return."

After he finished speaking, no one at the table uttered a sound; they all stared at him. Those who had served in the military knew that money mattered, but people mattered even more. Whether someone was worth risking their life for could be determined by looking at the leader.

Brother Biao picked up his beer glass first, filling it to the brim, foam dripping down the side: "Whatever Boss Lin says, the brothers will do. Just getting a feel for things, a piece of cake."

"Cheers!" A dozen cups collided together, making a series of crisp sounds.

Lin Feng didn't drink alcohol, but only touched his lips with his teacup. His gaze swept over the tense jaws of everyone in the room, and he felt reassured.

These people are the wedges driven into the ground of Cangzhou. Ye Qinghan is about to take up her post as the municipal party secretary. The local economy is in a mess, the water is murky, and the local tyrants are deeply entrenched. He must lay the net in advance and not let her plunge into the mud alone.

By the time the meal was nearly over, everything that needed to be explained had been thoroughly discussed.

Brother Biao led a group of people away early the next morning, first going to the old town to find shops and take advantage of the local streets. Kui Zi set off a day later to connect with the local freight circle and set up a billiard hall next to the bus station, where people come and go and information is readily available.

The two groups went their separate ways, avoiding any grouping or lateral communication, each doing their own thing and reporting directly to Lin Feng.

On the third day, Lin Feng carried a carry-on suitcase and took the high-speed train to Cangzhou.

The journey from Hehai to Cangzhou takes an hour and a half by car. The scenery outside the car window gradually fades away from the bustling city: the sprawling industrial parks slowly disperse, turning into flat wheat fields, and further on, low hills rise and fall, with villages with gray tiles and earthen walls scattered in the valleys, as if forgotten in time.

Lin Feng leaned against the car window, his fingers gently tapping on the glass.

He had done his homework on Cangzhou well in advance.

Jiangbei Province's southeastern part is a long-standing problem, with its economy consistently ranking near the bottom of the province. Seventy percent of the area is hilly, with fragmented arable land and a weak industrial base. The city proper has only a few old canneries and tea factories, dating back to the 1970s and 80s, barely surviving.

Young people flock to the river and sea, and the provincial capital, leaving behind mostly the elderly and children. The transportation is even worse; there is only one national highway running through the city, and the roads leading to the towns and villages below are full of potholes. On sunny days, you're covered in dust, and on rainy days, you're covered in mud. Many remote villages are so difficult for logistics companies to access.

A poor economy and remote transportation naturally create blind spots in management.

Underground forces take root and flourish in these lawless gaps, with prostitution, gambling, and drugs growing alongside them. Successive municipal party secretaries have tried to crack down hard, but each time it's like punching a soft, yielding ball—powerless and ineffective. The network of relationships is too deep; pulling one thread affects the whole system.

For Ye Qinghan to come over would be like barging into a hornet's nest with his bare hands.

Lin Feng couldn't let her shoulder the burden alone.

The high-speed train slowly pulled into the station, and Lin Feng stood up carrying his suitcase.

Cangzhou High-Speed ​​Railway Station is small, with only one exit. The tiled floor is worn black, and taxis are crowded together in the square outside. Drivers crane their necks to call for passengers, and the smell of smoke mixed with dust can be smelled even through the glass.

He didn't take one of those taxis that solicit passengers; the branch office had rented a Passat in advance, and the driver was already waiting by the roadside.

"Mr. Lin, shall we go to the municipal government first?"

"Okay." Lin Feng got into the back seat, and the car drove away from the square, heading forward along the main road.

The street is not wide, and most of the buildings on both sides are old buildings of five or six stories, with peeling paint on the walls, revealing the red bricks underneath.

There weren't many cars on the road, but electric bikes and tricycles darted around. Both traffic lights at the intersection were off, and no one seemed to be fixing them. About half of the shops along the street were closed, their shutters pulled all the way down, with crooked white "For Rent" signs pasted on them.

A sense of desolation hits you right away.

The car drove to the entrance of the municipal government building. The courtyard was not large, and the office buildings inside were old-fashioned gray brick buildings with old-fashioned steel frames and rusty windows.

Mayor Liu's secretary was already waiting at the bottom of the steps. Seeing Lin Feng get out of the car, he quickly came forward to shake hands, his face beaming with enthusiasm: "Hello, Mr. Lin! Mayor Liu has been waiting for you in his office for ages!"

Following the secretary inside, the stair railings were worn smooth, the corridor was piled with old filing cabinets, and the air was filled with the smell of stale tea and old paper.

Mayor Liu's office was on the third floor, at the very back. It wasn't big; the desk took up almost half the space. Behind him stood a man in his fifties, with graying temples, wearing a faded blue shirt. His face bore the weariness of years of worry. When he saw Lin Feng enter, he immediately strode forward, his hand outstretched.

"Comrade Lin Feng, welcome, welcome! Shuke New Energy is a star enterprise in our Jiangbei Province. On behalf of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, I warmly welcome your investment to Cangzhou!"

The two sat down on the sofa, and the secretary made tea and left.

After a few polite words, Lin Feng got straight to the point: "Mayor Liu, the main reason for our visit is to assess the feasibility of establishing a new energy market in Cangzhou. Shuke plans to build a branch here, establish primary sales outlets, and build a supporting after-sales service and maintenance center. We'll initially invest over 20 million yuan to test the waters. If the market feedback is positive, we can increase investment later to build energy storage power stations."

Twenty million yuan might not seem like much elsewhere, but in Cangzhou, it's a truly massive project. Mayor Liu's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward almost entirely: "Oh, that's wonderful! To be honest, Mr. Lin, what Cangzhou really needs right now is for powerful and technologically advanced companies like yours to come and drive the economy."

He sighed, his tone tinged with an unyielding helplessness: "You've seen it all along the way. Our place is remote and poor. Hills make up most of it, the farmland is fragmented, and we have no industrial base. There are only a few canneries and tea factories, which are decades old and barely surviving. Young people all leave, and we can't retain them. Transportation is even worse. There's only one national highway in the whole city, and the roads from the towns to the villages are even more difficult to travel. Many villages are hidden in the mountains, and logistics companies don't want to go there."

Lin Feng listened attentively, his mind confirming the information he had prepared in advance.

"Then the pressure on grassroots management must be considerable, right?" He casually remarked, taking a sip of his tea. "The areas are scattered, and the staff turnover is high. There are many remote and peripheral areas that are difficult to cover with supervision."

Mayor Liu gave a wry smile and shook his head: "It's more than just difficult. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. Many remote villages are only visited by township officials once every six months. In some places, idle people form gangs and engage in borderline businesses. We want to manage them, but we have few people and the territory is large, so we can't cover everything."

At this point, as if unwilling to dwell on these unpleasant matters, he steered the conversation back to the topic: "President Lin, don't worry. If you come here to set up a branch office, the business and tax authorities will give you the green light all the way, priority approval for the site, and the highest tax rates in the province! As long as it can be established and create jobs, everything is negotiable."

Lin Feng smiled and put down his teacup: "Mayor Liu, you're too kind. I'm well aware of the investment. I'll have my team contact you regarding the specific details."

He may spout platitudes about business etiquette, but he knows exactly what's going on in his mind.

Large blind spots in management create fertile ground for underground forces to thrive; the worse the economy, the easier it is for people to be manipulated by money. This place is a quagmire, and if Ye Qinghan wants to make a name for himself here and take away other people's interests, he will have a tough battle to fight.

But it doesn't matter. She goes her official path, openly and honestly promoting government affairs, while he goes his business path, secretly plotting and gathering information.

Two lines, one bright and one dark, slowly waded through this murky water to clear it up.

After chatting for nearly an hour, Lin Feng got up to take his leave. Mayor Liu personally saw him off downstairs, holding his hand and repeatedly saying, "Please take good care of me and keep in touch," as if afraid that the investment that was about to be secured would slip away.

Lin Feng nodded in agreement, got into the car, and slowly drove out of the municipal government compound. He leaned back in the back seat, his gaze sweeping over the dusty streets outside the window, and took out his phone.

Two unread messages arrived, one after the other.

Kui Zi: "We've taken over the shop. It's located next to the bus station in the old town, a good location."

Brother Biao: [Photo of the entrance to the mahjong parlor] Everything is in order.

Lin Feng typed two words on the screen: "Prioritize stability."

After sending the message, he put his phone back in his pocket, looked out the window at the low-rise shops passing by, and pursed his lips slightly.

The nails are all driven in.

Next, we should slowly figure out how many hidden currents are lurking in the waters of Cangzhou.