31: Chapter 31 Bloodless Victory, the True Buddha Descends

In the outer courtyard of Yonglu, at the mahogany bar counter, the POS machine spat out a strip of white receipt, accompanied by a "zzzt" printing sound.

Shen Du took the pen handed over by the waiter.

His gaze didn't linger long on the total consumption amount of "2,000,000.00".

With two quick strokes, he signed his name.

Shen Du tucked his bank card back into the inner pocket of his suit.

Without saying much, he turned and walked out the main door.

At the bottom of the steps, a taxi had just pulled to a stop.

Shen Du opened the car door and sat in the back seat.

With a "bang," he closed the door.

He took out his paint-chipped Nokia and dialed Gong Jun's number with one hand.

"Prepare for the business handover in the New City District."

As soon as the call connected, Shen Du skipped the pleasantries and gave direct orders: "Set up the personnel framework for the New City District delivery outlets.

In a few days, someone will send over the transfer contract for the exclusive agency rights."

On the other end of the line.

Gong Jun, standing by a temporary shipping container in the Old City District, was shouting at workers to hang the Meituan station sign.

Hearing this instruction, he froze, his raised hand suspended in mid-air.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Gong Jun came back to his senses, his breathing a bit hurried.

The New City District market had just been snatched away by Wei Ziang with a heavy investment a few days ago.

How could it be that just as the shipping container landed here, the agency rights over there were about to change hands?

Gong Jun swallowed hard.

He covered the phone's microphone, walked to the corner of the shipping container, and lowered his voice: "Understood, Mr. Shen. I'll take people to prepare for the handover right away!"

"Also..."

Gong Jun paused, demonstrating his value: "The funds for acquiring the agency rights this time, as well as your expenses while out and about—just give me a rough figure, and I'll clear it directly from the district's accounts. No invoices or itemized lists needed."

In the back of the taxi.

Shen Du leaned against the seat back.

His thumb pressed the navigation key on the Nokia.

The screen switched to the dark interface of "Wenhua Finance".

The red K-line representing the main contract of zhengzhou cotton futures was climbing steeply upward.

Facing Gong Jun's fawning attempt to please him, Shen Du's eyes remained impassive.

"No need."

Shen Du's tone was flat as he rejected the proposal:

"Take care of your accounts.

When the time comes, just take people over to take over."

Shen Du pressed the end call button.

Without pausing, he slid his thumb over the keypad, brought up Red Phoenix's number, and dialed.

The call was answered after just one ring.

"Young Master Shen, what are your orders?" Red Phoenix's voice was filled with anticipation.

"You go in person and contact Qin Tiankuo."

Shen Du looked at the streetscape outside the car window and issued his instructions:

"As a third-party agent, cooperate with him to sign a transfer contract for the exclusive delivery agency rights in the New City District.

Don't worry about the process or details.

No matter how he operates, I just need you to bring back the stamped contract exactly as it is in the end."

On the other end of the line, Red Phoenix's breathing quickened slightly.

Being used as a white glove and directly intervening in a transaction of this level was a tremendous validation for her.

"Understood!" Red Phoenix's voice was crisp: "Leave it to me, I guarantee it will be handled cleanly."

Shen Du didn't take the bait on her display of loyalty.

His thumb pressed the red end call button.

"Click."

The screen went dark, and the phone was casually tossed back into his suit pocket.

The taxi accelerated and merged into the flow of traffic.

Three days later.

Below the male dormitory building of Huahai University of Finance and Economics, the roar of a hydraulic crane could be heard.

A heavy-duty tow truck with the word "Court" printed on it was hoisting up the Range Rover with the sequential license plate and securing it onto the towing platform.

On the concrete ground nearby, several red-and-white woven bags lay open.

They were stuffed with the limited-edition sneakers and haute couture suits that Wei Ziang usually flaunted.

The sleeves of a few garments dragged on the ground, stained with footprints.

Shen Du rested one hand on the rusty iron railing of the balcony, looking down from above at the liquidation below.

"Ruthless..."

His roommate, Chen Fei, holding a bowl of freshly made instant noodles, leaned over to the balcony edge.

Following Shen Du's gaze downward, he lowered his voice: "Reliable news from the counselor's office.

Wei Ziang processed his withdrawal this morning; he didn't even have time to pack his bedding before he vanished."

Chen Fei swallowed hard and turned to look at Shen Du: "I heard whispers in the circle.

His old man's most lucrative mines were swallowed up in one bite by Shanghai's Qin Industries in just these three short days."

"This isn't just bankruptcy; it's practically a total annihilation of the family."

Shen Du didn't respond.

He watched downstairs as several enforcement officers zipped up the woven bags and tossed them into the back of a pickup truck like trash.

Afterward, the heavy-duty tow truck flashed its warning lights, spewed a puff of black smoke, and slowly drove out of the tree-lined avenue.

Shen Du hadn't yet turned back to return to his dorm room.

The Nokia in his pocket vibrated again.

He took out the phone and pressed the answer button.

"Mr. Shen! That move of yours was brilliant!"

As soon as the call connected, Gong Jun's voice came through.

He wisely didn't pry into the events behind the transfer and directly reported loudly: "The transferred agency rights and leftover supplies have all been received by the company!"

"I guarantee you, by the end of this year, both the new and old districts will absolutely be able to achieve stable employment for six thousand people, maxing out the political achievements!"

Listening to the flattery on the other end of the line, there was no emotional fluctuation on Shen Du's face.

He didn't reciprocate, nor did he offer any face—he didn't even give a single "good."

"Click."

Shen Du pressed the end call button, cutting off the call.

He turned around, clutching the Nokia phone in his palm.

His gaze passed over the iron railing of the balcony, casting toward the gloomy northern sky.

He was waiting for a call from Beijing.

Beijing, Meituan Headquarters.

The night was deep, and the neon signs of the CBD cast shadows on the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Wang Xing sat behind a solid wood desk.

In his hand, he held the "Pudong New Area Business Handover Confirmation" that Gong Jun had encrypted and faxed over from Shanghai.

His gaze swept over the lines: "Amount used from company public accounts: 0 yuan" and "Original agent Wei Ziang completely cleared out."

The corner of his eye twitched twice.

"Didn't spend a cent of the company's money, yet swallowed up an upstart who threw millions in cash at it..."

Wang Xing swiveled his boss chair and slid toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking down at the Beijing night scene at his feet, he frowned.

Having struggled and climbed in the business world for so many years, he had seen dog-eat-dog scenarios.

But this kind of bloodless scheme still made him feel alarmed.

His fingers tapped on the leather armrest, making a dull "da-da" sound.

"This kind of method, the confidence to not even bother with the general company's accounting—how could he possibly be just an ordinary college student?"

Wang Xing muttered in a low voice.

His mind searched through the circle of the powerful and influential in the Yangtze River Delta.

"Shen Du... Shen..."

Suddenly, his fingers tapping on the armrest suspended in mid-air.

His pupils constricted slightly as he associated it with that peak in Shanghai that even Beijing families dared not easily probe.

The "Shen Family," whose entire clan was involved in politics.

"Snap!" Wang Xing slapped his thigh hard.

His furrowed brows relaxed, and he let out a self-deprecating laugh: "No wonder, it all makes sense now."

He turned his boss chair and locked the handover report into the highest-level confidential drawer.

The stone that had been pressing on his chest for months finally fell away.

"I was wondering why Meituan had been sailing so smoothly lately, with even those government offices in Shanghai giving the green light.

It turns out this person is the True Buddha."