Chapter 76: Compensation at Cost

Chang Rui and Chang Dashan exchanged a glance, both realizing the severity of the situation.

"Chairman, General Manager, everything I'm saying is true. The cargo worker from Yenan Wharf is right outside. You can call him in and ask him about the situation yourself."

"Bring him in, quickly!" Chang Dashan said, trembling with anxiety.

Soon, the assistant brought the soaking wet worker into the office, water dripping from him all over the floor.

"What exactly happened at Yenan Wharf?"

The dock worker cried, "Chairman, our timber had just been loaded onto the Yamei Group's ship when a cargo ship from Zhengxin Shipyard ignored the warning whistles, plowed through the wharf, and rammed the Yamei Group's vessel, capsizing it."

"And... and the timber? Speak!"

"With the help of several workers and two cranes, we managed to salvage some of the timber, but half of it has already soaked up water and is damp."

"How much did you salvage?"

"About one-fifth."

Smash!

Chang Dashan was so furious he smashed the water cup in his hand onto the floor.

Seeing this, the female assistant signaled for the cargo worker to leave.

"How the hell is that Zhengxin Shipyard ship being operated? Are the people in the engine room blind? Are the sailors on board blind too? Damn it!"

Chang Dashan's eyes were bloodshot as he roared hysterically.

"Father, please calm down. It's not good for your health to get this worked up." Chang Rui quickly stepped forward to comfort him.

"Chairman, according to our people, there wasn't a single sailor on the deck of that Zhengxin Shipyard cargo ship. It was as if it had been planned; they didn't hit any other ships, only the one loaded with our cargo."

The female secretary's words were undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. Chang Dashan stood up from his seat, every hair on his face standing on end, looking terrifying.

"Alright, alright, you go out first." Chang Rui waved his hand at the female assistant, signaling her to leave.

"Father, if this was premeditated by Zhengxin Shipyard, then this is clearly aimed at us!" Chang Rui was also furious.

"Fine, fine. Zheng Qian, that kid, really has guts to pull something like this."

"Let's go. Come with me to find that kid. I'm going to ask him face-to-face what exactly he's trying to do!"

Zhengxin Shipyard.

Chang Dashan, accompanied by Chang Rui, arrived at Zhengxin in a rage, determined to hold Zheng Qian accountable.

"Apologies, gentlemen, but our President Zheng is not in the office right now." As the fourth highest-ranking person in the company, Li Tao received Chang Dashan and Chang Rui.

"Where is Zheng Qian? Where did he go?"

"Our President Zheng went to discuss business. He left this afternoon," Li Tao replied with a smile.

"Who the hell are you? Get someone in charge out here!" Chang Rui said loudly, so that almost everyone nearby could hear.

His father was the Chairman of Dafu Timber, and he was the General Manager. With the number one and number two figures of a medium-sized enterprise present, the least they could do was send someone of equal status.

"President Chang, I am the Business Director and Business Department Manager of Zhengxin Shipyard. Aside from President Chen, President Liu, and President Zheng, my position is the highest."

"Is there something you need to discuss with President Zheng? Let's go to the conference room to talk."

"Cut the crap!" Chang Dashan barked angrily.

"After such a major incident, Zheng Qian still has the nerve to go discuss business? He's got some nerve!"

Li Tao put on a puzzled expression. "President Chang, what major incident are you referring to?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You know about the incident at Yenan Wharf, don't you?" Chang Rui demanded.

"Oh, that. I am aware of that. Actually, President Zheng anticipated that your company would send someone, but he didn't expect both of you to come in person. We are truly honored."

"Gentlemen, please calm down. The incident at Yenan Wharf was just an accident. President Zheng has indicated that he is willing to bear all the salvage costs for the timber that sank into the Ye River. If you prefer not to salvage it, we can also compensate your company in cash. We will pay for all the sunken timber at market value."

Chang Dashan was stunned. "Is this what President Zheng intends?"

Li Tao nodded. "President Zheng also said that he is quite busy during this period and cannot come in person to apologize. If you happen to see President Hu of Yamei Group, please convey a message for us: our company is also willing to bear all the salvage and repair costs for that cargo ship."

At this moment, Li Tao glanced at his watch.

"It's almost 6:30, time to get off work. Gentlemen, I'm going to clock out now. Please see yourselves out." After issuing the dismissal, Li Tao went to line up to clock out.

The father and son of the Chang family walked out of the Zhengxin company, completely bewildered.

"Dad, what exactly is this kid trying to do? I'm a bit lost here," Chang Rui said, looking confused.

Chang Dashan couldn't figure it out for a moment either.

Suppressing the anger in his heart and analyzing it calmly, Chang Dashan finally understood what was going on.

"You idiot!"

Chang Dashan cursed outright.

He had been so blinded by anger that he had forgotten the current state of the company; it was no longer the Dafu Timber of the past.

The only reason Dafu Timber was currently operating normally and not plagued by financial issues was because they had taken out a high-interest private loan for six months, promising high interest rates.

He had rushed to take on several orders from the island nation, with the goal of quickly restoring the company to self-sufficiency, repaying the private loan within six months, and avoiding overdue payments and the high interest that would come with it.

The reason Zheng Qian rammed the Yamei Group's cargo ship wasn't to target Yamei Group, but to target Dafu Timber.

Chang Dashan was certain that even if they hadn't been loading their cargo at Yenan Wharf today, but at Yebei Pier instead, they would still have been hit.

The goal was to stall Dafu Timber's exports.

Zheng Qian, that kid, must have found out about Dafu Timber's current situation from somewhere and learned about their private loan.

As long as Dafu Timber's profits weren't enough to repay the private loan within six months, they would go completely bankrupt and collapse without a fight.

After listening to Chang Dashan's analysis, Chang Rui finally realized what was happening.

"That kid is too devious!"

"Heh, that's actually normal. He hasn't even played his dirtier tricks on you yet," Chang Dashan snorted coldly. "If I were in Zheng Qian's position, I wouldn't care about anything—I'd just seize your cargo and block you for two or three months."

"Father, what should we do now?"

Being anxious now was useless. Chang Dashan's priority was to find Hu Yuebin and inform him of the situation.

Zheng Qian had played a trump card; they needed to gather and discuss how to respond.

"You go back first. I've already called Hu Yuebin, and I'm heading over to his place now."

After saying this, Chang Dashan arrived at Yamei Group.

Upon sitting down in the conference room, he saw the visibly anxious President Ma Wencheng.