Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

Chapter 628 Taking advantage of the situation

Just as Li Xiangyang was thinking of a solution, Wang Ergou knocked on the door and came in.

"Xiangyang, I just found out some more things," Wang Ergou said with a serious expression. "That Chen Jianshe went to Xinghua Food Factory in the next county this morning."

Li Xiangyang frowned: "What's he doing there?"

"I heard it's also about cooperation, and the terms they're offering are similar to ours—an order of 500,000 sets, 20% higher than the market price." Wang Ergou sat down. "I know Wang Xinghua, the owner of Xinghua Food Factory. He's a bit impulsive. If he gets fooled by this Chen Jianshe..."

"Looks like this guy's not just targeting us." Li Xiangyang sat down at his desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface. "These kinds of scammers usually cast a wide net, hitting multiple targets to increase their success rate."

Wang Ergou nodded: "So what do we do now? Expose him directly?"

Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "No, I have a better idea."

“What idea?”

“Since he wants to fish, let’s play along,” Li Xiangyang stood up. “But this time, we’ll be the fishermen.”

Seeing that Wang Ergou still seemed confused, Li Xiangyang continued to explain, "Think about it, Chen Jianshe definitely isn't acting alone; there must be a gang behind him. If we simply refuse to cooperate or report him to the police, at most we'll catch one person, but the others will continue to harm other businesses."

Wang Ergou suddenly realized: "You want to wipe out the entire fraud gang in one fell swoop?"

“That’s right.” Li Xiangyang picked up the teacup on the table and slowly took a sip. “However, this requires cooperation with law enforcement, and we need to make it look convincing so they don’t become suspicious.”

That afternoon, Li Xiangyang took the initiative to call Chen Jianshe.

"Mr. Chen, it's me, Li Xiangyang."

"Mr. Li!" Chen Jianshe's excited voice came from the other end of the phone. "What's your decision?"

"After careful calculation over the past two days, I feel that your company's terms are indeed very attractive," Li Xiangyang said, sounding somewhat excited. "We'll accept the order for 500,000 units."

"That's fantastic!" Chen Jianshe's voice was even more excited. "Mr. Li, you have such great vision!"

"However," Li Xiangyang changed the subject, "for such a large order, I need to understand the specific details of the cooperation. For example, the payment method and delivery deadline."

“Of course, of course,” Chen Jianshe said repeatedly. “How about this, I’ll come to your factory again tomorrow to discuss the details and finalize the contract.”

"Okay, then tomorrow morning at ten o'clock."

After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang immediately dialed the number of Captain Zhao from the county law enforcement bureau.

"Captain Zhao, this is Li Xiangyang... Yes, I want to report a fraud ring..."

The next morning, Chen Jianshe arrived as promised. This time he brought a beautifully bound contract that looked very formal.

"Mr. Li, this is the contract we prepared overnight," Chen Jianshe said, pushing the contract in front of Li Xiangyang. "Please take a look and see if there are any parts that need to be modified."

Li Xiangyang carefully reviewed the contract. On the surface, it did appear very formal, with all the necessary clauses. However, a closer look revealed a problem—the payment terms were vague, and the contract required Li Xiangyang to advance 30% of the raw material costs.

"Mr. Chen, I have some questions about this payment method," Li Xiangyang said, pointing to a clause in the contract. "Why do we need to pay for the raw materials upfront?"

Chen Jianshe, already prepared, explained with a smile, "Mr. Li, as you know, our order this time is very large, and the purchase of raw materials requires a significant amount of capital. The company's financial system is quite strict; we need to see the supplier's sincerity before approving payment."

"I see..." Li Xiangyang pretended to be deep in thought. "Then how much do I need to pay upfront?"

"Not much, 150,000 will be enough," Chen Jianshe said casually. "Once the first batch of goods is delivered and passes inspection, this payment will be settled with you along with the payment for the first batch."

150,000! Li Xiangyang sneered inwardly; this swindler really had a big appetite.

“Mr. Chen, 150,000 is no small sum. I need to go back and discuss it with my partners.” Li Xiangyang pretended to be in a difficult position.

“I understand, I understand,” Chen Jianshe nodded repeatedly. “However, Mr. Li, I hope you can make a decision as soon as possible. Our clients are pressing us for a decision, and if we can't reach an agreement in the next couple of days, we may have to consider other suppliers.”

This was a form of pressure. Li Xiangyang secretly noted this detail.

"Okay, I'll give you an answer tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news."

After seeing Chen Jianshe off, Li Xiangyang immediately contacted Captain Zhao to report Chen Jianshe's latest whereabouts.

"They were caught red-handed," Captain Zhao said on the phone. "Demanding advance payment for raw materials is a typical scam. Mr. Li, please continue to cooperate; we've already begun the setup."

The following afternoon, Li Xiangyang called Chen Jianshe at the agreed time.

"Mr. Chen, I've discussed it with my partner, and we can accept a prepayment of 150,000."

"Great!" Chen Jianshe's voice was clearly excited. "So when do we sign the contract?"

“It can be done this afternoon,” Li Xiangyang said. “But I have a small request.”

“You say.”

"I'd like to meet your boss; after all, this is such a large order, and I'd like to understand your company's capabilities."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone before Chen Jianshe said, "Our boss doesn't usually meet with clients easily, but since Mr. Li is so sincere, I can make arrangements."

"That's great."

"How about this, tonight at seven o'clock, in a private room at the Jindu Hotel, I'll take my boss there," Chen Jianshe said. "We'll discuss things in detail then."

After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang immediately contacted Captain Zhao and told him the time and place of the meeting.

“Very good, we have already deployed manpower around the Jindu Hotel,” Captain Zhao said. “Mr. Li, tonight you just need to follow the plan, and leave the rest to us.”

At 7 p.m. sharp, Li Xiangyang arrived at the private room of the Jindu Hotel. Chen Jianshe was already there, accompanied by a middle-aged man in his fifties who looked quite imposing.

"Mr. Li, let me introduce you. This is our company's chairman, Mr. Zhang," Chen Jianshe said, standing up.

"Mr. Zhang, I've heard so much about you!" Li Xiangyang extended his hand proactively.

"Mr. Li, you're too kind." Mr. Zhang shook hands. "I heard from Jianshe that you're very interested in our cooperation?"

“Yes, but before signing the contract, I’d like to learn more about your company.” Li Xiangyang sat down. “After all, an order for 500,000 units is no small amount.”

Mr. Zhang nodded: "I understand. Mr. Li is very cautious, that's good. So, what would you like to know?"

Li Xiangyang pretended to consider it seriously: "For example, what are your company's sales channels in Southeast Asia? Who are your main customer groups?"

Mr. Zhang and Mr. Chen exchanged a glance. Mr. Zhang then said, "We have established partners in Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Our main clients are large local supermarket chains and wholesalers."

It sounded very professional, but Li Xiangyang knew it was all made up on the spot.