OBS Chapter 627 does indeed have problems.
Chapter 627 does indeed have problems.
"It's hard to say." Li Xiangyang frowned. "This person speaks very tactfully, but something about him just doesn't feel right to me."
"Something's not right?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it, it's just a feeling." Li Xiangyang paced back and forth in his office. "An order for 500,000 units, 20% above market price—how did we end up with such a great deal?"
Wang Ergou thought for a moment and said, "How about I go and find out more about this Huayuan Trading Company?"
“Good idea,” Li Xiangyang nodded. “But be careful not to let anyone find out.”
That evening, Li Xiangyang returned home to find Li Xiaoyun busy in the kitchen.
"You're back? Why are you so late today?" Li Xiaoyun asked while cooking.
"About the factory." Li Xiangyang walked to the kitchen doorway, watching his wife's busy figure, a warmth filling his heart. "Oh, by the way, Liu Sandao was arrested."
Li Xiaoyun paused in her work: "Really?"
“It’s true, he was arrested in the provincial capital yesterday, and he’s already been brought back to the county,” Li Xiangyang said. “Now you can rest assured.”
"That's good." Li Xiaoyun breathed a sigh of relief. "I've been worried he'd retaliate these past few days."
During the meal, Li Xiangyang told Li Xiaoyun about the Huayuan Trading Company.
"Five hundred thousand sets?" Li Xiaoyun put down her chopsticks. "Can we handle such a large order?"
“Technically speaking, it’s possible, but it would require working overtime,” Li Xiangyang said. “The key issue is that I always feel there’s something fishy about this.”
Li Xiaoyun thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you ask Ma Laosan? He's been in business for so many years, he has a sharp eye."
“That’s one way.” Li Xiangyang nodded.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang drove to Ma Laosan's timber factory.
Over the years, Ma Laosan's business has grown bigger and bigger, and his factories have expanded from two to four, employing more than a hundred workers. Upon seeing Li Xiangyang's visit, Ma Laosan quickly put down his work and invited him into his office.
"Xiangyang, what brings you here?" Old Ma chuckled as he poured tea. "I heard that Liu Sandao got into trouble?"
"The news travels fast." Li Xiangyang took the teacup. "Brother Ma, I came today to ask you about something."
"What is it? Tell me."
Li Xiangyang briefly explained the situation at Huayuan Trading Company, and Ma Laosan frowned after listening.
"Huayuan Trading?" Ma Laosan searched his memory. "I've never heard of this company, but an order for 500,000 sets is indeed quite large."
Do you think there's a problem?
Old Ma lit a cigarette and took a deep drag: "Xiangyang, in all my years in business, I've seen too many swindlers. Remember this rule—there's no such thing as a free lunch, especially with a factory like yours that's already somewhat well-known. If a strange customer suddenly wants to place a big order, nine times out of ten it's something fishy."
“That’s what I thought too,” Li Xiangyang said. “So I wanted Er Gou to find out more about them.”
“Just asking around isn’t enough,” Ma Laosan shook his head. “I know a friend in the provincial capital who’s in the trading business, named Zhao Desheng. He’s been in the industry for over ten years and has excellent connections. Want me to help you get in touch?”
"That's great!" Li Xiangyang nodded quickly. "Thank you, Brother Ma."
"Don't mention it, we're old friends." Ma Laosan picked up the phone and started dialing. "Desheng? This is Lao Ma... Yes, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with..."
The phone call lasted for more than ten minutes. After hanging up, Ma Laosan said to Li Xiangyang, "Desheng agreed to help you investigate. We should have news by tomorrow at the latest."
"Thank you, Brother Ma."
"However, Desheng pointed out a warning—recently, many fraudulent companies have emerged in the provincial capital, specifically targeting small and medium-sized enterprises of a certain size." Ma Laosan's expression turned serious. "Their usual tactic is to lure you in with large orders first, and then slowly tighten the net once you're hooked."
Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat: "Closing the net?"
"For example, they might ask you to pay for raw materials upfront, or require you to invest in equipment to expand production capacity. They'll find ways to get you to hand over your money," Ma Laosan continued. "Once you've invested, they'll vanish without a trace."
Hearing this, Li Xiangyang became even more certain that Huayuan Trading Company was problematic.
When he returned to the factory, Wang Ergou was already waiting for him.
"So? Did you find out anything?" Li Xiangyang asked.
“I’ve found out some things.” Wang Ergou pulled out a small notebook. “Huayuan Trading Company does exist; its registered address is in a commercial building in the provincial capital. However, I contacted several friends in the provincial capital, and they all said they’d never heard of this company.”
"anything else?"
"And then there's Chen Jianshe from yesterday. I had someone inquire around the hotel area, and he's indeed staying at the best hotel in the county, and he's very generous," Wang Ergou flipped through his notebook. "But there's a strange detail."
"What details?"
"The hotel staff said Chen Jianshe had very little luggage, just a small bag, which didn't seem like he was there to discuss a big business deal," Wang Ergou said. "And the car he was driving was rented; the rental company said he'd only rented it for three days."
After listening, Li Xiangyang became even more certain of his judgment. How could a client who genuinely wanted to secure an order for 500,000 units only bring a small bag and rent a car for just three days?
“It seems this Chen Jianshe does indeed have a problem,” Li Xiangyang said. “However, we can’t alert him yet; let’s continue our investigation.”
In the afternoon, Ma Laosan called.
"Xiangyang, there's news from Desheng." Ma Laosan's voice sounded somewhat grave. "Huayuan Trading Company definitely has problems."
"what is the problem?"
"This company was only registered two months ago. Although the registered capital is considerable, it's all fictitious," Ma Laosan said. "Desheng had someone check their bank account, and there were only tens of thousands of yuan in it."
Li Xiangyang's heart sank: "Is there more?"
"And then there's Chen Jianshe. Desheng checked his ID, and it's genuine. But this guy has done similar things several times before in the provincial capital, specifically swindling money from small and medium-sized enterprises." Ma Laosan's tone became even more serious. "Desheng said this guy has swindled at least seven or eight companies, involving millions of yuan."
"What are their tactics?"
"The scheme is simple: first, they lure you in with large orders, then they demand the company advance various expenses, such as raw material costs, transportation fees, and security deposits," Ma Laosan said. "Once they get the money, they run away."
After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang paced back and forth in his office.
He is indeed a liar!
The question now is, how should we handle this? Should we directly refuse to cooperate? Or should we turn the tables and let this swindler walk right into our trap?