Chapter 466: Counterattack

Chapter 466: Counterattack

Ye Changning returned to Beijing, where several of Ningyuan Company's factories were still shut down.

Ye Changning first held a meeting to calm everyone down, then he contacted the contact Ye Xiao Xiao had given him.

Zhang Fengran, the director of the industrial and commercial department, had been one of Ye Xiao Xiao's patients.

Xiao Xiao had already tipped him off, so Zhang Fengran wasn’t surprised by Ye Changning’s call. He even went so far as to invite Ye Changning to his home for a detailed discussion.

Normally, Zhang Fengran wouldn’t invite a junior with whom he had no close relationship to his home.

But since Ye Xiao Xiao was making the introduction, Zhang Fengran could tell that Ye Changning and Dr. Ye had an unusual relationship.

Moreover, he was already tracking Ningyuan Company’s situation. There was no major issue—it was just that the company had become a juicy target.

Ye Changning went to the meeting with his assistant.

On the way, Hu Yajun, who was driving, asked, “President Ye, how’d you get to Director Zhang?”

Previously, Ningyuan Company had tried multiple times to reach out to Zhang Fengran through intermediaries but failed to establish a connection.

Now, as soon as President Ye returned, Zhang Fengran’s attitude did a 180, which seemed unbelievable.

Ye Changning leaned back in his seat. “I don’t know him. This is our first meeting.”

Ye Changning was also surprised that Director Zhang had invited him directly to his home. He had expected a restaurant meeting, as visiting someone’s residence could be inconvenient and risk drawing unwanted attention from paparazzi.

Ye Changning was ready. Depending on Zhang Fengran’s attitude, he would decide whether to pull out what he’d brought.

Outwardly, the two of them arrived with just two bottles of wine.

When they reached Zhang Fengran’s home, the director saw the bottles in Ye’s hands and spoke before Ye Changning could say anything:

“You didn’t need to bring anything when visiting my home. Please take these back with you later.”

Zhang Fengran’s words were clearly meant to avoid any bad optics.

Ye Changning stepped forward and explained, “It’s only polite to bring something when visiting for a meal. Why don’t we open this wine today and share a drink with you, Director Zhang?”

Zhang Fengran smiled. “Just this once, then. I’ll accept the wine. Please, have a seat.”

The housekeeper came over to serve tea to the guests.

Once everyone was seated, Zhang Fengran jumped right to the matter concerning Ningyuan Company.

“It’s not that our department is deliberately making things difficult. Someone reported the issue to higher-ups, so we had to conduct additional inspections.”

Even if the factories had no problems, such frequent inspections would inevitably disrupt operations.

And when it came to reports, sometimes it was just a matter of a single word from certain influential individuals.

Ye Changning was no longer a wet-behind-the-ears kid. Hearing Zhang Fengran’s words, he responded politely, “Ningyuan has always complied with laws and regulations—we’re clean. But these disruptions are hurting our business operations.”

Zhang Fengran laid it out, “Dr. Ye already reached out to me in advance, so I’ll be direct. As long as Ningyuan Company’s production remains fully compliant, we’ll back off.”

That assurance was all Ye Changning needed.

Zhang Fengran invited Ye Changning to stay for a meal before walking him out.

All in all, things went smoothly.

Assistant Hu was finally convinced that this meeting was truly arranged out of respect for Ye Xiaoxiao.

Who knew the boss’s sister had that kind of pull?

Just as Ye Changning returned to the company, he received a call from Han Xing.

Han Xing made his purpose clear—he was here to back Ye Changning up.

"What do you say, President Ye? I can swing by your office."

Ye Changning had never met Han Xing before, but the latter was a friend of Lu Hanchuan.

No way he’d turn down a useful contact like this, so Ye Changning prepared a meeting room and awaited his arrival.

Han Xing arrived quickly, heading straight to Ye Changning’s office.

He came prepared—he had already investigated who was targeting Ningyuan Group.

Surprisingly, the Di family had their fingers in this too.

"The Di family has overreached this time. Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine."

Han Xing had no love for the Di family, especially Di Yu, who relied on his family’s influence to stir up trouble everywhere.

Ye Changning wasn’t plugged into the capital’s scene, so this matter had to be handled by Han Xing.

Han Xing took the initiative, saying, "I’ve got this. You just need to cooperate."

Ye Changning shook his hand. "Done."

They were on the same page and decided to join forces against those targeting Ningyuan Group.

Di Yu had originally been doing business with a group of young peers. The capital’s business scene was cutthroat—in previous years, when the market was booming, some had shot straight to the top.

But in recent years, with too many people eyeing the same opportunities, making a profit had become much harder.

Desperate to make a name for himself, Di Yu teamed up with a group of rich kids in the capital and started playing dirty.

Though Ningyuan Group was strong, Di Yu’s investigation revealed it lacked powerful backing.

Thus, Ningyuan Group looked like low-hanging fruit—a company ripe for the picking.

Di Yu’s plan was simple: by continuously suppressing Ningyuan Group, they could eventually acquire it at a bargain price.

Great in theory, brutal in practice.

Di Yu hadn’t counted on Ningyuan Group having so many connections.

But he soon found out.

No silver lining—instead, his own company faced a financial crisis.

Deals fell through left and right, funds couldn’t be recovered, their cash flow dried up, and even the banks started raising issues.

Di Yu was clueless about where things went south. This playbook had worked before—why the sudden flop?

Thanks to his family’s safety net, Di Yu kept his cool, but his buddies were freaking out.

"Di Yu, what the hell is going on? Those people were all your friends, and now they're backing out of contracts just like that. They're totally unreliable."

Di Yu was naturally furious too, but he couldn't figure out what was happening at the moment.

"Don't panic. I'm on it."

Yet after saying this, several more days passed, and Di Yu's company was on the verge of complete collapse.

Only then did he finally discover who was sabotaging him behind the scenes.

Upon learning that Han Xing was involved, Di Yu went ballistic to confront him.

"Han Xing, what's your problem? I never provoked you. Why are you screwing me over like this?"

Di Yu arranged to meet Han Xing and immediately lit into him the moment he entered the room.

Han Xing, sitting calmly in the private booth, replied, "Di Yu, nothing personal, man. But you had this coming by messing with Bro Lu."

Di Yu frowned. "Lu Hanchuan? What does he have to do with this?"

Di Yu genuinely didn't dare to oppose Lu Hanchuan—not only was his family background formidable, but he also held real power in the military. The two of them didn't even compare.

But Di Yu couldn't for the life of him figure out where he had crossed Lu Hanchuan to provoke such retaliation.

Han Xing wasn't about to explain further. Though Di Yu came from a prominent background, he was still small fry compared to them.

There had been no conflicts of interest before, but now that their paths had crossed, Di Yu was left with no choice but to take the L.