Chapter 117: The Great Earthquake

The arrival of Qiangzi and Haozi led to an unexpected discovery by Tan Xue: Chu Dong’s memory had returned without a sound, though he had forgotten everything that happened after landing in Dandong.

Luo Feiyu was present, and while she no longer had any interest in Chu Dong's ordeal at sea, she was quite curious about what had transpired in that small cabin. To her surprise, he had forgotten that as well.

Qiangzi and Haozi looked at each other in confusion. Finally, Qiangzi couldn't help but ask Tan Xue, "Sister-in-law, what’s going on?"

Tan Xue gladly accepted the title of "sister-in-law" this time, though she was somewhat annoyed by Chu Dong’s constant malfunctions. "Brother Dong short-circuited again. Have you two eaten?"

"Not yet. See, sister-in-law is so thoughtful," Haozi said, beaming.

"If you haven't eaten, go home and eat," Tan Xue said, sitting beside Chu Dong. "I don't have the energy to host you."

"What?" Haozi, having misread the situation, looked at Chu Dong with a tragic expression. "Brother Dong, we traveled all this way to see you, and sister-in-law won't even feed us? What do you say to that?"

"Go home and eat. Is that so hard?" Chu Dong, propped up in a semi-reclining position, answered quite bluntly.

"Qiangzi, didn't you bring the liquor?" Haozi felt deeply insulted and turned back to find Qiangzi.

"Oh, right, I did. Why?" Qiangzi, who had been suppressing a smile, turned around with an innocent look.

"What do you mean 'why'? We can't even get a meal, and you're not going to take the liquor back?" Haozi was determined to recoup his losses.

"Are you talking about those two cases of Jin Jiannan?" Tan Xue clapped her hands proudly and smiled at Chu Dong as if seeking credit. "I’ve already locked them in the storeroom."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Brother Dong, how did you know something would happen these past few days?" Qiangzi sat down on a round stool. "Weren't you acting like a fool?"

"Go away, that’s called temporary amnesia. You think Brother Dong is like you?" Haozi retorted.

"Tell you what, I just had a feeling something was going to go down," Chu Dong said, his speech still slightly slurred but understandable.

"Hongfa Industrial is in trouble. You know them—they dominated many industries in the north. Word is that several top executives have been taken in for questioning over the last two days. Rumor has it they’re involved in a massive smuggling case. Not sure if it's true, though." Qiangzi’s family owned an advertising agency with ties to most major local enterprises, so he was usually well-informed about the slightest shifts in the wind.

"Oh, them. Not bad. 'Killing a rabbit while raking grass'—at least the effort wasn't in vain," Chu Dong would have roared with laughter if his injuries hadn't been so severe.

"What’s going on? You know the inside story?" Qiangzi was particularly keen on gossip.

"We'll talk about it when there's a chance. You two head back for now. If anything comes up, call your sister-in-law and let her know; it’s inconvenient for me to take calls. Once I'm better, we'll drink together." Chu Dong found talking exhausting and lost interest in continuing.

After they left, Chu Dong asked Tan Xue to play the news for him. Watching TV was difficult with his body restrained and uncomfortable, so the radio was a better option. Unfortunately, there was no news about Hongfa Industrial on the radio.

Just because Chu Dong hadn't heard the news didn't mean it wasn't happening. Over those two days, the city had been rocked by a catastrophe.

Hongfa Industrial was a star enterprise in the city—perhaps not its backbone, but its annual tax contributions were staggering. Such enterprises were usually protected. But now, being implicated in a massive smuggling case was a different matter entirely. The web of interests involved was vast, affecting not only the city's GDP growth but also the career paths of several officials.

The public security department first held internal discussions before reporting the matter level by level, fearing that missing any protocol might cause trouble—a common practice now. However, the case was far too large to cover up. According to the inventory list submitted, the smuggled vehicles were all high-end luxury models, and the cargo ships were loaded to capacity. The total value of the smuggling reached hundreds of millions, with over a hundred million in evaded taxes.

This was the largest smuggling case unearthed since the Lai Changxing scandal in Xiamen. Who would dare to hide it? Who would risk their head to act as a shield? Moreover, everyone adopted a "not my business" attitude. Thus, the report reached the Municipal Committee.

When the municipal leadership saw the report, they could hardly believe it. As a tourist city, Dalian’s port infrastructure was excellent, with a throughput second only to Tianjin’s New Port. Yet, after all these years, no smuggling or tax evasion had been detected, and now, the scale was staggering.

"Investigate it to the end. Punish them severely. Identify all responsible parties, and investigate any officials who cooperated or neglected their duties. We must restore a clear sky to Dalian."

That was the stance of the municipal leadership. Hongfa Industrial was immediately placed under surveillance, its primary leaders were barred from leaving the country, and key departments like finance were sealed for investigation. A formidable inspection team moved into Hongfa Industrial.

Tian Bing’s father, Tian Yuecheng, was the first to be detained. No matter how influential he had once been in the city, it was all over now. Even those who had been close to him tried to distance themselves. Since Tian Bing held no position at Hongfa, he wasn't detained, but that didn't mean he was spared; all his bank cards were frozen, and all assets under Tian Yuecheng’s name were registered and seized—a scale of action not seen in years.

Tian Bing felt cornered. If it weren't for a few "fair-weather friends" helping him out at critical moments, he wouldn't even have had money for food.

"Dad, the Tian family has fallen. Should we help them?" Wang Dongliang asked his father, who was drinking tea on the sofa.

Tian Bing had been living in an apartment Wang had provided, and Wang had been funding him. The two had hung out together before and had a decent relationship. Plus, Tian Bing was glib, always calling him "Brother Liang," so Wang felt inclined to help.

"Help? Don't think that just because we were allies, there are no conflicts of interest. Let me tell you, our share in the mainland is fixed. I’ve long been dissatisfied with how much the Tian family was taking. What could he do? Nothing but low-tech smuggling. When things were going well, we were allies; now that they’re in trouble, I’m not adding to their misery only out of respect for the past," Wang Jintong said, dissatisfied with his son’s immaturity.

"Dad, can we take this opportunity to snatch something back?" Wang Dongliang understood his father’s intent perfectly; they were two of a kind.

"Hongfa has fallen, and the mainland shares will certainly be adjusted. I’ve seen Tian’s son; he’s a good-for-nothing, not even fit to take over his father’s business. We won't be greedy—I just want half of Hongfa’s original share. You handle the rest."

The cunning Wang Jintong never missed a chance to maximize his gains. Even in internal disputes, his priority was self-preservation and profit. They had been entangled by interests to begin with, and now that an opportunity arose, he couldn't care less about anyone else’s fate. Besides, the Wang family had suffered significant losses from several recent blunders—the loss of their own shares was minor, but the billions meant for the acquisition of Silver Dragon had vanished without a trace, causing much criticism within the group. Recovering some of that elsewhere would be a small comfort.

Although the Tian and Wang families were forced into a partnership by external pressures, they were both partners and rivals internally—often more ruthless and competitive than their external enemies.

Thus, under the pressure of government investigations, a backstabbing from the Wang family, and internal chaos, Hongfa Industrial completely collapsed.

Tian Yuecheng was taken away, and senior management was arrested one after another. The chaotic remains of Hongfa Industrial became prey for related companies, with the Haifeng Group being the most aggressive.

As the most powerful person left to handle Hongfa’s affairs, Tian Bing was terrified. He hid in the place provided by Wang Dongliang, refusing to show his face and delegating all matters to him. This gave Wang Dongliang even greater convenience. Since Hongfa wasn't a publicly listed company, it wasn't subject to trading halts, and Wang seized the chance to sell off what he could and consolidate what he wanted. The Haifeng Group profited immensely.

Hongfa was now a shell, but certain responsibilities had to be pursued. The fall of such a star enterprise was bound to implicate various officials.

First, the Customs department was investigated for negligence and dereliction of duty regarding Hongfa’s years of smuggling. How could such blatant smuggling be explained by mere negligence? The municipal investigation exposed the entire maritime smuggling route Hongfa had paved over the years.

A deputy director of Customs fell, along with other powerful figures who had been corrupted, effectively dismantling the chain of protection.

Several figures in the city were also implicated, leaving the entire government apparatus in a state of anxiety, with officials greeting each other only with cautious glances and thin smiles.

Newspapers and television stations bombarded the public with news of the smuggling and bribery case. Some cheered, some wiped sweat from their brows in secret, and others were simply relieved they weren't involved. The reactions varied, but a massive earthquake in the business and political spheres had begun.

Chu Dong had little interest in all of this. He was living a comfortable life, and under the care of Tan Xue and Luo Feiyu, he no longer had any accidents. With food served to his mouth and his needs attended to, he was content enough to be on cloud nine.

Tan Xue was a bit narrow-minded, but after spending time together, she realized Luo Feiyu was genuinely taking good care of Chu Dong with no "ulterior motives," so she relaxed, and the two got along quite well. Just as Chu Dong felt life couldn't get any better, the return of Li Youlan shattered the peace.