Hearing this, Zhou Ying lifted her head from Jiang Cheng's embrace and looked at him.
At this moment, her eyes were filled with gratitude and trust, and tears welled up, looking as if they might fall at any moment.
Moreover, she didn't feel there was anything improper about those words at all right now.
Zhou Ying said softly, "Of course I believe you. It's just that you're so good to me, yet I feel like there's nothing I can do for you."
Jiang Cheng shook his head in disagreement and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Zhou Ying's eyes with his finger. "You've already done enough. Even though it was your first time, you'sat' quite well."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ying's face immediately turned red. "Your head is full of nothing but that. Aren't you tired at all?"
Jiang Cheng said meaningfully, "A thousand drops of essence spent, yet they all return; feel free to take them."
Zhou Ying gave Jiang Cheng a coy look and said with a huff, "I don't want any more. I can't hold that much."
"Such precious things... if you don't want them, I'll have to give them to other young ladies then."
Zhou Ying immediately grew anxious upon hearing this. She grabbed Jiang Cheng's hand and whispered, "You wouldn't dare. You can't give it to others. I want it all. At worst, I'll just... use other places to hold it."
Just as Jiang Cheng's interest was piqued, Cheng Gui's return call came through.
Cheng Gui's voice came through the phone, steady as always.
"I've checked. Shangde Group has business dealings with our Tianlong Real Estate. Forty percent of our company's cement and clinker are sourced from them."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng lightly tapped the coffee table with his finger and asked, "If Tianlong Real Estate stops cooperating with them, are there other suppliers who can replace them?"
Cheng Gui replied, "Naturally, there are. Although they are our company's second-tier supplier, to handle special circumstances, our company also has third and fourth-tier suppliers to choose from."
Jiang Cheng indicated his understanding.
Just like Jiang Jianmin's company, there would always be several backup companies for everything from steel and ceramic tiles to water and electricity materials.
While there would be primary partner companies, they would also maintain a few partners for occasional supply.
This prevented being taken advantage of by long-term partners. It let suppliers know that if they tried any tricks, they could be replaced at any time.
"Uncle Cheng, can you temporarily strike Shangde Group off your company's list of partners?"
"Of course. As soon as I found out, I already had someone send out the notice to directly remove Shangde Group from our list of suppliers."
He continued, "Additionally, I've informed the outside world that we will no longer have any business dealings with their company. Furthermore, we require that anyone who has business cooperation with our company—whether it's in construction or home furnishings—must stop cooperating with Shangde Group, otherwise we will also terminate our contracts with them."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Good grief, before he even stated his requirements, Cheng Gui had already handled everything perfectly.
As expected of an old fox who had weathered the world.
However, this also suited his intentions perfectly.
Tianlong Real Estate was the second-largest real estate developer in Chengdu, with a market value of forty billion; its influence was immense.
As long as he proposed blacklisting Shangde Group, others who wanted to cooperate with Tianlong Real Estate—and even those who hadn't yet—would surely cast aside the trouble that was Shangde Group to curry favor with Tianlong Real Estate.
After all, the other party had clearly stated that anyone cooperating with Shangde would be knocked out of the game by Tianlong Real Estate.
Between the benefits of Shangde Group and those of Tianlong Real Estate, anyone would know how to choose.
Even construction teams that hadn't cooperated with Tianlong Real Estate yet would take precautions and follow the main crowd.
If they weren't cooperating now, who's to say there wouldn't be an opportunity in the future?
Who would be stubborn enough to give up the big cake that was Tianlong Real Estate for the sake of Shangde Group?
"Thank you, Uncle Cheng. You've really come through for me."
"Sigh, it's like I said—we're in the same boat, so we should stay in sync. However, there's one thing I don't quite understand. What did you mean when you said 'temporarily' blacklist them?" Cheng Gui asked.
Jiang Cheng didn't hide it and replied directly, "Because I want to acquire their company at a low price."
Cheng Gui immediately understood Jiang Cheng's meaning. "Oh? I see. That's a good move."
His tone carried a hint of admiration, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with Jiang Cheng's maneuver.
The business world was like a battlefield; as long as there was even a tiny bit of profit, one should grasp it firmly.
Moreover, he appreciated people with such ambition and capability.
Facing Cheng Gui's praise, Jiang Cheng replied, "It's also thanks to your help in pushing things along, Uncle Cheng."
"Don't mention it. When you have time, come over to the company so we can have a good chat. There's a private kitchen downstairs from our office that's quite good. Come over for a drink."
"Alright, then I'll head over tomorrow and treat you to a drink, Uncle Cheng."
"Good, good, good. I'll be waiting for you."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Cheng realized that Fang Yuan, who had said she was going out to find a job earlier, had already returned.
Zhou Ying was pulling her toward the dining area, telling her about what had just happened.
Fang Yuan's eyes seemed a bit weary, and her face appeared somewhat pale.
Fang Yuan let out a sigh, her voice full of helplessness and frustration. "I only care about our business as mother and daughter now; I won't bother with anyone else."
Seeing that Jiang Cheng had finished his call, Zhou Ying pulled Fang Yuan over to sit in the living room.
"Mom, why don't you move to the house Jiang Cheng bought for me? The environment there is good, and it's far from here. That way, my uncles won't be able to find us. To prevent trouble, let's sell this house."
Just now, Zhou Ying had thought it through carefully.
If Jiang Cheng were to bring down Fang Wende, the man would certainly come knocking on their door.
To prevent such a thing, moving was the best arrangement.
It just so happened that those two locations were separated by several districts.