Super Zoo

Zhou Jin's business had a wide scope. His network covered not only the local area of Yangchuan City but also other cities within the province, even including inter-provincial ventures. The business dealt with a variety of things, from fry procurement and fish feed purchasing to adult fish sales and fish product processing. He even knew quite a few construction team leaders.

Among these people, some provided fry and feed to the reservoir, some purchased fish in bulk from the reservoir, and some bosses who were too busy to attend sent representatives instead. They lined up along the riverbank, each with their bodyguards and entourage. At first glance, there seemed to be dozens of them.

A large group of people gathered by the reservoir, forming small circles. Those who knew each other chatted in groups of three or five, while those who didn't would greet each other and politely exchange business cards. Many people's industries intersected, and there might be opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Suming lit a cigarette and asked the bald man, "Has everyone arrived?"

The bald man quickly took out a lighter to light Suming's cigarette, then pulled out an electronically printed list and compared it to the people present, one by one.

"Yeah, nearly everyone is here."

"Nearly everyone is here?" Suming frowned.

The bald man quickly explained, "Those who have had contracts over five hundred thousand with the fishery company, as well as those who cooperate frequently, are all here. The remaining are insignificant minor players and won't affect future business. I didn't notify them one by one to save your time. As per tradition, when the reservoir changes contractors, you will be their major financier, so those minor bosses will definitely visit you proactively..."

"Alright, I got it." Suming cut off the bald man's endless chatter and strode into the crowd.

Seeing the person in charge arrive, the various bosses present stopped their conversations and turned various gazes towards Suming. Some were speculative, wondering what methods this young boss used to replace the cunning Zhou Jin. Some looked at him as if he were a mountain of gold, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, and many were simply curious since Suming looked so young, almost like a college student—in fact, Suming had indeed just graduated.

There was also a small faction that didn't come with good intentions. Cooperation is based on equity and mutual respect, presupposing a balance of power. Zhou Jin used to be a boss on the same level as them, but this young newcomer, whom they had never heard of, had suddenly emerged. Whether he could hold the floor was yet to be seen.

These people had a wolf's instinct in their bones. If Suming could maintain control of the situation, they would naturally cooperate with him as before. Otherwise, in their eyes, Suming and the fishery company were just a big fat piece of meat waiting to be carved up.

If Suming were still a student at a university, he might be intimidated by such a scene.

But having been tempered over this period, his experience in dealing with people was no longer comparable to that of his younger self.

What was most important was that he possessed the ability of an Animal's Friend, which fundamentally made him a superhuman.

Even though the people before him had wealth and influence, they were still just ordinary people in the eyes of a superhuman. Suming's aura couldn't possibly lose to theirs.

Walking into the crowd, Suming smiled and said loudly, "Gentlemen, everyone knows about Mr. Zhou's situation, which is quite regrettable. I've taken over Shuijun Lake now, and due to the hurry, we don't even have an office, so I could only ask everyone to talk business here by the water. Please don't mind."

A chubby boss from the provincial capital dismissed the formality with a wave of his hand, "Mr. Su, there's no need for niceties. We are all businessmen. If we were here to eat, drink, and play, we wouldn't have come to you. Just give us a straight answer, will the contracts signed with the reservoir this year still be honored?"

"That's right, Mr. Su, we've already paid our deposits," another boss added.

Suming took over Zhou Jin's reservoir, as well as his previous orders. Failing to complete these orders would require him to pay compensation.

Many knew that this year's fishery harvest at the reservoir wasn't good, and most of the catch was used to offset debts when declaring bankruptcy, leaving not much fish in the reservoir. They confronted Suming with a tough issue right off the bat. If Suming couldn't resolve this problem, those present would immediately turn on him—they all had contracts, and this was the perfect opportunity to demand a hefty compensation.

Suming looked back at the local breeders behind him and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, rest assured, Mr. Zhou's business has collapsed, but the reservoir is still there. The business we've done before was pleasant, and it will continue in the future. As you've heard, part of the fish in the reservoir has been used to offset debts to our local breeders. I've discussed it with the local breeders, and this year, we won't sell these fish locally. We'll pull together and sell them to all of you to fulfill the orders without any problem."

The fish weren't simply gone; they had just been transferred to the local breeders. Suming made preparations well in advance. Before convening these partners for a meeting, he had already discussed it with the breeders.

Previously, the fish from the reservoir were used to compensate the breeders at a discounted rate, the price being very low. Now Suming had gathered these breeders together to sell the fish to dealers from outside the area. Through this inflow and outflow, those smaller-scale breeders were set to make a good profit.

The remaining fish were partly herded through underwater channels to Shuijun Lake, where they were sold locally at high prices together with the lake's original fish; the other part was sold to these out-of-town dealers for a small profit.

Hearing Suming say this, the visiting bosses were reassured. They didn't care whether Zhou Jin was dead or alive; what concerned them was whether their businesses would suffer losses.

Moreover, securing consensus with the local breeders so quickly and their unanimous support indicated to them that this 'young whippersnapper' had an influence on Yangchuan's fishery no less significant than Zhou Jin's. If it wasn't for strong capabilities, then it was surely due to a formidable backing.

An individual like that, if cooperation is an option, there's no need to offend them.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The most successful business owners among the visitors exchanged glances from afar and could clearly discern each other's intentions; they could try a friendly collaboration first.

"Mr. Su, you've summoned us from far and wide for this? Wouldn't a simple phone call have sufficed?" someone in the crowd asked.

Suming chuckled, "This time I've invited everyone not only for the previous orders but also to discuss future business ventures with you all."

Future business? The arriving business owners were slightly taken aback, staring at each other in confusion. They were curious about what Suming might be selling. Perhaps there was a new profitable opportunity? They were all ears now.

"In fact, this year all the main breeders from Yangchuan City are here. Among our guests, many are wholesalers of fish fry and feed. Let's take this opportunity to discuss matters for the coming year and ensure everyone has a prosperous time," Suming continued with a smile.

For the local small-scale breeders, negotiating alone means smaller purchases and sales volume, which often led to pressure on pricing. Now, with Suming taking the lead in Yangchuan's fishery industry, organizing them and uniting their efforts, they had much more clout in purchasing and sales negotiations.

Of course, this kind of negotiation couldn't take place with a big group of large and small business owners blowing in the wind by the reservoir. Instead, a fleet of vehicles made their way to a large hotel in the city, partially owned by Zhao Yun, where they booked three adjoining private rooms to fully embrace the Huaxian virtue of discussing business over the dinner table.

"My liver's not in the best shape, and I shouldn't drink much. Gentlemen, this is my assistant. Tonight, whoever manages to drink him under the table, I will personally offer a 2% discount on next year's prices!"

After signaling for a few rounds of drinks, Suming laughed and left his capable assistant Su Meng to handle the situation, while he himself took the chance to 'visit the restroom,' slipping away to a small private room diagonally across.

There were only two people sitting in the small room, yet they had ordered a full table of dishes.

But with barely any food touched, it was clear that the mood of those in the room was glum, with no interest in feasting or drinking.

Seeing Suming enter, the two immediately stood up with smiles on their faces. One quickly cleared a chair at the head of the table, while the other strode forward, slightly bending and reaching out with both hands, warmly and somewhat sycophantically shaking hands with Suming, "Mr. Su, it's a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations! Please, have a seat!"

"Mr. Wu, Mr. He, good to see you," Suming greeted them warmly, shaking hands with each in turn. "You both are respected seniors; I wouldn't dare take the seat at the head of the table."

As two of the Fisheries Association's vice presidents, along with Mr. Zhou, they both had their own modest businesses. Economically speaking, they didn't quite qualify for the role within the fisheries, but owing to their veteran status and well-established connections in the Yangchuan fishery community, they had assumed the positions. Strictly speaking, Mr. Zhou was the only one truly in charge, while these two vice presidents played more supportive, cheerleading roles.

"Not at all, Mr. Su. You are young and accomplished and rightfully belong at the head of the table," Mr. Wu said with a chuckle.

Seeing that Suming still hesitated to take a seat, Mr. He had an idea, "Hey, we're all among friends here. This is a round table; there's no head or foot of the table. Please, take a seat, Mr. Su."

Suming finally agreed to sit down, saying, "The two of you invited me separately, may I know what for?"

"It's like this," the vice presidents looked at each other, and Mr. He took out an embossed invitation from his pocket. Mr. Wu explained, "A snake can't move without a head. The colleagues in the Fisheries Association hope Mr. Su will take on the position of vice president."

Suming had suspected as much; it must be about this. The Fisheries Association certainly needed a leader for regular coordination. Under normal circumstances, the person with the largest business normally took the lead. In Yangchuan City, whoever controlled Huating Reservoir held the power.

After politely declining a few times, he somewhat reluctantly accepted. After exchanging some pleasantries, the vice presidents took their leave, and Suming returned to the private room he had come from.

As the door swung open, a pungent smell of alcohol hit him, and he was startled by the sight before him.

The floor was littered with... oh, not corpses, drunkards. Out of the whole crowd at the three tables, less than a handful could stand or sit properly, the rest were all in various states of intoxication.

Standing in the center of the room was Su Meng, holding a bottle of liquor, looking as if he had conquered the world.

"Oh my goodness! Su Meng, Su Meng, you were only supposed to drink symbolically, why did you take it so seriously?"

The stinging pain in Suming's heart was palpable as he realized the cost. Bottles of Moutai, each one costing four figures, how much money had just been squandered!