Yi Anguo had certainly learned his lesson and was developing his company steadily. Although the pace might have been a bit slow, its stability was a winning trait.

Once the company reached a certain scale, it would be the perfect time to seek funding. That would be the most profitable move. Raising funds now wouldn't yield a high valuation, and he would have to give away too many shares. There was no need for that, as he wasn't short on cash.

However, expanding into the national market and establishing his own logistics system would require a massive amount of capital. Even someone as wealthy as Yi Anguo couldn't sustain that kind of investment on his own, so he would definitely need to seek funding eventually. But by then, he could exchange just a small portion of his shares for a substantial amount of capital.

The mobile internet era hadn't even begun yet. Yi Anguo believed that the explosion in online shopping would only happen with its arrival, and that would be the most opportune time to seek investment. That time would come at least three or four years later, when 3G networks were widespread, and many people used smartphones capable of online shopping right from their handsets.

The arrival of the 4G era would truly mark the advent of the mobile internet era.

As the two were chatting, Zhuo Weidong and Ou Xiaolong walked over with smiles on their faces. Zhuo Weidong looked particularly pleased with himself, his smile radiant. Ou Xiaolong, on the other hand, looked a bit embarrassed. After the last incident, Yi Anguo had been furious and had given Ou Xiaolong an earful over the phone.

"Brother Zhuo! What's got you looking so happy? Did you strike gold?" Yi Anguo couldn't help but ask.

"Strike gold? That's nothing compared to the joy of seeing my friend Yi!" Zhuo Weidong said with a hearty laugh.

"Whoa, hold on! I don't swing that way, and people could easily misunderstand what you're saying."

"I don't swing that way either, but can't a man be happy to see a friend? What, you'd rather I cry when I see you?" Zhuo Weidong retorted.

"Brother Yi! I'm so sorry! I caused you so much trouble last time. I'll punish myself with three drinks!" As he spoke, Ou Xiaolong signaled for a waiter carrying red wine and proceeded to gulp down three full glasses.

"What are you doing? It's all in the past. I'd already put it behind me," Yi Anguo said with a smile, but only after Ou Xiaolong had finished all three glasses.

"Brother Yi, I honestly didn't think he would go to you. I was cornered and had no other choice. It just slipped out that you were the one who helped me," Ou Xiaolong explained sheepishly.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. You don't need to explain anymore. I don't blame you," Yi Anguo said, quickly stopping Ou Xiaolong from continuing.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Ou Xiaolong excused himself to go mingle with other guests.

"Ou Xiaolong is a bit soft-hearted. He loves making friends and is a genuinely warm person. Everyone treats him well, and he treats everyone well in return," Zhuo Weidong said to Yi Anguo with a helpless smile.

"I never said he was a bad person. I treat him well, too!" Yi Anguo replied quickly.

"But being nice to others shouldn't mean selling out a friend, right? He came to me for help, and I thought he was a decent guy. Plus, we're from the same hometown, so I gave him a hand. Was I wrong to do that? He claimed he was backed into a corner and had no choice but to tell people my money was what got him through his crisis.

"So his troubles were over, but he just passed them all on to me. He knew perfectly well that Ren Xingsheng and I don't get along and that there was no way I'd help him. By revealing my involvement, he forced me to completely fall out with Ren Xingsheng and make an enemy of him. The problem isn't Ren Xingsheng himself—making an enemy of him is no big deal. The issue is the Ren Family behind him. They still have some influence, and it's best not to make a mortal enemy of them if you can avoid it. But with what he did, he basically forced my hand and made me turn the entire Ren Family into a bitter enemy."

Zhuo Weidong nodded. "So you struck first and completely uprooted them."

"What choice did I have? Was I supposed to just wait for the Ren Family to come after me for revenge and try to take me down?" Yi Anguo retorted.

"So, I was just a pawn in your game?" Zhuo Weidong asked, visibly unsettled.

"Brother Zhuo, why not look at it this way: you used me to swallow the Ren Family's assets and expand your Blue Coast Real Estate Development Company, didn't you?" Yi Anguo countered with a faint smile.

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