Chapter 303: Morning Schemes and Family Ties

Early on the 6th, Xu Chen woke up early.

He quickly freshened up and headed downstairs, finding his father Xu Zhiquan busy in the kitchen.

“Come eat breakfast! Freshly bought fried dough sticks and buns…”

“And soybean milk—I’ll heat it up now!”

Xu Chen sat at the table and noticed, besides the fried dough sticks and buns, there were freshly sliced beef and offal too.

Taking a bite, he savored the familiar taste of ‘Old Xu’s’ cooking.

Xu Zhiquan set down two steaming bowls of soybean milk.

“This beef stew’s from last week—I haven’t even had a chance to eat it!”

Xu Chen: “Then pack some for me tomorrow; I’ll take it to Shanghai.”

Xu Zhiquan laughed heartily.

“I’ll stew you a fresh pot!”

Xu Chen: “Dad, no need for fresh— just use what’s ready. I won’t eat that much!”

Xu Zhiquan chuckled and reached out with his large hand to pat his son’s head.

…

Xu Chen’s phone buzzed—it was a message from Wu Yue checking his flight to Shanghai for tomorrow.

National Day holiday tickets were hard to get and all full price.

Instead, booking a day early through a familiar travel agency got discounted tickets, which seemed a bit odd.

In 2006, high-speed rail or bullet trains from the Provincial Capital to Shanghai wouldn’t start construction for another year.

Now, the best train option was a vintage express with a small business compartment.

Xu Chen vaguely remembered that in his past life, during college summer break, he and classmates went to Shanghai on standing tickets in a green train—it was a grueling trip.

Xu Zhiquan munched on a fried dough stick and said,

“Today’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, so let’s make it lively tonight. Where do you want to eat, son?”

Xu Chen paused, having completely forgotten about the holiday.

He thought for a moment and replied,

“Dad, you decide.”

Xu Zhiquan sipped his soybean milk and smiled.

“I, Old Xu, love the local feasts—how about at the town factory grounds?”

Xu Chen: “Sounds good! I haven’t had that in ages.”

Xu Zhiquan: “Then I’ll call Wu Yue; she’s still sorting out restaurant bookings!

Your Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt will be back from noon work, so we’ll celebrate at the factory grounds tonight!”

…

…

After breakfast, Li Rui drove over and picked up ‘President Xu’ first.

Xu Chen wasn’t in a hurry; he drove the Nissan Teana at a leisurely pace to Jinfeng Business Tower.

It was quieter here, with just him alone.

In the spacious reception room, he brewed some tea, turned on the computer, and began his research.

The most pressing issue on his hands was An Jin Xiong.

Tied to that was exposing the conflict over the ‘Wang Laoshun’ trademark between Jiaduobao and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical.

As someone reborn, Xu Chen knew there was a bomb buried there and needed to find the right fuse.

At the same time, he had to keep himself out of it.

Things like cutting off someone’s income required staying hidden.

With no clear plan yet, Xu Chen started with some desk research.

Jiaduobao was a Hong Kong company clearly seeking a listing.

Xu Chen searched for ‘Wang Laoshun’ trademark info but found little in public channels.

The first thing he found was an official article from Guangzhou Pharmaceutical about their history.

It detailed their development, including the ‘Wang Laoshun’ herbal tea brand.

It mentioned that ‘Wang Laoshun’ came in ‘red can’ and ‘green box’ packaging.

The ‘red can’ was operated by Jiaduobao, while the ‘green box’ stayed with Guangzhou Pharmaceutical.

As it was from Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, it focused more on the brand’s history and promoted the ‘green box’ product.

There was little on the ‘red can’ leasing rights.

…

On Jiaduobao’s website and news releases, mentions of ‘Wang Laoshun’ brand ownership were scarce.

No articles or announcements described the relationship with Guangzhou Pharmaceutical or the trademark lease.

Xu Chen dug around and finally found a company intro from Jiaduobao on a Hong Kong business site from a couple years back.

It was in Traditional Chinese and not aimed at mainland audiences.

It noted that the ‘Wang Laoshun’ red can rights were obtained in the 1990s, originally expiring in 2010.

Then, under founder Chen Jinru’s push, they signed a supplementary agreement with Guangzhou Pharmaceutical’s then-general manager Li Guangmin.

This confirmed parts of his past memories.

After rebirth, Xu Chen noticed some timeline tweaks, but overall events unfolded similarly with key incidents as before.

Xu Chen then researched Chen Jinru and Li Guangmin on both domestic and international nets.

…

Half an hour later, Xu Chen furrowed his brow but couldn’t help smiling.

He started on Sohu and found Guangzhou Pharmaceutical news, including some on general manager Li Guangmin’s social activities.

In related reads, Xu Chen stumbled on an article reporting Li Guangmin.

Clicking it led to a ‘Sohu blog’.

In 2006, without modern social media like Weibo or WeChat, blogs were gaining traction besides portals and communities.

It was a blog space registered by someone named ‘Wen Cha Zhu Jiu’.

It chronicled parts of his life.

Among the posts, there were over a dozen straight-up reporting Guangzhou Pharmaceutical’s general manager Li Guangmin.

With detailed projects and financial evidence…

It seemed Xu Chen’s desired ‘fuse’ had just landed in his lap.

…

Xu Chen settled in and spent another twenty to thirty minutes reading every post by ‘Wen Cha Zhu Jiu’, piecing together the blogger’s story.

He appeared to be a technical worker or low-level supervisor on Guangzhou Pharmaceutical’s production line.

For some personal or public reason, he clashed big-time with general manager Li Guangmin.

He gathered a pile of ‘dirt’ on Li Guangmin, including specific financial dealings—Xu Chen wondered how he got it.

The guy had already lost his job over the reporting.

With no other avenues, he turned to the internet, posting evidence-laced, emotion-fueled reports on his blog.

Xu Chen shook his head in disbelief.

He’d dumped it all on his personal blog, which didn’t spread much as it was like a private diary.

So it was mostly him talking to himself.

Xu Chen went back and carefully read the reporting posts, shocked to find mentions of the ‘Wang Laoshun’ brand authorization…

Xu Chen drew in a sharp breath.

This was exactly the ‘fuse’ he sought.

The evidence ‘Wen Cha Zhu Jiu’ listed might not all be true.

But as a reborn person, Xu Chen knew the ‘Wang Laoshun’ issue was real.

So the report wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny.

From how he posted on his own blog, maybe he wasn’t great at reporting.

Perhaps he’d tried other routes but got nowhere, leading to retaliation and job loss.

…

And Xu Chen had someone nearby who was good at reporting.

Back when State-run Bright Machinery Factory’s issues came to light, it was thanks to Teacher Fang Jun.

…

Xu Chen thought this could be a way to take down An Jin Xiong.

And it would be through others, so no obvious trouble for him.

If it didn’t work, he’d try something else.

He sent a text to Teacher Fang Jun, and soon Fang Jun called back.

“What’s up?”

Xu Chen: “For a big state-owned company leader who’s done wrong, are there legitimate ways for subordinates to report it?

The kind where once reported, they have to investigate.”

Fang Jun paused, seeming confused.

“It depends on the state-owned enterprise’s level and location.

Theoretically, bigger enterprises in developed cities have more reporting channels and easier full investigations.

But for smaller ones in remote areas, like the old Bright Factory, it’s tougher.”

Xu Chen: “Yangcheng’s, a big state-owned one.”

Fang Jun: “Those are straightforward—if there’s real issues, they’ll check.

Just prepare the report and send it to the right places.

Even if it’s not perfect, it’ll trigger an investigation.”

She paused:

“Have you gotten into something?”

Xu Chen: “I haven’t, but there’s something that needs handling.”

Fang Jun was silent a moment, then said, “You can trust me.”

Xu Chen was silent too, feeling a sudden wave of emotion.

He thought and said:

“I’ll send you the company and that person—take a look?”

Fang Jun: “Okay, I’ll get back to you soon.”

…

…

Half an hour later, Xu Chen got an email from Fang Jun.

He opened it and read carefully—it listed departments and units to report to, with detailed addresses, phone numbers, and more.

It even covered report formats, like which needed registered mail and which phone calls.

And thoughtful tips on avoiding retaliation.

…

Xu Chen shook his head and murmured,

“Now that’s professional!”

…

…

Xu Chen wouldn’t handle it himself; he contacted ‘Wen Cha Zhu Jiu’ and sent a private message via the blog backend.

[Hello, netizen. I stumbled onto your blog and saw your reports. I sympathize with what you’ve been through.

But posting like this means no one will see it…]

A while later, he got a reply from ‘Wen Cha Zhu Jiu’:

[Hello! Thanks for reaching out!

I’m not great with the internet. I reported at the factory and lost my job…]

The person sent a long string of messages, full of emotional content.

Xu Chen read through patiently—it matched what he’d guessed.

‘Wen Cha Zhu Jiu’ reporting Li Guangmin wasn’t just about justice; there were personal grudges.

Basically, he was up for a promotion to a small supervisor role, but the big boss brought in his nephew or something, leaving him bitter.

So he collected dirt on the big boss to take him down…

[Hello! I sympathize with your situation deeply!

But blog posts won’t do anything—you need proper reporting channels.

As a big state-owned enterprise, there are legitimate oversight paths!]

[I reported at the factory and sent letters to superiors, but it went nowhere. I even faced retaliation…]

[To be honest, I’m from Guangdong Province and work in a related department…

If you need it, I can list reporting channels for you. Follow the guide and send to every department and unit—they’ll launch an investigation!]

[Really? That’s great! I had no idea who to contact!

Even if I went to Beijing, I’d be lost…]

…

Xu Chen patiently chatted with the somewhat scattered ‘Wen Cha Zhu Jiu’ until they cleared things up.

Then he took Fang Jun’s email, simplified it into easy-to-understand steps, and forwarded it.

[Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!

I have a ton of materials. I’ll sort and print them today, write the reports, and send them one by one.

For the phone ones, I’ll call right after the National Day holiday when they’re back at work!

I’ve got time since I lost my job!]

Xu Chen added a reminder:

[Remember to use registered postal mail so it’s traceable.

You can follow up too—the process requires feedback.]

[Thanks a ton, kind stranger!]

…

…

After chatting a bit more, Xu Chen finally closed the private message window.

So now,

Let the bullets fly for a while.

…

Once Guangzhou Pharmaceutical’s Li Guangmin’s issues blow up, the ‘Wang Laoshun’ trademark extension scam will come out—three million Hong Kong dollars isn’t chump change; it could mean serious jail time…

Chen Jinru will get pulled in too.

Then, with a nudge to Li Yue, it could push the Sports Administration and National Team to look into An Jin Xiong and Chen Jinru.

If An Jin Xiong and Chen Jinru have under-the-table deals, Director An will be done for.

In this process, besides solving An Jin Xiong’s problem and securing promotion for Chenfeng Technology and Ran Bing Sports, there might be another bonus.

This push could make Jiaduobao’s ‘Wang Laoshun’ trademark crisis erupt early, potentially pulling in ‘Fei Jie’.

Jiaduobao’s been eyeing a listing, with all revenue on that single product.

If ‘Wang Laoshun’ hits trouble and Kunlunshan Mineral Water isn’t up yet, their listing plans tank.

For someone like Nie Fei, a big chunk of her salary is in stock options, and no listing means they’re worthless.

He’d worried about paying ‘Fei Jie’s’ salary, but with Jiaduobao’s crisis hitting early, he could bring Nie Fei over to Ran Bing Sports.

Of course, Xu Chen’s just acting as a catalyst, speeding things up.

For Nie Fei, staying at Jiaduobao means a storm eventually—it’s just a matter of time.

Bringing her to Ran Bing Sports would be better for her future.

With Xie Bingran’s commercial value and Xu Chen’s planning, growing Ran Bing Sports seems promising.

So this report is a multi-target hit.

He just hoped it would go smoothly.