I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 1278 - 882 Proxy War_2

Chapter 1278: 882 Proxy War_2

Li Shuru pursed her lips into a smile and let out a slow breath. "Avoidance won’t solve the problem. At least she definitely has no ill intentions, right?"

Right?

Jiang Chen remained silently unresponsive, unable to answer. By the light of the streetlamp and the faint glow of the sky, he vaguely caught the outline of a white villa.

The faint light inside the villa was visible.

Jiang Chen’s heart grew increasingly chaotic. He held his girlfriend’s hand. "This way."

Avoidance surely cannot solve problems, but at least it can delay them.

————

Tianci Capital.

Jiang Chen sat in the executive chair, staring out the window with a melancholic expression, occasionally letting out a light sigh.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

The sound of knocking echoed.

"Come in."

"Miss Shi is here."

It was Luo Peng who entered.

Jiang Chen turned his head and immediately saw Shi Qianxi boldly walk in without waiting for an invitation, not treating herself as an outsider in the slightest.

"Miss Shi, I’ll leave you two to your conversation."

Young Master Luo, being perceptive as always, flashed a polite smile at the acting chairman of Jin Hai, then swiftly exited, leaving the space to the two of them.

"Running such a relaxed operation, aren’t you? Spending your morning sunbathing in the office. Why not add a lounge chair while you’re at it?"

Shi Qianxi removed her sunglasses.

Jiang Chen acted as if he hadn’t heard anything, responding to her provocation with patience. "Have a seat."

Shi Qianxi walked to the desk and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"You look so listless. Didn’t get much rest last night? Did Li Shuru wear you out?"

That "wear out"—was it decent?

Jiang Chen controlled himself to avoid overthinking. "Maybe my blood sugar’s just been a bit low recently."

"You’re still so young. That shouldn’t be the case."

Shi Qianxi’s lips curled as a meaningful glint flashed in her eyes. "You’re not even together every day, and yet you’re already running out of steam?"

This time, even controlling his thoughts became impossible.

Jiang Chen’s expression turned stern. "This is a workplace."

"Why the pretense? Li Shuru spends so many nights alone. I don’t believe she would let you off the hook when you come home."

"..."

Changing the topic might have allowed Jiang Chen to spar a few rounds with her, but with jokes like this, he could only surrender in defeat.

"Aren’t you bored?"

"Romance and passion are part of human nature, so how could they be boring? But you still need to take proper precautions. You’re both young right now..."

Seeing her words veer further and further off course, Jiang Chen quickly interrupted her. "I don’t have time to chat with you."

"Aren’t you quite free? You have time to bask in the sun, but two words with me will disrupt your precious schedule?"

Though her jabs continued, Shi Qianxi ultimately refrained from dragging the conversation too far afield, knowing how precious time was for herself as well.

She pulled a piece of printed paper from her compact handbag, placed it on the desk, and slid it toward him.

"Here’s what you requested."

Jiang Chen picked it up and glanced down.

Dusty memories awakened from their slumber.

A pattern resembling cherry blossoms appeared vividly on the paper.

"That was fast."

"Would I dare neglect a task assigned by General Jiang?"

Jiang Chen ignored her, carefully examining the paper.

"Have you seen this kind of tattoo on someone else again?"

Shi Qianxi inquired, her intuition razor-sharp.

Jiang Chen didn’t immediately respond, instead scrutinizing the paper closely.

Shi Qianxi also fell silent, refraining from disturbing him further.

"Let me ask you a question."

Jiang Chen raised his head. "Does having this tattoo on someone mean we can definitively conclude they’re a spy?"

Shi Qianxi shook her head. "No. This tattoo isn’t complex. You could take the design to any local tattoo shop and get it done."

Jiang Chen looked pensive.

He had only caught a fleeting glimpse at the time, enough to determine that Koda Kaoru’s lower back tattoo bore a striking resemblance to the design on the paper, but not enough to assure complete accuracy.

Moreover, as Shi Qianxi had said, it would be a leap to convict someone simply based on one tattoo.

"You’re not saying you’ve discovered something like this again, like last time..."

Jiang Chen didn’t explain. "I’ll keep this paper."

"Leave the professional work to the experts. If you do find someone similar, contact the authorities directly. They’ll get the answers."

Shi Qianxi reminded him.

Things were indeed different now.

Emotions no longer surfaced so easily on his face. Even when the topic touched on the culprits who had nearly killed his father, there was no visible anger.

"I understand."

Shi Qianxi glanced at the paper. "In reality, spies have always existed. They’re not uncommon. Among foreigners conducting activities in Shenzhou, especially those from Dongying—including enterprises—70% are spies."

"Seventy percent?"

Jiang Chen was startled, completely unprepared for such a figure.

Shi Qianxi remained composed. "That’s not my assessment. That’s what my father says."

Someone of Shi Zhenhua’s stature certainly wouldn’t speak without basis.

The word "spy" often seemed confined to films and television, yet in reality, one might unknowingly brush shoulders with one in day-to-day life.

"Be vigilant. People with money, power, or certain key roles are prime targets for infiltration. Given your current position, it’s safe to assume they’ve already set their sights on you."

"Should I be terrified, or should I feel honored?"

Jiang Chen laughed.

"Still, I believe these spies shouldn’t waste their efforts on you. Even if the rest of the nation were turned against us, I trust you wouldn’t betray us."

Shi Qianxi offered him immense praise.

Jiang Chen felt deeply gratified.

"Also."

Shi Qianxi paused.

"What?"

"Dai Shu has moved forward and announced a plan to provide housing security for grassroots delivery workers."

Jiang Chen furrowed his brows slightly.

"They’re practically crossing the river by feeling for your stones."

Shi Qianxi teased him.

As one of Great Wall’s shareholders, Jin Hai had a vested interest in these developments.

"Moreover, they’re moving faster than you. On the same day they made their public announcement, they established the relevant real estate department."

Jiang Chen hadn’t expected this. Once again, Dai Shu had copied his playbook. This wasn’t the first or second instance. Since Great Wall Special Delivery launched, its various benefits had been imitated by Dai Shu—raising base wages, offering insurance. The sole exception had been housing security, which Dai Shu largely ignored.

After all, Dai Shu was a massive enterprise, incomparable to the recently launched Great Wall Special Delivery. Its delivery riders numbered in the millions. Providing housing security for all of them would require astronomical costs—an expense not easily absorbed, even for Dai Shu.

So Jiang Chen’s plan for housing security had been a cunning move. Yet, to his surprise, the other party ended up gritting their teeth and chasing after it.

Were they driven mad by anger or had they lost their minds?

"Apparently, Dai Shu has already started acquiring land in first-tier cities, claiming they’ll provide 100,000 housing units in the first phase."

"How did Dai Shu suddenly muster such courage?"

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but question.

This wasn’t a simple business competition anymore. It was almost a point of no return.

There’s no turning back once the arrow leaves the string.

For Jiang Chen, there were still buffer years ahead due to prerequisite conditions—delivery riders needed to achieve specified years of service. But Dai Shu was in an entirely different position.

Dai Shu had long reigned supreme in the industry, with countless veteran delivery riders under their banner.

Moreover.

Jiang Chen had "lick-dog gold" to fall back on—did Dai Shu?

No matter how mighty their valuation was, they might end up ruining themselves just as easily.

"Don’t forget, Baoleme and Dai Shu have already merged. Dai Shu’s newfound courage was handed to them by Hippo."

"Hippo injected capital into Dai Shu?"

Shi Qianxi nodded.

This caught Jiang Chen completely off guard. He couldn’t comprehend it at all.

Giving up a great opportunity to let rivals fight it out and handing over Baoleme was baffling enough. But now they were actively financing a former competitor?

Even for Hippo, resolving the housing issues of nearly a million delivery workers would be no small financial feat.

"Actually, it’s not hard to understand. The reason you invested in the delivery sector likely lies in its broad impact. Hippo probably grew weary of Great Wall a long time ago. By funding Dai Shu, they’re aiming to wage a proxy war."

A "proxy war"—well said.

Shi Qianxi’s analogy was strikingly apt.

"I have a suggestion."

Jiang Chen looked at her intently. "Go ahead."

"Now that Dai Shu’s been dragged into the waters with no chance of turning back, their employee housing project will inflict significant losses on them. All you need to do is drag this out for a year or two, then withdraw."

Jiang Chen’s pupils contracted.

"Are you suggesting I abandon the delivery business?"

Shi Qianxi nodded. "Cut your losses."

A cunning strategy, undeniably ruthless!

Following logical reasoning, it truly was the best course of action.

Dai Shu had made their stance crystal clear: it would be a fight to the death. Continuing would only lead to mutually assured destruction.

But the catch was...

Someone here didn’t play by normal rules.

"If Hippo wants to join the fray, then let’s bring it on."

The brilliant Shi Qianxi was momentarily stunned.

She had thought Dai Shu and Hippo had already gone mad, but the man in front of her seemed even more unhinged.