Manager Fan naturally understood Yang Jian's intention, which was to confront the tattooed man face-to-face.
"Director Yu, the price you quoted for the waterproofing project is too high. It far exceeds our budget, and such a price is not available in the market. Therefore, the contract cannot be signed."
The tattooed man surnamed Yu gritted his teeth at Manager Fan's sudden assertiveness but dared not act out, with Yang Jian sitting beside him.
"Manager Fan, if the price is the same, can you give me priority for the waterproofing project?"
"We'll see. You can leave the information, and we'll make a decision after comparison, as the waterproofing project is very important and requires a highly professional team for construction."
"Alright, I'll arrange for someone to send the information in a couple of days."
The man surnamed Yu stood up to leave, but paused beside Yang Jian.
"Hello, Mr. Yang. I'm Yu Wei. It was indeed a misunderstanding just now. My brother didn't recognize your status. Could you give me a chance? I'd like to treat you to a meal to apologize specifically."
As Yu Wei spoke, he handed over a business card, which indicated he was the General Manager of Weiye Trading Co., Ltd.
Yang Jian took the business card and looked at it. "You're too kind, Director Yu. Since it was a misunderstanding, I apologize to you as well. My two brothers were a bit heavy-handed. How about this: once I'm settled, I'll find time to treat you to a meal. We're friends now, not enemies. Let's keep in touch."
"Yes, yes, let's be friends and keep in touch. Mr. Yang, when will your casino open? I'll bring some people to help out."
Yu Wei became happy, not expecting Yang Jian to be so easy to deal with. By fostering a good relationship with him, not only would he have one less enemy in the area, but he might also develop faster by leveraging Yang Jian's influence.
"It should be in the next couple of days. I just came from Xinhe, and I'll discuss it with Li Jin before setting the date."
Yang Jian also gave him one of his business cards, printed by Jing Yongli, as he needed a business card to promote templates.
"Okay, give me a call when the date is set. I'll definitely be there."
Yu Wei took the business card and left happily.
Manager Fan, however, did not quite understand. "Mr. Yang, you're not really going to be friends with someone like that, are you? You don't know, this Yu Wei has come to harass us many times. He wants the general contract for the waterproofing of this project and threatened that if we don't give it to him, none of us management staff will be able to leave this place."
The waterproofing project is an important process in basement construction, with a short construction period and quick results. It can generally be settled after the basement is completed, naturally attracting the attention of local ruffians.
Yang Jian also understood this situation and said with a smile, "Manager Fan, don't worry. He won't bother you anymore. As the saying goes, more friends, more paths. I'm opening a casino here, and I can't afford to offend everyone, can I? There are too many powers here, a mixed bag of dragons and snakes, and making too many enemies will only lead to a quicker demise."
"I don't understand your ways. As long as no one causes trouble, I'll be grateful. What if he comes to ask me for the project again?"
"Don't worry, even if he comes to you again, he won't make things difficult for you. If his quote is within the budget, it's fine to give him the project. People like them are sometimes very loyal. If you want to completely exclude them from doing business here, it's impossible, and I don't have the ability to subdue all the local thugs."
Yang Jian explained clearly: I can protect this construction site, but don't treat me as a thug. I can help you deal with unreasonable troublemakers, but within the budget, you also need to give some leeway to local powers.
Manager Fan was also a smart person. "Okay, we'll do as you say. As long as it's not too much, I'll try to allocate some projects to locals. However, if there are any disputes later, you'll have to back us up."
A Feng interjected, "I have a suggestion. Why don't all the subcontractors sign a safety agreement with Brother Jian? If anyone causes trouble on site later, Brother Jian will have the right to deal with them. This will not only be a deterrent but also provide a basis for action if things escalate."
"That's a good idea. I'll arrange for someone to draft this agreement immediately. All contractors will have to go through Mr. Yang. I believe no one will deliberately cause trouble on the construction site."
"Alright, let me see the agreement once it's written."
Yang Jian had worked on construction sites for many years and knew that some local thugs would enter construction sites to undertake projects through low prices or threats, cutting corners or using inferior materials during construction. Management would be angry but dare not speak out, and then extort money during settlement. Manager Fan's concerns were not unfounded.
"Mr. Yang, please have lunch here. I have two bottles of good wine."
"No need. I have to discuss the opening of the establishment. Call me if anything comes up."
After Yang Jian finished speaking, he left with A Feng and A Nan. The purpose of his visit had been achieved. Manager Fan would definitely publicize his role as security manager and his plan to open a casino to the other construction bosses, and those bosses would then become potential customers for the casino.
Few construction bosses don't like gambling. Even if there were a few who didn't, they would come to play to save face.
Take Zheng Guangyao, for example. He previously detested gambling, but to prevent his construction site from being harassed by hooligans, he promised to spend hundreds of thousands to help out.
Although this motive was somewhat ignoble, Yang Jian had to play this game. The current economic pressure was too great, and without some quick money, he couldn't sustain himself.
Also, in partnership with Li Jin, he couldn't just rely on Li Jin to bring in clients; he also had to build some connections himself.
The three drove to Li Jin's company and met Li Jin in the general manager's office.
"Brother Jin, I just went to the school and saw that the venue is well-prepared. When do you plan to open?"
As soon as they entered, Yang Jian got straight to the point. At this stage, Li Jin was the main person in charge, and how the venue would be operated after opening was his own business.
Li Jin poured tea for the three. "Let's start tomorrow afternoon. I've already invited many friends to help out. The first shot needs to be a success, and then things will go smoothly."
"Okay, I'll notify the Emperor Company to come over tomorrow morning. Brother Jin, tell me how much we need to bribe the police. This money will come from the public funds."
Li Jin had said that the official safety was his responsibility, clearly intending to use his share of the profits to pay for the bribes.
However, Yang Jian couldn't take advantage of this. Li Jin already held a smaller share, and in the end, opening this casino was to help him. The bribery money should not be paid by one person alone.
Li Jin smiled. "Since you have this intention, I won't be pretentious. I need to bribe the district and street-level police. Let's set it at fifteen thousand for now. If the casino grows bigger in the future and there are more people to bribe, we can increase it then."
"Okay, you're in charge of this."
Fifteen thousand a day for bribing the police seemed not much to Yang Jian, indicating that Li Jin was confident in making the establishment successful and ensuring it wouldn't attract excessive attention from the police, thus allowing it to operate for a longer time.