MLMD -Chapter 394 Preemptive Action

Listening to the cheers outside, Zhao Santong sighed and said, “Brother Yue really knows how to make a big move. One shot, and it’s 1.5 million. Truly a tycoon.”

Yun Feng nodded repeatedly. “Of course, a tycoon is a must. If we run out of money this time, no need to bother the bank. We can just borrow from Brother Yue directly.”

Hearing the two of them joking around non-stop, Yue Yang felt both exasperated and amused. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a checkbook and a pen, and pretended to gesture: “You want to borrow money? Fine… tell me the amount, and I’ll give it to you right away. Don’t act all pitiful about it.”

Seeing that Yue Yang was serious, the two who had been pretending to be broke instantly wilted and could only give awkward laughs. Zhao Santong waved his hand. “Forget it, brother. I’m not that desperate yet. When I really need it, I won’t hold back with you.”

Yue Yang shot him a glare, then turned to Yun Feng. “What about you? Still want to borrow money or not?”

Yun Feng shook his head repeatedly. “Forget it. If my old man at home knew I borrowed money from friends, he’d scold me to death.”

“Let’s see if you dare tease me after this,” Yue Yang said with a laugh, putting away his checkbook.

In fact, people of their social standing usually go to banks first if they need to borrow money. They rarely ask friends because borrowing from friends isn’t just about the money—it involves social obligations, which are much harder to repay. Only in extreme circumstances would they ever ask friends for loans.

After chatting for a while, Yue Yang said to Zhao Santong, “Brother Zhao, do you happen to know any famous experts in ancient shipbuilding? I want to get some work done with them.”

“Ancient shipbuilding experts?” Zhao Santong stared at Yue Yang for a while with a peculiar look before laughing. “You’re getting weirder with every project. Last time it was steam engines, now ancient ships. Are you really trying to start a modern industrial museum?”

“This is just work,” Yue Yang said, looking serious. “As long as the client needs it, I have to deliver. Whether it’s a few modern wooden ships or a mission to Mars, I have to find a way.”

“Alright… I admit it. Brother Yue, your business is quite versatile. You do everything,” Zhao Santong said, shaking his head helplessly. Then he advised, “Brother Yue, take it from me: money is a tricky thing. You can’t take it with you when you die. Spend more time with your family. Enjoy life while you can!”

“Can I take that as a reflection on the passage of time?” Yue Yang said, half laughing, half exasperated. “Brother Zhao, if you don’t know anyone, just say so. Don’t pretend to lecture me. Do you think I could enjoy my current lifestyle without a certain material foundation?”

“Exactly!” Yun Feng added scornfully. “You want to enjoy life but don’t want to work hard. Life isn’t that easy.”

Seeing Yun Feng chime in, Yue Yang thought: If I didn’t have money, you probably wouldn’t have introduced your subordinates Xiao Lu and Xiao Dan to me either. Even if I knew them, I couldn’t lavishly indulge them—this is a society that values money above all.

“Alright, I won’t argue with you two. When you reach my age, you’ll understand,” Zhao Santong said stubbornly, ending the debate. Then he told Yue Yang, “I do know someone who meets your criteria. His name is Shen Yonggang, an associate professor at Mingzhu University of Technology. He specializes in naval architecture and marine engineering and has studied ancient ships extensively. I heard he even collects a large number of 17th-century ship models. You can’t go wrong with him.”

“I see!” Yue Yang rubbed his nose and nodded. “Alright, I’ll go see him tomorrow.”

“Ah…” Yun Feng stretched and smiled at Yue Yang and Zhao Santong. “Well, now that the business talk is done, do you two have plans tonight? If not, we could go somewhere. I heard there’s a new hotel nearby with great food. We could check it out.”

“It’s not the food that’s great; it’s the girls there,” Zhao Santong scorned Yun Feng this time. He glanced at him and shook his head. “My wife even made soup waiting for me at home. I’m not going to mess around with you young guys.”

With that, Zhao Santong got up, waddling away like a duck.

“This old man really doesn’t know how to enjoy life,” Yun Feng muttered, patting Yue Yang’s shoulder. “Brother Yue, let’s hit the nightclub. There’s a batch of fresh girls from Eastern Europe. Wow… those long legs are irresistible. Come on, let’s go represent the country!” He gave Yue Yang a knowing look.

Seeing Yun Feng’s expression, Yue Yang couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother Yun, your entertainment company ranks top three in Mingzhu. If you want beautiful girls, you can have them every night. Why run outside looking? Aren’t you tired already?”

Yun Feng rolled his eyes. “You don’t get it. Even rabbits won’t eat the grass near their nests. If I mess with my female performers, how would I manage the company? So, are we going or not?”

“I’m not going,” Yue Yang shook his head. “I’m only staying four or five days this trip. I should spend more time with Xiao Lu and Xiao Dan.”

“You…” Yun Feng sighed, frustrated. “I thought you were a player, but turns out you’re faithful. Looks like you really care for them. But are you serious? Planning to marry a public figure?”

“Why not?” Yue Yang glared. “I have a celebrity crush. I like stars… got a problem with that?”

“No… absolutely not,” Yun Feng quickly raised his hands. “Whoever you want, that’s your freedom. If these two aren’t enough, my company has plenty—short, tall, fat, thin. Take your pick. And I heard that last time you got drunk with Xiao Lu, Xiao Dan and Sun Lili took you home… Xiao Dan already fell for you. I bet Sun Lili…”

“Shut your damn mouth!”

With a shout, a box of tissues flew at the chattering Yun Feng. Seeing trouble, he quickly ran off, laughing several times as he left.

Watching him run, Yue Yang shook his head and smiled. Yun Feng looked like a cool guy at first, but once familiar, you realize he’s just a curious little rascal.

Yue Yang slowly got up and went to the first-floor lobby, where he saw Xiao Lu and Xiao Dan inspecting a counter, faces full of delight and reluctance.

He walked up behind them and asked, smiling, “Found anything you like?”

Startled, the two girls turned around. Seeing Yue Yang, they relaxed and gave him a big eye-roll.

Xiao Lu stayed silent. Xiao Dan shyly said, “Xiao Lu liked a bracelet, but it’s expensive. She’s hesitating.”

“And you?” Yue Yang asked.

Xiao Dan shook her head, shy. Xiao Lu chimed in, “Xiao Dan likes a Tanzanian diamond necklace. It costs over 900,000. We didn’t dare buy it and wanted to wait for you.” She returned the bank card to Yue Yang.

Though Yue Yang didn’t comment, he was secretly pleased. Even though he gave them the card, they didn’t overspend; they waited for his opinion first. This showed they weren’t spoiled or greedy.

Forty minutes later, the three returned to Yulong Bay Villa. The girls were ecstatic with their new jewelry, constantly requesting attention. Yue Yang busied himself until 2 a.m. to settle them.

Though exhausted, the two girls held him tightly like octopuses in their sleep, faces showing satisfaction. Seeing them like two blooming twin lotuses, Yue Yang reconsidered his relationship with them. Originally, he had Xiao Lu because of his celebrity fascination, but over time, he became accustomed to someone waiting for him at home. Now with Xiao Dan, both clearly intended to cling to him for life. Even having children was on the agenda, catching Yue Yang off guard.

At this point, Yue Yang didn’t care if their affection was for his wealth. Humans, though claiming to be the “spirit of all things,” are similar to animals in some respects. In nature, females are scarce, and males compete either by displaying beauty and health or by brute force. Females naturally favor stronger, healthier males.

Humans are similar: society now values social resources and power. Women naturally favor successful men who provide security. Pursuing a good life is human nature, and as long as it’s legal and ethical, there’s no blame.

“In this timeline, having two confidantes isn’t bad. Since the jade pendant can be repaired underground, I don’t need to worry about it breaking. I can freely travel between Ming and modern times. Two women here isn’t a big deal; I can visit them for a month at a time after finishing matters in the Ming dynasty. That should work.”

Deciding this, Yue Yang turned to each of their sleeping faces and lightly inhaled their scent. In their sleep, the girls tightened their embrace and smiled contentedly.

The next morning, Yue Yang drove to Mingzhu University of Technology and found Associate Professor Shen Yonggang, explaining his request.

“What? You want models and data for all famous 18th-century Chinese and European warships?”

Shen Yonggang’s jaw dropped. “Do you know the 18th century was the golden age of shipbuilding? Hundreds of types and specifications of ships existed. Copying them all isn’t a small task, and the manpower and materials required are astronomical. I couldn’t do it alone, even if I worked myself to death.”

“Sounds complicated,” Yue Yang frowned.

“You think?” Shen Yonggang looked at him like he was an idiot. In his mind, Yue Yang was just a rich ship enthusiast.

“The data is one thing—you can print it—but the models must be perfectly scaled. And you want not one or two but hundreds. The time and effort needed…”

He clicked his tongue and fell silent. Yue Yang looked troubled; it wasn’t as simple as he thought. Testing the waters, he said, “Professor Shen, if I provide enough funds for you to hire some students as assistants and only make a batch of typical ships, can you do it?”

“That’s possible,” Shen Yonggang nodded. “But regarding the price…”

“Price isn’t a problem.” Yue Yang took out his checkbook, quickly wrote a check, and handed it over. “This 500,000 is a deposit. I’ll come back in a month and a half and pay another 1 million. How’s that?”

Seeing the amount, Shen Yonggang’s eyes lit up. He patted his chest. “No problem. Leave it to me.”

Half an hour later, Shen Yonggang personally saw Yue Yang out, smiling the entire time. After expenses, he would net at least 1 million in a month and a half—a huge windfall. Truly, today’s tycoons were generous.

After spending four or five days in the modern timeline, Yue Yang returned to the Ming dynasty with all the purchased materials.

Shandong, Jinan

While Yue Yang was away, an undercurrent surged. Merchants began preparations in secret; prices of necessities like rice, oil, and tea started rising slowly. The nearby Qingzhou and Dongchang prefectures also showed signs of fluctuation.

“Lady Yue, has the Marquis returned?” In the back courtyard of the Provincial Governor’s office, Wu Qing anxiously asked Wang Yue, Dong Xiaowan, and Li Xiangjun, with Jiang He and Chu Di standing behind him.

“Not yet,” Wang Yue shook her head. “The Marquis said he had business. He should return in four to ten days.”

Li Xiangjun asked worriedly, “Did something happen?” The three women looked anxious. They knew their husbands had made arrangements before leaving, so their presence usually meant serious matters.

“Yes,” Wu Qing’s face darkened. After a pause, he said, “News just came in that General Liu and Commander Lu’s army, while heading to reinforce Qufu, were ambushed by bandits at Ningyang. The government army was defeated; General Liu was seriously injured, and Commander Lu’s whereabouts are unknown.”

“What? How could this happen?” Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan paled. Dong Xiaowan asked, “Wu Lord, will the bandits come to Jinan?”

“Come to Jinan?” Wu Qing was initially startled, then laughed. “Lady Jun, don’t worry. Even if the bandits were ten times braver, they wouldn’t dare attack Jinan. We have 10,000 troops here. My concern is that if Liu and Lu’s forces are defeated too quickly, it’s unexpected. We just want to ask the Marquis for guidance.”

“That’s a relief,” the women exhaled. Wang Yue said, “Wu Lord, the Marquis surely gave you instructions before leaving. Just follow them.”

Wu Qing forced a smile. “Yes, Lady Yue. Normally, we wouldn’t worry, but Minister Jiang received news that the merchants’ actions in the city have become increasingly frequent. We fear they might preemptively strike with a market closure. And the Marquis hasn’t returned, leaving us in a passive position.”

A deep worry appeared in Wu Qing’s eyes. Originally, they expected the Jinan merchants wouldn’t act for another ten to fifteen days. But now, it seemed they were willing to act immediately, regardless of the bandit threat outside the city.