Chapter 163 Deliberating on the Grand Strategy Together

Although Su Zhenghao looked rather young, his hospitality rituals were remarkably elaborate.

Despite the limited space of Sanmu Modification Workshop, Su Zhenghao had still managed to carve out a dedicated reception area for himself.

Upon entering the room, an exquisite tea table carved from a single piece of raw log occupied the better part of the space. The table was fully equipped with tools, boasting a considerable variety of fine teas.

"Boss Wang, Master Mo, what kind of tea do you usually prefer?" Su Zhenghao asked politely, inviting the two to take a seat.

"Black tea, I suppose? My stomach has been feeling a bit cold lately," Wang Yu replied, turning to consult Mo Shu for his opinion.

"Ah, please remember I am just an employee here. Whatever you like is fine," Mo Shu said, never forgetting to lower his profile.

"Haha! Boss Wang has a fine eye. You spotted the Dahongpao I just managed to acquire."

With that, Su Zhenghao skillfully went about boiling water, rinsing the tea leaves, warming the cups, and pouring the brew. After bustling about for quite a while, he finally brought the conversation back on track.

"Boss Wang, those major modified car clubs in Nanshan City I mentioned earlier—they are not to be trifled with. Take the ones that regularly come to me for maintenance, for instance; their members are all car owners with certain social backgrounds. After all, it's VIP style, you know how it is." Su Zhenghao took a sip of his tea, his expression turning solemn.

Wang Yu's career had always focused on the professional racing sector, so he genuinely did not know much about modified car styles.

However, when it came to the renowned VIP style, Wang Yu was at least somewhat familiar with it.

VIP modification originated in the island nation, initially as the favorite of underworld bosses and a symbol of prestige and luxury.

Car paint was once predominantly pure black or pure white, with understated tones representing solemnity and dignity.

Although VIP style had diversified in recent years, a large faction of nostalgic die-hard fans still adhered to traditional VIP modification principles.

Walking down the street, VIP style was not difficult to recognize. The primary requirement was that the car itself must possess the prestigious lineage of an island-nation luxury vehicle.

Coupled with an ultra-low stance, massive electroplated wheels flush with the fender arches, and a lavish, sparkling interior overflowing with luxury, whether a car was VIP or not could be recognized at a glance.

Furthermore, when modifying the interiors, car owners who favored the VIP style typically chose eye-catching diamond accessories to set off the cabin atmosphere. Thus, the name naturally came into being.

Imagine dozens of black-and-white VIP-modified cars hitting the road together, their understated yet menacing aura would definitely make other vehicles keep their distance.

Whether such clubs were easy to mess with was something anyone could figure out with their eyes closed.

"Aside from this VIP car club, what about the other major clubs? Tell me a bit about them," Wang Yu decided to bypass this troublesome target for the moment.

"Well then, let me give Boss Wang a brief introduction. In our Nanshan modification circle, besides the one I just mentioned, there are three others. These four control Nanshan's modification circle, so friends in the scene collectively refer to them as the 'Four Great Families,'" Su Zhenghao explained articulately.

"Heh, what a grand 'Four Great Families.' How exactly do these four control Nanshan's modification circle?"

"Boss Wang, please don't sneer just yet. Hear me out first. As everyone knows, Nanshan City has a total of fifteen major districts, and almost all the modification accessory shops and modification repair plants within these fifteen districts rely on the patronage of members from the Four Great Families to survive. Put that way, is it a bit easier to understand?"

"You mean that without pledging allegiance to any of those families, accessory shops and modification workshops will have no business and will face the crisis of bankruptcy and closure?"

"Yes. 'Pledging allegiance' sounds a bit harsh; people usually call it 'joining.' If a car owner doesn't join the Four Great Families, first of all, it's hard to purchase favored modification parts locally. Even if they get them through online shopping, very few local modification shops are willing to service members outside the families. From another perspective, the Four Great Families have integrated most of the modification shops in Nanshan City—especially the large-scale ones, several of which are directly operated with the involvement of high-ranking members of the Four Great Families. Therefore, if small shops like ours refuse to yield, let alone major clients, we are bound to lose a massive influx of ordinary retail customers, making business unsustainable."

"Hoh, it really has the flavor of a monopoly!" This was something Wang Yu had never expected; the modification circle in Nanshan City was fraught with such undercurrents.

Seen in this light, whether it was Su Zhenghao's "Sanmu Modification Workshop" or the MK7 owner's "Birch Auto Dealership," they must both be relying on one of the factions among the Four Great Families to make a living.

If so, how could Mo Shu's plan even be implemented?

What was the point of developing new shock absorbers if they had no way to expand the market?

The reality was that even if Mo Shu and Wang Yu opened a modification workshop, the Four Great Families could crush them in a matter of minutes. Talking about establishing a car manufacturing enterprise with Nanshan as their base was simply impossible.

Wang Yu felt a headache coming on, but Su Zhenghao spoke up again with a mysterious look on his face.

"Of course, it's not entirely without a way out. If Boss Wang's father is willing to lend a hand, then mere 'Four Great Families' would certainly be no match."

"No. Business has its own unwritten rules. Unless it's an absolute last resort, my father will not actively cross boundaries and snatch food from other people's mouths. That is his principle." Wang Yu could tell that Su Zhenghao was also unwilling to be subjugated by the Four Great Families, and his previous suggestion was practically instigating Wang Yu to beg his father to step in.

"Oh... In that case, we can only rack our brains for another solution," Su Zhenghao said with a desolate expression.

Mo Shu, who had been quietly listening to the explanation without speaking for a long time, finally chimed in: "I have a question. Is there a way to stand on equal footing with the Four Great Families?"

"This..." Mo Shu's question stumped Su Zhenghao, who had never even considered such a possibility.

Yet Mo Shu seemed to have some ideas forming, so he asked for pen and paper and began to list them out.

To stand on equal footing with the opposing side, Mo Shu could currently think of three methods:

1. Challenge and defeat them, conquering the rivals through "force."
2. Rapidly expand and strengthen oneself, making the rivals voluntarily attach themselves and show goodwill.
3. Submit to the rivals, endure hardships and bide one's time to climb to the "apex of the pyramid" from within.

"Hmm, these are decent methods, but which one do you plan to use?" Wang Yu looked over the contents Mo Shu had written down.

"I plan to rule out the second one first, because they have already formed a monopoly, and rapid expansion is hardly feasible," Mo Shu pondered.

"That leaves one and three. Let's decide on one before moving forward," Su Zhenghao said, eager to try.

"What are your opinions? Let's hear them first," Mo Shu said as he weighed his options.

"If it were me, I'd choose the first option: a direct challenge. That fits the style of our Deity Racing Team," Wang Yu quickly made up his mind.

"Sigh... If I had to choose, the third option seems relatively secure with lower risk, though the success rate and time required are still unknowns," Su Zhenghao appeared somewhat hesitant.

The trouble was that their opinions could only serve as reference; the crucial factor depended entirely on Mo Shu's plan.

Mo Shu contemplated for a moment, tore the white paper into shreds, and said, "This is a secret. Not a word of it can be leaked."

Wang Yu and Su Zhenghao nodded repeatedly, both guaranteeing they would keep mum. But what on earth was Mo Shu's final decision? He had said nothing at all—what good was secrecy like this?

"Your opinions are both quite good, so I've decided to use them together."

"Together? How is that supposed to work?"

"I plan to use the third method first, followed by the first, to take them down step by step."

"First submit, then challenge?" Wang Yu thought he must have misheard. Mo Shu was willing to submit to others? This completely shattered his understanding of Mo Shu.

"No, no, no. It's not submission; it's going in first to scout out the situation. Knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle," Mo Shu smiled and said.