Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After Zhang Mei left, Lu Qiang quickly handled the matter with Xi Xiang over the phone and hurried over to ask me, "Brother, what’s your relationship with that woman?"
Before I could respond, Wei Qian came down from upstairs.
"Oh? Xiang Dong, your girlfriend left? Really? Bringing a girlfriend here and pretending not to know our Xi Xiang?" Wei Qian said with a smirk, holding her small bag. I could tell from her expression that she had probably asked Xi Xiang for money again.
"What? Girlfriend? Is that true?" Lu Qiang exclaimed, his face filled with shock. I smiled at him and replied, "It’s true. The day just started; what’s wrong with that, Lu Ge?"
I asked Lu Qiang with a grin. He definitely wouldn’t tell Xiong Li about this; who would want to be in a situation like that? He would surely inform Cao Hui instead! Cao Hui, having a bit of sense, would know how to use this situation to threaten me. If I distanced myself from him, he would tell Xiong Li and make it impossible for me to get along with Xiong Li as well.
"What’s wrong with that? Do you know who she is? That’s Xiong Laoda's woman!" Lu Qiang whispered to me, leaning in close. This was serious business, and he was worried someone might overhear.
"What?" I feigned surprise. Then Lu Qiang asked me, "Brother, nothing happened, right?"
Damn! How would I know? I gritted my teeth and said nothing, which was as good as an answer. Lu Qiang shook his head helplessly after hearing my silence. At this moment, I knew he was waiting for me to speak; it was time for him to collect favors.
"Lu Ge, you have to help me out with this. Otherwise, I’m done for!" I told Lu Qiang. He quickly replied, "Sure thing! Aren’t we brothers? Don’t worry."
Lu Qiang patted my shoulder and sat down beside me without saying anything. I knew that according to common sense, I should give him some benefits now. But I didn’t want to; whether I gave him something or not, he wouldn’t tell Xiong Li but would inform Cao Hui instead. Besides, I didn’t have any money.
"Hey, why do you look so familiar? You... you’re Lu Ge?"
Just as we finished speaking, Wei Qian suddenly chimed in. I was genuinely surprised that she recognized Lu Qiang!
"Yeah, that's me. Do you know me?" Lu Qiang replied, turning to look at Wei Qian with a confused expression.
Wei Qian's face lit up as she exclaimed, "Wow! You really are Lu Ge! You don’t know me, but do you know Xiao Qing? We used to be colleagues!"
Oh no! This is bad!
Seeing Wei Qian's demeanor made it clear she was trying to get close to Lu Qiang!
Lu Qiang was involved in the underworld and was a Lesser Boss; women like Wei Qian had no resistance against men like him. For someone like Wei Qian, men like Lu Qiang were exactly what she desired—impressive, respected, and wealthy!
"Huh? Xiao Qing? Hmm."
Lu Qiang acknowledged her twice but then ignored her completely. After entering the room and seeing Xi Xiang talking to Wei Qian, it was obvious they were a couple. A guy like Lu Qiang wouldn’t lack women; he had no need to pursue my friend's woman.
However, Wei Qian didn’t take the hint; even when Lu Qiang ignored her, she kept trying to engage him in conversation, making things awkward for Xi Xiang.
"Lu Ge, let’s go grab a drink."
I suggested to Lu Qiang. In truth, I really disliked Wei Qian and hoped she would break up with Xi Xiang soon enough—but not in such an embarrassing way! That would be too ugly!
"Hey," Lu Qiang said, not one to back down, as he stood up to leave with me. At that moment, Wei Qian spoke up.
"Hey, I want to go with you guys too!"
Wei Qian's smile struck me as shameless. How could someone as honest as Xi Xiang end up with a woman like her?
"Come on, Wei Qian, let’s not go," Xi Xiang urged, pulling on Wei Qian. I sighed in exasperation and turned to Lu Qiang. "Let’s go, Brother Lu."
Lu Qiang nodded in agreement and followed me out without paying any more attention to Wei Qian. As a friend, I thought it might be wise to remind Xi Xiang someday that Wei Qian really wasn’t suitable for him.
After leaving the pastry shop, Lu Qiang and I found a place to have a drink and chat for a while. I repeatedly urged Lu Qiang not to mention anything about today to anyone.
Lu Qiang promised he wouldn’t say a word. I knew he would likely spill the beans anyway; all I had to do was wait for Cao Hui to come and negotiate with me.
After dinner with Lu Qiang, I returned home and shared the day’s events with Linna. She said, "What if Lu Qiang is really trustworthy and doesn’t tell Cao Hui? Didn’t you work hard for this?"
I chuckled at her words. Trustworthy? Sure, the underworld is indeed a place where loyalty matters, but it is also a brutally realistic world!
Loyalty is something you can only expect from brothers; perhaps only brothers won’t betray you for personal gain. Lu Qiang was certainly not one of those. At this moment, Cao Hui must be looking to either recruit or eliminate me. If Lu Qiang were to deliver such news to Cao Hui, it would be significant—definitely a major contribution!
It could very well be enough for Lu Qiang to betray me.
I didn’t argue with Linna; instead, I spent the night watching cartoons with her. Some things are better left for reality to reveal.
The next day, Lu Qiang called me.
"Hey brother, I've got something important to discuss with you. Do you have time?"
"I do."
I smiled as I sat in my office chair; everything was going according to plan—very well indeed.
"Great! Let’s meet at Man Han Lou at noon."
"Sounds good."
I responded exactly how he expected me to. At noon, I arrived alone at Man Han Lou and found the private room where I was supposed to meet Lu Qiang. Pushing the door open, I walked in.
Inside the spacious room were two people: Lu Qiang and a thin man in a black suit who looked to be in his thirties. His triangular eyes sparkled with shrewdness; he looked very cunning.
"And you are?" I asked, although I already suspected who he was.
"I’m Cao Hui, the leader of the Southern District's Vermilion Bird Hall."
"What?"
I was taken aback and quickly responded, "So you're Leader Cao! It’s an honor to meet you!"
I hurriedly shook hands with Cao Hui. Once my surprise subsided, I adopted a respectful demeanor; after all, he was the leader, and I was two ranks below him.
"Please, have a seat." Cao Hui smiled as he shook my hand. After I sat down, he continued, "Aren't you curious why I'm here?"
Of course I was curious. I glanced at Lu Qiang, who was grinning from ear to ear, and said, "What’s there to be curious about? I know what you want to do. This whole situation was designed by me!"
He chuckled. "You know how my relationship with Xiong Li is. Lu Qiang is on my side. I'm here to see you for a reason. I noticed your skills; that event you organized a couple of days ago was impressive. Even the boss mentioned wanting to meet you. You've got potential, and it would be a shame for someone like you to be with Xiong Li. Why not join me instead?"
Cao Hui looked at me with a smile, and I couldn't help but let out a resigned laugh before saying, "I suppose Lu Ge has already told you about my situation with Cao Tangzhu?"
"Haha, you're talking about that? It's normal; what man isn't a little flirtatious? If you come with me, once we take down Xiong Li, all his women will be yours!" Lu Qiang remained silent while Cao Hui laughed heartily. I sighed again and replied, "Well, it seems I don't have much of a choice then."
"Yeah, that's about right." Cao Hui nodded happily. If I didn’t go along with him, he would surely expose my situation and make it impossible for me to continue working with Xiong Li.
Sighing deeply, I said, "You know, I'm actually quite loyal. I didn't even realize that woman was my boss, Cao Tangzhu. You're putting me in a tough spot."
I looked at Cao Hui with a pained expression, but in reality, I was just putting on an act. If I outright refused him now, he would immediately use that information against me. What good would that do? What if I appeared hesitant?
Cao Hui smiled knowingly. "Haha, I understand you're in a difficult position. But listen, brother, let me tell you something: good birds choose the right tree to nest in. It's only natural. Xiong Li is such an idiot; he probably didn't even finish elementary school! What kind of future can you have following him?"
Wait, really? Xiong Li didn't even graduate from elementary school? I was taken aback for a moment but quickly realized that his education level had nothing to do with me. Who cared if he graduated or not?
"Ah, Cao Tangzhu, you don't know this about me—I’ve admired General Yue Fei since I was young! I believe men like him are the true definition of masculinity!" I continued to feign difficulty in making a decision.
Cao Hui chuckled helplessly and pulled out his wallet from his pocket, taking out a silver card. "Xiang Brother, this card has over a million on it. Consider this your pocket money. Has Xiong Li ever given you any money for your efforts? You probably haven't even been paid yet."
He pushed the card towards me with a smile and asked again. I hesitated; he would surely offer me more benefits to prove that aligning with him was the right choice! A million!
Is this really okay?
I stared at the card while maintaining an expression of indecision, but inside I was already ecstatic—damn it! Once I get out of here, I'm buying myself a car!
Comment 0 Comment Count