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墨書 Inktalez
I settled down on the sofa with a sigh. I didn’t bring up my dissatisfaction with Linna because I knew it would be pointless; all I would gain was her displeasure and perhaps a counterattack.
Strangely, I felt like a child when I saw Linna. All the maturity and burdens I carried seemed to melt away, and I didn’t have to be on guard like a warrior ready for battle. Occasionally, I found myself wanting to tease her, to play little tricks on her.
This feeling was truly comforting; it felt like genuine rest. I could shed the facade of strength I wore in the outside world and simply enjoy this moment of happiness. It was as if I was a little undercover agent taking a breather, lost in bliss.
This was my sanctuary, a place I couldn’t escape from and didn’t want to escape from.
“So, you’re the master of White Tiger Hall now?” Linna asked with a bright smile, her eyes sparkling with joy. That smile made me feel even more enchanted; perhaps every man who struggles outside hopes to come home to such a welcoming face.
I grinned back, feeling a bit proud, even wanting to show off. I knew why—I liked Linna’s approval; it made my efforts in the world feel worthwhile.
“Ha! Today, I’ll treat you! How about some chicken soup?” Linna laughed cheerfully, and in that moment, I forgot my earlier annoyance about her not doing yoga in front of me, though I didn’t forget my playful intentions.
“No, your chicken soup can only nourish the body but not the heart,” I said with a feigned sigh of sadness. Linna looked at me with concern and immediately asked what was wrong. Although she didn’t rush over to comfort me, I could see the worry in her eyes.
Since that last time when I had to meet Xiong Li and Liu Hao despite knowing there was danger, Linna’s attitude toward me had softened. At that moment, I realized that perhaps I had become the hero in Linna’s heart—the one willing to fight for her with all my strength.
The matter with Xi Xiang truly saddened me.
I shook my head and sighed; it was just my childish side acting up. The situation with Xi Xiang weighed on my heart, but I understood he had no choice but to make such decisions. So when faced with this betrayal, I told myself firmly that it was fine not to be friends anymore.
“Ah, you men and your loyalty—I don’t get it. But since things are already like this, just let it go. How about this: today, instead of cooking for you, I'll order takeout?” Linna said as she sat beside me, trying to cheer me up with her playful demeanor.
I couldn’t help but smile inside; it had been so long since anyone treated me like a child that it felt unfamiliar yet delightful—so easy to hit my funny bone!
“No need for that; just give me a kiss and I'll be fine,” I blurted out my wish quickly, fearing that if I didn’t say it now, it might be too late.
But maybe that was too forward of me.
“Get lost! A dog can’t change its nature! You’ll eat dirt tonight!”
Linna turned around and walked away, no longer comforting me. Watching her back, I couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing! After that, she ignored me for the entire evening.
The next morning, after making breakfast for Linna, I left. I had a division of labor with Zheng Yu; he took out two casinos while I focused on expanding the White Tiger Hall. To grow stronger, strict management was essential. Originally, there were three Lesser Bosses under White Tiger Hall, but now only Zheng Yu remained, which was definitely not enough.
However, I couldn't appoint new leaders since there were no remaining subordinates. Zheng Yu had already scattered Lu Qiang and He Wei's men. Could I really establish two more leaders with just a couple of lone wolves?
That’s when I thought of Liu Hao. He should be supporting me and Cao Hui right now because the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise Halls had already broken free from his control. With Cao Hui and me as his allies, he had every reason to strengthen his own power.
“Hey, boss, I just took over White Tiger Hall, and we only have five hundred people right now. I want to start a company to build up our strength. This way, we can create benefits for our district and develop our own power. What do you think?”
I called Liu Hao directly and said that if he could send some manpower my way and train Liu Sen a bit, I could start the company.
“Oh? Starting a company? Then tell me your thoughts,” Liu Hao replied.
I shared my idea of starting a security company with him. Liu Hao was very supportive but also shared some insights.
He explained that while many knew Tian Ye Group could profit from starting a security company, it hadn’t happened yet for two reasons: many could do it but didn’t want to because casinos made money faster; and others wanted to but lacked the capability.
What was this capability based on? Tian Ye Group had been entrenched in Kyoto for years. Although they didn’t have a security company collecting protection fees, their connections with various local forces were incredibly complex. Many people were acquainted with certain leaders or even the Helmsman of Tian Ye Group.
You could offend outsiders, but you couldn’t afford to offend those behind Tian Ye Group, which created numerous complications.
However, things were different now; the big boss had changed, and there had been significant personnel shifts within Tian Ye Group, reducing these troubles considerably. Now was the time to act—if we waited too long, someone else might seize the opportunity. But even so, I needed to be cautious; while the troubles had lessened significantly, they hadn’t disappeared entirely.
Liu Hao smiled as he spoke. I understood that he viewed my security company idea through the lens of traditional gang mentality: “Do you pay? If not, I’ll send someone to cause trouble! Then you’ll hire me to solve your problems.”
But that was precisely my plan as well. In Kyoto, I didn’t know how many people were wealthy yet unkind; if you didn’t take advantage of such people, could you really rely on a security business to make money? That was nonsense!
“Don’t worry, boss; I understand all this. I won’t cause you any trouble,” I assured him. “But right now, I'm short on manpower.”
I opened my mouth to ask Liu Hao for help. After all he had said, it was clear he was just worried about me causing him trouble.
“Ha! I believe in your abilities. If you have ideas and potential, I support you. The group has withdrawn one establishment in He Bei and has some extra subordinates left over; I'll try to get you a batch!” Liu Hao said.
I was overjoyed upon hearing this! This was exactly what I wanted! Satisfied with his response, I thanked him and hung up the phone.
The day passed quietly as I waited for Liu Hao to send me the subordinates he promised. Just then, before any news came from him, Cao Hui called me first.
“Hey brother, I just spoke with the boss. He said he promised you that batch of subordinates from He Bei?” Cao Hui asked straightforwardly.
I admitted it; Cao Hui clearly wanted those men too. He had called Liu Hao about them but was turned down because they were promised to me. Now he was calling me because he wanted me to give up that batch of subordinates.
"Yes.
To be honest, the voting matter didn’t involve Cao Hui at all, and even if it did, I wouldn’t feel grateful to him. My relationship with Cao Hui will always be one of being used and using each other; either I’m using him or he’s using me.
Oh, brother, I know you’re short on people over there, but I’m also in need. This time, I have eight hundred people available. How about I give you two hundred?
Cao Hui said directly, thinking that because he had some leverage over me, he could command me.
"Sorry, Brother Cao, but those eight hundred people are for Liu Hao and Liu Laoda to supplement my company’s staff. It’s already been decided; you’ll have to wait for the next batch."
I chuckled and told Cao Hui this. He gasped in surprise, fell silent for a moment, then said, "Brother, how about this: we split it evenly—four hundred for you and four hundred for me."
"No way, I want all eight hundred."
I stated plainly. "I’ll also need to select from those eight hundred; I might only keep four or five hundred. That way, my total number of subordinates will only be around a thousand, which is still quite lacking."
Moreover, Cao Hui has always been within my control!
"Hiss! Brother, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to kill the donkey after the grind?"
As soon as I finished speaking, Cao Hui became visibly displeased. He had initially been willing to help me because he wanted me to follow his orders once I rose to power and hand everything over to him. Now that I was completely ignoring his commands, he must have felt surprised and angry.
I smiled at his reaction but didn’t respond; instead, I hung up the phone. You treat people according to their worth—Cao Hui has always thought he had me under his thumb as a tool for his use. In reality, it was the opposite; he thought he was using me while I saw him as a tool.
After hanging up, Cao Hui didn’t call back. I believe he understood my stance by now. Shortly after, he would likely come knocking with what he claimed were evidence of my hit-and-run incident to threaten me.
Sure enough, that evening, Cao Hui arrived at Tianchi.
"Xiang Dong, what do you mean by this? Do you think that just because you’ve become the master of White Tiger Hall, you can disregard me as Brother Cao?"
Cao Hui barged into my office without knocking and asked loudly, his face filled with anger and dissatisfaction. Seeing this made me smile; some people are just like that—when you let them take advantage of you and give them what they want, they’re happy; otherwise, they turn hostile."
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