After the door opened, two n walked in. They looked like they were over thirty-five. They were dressed in sharp suits, but you could see a tattoo on the neck of one of them.
They're probably those so-called street guys. And from the way they're dressed, it seems they're not from the sa gang as our 'boss'.
"Sorry, sorry, there was a traffic jam, we're late, I hope Brother Xiong can excuse us." One of the n rudely pulled over a chair and sat down, as if he didn't see himself as an outsider.
The tattooed man stood beside him holding a briefcase, wearing sunglasses, looking every bit the bodyguard.
"Since you're late, let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to business." Ouyang Xiong looked at them and said calmly.
"I've heard Brother Xiong is a straightforward person, and eting you today, it seems true. So, I'll just briefly state the cooperation matters." As the man spoke, he instructed the bodyguard behind him to take out a docunt and place it on the table.
"What the heck is this?" Fei, who hadn't even graduated elentary school, frowned at the densely packed words on the docunt.
"This is a contract, Brother Xiong. Now, we need to discuss serious matters, shouldn't the unrelated people be asked to leave?" The man noticed the room was a bit crowded, particularly Xiaofan dressed as a server, who was quite conspicuous.
"What do you an unrelated? Everyone here is my brother, Ouyang Xiong's brother. Hurry up, clarify what your boss Lei Hu really wants to do." Hearing the other party refer to his brothers as unrelated, Ouyang Xiong imdiately got upset.
"Okay then, I'll be brief. Our Brother Hu plans to set up three places on Sichuan North Road, two bars, and a casino."
"Damn it, what the hell are you guys on about, Sichuan Road is clearly our turf, what gives you the right to set up shop there." Fei is hot-tempered and imdiately lashed out before the other party could finish.
"Fei, let him finish." Ouyang Xiong signaled his brother to calm down, then looked at the others coldly and said, "And what kind of cooperation does Lei Hu want?"
"What Fei said just now isn't wrong, Sichuan Road is your territory, so if we want to set up shop on your turf, we naturally need your consent. What conditions do you have, Brother Xiong?" The man probed.
"I want to hear Lei Hu's terms first." Ouyang Xiong wasn't foolish; he wanted to hear their terms first before bargaining.
"Once the places start operations, you, Brother Xiong, will be the license holder. The renovation costs don't need you to spend a di. Once the business becos profitable, we'll split the profits fifty-fifty on a monthly basis." The man explained simply.
Xiaofan also figured out that this was cooperation between two gangs, and the terms offered were very favorable to Ouyang Xiong. But, would such a good business proposition really just co knocking?
"Such a cheap deal? I don't even have to pay for renovation. What's Lei Hu up to? What conditions does he have?" Ouyang Xiong wondered.
"Our boss's condition is simple. He'll handle the business operations. Of course, if you're not reassured, you can send people to oversee, including the funds and all the transactions, making sure everything is clear and without discrepancies." The man explained.
"Is it really that simple?" Ouyang Xiong was evidently skeptical.
"This is to show our sincerity. If Brother Xiong has any other conditions, feel free to ntion them. We can always negotiate for mutual profit, it's ti for the two gangs to bury the hatchet." The man was eloquent, with nothing objectionable in his words.
Ouyang Xiong had no reason to give up on such a good business deal, but precisely because it was too good, it made him uncertain.
In this line of work, you must always remain cautious, because you never know when soone beside you might stab you in the back.
"So, Brother Xiong, if there's no problem, we'd best finalize our cooperation tonight." The man urged when he saw Ouyang Xiong hesitating.
Hearing this, Ouyang Xiong looked at his brothers; cooperation can bring more benefits for them, and he had no reason to refuse.
He picked up a pen, preparing to sign.
Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of him, blocking his view of the docunt, which left everyone present stunned.
"Boss, there's ash on top, make sure it's clean before signing." Xiaofan said, casually brushing off the ashes on the docunt before stepping aside.
This action seed innocuous, just like a sidekick flattering the boss. However, the action faltered Ouyang Xiong's signing, and he put down the pen, saying slowly, "Ah, this stuff about Party A and Party B is a ss, Long, please take these two to the next room while I take a proper look."
Ouyang Xiong's sudden change made the two n frown repeatedly; just as things were about to complete, why this sudden hiccup?
"Brother Xiong, you can't take too long to consider, our boss is waiting for our reply, after all, operating the place takes ti..."
"Understood, I'll give you an answer tonight, please wait in the next room for now."
When Ouyang Xiong said he needed to take another look, he ant it. After Long took them to the next room, instead of imdiately focusing on the contract, Ouyang Xiong turned to look at Ye Xiaofan standing by.
"Little brother, did you notice sothing? Feel free to speak your mind."
As soon as he spoke, Fei also got excited and leaned in.
"I was just speculating, I dare not make conclusions." Surely, Xiaofan's earlier move was not without logic, and Ouyang Xiong discerning his intention wasn't easy.
Xiaofan wasn't one to ddle, he could pretend not to see, but the initial impression this 'boss' gave was not bad, he couldn't just stand idly by and feel good about it.
"Speculation is fine, I'm just short of soone to give so speculation." Ouyang Xiong had no choice, he and his brothers had fought their way up with their hands, not their brains, otherwise, he wouldn't have said he should have studied more.
"The bar's inco is good, but if it's a fifty-fifty split, add in what's given to the subordinates, the final inco won't be much. Moreover, hosting a casino is illegal. If the boss is listed as the license holder, and if things go south, the police will first look for the boss, and they can shirk all responsibility. Plus, money from casinos is hard to account for; if they manage it, they can share a bit when profitable, but what if it loses money? Does that an the boss covers the losses? Either way, the control remains in their hands. Even being the license holder just makes you a scapegoat."
As Xiaofan finished speaking, it took a mont for Ouyang Xiong and the others to comprehend.
"So, you're saying this is a trap? They're digging a pit for us?" the gangster Fei asked.
"I'm only speculating. I dare not assert definitively, if my guess proves wrong in the future, I hope the bosses don't bla ." Xiaofan continued.
"We definitely won't bla you, go on, what else do you have?" Based on the logic just now, Ouyang Xiong could already tell Xiaofan's guess was eighty to ninety percent correct.
"I have a bold hypothesis, though I'm not well-versed in street matters, so there's little basis for it, and it's still related to the license holder. We've talked about the casino, now let's talk about the bar. I've just arrived at Star Moon Bar, but I noticed the bar operates fully legally, with no signs of drug trafficking. Yet, what if they secretly engage in such activities behind the scenes?"
"You an they're using the bar as a front for secretly selling drugs?" Fei asked, stunned.
"It's just a hypothesis. But if it holds true, the boss stands to lose much more than from the previous logic. First, money certainly won't be shared with you, that's not covered by the contract. Second, as the license holder, if such things appear at the bar, the charges are serious. Third, if they get caught, causing the bar to close, the boss might have to pay them heavy damages according to the contract. But regardless of the truth, this contract shouldn't be signed. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
Everyone listened intently. Seeing Xiaofan pause, Ouyang Xiong quickly pressed on.
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