"Cut the crap!" Jiang Hao didn’t dare to bare his teeth at Ling Chen, but he had no such qualms with Zhao Zhengxiong, choking out sharply, "If everyone was like Brother Chen and resolved issues just by sitting down to play a few rounds of Mahjong, what’s the point in all this?"
Zhao Zhengxiong, whose temper has beco much steadier nowadays, didn’t get angry upon hearing this and simply continued to drink tea with a smile.
As people were joking around, the dishes started to stream in as soon as Ling Chen arrived, and the wine was poured and ready to be served. Ling Chen wanted to wait, but then the private room’s door was pushed open, and Jiang Yunkai walked in with a beaming smile.
"Brother Chen, it’s quite lively in here!" At so unknown point, maybe starting from the day he was defeated, Jiang Yunkai subconsciously started to address Ling Chen differently.
The others, however, didn’t recognize him and showed surprised expressions.
Ling Chen smiled, seated him, and then raised his glass, saying, "Let’s have a drink before we talk!"
The group roared in agreent, no one being vague about downing a 50-gram drink, except Nanrong Hao, who acted a bit sly, not leaving the glass from his lips, taking three sips to finish it.
"This is Jiang Yunkai, my brother, and from now on, he’ll be your brother as well!" Ling Chen’s introduction was simple, but the implications were not. Clever as Jiang Hao was, and as experienced as Zhao Zhengxiong was, they both sensed sothing, while Nanrong Hao just chuckled, "If he’s Brother Chen’s brother, then he’s our brother too, what’s there to say?"
With a brief introduction out of the way, Ling Chen didn’t rush to elaborate, but instead waved to have all the service staff leave and then asked, "Have we taken over all of Dongyi’s turf?"
"Yes!" Jiang Hao, seeing that the conversation had turned to business, also returned to his solemn state, laying down his chopsticks and declared, "Dongyi Group had thirty-six KTVs, one hundred twenty-eight bars, twenty-two bathhouses, and five private security companies, and not a single one was missed; we’ve taken over all of them!"
Ling Chen was taken aback, feeling that sothing wasn’t quite right instinctively. With so many of Dongyi’s businesses, there must be plenty of people eying them greedily. Now that Dongyi has fallen, wouldn’t those people be scrambling to fight over it, bleeding heads and all? Even if Jiang Hao and the others acted quickly, it’s unlikely that they could take it all without resistance!
"Brother Chen, it’s actually not that surprising." Zhao Zhengxiong, noticing the doubt in Ling Chen’s mind, shook his head and said, "Dongyi’s downfall ca too suddenly. Although other forces had been eyeing them, they simply weren’t ready to react so abruptly, and so who did have the ti to react were still wary, unsure if it was a trap set by officials, hence a wait-and-see attitude."
Ling Chen caught on to this logic, nodding, "So you guys caught them unprepared when taking over, and basically faced no resistance or interference?"
"Yes, half of the KTVs, bars, and bathhouses were Dongyi’s own assets. With their boss arrested and most of the backbone dead, those who didn’t flee were considered loyal, and nobody had the guts to resist."
"What about the rest?" Jiang Yunkai suddenly chid in.
Everyone was taken aback and instinctively looked at Ling Chen, who slightly nodded, prompting Zhao Zhengxiong to continue, "The rest was even easier to handle. They’re all just doing business; we didn’t raise the protection fees, so it doesn’t matter who they pay, as long as we don’t cause them trouble and can help them resolve it. It’s all the sa who’s in charge."
Having finished, as though afraid the newcor wouldn’t understand, he added a few explanatory words, "These grey area industries, in between black and white, have never shied away from so involvent by gang mbers. For them, as long as there’s money to be made, it’s most important to earn it in peace and quiet. A little spending is nothing to them."
Jiang Yunkai nodded thoughtfully, taking a subtle sip of his drink.
"What about those five security companies?"
"These were fully-owned assets of Dongyi; we’ve taken them over as well. Official procedures are underway, but security has always just been a front; the people below were all Dongyi’s. After the incident, almost everyone has fled. It’s basically an empty shell now."
"Don’t worry, a shell has its advantages."
Ling Chen smiled, turned his head and asked Jiang Yunkai, "Are you interested?"
Everyone reacted with uniform movents as they heard this sentence.
They all put down their chopsticks at the sa ti, their expressions serious as they watched Jiang Yunkai, seemingly waiting for his answer.
Jiang Yunkai remained expressionless, his eyelids drooping slightly, the cup in his hand spinning continuously between his fingers, his thoughts inscrutable.
Perhaps only two people in the room could maintain a relatively calm deanor, one was Ling Chen, and the other was Nanrong Hao.
Ling Chen had absolute authority; his words were taken as imperial edicts without any discount in front of these people.
Although Nanrong Hao was increasingly fond of this atmosphere and had gained ample respect and one of the top positions within it, he was well aware that, whether it be playing around for fun or turning it into a career, it wasn’t feasible—not with his grandfather Nanrong Yong, his sister Nanrong Wanqing, or even Chen himself allowing him to continue down this path.
Hongyu Group was his lifelong stage.
The others, however, were lost in their concerns, all understanding what mattered most in this line of work: first and foremost was absolute martial power, followed by financial power. No amount of money could necessarily buy the loyalty and life-risking dedication of people, but if you had loyal and dedicated followers, what did money an? It could be fought for and won!
The current situation was exactly like this; the KTVs, bars, and bath cities under Dongyi were profitable ventures, but the core lay with those few security companies.
Even though they were only shells at the mont, their status held sway here, and they were destined to be the departnt wielding the greatest martial power internally in the future.
It wasn’t that they were thinking about competing for power and profit at this mont; it’s just that no one was a fool. After years in the Martial Arts World, they knew to weigh the importance; they dared not question Chen’s decision but were rely curious about what abilities made Chen take notice of this man.
"Brother Chen," Jiang Yunkai finally lifted his eyelids and spoke indifferently, "I did promise you that if I were defeated, I would agree to one request from you, but I never agreed to work for you for the rest of my life, did I?"
As these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the private room condensed; the others did not understand what cryptic ssage was being exchanged and remained silent, not inclined to speak.
Ling Chen was unbothered, poured himself a glass of wine, and drained it in one gulp. Grimacing as though the alcohol burnt fiercely, he downed several more bowls of soup before wiping his mouth and smiling.
"You’re a drifter."
This statent seed sowhat nonsensical. Nanrong Hao scratched his head, puzzled, and for so reason, lines from Gu Long’s masterworks popped up in his mind. His eyes lit up, and he watched with amusent as Brother Chen started to show off.
"I’m not a drifter; I simply have my own pursuits," Jiang Yunkai flatly rejected, not giving face.
Ling Chen shook his head and persisted, "The designation ’drifter’ is inherently for those who have extre pursuits in certain aspects. Aren’t you one of them?"
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