Lin Huai said with a straight face, “I feel that the Rat Gang can’t rely on thievery as the main source of income anymore.”
Chu Wenxing added next to him, “Yeah, what’s the use of sneaking around in the dark?”
On the other hand, Feng Baihui replied hesitantly, “What else can we do besides stealing, though?”
Lin Huai said, “None of the gangs in the province consider the Rat Gang as part of the underworld. Do you know why? Think about it—out of all the criminals in prison, rapists are the ones that are most looked down upon, followed by those who committed thievery. It’s almost as though nobody in the underworld respects those who make a living from stealing, let alone one that’s in the same category as them.”
Feng Baihui responded, “However, what’s the problem if they don’t agree with what we do?”
“When they think you’re a nuisance and look down on you, it naturally hinders the opportunities for your gang to grow
Lin Huai and the others settled in the nightclub. Currently, his turf was much larger than the turf he owned in Chengbei District back then, and it probably made more money than the entire Thunder Gang did back then. After all, they were in the provincial capital—all kinds of businesses were more lucrative than in Tongcheng City. In particular, the businesses run by Ma Zhenhao were doing great; even the protection fees they collected were much higher than those collected from each family in Tongcheng City.Lin Huai didn’t sleep; instead, he sat in the office and sorted out the accounts. The more he looked into it, the more delighted he was. If he were to expand his influence in the underworld, it would be much better to do so here than in Tongcheng City.However, Lin Huai didn’t intend to shift the focus of his work to the provincial capital so soon. Indeed, it was easier to make money in the provincial capital, but this also made it harder to earn a
That night, Lin Huai called Pu Chengji to the hotel. In order to not rouse everyone’s suspicions, he only called for three people—Pu Chengji, Wu Jun, and Wu Mengjie. As the five of them sat together, Wu Jun sighed. “Brother Huai, it seems like it’s been a while since we all got together for a chat like this.”“Yeah,” said Wu Mengjie as well. “In all honesty, we want to enter the underworld with you too, Brother Huai, but we couldn’t do it back then. Now, we’re all going to do this with you!”Wu Mengjie and Wu Jun both wore expressions of excitement on their faces, their eyes shining. On the other hand, Pu Chengji looked rather calm because he knew that Lin Huai would not let them follow him into the underworld. Considering how long they had known each other, he had a good grasp on Lin Huai’s personality. As expected, Lin Huai said, “For the time being, no. You guys have just become university freshmen. If you still think this way by you
Lin Huai never once noticed that although he wished for a world free from the underworld’s clutches, he still constantly enjoyed the thrill that came with the danger of running around the place. Wu Mengjie, Wu Jun, and the others were people suited for the underworld life. How could Lin Huai not be either?They downed plenty of liquor inside that room before they began to play cards. They kept playing until the night was no longer young, and then they all squeezed themselves into whatever space they could find in the room to sleep.Lin Huai was the first one to wake up the next day. He rubbed his temples, scrambled up from his bed, and headed to the balcony for a smoke. He had no idea when Pu Chengji had woken up either; Dao Zi had abstained from drinking last night, and Pu Chengji had followed suit as well.Pu Chengji walked over to his side. Meanwhile, Lin Huai whipped out a cigarette and handed it to Pu Chengji as they watched people
Liu Xinmei observed with curiosity from the side and commented, “Lin Huai, how did you master acupuncture at such a young age? It’s usually a skill practiced by old and experienced doctors! I heard that even the older doctors nowadays don’t really practice acupuncture anymore. I bet this skill is going to die off in a couple of years.”Lin Huai chuckled and responded, “That’s an exaggeration! Acupuncture is quite popular nowadays. Even the folks abroad are practicing it. However, acupuncture can only treat minor illnesses nowadays because medical professionals did not master it—they have to combine both mainstream and traditional treatments. That’s why everyone has only learned the basics of acupuncture. Sigh.”He took out the box of needles and added, “Auntie, if it doesn’t inconvenience you, do you mind removing your pants? I will perform acupuncture on you today. If you think it’s effective, I will visit you more often to treat you and slowly, you
Wang Zhengyang did not give an affirmative answer with regards to his willingness to help. However, Lin Huai was satisfied with Wang Zhengyang’s words, especially when the latter had only followed him for a short time. Even if Wang Zhengyang knew that Lin Huai was being framed, he had no incentive to take risks for his Big Boss. Had it not been for Mrs. Wang’s condition, he probably would not have even promised to help Lin Huai.After chatting for a while, Lin Huai smiled with a twinkle in his eye and inquired, “By the way, let’s drop the topic of the gangs. What’s the relationship between Liu Xinmei and you?”“She’s my neighbor. Nothing more than that.”Lin Huai chuckled. “Are you sure? I think there’s more to your relationship. She must be interested in you. Look, she takes care of your mom every day. Do you really think she sees you as a stranger? From what I see, she must like you quite a lot. Won’t you consider dating a nice woman l
In the bathroom, Lin Huai secretly made a call to Liu Ruogu. After she answered the call, he cut to the chase. “Liu Ruogu, don’t say anything for now. I’m at your house with Mr. and Mrs. Liu. Oh, by the way, I’m Lin Huai.”“How—”“I told you not to say a thing. Don’t let others know that I’m back. Do you want to risk your parents knowing what you’re up to? What will you do then?”With panic in her tone, she hurriedly asked, “What do you want to do? Gangsters don’t hurt each other’s families; you should know this code! Plus, the people who wanted you dead are from the Thunder Gang. I have nothing to do with them.”He chuckled. “Of course I know you have nothing to do with them. That’s why I came over to ask for a favor. I don’t have any other intentions.”“A favor? What kind of favor?”“I heard about your predicament. Right now, there are rumors about you flying around. Don’t you feel sorry that your
Liu Ruogu entered her dad’s room after him and properly took a seat. While she faced him, she experienced a tinge of trepidation.Liu Fangyan asked, “Do you know what I wanted to talk to you about?”She probed in return, “What is it?”He let out a heavy sigh and explained, “I know that you have been a good kid since you were young. It was a pity that you weren’t doing well in academics, but at least you made up for that by working hard at your job. To be honest with you, our neighbors have been gossiping about you in the past year and their words are rather harsh. Your mom and I never take their claims seriously, but we feel upset whenever they humiliate you.”At that moment, she fell into silence. Of course she knew what the gossip was about. Being a regular guest at the nightclub, she unavoidably bumped into some of her acquaintances, which was how the rumors started. Still, she refused to admit to the rumors about her pri
In the next two days, Wei Sihai managed to discover the whereabouts of Yang Kaiwei, the man who broke Liu Ruogu’s heart, and tipped Lin Huai about it by sending an email.At that time, Lin Huai seemed to be reading some information about Yang Kaiwei when he checked his email inbox with his phone and received the tip. According to the investigation, Yang Kaiwei was only a primary school graduate who subsequently worked as a waiter in a restaurant until he was later laid off due to his promiscuous lifestyle for impregnating a few other women.Besides, Lin Huai had also secretly investigated Liu Ruogu’s status, knowing she would occasionally work some part-time jobs when she was still studying. At one point, she became acquainted with Yang Kaiwei when she was distributing flyers for a restaurant she was working at. Soon, their relationship took a step further as their friendship blossomed. A few years later, she discovered that Yang Kaiwei had been chea