Chapter 64

Seeing that Wang Guohua wasn’t deliberately overpricing it, Xie Wendong said reluctantly, “Brother Wang, could you consider it again? The price I offer won’t be low!”
Wang Guohua smiled and said, “Brother, everything else can be negotiated. To be honest without you laughing at me, Xin Qingnian is like my lifeline! Now you understand, right?”
Xie Wendong asked, “What if I offer two million?”
Wang Guohua shuddered at hearing that—two million?? That was indeed an attractive figure. He lowered his head in deep thought. He wasn’t stupid. Since Xie Wendong was willing to pay two million for this place, it only proved Xin Qingnian’s potential. Although the price was high, he absolutely couldn’t sell it! If given time and access to high-quality heroin, Xin Qingnian might even help him earn another few million! After thinking this through, Wang Guohua shook his head and said, “Your offer is indeed tempting, but I still can’t agree. As the old saying goes, Xin Qingnian is my lifeline—I can’t sell it under any circumstances. I hope you won’t mind!”
Xie Wendong cursed inwardly, not expecting the seemingly carefree Wang Guohua to be so stubborn. He was determined to get Xin Qingnian for himself, and he needed to find a way to get rid of Wang Guohua! But on the surface, he smiled and said, “Brother Wang, you’re too polite. Even if business doesn’t work out, we can still be friends! I really hope this won’t affect our relationship. I truly want to be friends with you!”
Wang Guohua had no idea Xie Wendong harbored murderous intentions. Happy to hear this, he patted Xie Wendong’s shoulder and said, “Great! You’re straightforward—I like making friends with people like you! If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know. We’ll make our name in City H together! Haha!!”
Xie Wendong smiled broadly and said, “Yes! With your help, things will go much smoother for me in City H!”
Seeing them talk like this, the others breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their hands from their weapons.
The happiest of all was Liu Zhongyuan, the intermediary. He quickly poured drinks for both of them and said, “That’s the right attitude! Even if business fails, we can still be friends. If you work together, who says you won’t have a place in City H!?”
Xie Wendong and Wang Guohua both laughed heartily. Each had their own plans: Xie Wendong intended to gain Wang Guohua’s trust first, get closer to him, and then seize the opportunity to eliminate him without a trace. Wang Guohua knew Xie Wendong had connections in the drug business, which was exactly what he lacked. By building a good relationship with Xie Wendong, he could make a fortune!
The two drank three glasses of wine. Wang Guohua casually asked, “Brother, Zhongyuan said you’re very successful in the drug business in City J. Is that true?”

Xie Wendong was initially stunned. Glancing at Wang Guohua, who pretended to be indifferent, he chuckled to himself—this man was playing tricks on him! Well, he’d play along. Smiling, he said, “It’s tough in the underworld these days. If you don’t use this to make some money, not to mention building connections with higher-ups, you can’t even support your subordinates!”
Wang Guohua nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Damn, it’s really hard to make money in the underworld these days. Without proper connections, you’ll collapse in just a few days. But the money earned is indeed substantial!” He sighed and then asked, “Your goods must be excellent, right? Otherwise, how could you dominate the market in City J?”
Xie Wendong replied, “I can’t claim anything else, but in terms of purity… not just in City J, but across the whole province, there’s no second to it!”
Wang Guohua’s heart raced as his eyes lit up. He asked eagerly, “So, is the purchase price very high?”
Seeing his expression, Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I get the goods from an old friend. Of course, the price isn’t too high!” Then he leaned in and whispered in Wang Guohua’s ear, “The price is the same as that of third-rate goods on the market!” After saying that, he burst into laughter.
Wang Guohua swallowed hard and asked doubtfully, “Is it that much?” He raised two fingers, then five.
Xie Wendong laughed and shook his head silently.
“Then… is it… 200?” Wang Guohua couldn’t believe it.
Xie Wendong smiled and said, “To be honest, it’s only 200!” In reality, he had paid only 180 from Ma Wu, but he said this to leave room for negotiation.
Wang Guohua was shocked. “Brother… that’s impossible! Such high purity at such a low price. Is the seller crazy?”
“Didn’t I say earlier? We’re old friends. He charges others at least 20 more. Only me gets this price. Otherwise, how could I dominate City J in this field? I can earn this much in a month!” Xie Wendong spread his palm and waved it in front of Wang Guohua.
Wang Guohua knew exactly how much he was talking about and felt envious of Xie Wendong. He wanted to get some from him, but since he had just refused his request earlier, he felt too embarrassed to ask. After hesitating for a while, he said nothing.
Seeing this, Xie Wendong guessed what was on his mind and took the initiative to say, “I don’t know how the market is in City H, but it’s probably similar to City J. Since we’re friends, we should look out for each other. If you’re short on goods, just ask. I’ll do my best to help you!”

After hearing this, Wang Guohua instantly stood up. His intense reaction actually startled Xie Wendong. Wang Guohua pulled Xie Wendong to his feet, filled with excitement—thinking that this man was truly generous and straightforward! He had just rejected him, yet now he was helping him. If it were anyone else, they would have left long ago. Putting his arm around Xie Wendong’s shoulder, he said, “Brother, your words really touched me. I’ve been so frustrated lately—seeing others make huge profits from selling drugs while I can’t even get a single penny. Since you’re willing to help me, I really don’t know what to say. From now on, we’re brothers. Your problems are my problems. In a few years, once I’ve made some money, I’ll not only give you New Youth, but I’d even give it to you without hesitation!”

“A few years?” Xie Wendong sneered inwardly. It was a pity he couldn’t wait that long. But he still said politely, “With Brother Wang’s words, I’m relieved. But I have no place to operate here in City H—I’m just sitting idle! If nothing else works, I’ll have to go back to City J!”

How could Wang Guohua let Xie Wendong walk away? He said urgently, “Brother, don’t worry. Let me think!” After a moment, he had an idea—he had a dilapidated discothec he didn’t need anymore! It would be perfect to give it to him as a favor. He quickly said, “Look, I still have a discothec in the DL area. Its location isn’t great, but it still gets quite a few customers. If you don’t mind, I’ll sell it to you! What do you think?”

Xie Wendong was secretly pleased. His main goal was to find a place to settle in City H. Whether it could be profitable was secondary. New Youth was obviously the best option—first, it had potential; second, it was close to the school, making it convenient for him to go there; third, the customers there were all college students, making it easy to find the kind of talent he needed. Xie Wendong didn’t want to stay a thug forever; transitioning to legitimate business was only a matter of time.

Hearing Wang Guohua’s words, Xie Wendong was extremely excited, though his face still showed some regret. “Sigh! Alright then! I wonder how much Brother Wang wants for this discothec?”

Wang Guohua thought Xie Wendong was still worried about New Youth and said apologetically, “As for the price… Brother, just decide it yourself. As long as it’s not too much, it’s fine with me. How about the price you give me for the drugs…?”

Xie Wendong replied, “Brother Wang, if I charge more to others, can I charge less to you? How about I keep only ten yuan as profit? What do you think?”

Wang Guohua was overjoyed and pretended to be generous, saying, “Huh? Brother, you don’t have to be so polite! Haha!”

The two agreed to go to another dance club owned by Wang Guohua the next day to take a look. Wang Guohua still needed to consider buying heroin; he would tell Xie Wendong how much to order in the first shipment in a few days. They exchanged phone numbers for easy contact.

The meal lasted from noon until almost 5 p.m. After discussing business matters, Wang Guohua was in high spirits and had drunk quite a bit. Eventually, he collapsed under the table. Although Xie Wendong had also drunk a lot, he remained sober. Pretending to be close, he helped Wang Guohua’s men take him home. After arriving at his house, Xie Wendong chatted idly with his wife for a while, making up conversations out of thin air. He deliberately acted as if he were Wang Guohua’s best friend, praising him as generous, straightforward, and a rare good person. This left Wang Guohua’s wife deeply impressed by him.

After leaving his house, Xie Wendong discussed things with Jiang Sen for a long time and decided to have Sanyan come the next day to bring a batch of heroin directly. By the time he returned to school, it was almost 7 p.m.

Standing at the dorm door, Xie Wendong felt a surge of hatred—how should he deal with those who had betrayed him? Shaking his head, he pushed the door open. Everyone was there, either playing cards or reading books. When they saw Xie Wendong return, Lao Ma asked, “Xiao Qi, where were you? Why didn’t you come back all night yesterday? Huang Lei looked for you several times!” The others also looked at him in surprise.

Xie Wendong didn’t say anything. He stood in the middle of the dorm, scanning the group. His gaze finally settled on the leader, who was sitting on the bed drinking water. His expression was grim, his eyes darting around, avoiding Xie Wendong’s gaze.

Xie Wendong slowly walked over to the leader and, staring at him, said to Lao Ma, “Last night, I was playing a life-or-death game called ‘cat and mouse’ with over thirty people!”

The others burst into laughter. Lao Si said, “Xiao Qi, you’re really good at making up stories. If you were with your girlfriend, just say that—we won’t laugh at you! And you made such a ridiculous excuse.” “Yeah, yeah! …” “Cat and mouse? I think you’re more like ‘catching your girlfriend’…”

Only the leader remained silent. After hearing Xie Wendong’s words, his hand trembled slightly, and a little water spilled from his cup.

Ignoring the others, Xie Wendong said to the leader, “Boss, I haven’t had dinner yet. Please go with me to buy something to eat!” With that, he turned and walked out. The leader followed silently behind him.

Outside on the small playground, Xie Wendong stopped and, without turning around, said, “Why did you tell those people from the Soul-Reaping Gang where I was?”

The leader was stunned. After a long pause, he said, “Xiao… Xiao Qi, what are you talking about? I don’t understand!”

Xie Wendong turned around, his gaze cold. “I don’t understand why you did this. Maybe they forced you, but do you know? I almost died at their hands yesterday. I really don’t want to say anything more!”
For the first time, Xie Wendong felt hesitation—something he wanted to do but was unwilling to do.