Chapter 132
Five people couldn’t fit in one taxi. Xie Wendong deliberately arranged for Dong Xinlei and Li Yan to share a taxi. Unexpectedly, the two said in unison, “I won’t!” In the end, Xie Wendong had no choice but to take a taxi with Dong Xinlei, while the three girls shared another. In the taxi, Dong Xinlei kept complaining, “I told you I’m not interested in little girls!” Xie Wendong snorted, “Why have I never seen you get angry at other girls?” Dong Xinlei remained silent, speechless.
The five of them went to Xinghai Square for some fun. The four of them enjoyed themselves greatly, but one remained quiet. Dong Xinlei kept thinking about what Xie Wendong had said in the taxi, asking himself, “Yes! I’ve never gotten angry at women before. Then why do I feel repulsion toward this little girl I’ve only met once?”
It was the first time in Xie Wendong’s life that he saw the real sea. He had only heard that the sea water was blue, but upon arriving at the seaside, he discovered it was actually emerald green. The ocean was so vast that its edges were invisible; where the ocean met the sky, white seagulls soared, eventually becoming just small black dots in the distance. Xie Wendong truly understood what it meant to “embrace all rivers.”
I want to become a sea breeze, blowing across the sea and creating ripples, leaving my own mark. Even if it’s just for a short time, I won’t have any regrets in this life! Standing by the sea, filled with ambition, Xie Wendong couldn’t help but raise his arms and shout. Then, ignoring the strange looks from the surrounding tourists, he laughed heartily. Li Yan watched Xie Wendong laughing nonstop, her eyes filled with confusion. This boy was the most extraordinary she had ever met. His seemingly crazy behavior seemed so natural to him, and his eyes held a depth beyond his age, though it couldn’t hide the brilliance of wisdom within.
Li Yan was smart enough to notice that Gao Hui Mei and Gao Hui Yu both had special feelings for him. She asked Gao Hui Mei subtly, “What’s wrong with him? He’s so strange. What kind of person is he?”
Gao Hui Mei shook her head. “I’ve never seen him like this before. He’s changed a lot in over a year in City H. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad for him.”
“Is he also a student?” “Sort of.” “Oh? What does ‘sort of’ mean? It’s either yes or no. There’s no such thing as ‘sort of’ a student.”
Seeing that Li Yan was determined to get to the bottom of things, Gao Hui Mei smiled and said, “It’s hard to explain to you in just a short time. And it’s better if you know as little as possible about him!”
“Why?” Li Yan asked in surprise. “Because he’s a… a scoundrel!” Gao Hui Mei said. The part about him being a scoundrel was a lie, but her fear that Li Yan might be attracted to Xie Wendong was true.
Happy times are always short. Before long, the sun disappeared below the horizon. Xie Wendong also felt it was getting late and said to everyone, “My stomach is growling. Let’s eat something!”
Dong Xinlei was the first to agree. Being tall and strong, he had gone without food all day and was already exhausted. He suggested, “I’m familiar with a restaurant in DL. I’ll take you all to a nice place this time.” Gao Huiyu still wanted to linger a bit, but since Gao Hui Mei and Li Yan had agreed, she didn’t want to object either. Pouting, she ran over to Xie Wendong.
It wasn’t until 9 p.m. that Xie Wendong dropped the three girls off at their respective schools. After a tiring day, he and Dong Xinlei were both fatigued, so they found a hotel to stay in. After taking a shower in the room, Xie Wendong felt a bit more refreshed. He lit a cigarette and gazed at the skyscrapers and flashing neon lights outside, sighing, “This place is indeed much more prosperous than City H!”
Dong Xinlei came over to Xie Wendong and nodded. “That’s right! But the more prosperous a place is, the less room there is for the underworld to thrive. Here, business is like a battlefield—a silent struggle where cruelty doesn’t always involve bloodshed, making it less intense than the brutal fights in the underworld.”
Xie Wendong smiled. “Maybe you’re right, but I think no matter when or where, the underworld will always find a way to exist. Even in business, if one side has the support of dark forces, they can achieve unexpected results. I think being a businessman who operates in a gray area is much more advantageous than being completely good or completely bad. Right?”
“Hehe!” Dong Xinlei laughed dryly twice. “Brother Dong, your thinking is quite similar to that of the old man!”
“The old man!” Xie Wendong sighed. It had been a long time since he last saw him, and he really missed him. Jin Peng could be considered Xie Wendong’s mentor in life—the only person who could truly be his teacher. Unconsciously, Xie Wendong touched the gold knife on his wrist. That knife had saved his life countless times, along with Dong Xinlei, who had been loyal to him unwaveringly. These were all priceless gifts from the old man. He sighed, “I’m afraid I’ll never be able to repay Jin the old man for all his kindnesses.”
Dong Xinlei replied, “Everything happens for a reason! If it weren’t for Brother Dong saving Jin Rong first, we probably wouldn’t have met the old man in our lives. I don’t know whether it’s Brother Dong who owes the old man or vice versa. It’s all about fate!”
“Fate?” Xie Wendong looked up at the sky, where stars twinkled, though only a sliver of the moon was visible. He pushed open the window, and the evening breeze blew against him, soft as a lover’s breath.
The next day, Xie Wendong rushed to pull Gao Huimei and the others out of school, and they visited several theme parks in DL—Tiger Beach, Forest Park, Ocean Park, and Children’s Park. Money wasn’t very durable, especially when spent with women. Dong Xinlei had brought five thousand yuan, but by the end of the morning, his pockets were empty. After telling Xie Wendong, the latter smiled and pulled out his bank VIP card, saying, “Let’s go to the bank!”
There were many banks in DL, but surprisingly, few were located near Tiger Beach. After some effort, they finally found a small bank. There weren’t many people inside, but no ATMs, so they had to queue. Wiping the sweat from his face, Dong Xinlei said, “It seems there’s no air conditioning here. That’s why it’s so hot.”
Xie Wendong stood by indifferently, calm and composed, saying, “It doesn’t matter if there’s no air conditioning. If you stay calm, you’ll feel cool naturally.” “Oh… how about you queue instead, Brother Dong?” “……”
As they were talking, two young men wearing sunglasses and carrying canvas bags came in. As soon as they entered, they started scanning the surroundings, causing Dong Xinlei to frown. After a while, one of them didn’t queue at all but rushed to the front, holding a passbook and shouting, “Withdrawal! Withdrawal!”
“Damn it!” Dong Xinlei was about to react when Xie Wendong grabbed his sleeve and shook his head, signaling him to avoid trouble.
The man handed the passbook to the bank staff and said arrogantly, “Call your manager. I’m withdrawing a large amount—you can’t handle it.”
The staff member took a look at the passbook. The balance indeed was substantial. With a smiling face, he asked, “How much would you like to withdraw, sir?”
The man replied, “Everything!” The staff member said, “Please wait a moment!” Then he went inside. After a while, a well-dressed man in his thirties came out with the staff member and said to the man, “Please come in to discuss this.” He opened the door between the bank’s working area and the public area and invited the man in. The man’s lips twitched slightly as he strode in.
The well-dressed man, who seemed to be a manager, stretched out his hand politely and said, “Since Mr. Lu wants to withdraw such a large amount, why didn’t you call in advance so I could prepare?”
The man shook his hand, then suddenly grabbed his neck and said, “Call for help? Do we need to call when robbing a bank? Stay still, damn it! This is a robbery!” With that, he took out a double-barreled shotgun from his canvas bag and pressed it against the refined man’s head. His accomplice, who had come with him, also pulled out a cheap pistol at some point and blocked the bank entrance, shouting loudly, “Everyone, stand against the wall! If anyone tries to run, I’ll shoot them first!”
At that moment, the people inside the bank seemed to wake up from a dream. They likely had never encountered such a scene in their lives. Screaming frantically, they rushed toward the exit. Seeing that they couldn’t control the situation, the robber at the entrance cursed and shot the person at the front. “Bang!” The gunshot calmed the panicked crowd. Seeing someone fall in a pool of blood, they stood there trembling, not daring to move.
Robbing a bank? Xie Wendong smiled secretly. How novel! He turned to Dong Xinlei and said, “Lao Lei, didn’t you say DL’s law and order could rank among the top ten in the country?”
Dong Xinlei smiled bitterly. “We’ve encountered a situation that’s hard to come by in ten years. It must be luck!”
Gao Huiyu grabbed Xie Wendong’s hand anxiously. “Wendong, what should we do? Will we be in danger?”
Xie Wendong gently tapped her hand with his finger and said calmly, “It’s okay. I’m here.” Seeing that Gao Hui Mei and Li Yan also looked nervous, he smiled at them to reassure them. He and Dong Xinlei had seen all kinds of trouble—how could they take these two seriously? Although the others had guns, Dong Xinlei could think of at least ten ways to take them out even with his eyes closed.
The robber at the entrance, furious at Xie Wendong’s casual attitude, waved his gun and shouted, “Kid, if you talk again, I’ll blow your head off!”
Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes briefly before opening them again and smiling. “Brother, your accent sounds like someone from the Northeast too, right? And it seems like someone from our area—HLJ?”
The man was stunned. Just as he was about to speak, the robber with the shotgun stopped him. “Why talk to him? Do you want to expose our identities?” With that, he forced the man who seemed to be the leader to open the safe, threw the canvas bag on the ground, and started stuffing cash into it. He was secretly pleased that the stolen passbooks could be so useful.
The robber with the pistol, inspired by his companion’s words, walked up to Xie Wendong, tilted his head, and examined him, saying with a grin, “Kid, are you a police officer? Were you trying to trick me just now?” He pressed the gun against Xie Wendong’s head.
Gao Huimei and Li Yan opened their mouths to scream in fear, but Xie Wendong remained calm, smiling and saying, “Many people have pointed guns at my head before, but they all ended up badly. I wonder which one you are—do you want to meet the same fate?”
“Hehe! Kid, are you trying to scare me?”
Xie Wendong sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together. “I have a knife, very sharp, and I can draw it faster than you can pull your gun. If you don’t believe me, give it a try. I never joke with those who aren’t my friends.”
The thug felt as if the cold glare from Xie Wendong’s eyes had sliced across his face, causing intense pain. He had a sense that this young man wasn’t lying; his thin frame seemed to hide endless strength, and if it were unleashed, he would be torn to pieces. The thug shuddered and stepped back, frozen in place. To others, it seemed he was holding a gun to Xie Wendong’s head, but only he knew it was Xie Wendong’s overwhelming presence that held him in place, preventing him from moving—any move would mean the young man would truly cut his throat instantly.
In less than five minutes, the thug armed with a shotgun filled the canvas bag and strode outside, saying to his accomplice, “Third brother, let’s go!” When his accomplice didn’t move, as if frozen, he angrily kicked him and shouted, “Hurry up, damn it! The police are coming!”
The man finally snapped out of it. After glancing at his accomplice, he bowed respectfully to Xie Wendong and said in a deferential tone, “Please forgive us for the disturbance!” Then he and his accomplice fled in panic.