Chapter 282

After hearing this, the district chief wiped the sweat from his forehead, forced a few laughs, and kept nodding in agreement. Although Xiang Wentian was young, the Nan Hongmen had been operating in Shanghai for a long time—even three generations earlier. Some of the city’s senior leaders treated him favorably partly because of his own outstanding abilities and partly out of respect for his father. The district chief knew Xiang Wentian’s status all too well; whether in the light or dark, he was not someone to provoke. If Xiang Wentian were assassinated in his own territory, it would be bad luck for him as well.

Dong Xinlei and the Five Elements Brothers made secret preparations near the Nan Hongmen headquarters in the city center, but instead of encountering Xiang Wentian, they were surrounded by numerous police officers. In the chaos, Dong Xinlei and the Five Elements Brothers fled in disarray, losing no less than a dozen of their best men, not to mention those captured by the police. When they returned to the abandoned factory in the suburbs, Dong Xinlei was disheartened. Shaking his head, he sighed, “Xiang Wentian didn’t even lift a finger, yet we’ve suffered a crushing defeat. Is there any point in continuing this fight?!”

All five of the Five Elements Brothers were injured to varying degrees, looking disheveled and no longer as arrogant as when they first arrived. Jin Yan said gloomily, “Our weakness lies in not having a solid foundation!”

He hit the nail on the head. It was precisely because they lacked a foundation that Dong Xinlei kept facing setbacks and falling behind others. But establishing a foothold in a strange city was no easy task—some people spent decades or even longer to achieve it. Dong Xinlei didn’t have that much time. Mu Zi wiped the blood from his wound and said calmly, “The only thing we can do now is wait!” “Wait for what?” Dong Xinlei asked. Mu Zi replied helplessly, “Besides Brother Dong, who else can change the situation? Until he arrives, it’s best for us to be quiet and not do anything.” Though his words made Dong Xinlei feel embarrassed, he couldn’t deny that Mu Zi’s was the best solution.

After Xie Wendong arrived in Shanghai, only Dong Xinlei, “Tan Hua” Lingmin, and a driver—three people in total—came to pick him up. They hugged each other warmly upon meeting. Especially San Yan, Li Shuang, and Gao Qiang, who hadn’t seen Dong Xinlei for a long time, showed their joy openly. Dong Xinlei didn’t want to stay in the city for too long. After getting everyone in the car, he rushed toward the suburbs. In the car, Xie Wendong observed him carefully and smiled knowingly, asking, “How have things been for you guys in Shanghai these past days?”

“Oh, this…” Dong Xinlei’s face turned red as he stammered, “It’s tolerable. Brother Dong, let’s go back and talk about it.” Seeing his state, Xie Wendong understood even better and didn’t want to press him too much. He nodded and said, “Okay. Now you’re the host and I’m the guest. Everything follows your lead.” “Brother Dong, stop teasing me,” Dong Xinlei said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

They arrived at the dilapidated factory building. The yard was small, with abandoned machinery scattered everywhere, taking up most of the space. Inside the factory, it was empty, with cracked and filthy walls, humid air, and a pungent musty smell. Xie Wendong frowned and looked around before asking, “Do you live in such a place?” Dong Xinlei sighed, “I barely managed to find this place, but we can’t stay here long. I heard it’s already been sold to foreigners, and they’ll come to take over soon. We don’t even know where to go. Shanghai is extremely expensive; finding a large enough place that’s not easily disturbed by the Nan Hongmen is no easy task.” The Five Elements Group stepped out from the shadows of the factory, still covered in blood to varying degrees. Upon seeing Xie Wendong, they all bowed respectfully and said, “Brother Dong!” Looking at their condition, Xie Wendong asked, “Are you guys hurt too?”

Jin Yan gritted his teeth and said, “Xiang Wentian is too cunning and has great influence. He can even control the Shanghai police. It’s already a stroke of luck that we managed to break through their siege alive.”

“Oh!” Xie Wendong nodded knowingly and said slowly, “Xiang Wentian!” He rested his chin in his hand, thinking for a while before finally realizing what to do. He smiled apologetically at the Five Elements Group and said, “You’ve really gone through a lot. But,” he pointed at the ground, “this place isn’t suitable for us. To confront someone, we must first not be afraid of them. If we want to deal with Xiang Wentian, we can’t avoid him. We need to find a place to settle in the city.” “Where to look?” Dong Xinlei asked eagerly.

“How should I know?” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow with a smile. “I just arrived in Shanghai and this is my first time here. If I don’t go around and see it, wouldn’t I miss all the beauty of Shanghai!?”

Shanghai’s night view has always been beautiful. In the dim light, towering skyscrapers stand tall, with street lamps lining the roads, their neon lights twinkling like stars in the sky, forming a galaxy within the city. The Oriental Pearl Tower is also magnificent—more so than beautiful, it’s awe-inspiring. Standing on its observation deck and looking down, one can see most of the city beneath, with cars moving like ants, inspiring a sense of ambition and excitement. The countless lights dazzled Xie Wendong’s eyes and ignited his passion. He loved challenges and conquests even more; the wonderful feeling of having one of the most developed cities at his feet was indescribable. He slowly pointed out the window, sliding his finger across the glass, and said softly, “The country has its laws, and darkness has its rules. The stronger one becomes the ruler. What can we use to prove our existence in this world? Conquest!” Then he smiled faintly, a smile like flowers blooming in spring, spreading from his eyes to his entire face. Turning to them, he asked, “Do you want to be rulers?” There were several people standing beside him; any one of them could be a leader of the Hongmen or the Wendong Society. Sanyan and Dongxinlei trembled, especially the latter, whose faint fighting spirit surged back with force. Almost simultaneously, they said, “Who else but us?!” After saying that, they were stunned, looked at each other, and burst into loud laughter. Their laughter attracted the attention of other tourists around, including foreigners, who pointed and discussed. Xie Wendong glanced around. Whether it was the reflection of the lights or not, his eyes shone brightly, terrifyingly intense. His gaze was like a sharp knife cutting across people’s faces, burning hot. Instantly, there were no tourists within five meters of him. He turned back to the window and said calmly, “Actually, Xiang Wentian isn’t anything special, nor is the Southern Hongmen. What I want is…” He didn’t finish his sentence, pointing instead at the ground beneath his feet.

Obviously, Xie Wendong wants the entire Shanghai. His ambitions have never been small. “With Brother Dong around, I really don’t see anything we can’t do,” Li Shuang said with great enthusiasm. Indeed, few of Xie Wendong’s words go unfulfilled, and none of his actions are not extreme. Even if he claimed the moon was square, people would likely believe it was. “Of course…” Xie Wendong smiled faintly. “If we want Shanghai, we must first drive out the Nan Hongmen. To fight them, we need a foothold.” “That’s… probably not easy.” Despite his excitement, reality was cruel. Dong Xinlei was still shaken. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried his best, but finding a place to settle under the Nan Hongmen’s watchful eyes was no simple task. Who would dare to oppose the deeply entrenched Nan Hongmen?! “Not easy?” Xie Wendong laughed, resting his hand on the window railing and gazing at the sky. He tapped his head gently before asking after a while, “Lao Lei, how many times have you been to Shanghai? How much do you know about it?” “Oh,” Dong Xinlei paused and shook his head. “I’ve never been there before. As for what I know, I’m probably not much better than Brother Dong.” “Mm!” Xie Wendong nodded and smiled. “If we know nothing, what can we do? First, we need someone who knows Shanghai well, at least someone familiar with its various factions.” Dong Xinlei suddenly snapped his fingers, cursing himself for being so stupid. Why hadn’t he thought of it? He said cheerfully, “Brother Dong, leave that to me.” Bai Mudan was a large-scale nightclub in Shanghai’s western district. Its signature was a huge, dazzling white peony flower, with the three characters “City That Never Sleeps” outlined in neon lights in the lower left corner. It was said that Bai Mudan Nightclub had a long history in Shanghai, dating back even before the liberation. Although the old building had long been demolished and the location had changed, the sign remained unchanged. Judging from the various luxury cars parked in front of the nightclub, one could easily guess its thriving business.

Around 5 a.m., the sky began to brighten. Most of the guests at White Peony had left, and a few disinterested waiters were cleaning the floor. The ladies, dressed in either vibrant or innocent styles, were exhausted after a long night, yawning continuously as they gathered together to wrap up work. Bai Yan, the owner of White Peony, appeared to be in her twenties at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she might have been in her thirties or older. It wasn’t that she looked old; rather, an air of maturity emanated from her, making it hard to determine her age. Owning such a large and luxurious nightclub in Shanghai’s expensive area was certainly something to be proud of, but her appearance was even more source of her pride.

It was a beauty that burned with heat beneath a cold exterior. If compared to a rose, it would surely be one with thorns. Her flawless white face was adorned with eyes like stars, thick black eyebrows that arched rebelliously toward her temples, a delicate nose, red lips, and white teeth. She was sitting at the bar, smoking slowly while reviewing today’s accounts. After a night’s earnings of 200,000, it was just another ordinary day for her. After a while, she closed the ledger, handed it to the manager standing beside her, stood up, adjusted her milky-white dress, and said calmly, “It’s almost dawn. Go back and rest after you’ve taken care of everything.” The manager took the ledger and nodded repeatedly in agreement. He had worked at White Peony for over a year, yet even now, seeing Bai Yan still made his heart race. He admired her, but didn’t dare cross the line. He knew Bai Yan had managed to keep White Peony thriving because of her strong connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles. The Bai family wasn’t someone ordinary could afford to provoke—at least not him.

Bai Yan said goodbye to the manager and left the nightclub, heading home to rest. A waiter had already brought her Audi outside. When she stepped out, he handed her the keys. Bai Yan smiled, nodded, got into the car, turned on the music, and drove away slowly. Once she was far away, the waiter who handed her the keys jumped up excitedly, waving his arms and shouting, “Did you see that? The boss smiled at me just now!” “Happy for you, jerk…” Two jealous security guards at the entrance kicked the waiter in the buttocks almost simultaneously.

It was a little after five, and there were hardly any people on the road. Bai Yan could ride at full speed without any obstacles or concerns; she loved that feeling of flying. As she was enjoying it, two people suddenly appeared in the road ahead, standing right in the middle. It was too sudden, and Bai Yan’s car was moving so fast that she instinctively slammed on the brakes. A sharp screech pierced the night air. The sound echoed as the car came to a stop less than half a meter away from the two people. She was drenched in cold sweat, slamming the steering wheel in frustration as she looked up at the two “culprits.”

Both men were dressed in black. One had a cold, handsome face with sharply defined features, while the other had a smirk playing on his lips. Neither showed any sign of panic, as if the car that had just rushed at them wasn’t even there. With just one glance, Bai Yan was certain they were no ordinary people. Her heart trembled in alarm, but it was already too late to start the car again. The two men rushed to either side of the car. The handsome man opened the door and asked in a cold tone, “Are you Miss Bai?”

Bai Yan racked her brains, thinking back and forth, before finally sighing and nodding. Clearly, these men had planned this ahead of time. Since they had come looking for her, they must already know she was Bai Yan. The smiling man opened the other door, leaned on the roof, and looked straight at Bai Yan with a smile, saying, “I’m sorry to disturb you, Miss Bai. I hope you’ll forgive our rudeness.” “Who are you? What do you want from me?” A smile could always ease tension, so Bai Yan asked the man with the smirk.

The man with the smirk shrugged and said cheerfully, “Please don’t worry, Miss Bai. First, we’re not here to rob you of your money. Second…” He deliberately glanced at her several times. Just as she could no longer bear it, he withdrew his gaze and continued, “Second, we’re not here to abduct you. Third, we don’t want to kill you. Who we are isn’t important. What matters is that someone wants to see you.”

“Who?” Bai Yan’s heart stirred, and her expression eased slightly. The cold-looking man spoke up, “You’ll know once you see them.” “Oh? What if I don’t want to go?” “Then I don’t mind carrying you there!” the laughing man said with a grin. “Just you?!” With that, Bai Yan suddenly raised her hand, and a cloud of white mist sprayed out from her delicate fingers, heading straight for the laughing man’s face. He was prepared, raising his hand to block it, and not a single drop of the mist escaped, falling all on his hand. He sniffed it and then laughed loudly, “Heh, pepper spray? Too bad I’m not a wolf; it won’t work on me…” Before he could finish speaking, Bai Yan kicked him. Her legs were slender and long, but full of strength and speed. As the laughing man was still laughing, the kick hit him in the abdomen. “Ow!” He could no longer laugh, clutching his abdomen and jumping around in pain.

Bai Yan wanted to pursue further, but the cold-looking man grabbed her arm without any sign of mercy. He swiftly threw her over his shoulder, controlling her with precise movements, leaving her no chance to fight back. The laughing man looked down for a while, then raised his head and asked with a worried expression, “Golden Eye, what if I can’t get ‘that’ up again in the future?” “Damn it!” the cold-looking man snapped, still holding Bai Yan. These two were Golden Eye and Mu Zi from the Five Elements Group.

“You’re really vicious!” In the car, Mu Zi held his lower body and cursed at Bai Yan through gritted teeth, “I’ll definitely hold you accountable if I can’t have children in the future.”

“Hmph!” Bai Yan closed her eyes, ignoring him completely, acting as if it didn’t matter to her. “Hey! What’s that attitude of yours…”