Chapter 284

A towering building that seems indestructible, but once its foundation wavers and it collapses, its downfall becomes irreversible. The once-glorious Tianyi Society is now nothing but a pitiful, despised group, barely held together by a few remaining leaders. Tianyi Bar, an unremarkable bar in a southwest corner of Shanghai, is the last stronghold of the Tianyi Society. Yet even so, countless people watch it with malicious intent.

Yu Xiaohuan sat in a corner of the bar, drinking alone. A row of empty bottles already covered the table, yet he kept drinking one after another. When someone tries to get drunk, they often fail to do so and remain clearer-headed than usual. He couldn’t laugh or be happy at all. The Zhongyi Gang had given him an ultimatum: either buy Tianyi Bar for five hundred thousand or use force. Yu Xiaohuan was the temporary leader of the Tianyi Society, but leading such a group was no easy task. The Zhongyi Gang was a newly risen gang that grew rapidly, absorbing and allying with several other gangs to become a powerful force in Shanghai’s underworld. With the current strength of the Tianyi Gang, even ten of them combined would struggle to compete against them. After the downfall of the Duan brothers, the gang’s condition worsened day by day—its reputation declined, its business shrank, its resources dwindled, and its members left one after another. Now, it could barely hold onto its last remaining asset. Where was its dignity?! “Sigh!” Yu Xiaohuan sighed bitterly. He could hardly even find his own dignity anymore. He drained the glass in one gulp, picked up the bottle, and filled it again.

“Friend, drinking like this will easily get you drunk.” Just as Yu Xiaohuan raised his glass again, a deep voice came from beside him. He turned his head and looked up to see two people standing beside him, one in front and one behind. The one in front appeared to be in his early twenties, of medium build, wearing a dark blue stand-collar Zhongshan suit that fit perfectly, making him look tall and full of energy. His hair was black and slightly over his eyebrows, and his narrow black eyes shone brightly. Perhaps due to the dim lighting in the bar or the reflection of the lights, for a moment, Yu Xiaohuan truly saw those eyes gleaming. He shook his head in self-mockery, realizing he had indeed drunk too much. He put down his glass and looked around. It was nearly evening, and there were few customers in the bar. Clearly, this young stranger was speaking to him. He put down his glass and asked, “Who are you? If I’m not mistaken, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.” “Hehe!” The young man chuckled. Whether Yu Xiaohuan agreed or not, he pulled up his pants and sat down slowly across from him. With a slight gesture, the man who had come with him immediately handed over a clean empty glass. The young man smiled, took it, poured himself a drink from the bottle on the table, took a sip, and said, “The liquor isn’t bad.” From start to finish, the young man didn’t even glance at Yu Xiaohuan, making the latter almost feel like he was invisible.

He burst into laughter, mocking himself and the fate that had reduced him to a state where even this young man in his early twenties didn’t take him seriously. He remembered how glorious things used to be when the three bosses were around. A fire seemed to burn in his heart as he clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table before standing up. Sitting was fine, but once he stood, the world spun—everything in the bar seemed to be rotating. With a thud, Yu Xiaohuan collapsed back into his seat, sighing, “I thought I wasn’t drunk, but I actually already am.” He raised his head, looking at the young man across from him with drunken eyes, and asked, “Who exactly are you? What brought you here?”

“I’m Xie Wendong!” the young man said with a smile. “Hm?” Yu Xiaohuan wasn’t quick to react. Shaking his head, he said, “Some unknown upstart. I’ve never heard of you.” “Have you heard of Xiang Wentian?” the young man continued, his smile unchanged. “Xiang Wentian?!” At those words, half of Yu Xiaohuan’s drunkenness vanished instantly. He widened his eyes and asked, “Are you from the Hongmen?” “Yes, I am from the Hongmen. It’s just that my faction is called Beihongmen!” The young man picked up his glass and took another sip. While drinking, his narrow eyes never left Yu Xiaohuan’s face. “Ah! Ah…?” Yu Xiaohuan’s expression changed drastically as he was shocked. Beihongmen! Xie Wendong? He jumped up abruptly, trembling as he pointed at the young man and exclaimed, “Xie Wendong? You’re the leader of Beihongmen, Xie Wendong?” “That’s right!” the young man said cheerfully. “I’m the same Xie Wendong who’s always gotten into trouble with Xiang Wentian.”

Yu Xiaohuan stared at the young man for ten seconds before slowly sitting back down. Shaking his head, he muttered to himself, “It’s not shameful. It’s not shameful! In front of the leader of Beihongmen, no one should feel ashamed…” He kept muttering something incomprehensible.

Xie Wendong didn’t care and said, “Go to the bathroom and wash your face. I don’t want to talk to a drunkard.” “A drunkard? Sigh!” Yu Xiaohuan smiled bitterly. He stood up unsteadily, still feeling dizzy. With difficulty, he leaned on the table to stay upright. Waving his hand, he called out, “Xiao Zhang, come help me!” As soon as he spoke, a teenager around seventeen or eighteen ran over from the bar. He glanced at Xie Wendong with a hint of curiosity but said nothing before helping Yu Xiaohuan walk away.

“Brother Dong, can we really rely on such a down-and-out drunkard?” Jiang Sen, who had come with Xie Wendong, asked in a low voice behind him. Xie Wendong sneered and said, “I don’t care if he’s reliable or not. Right now, all I care about is whether he’s useful to us!” Before long, Yu Xiaohuan came out on his own, without anyone’s help. His steps were a bit unsteady, and his hair was wet. He nodded at Xie Wendong with a smile and said, “I’m truly sorry. I drank too much earlier. Please forgive me, Mr. Xie.”

The Yu Xiaohuan now was completely different from before—clear-headed and much more energetic. In his thirties, he had a straight nose, a square mouth, a full forehead, and a dignified appearance that gave him an honest and reliable impression. He sat back down in his original seat, pushed the wine bottle on the table aside, and asked, “Mr. Xie is a distinguished guest. You surely didn’t come to this shabby place to drink for no reason.”

“Surely not!” Xie Wendong got straight to the point. “I want this bar.” Yu Xiaohuan didn’t show even a hint of surprise. Who was Xie Wendong? The leader of the Northern Hongmen, with influence spanning half of China. Even if he said he came to take his life, she wouldn’t be surprised. Yu Xiaohuan said, “Mr. Xie, I should give you this face, but Tianyi Bar isn’t mine—I’m afraid I can’t make that decision.” “Hehe!” Xie Wendong smiled narrowly. “Since I’ve come and approached you, it means I’m confident you can make the decision.” He held his glass in both hands and added, “The Duan family is gone. You can’t still be hoping that the only surviving Duan Er will return to revive Tianyi Club, right?!” Yu Xiaohuan’s expression changed briefly before returning to normal. She said seriously, “Duan Er was my boss before and will still be in the future. No matter where he is or whether he returns, that won’t change. Everything about Tianyi Club belongs to the Duan family. I have no right to decide, even though Tianyi Bar is currently under my name.” “I’m afraid whether you decide or not, this bar will change hands anyway,” Xie Wendong said. “The Loyalty Gang isn’t something you can handle.” Yu Xiaohuan shook her head gloomily and sighed, “Mr. Xie knows so much. But that’s our own business. It has nothing to do with you…” She didn’t finish her sentence. After all, a person’s reputation is like a tree’s shadow. Compared to the Northern Hongmen, Tianyi Club isn’t even worth mentioning. Xie Wendong wasn’t someone she could afford to offend.

“Want to make a name for yourself?” Xie Wendong suddenly asked inexplicably. “Make a name?” Yu Xiaohuan didn’t understand his meaning at first. Xie Wendong’s eyes gleamed sharply, his gaze like a knife fixed on Yu’s face as he said, “Rather than being oppressed and bullied like a dog, it’s better to find a backer and stand upright as a human being.” “Hey, hey…” Yu Xiaohuan said with a bitter smile, “If I wanted to find a backer, I wouldn’t have waited until today. I know the power of the Northern Hongmen. I…” Before he could finish, Xie Wendong waved his hand to interrupt him, saying, “In Shanghai, no matter which faction you side with, they wouldn’t dare openly confront the Southern Hongmen, let alone target Xiang Wentian. You can’t even avenge those three bosses of yours. But I’m different. My purpose for coming to Shanghai is to crush the Southern Hongmen and take Xiang Wentian’s life. In this regard, we’re the same—we both have a common goal. If you won’t help me, who will? Will you just watch helplessly as the last piece of territory is taken away, pushing you further away from revenge? That’s all I have to say. This is an opportunity for you—for the sake of those three unfortunate bosses of yours. Think it over! By cooperating with me, you’ll only gain benefits, no losses. Whether to be a human being or continue as a stray dog, the choice is still yours. Goodbye.” After saying that, Xie Wendong finally removed his sharp gaze from Yu Xiaohuan’s face, stood up, and walked away.

Outside the bar, Jiang Sen caught up with Xie Wendong and asked, “Brother Dong, do you think he’ll agree?” Xie Wendong replied, “He definitely will!” “Oh?” Jiang Sen was surprised and asked, “Why are you so sure, Brother Dong?” Xie Wendong gave a deep look and said calmly, “When a person has to face many bad choices, he will eventually pick one that’s relatively better.”

The next day, Xie Wendong sent Jin Yan and four others to deliver a letter to Xiang Wentian. The letter was short and polite in tone, but carried an underlying sense of severity. It essentially asked Xiang Wentian to visit the abandoned factory where Xie Wendong was temporarily staying, on the grounds of “missing him greatly after not seeing each other for so long.” It also briefly mentioned Bai Yan being there, but it was obvious to everyone that this was the real reason Xie Wendong wanted to see him. Since escaping Nanjing, Xiao Fang had been in low spirits, and coupled with some injuries, he fell seriously ill. Fortunately, Xiang Wentian did not blame him and comforted him kindly, which made Xiao Fang feel even more guilty. This time, when he came to Shanghai, he still wasn’t fully recovered. Xiang Wentian wanted him to rest properly in Guangzhou, but Xiao Fang insisted on staying. He said, “A true man dies for those who understand him. Even if something happens to me in Shanghai, there are only two words for it: I accept it!” Since he had said so, Xiang Wentian couldn’t stop him anymore. Taking the letter handed over by his subordinates, Xiao Fang glanced at the envelope, which read “Personal delivery from Xiang Wentian” with Xie Wendong’s signature. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “Where is the messenger?”
The subordinate replied, “He’s gone. He just left the letter at the door and left.” Xiao Fang asked again, “What does he look like?” “He walked too fast and disappeared into the crowd in an instant. We couldn’t see what he looked like.” Idiot! Xiao Fang cursed inwardly, waved his hand to send the subordinate away, and after checking repeatedly to ensure nothing was amiss, he handed the letter to Xiang Wentian. Xiang Wentian leaned back on the bench, savoring the high-quality Longjing tea. He was the complete opposite of Xie Wendong—a man who knew how to enjoy life. Unlike the latter, who was always busy and rushed, even though Nanjing had fallen and his forces in Yunnan were being driven out by the Golden Triangle, he still showed no signs of urgency.

Xiang Wentian took the letter, slowly unfolded it. After reading it, he said nothing for a while, then flicked the letter and said, “Xiao Fang, take a look.” Xiao Fang took it and read it through quickly. His expression changed slightly as he gasped in shock, wondering, “Bai Yan is actually with Xie Wendong? That’s… that can’t be possible!” Xiang Wentian said, “The night before last, Brother Bai called, saying his sister hadn’t returned home and asking if she was here. It seems very likely that Yanzi has been captured by Xie Wendong. He moved fast!” Xiao Fang read the letter carefully again and nodded, saying, “He’s using Bai Yan to threaten us and force us to comply. Claiming it’s to catch up, but once we arrive at the place he specified, all that awaits us are probably weapons and violence.” After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, “But we have no choice but to go. We have a good relationship with the Bai family. If something happens to Bai Yan because we don’t go, the Bai family will surely blame us for being cowardly and failing to protect their daughter’s life. It will be hard to explain then. Xie Wendong is too cunning—he’s exploiting our relationship with the Bai family to cause trouble!”
“Mm!” Xiang Wentian nodded in approval. Working with Xiao Fang, he never felt tired. Smart people understood things quickly; Xiao Fang was someone who could figure things out even without his guidance. “So…” Xiang Wentian stood up, walked to the window, and said leisurely, “I must go.” “I’ll gather some people and inform the Bai family at the same time!” Xiao Fang was about to turn away when Xiang Wentian called him back, saying, “It says in the letter that I should go alone. Oh… it’s better not to inform the Bai family for now. Once they know Yanzi is with Xie Wendong, they’ll surely try to act rashly. If things get chaotic, Yanzi’s life could be in real danger. It wouldn’t be worth it and could end up causing more harm.” Xiao Fang said anxiously, “It’s obvious Xie Wendong has ulterior motives. If Brother Tian goes alone, it’s like handing her over… It’s too dangerous. No, if we’re going, I must come too.”

“Hehe!” Xiang Wentian rubbed his chin and shook his head, saying, “No need. I’m not an idiot—why would I go and die for nothing? As long as someone is with me, even Xie Wendong, no matter how bold he is, won’t dare do anything to me.” “Who?” Xiao Fang asked doubtfully. “Director Jing!” Xiang Wentian said with a sly smile, “Whenever there’s a public security director around, I always feel especially safe and comfortable.” “That’s right!” Xiao Fang slapped his head heavily and laughed, “Even if he doesn’t go in with Brother Tian, just by standing outside, Xie Wendong, no matter how cunning he is, won’t be able to act.” The Director Jing mentioned by Xiang Wentian was actually named Jing Xuewen. In his thirties, he had already become the head of a Shanghai district, with a bright future ahead. He had a good relationship with Xiang Wentian, maintaining close contact both in official matters and personally. Last time, when the police surrounded Dong Xinlei and the Wuxing Brothers, planning to assassinate Xiang Wentian, it was he who took the lead.