Chapter 294

Sanyan was in charge of cleaning up the battlefield and had a rough idea. He replied, “It shouldn’t be less than two hundred. Strictly speaking, we’ve won.” “Heh!” Xie Wendong’s shoulders shook as he laughed mockingly, “The enemy lost a thousand, while we lost eight hundred. Such a ‘victory’ is better left unclaimed.” Sanyan sighed, “If we had had enough people back then, Nan Hongmen’s losses would have been far greater.” Dongxinlei agreed, adding, “Yeah, Brother Dong. Lack of manpower leads to poor performance. We should transfer people from Nanjing or City T.”

“Transfer people?” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “It’s easy to send people over, but where will we put them? Tianyi Bar is still not stable since we just took over it. Besides, it can’t even hold all of us now—more people will just cause chaos!” With that, he turned to Xiao Huan.

Xiao Huan was lost in thought. Through this direct confrontation with Nan Hongmen, he had truly understood Xie Wendong’s strength. The fact that Xie Wendong wasn’t satisfied even after killing and injuring over two hundred people from Nan Hongmen showed the gap between a organized group and a local gang. He was secretly glad he had chosen to side with Xie Wendong when the latter suddenly called out to him. Confused, he looked at Xie Wendong and forgot to respond. Xie Wendong smiled, unfazed, and said, “Xiao Huan, there’s a two-story restaurant next to our bar. What’s its name…?” “Flower Hotel!” “Right, Flower Hotel. Do you know who the owner is?” “Oh…” Xiao Huan hesitated for a moment before saying, “As far as I know, the owner’s surname is Li. He doesn’t seem to be from the underworld.” “Hmm!” Xie Wendong rubbed his chin. After a while, he asked, “How much would it cost to buy it?”

“What?” Xiao Huan shuddered, thinking he heard wrong. Xie Wendong repeated, “How much would it roughly cost to buy that Flower Hotel?”

Yu Xiaohuan swallowed hard, moistened her dry lips, and said, “Brother Dong, I wonder if you’ve been inside ‘Fresh Flowers’ to take a look. Its size is far beyond that of our Tianyi Bar—two floors in total, covering at least a thousand square meters. With such a large restaurant and its luxurious interior decoration, even though its location in Shanghai isn’t ideal, its value is at least sixty to seventy million, to be conservative.” “Sixty to seventy million!” Xie Wendong chewed on those numbers before turning to Dong Xinlei and asking, “Lao Lei, can we afford to spend that much?” “Well…” Dong Xinlei lowered his head in thought. “Sixty to seventy million isn’t a problem. It’s just that I’m worried we might not get enough return on such an investment. Besides, in the past, any major financial expenditure by the gang required approval from the Elders’ Hall. But now, the Elders’ Hall…” Before he could finish, Xie Wendong interjected, “The Elders’ Hall no longer exists in name only. Since that’s the case, I’ll make the decision. I’ll inform the authorities in City T to transfer the funds as soon as possible.”

Lingmin sighed, thinking that Brother Dong was too hasty in making decisions. Without even checking if the other party agreed or how much it would cost, he already asked headquarters to allocate funds. She rolled her eyes and reminded him, “Brother Dong, acquiring Fresh Flowers Restaurant seems like something we’re doing unilaterally. We don’t even know if they’re willing!”

“Haha!” Xie Wendong laughed heartily and said proudly, “With my word, what reason would they have to refuse?!” At those words, everyone in the room was speechless. Sanyan Li Shuang and the others were already used to this. Fresh Flowers Restaurant indeed covered a large area. From the outside, its facade seemed ordinary, but once inside, it was stunning. A huge hall with a red carpet on the floor, a brass lion in the center with its paws on a golden ball, and a fountain below. The golden ball rotated slowly as water sprayed from the fountain. On either side of the front desk were intricately carved marble screens depicting landscapes, adding a touch of elegance to the already luxurious hall. Xie Wendong and Sanyan went ahead to scout the place. Upon entering the hall, both silently nodded in approval. With his hands behind his back, Xie Wendong looked around and said with a smile, “I’ve chosen this flower!”

Sanyan also smiled and said insinuatingly, “All the most beautiful flowers attract bees. Dongge, be careful not to get stung!” “Heh!” Xie Wendong replied, “Don’t forget, we’re villains! Even lonely ‘ghosts’ and fierce tigers and wolves are afraid of us.” He was secretly referring to the Soul Group and the Tiger Gang. Sanyan shrugged and laughed, “Anyway, I’ll hit wherever you point. Even if the sky collapses, I still have my head to hold it up!” As they talked, they reached the front desk. A young woman in a white shirt and black dress stepped forward and asked, “Sir, how many are you?” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I’m not here to eat. I’m looking for someone.” The woman was polite and spoke in a sweet voice, asking, “May I ask whom?”
Xie Wendong replied, “Your boss.” The woman was clearly surprised and said, “What’s your name? I’ll inform him for you.” Xie Wendong waved his hand confidently and said, “No need. Just tell him that a friend from afar has come to see him, and he’ll understand.” The woman sized him up from head to toe in surprise before hesitantly saying, “Then please wait a moment.”
After the woman left, Sanyan whispered, “Dongge, we don’t even know the boss here!” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “To run such a large restaurant, the boss must be no ordinary person. He surely knows many people he’s dealt with before. I deliberately acted a bit domineering so he’ll feel uneasy and come out to find out what’s going on.”
“Ah!” Sanyan nodded in understanding; he had learned another trick today. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the woman came down from upstairs and said to Xie Wendong, “Sir, please follow me!”
Seeing this, Sanyan secretly gave Xie Wendong a thumbs-up. The woman led the two up to the second floor and stopped in front of a solid wood door covered in black leather. After knocking lightly twice, she pushed the door open and said to Xie Wendong, “Sir, please come in!” Xie Wendong nodded politely with a smile and stepped inside. It was an office, about twenty square meters in size. By the window stood a brown sandalwood table and chair, with someone sitting in the chair. When Xie Wendong saw who it was, he was slightly surprised but shook his head and laughed, “I really didn’t expect the owner of a flower shop to be a woman.”

The woman in the chair appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, with short hair and a gray plaid dress. Her face wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she had a noble and graceful aura. Combined with the white collar inside her dress, it made her look radiant and elegant—clearly a mature professional woman. She raised her head and was stunned upon seeing Xie Wendong. Wearing a professional smile, she said, “I never expected that my friend from afar would turn out to be a complete stranger, a ‘kid’!”
No matter how thick-skinned Xie Wendong was, being called a “kid” by a woman made his face turn slightly red. He sat down across from her boldly and said, “I think we’ll have the chance to become good friends in the future.” “Oh?” The woman closed the folder on the table, leaned back, and stared at Xie Wendong with her bright, black-and-white eyes, saying, “Then tell me why you’re here.” Great! I like this! Xie Wendong silently applauded. He was always straightforward in his actions and appreciated those who weren’t indecisive. He said directly, “I want to discuss a business deal with you—regarding the sale of this flower restaurant.” “Tell me more!” The woman elegantly took a cigarette from the drawer and lit it slowly.
“Six million!” Xie Wendong tapped the table and said, “Six million here.” The woman was initially stunned but quickly understood what he meant. She sized him up again and laughed, exhaling smoke. “Someone once offered ten million, and I still didn’t sell. Do you believe that?” “I don’t care what others offer, nor do I want to get involved. But the price I offer requires your serious consideration,” Xie Wendong said, leaning forward, resting his chin in his hand, and meeting her eyes with a smile. Under his gaze, the woman glanced away awkwardly, secretly amazed at the brightness of his eyes. Xie Wendong definitely didn’t seem like he was joking, and the confidence emanating from him was beyond ordinary people’s reach—it was unparalleled. After a pause, the woman said, “I’m a businesswoman. I won’t engage in losing deals. Six million isn’t much to me; I can make it back in a few years.” Xie Wendong scratched his head and laughed, “That’s really troublesome! If you can’t meet my request, I’ll be very angry, and the direct consequence will be that you’ll never make a single penny.” The woman’s expression darkened, and her tone turned cold. “So, are you threatening me?!”
“No, no, no!” Xie Wendong shook his hand repeatedly, narrowing his long eyes. “I’m a civilized person. I won’t threaten anyone. I’m just telling the truth.”

The woman stared at him intently for a long time. After a while, she burst into laughter and said, “Don’t think you’re something special just because you have some connections. Let me tell you, to run a restaurant like this, I also have contacts in both the legitimate and illegal worlds.” Xie Wendong nodded, stood up, and said helplessly, “So there’s no room for negotiation then.” “Exactly!” the woman replied firmly.

“Sigh!” Xie Wendong said, “It’s inevitable. Someone will cause trouble tomorrow. It’s best if you gather everyone you know.”

The woman’s heart trembled. His tone didn’t seem like a joke. She quickly thought of a plan and said, “Give me your name.” Xie Wendong’s lips twitched slightly as he replied calmly, “Xie Wendong!” Before leaving, he stopped again and turned back, saying, “By the way, if you change your mind, you can come to see me anytime. I live next door to you.”

The woman was unfamiliar with the name Xie Wendong and didn’t take it seriously, thinking he probably wasn’t that important. His accent sounded northern, so he likely didn’t have much influence in Shanghai. Her mood relaxed, and she said with a smile, “Having you as a neighbor is hardly something to be happy about.” Xie Wendong smiled upward, half-seriously and half-jokingly, “I have to say, I like listening to you talk!” With that, he left the office with Sanyan.

“It’s over?” Sanyan asked with a forced smile once they were outside. “Over!” Xie Wendong nodded firmly. Sanyan stretched, put his hands behind his head, and lazily said, “It seems like another cloudy and rainy day tomorrow. I wonder who this girl will bring to cause trouble?” Xie Wendong replied, “I guarantee she won’t be able to get anyone at all.” Sanyan asked in surprise, “Why?” “Because I’m Xie Wendong!” That was enough. Although he had just arrived in Shanghai, his reputation was well-known. Xie Wendong, combined with the Northern Hongmen, was no joke.

The next day, as soon as Xie Wendong got up, Li Shuang rushed in shouting, “Brother Dong, come quick! We almost made it into the newspaper!”

Xie Wendong frowned and took the newspaper. It turned out that the fierce fight at the factory the day before yesterday was on the front page, but the story was completely distorted. It was described as a fight between two groups of migrant workers from other provinces over a suburban construction project, resulting in injuries to several people, some of them seriously, who were now under observation in the hospital. Li Shuang complained angrily, “Damn it! Those reporters are blind! They turned us into migrant workers.”

Having read the newspaper, Xie Wendong snorted, tossed it into the trash can, and said, “Xiao Shuang, do you think getting in the newspaper is a good thing? Don’t forget we’re people who can’t be exposed. By writing like this, the reporters are undoubtedly putting pressure on Wen Tian as well. He wants to stay hidden even more than we do. As a seemingly legitimate businessman, his reputation is more important to him than anything else.” Li Shuang nodded half-understandingly and said, “Brother Dong, I get it. From now on, if anyone dares to get me in the newspaper, I’ll fight them to the death!” Seeing him seriously waving his fists, Xie Wendong could only smile bitterly. Around noon, San Yan knocked on Xie Wendong’s door and said excitedly, “Brother Dong, the owner of the flower shop is here!” Just as Xie Wendong had expected, over the past day and this morning, the female owner of the flower shop hadn’t even found anyone to help her. Whenever she mentioned Xie Wendong’s name, everyone panicked. Even those in the underworld, no matter how isolated they were, had heard about the North Hongmen’s arrival in Shanghai, which was as famous as the South Hongmen. Since Xie Wendong was the leader of the North Hongmen, it was already good enough that he didn’t bother them—who would dare to seek trouble by provoking him? Most people made excuses to avoid her. Some low-level gangsters who were on good terms with her privately warned her that Xie Wendong was the boss of the North Hongmen, and its strength was no less than that of the South Hongmen. Though they said little, their message was clear: warn her not to mess with this man. After all, the female owner wasn’t part of the underworld, and she didn’t know much about the South Hongmen either—she had only heard others mention it. But she was smart. Hearing what her underworld friends usually said, she began to worry. During the day, things remained the same at Tianyi Bar—there were hardly any customers, and those sitting in the seats were either members of the North Hongmen or people from Xue Sha or An Zou. The room was gloomy with smoke. When Xie Wendong came out, he frowned slightly. Seeing this, the people below stood up and nodded in greeting, then either returned to their rooms or left the bar in groups of three or five. Soon, the room grew quiet. Before Xie Wendong could speak, the female owner laughed first, pretending to be indifferent as she asked, “Were those people sitting here just your subordinates?” “You could say they’re my brothers,” Xie Wendong replied, neither confirming nor denying it. With a smile, he gestured for the girl to sit down. He went to the bar himself and asked, “What would you like to drink?” “I… I don’t want anything,” the girl replied shyly.