Chapter 311

Tian Fangchang was so angry that he gritted his teeth. It seemed Tian Ge was right—Bo Zhanhui was indeed unreliable and incapable of achieving anything great. He quietly slipped away from the crowd, went to a deserted corner, took out his phone, and called Xiang Wentian. As soon as the call connected, he said bluntly, “Tian Ge, it seems Bo Zhanhui has no intention of getting rid of Xie Wendong anymore. Someone so indecisive can’t handle official matters. Why not take this opportunity to kill him along with Xie Wendong?” Xiang Wentian didn’t think things could be resolved so simply. He had much more to consider than Tian Fangchang. If Xie Wendong led a large group, he would undoubtedly order his men to act immediately. But the reality was the opposite—he had to worry about rumors in the underworld and the reputation of the Nan Hongmen. He couldn’t bear the reputation of overwhelming the weak by taking advantage of their vulnerability. Deep down, Xiang Wentian also wanted to defeat Xie Wendong with true strength, so that everyone would know he had won fairly, without any deceit. To others, his thoughts might seem ridiculous, but that was just how Xiang Wentian was. In Xie Wendong’s words, he was a man of integrity, while Xie Wendong himself was nothing but a scheming scoundrel. How could a man of integrity defeat a scoundrel? The world is cold and unforgiving; success or failure determines who is a hero.

After hearing Tian Fangchang’s words, Xiang Wentian wasn’t surprised at all. When the spy brought Xie Wendong alone to meet Bo Zhanhui, he had already figured that given Xie Wendong’s acting skills, it would be difficult for Bo Zhanhui to develop any murderous intent. With a sad smile, he said to Xiao Fang, who was standing nearby, eyes wide with anxiety, “Xie Wendong is someone who dares to risk his life. But this time, he won.” Then he said to Tian Fangchang on the other end of the phone, “Lao Chang, come back. This time, Xie Wendong won.” “Come back?” Tian Fangchang’s eyes almost popped out, and his hand holding the phone trembled as he spoke unevenly, “Come back? Where should I go? Why should I go back? There’s only one person with Xie Wendong now. Killing him is a piece of cake. Why do I need to go back? Why should I? If we miss this opportunity, it might be hard to find another like it. Tian Ge! Even if we don’t kill Bo Zhanhui, Xie Wendong must not be allowed to stay!”

Xiang Wentian could understand the feelings of his subordinates. How could he not want to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? But to trade the reputation of the South Hongmen and his own integrity for Xie Wendong’s life was beyond his capacity. With a long sigh, filled with deep emotions, he spoke in an unusually firm tone, “Lao Chang, there’s no reason. If I say we withdraw, we withdraw—now.” Then he hung up the phone. Tian Fangchang held the phone to his ear, standing there in a daze for a long time. If it weren’t for his subordinates coming over and gently calling him, he might not have regained his senses. numbly turning around, he saw their faces brimming with expectation, seemingly waiting for him to give the order to attack. Tian Fangchang’s heart ached as he burst into laughter. The surroundings grew blurred before his eyes. He patted his subordinates’ shoulders, speaking as if in both lament and prophecy, “The Hongmen are likely in trouble. Sooner or later, they’ll be defeated by the rebels in the north. Brother Tian is a true hero—working with him, I’ve never regretted anything. Being by his side has been my pride throughout my life; even dying would be worth it. But you… sigh!” Overwhelmed with sorrow, Tian Fangchang felt as if all his energy had been drained. Like a zombie, he walked toward the factory exit, weakly saying, “Gather the brothers. Prepare… prepare to retreat.”

Tian Fangchang left, taking a large group with him in silence. Guided by Xie Wendong, Gao Qiang, who had been staying in the corridor observing through the window, was overjoyed. Though his face remained expressionless, his eyes sparkled. He knocked on the door to the guest room where Xie Wendong and Bo Zhanhui were and whispered, “Brother Dong, it seems the people from the South Hongmen have left.”

Xie Wendong smiled lightly. It was as expected. Given Xiang Wentian’s character, how could he possibly attack him, a lone commander? It would give him an excuse and went against his nature. Nodding, he said softly, “I know.” Bo Zhanhui didn’t understand what they were discussing, thinking the other had noticed some flaw between him and the South Hongmen. Pretending to be casual, he asked casually, “Mr. Xie, is there something? If it’s not appropriate to talk here, I can leave first.”

“Haha, no, no!” Xie Wendong waved his hands repeatedly. “It’s just a small problem, a trivial matter.” “Oh! A trivial matter? Then the guys below can handle it!” Bo Zhanhui chuckled. “Yes!” Xie Wendong nodded and turned to Gao Qiang, “Call Brother Zhang and the others. Since the ‘guests’ are leaving, we should at least say goodbye!” Gao Qiang blinked. Having known Xie Wendong for years, he understood what he meant. After a brief pause, he nodded and left the room.

Bo Zhanhui’s eyes flickered as he asked, “So Mr. Xie has guests at home too!” “Hehe,” Xie Wendong laughed dryly, “Just a friend.” From Bo Zhanhui’s attitude toward the Nan Hongmen earlier, he felt that their relationship wasn’t reliable, and seemed to see an opportunity. He changed the subject and said, “My main purpose for coming here this time is to discuss cooperation with Brother Bo.” “Cooperation?” Bo Zhanhui was stunned. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and thought quickly before asking, “What kind of cooperation does Mr. Xie mean…?” Xie Wendong stood up, walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, and asked, “What’s the power of the Nan Hongmen in Shanghai?” Bo Zhanhui sighed, “It’s immense—almost omnipotent.” Xie Wendong continued, “Shanghai is full of opportunities, all controlled by the Nan Hongmen. Don’t you want a share of that?” Hearing this, Bo Zhanhui’s heart skipped a beat. To say he didn’t want it would be a lie; he even dreamed of becoming the ruler of Shanghai, the underground emperor. But that goal was too distant. With Xiang Wentian and the Hongmen around, it was just a dream, unattainable. He quickly shook his head and said, “No, no, no. I’m just a minor figure. How dare I compete for big profits? Besides, Boss Xiang has always been good to me. I’m already very satisfied to live here.”

Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “I’m very disappointed to hear Brother Bo speak like this. People strive to rise higher, while water flows downward. In today’s society, staying still means falling back. People are always greedy—how can you be sure others don’t have ulterior motives against you?!” Bo Zhanhui was about to serve tea when he heard this and clearly paused. Xie Wendong had hit the nail on the head. Bo Zhanhui was a smart man, and his ambition matched his intelligence. The Nan Hongmen was like a sword hanging above his head, ready to fall and pierce him at any moment. As someone both intelligent and powerful, he wanted to get rid of it but was powerless to do so. Bo Zhanhui forced a smile and said, “No, no. Boss Xiang isn’t that kind of person. Besides, with the Hongmen’s wealth and power, they wouldn’t care about a small place like mine.” “A small place? Haha!” Xie Wendong laughed loudly and said, “This place isn’t small anymore. With new development zones and opportunities, capital from all over the world will flow in. It could become the second Pudong—money everywhere. Which big shot in Shanghai wouldn’t be eyeing this? Do you think the Nan Hongmen would miss out? Profit comes first. If I can be your brother today, I can also deliver a fatal blow tomorrow. I’m telling you this because I regard you as a friend. If Brother Bo thinks I’m trying to sow discord between you and Xiang Wentian, then I have nothing more to say.” With that, Xie Wendong nodded and turned to leave. Bo Zhanhui hung his head, silent, pondering Xie Wendong’s words.

The Nan Hongmen had always been an unshakable mountain in his heart. Not to mention challenging them, even expressing dissatisfaction required finding a secluded place to vent, for fear that others might hear it and report it to the Nan Hongmen. The deterrence built over years wasn’t something that could be ignored so easily. But Xie Wendong’s words made sense too. Although his current location was remote, the government’s strong support and development efforts were obvious to all. It wasn’t impossible for this place to become as prosperous as downtown Shanghai soon. By then, would Xiang Wentian really refrain from using his power? He wasn’t sure. Bo Zhanhui remained silent. It wasn’t until Xie Wendong pulled open the door and started walking away that he snapped out of his thoughts. He quickly stood up and said, “Mr. Xie, please wait. What exactly do you mean by cooperation?” With his back to Bo Zhanhui, Xie Wendong’s lips twitched slightly, his eyes filled with a deep smile. Turning around, he said, “We cooperate to defeat Xiang Wentian. Without the Nan Hongmen, Shanghai will be in my hands. Then, we can split Shanghai evenly.”

Bo Zhanhui furrowed his brows and said slowly, word by word, “How do I know that Mr. Xie will still allow me to exist by then?”

Xie Wendong laughed heartily, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. After a while, he caught his breath, still smiling, and said, “Let me tell you, I have only one goal—Nan Hongmen. You want Shanghai, but I want the whole world. A mere Shanghai is nothing to me; I certainly won’t do anything dishonorable because of it. I guarantee it with my reputation and that of Bei Hongmen. What do you think, Brother Bo?”
“Oh, this…” Bo Zhanhui was truly hesitant. Xie Wendong’s words sounded grand and reasonable, and with the guarantee of entire Bei Hongmen’s reputation, it seemed there was no problem. He pondered for nearly two minutes before forming an idea, though he pretended to be undecided and turned to look at his advisor, Xuan Zidan, who had remained silent throughout.
Xuan Zidan, being clever, laughed politely and said, “Mr. Xie’s proposal for cooperation comes too suddenly for us. We can’t make a decision right away. I think we should reply to you in a few days.” Xie Wendong looked up at the sky, thought for a moment, and asked Bo Zhanhui, “Is that what Brother Bo means?” Bo Zhanhui scratched his head and smiled, “I’m just a simple man with no real opinions. I always agree with what Zidan says. Mr. Xie…” Xie Wendong waved his hand and said smilingly, “Brother Bo, my patience is limited, and I don’t like waiting. I can only give you one day. If you think I’m unreliable or not trustworthy, then I’ll have to find someone else. By then… hehe, goodbye!” With that, Xie Wendong left. Hearing this, Bo Zhanhui rushed after him, saying repeatedly, “I definitely don’t mean to distrust Mr. Xie. It’s just that things happened so suddenly; I really need to think carefully.” Bo Zhanhui accompanied Xie Wendong all the way out of the factory before stopping. Watching as Xie Wendong and Gao Qiang got into the car and drove away, the smile vanished from his face. He turned to Xuan Zidan and asked, “Zidan, what do you think?” Xuan Zidan took a deep breath and said thoughtfully, “If Xie Wendong truly wants to cooperate with us, with the strength of Bei Hongmen and the relationships we’ve built in Shanghai over the years, it’s not impossible to defeat Xiang Wentian. I’m just worried…”
“Worried about what?” Bo Zhanhui raised an eyebrow and asked. Xuan Zidan replied, “I’m worried that Xie Wendong might pretend to cooperate, and once Xiang Wentian is driven away, he’ll turn his attention against us. By then, we’ll be in a desperate situation with no one to turn to.” “Hmm!” Bo Zhanhui snorted and sighed, “That’s exactly what I’m worried about too.”

Inside the car. Just now, Gao Qiang had also heard some conversations outside the door and, puzzled, asked, “Brother Dong, are you really planning to cooperate with Bo Zhanhui?” “Cooperate? Hmph!” Xie Wendong sneered. “Even if I wanted to find someone to cooperate with, Bo Zhanhui isn’t worthy. I just want to find an opportunity to push him into Xiang Wentian’s gun barrel. Even if I can’t kill him, stabbing him from behind would be easy—much better than fighting head-on.” Gao Qiang burst into laughter. He had thought as much—Brother Dong would never be kind enough to consider cooperating with Bo Zhanhui. He said, “I’m afraid Bo Zhanhui won’t agree!” “Whether he agrees or not, the first step is to keep him under control, and then find another opportunity. Besides, it seems Bo Zhanhui is really interested.”

There was no conversation along the way, and the car soon arrived at the place where San Yan and the others were waiting. When everyone gathered together and saw that Xie Wendong was unharmed, they all breathed a sigh of relief. San Yan said, “Brother Dong, not long after receiving Qiangzi’s call, One-Eyed Dragon led no less than two hundred men passing by here.” Xie Wendong asked with a smile, “Did you ‘greet’ them?” San Yan shook his head helplessly. “I originally wanted to fight, but unfortunately, the police arrived. I couldn’t tell which side they were on at first. So, my brother Lei and I had no choice but to let our men make way.”

After hearing this, Xie Wendong nodded. Before he could speak, Liu Bo squeezed over, still shaken. “Brother Dong, it was really dangerous just now. Thanks to San Yan not starting a fight, if it had really come to blows, we wouldn’t have gained any advantage, and it would have been hard to even get away alive.” “Oh?” Xie Wendong raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why?” Liu Bo sighed. “The South Hongmen came prepared this time. They didn’t just send Tian Fangchang and his group. It was only when they were retreating that I found out there were three groups in total, each with over two hundred men. One-Eyed Dragon is just one of them. If we start fighting, the South Hongmen will surround us—how could we possibly gain an advantage?” Xie Wendong sighed and looked up. “Xiang Wentian is truly brilliant, able to mobilize hundreds of men in such a short time. It’s a shame…” He paused and looked at everyone. “How about describing him as ‘born at the wrong time’?”

Li Shuang didn’t understand and blurted out, “Brother Dong, why do you say Xiang Wentian was born at the wrong time?” San Yan rolled his eyes, glanced at Dong Xinlei, Ren Changfeng, and the others, then kicked Li Shuang lightly and whispered, “Can you stop embarrassing our Wendong Club?! Embarrassing? How am I embarrassing them?” Li Shuang shouted loudly. San Yan slapped his own forehead and fainted.