Chapter 118

Xie Wendong stood up, laughed heartily, and said politely, “Please go back and thank our boss, Mr. Victor, on my behalf. These two gifts today have broadened my horizons and taught me an important lesson. I’ll accept the gifts, and now let’s talk about serious matters!”
Vladimir replied, “Great! I’ll definitely convey Brother Xie’s words when I return. I came here mainly for two reasons: first, we want to increase the quantity of our white powder.”
Xie Wendong thought for a moment before nodding and saying, “There’s no problem with that! I can supply as much as you need.”
“Haha, that’s straightforward!” Vladimir smiled. “At the same time, we hope Brother Xie won’t sell the goods to other Russian gangs or European gangs. I’d like to hear your assurance on this.”
Xie Wendong lowered his head and shifted his gaze. He didn’t understand why Vladimir would say such a thing. Not to mention European gangs, not a single other Russian gang had approached him before. But Xie Wendong knew Vladimir wasn’t making random claims; there must be a reason behind it. Perhaps his supply of high-purity white powder had caught the attention of other gangs, who wanted to purchase from him but hadn’t yet found a way to contact him. That wasn’t entirely impossible.
Xie Wendong was not well-informed about international criminal circles and didn’t realize that his high-purity white powder had already attracted the attention of some Russian and European gangs. But with his sharp mind and what Vladimir had said, he could guess roughly what was going on. After a five-second pause, Xie Wendong raised his head and said, “Mr. Vladimir, I can’t give you any guarantees on that. I’m a businessman; I’ll make money whenever I can. But one thing I can assure you is that even if foreign gangs do come to buy, Black Belt will always offer the lowest prices—no one else can compete with us.”
Vladimir pondered for a while. He hadn’t known Xie Wendong for long, but he understood him well—he was the kind of person who stuck to his word. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with Xie Wendong’s response, but it was acceptable. Black Belt’s main concern was that other gangs might compete with them if they bought from Xie Wendong. Since Xie Wendong guaranteed the lowest prices, it would give them an advantage in case of competition. Vladimir didn’t want to push Xie Wendong too hard and said reluctantly, “Since Brother Xie says so, I have nothing else to add. I just hope that when you do business with other gangs, you can raise the prices a bit so that Black Belt can have some advantage as well!”

“That’s for sure. I’ll definitely make money—if I have to. I can’t offer the same low price as you guys again. One loss-making deal is enough for me. Haha!” Xie Wendong laughed out loud.
Vladimir nodded. “Alright, it’s a deal!” With that, he shook hands with Xie Wendong to seal the agreement. Though a handshake agreement seemed simple and trivial, it was widely used in the underworld worldwide. Contracts were rare among criminals; gang growth relied on integrity and loyalty. Once agreed upon, such agreements carried strong binding force.
Vladimir added, “The second thing is, I have a batch of smuggled cars here. I wonder if you’re interested in this kind of business?”
“Smuggled cars?” Xie Wendong wasn’t familiar with this area and knew little about domestic market conditions or prices, so he couldn’t answer right away. After a pause, he said, “I’ll get back to you in a few days. Is that okay?”
Vladimir had no choice but to say, “Alright then! Actually, these cars are all brand-new BMWs at very low prices. You can make good money from them. Don’t disappoint my kindness.”
Xie Wendong nodded in understanding. Imported cars were extremely expensive in China mainly due to tariffs of around 100%. Smuggled cars could avoid these tariffs, making them much cheaper. After thinking for a moment, he said, “As long as it’s profitable, I’ll definitely do it. If I do, I’ll go all in—no just buying ten or eight from you guys. I need time to think.”
Vladimir replied, “That’s fine. There’s no rush. Contact me whenever you’ve made up your mind, brother. But I still hope it’s soon.”
“Mm!” Xie Wendong agreed. “I’ll give you an answer within five days!”
Vladimir was pleased. “Brother Xie, it’s settled then.”
After discussing everything, Vladimir relaxed and listened to the music in the hall. Remembering what Xie Wendong had said earlier, he laughed and said, “Brother, now that the serious talks are over, I wonder if there’s any of this fine wine for me?!”
Xie Wendong was taken aback before bursting into laughter. “Sure! Others might not get any, but you’re special.”
That evening, Xie Wendong took Vladimir and three other Russians to the most luxurious nightclub in City H, where he found five or six young, beautiful girls to keep them company. Vladimir glanced at them and shook his head dissatisfiedly. He said to Xie Wendong, “They’re all vulgar! I heard there are many college students working in this business in City H. I’d like to try them out, ha!”

Xie Wendong was momentarily stunned; he really didn’t know about this. He looked at Jiang Sen with doubt. The latter nodded firmly and stepped forward, whispering in his ear, “There are indeed college students working as high-end prostitutes, including virgins, with prices ranging from 1,500 to 3,000.”

Seeing Vladimir smiling at him, Xie Wendong’s face turned red. He cursed inwardly, thinking that these women were really shameless—their reputation had spread even to Russia, “bringing honor” to China! Noticing Xie Wendong’s displeased expression, Jiang Sen understood what he was thinking and said softly, “Brother Dong, many of them are Russian students studying in China. Should we get a few of them?”

After hearing this, Xie Wendong glanced at Vladimir. His face showed no expression, but his eyes smiled as he said loudly, “Good! Old Sen, get a few college students as Mr. Vladimir suggested. Remember, they must be ‘proper’!”

“Yes! Brother Dong!” Jiang Sen nodded in agreement and left the private room with a few people.

Xie Wendong asked the club’s hostess for two bottles of Hennessy and drank while chatting idly with Vladimir. When Jiang Sen didn’t return for a long time, Vladimir grew impatient. Having drunk quite a bit, he grabbed the microphone and started shouting loudly. Perhaps because he didn’t understand, Xie Wendong sat aside, enduring the deafening noise. He thought to himself that this old Russian was on par with Li Shuang—thankfully, the latter hadn’t shown up; otherwise, these two “noise monsters” together could be deadly!

Just as the two Russians who came with Vladimir could no longer bear it, Jiang Sen arrived like a savior, leading a group of Russian girls into the private room, and the shrill noises finally stopped. Russian women were indeed much more generous than Chinese women. As soon as they entered, they surrounded Xie Wendong and Vladimir, laughing and chatting rapidly in Russian. Annoyed, Xie Wendong pulled away an arm that was wrapped around his neck and asked Vladimir, who looked stunned, “Mr. Vladimir, are you satisfied with these college students?”

Vladimir was helpless. He had wanted to experience something different in China, but Xie Wendong had brought a group of Russians—women he was already tired of back in his own country, so he had no interest at all. But since he couldn’t say that, he could only say, “Satisfied! Very satisfied!”

Seeing his painfully forced smile, Xie Wendong felt pleased. He turned to touch the face of a Russian woman beside him and laughed loudly, “Russian women are really good! Fair and beautiful, though their skin is a bit rough—not as ‘smooth’ to the touch.”

Listening to Xie Wendong’s jokes, Vladimir smiled even more bitterly. Vladimir didn’t enjoy this drink at all; though he wore a smile, Xie Wendong knew well that jokes shouldn’t go too far. At midnight, as everyone left the nightclub, Xie Wendong reserved two double rooms for Vladimir at the “Singapore Grand Hotel.” He also had his men find some college girls in the hotel lobby to keep Vladimir company overnight. Only then was Vladimir fully satisfied and praised Xie Wendong for being so generous. Before leaving, Xie Wendong deliberately left a few men behind to ensure Vladimir’s safety—after all, Vladimir was now on his territory, and any problems could be difficult to explain to Black Belt. Vladimir stayed in City H for two days. Xie Wendong treated him well, providing food, drinks, and entertainment as he wished. This made Vladimir’s goodwill toward Xie Wendong even greater. Before leaving City H, he reluctantly took Xie Wendong’s hand and said, “Brother Xie, although we’ve known each other for only a short time, it feels like we’ve missed each other for too long. I hope our friendship will last forever. Also, when you come to Russia, I’ll definitely welcome you with the greatest enthusiasm!” Forever? Xie Wendong thought to himself: It’s just mutual exploitation—friends for pleasure! In fact, he despised Russians deeply, considering them a barbaric race, even though his own actions were even more barbaric. With a look of deep reluctance, Xie Wendong said, “Yes! I hope our friendship will last forever too, but friends should treat each other sincerely. I hope you can do that, Vladimir. Hehe, if I have time, I’ll definitely go to Russia to meet your Black Belts and learn from them! Well, it’s getting late. You’d better get on the train.” Vladimir nodded and waved goodbye to Xie Wendong after boarding the train.