Chapter 29

By the end of 1996, the Wendong Gang had grown into a formal gang with no fewer than 500 members, controlling ten large discos in the southern region and seven nightclubs alone. Xie Wendong had become the dominant figure in that area, with no fewer than five affiliated gangs under his command.

At the end of December, at the Guiwei Disco, Li Shuang raised a glass of liquor and said loudly, “Brother Dong, come on, let me toast you!” Sanyan laughed and said, “Fatty, you’re drinking right after getting out of the hospital—is that okay?!” Li Shuang shook his big head and replied, “Damn, I almost died of boredom in the hospital these past few months. Now that I’m out, I gotta have some fun! Right, Brother Dong?!” Xie Wendong, sitting in the center, smiled without saying a word, picked up his glass, and drank it in one gulp. Seeing this, Li Shuang winked at Sanyan, drank the liquor in his glass, and exclaimed how great it felt! Sanyan and the others also had a drink.

Zhang Yanjiang asked from the side, “Brother Dong, the Brothers Alliance wants us to join them. What do you think we should do?” Li Shuang shook his head and said, “Damn, we’re already the bosses now. What’s the point of becoming mere soldiers in the Brothers Alliance?” Zhang Yanjiang said, “Brother Shuang is right, but if we refuse, they might take action against us!” Li Shuang replied loudly, “What’s there to fear? We’ve done everything! If the Brothers Alliance dares to mess with us, we’ll just crush them!” Zhang Yanjiang shook his head and looked at Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I don’t plan to join the Brothers Alliance. But as Yanjiang said, simply refusing might make them feel humiliated. I think forming an alliance would benefit both sides!”

Sanyan said, “An alliance is good, but what if they refuse and insist on forcing us to join? What then?” Xie Wendong replied, “If that happens, there’s nothing we can do but confront them head-on!” Zhang Yanjiang said, “But the Brothers Alliance is far stronger than us!” Xie Wendong laughed and said, “But there’s another gang behind them—a tiger that could bite them at any moment. That tiger will keep them in check. Hehe!” Sanyan asked, “Brother Dong, are you talking about the Tiger Gang?!” Xie Wendong nodded. “That’s right. The Tiger Gang wants to monopolize the underworld in City J to facilitate their illegal activities. The Brothers Alliance and the Qing Gang are thorns in their side; they want to destroy these two gangs at all costs! The Brothers Alliance won’t dare to attack us lightly.”

Zhang Yanjiang said, “Brother Dong, actually, this is a good opportunity. The Axe Gang is already in disarray, and their territory isn’t far from ours. Why not take advantage of the chaos in the underworld to seize it? This way, we can expand our influence into the city area as well.”

Xie Wendong nodded in approval and said, “What Yanjiang just said is exactly what I wanted to say. Although we’re the bosses of Biannan, we’re far from the city and can’t achieve much. It’s imperative that we take down the remnants of the Axe Gang!”
Li Shuang was delighted upon hearing this. He never expected he would one day face a giant like the Axe Gang. His blood boiled, and he shouted, “Brother Dong, I’ll do whatever you say, but I must be the one to lead the attack!”
Gao Qiang laughed behind him and said, “You want to go? You’ve recovered, right? You still can’t stay calm after getting seventeen cuts!”
Hearing Gao Qiang’s words, Li Shuang’s face turned red. He looked around and saw that everyone was smiling at him, making him feel embarrassed. He stepped forward, grabbed Gao Qiang by the neck, and shouted, “How dare you say such things! If it weren’t for me protecting you last time, you’d have gotten just as many cuts! I’ll strangle you, you heartless guy…”
Gao Qiang couldn’t breathe and shook his head, so he resorted to the move Li Shuang feared the most. He reached under Li Shuang’s armpits and started fumbling around. Most fat people are ticklish, and Li Shuang was no exception. He released his grip on Gao Qiang’s neck and laughed, “Qiang… Brother Qiang, I… I was wrong. Haha, stop it!”
Everyone watched the two rolling around together, filled with laughter. After a while, Zhang Yanjiang said to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, there are several factions in the Axe Gang’s territory now. Who do you think we should attack first?”
Shinan used to be the Axe Gang’s territory, but after their leader died, it was taken over by other major gangs. Now, only five factions remain and can barely hold their ground. All five claim to be the legitimate successors of the Axe Gang and refuse to yield to each other. Among them, the faction led by Zhu Youpeng is the largest, mainly due to the secret support of the Brothers’ Alliance. Next is Liu Qing’s group, which is also quite powerful, with many loyal followers willing to die for him. There’s also He Xueyong’s group, which is moderately strong but cunning and fickle, with very poor popularity. The last two factions are led by Shan Xiaoyun and Zhang Hong, both of whom have average strength.
Xie Wendong thought for a moment and said, “Let’s start with He Xueyong.”
Zhang Yanjiang was surprised and asked, “He Xueyong is too cunning. We might not be able to gain an advantage from him!” Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “That’s exactly why I chose him!” “…” Everyone was speechless looking at Xie Wendong.

New Year’s Day was approaching, and schools were also facing intense final exams. Students across the schools were studying hard during this time, with the First Middle School being the only exception. There, even those who hadn’t completed primary school could score over 100 points in each subject (with 150 being the full score). The teachers in charge of supervising the exams usually just closed their eyes, letting the students do as they pleased. Some students in certain classes were considerate enough to buy newspapers and place them on the teacher’s desk so that if the teacher got bored, they could read them to pass the time. Teachers really liked such “understanding” students, so those classes would score particularly high.

That day, Xie Wendong was attending a class in the teachers’ room when a paper ball hit him on the head. He looked around and saw Gao Huiyu climbing onto the window between the classroom and the corridor, waving at him to come out.

Xie Wendong hesitated for a moment, glanced at the teacher at the podium, and then went outside. When he reached the corridor, he asked softly, “Xiao Yu, I’m in class right now. Is it urgent that you need to see me?”

Gao Huiyu looked at him unhappily. “Is my matter not as important as your class?”

Xie Wendong replied, “That’s not what I meant. What do you want from me?”

Gao Huiyu said, “Come to my house tonight. My brother wants to meet you!”

Xie Wendong wasn’t surprised. With the chaos in J City’s underworld, major gangs were eager to expand their power. If the leader of the Qing Gang wanted to meet him, it was undoubtedly because he saw potential in Xie Wendong’s rapidly growing gang. Nodding, Xie Wendong said, “I see! Alright, I’ll go there after school.”

Gao Huiyu worriedly said, “When you meet my brother, it’s best to go along with him. He’s in a bad mood these days—probably due to gang matters, but he won’t let me know. Anyway, he’s in a terrible temper. I don’t even know why he wants to see you.”

Seeing Gao Huiyu’s concerned expression, Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s fine!” He thought to himself that it was surely because of the rise of his gang that they wanted to win him over. Back when he was unknown, the Qing Gang wouldn’t even look his way. Who would have thought they’d reach out to him now? Xie Wendong sighed inwardly.

That evening, after school, Xie Wendong and Gao Huiyu walked out of the teaching building together.

“That’s not right. A guy like me having a girl carry me on the bike! I think I’d better take a car!” Xie Wendong protested loudly when he heard Gao Huiyu say she wanted to ride a motorcycle and carry him.

Gao Huiyu rolled her eyes from atop the motorcycle and said loudly, “Hey, why are your ideas so outdated? What’s wrong with being carried by a girl? Or you can carry me if you can ride!”

Xie Wendong’s face turned red as he whispered, “I can’t do this!” Gao Huiyu already knew he couldn’t, so she patted the seat behind her and said, “Come on, little brother. Sister has something to say to you. Don’t waste time—hurry up!”
With a heavy heart, Xie Wendong sat down behind Gao Huiyu. The unique scent of the girl reached his nose, leaving him mind blank and not knowing where to put his hands. Gao Huiyu turned to look at him and said with a smile, “Hug me! Otherwise, don’t blame me if you fall!” Hearing this, Xie Wendong looked around. It was dismissal time at school, and there were many students around, so he hesitated. Seeing his hesitation, Gao Huiyu grew angry inwardly, thinking, “Idiot! If you hug me, someone might die!” With a sinister smile, she suddenly stepped on the clutch, and the motorcycle shot forward.
At that moment, Xie Wendong was still deciding whether to hug her or not when the bike suddenly started moving forward, scaring him into instinctively hugging Gao Huiyu. But the bike stopped right away. Gao Huiyu, her face red, turned to look at Xie Wendong, her lips moving slightly before she opened her mouth and shouted, “You can take your hands off now!”
Xie Wendong’s ears buzzed. He stared at Gao Huiyu in confusion, wondering what was wrong with her. Seeing his innocent expression, Gao Huiyu forced out a few words through her teeth, “Your hands…!”
My hands? Xie Wendong moved his hands and felt their palms were soft, a sensation of comfort he had never experienced before spreading through his body. He glanced sideways, then back at Gao Huiyu’s face, slowly pulling his hands back. Lowering his head, he wished there was a hole in the ground. It turned out that in his nervousness, he had accidentally pressed his hands on Gao Huiyu’s firm breasts.
Gao Huiyu wanted to scold Xie Wendong, but she felt an indescribable pleasure and joy, so she swallowed her words and said with a red face, “Now hug my waist!” This time, Xie Wendong obeyed obediently and tightly hugged Gao Huiyu’s slender waist.
It was the first time Xie Wendong had ridden a motorcycle, and Gao Huiyu drove extremely fast. As the scenery rushed past on both sides, his heart rate soared, and unbeknownst to him, he hugged Gao Huiyu’s waist even tighter.
Gao Huiyu smirked inwardly and turned to say, “Idiot, be gentle! I can hardly breathe!” Seeing that she dared to turn around while driving so fast, Xie Wendong shouted, “Sis, can you even see ahead? This is very dangerous!”
Gao Huiyu curled her lips and laughed, “Still the leader of a gang, so timid!”
“This has nothing to do with bravery. I just don’t want to end up in the hospital accidentally!” “Tch! Jinx!” Gao Huiyu snapped angrily.

Xie Wendong chuckled, forgetting everything that had happened just now, and said loudly, “Xiaoyu, what do you want to tell me? You don’t need to turn around— I can hear you!” Seeing Gao Huiyu about to turn around, Xie Wendong quickly added another sentence.
Gao Huiyu said loudly, “It’s nothing really. I’ve just learned a few new dishes recently. I’ll cook them for you after talking to my brother!”
“No way!? Just that much?!”, Xie Wendong sighed deeply, resting his head on Gao Huiyu’s back, almost in a daze.
Soon, they arrived at Gao Huiyu’s house. After entering, Xie Wendong saw someone sitting on the sofa in the living room. The person was in his twenties or thirties, with fair skin and a handsome appearance, somewhat similar to Gao Huiyu. Without having to ask, Xie Wendong knew this must be Gao Zhen, the powerful boss of the Triad in City J.
When the man saw Gao Huiyu bringing in a young boy, he sized him up for a moment before standing up and approaching Xie Wendong. He extended his hand and said, “Hello, you must be Xie Wendong. Xiaoyu often talks about you. I’m Gao Zhen, Xiaoyu’s brother!”
Xie Wendong shook Gao Zhen’s hand politely and said, “I’ve long heard of your fame, but we’ve never had the chance to meet.”
Gao Zhen chuckled and said, “Since you’re Xiaoyu’s friend, you’re also my friend. You can call me ‘big brother’ just like Xiaoyu does.”
Xie Wendong was taken aback, not expecting the Triad boss to be so amiable. He quickly replied, “Then I’ll take the liberty of calling you ‘big brother’ Gao!”
Gao Zhen pulled Xie Wendong to sit on the sofa and chatted casually, “How long have you known Xiaoyu?” Although it was just casual conversation, Xie Wendong still didn’t dare be careless around Gao Zhen and replied, “We met on the first day of school!”
Gao Zhen took a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his jacket pocket and offered one to Xie Wendong, who shook his head and declined politely, saying he didn’t smoke. Gao Zhen didn’t insist and lit one himself, saying, “Xiaoyu has a somewhat childish temperament. Can you adapt to that when you’re together?”
Before Xie Wendong could respond, Gao Huiyu tugged at Gao Zhen’s arm and said shyly, “Big brother, why do you always talk to her like that…”
Gao Zhen laughed heartily and patted Gao Huiyu’s hand, saying, “Well, I just said she has a childish temperament, and it showed right away, haha!”
Seeing Xie Wendong looking at her with a smile, Gao Huiyu blushed and said, “I’m ignoring you guys. I’m going to cook!” With that, she ran off to the kitchen.
“My sister…” Gao Zhen shook his head at his sister’s back, his eyes filled with affection. Xie Wendong realized how special Gao Zhen was to his sister and changed his opinion of him slightly. He smiled and said, “Big brother Gao, it’s precisely because of her temperament that Xiaoyu is so endearingly unique!”

Gao Zhen glanced at Xie Wendong with admiration, then changed his tone and said, “I suppose you know who I am now!” Xie Wendong nodded and replied, “Xiao Yu told me! Brother Gao is the boss of the Qing Gang.” Gao Zhen smiled and said, “My subordinates have told me about you. It seems you’re already a dominant figure at such a young age!”