Chapter 325

Xie Wendong gave a wry smile. Although Jiang Lin’s words were somewhat derogatory, they were true, and he had no choice but to accept them. After washing off the mud, he felt refreshed and much happier. When Jiang Lin came in again, Xie Wendong had changed into clean clothes; his hair was still wet, but he looked refreshed and much more energetic than before. Jiang Lin sized him up—no matter how she looked at him, he seemed like a young man in his early twenties, inexperienced in the ways of the world. And indeed, that was the case, but his methods and deep scheming were probably beyond even a man in his fifties or sixties. Xie Wendong exaggeratedly looked down at himself, then touched his face and laughed, “I’m not covered in flowers, am I?”
“Huh?” Jiang Lin was puzzled and didn’t understand what he meant. Xie Wendong said, “Otherwise, why would you keep staring at me?” “Haha!” Jiang Lin wasn’t expecting him to joke around either. She smiled broadly and sat down beside the bed. Against the backdrop of the pink dress, her curvaceous figure was fully displayed—the knee-length skirt couldn’t hide her long, slender, smooth legs, flawless to the point where even an ant might slip on them. When she was happy, her phoenix-like eyes sparkled enchantingly, and her milk-white skin took on a slight rosy hue. A single smile from her was utterly captivating. Jiang Lin wasn’t the prettiest woman, but she was definitely one who could catch a man’s eye, for she possessed an allure that men couldn’t resist. Whether she looked at you straight on or from the side, it felt like she was emitting charm. She was also a wise woman—nothing in the world could be more dazzling than wisdom, especially when it resided in the mind of a beautiful woman.
Xie Wendong sighed secretly. He felt that fate was sometimes fair—having given Jiang Lin a humble background, it also granted her everything a woman could desire.

Jiang Lin seemed to notice Xie Wendong’s gaze as well. For the first time, she felt a bit embarrassed and tapped her feet lightly, the sound of her white high-heeled shoes on the floor echoing. Soon, she regained her composure, leaned forward, and asked with a smile, “Is it pretty?” A fragrance wafted toward him, and Xie Wendong finally shifted his gaze from her legs to her face. Smiling, he said, “Everyone has a love for beauty. I too enjoy appreciating beautiful things.” “It’s a shame,” Jiang Lin said, leaning in even further, her eyes gleaming with a teasing yet challenging light. “You only dare to appreciate but not to touch.” She was a woman who knew how to use her body to convey her feelings. Her dress couldn’t hide her full breasts, and her deep cleavage became visible to Xie Wendong, with even the lace of her white bra faintly discernible. Xie Wendong tilted his head back, smiled, walked over to the window, and looked up at the sky. “The clouds in the sky just need a little to adorn it. If there are too many or too thick, they turn into dark clouds.” Jiang Lin didn’t understand what he meant. She raised her delicate eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. But after a long while, Xie Wendong remained silent. Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “What clouds? I don’t understand.” Xie Wendong turned back, shrugged stylishly, and said, “Although I’m not exactly faithful, I also don’t want to cause more trouble.”

Jiang Lin parted her red lips slightly, her expression stiff. It was the first time she had taken the initiative to invite a man, and out of sincerity, yet she was met with a firm rejection from Xie Wendong. For a beautiful woman accustomed to being doted on and protected by men, her sense of frustration and disappointment was imaginable. Yet she reacted quickly, forcing a smile and saying, “I was just joking with Mr. Xie…” Xie Wendong laughed heartily, poured two cups of tea, and said, “I told you! How could a beautiful and charming woman like Miss Jiang possibly be interested in a scoundrel like me? Haha!” You really are a scoundrel! Jiang Lin knew he was trying to ease her embarrassment, but she felt no gratitude at all; instead, it made her even redder in the face. She changed the subject carefully and asked, “I heard that Bo Zhanhui fell into Xuan Zidan’s hands?” There it was! This was what Jiang Lin cared most about. Xie Wendong smirked and said indifferently, “That’s right. Xuan Zidan probably won’t let him die easily.” Jiang Lin’s gaze turned cold as she gritted her teeth and said, “In ancient times, there was a punishment where a fishing net was tightened around a person’s body, and then the protruding flesh was cut off in pieces. It was said that the victim could endure hundreds of cuts and still not die.” Xie Wendong wasn’t familiar with ancient history, but he knew enough to respond, “Miss Jiang, are you referring to lingchi?” “For a despicable creature like him, any form of punishment would be too mild.” Jiang Lin’s gaze was so cold it could freeze an elephant to death. The hearts of women are the most venomous in the world. Xie Wendong rubbed his forehead and sighed, “Thankfully, Bo Zhanhui isn’t in your hands.”

Jiang Lin stood up, bowed deeply in respect, and said seriously, “Thank you so much, sir!” “Oh?” Xie Wendong raised his head. “Without Mr. Xie’s help, I’m afraid I would never have seen Bo Zhanhui reach where he is today!” Jiang Lin explained, then got up to leave. Xie Wendong took a sip of tea and said as he saw her off, “Miss Jiang, I understand how you feel, but there’s one thing I still want to say: never let hatred cloud your judgment.” Jiang Lin smiled cheerfully and said, “No, I won’t. By the way, stop calling me Miss Jiang—it sounds awkward.” Xie Wendong slapped his forehead and laughed, “Yes! It’s unreasonable to address each other that way among friends. You don’t need to call me Mr. Xie either; just call me Wendong or use my first name. I’ll call you Sister Jiang too. Hmm, ‘Sister Jiang’ doesn’t sound right—let’s call you Sister Lin instead.” With a scratching head and a smiling face, he looked as innocent as a child. At that moment, it was hard to imagine that he was the underground overlord who made the Southern Hongmen fear deeply, the one who made the Soul Group hate him fiercely, and the one who terrified all the underworld bosses—Xie Wendong. “Mm!” Jiang Lin sighed, wanting to say something but shaking her head instead. She waved cheerfully and turned to leave. Xie Wendong watched her back disappear down the corridor and thought to himself that, if nothing went wrong, Bo Zhanhui was about to suffer. He was right. After leaving the Fresh Flowers Hotel, Jiang Lin took a car straight to the headquarters of the Loyalty Gang to see Xuan Zidan. With the emergence of the Soul Group, the conflict between the Southern and Northern Hongmen seemed to calm down a bit, with no more large-scale battles between the two sides. The Hongmen had settled down, but the Loyalty Gang, which had just experienced internal strife, was still filled with tension. Bo Zhanhui was dead, and those who had seen his body said he died a horrible death, with no part of his body intact. Xuan Zidan also listed several crimes committed by Bo Zhanhui within the gang, some of which were exaggerated, but there were still outrageous truths meant to show that failing to kill him would only fuel the public’s hatred.

A country cannot go a day without a ruler, nor can a gang go a day without a leader. Without a leader, it’s difficult for a gang to survive in the dangerous underworld surrounded by powerful enemies. Xuan Zidan understood this, as did other senior figures—everyone wanted to take over the position left vacant after Bo Zhanhui’s death. Qi Xiaolong was a long-time and highly capable member of the Zhongyi Gang. He was around Bo Zhanhui’s age and had contributed greatly to the gang’s growth in Shanghai. People tend to share hardships easily but struggle to share wealth and glory. As the Zhongyi Gang grew stronger, its members grew more dissatisfied. They pretended to respect Bo Zhanhui in public but complained in private, each harboring their own ambitions. Qi Xiaolong was one of them.

Three days after Bo Zhanhui’s death, another body was found in the Huangpu River. The police confirmed it was Bo Li, likely murdered. “Thud!” Qi Xiaolong slammed the newspaper on the table, rubbed his cheek, and said gravely, “Xuan Zidan is ruthless. Killing is unforgivable, yet he even spared no one—even Bo Zhanhui’s only heir. How despicable!”

His subordinates said, “Everyone can see Xuan Zidan’s ambitious plans. By listing so many of Bo Zhanhui’s faults, he’s just looking for a pretext to rebel. I think what he really wants is the position of leader of the Zhongyi Gang!” “Need you to say that?” Qi Xiaolong sneered. “Even a blindman can see it. How old is Xuan Zidan anyway? He’s only been in the Zhongyi Gang for a few years, yet his ambitions are huge. Hmph! The position of leader isn’t easy to obtain!” If anyone must take it, it should be me! He kept the last sentence to himself, but his trusted subordinates understood and agreed angrily, “Yes, Xuan Zidan is utterly arrogant.” “How about we take our brothers and attack his headquarters to kill him? Keeping him around is just a threat!” “We can use the slogan of avenging the leader to justify our actions.”

Qi Xiaolong already had such intentions, and his subordinates’ outcry suited his plans perfectly. But he wasn’t foolish. Since Xuan Zidan could defeat Bo Zhanhui so easily, it was because he had a solid foundation and strength—and most importantly, the support of Xie Wendong, the leader of the Beihongmen. To take on Xuan Zidan, his own strength wasn’t enough; he also had to consider the Beihongmen’s stance.

Qi Xiaolong first called the two most close allies in the Zhongyi Gang, Tan Xiaochun and Wei Ming, and invited them to his home. After explaining his plans, Tan and Wei agreed without hesitation. All three were ambitious and saw eye to eye right away. Finally, Qi Xiaolong said, “As for the other factors, we can handle them easily given our strength. The only bit troublesome is…” He deliberately paused and didn’t continue. Seeing him stop speaking, Tan Xiaochun and Wei Ming urged, “Boss Qi, just say what it is! What’s the trouble?” Qi Xiaolong said slowly, “Xie Wendong from the Northern Hongmen!”
“Ah!” Tan and Wei both gasped in shock, feeling a chill run down their spines. After Qi Xiaolong mentioned it, they thought of Xie Wendong’s relationship with Xuan Zidan. Without Xie Wendong’s support, even if Xuan Zidan were bold enough, he wouldn’t dare attack Bo Zhanhui, let alone capture him alive. They asked in unison, “Right! Boss Qi, if we want to kill Xuan Zidan, will Xie Wendong agree?” After pondering for a long time, Qi Xiaolong murmured, “I don’t know if he’ll agree or not, but we still have to do it.”
“What if the Northern Hongmen blames us? We won’t be able to handle that. By then, even killing Xuan Zidan would be meaningless,” Wei Ming said, showing quick thinking.
Qi Xiaolong clenched his fist tightly and said, “Not necessarily. A dead person is useless to anyone. If Xuan Zidan dies and we can smoothly take over as leaders and offer Xie Wendong enough benefits, I think, given his character, he might not make things difficult for us. Besides, I want to contact Xie Wendong first to gauge his attitude.” “Okay!” Tan and Wei nodded, agreeing that Qi Xiaolong made sense, and said, “Boss Qi, we’ll follow your lead!”
Qi Xiaolong wasn’t joking. After sending Tan and Wei away, he began making preparations, recruiting more people, and keeping an eye on Xuan Zidan and other forces within his gang, as if a storm was approaching. Somehow, he managed to get in touch with Xie Wendong and proposed visiting him, to which Xie agreed.
The next day, at dawn, Qi Xiaolong headed to the Fresh Flower Hotel. After all, he still hadn’t figured out Xie Wendong’s intentions and didn’t want to be too obvious.

It was the first time he had met Xie Wendong in person. The moment they saw each other, his first reaction was surprise. Although he had heard earlier that Xie Wendong was young, he hadn’t expected him to be this young—looking like a mere teenager one might not even glance at on the street. Xie Wendong was still dressed in a neat black Mao suit with a stand-up collar, which made him appear more mature, but it still couldn’t hide the youthfulness on his face. At first, Qi Xiaolong wasn’t sure if the young man before him was indeed the person he was looking for. Stammering, he said, “Mr. Xie…?”

Xie Wendong smiled narrowed-eyed and waved his hand casually, saying, “It’s me. Please, Mr. Qi, have a seat.” Seeing that Qi still stared at him suspiciously, his phoenix-like eyes almost turning into lines from smiling, Xie Wendong shrugged and said, “No one comes to my place without a reason. You didn’t come here just to see what I look like, did you?”

“Ah? Ah… ah!” Qi Xiaolong forced a smile to cover his embarrassment and said, “Mr. Xie, I’m really… sorry. It’s just that you’re too young, and I…”

Xie Wendong waved his hand. He wasn’t interested in others discussing his age or appearance. He asked directly, “If you have something to say, Mr. Qi, please go ahead. If not… everyone is busy, and there’s no need to waste each other’s time.” Seeing his displeasure, Qi Xiaolong grew anxious and hurriedly said, “I do have something. What is it?” “Oh, I was wondering what Mr. Xie thinks about this change within our Zhongyi Gang?” Qi Xiaolong didn’t dare dawdle any longer and got straight to the point. Xie Wendong tilted his head back and thought for three seconds before saying, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Hm?” Qi Xiaolong didn’t understand what he meant and looked at him doubtfully. Xie Wendong lit a cigarette and smiled, saying, “That’s an internal matter of your Zhongyi Gang. I’m not very familiar with the details, nor do I want to get involved. In short, even if the penguins in your gang fly into the sky or pigs climb trees, it has nothing to do with me.” “Oh… this…” Xie Wendong’s words weren’t what Qi Xiaolong wanted to hear. It seemed like he was just going through the motions. Without smiling, Qi asked again, “But… but Mr. Xie supports Xuan… Zidan, right?” Xie Wendong shrugged nonchalantly and said, “I think you’ve misunderstood. I don’t support anyone. In fact, as long as someone can kill Bo Zhanhui, I’ll naturally lend them a hand.” After a pause, he tilted his head back again and said, “The only person I hate is Bo Zhanhui. As for supporting anyone in the Zhongyi Gang, that’s not even a consideration!”