Chapter 60

Xie Wendong stared at Chen Zhongwen without saying a word, his fingers tapping gently on the coffee table. Silence fell back over the room, broken only by the sound of his fingers hitting the table. After five minutes, Xie Wendong said directly, “I want control over H City’s underworld!”
“Hm?” Chen Zhongwen didn’t understand what Xie Wendong meant and just stared at him in silence.
Xie Wendong leaned in toward Chen Zhongwen and said slowly, “I want the same power as the Fourth Lord back then, but not to end up like him! I hope Secretary Chen can help me!”
What audacious demands—wanting to become the king of H City’s underworld! Chen Zhongwen felt displeased. He disliked greedy people, especially those who were cleverly greedy. Smiling, he said, “Your idea is too naive. There has only ever been one Fourth Lord in H City, and there will never be another!”
“Oh? Hehe!” Xie Wendong smiled without saying anything.
“I’m telling the truth. I really can’t do anything!”
“You can! With your help, it’s possible. Of course, I’m very good at…” Jiang Sen, who was by the door, couldn’t help but shiver at the mention.
Chen Zhongwen’s expression changed rapidly as he shouted, “Are you saying I…”
“What I mean is, if Secretary Chen really helps me, I definitely won’t treat you badly. I’ll give back at least this much to the ‘government’ every month!” Xie Wendong interrupted Chen Zhongwen, holding up three fingers.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhongwen’s eyes lit up—he understood what he meant: thirty thousand per month for himself. Smiling, he said, “It’s not just a matter of money…”
“Four hundred thousand!” Xie Wendong leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling, cutting him off.
Chen Zhongwen wasn’t quick enough to respond and hurriedly said, “I mean…” “Five hundred thousand!”
“I…”“Six hundred thousand!”
“I, you…” “Seven hundred thousand!” Xie Wendong kept interrupting him, not giving him a chance to speak.
“You…” “Eight hundred thousand!” Xie Wendong supported his chin with one hand and said, “Alright, this is the highest price I can offer. If Secretary Chen agrees, I’ll give you eight hundred thousand per month!”
Sweat appeared on Chen Zhongwen’s forehead. Eight hundred thousand per month??? What an astonishing figure! He couldn’t believe his ears, let alone that such a demand came from a young man under twenty. With trembling hands, he took out a cigarette but couldn’t find a lighter. He checked his jacket pockets and then his pants pockets. Xie Wendong watched coldly, knowing that Chen Zhongwen was now thinking, or rather, struggling with his decision.

Most corrupt officials arise from greed, but it’s also always directly related to those who accept bribes. Just like Xie Wendong now—how many people can withstand his financial pressures and threats of force? Jiang Sen stepped forward to light a cigarette for Chen Zhongwen. Xie Wendong waited patiently for a response that would satisfy him. After a long while, Chen Zhongwen finally said, “Your conditions are tempting, but I think you don’t really understand the situation in the Provincial Party Committee.” “Oh?” Xie Wendong looked at Chen Zhongwen in confusion. “Although I’m the top leader here in the province, there’s still someone I dare not offend. You know, after Q Si died, H City was in complete chaos for a while. The central government sent a special commissioner to serve as the deputy head of the provincial department, tasked with restoring order in H City. This man is very strict; he stabilized the situation there soon after taking office. If you cause too much trouble, I doubt I can protect you. He’s the one in charge of cracking down on organized crime and maintaining order in H City. As the Provincial Party Secretary, I can only watch and offer suggestions.” Xie Wendong nodded, lost in thought. Though interested in Xie Wendong’s offer, Chen Zhongwen felt powerless to act on it. Xie Wendong knew the person Chen Zhongwen was referring to—he had heard Liu Zhongyuan talk about him. If he wasn’t mistaken, the man’s name was Peng Shulin. He hated organized crime fiercely and had been sent by the central government, which really put Xie Wendong in a difficult position. If he didn’t deal with Peng, it would be hard for him to advance; if he did, it would mean going against the central government—something he simply didn’t dare to do. Seeing Xie Wendong silent and head bowed, Chen Zhongwen thought about the offer and sighed in regret. He said, “Wendong, though I can’t do much to help you, I can at least assist with small things. As long as you don’t cause too much trouble in H City, like you did in J City, I can still cover for you. After all, the local police force is under my control!” Hearing this, Xie Wendong felt a bit relieved and smiled. “Secretary Chen, I think we’ll have many opportunities to cooperate in the future. I need your help a lot! I’ll surely reward you generously!” “Haha! What are you talking about? There’s no need for rewards. I don’t care about such things when dealing with someone like you!” “Yes… yes! It’s my fault for not speaking well. Please forgive me, Secretary Chen!” “Ah, stop calling me ‘Secretary Chen’ all the time—it sounds awkward. I’m dozens of years older than you. Just call me Uncle Chen—it won’t hurt you at all!” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Alright then. From now on, I’ll call you Uncle Chen. If you need any help, just let me know. I’ll use my own methods to ‘solve’ it for you!”

These words greatly pleased Chen Zhongwen, who patted Xie Wendong’s shoulder and said, “Young people have drive—the world of the future belongs to your generation!”
“Uncle Chen, you’re too kind. You’re not that old either!” “No, it’s not okay…”
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, appearing very close on the surface, but each had their own ulterior motives, hoping to extract more benefits from the other. After a while, Chen Zhongwen got up to leave, as he still had meetings to attend. Xie Wendong didn’t insist, saying a few words before seeing Chen Zhongwen out of the room.
After he left, Xie Wendong felt as if he had just fought a fierce battle. He slumped tiredly on the sofa, his shirt soaked with sweat. Wen Zi poured a glass of water and carefully placed it on the coffee table without making a sound.
Jiang Sen stepped beside Xie Wendong and whispered, “Brother Dong, look at this Chen Zhongwen…”
Xie Wendong raised his hand to interrupt him and said calmly, “Stop talking. I know! I need some time to think.” Jiang Sen nodded and gave a signal to the other two men, and the three left the room. Wen Zi stayed behind, standing behind Xie Wendong and gently massaging his shoulders. At first, Xie Wendong was slightly stunned but said nothing, enjoying the massage.
Gradually, exhaustion spread throughout his body, and he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. But his mind was working fast—Chen Zhongwen couldn’t be given up on, as he was the secretary of a province with real power, which could be quite useful to him. As for Peng Shulin, he was difficult to deal with; neither soft nor hard tactics seemed appropriate. Most importantly, Xie Wendong didn’t know any weaknesses he could exploit. It seemed he would have to ask Jiang Sen to investigate this man—having him under control was a prerequisite for his own progress.
Sigh! Xie Wendong sighed inwardly. Drowsiness overcame him, and he stood up, saying to Wen Zi, “It’s getting late. I need to go back to school.”
Wen Zi said, “Brother Dong, why not stay here overnight? You seem tired. Stay for one night and go back to school tomorrow morning!”
“No, let Jiang Sen stay here! Don’t waste the room!” With that, Xie Wendong headed outside. Jiang Sen and the others were still waiting at the door. Seeing Xie Wendong come out, they asked, “Brother Dong, have you made any plans?”
“Yeah! Help me find out everything about Peng Shulin, especially his weaknesses. I don’t want anyone to stand in my way. If I have to, I won’t hesitate even if it’s the emperor himself. If he really has no weaknesses and doesn’t respond to either soft or hard tactics, then find a way to get rid of him!” A cold glint appeared in Xie Wendong’s eyes.

Although Jiang Sen was somewhat surprised by Xie Wendong’s decision, he was excited—staying by Xie Wendong’s side would never be boring, as there would always be passion. He nodded and said, “Brother Dong, don’t worry. I’ll definitely find out everything. I won’t miss even a single clue!”
Xie Wendong replied, “Good. I’m going back to school now. You don’t need to see me off. Stay here!” Jiang Sen agreed. Wen Zi wanted to go with him, but Xie Wendong stopped her—first, because Wen Zi had no place to stay at H University, and second, because he wanted to walk by himself.
Before returning to school, Xie Wendong went to the bathhouse to take a shower, which made him feel much better. By the time he returned to school, it was almost 10:30. Since his dormitory was on the east side of the school, he took the east side gate. H University turned off the lights at 10:30, so there were few pedestrians on the roads, with only cars speeding by under the bright streetlights.
Xie Wendong walked thoughtfully on the sidewalk beside the road, not noticing that two vans had stopped not far from the side gate. When he walked past, the doors of the vans suddenly opened, and over a dozen people rushed out, armed with knives and sticks, charging at Xie Wendong.
When the doors opened with a noise, Xie Wendong sensed something was wrong. He quickly turned around and saw nearly thirty people emerging from the two vans, all armed. Realizing they weren’t there to “greet” him, he froze for a moment before making the wisest choice—start running.
The twenty-some people had been waiting for Xie Wendong for a long time. With their prey finally in sight, they wouldn’t give up and pursued him closely.
Xie Wendong’s high school training in running to school finally came in handy as he ran fast forward. As he neared the side gate, several more people emerged from behind the walls on either side of it, blocking his path with knives.
The side gate was already very narrow, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. But now, no fewer than five people were blocking it. Even if he managed to defeat them, the pursuers would arrive soon. Xie Wendong didn’t dare stop. He rushed past the side gate and kept running, thinking to himself that whoever these people were, they must have planned this in advance—someone in the dormitory must have betrayed his whereabouts. At that thought, he cursed under his breath. He didn’t want to hurt anyone in the dormitory; none of them were from the underworld. But whoever betrayed him wouldn’t end up well—of course, only if he could escape alive.
Xie Wendong ran extremely fast, and those behind him gradually fell behind. Yet the two vans followed closely behind.

Xie Wendong ran faster and faster, thinking to himself that he was the boss of this area after all. When had anyone ever chased him like this? Moreover, he couldn’t escape no matter how hard he tried. If his pursuers got in a car, they could exhaust him to death. With that thought, he suddenly stopped, turned around to look at those chasing him, and shouted, “Where are you guys from? You need a reason to mess with me!”