Chapter 63

After leaving the hospital, Xie Wendong hurriedly called Jiang Sen while sitting in a taxi. “Lao Jiang, it’s me!” An anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. “Huh? Brother Dong, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all morning! The meeting with Wang Guohua at Feiteng Hotel at noon…”
Xie Wendong interrupted him, “Don’t say anything. Where are you? I need to discuss something with you!” “Oh, I’m still at Xuefu Hotel, in my old room!”
“Okay, wait for me! I’ll be there soon!” After hanging up, he told the driver to take him to Xuefu Hotel.
Half an hour later, Xie Wendong arrived. His first words to Jiang Sen were, “I’ll contact Brother Zhang later; I need help here! Damn, I almost died last night!”
Jiang Sen knew Xie Wendong rarely used swear words, so something serious must have happened! He asked urgently, “Brother Dong, what happened?”
“Last night, the Soul-Reaping Gang attacked me. If the police hadn’t arrived quickly, you wouldn’t be seeing me now!” Xie Wendong still felt terrified thinking back—being chased by dozens of people was something hard to forget.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Sen’s blood seemed to boil; he kicked over a chair in the room and shouted angrily, “Damn those Soul-Reaping Gang guys! They’re too bold! Brother Dong, I’ll call Sanyan right now and have him bring his brothers over. If the tiger doesn’t show its fangs, they’ll think we’re weak cats!”
When Jiang Sen got angry, Xie Wendong calmed down instead. Sighing, he said, “Forget it. I was too emotional just now. It’s not the time to fight the Soul-Reaping Gang yet. We have to endure for now. But this won’t end here. One day, I’ll make them understand what a nightmare really is!”
Unsatisfied, Jiang Sen shouted, “Brother Dong, are we just giving up on this?”
“We can’t give up. It’s just that we can’t confront them head-on for now. Once we have a stronger foundation, it’ll be time for the Soul-Reaping Gang to pay for their actions. I don’t want to be chased by dozens of people again. You need to keep a close eye on every move they make!”
Hearing this, Jiang Sen broke into sweat. He thought that if anything happened to Brother Dong, he would bear direct responsibility. Even if he couldn’t get past Sanyan and the others, he wouldn’t forgive himself. Thankfully, Brother Dong was fine this time—it was just a false alarm. But who knew what would happen next? With that in mind, he said to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, you can’t keep refusing to have bodyguards around you! I’ve already taken care of Wenzi’s enrollment procedures; she’ll be in your class!”
Xie Wendong chuckled.
Jiang Sen continued, “Brother Dong, we can’t just let this go. Just because their attack last time failed doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. Brother Dong, do you think we could…”

Xie Wendong thought it over carefully and felt that Jiang Sen had a point. He said, “Hmm! It seems we need to warn them first. Lao Sen, find someone to figure out who the key members of the Soul-Reclaiming Gang are, and then we’ll ‘take care’ of them!” Xie Wendong found it strange that the Soul-Reclaiming Gang hadn’t reported to the police about the injuries he caused at New Youth. Although he was in the right, his actions were too extreme, and the police would hold him accountable. With these thoughts in mind, he voiced his doubts. Jiang Sen also found it odd; if the Soul-Reclaiming Gang hated Xie Wendong, there was no reason not to tell the police.

Xie Wendong guessed, “Unless they’re afraid of revealing too much about themselves and drawing the police’s attention. I don’t know the reason, but that’s probably it. At the hospital, from the captain’s tone, it seemed he didn’t even know that the dozens of people arrested were from the Soul-Reclaiming Gang.”

Jiang Sen said, “It’s said that the Soul-Reclaiming Gang is usually quite honest. No one has seen them engaged in illegal activities, so there’s no reason for them to fear the police’s attention! It’s really puzzling!”

“Hehe, anyway, their fear of attracting the police’s attention is good for us. Lao Sen, make sure to stir things up a bit!” Xie Wendong said with a smile.

Jiang Sen nodded in agreement. “Brother Dong, don’t worry. We’ll deal with them!”

Xie Wendong thought for a moment and said, “We can stir things up, but we can’t reveal our dark agenda! We still have a major enemy here—the Tiger Gang. If they find out we’re in City H, things will get troublesome! Right now, no force is ready to confront them.”

“Yeah, I know! Brother Dong, if we can’t reach an agreement with Wang Guohua at noon, should we just…?” Jiang Sen made a cutting motion with his hand.

Xie Wendong rested his chin in his hand and pondered. After a while, he said, “No, that’s too risky! If we can’t reach an agreement, I’ll become his ‘friend’ first. There will be a chance sooner or later!” Jiang Sen nodded silently.

At noon, Xie Wendong and the others arrived at the Feiteng Hotel on time. From afar, they saw Liu Zhongyuan standing at the entrance, looking around.

When he saw Xie Wendong and the others, Liu Zhongyuan stepped forward with a smile. “Brother Dong, you’re here! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Please come in!”

Jiang Sen asked beside him, “Is Wang Guohua here?”

“He arrived early. He’s been waiting for almost half an hour!” With that, he led Xie Wendong and the others inside. Up on the second floor, Liu Zhongyuan pushed open the door to a private room and said to Xie Wendong with a smile, “Brother Dong, please!”

Xie Wendong glanced into the room. There were no fewer than twenty people inside. At the head of the dining table sat a man with a thick beard. Xie Wendong had seen him at New Youth—it was Wang Guohua. With a laugh, Xie Wendong walked in, followed closely by Jiang Sen and Wen Zi.

Liu Zhongyuan quickly introduced them, pointing at Xie Wendong and saying, “Brother Wang, this is Brother Dong—a key figure in City J!” Wang Guohua found Xie Wendong familiar; he seemed to have seen him before but couldn’t recall where. Not noticing Wang Guohua’s confusion, Liu Zhongyuan pointed at him and said to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, this is the boss of New Youth, Brother Wang! We’re all in this business; we should take care of each other from now on!”
Hearing Liu Zhongyuan’s words, Xie Wendong and Wang Guohua both smiled. They shook hands, and Wang Guohua was the first to speak, “I’ve long heard of Brother Dong’s fame, brother. It seems like we’ve met before?!”
Xie Wendong chuckled inwardly—how could someone with such a mediocre mind manage to become famous? Without showing any disdain, he replied, “Maybe I just look too ordinary. Everyone says that when they see me!”
Wang Guohua laughed heartily, examining Xie Wendong and agreeing that he indeed looked ordinary, dispelling his doubts. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they took their seats as host and guest.
Wang Guohua told his subordinates, “Go get the waiter to serve the food. Bring any good liquor—today I want to get closer to Brother Xie.” One of them nodded and left. Then he turned to Xie Wendong, “Though you’re young, you’re not ordinary. I’ve heard a bit about your affairs in City J. You’re truly a young hero! Haha!”
Xie Wendong replied politely, “Brother Wang, you’re too kind. I’ve long heard of your generosity and your status as a key figure in City H. It’s true as I see it now. Please give me your support in City H from now on!”
These words pleased Wang Guohua greatly, who laughed and said, “Haha! Brother, you’re too polite. I’ve managed to make a name for myself in City H over the years. There’s no need for such formalities—let’s help each other in the future!”
Wang Guohua wasn’t very familiar with Xie Wendong; he only knew what Liu Zhongyuan had told him. After learning that Xie Wendong was a major drug dealer, he decided to get closer to him. Wang Guohua owned three clubs in City H, but he didn’t have a reliable source for heroin—either the sellers charged too much or the quality was poor. Seeing other clubs thrive financially, he became greedy. It was for this reason he agreed to meet Xie Wendong.
As they chatted casually about trivial matters, Wang Guohua spotted Wen Zi standing behind Xie Wendong. His eyes lit up as he thought to himself, What a cute and beautiful girl. I’ve been with countless women, but I’ve never encountered someone like her. Pointing at Wen Zi, he said, “Brother, this is…”

Xie Wendong sneered secretly—this man was indeed a pervert! He said with a smile, “She’s my ‘shadow’!” Xie Wendong deliberately left his words ambiguous, arousing Wang Guohua’s suspicion. What did he mean by “shadow”? An underling? A bodyguard? Or his woman…?

Just as he was about to say more, the waiter brought in the food and drinks. Wang Guohua put the matter aside for now and invited Xie Wendong to eat and drink. As they ate and chatted, after several rounds of drinks and dishes, Wang Guohua brought up the main topic: “Brother, you must have asked Zhongyuan to arrange this meeting just to have us all eat together, right?”

Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Of course not. Brother Wang knows I’m trying to make a name for myself in City J, but it’s still a small place—hard to make a big impact! This time, I want to achieve something in City H, but I don’t have a foothold. I hope Brother Wang can help me with that!”

Liu Zhongyuan didn’t dare tell Wang Guohua about Xie Wendong’s interest in the New Youth club, so Wang Guohua didn’t understand Xie Wendong’s intentions and asked puzzledly, “You want me to find you a place to settle down?”

Xie Wendong shook his head and said bluntly, “To be honest, I’m interested in the New Youth club on the north side of H University!”

Wang Guohua and his men’s expressions changed instantly. They grew serious and said, “Brother, are you planning to steal my club!?” Their hands moved to their waists, ready to attack Xie Wendong at Wang Guohua’s command. Jiang Sen and Wen Zi also quietly reached for their weapons, prepared to strike first if necessary.

Tensions simmered in the room, with a sense of impending conflict in the air. Liu Zhongyuan, as the intermediary, was caught between them, sweating profusely as he looked from one side to the other.

Xie Wendong and Wang Guohua exchanged glances before suddenly bursting into laughter. Wang Guohua was stunned. Xie Wendong said with a smile, “What are you talking about, Brother Wang! I need your help more than anything—how could I steal your club?”

Wang Guohua’s expression softened slightly, and he asked, “So what do you mean…?”

Xie Wendong replied, “I want to buy the New Youth club!”

“Buy it?” Wang Guohua was surprised—such boldness! With a smile, he said, “Brother, since you’re interested in the New Youth club, you should know its situation. Its location is excellent—there’s no other club of similar size in the area. It’s my main source of income. If you buy it, my income will stop! Let’s discuss this later.” Wang Guohua valued the New Youth club greatly; as he said, it was his main source of income, so he wouldn’t sell it easily.