Chapter 92

By the time all these matters were settled, it was already pitch dark outside. Xie Wendong glanced at his watch and said with a smile, “Everyone can rest now!”
Hearing Xie Wendong’s words, everyone stood up and stretched their stiff backs, suddenly feeling hungry again—only then did they remember they hadn’t eaten all day. Over the past few days, everyone had been anxious and panicked. No one had the appetite to eat properly; when hungry, they would just grab something quickly. Now that Xie Wendong had returned safely, their worried hearts settled, and their appetites returned.
Noticing that everyone had lost weight, Xie Wendong joked, “Let’s all go out for dinner tonight. It would be best to book an entire restaurant so we can all get together.”
“No problem, I’ll take care of it!” Li Shuang said with a wide grin at the mention of dinner.
At 10 p.m., a chilly wind blew, and few people were seen on the streets.
Xie Wendong, Jiang Sen, and Sanyan walked out of the restaurant. The cold wind outside refreshed them, while screams and laughter came from inside the restaurant. The brothers in Xie Wendong’s group hadn’t had such a large gathering in a long time. With Xie Wendong’s safe return, their gloomy moods vanished, and they drank plenty, laughing and joking nonstop.
Xie Wendong looked up at the night sky and unknowingly thought of Peng Ling, feeling a sense of melancholy.
Seeing the sadness in Xie Wendong’s eyes, Jiang Sen asked curiously, “Brother Dong, is there something on your mind?”
Xie Wendong looked downcast. When people have worries, they always want someone to talk to to vent their troubles, and Xie Wendong was no exception. Sighing, he recounted what had happened to him and Peng Ling in the alley. After hearing this, Sanyan finally understood. He had been puzzled before—how could Brother Dong, even though injured, fail to escape such a chaotic situation and get caught by the police so easily? It seemed that this Peng Ling had a great influence on Brother Dong. Sanyan said, “I see! Brother Dong, what do you plan to do? Just let her go like that?”
Jiang Sen had long been curious about Peng Ling and had even sent people to investigate her background. Shaking his head, he said, “Brother Dong, there’s actually something I’ve wanted to tell you but haven’t found the chance.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Peng Ling is Peng Shulin’s daughter. Her father is that special envoy sent from the central government, the deputy director of the H Province department!”
“What?” Xie Wendong and Sanyan were both shocked. Xie Wendong hadn’t expected this—so she was Peng Shulin’s daughter!
After a long pause, Sanyan said, “Then… we can’t get involved with her. Being a special envoy from the central government is no small matter. It could get us into big trouble!”

Xie Wendong felt a surge in his heart. After thinking for a moment, he said, “No matter who her father is or how powerful his connections are, I will take revenge!” With that, he turned and walked back to the restaurant. Sanyan and Jiang Sen exchanged a glance. Although Xie Wendong said those words, they could still see a hint of melancholy on his face. Sanyan whispered, “Lao Sen, what do you think Dongge will do?”
“I don’t know! But if Peng Ling is really important enough to affect what Dongge does, I’ll consider getting rid of her…” Jiang Sen said, drawing a line across his neck with his finger. Sanyan nodded understandingly. “It might not win Dongge’s forgiveness, but it will definitely be the best solution at that time!”
The next evening, Xie Wendong stood at the entrance of the police station waiting for Peng Ling to finish work.
His presence attracted a lot of attention. Police officers, whether driving or walking, changed expressions upon seeing him, shocked—how could he be out here? The outside world might not know that Xie Wendong was behind the Fire Red Nightclub incident, but everyone in the police force was aware of it. It was thought that he had been taken away by the military, and the likely outcome was a secret execution. Yet now he stood at the police station as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, Xie Wendong didn’t seem like he was there to wait for someone—he seemed more like he was there to show off!
Around 5:30, Peng Ling hurried out of the police station, accompanied by the same police officer who had helped her go to the hospital last time.
When Peng Ling saw Xie Wendong standing there unharmed, though surprised, she was greatly relieved. Her anxious heart finally settled, and joy appeared on her face. But when she saw his mocking gaze, her excitement quickly cooled down again.
Watching the two come out of the gate, Xie Wendong felt jealous. He glared coldly at Peng Ling and the other man, but still approached them with a smile. “I want to talk to you—privately!” he said, glancing at the police officer beside Peng Ling.
The officer’s expression changed. Realizing the special relationship between Xie Wendong and Peng Ling, he moved closer to her and glared at Xie Wendong threateningly, saying, “It’s strange—someone like you, a thug, is even released. Hmph, don’t think just because you have connections in the military you’re something special. Do you think I can’t arrest you now…?” He believed that since Xie Wendong had been taken away by the military and now appeared at the police station as if nothing had happened, someone within the military must be protecting him.
Xie Wendong didn’t want to listen to his nonsense and arrogantly interrupted, “This isn’t your place to talk. Get lost!”

Watching Xie Wendong’s arrogant demeanor, Peng Ling felt anger rise in her heart. She shouted, “Xie Wendong, if you have anything to say, say it here. And speak properly—this is the city public security bureau!” The police officer wanted to get angry, but after hearing Peng Ling’s words, he held back his fury and said loudly, “A hooligan is still a hooligan! Let’s go, Xiao Ling. Don’t stay with such people. I doubt he has anything good to say!” With that, he took Peng Ling’s arm and led her away. Police officers passing by heard his voice and stopped to watch. Peng Ling originally wanted to say many things to Xie Wendong, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to show any connection with him—a hooligan. Besides, Xie Wendong had looked at her coldly as soon as he saw her. Was her sense of duty as a police officer wrong?! Peng Ling was dragged away by the police officer in a daze, not noticing that Xie Wendong’s expression turned cold only when he saw her leave with him. Watching the two walk away, Xie Wendong gritted his teeth in anger. That damned police officer had just taken Peng Ling away!! He thought to himself, “Remember this!” After a long while, as he watched the direction where the two had disappeared, Xie Wendong’s lips slowly curled into a demonic smile. The next day, Xie Wendong was invited to Old Master Jin’s villa. He hadn’t seen Jin Peng in some time, and he seemed much thinner. Xie Wendong had heard from Dong Xinlei that the old master had worried a lot about his situation, traveling back and forth between City S and City H several times. Grateful, Xie Wendong treated the old master with great respect. After entering the living room, Xie Wendong recounted what had happened and handed the documents given to him by Dong Fangyi to the old master. After listening carefully, the old master examined the documents and, after pondering for a while, said, “I’ve only heard of the Central Security and Political Department. It’s a powerful agency that reports directly to the prime minister. It can make decisions without going through anyone if it detects anything harmful to the country. Its nature is somewhat similar to the Eastern and Western Factories during the Ming Dynasty. If you get their support, it’s like having a mountain behind you!” “So you mean this is good for me?!” Xie Wendong understood the wisdom of those who were older and wiser. Jin Peng had far more experience than he did, and he really wanted to hear the old master’s opinion. Jin Peng smiled and said, “It depends on how you handle it! If you establish connections with the central government through that department, your future will be boundless. Otherwise, if relations deteriorate, your life could be in danger!”

Xie Wendong had thought about this and nodded, saying, “I’ll be careful about that! I’m just worried that once I grow stronger, the central authorities won’t tolerate me. After all, I come from the underworld, and they can find any excuse to get rid of me!”
Jin Peng shook his head. “I think with your intelligence, that day won’t come. Even if you grow stronger later, as long as you don’t threaten the positions of those leaders and can do things for them that they can’t or won’t do, they won’t only not bring you down but will also support you wholeheartedly!”
Xie Wendong thought about it and agreed that the old man was right. What could he do since he came from the gang? As long as he pleased the authorities, he could do whatever he wanted!
The two talked for a long time in the room. Xie Wendong mentioned wanting to start a legitimate company but didn’t know how to make money in that area. Jin Peng suggested two options: real estate and computers. He believed both would be profitable in the future, with real estate being more lucrative. Xie Wendong also found this reasonable; real estate indeed sounded good, but he lacked the right talent.
Jin Peng smiled and said, “It’s simple. If you trust me, I can find you a consultant who’s an expert in this field!”
Xie Wendong quickly replied, “Sir, you’re too kind. If I don’t trust you, who else can I trust?!”
They settled on this plan. Jin Peng recommended a man named Yu Chao, who was young but extremely intelligent, especially when it came to evaluating land. However, he was currently in City T and would take a few days to arrive. Jin Peng suggested that Xie Wendong use that time to set up the company and hire employees, also sharing some tips that were very helpful to him.
At noon, Jin Peng and Xie Wendong had lunch together. Jin Rong’s school was far from home, so he hadn’t returned yet.
With things on his mind, Xie Wendong ate quickly and then left in a hurry. He knew starting a company wasn’t easy—first, he needed the right talent and a location to establish the company, and the approval process would be even more troublesome. Not only were the procedures complex, but any department could delay things for a year or so if you didn’t offer them some benefits.

These past few days, Xie Wendong has been busy from morning till night, with little time for rest. First, he bought a half-floor office building on Central Street, a busy area in City H, to use as the company’s workplace. Then he recruited staff through various channels—job boards, newspapers, and so on, all filled with his job advertisements. Xie Wendong was not very satisfied with most of the applicants; most of them were recent graduates with no real experience. Later, Sanyan grew impatient and took people from Wendong’s group to poach employees from other companies, using either money or threats. Within a few days, Sanyan actually “recruited” a group of people. Xie Wendong was fairly satisfied with them—at least they all seemed shrewd and experienced. Real estate is all about speculation, and beginners have no chance in this field.

While recruiting, Xie Wendong also started the process of registering the company. Some government departments were initially reluctant to help, hoping to extract some benefits from him. But Xie Wendong wasn’t fooled; he knew exactly how to deal with different people. In the office, he kicked over the supervisor’s desk, and Dongxinlei, who was with him, pulled out a dagger and pressed it against the man’s neck. Realizing he had dealt with gangsters, the man didn’t dare make a sound and quickly approved everything. This act of Xie Wendong’s made him famous, and the other departments didn’t dare hold things up for him, so the procedures were quickly completed.

Even the people Sanyan had recruited were in awe of this new boss—even foreign corporations don’t get things done this smoothly when registering in China!

A few days later, Yu Chao, introduced by the old man, arrived as well. Xie Wendong met him at the old man’s villa. Xie Wendong thought to himself that this man didn’t seem like someone in real estate at all—more like someone from a gang. He was over two meters tall, with a broad chest and thick arms; his hands were as big as small fans. Who would have thought such a burly man was actually good at strategizing!