Chapter 98

In the afternoon, Xie Wendong went to the company. Just as he was about to enter the office, he saw Qu Fei sitting on the sofa waiting for him for a long time. Qu Fei also saw him and got up to greet him, saying, “I’ve already made up my mind when I got home. I…”
Xie Wendong patted his shoulder gently and smiled, saying, “Let’s go inside and talk!” Then he said to Zhang Qing, who was sitting at the door of his office, “Sister Qing, please make me two cups of coffee!”
After entering the office, Xie Wendong asked Qu Fei to sit down and said, “It seems Brother Qu has thought it through. I wonder what plans you have for the several requests I made?”
Qu Fei immediately replied, “I’ve thought it all through. I’ve decided to work at your company. I’ve also told the residents nearby what you said. Everyone is sensible; they were very moved by your words, and most agreed to move. There are a few more families I can persuade.”
Xie Wendong was delighted and said sincerely, “Brother Qu, I really owe you a great deal this time. You’ve done a tremendous thing for City H!”
Qu Fei blushed and said shyly, “It’s nothing. I just used my words! I’m far from as capable as people like you who can get things done!”
Xie Wendong felt embarrassed by Qu Fei’s words and laughed, saying, “Everyone is contributing to the country! By the way,” he pulled Qu Fei up and shook his hand, “Welcome to our Dongxing Company! The company is just starting out, and I hope you can help it thrive! Let’s gather at a hotel tonight as a welcome for your joining!”
Touched by Xie Wendong’s trust, Qu Fei nodded deeply and said, “I will definitely do my best for the company!”
Qu Fei wasn’t lying. He was indeed working hard for Xie Wendong. Thanks to his persuasion, all twenty-one residents who had given the city and provincial governments trouble agreed to move. Xie Wendong kept his promise and gave each family 5,000 yuan. Compared to the profits he would earn in the future, this amount was insignificant. Knowing this, Xie Wendong never hesitated to spend money when necessary.
With those stubborn residents, as seen by the government, gone, the development of the area naturally fell into Xie Wendong’s hands. Since the amount of money promised was substantial, he had to use his connections with Chen Zhongwen, of course, giving him a share of the benefits as well.
Through Chen Zhongwen, Xie Wendong borrowed another 5 million yuan from the bank as initial funds. Soon, several large construction companies approached Xie Wendong, hoping he would give them the project. This posed another headache for Xie Wendong—he couldn’t decide which company to choose, so he passed the responsibility on to Yu Chao and left early!

Recently, City H has been relatively peaceful, but it’s merely the calm before the storm. After the Soul Group suffered heavy losses, there was no obvious reaction on the surface, but secretly, a large number of Japanese people gathered in City H. Tensions arose between the Tigers Gang and the new forces led by ‘Xia Kui’, but both sides were cautious and did not actually engage in fighting.

The Wen Dong Gang operated in a low-key manner, publicly expanding its legitimate business while secretly purchasing large amounts of arms. They quietly shut down two dance clubs near Reheat. When Dong Fang Yi learned of this, he immediately called Xie Wen Dong to ask what was going on. Xie Wen Dong cursed under his breath, calling him well-informed—almost like a dog with sharp ears! He told Dong Fang Yi that one of the clubs was under the control of the Dark Soul Gang, supported by the Soul Group, and that those clubs were shut down to strike at the Soul Group. Dong Fang Yi had little to say in response; before hanging up, he warned Xie Wen Dong that if he continued to expand his criminal empire, he would send him to court… and so on.

Xie Wen Dong merely smiled on the surface at these words, but Dong Fang Yi’s interference filled him with indescribable resentment. He secretly began planning to get free from his control.

When construction started, Xie Wen Dong specially invited Peng Ling to visit, hoping to show off in front of her. Peng Ling was indeed surprised, not expecting Xie Wen Dong to have built such a large business. As a criminal boss, he was also a remarkable figure in legitimate business, and she had high hopes for their future together.

As the end of the year approached, Xie Wen Dong planned to go home to spend the New Year with his parents, but the situation in City H prevented him from leaving. First, Dong Xin Lei brought over seven friends with excellent gambling skills. Xie Wen Dong knew these people would be his future source of income, so he treated them warmly and arranged for them to stay at a nice hotel. Then he began to transform the gang’s operations from drug dealing to running gambling dens.

Everything is difficult at the beginning. During this time, Xie Wen Dong hardly had time to sleep. He first bought two sizable properties in City H, then obtained many gambling tools from the Hongmen, and San Yan somehow found over twenty poker machines and other gambling devices. Later, Xie Wen Dong approached Liu Dexin, the deputy director of the city’s gambling bureau, and told him about his plans to open gambling dens, asking for his support. He also gave him 200,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan in gambling chips. Liu Dexin had always admired Xie Wen Dong, and since he was offered so much, and underground gambling dens weren’t considered a serious issue, he readily agreed. Thus, two gambling dens began operating quietly.

To boost his reputation, Jiang Sen took his team members to spread rumors around City H, even printing small flyers with contact numbers. This tactic proved effective—within three days, customers started showing up, quite a few of them! But most of them were fixers.

Five days before New Year’s Eve, just as Xie Wendong had settled matters with the casino, two uninvited guests showed up. Xie Wendong was having lunch with Peng Ling. Due to the constant busy schedule, he hadn’t seen her for a while, and now that he finally had time, feeling lonely and fearing she might suspect something, he specially invited her out for lunch. Just as they were finishing their meal, his phone rang. Apologetically, he nodded at Peng Ling sitting across from him and said softly, “I need to take this call!” Then he took out his phone and went to a quieter place.

“Brother Dong, two Russians from New Century said they want to talk to you! It seems like they’re from the Russian mafia, but not the Tigers Gang. Brother Dong, should you meet them?” It was Jiang Sen calling.

“Russian mafia?!” Xie Wendong pondered for a moment. Anyway, he should meet them to find out what they wanted. He said to Jiang Sen, “Lao Jiang, keep them there. I’ll be there in a bit!”

“Okay, Brother Dong. See you soon!” “Yeah!”

Xie Wendong put away his phone and returned to his seat, apologizing to Peng Ling, “Xiaoling, there are some matters at the company that need my attention. I have to go now. I’ll pick you up tonight!”

Peng Ling was skeptical and asked, “Really?”

Xie Wendong stood up, took Peng Ling’s hand affectionately, and said, “How could I lie to you? There’s really something at the company. It’s almost the end of the year, and the workers are preparing to go home for the New Year. The projects might have to stop. There are too many things going on right now. I’ll take you back to the police station first!”

Seeing Xie Wendong’s seriousness and slight urgency, Peng Ling thoughtfully said, “If it’s urgent, go handle it first. I can go back by myself!”

Xie Wendong kissed Peng Ling’s rosy cheek and joked, “Nothing’s more important than taking you back to the office!” He then took Peng Ling out of the restaurant. Her words made her feel very cherished, and she affectionately wrapped her arm around his. Dong Xinlei, who was driving in the car, shook his head repeatedly, secretly marveling at the power of women.

Around 1 p.m., Xie Wendong arrived at New Century. Jiang Sen had been waiting inside for a long time. Seeing Xie Wendong arrive, he quickly led him upstairs. As they walked, Xie Wendong asked, “Are they just the two of them?”

“Yes, just two! Both are Russians! No translators were brought—one of them, that old Russian, speaks Chinese quite well!” Jiang Sen replied.
“Oh!” Xie Wendong nodded without saying anything. What could those Russians want from him? Surely they weren’t trying to win him over and create a puppet group similar to the Tomahawk in China! If that was the case, the old Russian would be disappointed.
Jiang Sen led Xie Wendong to the meeting room. Inside, they saw two blond men—one tall and one short. The tall one was in his thirties, with high cheekbones and a hooked nose. The short one resembled a Chinese person but wasn’t exactly one; he was likely of mixed Chinese and Russian descent. Both were surprised to see Jiang Sen enter with a young man around twenty. Xie Wendong smirked to himself—foreigners were no different from Chinese; they were just as stunned on first sight! He stepped forward confidently and said, “I’m Xie Wendong. You must be tired from traveling such a long distance. I’m sorry to have made you wait so long!”
The two thought to themselves that Xie Wendong was indeed young. The short Russian quickly shook hands with Xie Wendong and said, “Oh, no, it’s an honor that Mr. Xie could spare time to meet us despite his busy schedule!” His Chinese was slightly accented but still quite fluent. The tall man also came over to shake hands with Xie Wendong and said in broken Chinese, “Hello!”
Xie Wendong nodded in return, asked them to sit down, and sat across from them. Jiang Sen and Dong Xinlei stood behind Xie Wendong with their hands behind their backs.
Since everyone was part of the underworld, Xie Wendong didn’t want to waste time with pleasantries. He asked directly, “I assume you’re also in the same business in Russia. Which gang do you belong to?”
The tall man wasn’t very familiar with Chinese and could understand Xie Wendong’s meaning but couldn’t speak it. He nodded at the short man. The short Russian smiled and asked, “Has Mr. Xie heard of ‘Black Belt’?”
Black Belt? Xie Wendong wasn’t familiar with Russian gangs. Other than knowing about the Tomahawk, he knew nothing else. Jiang Sen looked surprised after hearing this. “I knew they were from the underworld, but I didn’t expect them to be so influential.” He leaned in and whispered in Xie Wendong’s ear, “Brother Dong, Black Belt is one of the three major gangs in Russia, just like the Tomahawk. Its influence is even greater—it’s a well-known and powerful gang!”
Xie Wendong was shocked inwardly. Another major gang—better to be cautious! He kept a calm expression and said with a smile, “I’ve long admired Black Belt’s reputation. It’s truly delightful to meet its members today!”

The two Russians nodded secretly. Who in the world didn’t know the fame of Black Belt? Xie Wendong was the first person to hear those words without being moved! The shorter one said politely, “Oh no, Mr. Xie is being too modest. Here, you’re a big shot, while we Black Belts are still far behind! Haha!”
Xie Wendong noticed that despite their words, there was an air of arrogance on their faces. It seemed these people were used to being domineering. The fact that they were being polite in front of him meant they probably had a request. With that in mind, Xie Wendong asked, “You two must have come here from afar for a reason, right?! Since we’re all in the same business, there’s no need for formalities. Just tell me what you need—I’ll do my best to help if I can!”
“Great!” The shorter man laughed and sighed. “Mr. Xie truly is generous! Then we won’t hide it anymore. Our boss wants to work with you!”