Chapter 144: Reuniting with an Old Friend

As soon as the two saw Xiao Ran get out of the car, they rushed over to greet him. Before Xiao Ran could ask anything, Xing Jiafeng chuckled and said, “Brother Ran, you’ve run into trouble this time, right? But don’t worry—higher-ups said if anyone dares to mess with you again, they’ll be stopped immediately.”
Xiao Ran was slightly stunned. He didn’t quite understand what the British Hong Kong government meant by this. Liu Guanglu punched him hard on the chest and laughed loudly, “I never thought you had such strong backing. We worried for nothing! By the way, the foreign police chief wants to talk to you.”
Xiao Ran felt moved. Those who were willing to help him at such a time were undoubtedly his friends. He gave Lin Qingxia and Wei Dongling a glance before walking alone toward the foreign police chief. When he saw the chief’s rank, he was greatly surprised. It turned out to be the chief commander of Hong Kong Island, a position just below that of the Commissioner of Police.
“Mr. Xiao, hello!” The foreigner could barely speak a few words of Chinese and greeted Xiao Ran. Only after walking to a police car did he speak in English, “Mr. Xiao, your company was severely harassed by gangsters yesterday. We apologize for that. This time, we guarantee such things won’t happen again!”
Foreigners were just foreigners! Xiao Ran couldn’t help but mock himself inwardly. These foreigners never understood such things, or if they did, they pretended not to. If the police could control the underworld, Hong Kong’s gangsters wouldn’t be so rampant.
Xiao Ran stared intently at the middle-aged bearded man. The police chief clearly disliked Xiao Ran’s bold gaze and turned his face slightly, saying, “As one of the largest film companies in Hong Kong, Mr. Xiao’s Shadow Company deserves a safe environment. Please trust the police!”
After listening to the foreigner’s nonsense for so long, Xing Jiafeng stepped forward with a smile once the man left. “These foreigners always do things this way—always trying to hide things. He came here to tell you that we take this matter very seriously, and higher-ups want you to talk to the three major gangs in the industry!”
“Talk again?” Xiao Ran was already tired. What was there to talk about with those self-interested guys? But talking might not be a bad idea. Shrugging indifferently, he said, “Since you want to talk, let’s do it!”
“Great, Brother Ran, you’re so straightforward!” Xing Jiafeng laughed heartily. “I’ll arrange for them to talk to you today!”
Xiao Ran sneered inwardly but shook his head slightly on the surface. “Not today. As for when and where, I’ll send someone to invite them later.”
After walking a few steps, Xiao Ran suddenly turned back and smiled. “Afeng, have you found out which gangs attacked my company?”
Seeing Xiao Ran’s strange smile, Xing Jiafeng trembled slightly and immediately shook his head after hesitating. Xiao Ran just smiled, walked over to Liu Guanglu, glanced at the messy warehouse, and said with a smile, “Alu, there’s no need to investigate too thoroughly. We have insurance anyway.”
When he reached the car, Xiao Ran’s expression darkened suddenly. He tapped gently on the car hood and muttered a few words, “Master, I really don’t understand why the British Hong Kong government is so concerned about this!”

Guan Xin said nothing, merely poking the air with his finger. Xiao Ran was momentarily stunned before he couldn’t help but laugh. It turned out it was the mainland that had taken action—no wonder… He had guessed wrong; it was actually Yindu that had stepped in. The British Hong Kong government knew well what lay behind Yindu, so it wasn’t surprising they took charge of this matter.

That evening, Xiao Ran and Lin Qingxia stood on the villa’s balcony, enjoying the gentle breeze. Lin Qingxia’s long hair fluttered in the wind as if ready to fly away. Xiao Ran was so captivated he couldn’t look away. Lin Qingxia glanced at him and, seeing his silly expression, burst into laughter. “What are you looking at?”

“A fairy descending from heaven…” After everything that had happened during the day, Xiao Ran still had the energy to joke. He shouted toward the outside of the balcony, his voice spreading instantly. Smiling, he said, “I’m looking at a fairy!”

“Nonsense!” Flattered by her lover’s compliment, Lin Qingxia’s heart swelled, though she pretended to be angry on the surface. After a while, she sighed softly, “A Ran, what you’re doing now is really dangerous. There are constant troubles from the underworld, and the Fang family is watching closely. I’m really worried if this continues!”

Xiao Ran turned around, wrapped his arms around her soft body, took her hand, and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. This time, I’ll definitely resolve the problems in the underworld once and for all. Once this is over, no one in that world will dare to disrespect me again!”

Lin Qingxia’s body trembled slightly, clearly imagining some dire consequences. Her slightly reddened eyes met Xiao Ran’s resolute gaze. “I don’t want you to put yourself in danger. Can’t we just let it go?”

Let it go? If it weren’t Lin Qingxia who said it, Xiao Ran might have sneered on the spot. He had long wanted to take action against the underworld, but he hadn’t had enough strength or the chance to deal with those people before. Now that they had come after him, it was the perfect opportunity to resolve everything at once and show them that there are people they should never mess with.

Besides, he would eventually clash with the underworld anyway. Instead of dealing with it later, it was better to settle it now, so he wouldn’t have to stay in Hong Kong and be hindered from expanding his business.

“Me?” Xiao Ran laughed, a hearty laugh that made Lin Qingxia think she might have done something wrong. Only then did he calm down, looked at her seriously, and said, “Of course not. Someone else will do it!”

“What about Fang Ruohai? I’ve always been worried about him. He’s not an ordinary person!” Seeing Xiao Ran’s confident smile, Lin Qingxia’s tension and worry gradually subsided, though she soon thought of this problem again.

“Fang Ruohai, the Fang family, and the Wen family…” Without a table to tap on, Xiao Ran couldn’t break this habit and could only rub his nose gently, his eyes shining with wisdom. “They’re not easy to deal with. But I think they must have some kind of agreement, which is why Fang Ruohai appears in Hong Kong. Anyway, dealing with such an enemy isn’t simple at all!”

It’s indeed not easy! In Xiao Ran’s estimation, unless Fang Ruohai made some serious mistakes, it would be very difficult for him to take down the Hai Le Group in a short time. After all, the film industry is full of risks and profits, especially in Hong Kong, where small investments can yield big returns. A few failed films might not even be enough to bring Fang Ruohai down.

The simplest example is Shaw Brothers. Although it’s under heavy pressure from Golden Harvest in the market, it still doesn’t suffer any loss to its financial strength. Since the risks have been shifted to others through financing, Shaw Brothers naturally incurs little loss.

So, knocking Fang Ruohai down in the film industry is an extremely difficult task. However, it’s said that Fang Ruohai is actively preparing to list the shares of New Art City, which might give him a slight chance.

In any case, completely defeating Fang Ruohai and those behind him will take a long time. Both Xiao Ran and Fang Ruohai need to wait patiently like hunters for the other to make a fatal mistake.

Chen Biao was in an extremely happy mood—more than happy; he was overjoyed. He had spent three whole years in Chai Chau, and finally, the day when he could see the sunlight again had arrived.

After saying goodbye to his fellow prisoners, Chen Biao didn’t take anything with him and left everything behind for them, believing firmly that his best friend Xiao Ran would definitely come to pick him up. Although he was in prison, that didn’t mean he knew nothing about the outside world. Newspapers, magazines, TV, and prison rumors were all sources of information for him.

All these sources told Chen Biao that Xiao Ran was doing far better than he had imagined—hundreds of times better. He was especially proud when he learned that Xiao Ran had great prestige in the underworld. Yet, he remained clear-headed and never revealed to anyone that he knew Xiao Ran.

He didn’t blame Xiao Ran for only visiting him three times in those three years, as he understood Xiao Ran and knew it would be very awkward for him to come here given his status. Moreover, Xiao Ran never forgot about him and often sent people to bring him things. But Chen Biao always felt a kind of innate fear toward the middle-aged man who delivered those things.

After leaving the prison, as per the rules, Chen Biao didn’t look back until now, when he finally glanced at the place he had been trapped in for three years. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as grand as he had imagined, and not even a trace of Xiao Ran was in sight.

At that moment, Chen Biao rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Rubbing his eyes proved effective—when he opened them again, he saw a beautiful white BMW approaching. The car stopped in front of him, and a familiar face with a smiling expression appeared.

In that instant, Chen Biao felt as if something inside him had collapsed, and he wanted to cry out loudly right away. Xiao Ran got out of the car and, with a smile, looked at the much thinner but still stronger Chen Biao, then hugged him tightly. “Chen Biao, I’ve waited for you for three whole years!”

The bodies of the two men were tightly wrapped around each other. Albert couldn’t help but shed a few tears—sometimes men can be quite fragile. Xiao Ran released his hold and examined Albert. The kid had indeed lost weight, but the flesh that had gone away seemed compressed, revealing muscles that gave off a sense of strength. “You’ve lost a lot of weight. It seems life in there hasn’t been easy!”

Albert also looked at Xiao Ran. Compared to three years ago, Xiao Ran had become more muscular. His sideburns made him look even more masculine. Moreover, Albert felt that Xiao Ran had an air of leadership no matter where he was, with a gaze that made him afraid to look directly into it. Unable to hold back, he also choked up as he patted Xiao Ran. “You’ve also become much stronger than before. It seems you’ve been doing well outside!”

In the car, both Xiao Ran and Albert recounted their respective experiences. When it was Xiao Ran’s turn, his usual cheerful expression turned serious as he stared intently at Albert. “If one day I have to go against Xin Yi An, whose side will you be on?”

“Of course I’ll be on your side. You’re my good brother. Even if you went against God, I’d still stand by you.” Albert gave an immediate answer that satisfied Xiao Ran, only for him to say angrily, “Damn it! Now I see through those so-called brothers in the gang world. None of them came to help me when I was in trouble.”

Xiao Ran sighed. To get out of prison sooner, Albert had refused to get involved in any fights inside. As a result, he was bullied repeatedly by other gang members. Xin Yi An had helped him a few times at first, but later ignored him completely because he was of no use to them.

There was even once, before Albert went to prison, he had asked some gang brothers to take care of his sister and mother. But not long after he was imprisoned, his mother nearly died from stress, and no one came to help his family. It was Xiao Ran who learned about it and stepped in to help, even leaving some money so that his family could live well.

Albert suddenly became alert, widening his eyes and asking, “Xiao Ran, do you have conflicts with Xin Yi An now? That can’t be right. I thought you had great influence in the gang world!”

“That was all in the past!” Xiao Ran smiled faintly, deliberately ignoring the matter. Before making any plans, he didn’t intend to reveal too much. So, to change the subject, he introduced Yang Guang and Monkey to Albert. “This is Yang Guang, and this is Monkey. They’re my bodyguards!”

“Nice guys! I didn’t expect you to have personal bodyguards now!” Albert, being straightforward, quickly forgot about the previous question and looked at Yang Guang and Monkey with envy.

He drove Albert straight back to his home. As soon as they got out of the car, Albert stared in awe at the villa—at least 400 square meters in size. If sold on the market, it could fetch over three million.

Albert had already heard from his younger sister that Xiao Ran had given them a villa and left them a million. But only now, upon arriving here, did he realize the house was far better than he had imagined—hundreds of times better than their old public housing.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he grabbed Xiao Ran’s hand and called out “Aran.” Xiao Ran raised his hand slightly to calm him down. Needless to say, they sent Ah Biao inside to reunite with his family. Before leaving, Xiao Ran handed Ah Biao a gold card, telling him to come see him the next day, then he departed.
The card contained fifty million, enough as capital for Ah Biao’s future rise to power. Xiao Ran was very careful in this regard—he first opened a trading company in Ah Biao’s name, and the fifty million was transferred to that company through another firm under the name of Tianxia Fund. By doing so and eliminating all traces, even the police would not be able to find any evidence.
Tomorrow would be the day Xiao Ran carried out his plan. He aimed to take control of the three major gangs overnight. Whether he could completely eliminate the threats from the underworld and bring it under control would determine whether tomorrow would become a turning point in cleaning up the film industry…