Although Lei Hu tried to cover it up, how could such a big matter be concealed? While bloody internal struggles inevitably arise when the position of gang leader becomes vacant, Lei Hu's sudden targeting of the neutral Fatty immediately provoked resentment from the neutral faction. Some even felt a sense of shared fate, further alienating the group.
“Actually, there was a reason why Lei Hu killed Fatty Fang.” Yang Wei gently turned off the projector, then turned on the lights, drew back the curtains, and sighed, “Fatty Fang was an old man with great charisma and a good reputation. He was also a confidant of the previous leader, Liu Jianguo. After Liu died, most of the remaining forces were unwilling to side with any other leader and remained neutral and observing… This situation was very dangerous for Lei Hu. Because at this time, if someone very popular and from Liu Jianguo's faction were to step forward and rally support, those who were originally neutral might immediately turn to him and form their own faction.” "Send him! And Fatty Fang is undoubtedly someone Lei Hu considers very dangerous. He has prestige, connections, and is Liu Jianguo's confidant; Liu's faction all have a good impression of him. If Fatty Fang really steps forward after Liu's death… I wouldn't dare say he'll definitely become the new leader of the Big Circle, but at the very least, he could become a major leader, because if he can unite the forces left behind by Liu, his power will at least be no less than Lei Hu's! Therefore, whether it's to eliminate a potential rival or to lure you out, Fatty Fang is the first person on Lei Hu's list of people he must get rid of!"
"Hmph..." I chuckled. I didn't say anything.
...
Without a doubt, in this kind of weather where a cold front suddenly moves south and it's all ice and snow outside, the most comfortable thing is to stay indoors with the heating on, preferably with a beautiful woman by your side.
While this may not be every man's dream, at least for Wang Jiujin, this kind of enjoyment was quite good.
"This is fucking weird." He rubbed his nose hard. Wang Jiujin was short and wiry, a typical southerner from Hainan who had never really seen snow in his life: "I've been to Shanghai before, but I've never seen it this cold!"
It seems like it's been over a decade since Shanghai has seen such heavy snowfall.
The woman behind him was still diligently massaging the aching muscles in her shoulders. It was an old injury that would ache terribly in damp weather like this.
However… Shanghai women do have really soft hands. Wang Jiujin thought to himself, then reached behind him and gently pulled the girl behind him into his arms.
Hmm... Last night, this girl served me very well and was very considerate, making Wang Jiujin so itchy that he almost broke his back in one night.
"Perhaps I should spend some money to buy a house here and keep her? I'll be spending a lot of time in Shanghai in the future, and having a wife here to keep me warm in bed wouldn't be bad." Wang Jiujin thought, looking at the woman in his arms. She wasn't very old, but she was good-looking and had a great figure, and she was especially obedient and sensible.
She was brought out of a nightclub a few days ago. This woman looked a lot like Wang Jiujin's first wife when she was young. Yes, especially when he first saw her that night, her appearance and her eyes immediately stirred up Wang Jiujin's memories.
Back then, when I joined the army and boarded the train to Vietnam, my wife stood at the train station to see me off. Her young face... well, she was wearing a big red flower and a banner that said something like "Glory to Military Families" on her back.
It's such a pity... such a good woman... she crawled out of a pile of corpses, but she passed away a month earlier than expected. Tuberculosis... um...
Wang Jiujin's mind wandered; he wasn't planning on going out today anyway. The heavy snow had caused traffic jams, and he was supposed to meet with some contacts at the docks this afternoon. Hmm… he'd have to figure out how to gauge the Qinghong's reaction tomorrow, since they were local strongmen. Also… after Shen Shan's death, two deals were delayed, and the other party was very unhappy; these things needed to be dealt with…
Wang Jiujing rubbed his temples, and immediately, the woman in his arms considerately raised her soft little hand to massage them for him.
Hmm, not bad, very sensible.
Let's just raise one then. What can we do when this woman looks so much like her...
Although housing prices in Shanghai are very high, it's nothing to people like Wang Jiujin.
Moreover, he will be staying in Shanghai for a while.
Actually, Wang Jiujin's purpose in coming to Shanghai was the same as Fang Pangzi's: to handle the mess left behind by Shen Shan after his death! Shen Shan had helped the Big Circle make a lot of money in previous years, and his business in Shanghai had always been quite successful, although that old bastard had definitely pocketed a lot for himself. But it didn't matter; he was always a fence-sitter, so why expect him to be loyal to the Big Circle?
Fatty Fang was outmaneuvered, but Wang Jiujin was genuinely there to handle matters in Shanghai.
Moreover, he came on his own initiative.
shit!
What's the point of staying home now? Damn it, after Boss Liu died, now the three big bosses—Lei Hu, Luo Kaishan, and myself—are all eyeing the leader's position. But Lei Hu has the most guns under his command! I'm the weakest of them all. Staying home at a time like this, fighting them? I'd rather come out and let those two fight it out.
Stay out of it, stay out of it! Safety first.
Is being a boss really that great? Didn't you see that before Boss Liu died, he was only in his fifties, but his hair was already completely white?
He has women, plenty of money, and loyal subordinates. That's enough. Why bother with so much effort?
Of course... if he manages to escape this time and Lei Hu and Luo Kaishan at home end up severely injured in their battle, Wang Jiujin would still be happy to go back and reap the benefits.
In other words, Wang Jiujin is not very ambitious, but he is a typical opportunist.
In this situation, if I, being the weakest, stay at home, I will become the first target for the other two sides to swallow me up! It's better to come out and stay far away.
Besides, Shanghai is still quite safe. Chen Yang, that little devil, is crippled and has already gone back to Canada. That kid is really ruthless! I only broke his two legs, and now he's acting like a madman! In the past month or so, I've heard that more than a hundred bodies have been dumped into the sea outside Vancouver.
Where did he get so many heavily armed and skilled soldiers? He almost wiped out all of Lei Hu's paratroopers!
Ruthless! So ruthless!
But since that guy went back to Canada to take charge, I can finally stay in Shanghai and handle things with peace of mind.
Qing Hong himself was in a mess, so who would want to go against him? He'd better stay here quietly for a while, wait until the two guys back home had finished their fight and there was a result, then he could go back with peace of mind. Even if he didn't get the chance to reap the benefits, he could at least be the second-in-command.
Hmph, those two guys, no matter who wins, they can't kill everyone else in the end, they have to leave a seat for themselves.
He had a well-thought-out plan. Wang Jiujin simply stood up, picked up the woman in his arms, and threw her onto the bed. He then started taking off his clothes, laughing and saying, "Only a fool would go out in this awful weather! 'A woman and a warm bed' are so comfortable!"
But just then, the phone in the room suddenly rang.
Fuck your mother!
Wang Jiujin swore in Hokkien, which was one of his specialties. He had a natural talent for languages; back in the army, there were soldiers from all over the country. Those rough-around-the-edges soldiers were known for killing and cursing in battles—it was commonplace. Wang Jiujin couldn't learn much else, but he mastered many local dialects' specific swear words.
He angrily grabbed the phone: "Hello!"
What kind of lousy five-star hotel is this! Didn't they say they wouldn't answer any calls?!
"Wang Shanhu?" a calm and gentle voice asked.
Um?
"Mountain Tiger" was his nickname. Upon hearing this name, Wang Jiujin immediately became serious: "Who?"
"Chen Yang".
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 110: Riverside Park
At 3 p.m., on the banks of the Huangpu River, at the riverside park.
The snow had stopped long ago, but there was still some wind.
I was wearing a coat, sitting in a wheelchair, my breath coming in wisps of white air. I wanted to light a cigarette, but my fingers kept trembling.
It's cold, so cold. This damn weather! Shanghai hasn't been this cold in years. Isn't the Earth supposed to be gradually warming due to the greenhouse effect?
Depend on!
I bent down, scooped up a handful of snow from the ground, and held it in my hand; it was icy cold.
In this kind of weather, at this time of day, the park was practically deserted. Everything was quiet, save for the rustling of the trees in the cold wind. Behind me, down the steps, lay the Huangpu River. I couldn't hear the river rushing; it just rippled gently.
Five minutes have passed since the agreed time, but I am patient and believe that the person I am waiting for will arrive.
I took a deep drag of my cigarette, letting the tobacco flavor swirl in my lungs, before finally letting out a satisfied sigh. Actually, my senior brother had always advised me to quit smoking, because for us martial artists, tobacco and alcohol are both too harmful.
But... is it possible to quit?
Money, beautiful women, wealth, power... which one doesn't hurt? Is tobacco the only thing that matters?
hey-hey!
Ten minutes later, the person I was waiting for arrived. In the distance, a thin person walked up the steps, his steps uneven.
Slightly different from his photos, Wang Shanhu appeared more energetic in person, and his eyes reminded me of the personality assessment Yang Wei gave me:
Cunning and suspicious.
And... looking at the few people who also came up behind him, I laughed.
I guessed right; he didn't come alone. He doesn't have the guts, nor the courage. But I'm glad about that. Because facing a cowardly opponent is always much easier than facing a daring one.
Wang Shanhu stood at a distance, looking at me suspiciously for a while. We were only about twenty meters apart, and I saw hesitation, doubt, and a hint of fear in his eyes.
Then I laughed, tossed away my cigarette butt, and said loudly, "Dude, it's cold in here. Are we just going to stand here staring at each other and getting chilled?"
Wang Shanhu's eyes darted around. Clearly, he was finally relieved.
I was in the middle of a flower bed on a high slope. Although there were trees all around, there was not enough room for a person to hide among them.
Finally, the guy gave a few instructions to the people behind him, telling them to stay where they were, and then walked over.
"Chen Yang?" His accent was a little strange.
I smiled faintly: "You should know me, right? At least you've seen my picture."
There was a park chair nearby, so I took off my gloves and gently wiped the snow off it for him: "Sit down. Don't worry, no one here will hear us."
Wang Jiujin stared at me, still seemingly not understanding what I meant. Finally, he nodded: "I just find it strange how you can be so bold."
I didn't say anything.
He sat down on the cold chair and looked around: "You came to see me without bringing anyone with you? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you? Your head is worth a lot of money now."
"Hahahaha..." I laughed exaggeratedly: "Wang Shanhu, are you short of money?"
Wang Jiujin didn't laugh. He stared at me coldly: "Stop trying to fool me. Do you believe I can kill you right now? How many of our men have you killed in the Canadian seas!"
I pursed my lips and looked at this guy: "Can I ask you a question?"
"What?"
"What grudge do I have against you?" I asked with a smile.
"……No."
Is there a conflict of interest?
"……No."
"I stole your woman?"
"Of course not."
"Oh, so, what path to wealth have I blocked for you?" I laughed even more easily.
"No." Wang Jiujin smiled this time, with a hint of fox-like cunning.
“That’s it.” I sighed deliberately, then took out my cigarette case, knocked out a cigarette, and handed it to him. He hesitated for a moment before taking it. I even took out my lighter and lit it for him, then smiled and said, “You see, killing always requires a motive. It’s either for revenge, or for profit, money, women, power… But neither of these things conflict with each other. So why should I worry about you killing me?”
I glanced at him deliberately and said casually, "Besides... what good would killing me do you?"
"..." Wang Jiujin looked at me and laughed, "No, the only one who would benefit from killing you is that old bastard Lei Hu."
“Yes, he really is an old bastard.” I laughed. “See, now we at least have some consensus.”
Wang Jiujin looked at me without saying anything.
I took a leisurely drag of my cigarette, then slowly exhaled, before smiling faintly: "Are you surprised to see me here?"
"Nonsense." Wang Shanhu shook his head: "Everyone thinks you're in Canada now. Aren't your people fighting to the death with Lei Hu's... well, with ours at sea?"
I noticed his different word choice and smiled: "Yes, it's a life-or-death struggle. But you see, you also noticed that the ones I'm fighting to the death with are Lei Hu's people. This has nothing to do with you, right?"
"What the hell are you trying to say... Damn it, in this freezing weather, you invited me here just to spout this bullshit?" Wang Shanhu deliberately shouted.