She had a smile on her face... but her smile was very cunning...
(Author's note: This Japanese-American congressman in the U.S. Congress is a real person, and he did indeed become famous for proposing that "anti-Japanese" bill, and he also engaged in numerous public verbal battles with the Japanese Prime Minister, publicly criticizing the Japanese government, etc. Of course, to avoid unnecessary trouble when writing this book, I used a pseudonym and changed his real name.)
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Eleven: Family Model
The banquet hosted by Mr. Sorin was naturally held at a luxury hotel in the city center. According to Yang Wei's introduction, I knew that Sorin seemed to have a share in this hotel. The ground floor of the hotel had been hollowed out, and there was a multi-level underground parking garage. When Yang Wei and I got out of the car, we went directly into the elevator through the VIP passage. Before we came up, we could see that the VIP parking spaces below were almost full of luxury cars.
“Mr. Thorin has always had a grand entourage.” Yang smiled, her tone carrying a hint of mockery. “Although the Hells Angels are very powerful in Canada, they have only risen to prominence in a few decades, and they have only held the top position in the Canadian underworld for a little over a decade… Compared to the long-established traditional underworld families in North America, especially the United States, they still lack a certain depth.” She smiled and spoke softly, seemingly somewhat disapproving of Thorin’s nouveau riche air.
On the way here, Yang Wei had already given me a briefing on Mr. Sorin's banquet...
Half an hour ago...
This woman is truly remarkable! I can say that I have almost never met anyone as meticulous and thoughtful as her!
Just now on the way here, Yang Wei casually tossed me her phone, which contained a document!
This is the complete list of guests invited to the banquet that Thorin is hosting today, along with the background of each guest!
"Mr. Sorin has been eager to align himself with the mainstream in the past two years. I personally admire his broad vision and long-term planning. After all, traditional organized crime activities are gradually becoming outdated, especially in developed countries in Europe and America. Traditional prostitution, gambling, and drugs will eventually be eliminated. If you continue to entangle yourself in these matters, you will only allow your organization to be gradually eliminated by society! Moreover, traditional organized crime, whether it's prostitution, gambling, or drugs, all cause harm to society and the country... If you operate on a small scale and engage in minor activities, the authorities will turn a blind eye, as long as you are willing to spend money to bribe officials and pave the way. But all of this must be within certain limits! If you exceed these limits, no matter how rich or powerful you are, once your social harm reaches a certain threshold, then no matter how many officials or police officers you bribe, it will be useless. You can't possibly bribe the entire government! Therefore, traditional prostitution, gambling, and drug activities are destined to never truly develop and grow! To develop and grow, the only way is through legalization! Aligning with the authorities and the mainstream of society and the economy is the right path." Yang Wei quickly said these words.
I was initially surprised. Most people in the underworld don't have this concept at all, while those who do, like Eighth Master and Mr. Sorin, are top figures in the criminal underworld.
I was slightly surprised that Yang Wei, such a young girl, possessed such insight and could express it so casually and frankly. However, this woman's mind was clearly superior!
She then sighed, "It's just a pity that Mr. Thorin is moving too fast..." After a moment's thought, she continued...
"There's a Chinese saying: 'Haste makes waste,'" Yang Wei said calmly. "The development of traditional American families involved generations of effort and a relatively long period before they gradually infiltrated mainstream society and the upper elite. Undeniably, there were also historical opportunities involved, such as during World War II, the Great Depression, and the rapid post-war development. But these factors don't exist in Canada. The Hells Angels lack the necessary foundation; the more eager they are to push into mainstream society, the more panic they cause. Furthermore, the situation in Canada differs significantly from that in the United States."
For example, the legalization of gambling in the United States led to the rise of numerous gambling syndicates. However, this also had historical reasons. In the late 1980s, the US government at all levels faced financial difficulties and severe deficits, but was unable to collect new taxes. This situation, coupled with the combined efforts of gambling interest groups and some high-ranking politicians, gradually led to the legalization of gambling. The result was that gambling was legalized to some extent in many states, and the federal, state, and local governments received substantial amounts of gambling tax revenue as a result! This is what I call a 'historical opportunity.'”
When Yang Wei finished speaking, she sighed slightly: "Unfortunately, although Mr. Sorin has a great vision, he's a bit too hasty. His actions were too hasty. Infiltrating mainstream circles isn't easy; even traditional American families have taken generations to infiltrate. Sorin's actions were too ostentatious… After all, it's extremely difficult to get mainstream society to accept a 'drug dealer' or 'gangster tycoon' as one of them overnight. If he were smarter, he wouldn't have operated so openly; he should have focused on 'infiltration,' taking things slowly. Because any society is wary of the 'underworld.' The real challenge is how to minimize that wariness."
I had developed a slight respect for this woman, and blurted out, "Then what should we do?"
When Yang Wei heard my question, she suddenly smiled, but her smile was somewhat strange: "Every underworld boss wants to know the answer to this question. Every underworld boss wants to climb into high society. If this question were so easy to solve, wouldn't I be God?"
However, she thought about it seriously for a moment and slowly said, "Actually... if I were Thorin..."
As she said this, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Yang Wei's eyes! This seemingly delicate and beautiful girl actually possessed a hidden aura of domineering ruthlessness!
At this moment, Yang Wei no longer seemed to be the calm, rational, and gentle girl she once was. She seemed to have suddenly transformed into the tone of a powerful underworld tycoon like Mr. Thorin!
"...If I were Thorin, I wouldn't make things so obvious! Hmph, aligning with the mainstream isn't as simple as setting up a company today, donating some money to a charity tomorrow, and getting a couple of tabloid reporters to write a couple of scathing articles the day after!" She spoke slowly and calmly, "I would at least make a ten-year plan! First, I would find one or two politicians with potential! Going down the political path may seem tacky, but it's an essential step in the development of every large family! I would fund some mid-level politicians for long-term investment. If any of them eventually rise to the political stage, it would mean I have a voice in high society! Official policy favors are the most effective! Then, I would spend at least ten years gradually shedding those shady underworld businesses and reorganizing the organization. I would make the legitimate businesses independent, and then find a suitable..." The ideal agent must be of impeccable character and highly educated. Such an individual can be chosen from within the family as a young successor and nurtured from a young age. Finally, a suitable industry should be chosen as the starting point, or a legitimate, sizable company should be acquired, staffed with elite talent. Then, starting with business, a generation should be spent building the enterprise to a certain scale. At that point, some of the politicians I've invested in should be in power. Having one or two partners in Congress or other powerful government departments would make things much easier… This is only the first generation. The second generation continues the same process, and then, if everything goes smoothly, by the third generation, people may have forgotten our family's past underworld connections… That's when we truly integrate into mainstream society!
After saying all this, Yang Wei concluded with a hint of disdain: "It's highly unlikely that Thorin will succeed. In his youth, he committed murder, arson, smuggling, and drug trafficking—he's done everything imaginable… I bet his criminal record in the Canadian police database could fill an entire file! Now, even if he tries to integrate into mainstream society and spends a fortune, it won't be very effective because in people's eyes, he's already considered a 'drug dealer'! Unless he's willing to patiently make a long-term plan, first cultivating one or two suitable successors, and then starting with the next generation…"
However, Yang Wei suddenly smiled and said, "Well, on the other hand, Mr. Sorin has no choice... He only has one daughter, and this daughter is really too useless. If he hopes to raise that princess into a suitable successor, I'm afraid Sorin has no hope in this lifetime. No wonder he is taking such hasty steps now, after all, at his age, he doesn't have many years left to live."
Yang Wei spoke these words while driving, chatting animatedly. This made me even more surprised by this woman!
“You…” I swallowed hard, and couldn’t help but smile wryly, “If Thorin heard what you said, he would be very surprised!” After a pause, I added, “I would be very surprised too!”
"Strange, isn't it?" Yang Wei suddenly felt a little embarrassed, then she sighed softly, "I think these things are actually quite boring, aren't they... Well, these are not things I should be thinking about. They are issues that the leaders of the family should be considering... As for me, Yang Wei, I am just a member of the younger generation in the family. These issues should be considered by the head and successor of the family. And I... am just a woman."
I could tell she emphasized the word "woman."
Just as I was thinking this, Yang Wei couldn't help but sigh softly, as if talking to herself: "If only I weren't a woman..."
When she said those words, her eyes held a deep regret, along with a hint of resentment... and the smile on her face was somewhat forlorn...
I believe without hesitation that... if Yang Wei weren't a girl, she would definitely be someone who could accomplish great things!
She has that ability!
But then, as if possessed, I blurted out, "If you weren't a woman, many men would regret it."
As soon as I said that, I regretted it.
My intention was simply to comfort her, but I didn't expect that this casual remark would sound so strange, and even seem to carry a hint of ambiguity...
Sure enough, Yang Wei's eyes seemed to pause for a moment, then she glanced at me meaningfully, her face seeming to flush slightly, and she murmured softly, "Is...is that so? Is that what you think...?"
When Yang Wei casually lowered her head, a hint of shyness mixed with coquettishness lingered in her beauty, causing me to momentarily pause. But I quickly suppressed my wandering thoughts, shook my head, coughed, glanced out the window, and said with a forced smile, "Oh, by the way, show me this guest list on your phone..."
The fleeting daze in Yang Wei's eyes lasted only a few seconds. This girl, who was extremely good at controlling her emotions, quickly regained her rational and calm demeanor. She instantly transformed back into the composed and calculating woman she always was, and slowly said, "Yes. This is the list of guests invited by Thorin. I've made some annotations on the back, and some of them might be helpful for what we're about to do."
I took a quick look. Most of the guests were "socialites," but this guest list is far from truly "mainstream." The majority of those invited were second- or third-tier individuals, far from reaching the "elite class." Looking around, it consisted of heads of charitable foundations, executives of news media companies, some less-than-successful politicians, leaders of second- or third-tier opposition parties, and some relatively low-ranking government officials.
There are only two or three people who can truly be considered "upper class".
“It’s a pity. Thorin spends at least several million dollars every year on these people, but the results are far too little.” Yang smiled and said, “As far as I know, Thorin has also invited some businessmen, but legitimate businessmen in legitimate industries, rational ones, will not do business with the underworld. Everyone knows that doing business with the underworld is too dangerous; you could easily get burned. This is why Thorin has made a lot of efforts and spent a lot of money in the past two years, but the results have not been significant. It’s a pity… If he had one or two excellent successors, his situation would be much better. But now, I can even clearly feel that old Thorin is moving too hastily. He seems to know that he is getting old, and God has not given him much time. He seems to want to finish everything before he dies… But anyone with eyes can see that this is impossible!”
When these topics came up, Yang Wei regained her shrewd and calm demeanor, her tone devoid of any emotion: "Thorin's biggest problem isn't external, but internal! He tried to turn the Hells Angels into a family organization. But he didn't have enough time. And he encountered a problem that's unavoidable in the development of any family... namely, a lack of talent. Family organizations survive by blood ties, but Thorin only has one daughter. His choice is either to abandon the family succession model, but when Thorin consolidated his forces, he was ruthless; anyone who disobeyed him was purged." "It's over. Now, the Hells' Angels are practically his own. Unless he relinquishes his power to other influential figures within the organization, his hard-won empire will crumble. Of course, if he has a suitable successor, given Thorin's years of prestige and influence, as long as the transfer of power proceeds smoothly, the Hells' Angels will become a typical family organization. There will be no more 'Hells' Angels,' only 'The Thorin Family'! But now… he only has one daughter, and a princess at that, a rather eccentric little girl."
I understand. Expecting Her Highness to become a shrewd and capable successor is less likely than expecting a gorilla to become the President of the United States.
I finally understand why Yang Wei's words always carried a hint of sourness when she mentioned "woman" and Her Highness the Princess!
Actually, Yang Wei might be envious of the princess!
Yang Wei absolutely possesses the talent and ability to become the head of a family! However, she seems to be unsuccessful within her own family. Moreover, her fatal flaw is: she is a woman!
The princess, though also a woman, has a chance a hundred times better than Yang Wei… Given Thorin's situation, the princess is his only candidate to succeed him!!
However, the princess did not possess Yang Wei's talent.
It's pitiful... One is talented but has no opportunity to use it. The other has the opportunity right in front of him, but lacks the ability.
Perhaps, if Yang Wei and the princess could switch places, Yang Wei would definitely have a stage to fully demonstrate her abilities!
While my mind wandered, Yang Wei continued to speak eloquently: "...In fact, any family that is maintained by blood ties will encounter the problem of insufficient blood supply during its development. And a healthy and well-developed family has a mature solution when it encounters insufficient blood supply and there are not enough talents in the family to continue to develop."
"What?"
“Absorb.” Yang Wei said decisively, “Absorb talents from the outside world through marriage, alliances, and all other means, and then absorb those talents into our own family.”
“A mature and healthy family development model should combine internal and external efforts. On the one hand, the family should carefully cultivate its direct descendants, so that countless outstanding young talents will emerge in each generation. This is internal ‘self-sustaining’. On the other hand, it needs to constantly absorb new blood from the outside! In this way, the family can ensure its long-term development by constantly exchanging blood from both inside and outside the family.” Yang smiled and said, “Right now, it would be best for Solin to find a good husband for his daughter and try to find a way to ensure that his son-in-law is capable. This is absorbing new blood from the outside. However, it is unlikely that the Solin surname will be passed down.”
At this point, she gave me a meaningful look: "That princess seems to have a very good impression of you, and it looks like she likes you quite a bit... Perhaps you have a chance to become the son-in-law of the Thorin family! Maybe you'll even be the head of this family in the future!"
I couldn't help but give a wry smile: "Her? A princess? Forget it! I don't think any man with a modicum of sense would choose to marry a woman like that! Of course, there might be some rich and handsome gigolos who would be willing to marry such a woman... but I, Chen Yang, am not that kind of person!"
Yang Wei smiled and said, "Yes, but those frivolous young men who are greedy for wealth and willing to marry princesses are not the kind of people Thorin needs. Thorin needs truly talented people. But truly intelligent men wouldn't marry a princess... kind of woman."
I shook my head.
I know perfectly well that a princess? Forget about it!
Susan, this woman, calling her a "princess" is an insult to the term. To put it bluntly, she has absolutely no air of nobility about her. She's simply a product of that disgusting, promiscuous organization…
"Don't you find it strange?" Yang Wei finally revealed her hand: "You arrived in Toronto yesterday. Well, from yesterday to today, Sorin hasn't seen you at all, and as soon as you got off the plane, the princess picked you up. You came with Eighth Master Fang... Without Sorin's tacit approval, could the princess have taken you away? And for a whole day and night, Sorin hasn't looked for you, not even seen you. Logically speaking, you're a guest. How can a guest arrive and the host not show up for a whole day and night? Even if Sorin doesn't see you, why doesn't that Eighth Master Fang contact you either? Why did he let you leave his side? How could all of this be possible without Sorin's own intention?"
I opened my mouth...
Indeed, from yesterday to today, Eighth Master has completely ignored me... Could this also be Mr. Thorin's intention?
Seeing my expression, as if I had swallowed bitter gall, Yang Wei said slowly, "When any family is short of internal talent and needs to recruit new members from outside, there is usually a precedent... that is, the new members must not have a strong background. If the other party is the successor of another powerful force, they are usually not allowed to intermarry... because they are worried that if their family is declining internally and then intermarries with a powerful external force, there will be a risk of being swallowed up! So, usually, when the internal talent pool is depleted and new blood needs to be sought from outside... it is best to find someone who is talented but has no background... This way, on the one hand, it can ensure the loyalty of such new members after they enter the family, and on the other hand, it is also easier to control them."
She glanced at me, and although she didn't say anything, her eyes seemed to say: Look, aren't you a perfect "new blood"?
My face turned pale instantly!
No wonder! No wonder Sorin picked me up as soon as I got off the plane! No wonder Sorin let me stay with his daughter for a whole day and night without him even asking about me!!
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Twelve: The More You Snatch, the More Popular You Become
"You think I was idle after you left my room last night?" Yang smiled slyly. "I investigated all night. This morning, I found out everything about you in the Big Circle, including your position under Master Fang, your situation, and some of the famous things you did for the Big Circle, especially the fact that you personally killed a master of the Hua Gang, which greatly boosted your reputation in the Big Circle. Also, you recently consolidated a territory. I found out everything about you this morning. Moreover, it seems that you and that princess... had a fling!" When she said the last few words, her face seemed to flush slightly, and she gave me a subtle glare.
I immediately felt my face burning.
Yang Wei deliberately said casually, "Hmm, I didn't expect you to be interested in a woman like the princess... Sigh, this is quite unexpected. However, it seems you met Mr. Sorin in Vancouver, and he knows you have some dealings with his daughter... Hmph, who do you think Sorin is? Let me tell you, I was able to find all this information about you in one night. Sorin must have been keeping an eye on you ever since he met you! His information is definitely more detailed than mine! Otherwise, hmph, do you think Sorin would have let you get close to his daughter? Even though his daughter is promiscuous..." Yang Wei's expression turned somewhat unfriendly at this point, and she seemed to hesitate for a moment, but finally uttered those two words...
"She's a... whore. But joining that kind of slutty organization and having a normal relationship with a man are two different things. Old Thorin couldn't control the princess's promiscuous nature. So he simply let it be. You think Thorin is a good person? Let me tell you, back then, many people were killed by Thorin's men because of their affair with the princess! But later, this woman's nature remained unchanged, and Old Thorin couldn't control her either. He couldn't just keep killing people! So he could only let her run wild. As for you, Thorin didn't touch you after you had an affair with the princess! And your subsequent series of remarkable performances... plus this time when you came to Toronto, Thorin tacitly allowed his daughter to personally receive you... I put all this information together, including Thorin's current situation and the difficulty he faces in recruiting new blood... all of this combined, it's not hard to analyze a conclusion..."
"What?" I could only smile wryly, touching my nose.
"The result is... you've entered Thorin's field of vision and become a candidate for him!" Yang Wei's tone was sharp and cutting as she coldly said, "Congratulations!"
When she uttered those three words, "Congratulations," it sounded almost like an insult.
Yang Wei glanced at me quickly, and continued to mock me as she drove.
"You're good-looking and very skilled. You're tough and resilient, and according to my information, you also possess some leadership charisma. At least within the larger circle, the younger generation respects you. You have a strong and resilient personality. You've endured a lot of hardship, worked very hard, and demonstrated considerable skill in consolidating that new territory. All of this proves you're a young person with great potential. And, most importantly… the princess seems to genuinely like you." Yang Wei continued, deliberately mocking me, "Of course, if the princess doesn't like you, even with all that potential, Sorin won't take a liking to you. Because Sorin himself has personally selected some young men, but the princess didn't like them, so there's nothing that can be done. The princess is indeed a bit promiscuous. But she's the type who can sleep with any man, but won't marry him. As for you, you might have a chance to be shortlisted!"
I laughed and cursed, "Damn it! What's so great about being shortlisted like this!"
"There are many benefits." Yang Wei deliberately put on a stern face: "Money, wealth, beautiful women... you can have anything you want! And... didn't you offend some powerful forces in China that you can't afford to offend? As long as you become Thorin's successor, do you still need to be afraid of those people? The future leader of the Hells Angels, the king of the entire Canadian underworld! Isn't that enough to make you awesome?"
"Are you finished speaking?" I asked Yang Wei.
"I'm done." Yang Wei asked me in return, "Is there anything you want to say?"
“Yes, what I want to say is very simple.” I breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Yang Wei and slowly said, word by word, “Damn it.”
We glanced at each other and burst into laughter again.
After laughing enough, Yang Wei sighed: "Alright, let's get serious. This is definitely what Sorin was thinking, and I don't think your Eighth Master is a fool. If I can think of these things, I don't believe that Eighth Master Fang wouldn't know at all."
Now I finally understand why Eighth Master brought me to Toronto!
I also know why Eighth Master, even though he clearly wanted to suppress me and had already taken precautions against me, still brought me along to cooperate with Thorin...
Damn it! He brought me here hoping I'd sell my manhood! He expects me to be a gigolo!
“However…” Yang Wei’s tone changed, and she smiled, “In this situation, my opportunity has come.”
I was a little confused, but Yang Wei quickly explained to me, “It’s simple. I want to establish a cooperative relationship with that Japanese-American congressman, but first I have to get Sorin to give up this piece of the pie. Sorin is in a dilemma. He hasn’t even won over the upper echelons of Canadian society yet, so it doesn’t make sense for him to spend money supporting an American congressman. Although there are benefits, he’ll be somewhat reluctant to give it up. But I can’t directly compete with him… so I can’t approach him. As for your Fang Baye… hmph, I know his character. That old fox, if I approach him, who knows what price he’ll ask for. Everyone in the underworld knows that you can’t just casually owe favors in the Big Circle! If I approach him now, I’ll owe him a favor, and who knows what he’ll use to make us pay for it later…” She glanced at me and sighed, “Xiao Wu, you don’t understand Canada. You don’t know that here, whether it’s the underworld or the legitimate world, everyone is hostile towards the Big Circle. Because the Big Circle does things too aggressively, it’s a predatory development, and it offends too many people. I don’t dare to easily cooperate with Fang Baye.”
"So you've come to me for help?" I gave a wry smile. "What can I do to help you?"
"It's very simple. You're a rising star right now, on Thorin's shortlist... I wouldn't dare say you're number one, but you're definitely near the top. And Her Highness clearly likes you a lot. I don't care how long that liking lasts or what it's like... but Her Highness's attitude is very important right now. And with Master Fang, your influence will increase because of that. Finally... you're my friend, and if I ask you for help, you won't refuse, right?" Yang squinted, his smile sly.
I shook my head again: "I still can't think of how I can help you."
“No rush, we’ll take it one step at a time.” Yang smiled and said, “First of all, at today’s banquet, you need to do your best. The better you do, the more Solin will like you… and the more important you will be in his eyes! As for Master Fang… Little Five. Perhaps it’s not my place to say this… but you need to understand, I feel that he doesn’t seem to trust you that much.”
I remained silent.
Yang Wei glanced at my face: "It seems I guessed right. At least I feel there's no reason to entrust a territory to two people... You're capable enough to handle things on your own. And to train another young man to restrain you at this time, it can only be said that Master Fang's methods are a bit too ruthless."