I sneered inwardly.
When I first arrived today, I checked the accounts. It was obvious that first, Sha Hu died, and the territory was handed over to Tiger. During the handover, there was inevitably a period of inactivity. Then Tiger died, and the territory was handed over to me.
During this period, management chaos was inevitable, and the accounts were somewhat unclear. I was aware that some people were taking advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters.
But I understand that this situation is unavoidable.
I took an account book from the brother next to me and slammed it onto the table.
I saw the expressions on many people's faces change immediately. I smiled and pretended to flip through the account book...
There was complete silence below; not even a single person coughed.
"I'm a person who values rules the most. But I never interfere with anyone's livelihood... In the past, when I wasn't here, whatever happened was none of my business." I said slowly, "So, I don't know about the past, and I don't want to know. What's past is past! Just treat this glass of wine in my hand, drink it down, and pretend it never happened!"
I downed my drink in one gulp, then tossed the glass onto the ground. Next, I grabbed the ledger, walked to the center, and threw it on the floor. I grabbed a bottle of strong liquor, poured it on the ledger, then pulled out a lighter, lit it in front of everyone, and threw it down…
boom!
The flames suddenly shot up!
I burned the account book in front of so many people!
Seeing the complicated expressions on everyone's faces, I laughed and then immediately put on a serious face: "From today onwards, we're all starting from scratch! If everyone follows the rules, we'll all make money together... I'll have someone make a new ledger later, and from today onwards, all accounts will be settled separately! Everything before, whether it's debt or repayment, will be wiped clean!"
Everyone's expression was different; some seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, others were full of doubt, and still others had complex emotions in their eyes. I looked at them and slowly said, "I won't ask about the past, but from now on... I dislike breaking rules the most. If anyone breaks my rules in the future... then what I'll burn won't just be the account books!"
I walked over to Xiluo and patted him on the shoulder: "This is my brother. From today onwards, you can come to him for anything. His words are my words! Everyone, I, Xiao Wu, am here to say this... From now on, as long as you all follow the rules and work for the company, the company will definitely protect you!"
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Three: Not Without Mercy
"You really don't care about these things?"
Sitting in his office upstairs in the restaurant, Ciro frowned as he looked at me.
"You can take care of it." I smiled. "From now on, you'll be in charge of keeping track of the accounts on this street and the debt collectors under your command."
"Xiao Wu!" Xi Luo looked at me seriously, then hesitated, "Are you still worried about me...?" He thought for a moment, then said it directly, "Are you worried that I will become distant from you, so you gave me all this power? So you won't compete with me?"
I glanced at Xiluo, then slowly closed the door and sat down opposite him.
"Xiro, you're overthinking it." I said seriously, "I didn't mean to give you power. Between us brothers, there's no such thing as giving up or not giving up! Remember that!"
“Hmm.” Siro nodded.
I looked at him and said in a low voice, "Xiro, you have to understand my good intentions. You haven't been doing this for long, and what you lack right now is experience. Keeping an eye on these things will benefit you. As for who's in charge... that's not important. Besides, we only have this little bit of land right now, just a small pond. Do you plan to stay in this pond for the rest of your life?"
"I...I didn't think that much about it," Xiluo said honestly.
"You'll understand my intentions in the future," I said with a smile. "You've never led underlings before, so you'll have to be more careful from now on... The move I made today was to stabilize their morale. Right now, there's no guarantee that none of these guys are up to something, but that's okay. Rules are established gradually. Observe more, listen more, and speak less. Once you've got them under your control, you'll naturally understand the ins and outs... Also, don't be fooled by their obedience today. If you're not careful and they look down on you, they might try to trick you again. You'll have to be careful about that... Sometimes, you have to be ruthless! Either don't act at all, or when you do, make everyone fear you! Understand?"
Xiluo nodded thoughtfully, but then asked, "Xiao Wu, what's this...?"
I smiled and looked into his eyes: "You're my brother, we have a long road ahead of us! We're destined for great things! This place is just for you to practice on."
There's a reason why I feel so comfortable entrusting things to Xiluo.
I really didn't want to argue with him. The biggest taboo in any organization is unclear leadership! More importantly, Eighth Master's obvious intention was to create a rift between me and Xiluo. How could I give in?
As for Ciro himself, he has many strengths, but his weaknesses are also obvious: he is young, impulsive, and most importantly, lacks experience. This street is a good place for him to hone his skills.
Moreover, the current situation is generally stable.
We're surrounded by other Chinese groups, but they've temporarily made peace with our larger circle, so there won't be any disputes or conflicts. We're in a period of "peace." I'm going to take advantage of this time to sharpen Xiluo's blade! To make him mature as soon as possible.
In the evening, I left Xiluo at the restaurant to manage things, and then Master Ba sent someone to find me. I remembered meeting Master Ba on the yacht that morning. He had said he wanted me to come over for "soup" that evening.
The person who picked me up was still "Little Pig." This young man drove up and took me to the seaside pier.
Eighth Master still met me on the yacht.
As I boarded the boat, I smelled a strong aroma with a faint fishy smell, as if they were preparing some kind of seafood.
I pushed open the door and entered the cabin. Eighth Master was sitting on the sofa, holding a yellowed old photo album and flipping through it. When he saw me come in, he put the album on the sofa next to him and pointed to the seat in front of him: "Sit down."
I noticed that the photo album was half-open. When Eighth Master casually put it down, it was face up, and I happened to see a yellowed photograph. It was a black and white photo of four or five men, all in military uniforms, their faces covered in dust and soot, with trenches nearby. The men were standing in a row, their arms around each other affectionately. One of them vaguely resembled Seventh Uncle, though at that time Seventh Uncle wasn't in a wheelchair yet.
And standing in the very center was the Eighth Prince.
The man in the photo looks very young, even a bit childish. But judging from his eyes, he already possesses a certain composure.
Eighth Master noticed my gaze, casually closed the photo album, and sighed, "When you get old, you just like to reminisce."
I didn't say anything, but I was thinking about something else.
It seems that Tiger said before he died that there were several leaders in the Big Circle, but apart from Seventh Uncle and Eighth Master, they are all dead now. Moreover, Tiger's words implicitly suggested that those people died in internal power struggles...
Could it be the person in this photo?
These thoughts were on my mind, but I didn't show them on my face.
Then, the crew brought out bowls and plates one by one, and finally a clay pot, which emitted a rich aroma.
"I had a great catch today, haha, all of them I caught myself. Why don't you have a taste with me?" Eighth Master seemed a bit strange, and he even had someone open a bottle of Moutai.
"Most of those who came from the military like to drink Moutai," Uncle Ba said with a smile, personally pouring me a glass: "Have a drink with me."
"Yes!" I raised my glass and downed it in one gulp. Eighth Master, on the other hand, only lightly touched his lips to the glass.
"People get old..." Eighth Master sighed again, "When I was your age, I would drink a cup in one gulp... But now, hehe, I wouldn't dare drink like that anymore."
I felt something was off; I sensed that Eighth Master's tone was different from usual today.
In particular, since I saw him this morning, he has said "I'm getting old" several times. In the past, given Eighth Master's personality, he would never have said such a thing.
Tonight, Eighth Master seemed a bit down, and... this mood didn't seem to be feigned.
But Eighth Master didn't say anything. I didn't feel comfortable asking either. He simply told me to eat and drink, and I didn't stand on ceremony, so I picked up my chopsticks and started eating.
These fish were caught by Uncle Ba today, and they were indeed very fresh and tasted great. The fish soup, in particular, was incredibly delicious; I drank a whole bowl in one go.
Eighth Master watched me eat for quite a while before finally asking, "How did things go today? Did it go smoothly?"
I immediately put down my chopsticks and said seriously, "It went fairly smoothly. That area had been vacant for a long time. Although we had people controlling it, there was no one in charge. The accounts were a bit messy. I found out that some people were embezzling money, and others had swallowed the money collected from debts and hadn't handed it over to the company..."
"Oh? So what did you do with these people?" Eighth Master asked casually.
“I didn’t handle it.” I raised an eyebrow: “I burned the ledger in public.”
"..." Eighth Master gave me a complicated look, seemed to sigh, and then slowly said four words:
"The younger generation is truly formidable!"
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. I looked at Eighth Master, said nothing, and kept a calm expression.
“You did the right thing.” Eighth Master finally smiled. His smile seemed strange: “Even better than I expected.”
Seeing that I seemed about to speak, Eighth Master stopped me and spoke first: "Your strategy is spot on. You've just arrived. If you were to kill people to establish your authority right away, you might not only fail to do so, but also offend your subordinates. Killing is easy, winning them over is hard... You did very well... very well..."
Then, Eighth Master slowly poured himself a full glass of wine. He poured one for me too, and we both drank it down in one gulp. Eighth Master coughed twice, and I frowned and whispered, "Eighth Master, please don't drink anymore."
"It's alright." He smiled, his eyes filled with emotion. "Today is different."
After resting for a while, Eighth Master looked at me and asked, "Do you know why I called you here tonight?"
"Yes." I nodded. "You must have something you want me to do?"
Eighth Master sighed, not directly answering my question, but suddenly said something seemingly unrelated...
"Tiger is dead..."
His words seemed to come out as a sigh, filled with endless emotion and even a touch of sadness.
…Tiger is dead… He shook his head gently: “Of all the people around me, you are the most capable. The others are either too old or have passed away, and among the young ones, Xiro is still too green. Only you are very sensible, know when to advance and retreat, and your temperament has been honed to perfection.”
I didn't say anything, quietly waiting for Eighth Master to continue.
“I originally intended to hand over the repair shop to you,” Eighth Master said, seemingly to comfort me. “The younger generation respects you now, and you’re a very suitable candidate. But you’re still young… and your experience is a bit lacking. So I…”
“Eighth Master!” I interrupted him, looked up at him, and said seriously, “I never expected to take over the repair shop. When I, Xiao Wu, first came to Canada, I was all alone, carrying only a bag, and came to rely on you. I’ve only been here for less than a year, so I can only be considered a newcomer… You’ve really misunderstood me by saying all this.”
After a pause, I slowly said, "Old Huang has led our group of brothers for many years, and I respect him very much. Don't worry, I'm not ungrateful."
"Hmm." Eighth Master nodded with satisfaction: "It's good that you understand. I was just worried that you wouldn't be able to figure it out."
He looked at my shoulder: "You were injured in Vietnam, are you feeling better?"
"Much better," I said with a smile. "It's just a minor injury, it will heal quickly, but it will take a few more days for the wound to fully heal."
After glancing at me twice, Eighth Master's eyes held something unfathomable: "Alright, you'll settle things on your turf. In a couple of days, you'll come with me to Toronto... I'll take you to meet Mr. Thorin of the Hells Angels. Now that the Vietnamese issue is settled, our deal can't be delayed any longer."
"Okay!" I nodded immediately.
However, I still felt a little strange.
Logically speaking, I had already given up hope of making a deal with the Hells Angels.
If Master Ba already harbored some suspicions about me, he wouldn't have entrusted me with such an important task... If his previous arrangements were merely to put pressure on Tiger, then now, there's absolutely no need for that.
But why...?
I know that I can't get the answer to this question from Master Ba; I can only figure it out myself.
Eighth Master and I had a couple more drinks. He yawned and smiled, "Alright, you're getting old, it's inevitable to feel sleepy at night. I know you must be very tired today too, so I won't keep you any longer. Go back and rest. Don't come to see me these next few days unless it's something important. I've already told Old Huang at the repair shop. If you need anything, just tell him yourself."
I immediately stood up to say goodbye, but just as I reached the door, I suddenly heard Eighth Master ask me in a low voice from behind...
His voice was very soft, even trembling slightly, filled with endless emotion, and a hint of... sadness?
"Tiger..." Eighth Master's voice trembled slightly, "Did he suffer when he died...?"
I was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Eighth Master. His face seemed to have aged considerably in an instant, the muscles around his eyes trembled slightly, and his eyes were somewhat cloudy...
I immediately took a deep breath and tried to answer in the calmest tone possible: "He... the process was very quick. He died with his whole body paralyzed... he didn't suffer any pain."
I sighed inwardly. Indeed, Tiger died from snake venom. The venom numbs the nerves and causes no physical pain... but the psychological impact is another story.
Eighth Master nodded, closed his eyes, and seemed to be talking to himself: "That's good...that's good..."
I looked at him. At this moment, Eighth Master didn't seem like a powerful and influential underworld boss. His figure was somewhat hunched over, like an old man.
As I stepped off the ship, looking at the starry sky, I couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Perhaps, even the Eighth Master wasn't entirely heartless! After all, Tiger had followed him for over twenty years and had risked his life for him back then... Yet he personally ordered the killing of the person he once trusted most... I shook my head and didn't continue thinking about it.