12: Chapter 12 Xu Jiang: This Shen Mo is even more awesome than me.

Zhao Yang acted as if he hadn't heard Xu Jiang's words; his fists and feet continued to rain down on Camel and the other three. He beat them until they didn't even have the strength to scream, and they could only curl up and shiver.

Feng Lvzi quickly ran to Zhao Yang's side and shouted, "Brother Mo, Brother Mo, how did they offend you? Stop hitting them, you'll kill them!"

Zhao Yang stopped and spat on the ground. "Don't worry, they won't die! Feng Lvzi, how did you end up raising such a bunch of idiots? Ask them what they just did."

Feng Lvzi leaned in close to Camel and the others, asking loudly, "What did you do? Did you offend Brother Mo?"

Camel and the others were in too much pain to speak; their faces were bruised and swollen, and they could only make muffled, incoherent sounds.

Feng Lvzi couldn't understand them, so he looked back at Zhao Yang. "Brother Mo, how did they offend you? I'll teach them a lesson later."

Zhao Yang sneered, "These four idiots were harassing a girl just now."

"Huh?" Feng Lvzi was stunned. "They deserve a beating then, daring to fight over a woman with Brother Mo."

"You're an idiot too!" Zhao Yang spat again, then said, "Do you know who that girl is?"

"Who... who is she?"

Meng Dehai's daughter."

"Eh? What?" Feng Lvzi was shocked. Damn it, harassing the Public Security Bureau chief's daughter—that's like an old man eating arsenic because he's tired of living! He immediately gave the four men a few more kicks. "These blind bastards! Brother Mo, you did well to hit them!"

To the side, Xu Jiang felt quite uncomfortable listening to Feng Lvzi call him "Brother Mo" over and over. This was clearly his number one lackey; had he changed allegiances now?

He coughed lightly, feigning an air of authority. "Feng Lvzi, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Feng Lvzi finally realized his boss was still there. He quickly said in a humble tone, "Brother Mo, this is my boss, the owner of the Platinum Palace, Xu Jiang, President Xu! And this is Brother Mo!"

Zhao Yang nodded and looked at Xu Jiang, sizing him up from head to toe before saying flatly, "Xu Jiang, President Xu, hello."

Xu Jiang felt a bit uneasy under that cold, gloomy gaze. However, at this moment, he absolutely couldn't lose face. He straightened his back and smiled. "Hello. May I ask how I should address Your Excellency specifically?"

Zhao Yang was silent for a moment. "Shen Mo."

Xu Jiang was taken aback. Had he not made himself clear? He repeated, "May I ask specifically how to address Your Excellency?"

Zhao Yang frowned. "Shen Mo."

Xu Jiang's expression turned strange. Was there something wrong with this guy's ears? Or was he being too refined for the other man to understand? So he raised his voice, "I am asking! What is your name? Name!"

Zhao Yang turned to Feng Lvzi impatiently. "Is your boss hard of hearing?"

Xu Jiang's eyes widened, and he was about to lose his temper.

Feng Lvzi quickly leaned in and whispered, "Boss, I understand now. Brother Mo's surname should be Shen. He's saying 'Shen Mo,' not 'What'."

Xu Jiang: "..."

...

...

There were many drinks in Xu Jiang's manager's office, many of which looked very expensive. Those were used to entertain distinguished guests and were likely all genuine.

Zhao Yang sat casually on the sofa, looking around before his gaze settled on Xu Jiang, staring at him incessantly.

Xu Jiang felt as if that gaze were a knife, making him feel uncomfortable all over. He cleared his throat. "Brother Shen Mo, is there something on my face?"

Zhao Yang withdrew his gaze. "President Xu, I know a celebrity who looks a lot like you."

"Give me a break..." Xu Jiang rubbed his face. "Can someone with my looks really be a celebrity?"

"A comedy star."

Xu Jiang's expression stiffened. "Uh... well, that's alright then."

Feng Lvzi, standing to the side, held back his laughter, his whole body twitching as he tried not to make a sound.

Zhao Yang suddenly pulled out a dagger and began fiddling with it in his hand.

Feng Lvzi's eyes widened. "Brother Mo, what are you doing?"

Xu Jiang's body also tensed, his hand reaching toward the spot under the desk where a gun was hidden.

"This belongs to that idiot Camel." Zhao Yang smiled disdainfully while playing with it. "He was so drunk he didn't even notice it falling on the ground. Such a careless guy will get caught sooner or later."

Feng Lvzi breathed a sigh of relief and gave Xu Jiang a reassuring look, chuckling. "Understood, Brother Mo. I'll give him a talking-to later."

"Yeah, give it back to him in a bit." Zhao Yang casually flicked his wrist backward.

Thud!

The dagger was pinned heavily into the door.

Xu Jiang's eyelid twitched. He saw it clearly: a set of keys was hanging behind the door, and the dagger had passed exactly through the key ring before stabbing into the wood. If it was a coincidence, fine, but if not, it was terrifying. With that move just now, he wouldn't have been able to react even if he had a gun!

He couldn't help but shoot a resentful glance at Feng Lvzi. Dammit, what kind of terrifying monster did you bring back?!

The atmosphere became a bit awkward for a moment. Facing Zhao Yang, who was exuding Killing Intent, Xu Jiang didn't know what to say. After a long pause, he asked with a forced smile, "Brother Shen Mo, do you have any plans for the near future?"

"Tell me where Meng Dehai lives. That shouldn't be hard for you, right?" Zhao Yang said casually.

Xu Jiang felt a chill down his spine. "Brother, that's the chief of the Public Security Bureau! What are you planning to do?"

Zhao Yang smiled disdainfully. "What PSB chief? He's just an idiot who made me make a trip for nothing. I'm going to find him for a refund! Don't you think this money should be refunded?"

Xu Jiang swallowed hard. "Brother, you're a legend! But what if he doesn't refund it? This is Jinghai, after all."

"He doesn't have the guts," Zhao Yang said calmly. "Besides, he wouldn't want others to know that his daughter came here late at night looking for fun, would he?"

Xu Jiang realized. "That's easy to handle; I can get that for you right away. Now, brother, if I may be so bold as to ask one more thing..."

Zhao Yang narrowed his eyes, interrupting before he could finish. "In our line of work, information is just like life—it has value."

Xu Jiang was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "It's not really about information. It's just that, as you know, in our line of work, we have to make friends. I wanted to ask you to..."

"Don't you have a backer? Betting on both sides is taboo," Zhao Yang interrupted, speaking casually.

Xu Jiang couldn't help but shiver, a chill running down his back. "Brother, I don't understand what you mean."

"We're both old foxes, so don't try to play games with me." Zhao Yang lightly tapped the armrest of the sofa. "Everyone in Jinghai knows this is the biggest flesh market around. No one would believe you don't have a backer, not even a kindergartner. What? Do you feel your backer isn't stable anymore? Thinking of jumping ship?"

Xu Jiang breathed a small sigh of relief. "It's not exactly that. It's just that more friends mean more paths."

"Even pimping has its price. How much are you offering?" Zhao Yang asked, narrowing his eyes.

Xu Jiang really didn't like the word "pimping." He thought for a moment, stood up to open the safe in the corner, took out ten thick stacks of cash, and placed them in front of Zhao Yang.

"President Xu is very generous."

Xu Jiang smiled. "Brother Shen Mo, we're all friends. It's only right."