333: Chapter 333 The Underworld Boss's Overtures, A Carefree Path

Chapter 333: The Underworld Overlord's Good Will, Xiaosa's Path

Chen Chen enthusiastically introduced the resources and strengths he possessed, speaking with great passion and extravagance.

It was as if he could already see the wonderful prospects after a successful cooperation.

Through Xiaosa's mouth, Fang Cheng implicitly conveyed that his background was extraordinary, his price was very high, and he would not act easily.

Both sides went back and forth, engaging in a battle of wits and probing each other.

During this process, Xiaosa's performance made Fang Cheng, who was observing from the shadows, look at him in a new light.

Although this guy was an uneducated punk, having roamed the streets for years, his ability to read people and adapt to changing circumstances was not bad.

Coupled with Fang Cheng backing him up from behind, facing the head of the dignified Red Tiger Gang whose terrifying reputation resounded through the Dongdu underworld, not only did he not show cowardice, but he spoke eloquently without losing the upper hand.

In the end, through the intermediary Xiaosa, Fang Cheng gave an ambiguous reply.

The two sides agreed that Chen Chen would first provide detailed intelligence regarding Scorpion.

After Xiaosa relayed it to Mr. Assassin—that is, Fang Cheng—and after a mission evaluation and collecting the deposit, everyone would sit down to discuss the specific cooperation matters.

Seeing that a major matter concerning his life and limb was expected to be settled, the solemnity on Chen Chen's face finally melted away, revealing a satisfied smile.

He immediately instructed Secretary Liu to order some wine and food to be prepared.

At the same time, he invited the person previously sent to get medicine, as well as that "gentle and considerate nurse sister," to treat Xiaosa's injuries.

Secretary Liu and Awei's attitudes also underwent a 180-degree turn, treating Xiaosa with utmost enthusiasm and spewing all kinds of flattery as if it cost nothing.

Secretary Liu even personally brought over exquisite pastries and drinks.

Seeing that the washed-out shirt on Xiaosa's body was already battered beyond recognition, he even specially found a brand-new name-brand casual jacket from his own spare clothes for him to change into.

When had Xiaosa ever received such treatment? For a moment, he was somewhat flattered, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.

After treating the wounds, changing into new clothes, and finishing the hospitality, Chen Chen personally stood up and wanted to send a dedicated car to send Xiaosa back.

Although Xiaosa had not received voice transmission instructions from the mysterious expert at this moment, he had also recovered a bit of his uninhibited true nature.

He waved his hand, grinned, revealing his teeth:

"There's no need to trouble yourself, Chairman Chen. I can go back by myself."

However, when he walked to the door, he suddenly remembered something, turned around, and scratched his head somewhat sheepishly:

"Um... Chairman Chen, can you... lend me two bucks to take the bus?"

Chen Chen and Secretary Liu were both stunned for a moment, then smiled at each other.

Secretary Liu immediately took out a large stack of brand-new banknotes from his briefcase and shoved them into Xiaosa's pocket without a word.

"Brother Xiaosa, this is a small token of our appreciation, please don't refuse it, and I hope you will kindly accept it."

Chen Chen also stepped forward and patted Xiaosa's shoulder affectionately:

"From now on, we are all our own people. Feel free to speak up if you need anything, and I hope Brother Xiaosa can put in a few good words for us in front of Mr. Assassin."

Xiaosa hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gave in to the reality of his empty pockets, half-reluctantly accepting that stack of money.

Mimicking the mannerisms of Jianghu folks, he cupped his fists in a salute before bidding farewell and leaving the chairman's office.

Watching Xiaosa's swaggering figure disappear down the end of the corridor, a trace of an imperceptible arc curled up at the corner of Chen Chen's mouth, and a flash of shrewdness crossed his eyes.

Afterwards, he gave a slight nod to Secretary Liu.

Secretary Liu understood tacitly, immediately pulled out his phone, and began making a call.

...

The night was as dark as ink, and the lights were brilliant.

The neon signs in the center of Dongdu City, like countless twinkling stars, lit up this city that never sleeps.

The huge LOGO of the Yuanchen Group building exuded a dazzling glow at the top of the building, displaying the financial resources and ambition of the master of this place.

And several hundred meters opposite it, at the top of another skyscraper,

a tall and straight figure, like a sculpture melting into the night, stood quietly on the edge of the rooftop.

The biting night wind blew the hem of his black hooded sweatshirt and ruffled the scattered strands of hair on his forehead.

The person standing here was none other than Fang Cheng.

With sharp eyes, he looked across the air at the brightly lit office on the 97th floor of the Yuanchen Group building a hundred meters away.

Relying on vision far exceeding ordinary people and the information obtained through the spiritual connection, he could clearly see everything happening inside the office.

In the afternoon when meditating at home, Fang Cheng unexpectedly sensed that unfamiliar mental fluctuation filled with intense emotions.

After some investigation, he successfully established a spiritual connection with the punk he had taught a lesson to back then.

He saw the whole process of Xiaosa being kidnapped by people from the Red Tiger Gang, and at the same time, through Xiaosa's eyes, firmly memorized the route the van took in his mind.

When night came, under the cover of night, he tracked all the way here according to the route in his memory.

This seemingly glamorous Yuanchen Group building was actually the main stronghold where the higher-ups of the Red Tiger Gang entrenched themselves.

Fang Cheng's original plan was to first observe the situation inside the building clearly, and after determining the distribution and strength of the enemy, he would sneak in.

Find an opportunity to eliminate Xiaosa and the Red Tiger Gang, two loose ends that might expose his own information.

But when he saw Chen Chen's abnormal behavior in the office and the dialogue between him and Xiaosa,

he temporarily changed his mind.

He wanted to see what kind of medicine Gang Leader Chen of the Red Tiger Gang was selling in his gourd.

"Looking to cooperate with me?"

Fang Cheng muttered to himself, the corner of his mouth curving into an arc.

This underworld overlord didn't seem as arrogant, despotic, or solely focused on killing as rumored.

Instead, he was more like a seasoned old fox, exuding a sinister cunning.

Amidst his thoughts, his gaze subsequently shifted and fell on the street below.

He saw Xiaosa's limping figure walk out of the Yuanchen Group building, hail a taxi by the roadside, and drive away.

And right after the taxi he took drove away,

several men wearing masks and duck-billed caps came out of the building, nimbly got into another car, and quietly tailed him.

Fang Cheng's gaze flickered slightly, not staying any longer, he quickly turned around and walked toward the fire escape exit door on the top floor.

...

Late at night, the hustle and bustle of the city had gradually subsided.

The urban village was even more shrouded in gloom.

In the narrow alley, there was not a single street lamp.

Only the sporadic light leaking from the windows of the residential buildings reflected the fuzzy outline of the garbage and sewage piled up on the ground.

Above the head, spider-web-dense wires were tangled haphazardly, hanging low as if they would crush down at any moment.

Together with the overlapping small ads for making certificates, unlocking doors, and dredging sewers on the walls, they formed a unique landscape of this area.

Xiaosa carrying a net bag of fruit walked with a limp.

The old injury on his left leg had long since healed, but after taking a beating today, it seemed to be faintly aching again.

He instinctively reached out and touched his pocket, which held that stack of thick banknotes.

While in the car, he had already secretly counted them: not a penny more or less, exactly ten thousand yuan.

This windfall made Xiaosa's heavy mood slightly lighter, and he even hummed a tune out of tune in his mouth.

However, thinking of that mysterious expert whose voice was always heard but whose person was never seen, a layer of dark clouds once again shrouded his heart that had just cleared up.

After coming out of the Yuanchen Group building, the other party never contacted him again, as if they had completely disappeared just like that.

Xiaosa raised his head and looked at the pitch-black end of the alley.

The skyscrapers faintly visible in the distance, with neon lights flashing, were like another unreachable world.

Where on earth would the path of the future lead?

His eyes could not help but feel somewhat lost.

Although he used glib words in front of Chen Chen to temporarily escape danger,

what if the person transmitting messages from the shadows wasn't that formidable mysterious expert?

Or, what if the Red Tiger Gang had no sincerity at all and didn't intend to cooperate with the other party?

Wouldn't he have rejoiced for nothing, and perhaps even failed to keep his life?

He did not dare to think further down.

In that case, the consequences would simply be too terrifying...

Xiaosa let out a heavy sigh, only feeling that his luck had truly hit rock bottom.

His life seemed to have been written with the two words "unlucky" right from the start.

When he was seven years old, his father went out to sea to fish and encountered a storm, failing to even retrieve an intact corpse.

By the time he was twelve, his mother, who worked non-stop at the textile mill, induced acute glaucoma due to working long-term night shifts.

At that time, the family was as poor as a church mouse and simply didn't have the money for timely treatment, ultimately leading to total blindness.

He had to drop out of school and proactively took on the heavy burden of taking care of his mother.

In those years, his relatives all watched with cold detachment, avoiding him like the plague.

In order to survive, at a young age he struggled at the bottom of society, doing all kinds of dirty and tiring work. When he was starving, he even laid down his dignity to beg for food.

Last year, the Red Tiger Gang opened a new stronghold and widely recruited manpower.

Thinking that this Gang had just risen not long ago and its momentum was so fierce,

perhaps he could seize the opportunity and make something of himself, so he eagerly joined.

Who would have thought that as soon as he went in, he was sent to keep watch over those Young Misses, becoming a low-tier attendant.

And precisely because of this identity, it subsequently brought a series of utterly unlucky and troublesome matters.

First, he was severely taught a lesson by someone, almost losing his little life.

In his sorry state, he could only obey obediently, turn traitor against the Red Tiger Gang, and defect to the Three Wolves Gang.

He originally thought that even if he became a double agent and changed to a new wharf, as long as he behaved well, he could always make something of himself.

Who knew that good days didn't last many days before the Three Wolves Gang was wiped out in one fell swoop by the Red Tiger Gang.

In the blink of an eye, he became a stray dog again, and was caught on the spot by the police in the chaos.

Staying in the detention center for three months and spending the New Year there, he was considered ready to turn over a new leaf and stay away from Jianghu rights and wrongs.

Little did he know that as soon as he was released today, before his footing was even steady, he was kidnapped again and dragged into an even bigger trouble.

It was simply bad luck's mother opening the door for bad luck—luck had hit rock bottom!

Xiaosa couldn't help but grin, mocking himself for having such a wretched fate.

"Woof woof woof!"

A scrawny black dog abruptly darted out from the shadows and barked wildly at him.

"Screw your uncle, Charcoal!"

Xiaosa was startled. Recognizing it as the neighbor's dog, he immediately cursed with displeasure:

"Haven't seen you in a few months, and you don't recognize your old man anymore? Ungrateful wretch!"

He immediately bent down to pick up half a brick by his feet, making a motion to throw it.

"Ouch, who pissed off our family's Charcoal?"

A thick-waisted woman came out of the low house next to her holding a basin of water and splashed it onto the ground with a swish.

Seeing Xiaosa clearly by the light leaking from the house, she raised her eyebrows in some surprise:

"Yo, isn't this A-Ren? When did you come back?"

Subsequently, her gaze fell on Xiaosa's brand-new clothes and trousers that obviously didn't fit and the bruises on his face that hadn't faded yet, and she teased:

"Dressed up like a human being, with all these colorful bruises on your face, where did you make a fortune?"

Xiaosa grinned, revealing a few white teeth:

"Sister Zhang, stop making fun of me. I'm just making a living."

He evasively brushed it off and walked quickly toward the deeper part of the alley.

Finally, he stopped in front of his family's crooked wooden door.

The door panel was somewhat deformed due to years of exposure to the sun and rain, revealing a few cracks.

Xiaosa adjusted the expression on his face and raised his hand to knock, only to find that the door was unlocked and left ajar.

With a gentle push, the wooden door opened with a creak.

The house was pitch black.

Xiaosa reached out to feel for the light cord on the wall and pulled it. With a click, the light didn't come on.

True, with him not around and his mother having poor eyesight, how could she remember to pay the electricity bill? It must have been a power outage.

At this time, his mother should have already gone to sleep in the inner room.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Xiaosa raised his voice and shouted.

A slight cough came from the inner room, followed by the rustling sound of groping around.

A moment later, a hunchbacked woman walked out of the inner room, groping with both hands.

It was none other than Xiaosa's mother, Li Guifen.

Her skin was sallow, and the years had carved her face with a sense of vicissitudes far exceeding her actual age.

Her eye sockets were deeply sunken without a trace of luster, obviously indicating a problem with her vision.

"Is that A-Ren? You're back!"

Following the sound, Li Guifen's face revealed a joyful smile as she extended her withered hands, wanting to touch her son.

The matter of Xiaosa going to prison was naturally kept hidden from his mother; he had only entrusted someone to send a message saying he had gone to other places to work on a ship and make big money.

At this moment, seeing his mother walking over tremblingly, worried that she might fall and afraid that the injuries on his face would be discovered,

he quickly stepped forward a few steps and supported her arm.

"Mom, I'm back."

He repeated it, took the opportunity to hand over the fruit, and said with feigned excitement:

"Passing by a fruit stand on the way, I saw that the bananas and apples were quite fresh, so I bought some for you."

Li Guifen took the somewhat heavy net bag. Feeling its weight in her hands, she reproached lovingly:

"You child, why are you wasting money like this again? These things can't be eaten as meals."

While speaking, she carefully felt her son's arms and waistline, repeatedly asking with full concern:

"Was it hard on the ship? How come you seem to have lost a lot of weight? Have you eaten? Mom will go make something for you right now."

As she spoke, she was about to grope her way toward the stove, but her steps paused again, remembering with difficulty that there were only a few withered vegetable leaves left at home.

So she turned around and said again:

"I'll go to Li's shop at the corner of the street to get some cold dishes back for you, to properly wash away the dust for your homecoming."

Saying that, she groped her way toward the inner room, preparing to get money.

Xiaosa had indeed eaten some wine and food in Chen Chen's office, but at that time he was heavy-hearted and hadn't swallowed much; right now his stomach was truly a bit hungry.

But seeing his mother like this, he still quickly grabbed her and dissuaded her:

"Mom, no trouble needed. I've already eaten on the ship, I'm stuffed."

He helped his mother sit down on a dilapidated stool with a crooked leg propped up by a brick:

"Sit down and rest for a while, just keep me company and talk. I'm not hungry, I just walked a lot and am a bit thirsty."

He felt for the enamel mug on the table, poured some cold boiled water, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.

Then, smacking his lips with satisfaction, he said:

"The water at home is still the sweetest!"

Hearing this, Li Guifen's face showed a gratified smile:

"That's only natural. The water on the ship is probably salty and astringent; how can it compare to the clear and delicious water boiled at our home."

"Mom, what you said is so right, it's exactly this taste. Back then when I was on the ship..."

Xiaosa responded perfunctorily and began fabricating various experiences of running boats to divert his mother's attention.

At the same time, his gaze casually swept across his long-left home, and inadvertently, he glanced at the dining table.

There, a worn-out porcelain bowl was covered by a gauze net, and inside was a little half-bowl of blackened pickles.

Next to it was half a dry and hard steamed bun, faintly emitting a slight sour smell.

Seeing this scene, Xiaosa's gaze seemed to be nailed in place, and he froze instantly.

A surging sourness suddenly rushed straight from the bottom of his heart to his nasal cavity.

Following that, his nose stung, and his eye sockets instantly grew hot.

"..."

Xiaosa hurriedly turned his head away, covering his mouth tightly as if he had been choked.

His Adam's apple rolled up and down uncontrollably, suppressing that sob that was about to burst out back down fiercely.