29: Reactions from all parties

When Li Zhan walked to the side door, A Zhen was leaning against the door frame chatting with Xiao Xue.

Seeing him approach, A Zhen's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward quickly to take his arm.

"Why did you come to pick me up so late?"

A Zhen chided playfully, though her fingers quietly tightened around his arm.

"Don't come if it's too late in the future; I'm afraid you'll get tired."

She suddenly leaned in and sniffed. "A smell of alcohol? Did you drink today?

Hmm? And why is there a woman's perfume scent?"

"I had a few drinks with Old Zhou and the others; Little Night was sitting next to me."

Li Zhan said nonchalantly, habitually taking A Zhen's bag.

A Zhen gave his arm a secret pinch and held him even tighter.

Xiao Xue stood to the side, her short hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

Her hands were in her trench coat pockets as her gaze swept over Li Zhan, but the corners of her mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

As the three of them walked toward the parking lot, A Zhen suddenly lowered her voice.

"Did Brother Biao look for you? What was it about?"

Li Zhan pinched her small face. "It's nothing, just asking about the recent situation."

"Oh, as long as everything's okay."

A Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go. Today is our first day staying in the new home."

Li Zhan smiled and put his arm around her shoulder, then turned to Xiao Xue. "Get in the car; it's cold outside."

Xiao Xue silently pulled open the rear car door.

Once inside the car, Li Zhan immediately felt a sense of relief.

Brother Biao's behavior today had been strange.

What would happen tomorrow? Would Master Bai retaliate?

All the way there, A Zhen leaned on him excitedly, her fingers constantly gesturing about the renovation details of the new home.

When the car drove into the Lotus Residential Area,

A Zhen was still animatedly describing how she wanted to decorate her room.

In the elevator, Xiao Xue stood in the corner.

In the mirror's reflection, her eyes briefly met Li Zhan's before she looked away as if nothing had happened.

The door to 1501 had just been opened,

And though it was late at night, the sound of several girls laughing and playing greeted them under the warm yellow lights.

Lily, wearing an apron, poked her head out from the kitchen. "The hangover soup will be ready soon!"

Feifei and Xiao Wen were fighting over the remote on the sofa; seeing them return, they immediately swarmed around.

"Where are my slippers?"

A Zhen stood on her tiptoes, rummaging through the entryway.

Xiao Wen thoughtfully handed her the slippers and took the bag Li Zhan was carrying.

Li Zhan looking at the cozy scene in the room, his tense nerves gradually relaxed.

He intentionally raised his voice. "I'm going to take a shower first... who wants to help scrub my back?"

He winked at the girls as he spoke.

"In your dreams!"

A Zhen laughed, went to the bedroom to get a change of clothes, stuffed them into his hands, and pushed him into the bathroom.

"Go wash yourself!"

The moment the bathroom door closed, Li Zhan heard a burst of silvery laughter from outside.

As the hot water washed over his body, he closed his eyes and listened to the girls playing outside.

The fatigue of the past few days seemed to fade away.

—

The next day at noon.

When A Zhen woke up, sunlight was streaming through the sheer curtains into the bedroom.

Li Zhan was sitting at the dressing table, a fountain pen between his fingers.

Several A4 sheets covered in writing lay before him, with a stack of printed documents beside them.

She lazily pulled back the bedsheets.

Traces of last night remained on her fair skin, and her waist felt slightly sore.

This man had been excessively energetic lately; he had insisted on a bit of a tumble last night even though it was so late before finally letting her go.

She felt around on the messy sheets.

She found her crumpled pajamas, pulled them on haphazardly, and walked barefoot to stand behind Li Zhan.

“What are you writing?”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder, her gaze sweeping over the dense numbers and tables.

“I've seen you writing and drawing whenever you have a free moment these past few days.”

Li Zhan turned his head to kiss her on the lips and pointed at the content on the paper.

“The Gambling Den and the entertainment center used to be operated separately, which wasted too many resources. I plan to integrate them.”

A Zhen picked up the stack of documents and flipped through them; they were filled with business analyses, customer traffic diversion, and company integration plans.

“You even know about this stuff?

Are you in a gang or running a company?”

She wrinkled her nose and put the documents back.

Li Zhan chuckled but didn't respond.

“Alright then, Big Boss, take your time writing.”

She ruffled his hair and turned toward the bathroom.

“I'm going to wash up. Xiao Wen and the others will be coming over for a meal soon.”

Li Zhan nodded, his gaze returning to the documents.

These days, he had been calculating how to connect the resources of the Gambling Den and the entertainment center—

Gamblers could be channeled to spend at the entertainment center, while the entertainment center's VIP clients could feed back into the Gambling Den's high-stakes games.

If managed well, profits could increase by at least thirty percent.

But what was more troublesome right now was that

Master Bai might retaliate at any moment, Ninth Master's attitude was ambiguous, and Seventh Uncle was watching like a hawk... He pinched the bridge of his nose and pulled his thoughts back to the plan in front of him.

The sound of water came from the bathroom; A Zhen was humming as she washed up.

Listening to her, Li Zhan's lips curled up unconsciously.

No matter how big the storms were outside, at least at this moment, this home was warm.

—

Phoenix City Rooftop Tea Room

The sound of a door opening abruptly tore through the silence.

Brother Biao strode in, his shirt collar slightly open and beads of sweat on his forehead, clearly having run all the way up.

"Ninth Master, Flour Chang is dead."

Ninth Master had been leaning back in his leather chair flipping through account books; hearing this, his fingers paused, and he slowly looked up.

"Dead?

Didn't they say last night he was only seriously injured?"

Brother Biao wiped the sweat from his forehead. "He didn't make it on the way to the hospital. I just received the confirmed news."

Ninth Master didn't speak, his thumb slowly rubbing the agarwood prayer beads on his wrist.

The sultry air outside, signaling an approaching rainstorm, clung to the skin, and the prayer beads were also damp with humidity.

"That kid certainly acts decisively."

He suddenly sneered, slamming the prayer beads onto the mahogany table. "What's Old Man Bai's reaction?"

Brother Biao took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. "No movement for now. But..."

He glanced at the dark clouds outside. "The West City Gambling Den just reported that some unfamiliar faces were scouting the place this morning."

Ninth Master stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window; the entire city looked like a piece of glass about to shatter under the leaden sky.

"Send someone to settle the accounts for that smuggling ship from Cambodia.

Also, tell that kid to keep his people away from the Wharf for a while."

Brother Biao's pupils contracted—this was a signal to cut ties.

"But if Master Bai moves against him directly..."

"He's a young man."

Ninth Master turned around, a slight smile on his lips. "He has to learn to wipe his own ass."

—

At the same time, South City Jinsha Tea House.

A wisp of white steam rose from the teapot's spout as Shu He poured the freshly brewed Pu-erh into the purple clay cup in front of Seventh Uncle.

"He's dead."

Shu He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. "Flour Chang's body was taken from the hospital this morning; his throat was pierced through."

Seventh Uncle didn't touch the teacup, his withered fingers rubbing the dragon head of his cane.

Outside the window, a vendor selling herbal tea was passing by, beating a gong; the clanging sounded like a death knell.

Mad Dog Luo suddenly grinned and laughed. "That mad dog of Old Man Bai's should have died long ago!

This kid Li Zhan has guts!"

Shu He gave him a cold look. "Brother Luo, Li Zhan is currently paying us six hundred thousand in protection fees every month."

He tapped his finger on the ledger. "If Master Bai finds someone to shut down his venues..."

Seventh Uncle suddenly coughed twice.

The tea room instantly fell silent; even Mad Dog Luo shrank back.

Seventh Uncle slowly pulled a snuff bottle from his Tang suit pocket, took a deep sniff, and a cold smile seeped through his wrinkles.

"Old Bai wants to touch my purse?"

Shu He immediately leaned forward. "Should we send someone to have a word with Master Bai?"

"What's the rush?"

Seventh Uncle used his cane to pull back the curtain.

Below, two fish ball vendors were arguing over territory; he watched with great interest.

"Let Phoenix City and Old Bai bite each other for a while."

Mad Dog Luo grew anxious. "But our cut..."

"A-Luo, don't think about that little cut every day.

Have you thought about it? No matter who sits in that position, would they dare to shortchange us?"

Seventh Uncle suddenly poked his knee with the cane. "Now, I want to turn this Li Zhan into our blade.

Do you know why casino cockroaches can never be completely exterminated?"

Seeing Mad Dog Luo dazed, he continued to himself, "Because there's always someone secretly feeding them."

A glint flashed across Shu He's glasses. "You mean..."

Seventh Uncle pulled a slip of paper from under the tea tray with a license plate number written on it.

"Give Li Zhan a tip.

In a couple of days, a shipment from the Bai family will arrive at the Wharf."

He threw the note to Mad Dog Luo. "If a young man wants to save his life, he has to learn to offer a token of loyalty."

Mad Dog Luo suddenly realized. "What if he doesn't dare touch Master Bai's goods?"

Seventh Uncle picked up the cold tea and drained it in one gulp. "Then he can wait to be torn to pieces by Old Bai."

The teacup was slammed onto the table, cracks spreading like a spiderweb.

"Remember, I want a dog that can bite—"

He stared at the shape of the tea stain spreading on the mahogany tabletop. "Not Phoenix City's watchdog."