60: Heaven and Earth

Three days later, in the afternoon,

Li Zhan stood before his office window, a cigarette between his fingertips, as his gaze swept across the empty street below.

Today, the police cars didn't come.

It seemed Director Li had already started making his moves.

A strange calm had settled over the Changan Branch Bureau, but Li Zhan knew all too well—

The calmer it seemed, the more turbulent the undercurrents were beneath the surface.

Next, there was bound to be a major upheaval at the Changan Branch Bureau.

Taking advantage of this rare breathing room, Li Zhan moved quickly to integrate the Bai Family's industries.

All venues were merged under Xinyue Entertainment,

the Bai Family's original lackeys were incorporated into the security company and restructured,

and security squads were redistributed to each venue.

The Gambling Dens were also renovated according to his requirements, adding hostesses for drinking accompaniment and free drinks.

Just as he was looking through the latest financial reports, his phone rang.

Captain Zhao's voice came through the receiver, "That 'Auntie' has already started her operation. Make sure you arrange things properly."

Li Zhan felt an immediate headache. "Captain Zhao, how long is this 'Auntie' going to stay at my place?"

On the other end of the line, Captain Zhao gave a light chuckle. "Until she finds some dirt on you, of course."

Li Zhan was left speechless.

Captain Zhao continued,

"But don't worry,

her high-ranking official father doesn't know yet that his precious daughter is going to do such dangerous undercover work.

Just deal with her for a while.

Once the storm here settles, Director Li will personally go to report and strive to have this 'Auntie' transferred away as soon as possible."

He paused, his tone turning serious,

"This woman is a ticking time bomb. Whatever you do, don't let her explode in your hands."

Li Zhan rubbed his temples. "Fine, I got it."

Hanging up the phone,

he walked to his desk,

staring at Lin Xia's file photo on the table, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

—Now, there's going to be some trouble.

Just then, Sister Hua knocked and walked in.

Having been 'carefully nourished' by Li Zhan recently, her whole being radiated a supple glow.

She swayed her hips slightly, walking straight to Li Zhan's side and picking up the file on the desk with her fingertips.

"That 'Auntie' has already arrived at the Xiagang venue,"

her red lips curled upward, "and is currently undergoing 'on-the-job training'."

Li Zhan pulled her by the waist into his arms, burying his nose in her hair and taking a deep breath,

"She wants to be a hostess?"

Sister Hua leaned into his chest, smiling mischievously,

"She went to apply herself. That 'cop smell' on her can be detected from three streets away."

She tapped the photo on the file with her fingertip. "But... she really is quite beautiful.

Do you really plan to let her be a hostess?"

Li Zhan pinched her perky buttocks and gave a bitter smile. "Forget it, that would only be more trouble.

If her father found out his precious daughter was a hostess at my place, would we even be able to do business anymore?"

He rubbed his temples. "I'll go meet her tonight. I'll keep her by my side as an 'assistant' for now and deal with her after this period passes."

Sister Hua raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?

That kind of young miss isn't easy to serve."

"It's better than her causing a scene in the venue."

Li Zhan let her go and picked up his jacket. "Let's go. We're heading to Xiagang now."

—

On the top floor of the Phoenix City Nightclub, sandalwood incense curled in the antique-style tea room.

Ninth Master sat cross-legged before the rosewood tea table, a white jade chess piece held between his fingers, hovering for a long time without being placed.

Brother Biao stood to the side with his hands down.

Ninth Master spoke slowly, "Li Zhan... just swallowed up the Bai Family's territory like that?"

His voice was very soft, yet it caused the temperature in the tea room to drop sharply.

Brother Biao nodded,

"Yes. Before Tang Shirong left,

he handed over all the Bai Family's venues, smuggling lines, and even the Wharf connections to him."

The chess piece in Ninth Master's hand landed on the board with a 'clack',

"In just a few months, from a poor kid in a rented room to now owning nearly half of Changan... I heard he's even harassing the venues in the South City now. His ambition is not small.

Heh, I underestimated him."

Brother Biao hesitated for a moment before adding,

"The Changan Branch Bureau has also been very strange lately.

Captain Wang, who was originally watching Li Zhan, suddenly withdrew his men,

and the entire Sub-bureau is being extremely secretive, as if something big has happened..."

Ninth Master narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his thin eyes,

"Anything that can make an entire Sub-bureau shut up must be something huge."

He gave a cold laugh. "Li Zhan has someone behind him."

The tea room fell into silence, save for the 'gurgle' of the boiling kettle.

After a long while, Ninth Master suddenly spoke, "We can't let him keep developing like this."

Brother Biao looked up. "You mean...?"

Ninth Master tapped the chessboard with his fingertip. "Haven't you been getting quite close to that 'Crown Prince' from Tiger Gate lately?

Li Zhan's venue in Xiagang just opened; you could take him there to show some support."

Brother Biao was stunned, then immediately understood. "You mean..."

A sinister smile curled on Ninth Master's lips,

"Doesn't the Crown Prince love beauties the most?

Those women around Li Zhan are all quite good-looking."

Brother Biao suddenly shuddered, sweat breaking out on his forehead,

"Understood. I'll go make an appointment with him now."

Outside the tea room window, the twilight was heavy.

In the distance, the neon lights of Xiagang had just lit up, like the opening eyes of a beast.

—

As night fell, the streets of Xiagang were dyed in a brilliant array of neon lights.

The four gilded characters for 'Heaven on Earth' were particularly striking in the night,

this was the new sign for the nightclub under Li Zhan's name, and all future venues would bear this name.

No major changes were made to the exterior of the six-story building,

except for replacing the Bai Family's old logo;

the newly designed emblem glinted coldly under the lights, exuding a sense of understated luxury.

The bottom four floors were KTV private rooms, while the top two floors were hotel guest rooms, facilitating a 'one-stop' service for customers.

Consumption in Dongguan wasn't expensive at that time;

there were '3-6-9' and '2-5-8' tiers, and some venues even did '1-4-7'.

Three was for accompaniment, six was for a one-time service, and nine was for the whole night.

Many people from Shenzhen and nearby cities liked to take a taxi over on weekends to play for a couple of days.

Li Zhan and Sister Hua walked into the lobby side by side,

the glow of the crystal chandelier spilling onto the black marble floor, reflecting their figures.

The interior style after the renovation was more modern,

with dark gold wallpaper paired with deep red sofas, preserving the nightclub's ambiguous atmosphere while adding a touch of high-class sophistication.

The nightclub manager came running to meet them, sweat lightly visible on his forehead. "Brother Zhan! Sister Hua!"

Li Zhan gave a slight nod. "Arrange a private room and bring in the latest batch of hostesses. I want to see the training results."

The service industry in Dongguan at that time all had similar on-the-job training, which was very professional.

The manager quickly complied and went to make the arrangements.

Sister Hua looked around, her red lips curving upward,

"Lili is in the VIP area on the third floor, Feifei is in charge of the regular rooms on the second floor, and Xiaoxue is responsible for the female guest area on the fourth floor."

She lowered her voice, "There are over a dozen sisters who jumped ship from Phoenix City, and their quality is quite good.

The new girls are currently all under Feifei's management."

—

Heaven on Earth · VIP Private Room

Li Zhan sat alone on the black leather sofa in the private room, swirling a glass of red wine in his hand.

Sister Hua had gone to other rooms to greet people.

The lights in the room were dimmed, and the ambient lights on the walls glowed with a ghostly blue light, casting deep contours on his face.

The door was pushed open, and Feifei walked in on high heels,

wearing a tight black work uniform, her legs long and straight under a miniskirt, a walkie-talkie in her hand.

Behind her followed seven or eight girls also dressed in uniforms,

all in miniskirts and high heels with exquisite makeup, standing in a row.

Feifei plopped down next to Li Zhan, intimately taking his arm,

"Why the sudden visit? Are you here to check on my work results?"

Li Zhan smiled and put his arm around her waist. "The new shop is open; of course I have to come and 'test the clock'."

Feifei pinched his waist and said coquettishly, "You scoundrel!"

Li Zhan turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the girls standing in a row.

At this time, Dongguan was at the height of the 'Dongguan-style service' craze sweeping the nation,

and the title of 'Sex Capital' attracted countless curious tourists and dream-seeking girls.

Every day, people from all over the country flocked to the night venues here—

some came to drown their sorrows, some came for pleasure, and some came to strike gold.

These girls before him were each exceptionally attractive.

Some were pure and lovely, others charming and seductive,

and their figures were beyond reproach—fair-skinned and beautiful, with curves and legs in all the right places.

Li Zhan sometimes wondered, with such qualities, what couldn't they succeed at?

Why take this path?