"This is money," Xiao Han asked with confusion, "Where did all this money come from!"
"Someone came to register today," Li Dapang said excitedly, "Twelve people, there were exactly twelve people who came to register."
"Really? For real?" Xiao Han's face showed complete surprise.
"Yes!" Li Dapang nodded eagerly and said, "At noon, one after another, twelve people came, all brought by their parents to register."
"The effect is that good?" Xiao Han was somewhat puzzled.
Soon, Xiao Han figured it out. These people were all acquaintances of Principal Li. They had all called Principal Li for advice, and after getting his answers and recommendations, they didn't hesitate to register for the Hanmen Training Class. A thousand a month, twelve people made twelve thousand.
Li Dapang was so excited he could hardly contain himself, it was the first time in his life that he had made money. It was truly exhilarating.
Xiao Han laughed and said, "Big Fatty, listen carefully, our Hanmen Training Class will only take a hundred students. Once full, we won't accept any more."
"Ah?" Li Dapang was startled and asked, "Turning down money?"
"It's not that I don't want to make money, but because we shouldn't be too blind in our early stage of development," Xiao Han replied.
"Alright then," Li Dapang nodded. Holding the money, he asked, "This money..."
"Keep it," Xiao Han said with a smile, "From now on, you handle all the money we receive. No need to tell me about it."
"This..." Li Dapang was slightly stunned, feeling touched, he nodded and said, "Okay, since you've said so, I'll manage it well for you."
After that, Li Dapang rode his bike straight towards the downtown area. It was time for school to let out, so Li Dapang had to quickly go and stand by on the scene. What if more people came to register? He couldn't miss out on business because of that.
As for Xiao Han, he walked home at a leisurely pace. The first batch of twelve people had far exceeded his expectations. It seemed that choosing Li Hengzhong as the spokesperson had been a wise decision.
......
Night fell gradually.
Throughout the journey, Xiao Han was immersed in a state of excitement. He hadn't expected things to progress so smoothly, far exceeding his own predictions. Liao Zhijie hadn't come looking for trouble with Xiao Han in the past few days either. Xiao Han knew that with Liao Zhijie's vengeful nature, he definitely wouldn't let matters rest easily.
He had just reached the entrance of the Fuxing Community.
A black Mercedes was quietly parked by the roadside. Two men in black stood beside the car. When they saw Xiao Han approaching the factory entrance, they immediately walked up to him, one in front and one behind.
Xiao Han immediately sensed the approach of danger.
He couldn't help but stop in his tracks, his fists clenched tight. The two men in black, emotionless, walked slowly towards Xiao Han. Just as they were about to reach him, Xiao Han instantly threw his backpack at them with force.
Bang!
The man in black in front quickly raised both hands to block the unexpected attack from Xiao Han.
Whoosh...
Xiao Han charged at them again.
Bang!
His legs kicked out like two bolts of lightning at the man in black. The man was struck and took several steps back. The man in black behind him was already pressing forward. Xiao Han quickly executed a roundhouse kick. The other man caught Xiao Han's attack with one hand and then punched towards Xiao Han's face.
Xiao Han was shocked, so he hurriedly dodged, lying down low on the ground, and then, like a carp flipping over, he stood up again.
"Stop!" the man in black suddenly shouted.
Xiao Han took a couple of slow steps back, maintaining a safe distance from the other men.
"Who are you, what do you want?!" Xiao Han eyed them coldly.
One of the men in black said, "Kid, our boss wants to see you!"
"Your boss?" Xiao Han was slightly stunned.
"Yes!" the man in black nodded.
"Who is it?" Xiao Han asked, curious.
"Brother Bao," the man in black revealed a smug expression.
"Brother Bao?" Xiao Han was taken aback, with information about Brother Bao flashing through his mind. Having grown up in LJ City since childhood, he was very familiar with some things there. Brother Bao's real name was Chen Kunbao, a power that had risen in LJ City years ago, with some dominance in Wangjiang District. All of Yanzi Mountain and the territory to the east were under his control. Moreover, the gambling den he and Li Da had visited last time was Chen Kunbao's turf.
Could it be...
Suddenly, a bad feeling welled up inside Xiao Han. Frowning, he asked, "What does Brother Bao want with me?"
"Brother Bao wants to see you," the man in black said indifferently, with a slight smile, "Get in the car!"
Xiao Han hesitated for a moment, realizing he couldn't escape today, and if he couldn't escape, he might as well face and accept whatever was coming.
So, with boldness, Xiao Han walked toward the Mercedes.
The man in black opened the car door, inside sat a middle-aged man, spirited, tapping his crossed legs, with a cigarette in his mouth. Xiao Han slid into the car, not speaking, but intently sizing up the person before him, judging the man's inner thoughts from his expression and eyes. Xiao Han wanted safety, and that meant he had to understand the other party's thoughts.
"Hello, Xiao Han," Brother Bao said with a grin, extending his hand with a strange smile on his face.
"Hello," Xiao Han responded evenly, shaking hands with Brother Bao, then asking, "Brother Bao, what do you want with me?"
"A few days ago, you and your classmate racked up a debt of 24,000 yuan at my casino. Right?" Brother Bao said with a slight smile.
"As for the casino, it's all about skill," Xiao Han retorted without fear, asserting, "Brother Bao surely isn't thinking of asking us for the money back, right? That would be rather beneath you."
"Anyone who cheats at my casino gets their hands and feet chopped off," Brother Bao chuckled. "Do you think you could be next?"
Ssss...
Xiao Han took a deep breath, calming himself for a moment before saying, "Brother Bao really knows how to joke. Winning money means cheating, then don't you always win? I never knew running a casino was so lucrative!"
"Hahaha..." Brother Bao burst out laughing.
Feeling the hostility from the other party, Xiao Han started to figure out how to leave this place. At that moment, Brother Bao laughed and said, "I hear you've been setting up a college entrance exam training class recently?"
"How did you know?" Xiao Han asked, looking at Brother Bao with surprise.
"In Wangjiang District, there's really nothing Chen Kunbao doesn't know about," Brother Bao said with a soft smile.
"What do you mean by that, Brother Bao?" Xiao Han asked curiously, staring at Brother Bao.
The saying goes, no one visits a temple without a cause; today, the other party was either here to collect that debt of over twenty thousand yuan or to collect protection money. If it was about the debt, he could simply pay it back honestly; using others for one's gains could sometimes be a good thing. If it was about protection money, he would have to pay up, no question—after all, this was their territory, their power overwhelming. He was no match for them.
"No particular meaning," Brother Bao said, his eyes flashing with a sly smile. "I just wanted to get to know you... let's call it making a new friend."
"Huh?!" Xiao Han was surprised. "You... you're not here for that money?"
"Haha..." Brother Bao laughed heartily upon hearing this, commenting, "Do you think I need that money?"
"This..." Xiao Han hesitated for a moment.
"Alright, I should be going," Brother Bao said with a casual smile.
Xiao Han sensibly got out of the car.
The car slowly turned around and then gradually vanished into the dark intersection. Xiao Han never understood why Chen Kunbao would make such remarks.
............
In the Mercedes-Benz.
"Big Brother, weren't you supposed to teach that kid a lesson today?" the black-clothed man in the passenger seat asked.
"Of course not!" Chen Kunbao shook his head.
"Then..." the black-clothed man was a bit curious.
"There are some things you should never ask about, so never ask," Chen Kunbao glared at him sharply.
The black-clothed man immediately withdrew his head, daring not to make another sound.
Yet a tidal wave surged in Chen Kunbao's heart. Tears filled his eyes as he stared out the window at the colorful world, whispering to the outside, "Big Brother, Xiao Han has finally grown up, he has awoken. Your revenge is within reach."
............
News of the Hanmen Training Class spread quickly throughout LJ city.
There were mixed opinions about the training class; some said it was just another money-grabbing institution, while others believed in Principal Li's recommendation. Regardless, this didn't hinder the enrollment process for the Hanmen Training Class.
In three days, sixty people had signed up. And by Friday, all one hundred spots were filled.
As Xiao Han had decreed, once full, they immediately stopped enrolling students. Li Dapang called over two members of the staff to take away the registration tables, chairs, and materials at once.
"I... I haven't signed up yet," said a boy with glasses anxiously from behind.
"We at Hanmen only take a hundred people," Li Dapang glanced at him and said, "Try your luck next month; if someone drops out, you can take their place."
"No way!" the boy with glasses pleaded, "I came specifically because of Principal Li's recommendation."
"It's full, no more enrollment," Li Dapang waved his hand, firmly turning the few people behind away.
The news that Hanmen was only accepting a hundred students shocked LJ city. It was an invisible blow to the sixteen high schools and several vocational schools of LJ city. Chinese people have always loved a crowd; wherever there is excitement, they flock to it.
Hearing that Hanmen was only taking a hundred students, many who were initially in two minds became anxious, rushing to the Hanmen Training Class in hopes of enrolling. But all were turned away. This action made Hanmen the center of everyone's attention overnight.
"What's the deal with Hanmen Training Class anyway?"
"Who knows, they wouldn't let me enroll when I wanted to."