GUANGZHOU CITY
Gumei was once again gallivanting around Guangzhou as usual, but now Jian Nanfeng was with him. The poor boy had to hide each time he saw someone he knew. As he made his rounds, he took Nanfeng with him into a high-class casino; from the waiters to the gamblers, everyone clasped their fists in greeting as soon as Gumei entered. They didn't pay Nanfeng any mind because, as long as he came with Gumei, they could gamble in peace.
Being his first time in such a place, Jian Nanfeng was dazzled by the sight. Gambling was not allowed in Guangzhou, but being a city with people from different walks of life and even foreigners, the city lord mansion could not keep track of every casino established. It seemed the rumors that Gumei was the person handling the underbelly of Guangzhou were true. Anyway, he would not bring himself to their level; he was a phoenix high up in a sky.
Gumei tapped him with a sly smile, "Aiyou! What has got your feathers in a mix? Are you about to spread your peacocktail? Don't tell me you are about to find love in a casino! Your father would kill me!"
Nanfeng ground his teeth in frustration. "Keep talking, and you won't have to wait for my father to kill you. I'll gladly do it myself."
A waiter came and led them to a private room on the second floor, in which some people were waiting. Gumei stepped in and took the chair at the head of the table naturally, but there was no seat left for Nanfeng. The boy once again ground his teeth; Gumei must have done it on purpose!
When the head of the union of casino owners called for Gumei, he speculated the man had run into some trouble, but he didn't expect it was the whole union that had run into trouble! While he was wondering what it might be, the union leader started talking.
"A week ago, Fei Zhi, the leader of the Black Tortoise gang, came to my casino to gamble. He lost a lot but refused to pay up. Though it was quite a large sum of money, I was willing to let it go to foster good relations with him but he was uncontrollable. He even smashed up my casino and injured most of my employees. That, I am not willing to let go," the union leader explained.
"He did that in our casinos too!" the others chorused.
Gumei drummed his fingers lightly on the table. The other time he was chasing the Water Dragon gang leader because the man was harassing the foreign merchants, making it difficult for them to offload their goods. Now that the Black Tortoise gang was acting up, was there any relationship between the two incidents? Besides, when was this Black Tortoise gang created? How come he had never heard of them before?
Despite thinking hard about the situation, Gumei maintained a poker face. If they knew he had some doubts, they would try to take advantage of him. "Laoban, that was an unfortunate event. I'll see to it that it doesn't happen again."
The union had smiles on their faces as they thanked him, but he shook his head and tapped on the perfume pouch on his waist.
The union leader smiled in understanding. He had dealt with this little devil for a long time, so he knew exactly what to do. He promised to come to the Xiao clinic with the rest of the union to express their gratitude, and Gumei nodded. Since Gumei didn't stand up to leave, they felt awkward leaving and could only accompany him while he sipped tea and acted pretentious.
NANHAI CITY
Li Xin never thought someone could go from sad to happy to sad in a few seconds. This varying degree of emotion was something he didn't want to experience again; he was on the verge of running mad. All the invitation cards he had sent to the Guangzhou city lord mansion have been rejected; did those people take him as a joke?!
Eunuch Hua ran into the study in which Li Xin sat brooding. His clothes were in disarray, but the smile on his face was blinding. "Your highness, I had someone camp around the Shangguan's restaurant, and today he saw the young master of the city lord mansion and that other boy he contested against enter the restaurant."
Li Xin stood up abruptly. "Are you sure it was them?"
"Yes, your highness."
A maniacal laughter tore out of Li Xin's throat. He was wondering how to go to them, but they came to him by themselves! This must be a sign that he was on the right path. He quickly changed into outdoor clothes and rushed out.
If Jian Nanfeng truly had connections to the Shangguan family, then his aim of dominating Nanhai might be accomplished sooner rather than later. He had to make sure he caught up to them before they left the restaurant.