With such a facial expression, Li Ruo felt extremely annoyed inside. This bastard wasn't adjusting his attitude at all and showed no signs of understanding what it meant to be a bodyguard. Gritting her teeth, Li Ruo hooked a cold smirk and thought to herself, "Hmph, little tyke, since you're acting like this, don't blame me for not being nice. At the very least, I should make you realize what it means to be a good subordinate, right?" Li Ruo slightly parted her red lips, "Here's the thing, Jinxing Decoration Company owes our company a sum of money, and if you can retrieve it within seven days, then your trial will be considered successful!"
"Is it that simple?" Ye Chen blinked, frowning, "Isn't requesting payment usually the job of the sales department? Why send a bodyguard?"
"Hmph, if you can't even handle this little task, what use are you to me?" Li Ruo pursed her lips and crossed her arms, looking coy. Ye Chen found himself almost mesmerized by her and quickly bit his tongue, fearful of being bewitched by this little monster. Li Ruo glanced at him and said, "Well, what's it going to be? If you can't handle it, I might just look for someone more capable."
"It's simple!" Ye Chen hastily nodded and agreed, "I accept!"
"Really?" Li Ruo was surprised, her smile hooking upward, "But you better not back out!"
"Absolutely not!" Ye Chen patted his chest, saying, "Not just seven days, I'll get it done for you in three!"
"Braggart!" Li Ruo couldn't help but pout, revealing a touch of her childlike heart and enhancing her cuteness, but the moment was fleeting, as Li Ruo seemed to realize her frown was unprofessional and quickly resumed her icy demeanor. "Alright, here is the address and contact information, you better get going!"
Ye Chen took the business card, glanced at it, "General Manager of Jinxing Decoration Company: Zhang Dadan." He quickly tucked the card into his pocket and dashed out without another word, these two women were a bit odd, as Ye Chen left, he threw them a very puzzled look and thought to himself: "They're really like Bai He couple; it's better for me to stay away."
After work, he went home.
There lay Feng Zhixiao, lounging on his couch like he owned the place, drinking chilled beer and eating Drunkard Peanuts, comfortably watching TV. As soon as Ye Chen entered, Feng Zhixiao sprung up from the couch.
"Brother Chen, finished work?" Feng Zhixiao was delighted to see Ye Chen.
"Damn, kid, how did you get in?" Ye Chen stared dumbfounded at him, the room was a mess because of this little brother.
"Hehe, visiting Brother Chen's place is like coming to my own home, right?" Feng Zhixiao chuckled, scratching his messy nest of hair, then quickly changed the subject, "Brother Chen, I came especially to thank you today!"
"Thank me for what?" Ye Chen was stunned.
"Didn't you get me out of that mess?" Feng Zhixiao grinned.
"Come on, weren't you taking the fall for me?" Ye Chen took off his uniform, tossed it on the couch, and changed into a loose-fitting casual outfit.
"Brother Chen, speaking of which, that policewoman was pretty, huh? When did you manage that? How come I didn't know?" Feng Zhixiao had been thinking about Zhang Yantong ever since their first meeting, stunned by her beauty in uniform, which carried an allure of its own. What's the biggest dream of a small fry? To pin down a beautiful cop and have his way.
By the way, these days in Jianghuai City, when small fries go to the red-light district, they love the thrill of uniform seduction, particularly female cops are said to be the most popular. Hence, during every anti-vice operation, you could see cops catching cops, stirring public debate.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Ye Chen glared at him and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet, the little cash I borrowed from you last time went to cover the boys' expenses!" Feng Zhixiao scratched his head.
"Alright, let's go downstairs for some food!" Ye Chen looked at him and said nothing more; Feng Zhixiao was indeed loyal, or he wouldn't have ended up being hacked at the entrance of their housing compound last time, just because he stood up for his little brothers.
"Sure thing!" Feng Zhixiao beamed broadly.
The two directly found a food stall at the entrance of their housing block. Although the roadside stalls were tasty, the key issue was their cleanliness. The food stalls were not only economical but also cleaner. They ordered some cold dishes, a couple of hot dishes, and a big bowl of rice, and of course, what mattered most were some bottles of beer. A man's dining table without wine lacks a touch of elegance.
"Brother Chen, here's a toast to you!" Feng Zhixiao raised his glass.
"Cheers!" Ye Chen drank it all in one go.
"Brother Chen, how's the bodyguard gig going?" Feng Zhi Xiao asked curiously, "Is it really a monthly salary of ten thousand?"
"Shit, don't bring up that crappy thing!" Ye Chen glanced at Feng Zhi Xiao annoyed and said, "Even being a bodyguard has a probation period, dammit, you tell me why there isn't a probation period when you get married and find a husband?"
"How does the probation work?" Feng Zhi Xiao was startled and laughed, "Do you need a hand, brother?"
"What the fuck is Jinxing Decoration Company?" Ye Chen picked up a chopstick full of food.
"Shit, no way?" Feng Zhi Xiao suddenly jumped up from his stool, exclaiming, "You... Brother Chen, you didn't stumble into a hornet's nest, did you?"
Feng Zhi Xiao's reaction immediately made people in the diner turn their heads, staring at Feng Zhi Xiao like he was a fool.
"Uh... what exactly is going on?" Ye Chen quickly put down his chopsticks.
Could this matter be not as simple as it appears? Ye Chen hurriedly grabbed Feng Zhi Xiao by the arm, pushing him back into his seat, and made him explain, since he was an outsider with little understanding of Jianghuai City. The only clear memory was the lonely orphanage near University City. For some reason, that was the only fragmentary memory in Ye Chen's mind, strangely including information about that orphanage. Everything else was unknown.
"Brother Chen, do you genuinely not know or are you pretending?" Feng Zhi Xiao quickly dropped his chopsticks, staring into Ye Chen's eyes, and said, "Jinxing Decoration Company is the big boss of University City area, Zhang Dadan's shell company!"
"Who is Zhang Dadan?" Ye Chen was taken aback.
"Shit, Brother Chen, talking about Zhang Dadan would take a while!" Feng Zhi Xiao swallowed, saying, "This guy in the vicinity of University City is notorious for wrongdoing..."
From Feng Zhi Xiao's mouth, Ye Chen learned that Jinxing Decoration Company was just a front for laundering underworld money. Zhang Dadan was the big boss of University City, a well-known figure in the Jianghuai underworld. Besides owning a decoration company, he also owned a real estate development company and various gambling establishments. It was said that he had amassed a huge fortune at a young age and held significant assets, while also cultivating a bunch of thugs, each ferocious like wolves.
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen felt as if he had been duped, having pledged in Li Ruo's office just a while ago to handle the accounts within three days. Now, with a few words from Feng Zhi Xiao, Ye Chen felt like he had fallen into an icy hole.
"Shit, that little minx played me!" Ye Chen gritted his teeth, holding his drink and downed a shot in one gulp.
"Brother Chen, you're really in trouble this time!" Feng Zhi Xiao genuinely felt anxious for Ye Chen and said, "I say just ditch the bodyguard gig. Though the pay is high, you're just a human shield. What use is money if you're dead? It's just trouble!"
"That won't do!" Ye Chen said coldly with a snort, "I hate being played by others, but since she wants to play, I'll play it through to the end!"
"What's your plan, Brother Chen?" Feng Zhi Xiao smacked his lips.
"Collect the debt, let her know the consequences of playing me. Heh, throw the money in her face, then fire her ass!" Ye Chen said coldly with a laugh. Watching the astonished look on Li Ruo's face would be quite a treat, he thought coldly.
"Great!" Feng Zhi Xiao clapped his hands, lifted his cup, and laughed, "That's why I admire you, Brother Chen. Here's to you!"
Cheers!
The two clinked glasses again, tilting their heads back to drink deeply, eating to their fill before heading home to sleep. The next clear morning, Ye Chen woke up early, having cultivated the habit of exercising early over the years. He ran a few laps around the neighborhood, then went home for a shower, changed into clean and fresh clothes, got into his little Oto, and headed directly to University City.
University City is a bustling commercial hub in Jianghuai City.
In University City, various goods flood the market, everything imaginable. There's a scattered goods wholesale area as well as high-end fashion buildings. University City is divided into three levels, from low to high, clearly classifying the quality. Catering to different classes, different demographics.
Watching the bustling crowd, Ye Chen drove the little Oto towards University City, glanced at the buildings of University City, all eighteen levels from the lower wholesale markets to the higher-end goods on display, dazzling array of accessories, attracting not just ordinary citizens but also students from nearby universities.
"Handsome guy, interested in wholesale? Our underwear is guaranteed to be cheap and affordable!"
"Good-looking, how about ladies' underwear wholesale? Cheap, want some? Don't be in such a hurry, if you want even cheaper, we can weigh it by the pound!"