The next day, Owl and I strolled along the stream. I informed him about what had happened yesterday:
"Cam and I—the Muay Thai guy who fought me—are now members of the company."
Owl remained silent. His silence puzzled me. I frowned and asked:
"What do you think?"
Owl replied in a calm voice:
"If you keep fighting and playing this gang game, sooner or later, you'll get yourself killed... But I guess it's fine. Having him makes our company stronger. What's his position?"
I scratched my head, avoiding Owl's gaze, looking up at the sky. Seeing this, Owl immediately bent down, grabbed both of my legs, and pulled hard, making me fall flat on my back. He tightened his grip, not letting me escape. Panicked, I had no choice but to confess:
"He's... the vice chairman..."
Owl finally let me go but didn't forget to scold me:
"Why am I just a manager then?!"
Feeling awkward, I whistled to dodge the topic. Then, I quickly changed the subject:
"Tomorrow, let's go to school and recruit more members."
A swarm of butterflies fluttered out from the bushes, their vibrant colors catching my eye, making me pause in admiration.
The next day, during recess, I led Cam to meet Owl. As we walked, I felt a little anxious—would Cam dislike Owl like everyone else? But when I introduced them, the outcome was completely unexpected. Cam was friendly, extending his hand for a handshake. Owl was so flustered he even dropped his glasses. I was about to pick them up, but Cam was faster. He even carefully wiped them clean before handing them back to Owl. Owl and I exchanged glances—we both understood: Cam was accepted.
From a distance, three people suddenly ran toward us, kneeling on one knee and placing their hands over their chests. I was bewildered:
"Who are you guys? Stand up!"
They stood up but kept their hands over their chests. Cam tilted his head and smiled as he explained:
"They're my juniors. They want to join too."
The three of them spoke in unison:
"Please let us join the company!"
I nodded repeatedly, waving my hands in agreement:
"Alright! From now on, you're members. Since you're Cam's juniors, he'll be in charge of you guys."
"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison.
That afternoon, Owl and I lay on the green grass, enjoying nature. I gazed at the sky and suddenly said:
"I want our company to grow even stronger. I want to help people."
Owl responded softly:
"Wherever the chairman goes, I'll follow. But listen, we should recruit more members. Even though Cam is the vice chairman, we don't know if he'll betray us. And letting the vice chairman have more power than the chairman is dangerous."
I fell into deep thought. He's right. If I let Cam grow too strong, will people still respect me? I sat up abruptly, deciding to take a walk around the area to scout for potential members.
Owl silently followed. I sighed:
"Where should we go? Wandering around like this is boring!"
Owl shrugged:
"That's up to the chairman. I'm just following."
I stroked my chin, thinking. Maybe we should go to the supermarket? At least there's something to do there. But while walking down the street, I spotted a group of young men gathered together. They wore baseball caps and fake Gucci jackets with tiger and phoenix patterns—clearly thugs.
In the middle of the crowd, two people were being beaten!
I nudged Owl with my elbow and lowered my voice:
"Looks like we've got work to do."