Chapter Forty-Nine: The Underworld of Hedong Is in Turmoil

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Underworld in Hedong Is a Bit Chaotic

Ruan Qingshuang and Qiu Yan stared in astonishment at Xu Yun as he stepped out of the car. They were eager to hear his explanation for why he had called Qin Wan’er away, yet now he returned alone.

Xu Yun, however, said nothing to them. Instead, he slapped the shoulder of the three tigers of the Southern City. “Gather up those who scattered from the Axe and Sword Society and the Four Wolves Gang these past few days. Tell them this is a place they cannot provoke.”

Hong Ning was the first to nod in agreement. Xu Yun had always been mysterious in his eyes, and today, witnessing his actions, he was thoroughly convinced. Xu Yun’s subtle gestures had touched him as well; he returned the twenty thousand yuan they had spent to purchase membership cards. That was true loyalty, not taking advantage of others.

Kong Zhong glanced at Qiu Yan, the woman he considered akin to the Grim Reaper. Her gaze toward Xu Yun bore a hint of reverence, enough for him to understand where he should stand. “Brother Yun, what should we do now?”

“Head back,” Xu Yun waved his hand.

Lu Feng looked at the medicinal dining hall, its renovations only just begun, and said to Xu Yun, “Brother, I have plenty of workers under me. Tomorrow I’ll bring them over; leave this job to me, I promise it’ll be done beautifully.”

Xu Yun smiled lightly. “I’ve already asked Pang Gang to handle it. How could I switch halfway through? But I don’t mind if you bring me a few skilled workers.”

“That’s perfect! My hands are sore from using the nail gun all day,” Xiao Qiang laughed.

“Before you see me tomorrow, make sure you handle the matter with this car,” Xu Yun instructed Xiao Qiang finally. “Alright, everyone disperse.”

With Xu Yun’s order, Qiangzi and the others naturally broke up. Seeing Qiangzi drive off with Fan Nanjie’s car, Lu Feng’s attitude toward him shifted dramatically. After all, he was Xu Yun’s favored right-hand man.

“Brother Qiang, should we find a place for a drink?” Lu Feng suggested.

Hong Ning joined in enthusiastically, “Yes, Brother Qiang. We’ll be spending a lot more time together, let’s deepen our bonds.”

“Not tonight. I’ve got things to do that Brother Yun instructed,” Qiangzi said, feeling somewhat elated. He remembered how these big shots used to ignore him as a small-time hood, but now they bowed and scraped—it was exhilarating.

Kong Zhong slung his arm around Qiangzi’s shoulder, smiling brightly. “Brother Qiang, don’t leave us hanging! Let’s go to the seafood stall, it’s my brother’s place—no going home until we're drunk!”

“I really do have things to do. I can’t afford to delay what Brother Yun asked,” Qiangzi confessed. Truthfully, he wanted to go, imagining the three tigers of the Southern City toasting him, but he couldn’t risk delaying the matter of selling the car.

“It’s just the car, Brother Qiang. If you trust me, I’ll call a friend who traffics cars to other provinces. He’ll offer you a better price than anyone else,” Lu Feng promised, pounding his chest.

Qiangzi hesitated, his expression doubtful, “Really?”

“He’d never dare cheat you or Brother Yun out of money!” Hong Ning laughed heartily. “Let’s go drink!”

...

Upstairs in the medicinal dining hall, Xu Yun was not idle. He finally managed to explain to Ruan Qingshuang the situation with those men.

Only now did Ruan Qingshuang understand that Xu Yun truly wanted her to be the boss lady of those hoodlums... My god, has the world gone mad?

“My mother is a big boss... Uh, Guoguo has decided, if the teacher assigns a composition, I’ll write about this,” Guoguo said, looking up in admiration at Ruan Qingshuang. “Mom, just do it! If my classmates at school find out my mom’s the underworld boss lady, who would dare give me trouble?”

Xu Yun looked at Guoguo with a smile. “You didn’t say anything bad about me to Teacher Su at dinner, did you?”

“No, Teacher Su even asked about you, wondered why you weren’t there.” Guoguo’s eyes sparkled. “Dad, I could tell Teacher Su is very interested in you. If you win her over, Guoguo has no objections—then I’ll have someone watching out for me at school.”

Qiu Yan stood and said coolly, “Guoguo, go to bed early.” Then she turned and went to her room.

“I’ll give you two some alone time,” Guoguo said sensibly and headed to her own room.

Only then did Ruan Qingshuang slowly raise her head, puzzled, and ask Xu Yun, “Xu Yun, you weren’t joking just now, were you?”

“No,” Xu Yun replied with ease.

“How could I ever be an underworld boss lady? You... you’re making things difficult for me, Xu Yun. Besides, I don’t want any connection to the underworld. I’m just an ordinary person!” Ruan Qingshuang’s anxiety grew as she spoke. “I only want to quietly sell medicinal dishes, run my business honestly. I don’t want to become someone infamous and despised!”

Xu Yun had anticipated this reaction. Given her gentle nature, making her be the boss lady of the underworld was an odd fit. Yet Xu Yun felt that this mismatched arrangement might just turn out to be a good thing.

“Do you remember how we met?” Xu Yun asked softly. “I remember clearly. Though you tried to endure, you couldn’t help but cry in the end. When those people bullied you, didn’t you feel wronged?”

Ruan Qingshuang said nothing. She remembered clearly the day she met Xu Yun.

Lu Bao had brought the Four Wolves Gang to extort money. So many watched, yet not one dared speak up for her. Had Xu Yun not intervened, she didn’t know what would have happened... If it had only been her, she could have endured, but she also had Guoguo.

“But today, who would dare treat you like that?” Xu Yun continued. “Qiangzi said it—Hong Ning, Kong Zhong, Lu Feng—they’re no pushovers. With them protecting you, who would dare bully you? I want you to be the boss, not to oppress others, but so that you won’t have to endure harassment from those petty crooks.”

Though Xu Yun’s words made sense, Ruan Qingshuang still could not accept the idea of being an underworld boss lady. “But I... I don’t know how to talk to them.”

“Tell them what you want done, and they’ll do it. If you don’t want them causing trouble, tell them to behave,” Xu Yun smiled. He could see her resistance softening. “Maybe you could try changing these hoodlums.”

“Me?” Ruan Qingshuang exclaimed, incredulous. Was Xu Yun joking, suggesting she could change those thugs? Surely he was.

Xu Yun nodded. “How will you know if you don’t try?”

Ruan Qingshuang shook her head like a rattle drum. “Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could I handle those hoodlums? I... I can’t...”

“But you have me, don’t you?” Xu Yun gave her a quiet smile. A ripple stirred in Ruan Qingshuang’s heart as she looked at Xu Yun’s calm smile and steady gaze. At last, she found her confidence.

“Can I really do it?” Ruan Qingshuang took a deep breath.

Xu Yun smiled. “Of course, I believe in you.”

Ruan Qingshuang bit her tender lips, making Xu Yun’s heart flutter. She hesitated, “But what can I lead them to do? How can I change them?”

“Hong Ning has Bean Pot City, Lu Feng has a construction crew, Kong Zhong runs a sand quarry—those are legitimate businesses,” Xu Yun said. “Our ancestral medicinal cuisine has even more potential to grow than theirs. Open branches, start franchises, expand into hotels—there’s so much you can do.”

Hearing this, Ruan Qingshuang was left speechless. Turning the ancestral medicinal dishes into franchises, opening branches—these were her deepest dreams, buried within her heart, dreams she only occasionally allowed herself to think about, yet always dismissed as laughable.

Yet from Xu Yun’s lips, they sounded so effortless and breezy.

Could these dreams really come true? Ruan Qingshuang couldn’t believe it. She stared at Xu Yun, her heart in turmoil.

“A dream that’s not laughed at by others isn’t worth pursuing,” Xu Yun smiled.

Ruan Qingshuang nearly burst into tears.

A police car stopped by the roadside below. Qin Wan’er stepped out, and the car drove off.

“Someone’s back,” Xu Yun smiled. “Sister Shuang, I’m tired. I’ll head to bed first.”

Ruan Qingshuang, her mind filled with the dreams Xu Yun had stirred, nodded mechanically. Was she really going to be the boss lady of those hoodlums? That question might trouble her for days to come.

Qin Wan’er came upstairs and saw only Ruan Qingshuang in the living room. “Sister Shuang, where’s Xu Yun?”

“He was just here... seems he went to bed,” Ruan Qingshuang replied, looking at the weary Qin Wan’er. “He called you out; why are you back so late?”

Qin Wan’er glanced at Xu Yun’s door. “Today our station busted the largest organized sex operation in the city so far. Xu Yun gave me the tip. He came back first; I only returned after taking all those involved in the transactions back to the station.”

“Xu Yun?” Ruan Qingshuang was completely puzzled.

Qin Wan’er shrugged. “It’s too complicated to explain in just a few words. I’m going to shower—early tomorrow I have to return to the station. Tonight’s already started with urgent interrogations.”

Ruan Qingshuang quickly said, “Then you should get to bed early. Should I get up tomorrow morning and make you something to eat?”

“Sister Shuang, don’t be so formal—it makes me embarrassed,” Qin Wan’er replied, sometimes as much a little girl as anyone.

...

Recently, Hedong’s underworld has seen big bosses topple one after another, leaving many uneasy. Wenhui and Hongnan districts, the two southern districts of Hedong, have seen major gangsters uprooted in succession, stirring waves in the southern streets.

Of the three major gangs, two have been destroyed; the only one left, the Hero Society, is naturally nervous. Yet Su Yanqing, that woman, has always been low-profile. Seeing the situation, she immediately laid low, bought a ticket to Southeast Asia, and flew off for a holiday.

Such turbulence affects not only southern Hedong but also the eastern, western, and northern districts. Everyone senses something in the air, uncertain of what’s happening. Each worries this is the prelude to a crackdown on the underworld—a harbinger of trouble for them.

Due to the closure of the Tropical Rainforest club, several bathhouses in Hedong have also posted signs for suspended business and renovations, including super-large venues like Spring River and Golden Dragon Bathhouse.