Chapter 29: Led by the Hand

"To each according to their needs"—what did that even mean? Xue Qiang couldn't quite grasp it at first, but he was well aware that his father had long coveted Shangfu Street and was desperate to offload the Yunling Mine like a burdensome piece of baggage.

Faced with Xiao Ziguang’s proposition, Xue Qiang blinked, signaling for him to continue.

"Having things handed to you by your parents is never as good as having them for yourself. Money and power are the same—they only truly belong to you when you hold them in your own hands."

"Brother-in-law, let’s not talk about the long term; look at where you are now. You run a taxi company, but you only have a few dozen thugs under you. Once you subtract those actually driving, how many real subordinates do you have left? And how much disposable cash do you actually have?"

"Chasing down lone girls every night—to put it bluntly, that’s wicked. To put it even more bluntly, that’s just pathetic, low-life degradation. Aren't you worried about the karma you’re inviting upon your future children?"

"Who are you? You are the young master of the Xue family, the very symbol of power and influence in Tianhai City. You shouldn’t just be sleeping with starlets; you should be mingling with socialites."

"Yet here you are, skulking in the dark, bullying a lone girl! If I were you, living like this, I’d rather just find a toilet and drown myself in it!"

Some words don't need to be vulgar to be devastating. There wasn’t a single swear word in Xiao Ziguang’s speech, yet Xue Qiang felt like he truly was a piece of trash. How had he been so bewitched? It must have been those bastards he hung around with who corrupted him!

"I wasn’t like this before! It was those good-for-nothing friends who led me astray."

"I’ll change. I’ll change right now. I am the young master of the Xue family, the future successor. I won’t do this kind of thing ever again. I’ll shut down that taxi company."

Xiao Ziguang took a deep drag of his cigarette and crushed the butt. "Since you’ve realized your mistake, brother-in-law, let me show you the right path."

"You need to talk to that girl. Tell her the guy who got shot—the one with the dyed hair—was the one molesting her. Tell her you acted out of justice, called the police, and helped me subdue the criminal."

"That way, not only are you blameless, but you’re a hero! The key is to make sure that punk with the dyed hair keeps his mouth shut and takes the fall for everything."

Though Xue Qiang was a scoundrel, he craved a good reputation. Hearing Xiao Ziguang’s plan, his eyes lit up.

"I’ll arrange it right now. I’ll make sure it’s handled perfectly..."

***

Xiao Ziguang steered the conversation back. "If your father and my father-in-law are willing to trade, I suggest you aim to become the manager of Shangfu Street. You’d have every shop on that entire commercial street under your control. Isn't that prestigious enough?"

"Even the top mob bosses in the movies only control one street. Once you have that kind of money, you can do whatever you want. What kind of women couldn't you get then? Isn't that much better than driving a beat-up taxi and leading a bunch of thugs to bully girls?"

Xue Qiang was tempted. What man didn't want to be surrounded by followers, to spend money like water, to have women on both arms? Managing a prime commercial street—one of the top three in all of Tianhai City—was an incredibly enticing prospect.

Xiao Ziguang saw the hunger in Xue Qiang's eyes and deliberately stroked his chin. "The biggest problem is that Shangfu Street is worth far more than the Yunling Mine. If your father really wants to make the swap, he’ll likely need to sweeten the deal."

Already lost in fantasies of his bright future, Xue Qiang was led by the nose. "Tell me what else to add. As long as it isn't too outrageous, I can get my father to agree."

"How about adding the Tianhai Second Construction Company? That construction team isn’t making any money anyway, and it’s somewhat related to mining—you could use them to build dormitories for the mine workers later."

Hearing it was the Second Construction Company, Xue Qiang didn't dare agree immediately. "Let me discuss it with my father. I’ll give you a firm answer either way."

Xiao Ziguang looked at him and added, "If this deal goes through, I’ve done you a huge favor. Don’t you think you should show some appreciation?"

Xue Qiang paused for two seconds, then flashed a knowing grin. "From now on, we’re on the same side. If this works out, what’s mine is yours. I’ll give you the highest-level access card for Shangfu Street..."

"Don't give me that empty talk. Give me something practical. You probably don't have much cash on hand, so if we pull this off, I want the taxi company."

Xiao Ziguang watched his expression closely. Seeing Xue Qiang stunned, he explained, "You’ll be the manager of Shangfu Street; you won’t care about such a small business. I’m penniless, just a son-in-law in the Xue family. The taxi company might be a dud, but I won't turn my nose up at it."

"In this world, there is no gain without loss. Brother-in-law, you have to pay a price for us to become true allies. Only when I get enough of a cut can I put all my effort into helping you."

Xiao Ziguang leaned into Xue Qiang’s ear, lowering his voice. "Right now, I’m helping you undermine my own father-in-law. Tell me, brother-in-law, isn't that right?"

Xue Qiang nodded firmly. "Fine. As long as I become the manager of Shangfu Street, the taxi company is yours."

***

Xiao Ziguang laughed, a hearty, satisfied sound. Then, he added casually, "Oh, brother-in-law, I hear you have wide connections in Tianhai. I have a batch of smuggled PHS phones I want to move—500 yuan a unit, 1,000 units in total..."

"500 yuan each? Don't they usually sell for 1,000?" Xue Qiang was surprised.

"The source isn't exactly clean. You know me—even though I’m a cop, I have my ways." Xiao Ziguang winked at him.

Hearing the massive profit margin, Xue Qiang was sold instantly and took the deal on the spot.

Having agreed to exchange money for goods the next day, the two walked out of the woods with their arms around each other.

A seemingly thorny problem had been resolved in just a few words. Xiao Ziguang truly was the person who understood Xue Qiang best.

Back at the scene, Xue Qiang slipped back into his role as the boss. With a few words, he unified the narrative: the guy who got shot was now a hooligan who had harassed a girl.

The girl, left with no other choice, had to swallow the injustice.

With the roles set, Xiao Ziguang pulled out his phone to call Yang Jin to clean up the mess.

Zhou Huajian nodded at Xiao Ziguang and vanished into the night. The more he interacted with Xiao Ziguang, the more he realized that perhaps Xiao Ziguang’s methods were the only way to tear the mask off the criminal underworld in Tianhai City.

Because Zhou Huajian was a cop who had dealt with the likes of Yang Jin, he knew just how insane and depraved the people protecting these criminal syndicates were. He had been willing to ruin his own reputation to drag them down with him.

But now, it seemed his own methods had been too idealistic. Perhaps, just perhaps, Xiao Ziguang’s way might actually work.

If you can't beat them, maybe you really should walk the path of the criminal, and leave the criminals with nowhere to run!