Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 102

The Situation Worsens

“Do you know what it means to cherish something more when it’s harder to get?” Tian Donghua asked while eating after the dishes were served.

“Are you telling me to play hard to get?” Yu Qian frowned. “Are you stupid? He’s the one who doesn’t want me right now.” In her mind, Hou Longtao’s behavior was equivalent to abandoning her.

“No, no, no, not everything is about you,” Tian Donghua said, wagging his finger. “The air purifier is ‘Dongxing’s’ main product, the most profitable, accounting for more than 90% of all their profits. But you created conditions that were too good for Director Hou. You paved the way for him. Usually, he basically doesn’t care about the air purifier business, never worrying about production and sales because he doesn’t need to worry about sales with the initial success. He just waits to collect money.”

“Nonsense, ‘Dongxing’ is already on track and doesn’t need my help anymore. Besides, weren’t you saying I couldn’t touch the air purifier?”

“Yes, I didn’t want you to touch the air purifier. Apart from the macro reason I mentioned earlier, there’s also a micro reason. From beginning to end, Director Hou didn’t put much effort into this air purifier, but he didn’t earn any less money. And Director Hou isn’t the kind of person who is insatiably greedy. If you cut off the air purifier business, he would definitely be distressed, but it’s not certain that he would be unbearable.”

“Then what can make him both unbearable and not hate me?”

“Hehe,” Tian Donghua rubbed his chin, smiling slyly. “Besides air purifiers, ‘Dongxing’ also operates many bars, restaurants, dance halls, pubs, bowling alleys, billiard halls, and other entertainment venues in Beijing. What are those places most afraid of? They are most afraid of being checked by the police, the industry and commerce bureau, and the tax bureau every day. Even if there’s no problem at all, no one will come anymore, let alone when there are problems.”

“Are you…?”

“You know what I mean.”

“How much has he invested in these things? How much profit does he make in a year? Adding it all together, it’s barely over a hundred million [RMB, Chinese Yuan], right? I definitely gave him more than that. Even if they are all shut down, all bankrupt, it’s just a loss of one hundred million,” Yu Qian’s voice grew louder. “You’re telling me he doesn’t care about losing several hundred million each year, but he’ll be upset about one hundred million? Tell me, are you an idiot, am I an idiot, or is he an idiot!?”

“Can you wait until I finish speaking before you start scolding me? Director Hou has put most of his energy into the entertainment venues. Have you been there? Every bar and pub under ‘Dongxing’ is already well-established and high-end. They are all the result of his hard work, but at the end of each month, those places only have a slight surplus. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“The expenses on human resources are unusually huge. Just from what I know, the payroll for those few bars alone has more than three hundred names. Currently, ‘Dongxing’ has one factory each in Beijing and Shanghai. All the employees inside, plus sales and administrative staff, total only five hundred people, including the hundred ‘security guards’ in the Beijing factory.” When Tian Donghua said “security guards,” he made quotation marks with his fingers.

“So exaggerated? More than three hundred people?”

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg. But he can still maintain profitability while supporting so many people, which shows that he is indeed smart. On the other hand, it shows that he has put all, or at least most, of his talent and effort into it. Whether in management philosophy, business methods, or market operations, he has done his best.”

“How come I didn’t know he was so dedicated to his business?” Yu Qian increasingly felt that she didn’t fully understand Hou Longtao. But with every new discovery, she felt that he had more qualities for her to like.

“I haven’t completely figured out Hou Longtao yet. He never reveals everything about himself to anyone.” Tian Donghua’s words seemed to be answering Yu Qian’s question, but also seemed to be talking to himself. He seemed a little distracted.

“Hou Longtao?”

“Director Hou, haha.” The muscles on Tian Donghua’s face twitched slightly, and he gave an awkward smile.

“Hmph, why does he support so many people? Is he planning a rebellion?”

“Do you know what the gangsters outside call Director Hou?”

“Prince Tao. The name sounds quite impressive, but at best, he’s just a gang leader.” Yu Qian wasn’t proud of Hou Longtao’s reputation in the underworld.

“Everyone has a different growth path, and their values are also different. I think Hou Longtao hopes to become a maintainer of underground order, and then a rule-maker. At the very least, he wants to gain the respect of the underworld, so he needs to build a powerful and stable underground empire.” A light flashed in Tian Donghua’s eyes.

“You’ve watched too many gangster movies, haven’t you? This is still the world of the Communist Party. There will never be another Du Yuesheng [a prominent gangster in Shanghai during the early 20th century].” Yu Qian was a little impatient. “So, after talking for so long, just because he has put a lot of effort into those unprofitable businesses, I can use them to make him submit?”

“Director Hou’s unprofitable businesses aren’t for making money. They are just a tool for him to achieve his goals. As long as he has businesses in an area, the number of criminal cases there is lower than before ‘Dongxing’ entered. Why? Because he has gathered most of the unstable elements in the area and then restrained them. He provides jobs to idle young people, giving them a sense of belonging.”

“So he’s contributing to society,” Yu Qian said in a sarcastic tone. “I should support this kind of beneficial cause, not stifle it.”

“Hmph,” Tian Donghua glanced at the girl. “Don’t you understand? You can control his dreams. You can make all his previous efforts go to waste. If the police harass him every day, those underworld figures will gradually alienate Director Hou, making him unable to control the situation. As a big boss who has made a name for himself, he can’t tolerate that kind of situation.”

“How do you know so much about these underground things?”

“My growth trajectory is different from yours.” Tian Donghua played with the teacup in his hand, looking thoughtful again.

“Okay, I’ll try your idea. Hmph, I’ll make him close down.”

“No, no, no, absolutely not. You must control the scale. Let Director Hou lose money, but don’t really force him to close down.”

“Why? Why are there so many ifs and buts? It’s too taxing on my brain.” Yu Qian wanted to deal with Hou Longtao, but when it came to putting in the effort, she felt a little lazy.

“If you want to harm someone, you have to use your brain. Did you think it was easy to be a bad guy?”

“Who wants to harm someone? I’m saving him. Okay, okay, hurry up and tell me.”

“It’s simple. As long as you don’t force Director Hou’s people to leave, he won’t shut down the bars and pubs. But those businesses have already become loss-making projects, so he needs to use the profits from the air purifiers to fill the gap. Director Hou is a natural businessman, and he’s confident, even a little arrogant. If you make an arrogant businessman do loss-making business, he can tolerate it for a short time, but if it lasts longer, it will be the most uncomfortable thing for him.”

“That makes a little sense. I’ll do as you say.” Yu Qian stood up, walked behind Tian Donghua, and put her hands on his shoulders. “Brother Hua, why do you want to help me get back together with him? If it were me, I would definitely encourage you to deal with him. I would be happy if he died.”

“Sigh,” Tian Donghua patted the girl’s hand. “Yu Qian, no matter what, I want to think for you. Your happiness is the most important thing. For your happiness, I can put my personal feelings aside.”

“When you didn’t let me touch the air purifier at the beginning, I thought it was because you had shares in ‘Dongxing’.”

“You always think of me in a bad light. Yu Qian, it doesn’t matter if you have feelings for me or not. I am always here for you.”

“Brother Hua…” Yu Qian bent down and kissed Tian Donghua on the cheek. Her heart was in its most defenseless state. Her emotions were very fragile. She really hoped that Hou Longtao would care for her like Tian Donghua. “I will remember your kindness to me.”

The girl turned and left. More than ten minutes passed, and Tian Donghua was still sitting there motionless, like a statue. His eyes were a little dull, and his right hand was clutching the teacup tightly, as if he wanted to crush it…

In half a month, the various entertainment venues operated by “Dongxing” received special attention from the police, undergoing inspections several times stricter than during the crackdown period. This directly led to a sharp loss of customers, and the turnover dropped sharply, not even reaching the level when they first opened. Even the personnel of “Dongxing” had some losses.

Obviously, this was all thanks to Yu Qian, but Hou Longtao had no way to deal with it. Fortunately, she neither harmed his beloved wife nor made things difficult for his brothers and friends. Although he was not sure whether the girl was going to deal with him personally, he was already very “grateful”.

Hou Longtao found Yu Qian more than once, wanting to move her with his sincerity, of course not to ask her to stop messing with his business. But every time, he was either turned away by her or cursed and threatened by Zhang Yuqiang.

A few days ago, Hou Longtao braved a chilly autumn rain and stood downstairs at Yu Qian’s house all night. Although the method was relatively old-fashioned, it was not without effect. The girl once again stated her determination that if he could not treat her as his only lover, she would make things difficult for him every day, and naturally would not get back together with him.

What was more strange was that Feng Yun, the feminist tiger, had not made any response to this matter…

During this time, Yu Qian’s suppression was not the only thing that bothered Hou Longtao. Fang Jie returned from Japan again, claiming it was his annual leave from the company and wanted to come to Beijing to meet old friends. Under his call, his classmates at Peking University held a luncheon, and Hou Longtao’s Chang’e sister [referring to Ru Yun, implying she is beautiful and unattainable, like the moon goddess Chang’e] was naturally also invited.

Ru Yun had completely gotten over Fang Jie, so she was open-minded. Plus, she also wanted to see old friends and learn about their current situation, so she happily went. Unexpectedly, from then on, Fang Jie seemed to be encouraged by something, wanting to invite Ru Yun to dinner every now and then, and even wanted to ask her to a concert. Although Ru Yun had nothing to hide, she knew men’s psychology even better. In order to avoid her young husband from thinking wildly, and also to prevent Fang Jie from having unrealistic fantasies, she only agreed twice out of courtesy as a friend. Fortunately, the other party behaved very properly, only talking about business insights and interesting things in life, without mentioning getting back together at all, and completely without any transgressive words.

In this way, Ru Yun slightly lifted her guard against Fang Jie. After all, they had been husband and wife for many years. Although the ending was not good, everyone was much more mature than they were back then, and there was still some sense of intimacy. Just like that, Hou Longtao was already secretly jealous, but on the one hand, he understood that he couldn’t push too hard and not give women any freedom, which could easily cause side effects; on the other hand, he was very confident in Ru Yun’s feelings for him, so in addition to being more caring and loving to his beloved wife, he didn’t take any other action…

That night, Hou Longtao came to the “Dongxing Beginning” billiard hall. Because this was not a property under “Dongxing”, the business was not affected. During this period, whenever he felt upset, he would come here to stay for a while.

“Fourth Brother,” Er Dezi put down his cue, “There’s a package for you in the office upstairs. It was sent by Tian Donghua. Someone left it at the company gate, but I don’t know who.”

“Huh? Company? ‘Guangda’?” Hou Longtao frowned, obviously not left by an acquaintance.

The two went to the office upstairs. Da Pang, Ma Lian, and Xiao Long were chatting inside. “Where’s my package?”

“Here it is.” Xiao Long pushed a kraft paper package on the table outward. “Fourth Brother, is there any way to deal with Yu Qian? We’ve lost hundreds of thousands in the past half month, right? It can’t go on like this.”

“Damn it, don’t you fucking poke me. I’m already annoyed to death by this matter. I really don’t know what tricks that girl came up with.” Hou Longtao glanced at Xiao Long impatiently. He held the package in his hand, judging from the size and feel, it seemed like a video tape. He opened it and saw that it was indeed a video tape, with a letter attached.

“Monkey, Xiao Long is right. You have to solve this quickly.” Da Pang took the tape from Hou Longtao’s hand and inserted it into the video recorder. “What is this?”

“How the fuck would I know.” Hou Longtao took out the letter and read it. “’Boss Hou, I accidentally got this tape and think it’s very valuable. I don’t know if you’re interested in obtaining exclusive collection rights. If so, the price is two million RMB [Chinese Yuan]. If not, I will sell it to a TV station or newspaper. The deadline is October 1st. Two million is nothing to a big boss like you who spends money like water. It’s best not to have any unpleasant things happen because of this. I’ve already made several copies. My phone number is 1368********. Don’t bother checking, it’s a Shenzhou Xing number [a type of mobile phone card in China].’ What the hell is this?”

The TV already had a picture, which was the scene of Shi Ya giving Hou Longtao oral sex in the car in front of the highway toll booth that day. Judging from the angle, it should have been taken by the toll booth’s security camera.

“Hahaha, cough, cough, cough,” Ma Lian almost choked to death, tears coming out. “Fourth Brother, cough, cough, why are you filming porn everywhere?”

“Damn it,” Hou Longtao threw the letter on the table, bent down, and looked at the screen. “When… when the hell was this?” He couldn’t remember for a moment.

Er Dezi picked up the letter and read it again. “Fourth Brother, this is blackmailing you.”

“Damn it,” Xiao Long sat there, rubbing his forehead. “Hehehe, who the hell is this idiot? Isn’t this courting death? Haha.”

Hou Longtao took the tape out of the video recorder and slammed it against the wall, smashing it to pieces. “Damn it, they have to fill me with shit at this time.”

“What’s the plan?” Da Pang lit a cigarette. “Should we let Bao Ding and the others handle it, or should we take care of it ourselves?”

“Give him the money.”

“What!?”

“Are you crazy!?”

“Is your brain full of water!?”

“Are you out of your mind!?”

“Stop arguing, stop arguing!” Hou Longtao sat down. “At this time, we can’t afford any more complications.”

“What are you afraid of? You don’t have to show your face. We’ll help you take care of it.” Ma Lian played with his folding knife.

“What am I afraid of? Giving it to Ding and the others to handle is the same as letting the tape fall into the hands of the police. They are in a very delicate situation now. I don’t trust any of their men. Do you know who the woman in this tape is? It’s Shi Long’s mother. Even if there’s only a one in ten billion chance that Chen Qianhui will see this tape, I can’t take the risk.”

“Aren’t we going to handle it?” Da Pang smiled cruelly. “That would be even more interesting.”

“I don’t know how Yu Qian plans to deal with me. Maybe our every move is under her surveillance. If she seizes any of your handles and uses them to threaten me, what do you want me to do? On one side is my wife, and on the other side are my brothers. Which side can I give up? Both the back of my hand and the palm are flesh [both are equally important].”

“Really? Yu Qian wouldn’t be so ruthless, would she?” Xiao Long felt that he got along with Yu Qian quite well.

“She herself wouldn’t, but there are many scheming experts around that girl. She’s not so proud of me now, so it’s hard to say whether it will develop to that point. Sigh…” Hou Longtao shook his head helplessly.

“Fourth Brother, those who play blackmail are all greedy. If you give him once, he will dare to ask for a second time. If you give him two hundred, he will dare to ask for four hundred.”

“He’s an amateur. Look at his letter, it’s just an amateur.”

“So what? Greed is human nature. Professionals may know when to stop, but the more amateur they are, the less they know when to let go.”

“I can’t worry about so much now,” Hou Longtao knew that Er Dezi’s words made sense, and it was very likely to become a reality, but compared to other possibilities, he had to take this risk. “I just hope these two hundred are enough for him to squander for a while. As long as I handle the current problem well, hmph, try to mess with me?”

“What’s the plan?”

“Wait a minute.” Hou Longtao dialed the phone number on the letter and talked to the man on the other side as his assistant, negotiating the conditions. When he finished the “negotiation,” his face turned green. “Damn it, I’m a scum, a hypocrite, hmph, I’m a real man.”

“What’s his background?”

“Who the hell knows? Xiao Long, cut off the edges of that letter and give it to Wang Gang. I want to know the source of all the recorded fingerprints on it. Pay the money on the evening of the 26th. Listen to my arrangements. I want to see how many heads that idiot has.” Hou Longtao’s teeth were itching…

At 6:00 PM on Friday, Hou Longtao, Wu Da, Er Dezi, and Xiao Long set off in an H2 [Hummer H2]. They didn’t have a clear destination. Along the way, they were constantly directed to turn left and right by the blackmailer’s phone calls. Every time a call ended, Xiao Long would use his phone to notify the “reserve team.”

Around 8:30, they arrived at the temporary parking area before entering the airport expressway. The four got out of the car, pretending to smoke and rest.

“Fourth Brother,” Xiao Long pointed to the toll booth in front. “That’s where it was filmed, right? The people inside should have participated.”

“Yeah.” Hou Longtao raised his head and exhaled a puff of smoke, took out his phone from his pocket, which started playing the national anthem [used as a signal]. “Hello?”

“Boss Hou, have you arrived?”

“I’m here.”

“Where’s the money?”

“I have it with me, all in a big bag as you said.”

“Okay, throw the bag from above into the woods below.”

“What? You want me to throw the bag from the highway into the woods below?” Hou Longtao repeated the other party’s words in an unbelievable tone. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Xiao Long was already dialing the phone.

“Stop talking nonsense, just do as I say!”

“Where’s my tape?”

“After I get the money, I’ll tell you where to pick it up.”

“No, I want to trade the money for the tape…”

“You have to trust me even if you don’t trust me. I keep my word and will definitely not use the tape to make things difficult for you again.”

“Okay, I’ll trust you this time, but I warn you…”

“Alright, Boss Hou, hurry up, I’m running out of patience.”

Hou Longtao put away his phone, opened the rear hatch of the H2, and pulled out a bulging bag from inside. Judging from his movements, it was heavy.

Er Dezi came over to help. The two of them lifted the bag and threw it over the concrete guardrail, which was more than one person tall. Ten minutes later, Xiao Long first received a report from the “reserve team” that a man with a big bag came out of the woods and got into an Alto [a small car] parked on the auxiliary road. “Keep an eye on him, follow him for three days, determine his residence and identity, don’t touch him, and notify me of any abnormalities at any time.”

At the same time, Hou Longtao received a text message telling him to pick up the tape at the front desk of Guangda Building, a total of six tapes.

“Let’s go, don’t waste time here.” Wu Da had already gotten into the H2.

“Wang Ba [bastard], I’ll let you be beautiful for a while.” Hou Longtao got into the car with a gloomy face…

Two days later, the blackmailer’s identity was clarified. He was an unemployed man named Jin Song, 28 years old, living in the suburbs of Pinggu County. His 24-year-old girlfriend, Gao Miaomiao, worked at the airport expressway toll booth, and the two were living together.

The information returned from Wang Gang also proved the above situation. Jin Song had been sentenced to one and a half years and two years of imprisonment for theft in 1996 and 2000 respectively, so the police fingerprint database had his file. After he was released from prison, he had not had a proper job and was unemployed at home…

On the same day at noon, which was the last working day before the October 1st holiday, Fang Jie called Ru Yun’s office again, inviting her to lunch.

Hou Longtao was not in the office in the morning. He was called to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to receive a penalty. It turned out that yesterday, when the Industry and Commerce Bureau inspected one of his bars, they found two packs of fake Zhonghua cigarettes [a popular brand of cigarettes in China]. In fact, the waiter bought them himself to save face, not for sale, but they were just looking for trouble, so they didn’t care so much.

Hou Longtao was already feeling blocked in his heart. When he returned to the office, he heard that Ru Yun had been invited away by Fang Jie again. A surge of jealousy rushed to the top of his head. “You Wang Ba, you’re not done yet!” He asked Yue Ling where Ru Yun had gone, cursed, and left the Guomao Building…

A room does not need to be large, fragrance does not need to be abundant.

Snow Adds to the Frost

“Do you know what it means to cherish something more when it’s harder to get?” Tian Donghua asked after all the dishes were served.

“Are you telling me to play hard to get?” Yu Qian frowned. “Are you stupid? He’s the one who doesn’t want me right now.” In her mind, Hou Longtao’s behavior was tantamount to abandoning her.

“No, no, no, not everything is about you,” Tian Donghua said, wagging his finger. “The air purifier is ‘Dongxing’s’ flagship product, the most profitable part, accounting for more than 90% of all profits. But you created overly favorable conditions for Director Hou. You paved the way for him. Usually, he basically doesn’t care about the air purifier. He never worries about production and sales because he doesn’t need to worry about sales with you in charge. He just sits back and waits to collect money.”

“Nonsense, ‘Dongxing’ is already on track now. It doesn’t need my help at all. Besides, weren’t you just saying I couldn’t touch the air purifier?”

“Yes, I didn’t want you to touch the air purifier, apart from the macro reason I just mentioned, there is also a micro reason. From beginning to end, Director Hou didn’t put much effort into this air purifier, but he didn’t earn any less money. And Director Hou is not the kind of person who is insatiably greedy. If you cut off the air purifier, although he will definitely feel the pain, he may not necessarily be unable to bear it.”

“Then what can make him both unable to bear it and not hate me?”

“Heh heh,” Tian Donghua rubbed his chin, smiling slyly. “In addition to air purifiers, ‘Dongxing’ also operates many bars, restaurants, dance halls, pubs, bowling alleys, billiard halls and other entertainment venues in Beijing. What are those places most afraid of? They are most afraid of being inspected by the Public Security Bureau, the Industry and Commerce Bureau, and the Taxation Bureau every day. Even if there is no problem at all, no one will come anymore, let alone when there are problems.”

“You mean…?”

“You know what I mean.”

“How much has he invested in these things? How much is the annual profit? Adding it all together, it’s barely over 100 million, right? I bet I’m still overestimating. Even if they are all sealed up and closed down, it’s just a loss of 100 million,” Yu Qian’s voice grew louder. “You’re telling me he doesn’t even care about losing several hundred million a year, so he’ll be upset about 100 million? Tell me, are you an idiot, am I an idiot, or is he an idiot?!”

“Can you wait until I finish speaking before you scold me? Director Hou has put most of his energy into entertainment venues. Have you ever been to see them? Every bar, pub, etc. of ‘Dongxing’ has already taken shape. They are all high-end and the result of his hard work, but when the monthly accounts are settled, those places only have a slight surplus. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“The expenses on human resources are unusually huge. Just from what I know, the payrolls of those few bars alone have more than 300 names. Now ‘Dongxing’ has one factory each in Beijing and Shanghai. All the employees inside, plus sales and administrative staff, are only more than 500 people, including 100 security guards in the Beijing factory.” When Tian Donghua said “security guards,” he made quotation marks with his hands.

“So exaggerated? More than 300 people?”

“Just the tip of the iceberg. But he can still maintain profitability while supporting so many people, which on the one hand shows that he does have a brain, and on the other hand, it shows that he has really put all, or at least most, of his talent and effort into it. Whether it is in management philosophy, business methods, or market operation, he has done his best.”

“How come I didn’t know he was so attentive to business?” Yu Qian increasingly felt that she didn’t fully understand Hou Longtao, but every time she made a new discovery, she felt that there was more to like about him.

“I haven’t completely figured out Hou Longtao yet. He never exposes all of himself to anyone.” Tian Donghua’s words seemed to be answering Yu Qian’s question, but they also seemed to be talking to himself. He was a little distracted.

“Hou Longtao?”

“Director Hou, hehe.” The muscles on Tian Donghua’s face twitched very slightly, and he smiled awkwardly.

“Hmph, why does he support so many people? Does he want to rebel?”

“Do you know what the gangsters outside call Director Hou?”

“Prince, his name is quite loud, but at best he’s just a thief.” Yu Qian was not proud of Hou Longtao’s reputation in the underworld.

“Everyone has a different growth process, so their values are also different. I think Hou Longtao hopes to become the maintainer of underground order, and then the rule maker. At the very least, he wants to gain the respect of the underworld, so he needs to build a powerful and stable underground empire.” A gleam flashed in Tian Donghua’s eyes.

“You’ve watched too many gangster movies, haven’t you? This is still the world of the Communist Party. There will never be another Du Yuesheng [a prominent gangster in Shanghai during the early 20th century].” Yu Qian was a little impatient. “After talking for so long, just because he has put a lot of effort into those unprofitable businesses, I can use them to make him submit?”

“Director Hou’s unprofitable businesses are not for making money, but just a tool for him to achieve his goals. As long as he has business in an area, the number of criminal cases in that area will be lower than before ‘Dongxing’ entered. Why? Because he has gathered most of the unstable factors in the local area, and then restrained them. He provides work for idle young people in society and gives them a sense of belonging.”

“Then he is contributing to society,” Yu Qian said in a sarcastic tone. “I should support this kind of beneficial cause, how can I stifle it?”

“Hmph,” Tian Donghua glanced at the girl. “Don’t you understand? You can control his dream. You can make all his previous efforts go to waste. If the police come to make trouble every day, those underworld figures will gradually alienate Director Hou, making him unable to control the situation. As a big brother who has made a name for himself, he cannot tolerate that kind of situation.”

“How do you know so much about these bottom-level things?”

“My growth trajectory is different from yours.” Tian Donghua fiddled with the teacup in his hand, and then looked thoughtful again.

“Okay, I’ll try your idea, hmph, until he closes down.”

“No, no, no, definitely not. You must grasp the scale well. Let Director Hou lose money, but you can’t really force him to close down.”

“Why? Why are there so many this and that? It’s too brain-consuming, isn’t it?” Yu Qian wanted to win over Hou Longtao, but when she really had to put in the effort, she felt a little lazy.

“If you want to harm someone, you have to use your brain. Did you think it was easy to be a bad guy?”

“Who wants to harm someone? I’m saving him. Okay, okay, tell me quickly.”

“It’s simple. As long as you don’t force Director Hou’s subordinates to leave, he won’t shut down the bars, pubs, etc. But those businesses have become loss-making projects, so he needs to use the profits from the air purifier to fill them. Director Hou is a natural businessman, and he is confident, even a little conceited. If you make a conceited businessman do loss-making business, he can tolerate it for a short time, but if it lasts for a long time, it will be the most uncomfortable thing.”

“That makes a little sense. I’ll do as you say.” Yu Qian stood up, walked behind Tian Donghua, and put her hands on his shoulders. “Brother Hua, why do you want to help me get back together with him? If it were me, I would definitely encourage you to deal with him. I would be happy if he died.”

“Sigh,” Tian Donghua patted Yu Qian’s hand. “Yu Qian, no matter what, I want to think about you. Your happiness is the most important thing. For your happiness, I can put my personal feelings behind me.”

“When you didn’t let me touch the air purifier at the beginning, I thought it was because you had shares in ‘Dongxing’.”

“You always think of me in a bad way. Yu Qian, it doesn’t matter if you have feelings for me or not. I am always here for you.”

“Brother Hua…” Yu Qian bent down and kissed Tian Donghua’s face. Her heart was now in its most undefended state. Her sensibility was very fragile. She really hoped that Hou Longtao would care for her like Tian Donghua. “I will remember your kindness to me.”

Yu Qian turned and left. More than ten minutes later, Tian Donghua was still sitting there motionless, like a statue. His eyes were a little dull, and his right hand was tightly clutching the teacup, as if he wanted to crush it…

In half a month, the various entertainment venues operated by “Dongxing” received special attention from the police and were subjected to inspections that were several times stricter than during the crackdown period, which directly led to a sharp loss of customers and a straight decline in turnover, even failing to reach the level when they first opened. Even the personnel of “Dongxing” had some losses.

Obviously, this was all thanks to Yu Qian, but Hou Longtao had no way to deal with it. Fortunately, she neither harmed his beloved wife nor made things difficult for his brothers and friends. Although he was not sure whether Yu Qian was going to deal with him personally, he was already very “grateful.”

Hou Longtao found Yu Qian more than once, wanting to move her with his sincerity, of course not to ask her to stop messing with his business, but every time he was either turned away by her or cursed and threatened by Zhang Yuqiang.

A few days ago, Hou Longtao braved a bleak autumn rain and waited downstairs at Yu Qian’s house all night. Although the method was relatively old-fashioned, it was not without effect. Yu Qian once again expressed her determination that if he could not treat her as his only lover, she would not get along with him for a day, and naturally she would not get back together with him.

What was more strange was that Feng Yun, the feminist tigress, had not made any response to this matter…

During this period, Yu Qian’s suppression was not the only thing that bothered Hou Longtao. Fang Jie returned from Japan again, claiming that it was his company’s annual leave and he wanted to come to Beijing to meet old friends. Under his call, his classmates at Peking University held a luncheon, and Hou Longtao’s Chang’e sister [referring to Ru Yun, implying she is beautiful and desirable, like the moon goddess Chang’e] was naturally among those invited.

Ru Yun had completely gotten over Fang Jie, so she was open-minded. In addition, she also wanted to meet old friends and learn about their current situation, so she happily went. Unexpectedly, from then on, Fang Jie seemed to be encouraged by something and wanted to invite Ru Yun to dinner every now and then, and even wanted to ask her to a concert. Although Ru Yun had nothing to hide, she knew men’s psychology even more. In order to avoid her young husband from thinking wildly and to prevent Fang Jie from having unrealistic fantasies, she only agreed twice out of politeness as a friend. Fortunately, the other party behaved very properly, only talking about market insights and interesting things in life, without mentioning getting back together, and there was no transgression at all.

In this way, Ru Yun’s vigilance against Fang Jie was slightly reduced. After all, they had been husband and wife for many years. Although the ending was not good, everyone was much more mature than they were back then, and there was still some sense of intimacy. Just like that, Hou Longtao was already secretly jealous, but on the one hand, he understood that he couldn’t push too hard and not give women any freedom, which could easily cause side effects; on the other hand, he was very confident in Ru Yun’s feelings for him, so in addition to caring for and loving his wife more, he did not take any other action…

That night, Hou Longtao came to the “Dongxing Beginning” billiard hall, because this was not an industry under “Dongxing’s” name, and the business was not affected. During this period, whenever he was upset, he would come here to stay for a while.

“Fourth Brother,” Er Dezi dropped his cue, “There’s a package for you in the office upstairs. It was sent by Tian Donghua. Someone left it at the company door, but I don’t know who it was.”

“Huh? Company? ‘Guangda’?” Hou Longtao frowned, obviously it wasn’t left by an acquaintance.

The two went to the office upstairs. Da Pang, Ma Lian, and Long were chatting inside. “Where’s my package?”

“Here.” Long pushed a kraft paper package on the table out. “Fourth Brother, is there any way to deal with Yu Qian? We’ve lost hundreds of thousands in the past half month, haven’t we? We can’t keep going on like this.”

“Damn it, don’t poke me, I’m already annoyed to death by this matter. I really don’t know what that girl is thinking.” Hou Longtao glanced at Long impatiently. He was holding the package in his hand, and judging from the feel, it seemed like a video tape. When he opened it, it was indeed a video tape, with a letter attached.

“Monkey, Long is right, you have to solve it quickly.” Da Pang took the tape from Hou Longtao’s hand and inserted it into the video recorder. “What is this?”

“How the hell would I know.” Hou Longtao took out the letter and read it. “‘Boss Hou, I accidentally got this tape and think it’s very valuable. I don’t know if you are interested in obtaining exclusive collection rights. If so, the price is 2 million RMB [Renminbi, Chinese currency]. If not, I will sell it to a TV station or newspaper. The deadline is October 1st. 2 million is nothing to a big boss like you who spends money like water. It’s best not to have any unpleasant things happen because of this. I have already dubbed several tapes. My phone number is 1368*********, don’t bother checking, it’s a Shenzhou Xing number [a type of mobile phone SIM card in China].’ What the hell is this?”

The TV already had a picture on it. It was the scene of Shi Ya giving Hou Longtao oral sex in the car in front of the highway toll booth that day. Judging from the angle, it should have been taken by the toll booth security camera.

“Hahaha, cough, cough, cough,” Ma Lian almost choked to death, tears streaming down his face. “Fourth Brother, cough, cough, why are you filming porn everywhere?”

“Damn it,” Hou Longtao threw the letter on the table, bent down, and turned to look at the screen. “When… when the hell was this?” He couldn’t remember for a moment.

Er Dezi picked up the letter and read it again. “Fourth Brother, this is blackmailing you.”

“Damn it,” Long sat there, rubbing his forehead with his hand. “Hehehe, who the hell is this idiot? Isn’t this courting death? Haha.”

Hou Longtao took the tape out of the video recorder and slammed it against the wall, smashing it to pieces. “Damn it, they have to fill me with shit at this time.”

“What’s the plan?” Da Pang lit a cigarette. “Should we let Bao Dinghu and the others handle it, or should we take care of it ourselves?”

“Give him the money.”

“What!?”

“Are you crazy!?”

“Did your brain get waterlogged!?”

“Are you out of your mind!?”

“Stop arguing, stop arguing!” Hou Longtao sat down. “At this time, we can’t afford any more complications.”

“What are you afraid of? You don’t have to show your face, we’ll take care of it for you.” Ma Lian played with his folding knife.

“What am I afraid of? Giving it to Ding’er and the others to handle is the same as letting the tape fall into the hands of the police. They are in a very delicate situation now, and I don’t trust any of their subordinates. Do you know who the woman in this tape is? It’s Shi Long’s mother. Even if there is only a one in ten billion chance that Chen Qianhui will see this tape, I can never take this risk.”

“Aren’t we going to handle it?” Da Pang smiled cruelly. “That would be even more interesting.”

“I don’t know how Yu Qian plans to deal with me. Maybe our every move is under her surveillance. If she seizes any of your handles and uses them to threaten me, what do you want me to do? On one side is my wife, on the other side is my brother, which side can I give up? The palm and the back of the hand are both flesh.”

“Really? Yu Qian wouldn’t be so cruel, would she?” Long felt that he got along well with Yu Qian.

“She herself wouldn’t, but there are many scheming experts around that girl. She’s not so proud of me now, so it’s hard to say whether it will develop to that point, sigh…” Hou Longtao shook his head helplessly.

“Fourth Brother, those who play blackmail are all greedy. If you give him once, he will dare to ask for it a second time. If you give him 200,000, he will dare to ask for 400,000.”

“He’s an amateur. Look at his letter, it’s amateurish.”

“So what? Greed is human nature. Professionals may know when to stop, but the more amateurish they are, the less they know when to let go.”

“I can’t worry about so much now,” Hou Longtao knew that Er Dezi’s words made sense, and it was very likely to become a reality, but compared to other possibilities, he had to take this risk. “I just hope that these 200,000 are enough for him to squander for a while. As long as I deal with the current problem, hmph, mess with me?”

“What’s the plan?”

“Wait a minute.” Hou Longtao dialed the phone number on the letter, and talked to the man on the other side in the identity of his assistant, and when he finished the “negotiation,” his face turned blue. “Damn it, I’m a scum, a hypocrite, hmph, I’m a real person.”

“What’s his background?”

“Who the hell knows? Long, cut off the edges of that letter and give it to Wang Gang. I want to know the source of all the recorded fingerprints on it. Pay the money on the night of the 26th. Listen to my arrangements. I want to see how many heads that idiot has.” Hou Longtao’s teeth were itching…

Friday night at 6:00, Hou Longtao, Wu Da, Er Dezi, and Long set off in an H2. They didn’t have a clear destination. Along the way, they were constantly instructed by the blackmailer’s phone to turn left and right. Every time a call ended, Long would use his mobile phone to notify the “reserve team.”

At almost 8:30, they arrived at the temporary parking area before entering the airport expressway. The four got out of the car and pretended to be smoking and resting.

“Fourth Brother,” Long pointed to the toll booth in front, “Was it filmed there? The people inside should have participated.”

“Yeah.” Hou Longtao raised his head and exhaled a puff of smoke, took out his mobile phone from his pocket, which began to play the national anthem. “Hello?”

“Boss Hou, have you arrived?”

“I’m here.”

“Where’s the money?”

“I have it with me, all in a big bag as you said.”

“Okay, throw the bag from above into the woods below.”

“What? You want me to throw the bag from the highway into the woods below?” Hou Longtao repeated the other party’s words in an unbelievable tone. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Long was already dialing the phone.

“Stop talking nonsense, just do as I say!”

“Where’s my tape?”

“After I get the money, I will tell you where to pick up the goods.”

“No, I want to pay the money and get the goods at the same time…”

“You have to trust me even if you don’t trust me. I keep my word and will definitely not use the tape to embarrass you again.”

“Okay, I’ll trust you this time, but I warn you…”

“Okay, Boss Hou, hurry up, I’m running out of patience.”

Hou Longtao put away his mobile phone, opened the rear hatch of the H2, and pulled out a bulging bag from inside. Judging from his movements, it was heavy.

Er Dezi came over to help, and the two of them lifted the bag up and threw it over the concrete guardrail that was more than one person tall. Ten minutes later, Long received a report from the “reserve team” that a man with a big bag came out of the woods and got into an Alto parked on the auxiliary road. “Keep an eye on him, follow him for three days, determine his residence and identity, don’t touch him, and notify me of any abnormalities at any time.”

At the same time, Hou Longtao received a text message telling him to go to the front desk of Guangda Building to pick up the tape, a total of six tapes.

“Let’s go, don’t waste time here.” Wu Da had already gotten into the H2.

“Wang An, I’ll let you be beautiful for a while.” Hou Longtao got into the car with a gloomy face…

Two days later, the blackmailer’s identity was clarified. He was an unemployed man named Jin Song, 28 years old, living in the suburbs of Pinggu County. His 24-year-old girlfriend, Gao Miaomiao, worked at the airport expressway toll station, and the two were living together.

The information returned from Wang Gang also proved the above situation. Jin Song had been sentenced to one and a half years and two years of imprisonment for theft in 1996 and 2000 respectively, so the police fingerprint database had his archives. After he was released from prison, he had never had a proper job and was unemployed at home…

On the same day at noon, which was the last working day before the October 1st holiday, Fang Jie called Ru Yun’s office again, inviting her to lunch.

Hou Longtao was not in the office in the morning. He was called to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to receive a penalty. It turned out that yesterday, when the Industry and Commerce Bureau inspected one of his bars, they found two packs of fake Zhonghua cigarettes [a popular brand of cigarettes in China]. In fact, the waiter bought them himself to save face, not for sale, but they were just looking for trouble, so they didn’t care so much.

Hou Longtao was already feeling blocked in his heart. When he returned to the office, he heard that Ru Yun had been invited away by Fang Jie again. A surge of jealousy rushed to the top of his head. “You Wang Ba [a derogatory term, meaning ‘turtle egg’], you’re not done yet!” He asked Yue Ling where Ru Yun had gone, cursed, and left the Guomao Building…

A room does not need to be large, fragrance does not need to be abundant.