Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 129

The Reckless Youth (2)

The Reckless Youth (2)

Hou Longtao and the others initially held their ground due to their slight numerical advantage, but as more and more security guards gathered, some armed with clubs, the situation devolved into two-on-one or three-on-one, leaving them with almost no ability to fight back. Wu Da and Liu Nan had already been injured.

The later arrivals among the security guards seemed well-organized, always leaving Hou Longtao and his group a path to retreat, gradually forcing them to an open space away from the villa.

A blue Jiefang truck stopped outside the chaotic crowd. Twenty-odd people in gray work clothes and yellow hard hats jumped out of the truck bed, each clutching iron tools like large wrenches and hammers.

These men joined the fray without hesitation, further tilting the balance. Forty against seven, Hou Longtao and his crew could only protect their heads and faces, unable to retaliate.

The shouts and curses gradually subsided as the security guards and workers retreated, ceasing their attacks and merely surrounding the seven bloodied figures.

“What the hell do you want to do!?” Da Pang’s right arm hung limp, his left hand supporting Long.

Among the seven brothers, Long suffered the most severe injuries, with large gashes on his head and fractures in both arms, as he had been protecting his fourth brother, resulting in Hou Longtao only sustaining minor scrapes.

“Clear out a bit, clear out a bit.” Two large, fat men squeezed through the crowd, one being Yi Feng, the security director, and the other resembling him. Behind them was a middle-aged man with bandages on his arm and head, the same driver who had been beaten by Hou Longtao and his gang the previous afternoon.

“Are those them?”

“It’s us,” Liu Nan answered before the driver could speak, as denial was futile. “We beat him, so what?”

“So what?” Yi Feng tilted his head. “You little punks are pretty cocky,” he pointed to the other fat man. “This is my brother, Yi Luan. You dared to smash his car and beat his people. Fine, I won’t make it difficult for you. Twenty thousand. You pay up, and you can leave.”

Yi Luan had been in Hebei at his in-laws’ place for the past few days. The driver was picking him up yesterday afternoon when he was attacked, so he had to call Yi Luan, who took a long-distance bus back. He arrived at Shanshi Chemical around 10:00 PM and heard that the guys who smashed his car were at ‘Fulu Shou’ [Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity – a common Chinese idiom representing blessings], so he called his brother on a whim, not really expecting them to be there. To his surprise, they were, so he brought a truckload of factory guards, just in time for another fight.

“What if I don’t pay?” Liu Nan wiped the blood from his face.

“Don’t be like that. I know you have money. I’ll let you go, but your friends stay here. You go back and get the money to exchange for them.”

“Go fuck yourself.” The brothers knew the other party’s actions constituted kidnapping and extortion, but none of them considered calling the police; that wasn’t their style back then.

“Hehehe,” the two fat men chuckled simultaneously. “Loosen their bones some more.”

The sound of tires screeching on the ground came from around the corner, and the outer circle of people began to scatter in alarm. Liu Nan’s “Elegance” came speeding over, all four windows open. Zhao Rui was driving; sometimes having a delinquent girlfriend had its advantages.

Liu Nan, Wu Da, and Ma Lian squeezed through the windows simultaneously. “Go! Go! Go!”

The “Elegance” made a U-turn at maximum speed and fled.

Some tried to stop them, but realizing the car wasn’t slowing down, they could only curse and throw their weapons, shattering the rear window.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Da Pang endured the sharp pain in his arm, hoisted Long onto his back, and Hou Longtao and Er Dezi protected them as they ran. However, they ran towards the interior of the resort, not because they didn’t want to follow the “Elegance,” but because there were too many “tigers and wolves” [dangerous people] ahead.

“You motherfuckers, still trying to run?” Yi Feng finally revealed his vicious side, but he couldn’t run, so he picked up a large wrench from the ground and walked over menacingly. “Bring them back!”

The four of them were quickly pinned down. Yi Feng immediately struck Hou Longtao in the stomach with the wrench.

Another sound of tires screeching came, but this time it was two cars rushing over, the lead car with flashing 警笛 [jǐng dí – police siren] and 警灯 [jǐng dēng – police lights].

The security guards and workers didn’t react in time and stepped aside, as only a few knew these kids were driving police cars.

Hou Longtao seized the opportunity to kick Yi Feng hard in his round belly, grabbed Er Dezi, and jumped into the second car. Da Pang stuffed Long into the police car and got in himself… “Hahaha, don’t think about revenge while I’m not around, wait for me.” Hou Longtao wiped the blood from his face…

Two days later, at noon, Hou Longtao arrived at the airport with a face full of band-aids. The guys sending him off were in even worse shape, with bandages wrapped around their heads and some with casts on their arms and legs…

Now it was finally time to settle the score…

In a large private room at “Tianlun Pavilion,” the six bosses of “Dongxing” were waiting, including Long, who had just returned to Beijing that afternoon.

Around 6:30, Wu Da led a man in his fifties into the room. “Director Lu, these are my good brothers. This is Lu Qi, the director of Shanshi Chemical.”

Hou Longtao shook hands with him last, introducing himself. “Director Lu, please have a seat.”

“What can I do for you, the big bosses of Dongxing Group? Dongxing Group doesn’t seem to be in the petrochemical business, does it?” Lu Qi, usually a typical bureaucrat, knew how to speak to these young millionaires.

“Haha, you’re too polite. Of course, we’re not here to talk business. If it were business, we would visit you at the factory. Today, we just need a little favor,” Liu Nan said smoothly.

“Don’t be so polite. If there’s anything I can do, just say it.”

“No rush,” Hou Longtao offered him a cigarette. “There are still two people who haven’t arrived yet. Let’s have some tea first, and we can talk when they get here, so we don’t get interrupted.”

They had only chatted for a few minutes when the waitress led a man in his forties or fifties into the room. Ma Lian immediately stood up. “Hey, Boss Xie.”

The man immediately shook hands with Ma Lian. “Boss Ma, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m late.”

“No, no, come, come, let me introduce you.” Ma Lian introduced everyone present. “This is Mr. Xie Weidong, the big boss of Fulu Shou Company. Fulu Shou Resort is his property.”

Xie Weidong made a point of shaking Hou Longtao’s hand for a longer time. Unlike Lu Qi, who was a state-owned factory director from the suburbs, Xie Weidong had worked his way up in the Beijing business world and naturally knew who was in charge of ‘Dongxing.’

“Brother Weidong,” Hou Longtao was there to make friends and seemed very amiable. “Didn’t the manager of ‘Fulu Shou’ come? What? Couldn’t Ma Lian invite him?”

“No, no, Ouyang is parking outside, he’ll be right in.”

“Ouyang? Ouyang Shuang?”

“Yes.”

“Hahaha,” Hou Longtao exchanged glances with his brothers. “Ouyang Shuang is now the manager of ‘Fulu Shou.'”

“Hahaha.” Everyone laughed.

Xie Weidong didn’t know what was going on. “What? Do you know him?”

“An old acquaintance,” Da Pang patted Xie Weidong on the shoulder and then naturally kept his hand on him. “Yes, an old acquaintance. I didn’t expect to see him today. We should treat him well.”

The waitress led Ouyang Shuang into the room. He was stunned as soon as he entered, wondering why everyone in the room looked so familiar. Within seconds, he remembered. “You…”

Ma Lian closed the door behind Ouyang Shuang. Wu Da and Er Dezi grabbed his arms on either side and slammed him onto the table. Long picked up a teapot and smashed it on his head with a “Bang!” Then came an ashtray. Tea, tea leaves, cigarette ashes, and blood flew everywhere.

“What are you doing!?” Xie Weidong thought he had walked into a trap. Just as he was about to get up, he felt an incredibly heavy hand on his shoulder, pinning him down.

“Ah!” The waitress also screamed.

“Shh,” Hou Longtao smiled at the waitress, putting a finger to his lips. “We’re just playing around, it’s okay, you can go back to work.”

“Okay.” The waitress had just been too shocked. In reality, she wasn’t afraid of Hou Longtao; none of the waitresses at “Tianlun Pavilion” were afraid of him. He was a friend.

“Brother Weidong, don’t be nervous, this is completely unexpected,” Hou Longtao turned to Xie Weidong. “It wasn’t planned in advance, and it’s not directed at you.”

In fact, not only was Xie Weidong nervous, but Lu Qi was also very nervous. He didn’t know the real purpose of these people’s invitation, and now with this scene, he was even more uncertain. Fortunately, he hadn’t been directly threatened, so he could only play it by ear.

Long and Er Dezi threw Ouyang Shuang onto the nearby sofa, tossing him a towel to stop the bleeding. “Just stay here quietly.”

Besides obeying, Ouyang Shuang had no other choice. His “enemies” were actually the famous bosses of Dongxing Group, so it seemed he had no chance of turning things around.

Hou Longtao briefly recounted the events of three years ago. “That was the worst we’ve ever been beaten.”

“So you want us to compensate you?”

“Hehe,” Liu Nan shook his head. “Compensate? How much can you compensate? Even the poorest of us owns five percent of ‘Dongxing’s’ shares. Do you know how much that is in annual dividends? Money is the most useless thing to us.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Don’t be impatient, I haven’t finished yet.” Hou Longtao took a sip of tea and pulled an invitation from his pocket. “Brother Weidong, take a look at this.”

Xie Weidong opened it and saw that it was an invitation for Hou Longtao to attend a private party at Fulu Shou Resort this Sunday, signed with his name and even his seal, but the phone number was for the resort’s security department. “This… I didn’t send this. The seal is also fake. This seal is very clear; there’s a missing dot in the ‘寸’ [cùn – a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately 1.3 inches] character of my seal. But, what does this mean?”

“Yi Feng recently made a new friend…” Hou Longtao explained how Jin Song had plotted against him. “They brought this on themselves. I’m not a pushover. What do you think I should do to them?”

“Brother, you’ve asked us here, so you must already have a plan. Just tell us what you need us to do.”

“Actually, it’s very simple…” Da Pang explained the plan. “What do you two think?”

Lu Qi had no objections. He didn’t really have to do anything, and he could easily get tens of thousands of yuan in compensation. Sacrificing Yi Luan, who he had no real connection with, to build a relationship with Dongxing Group was a win-win situation.

Since Xie Weidong could run a resort, he had some connections, but he also understood that his connections were definitely not as deep as these “Dongxing bosses.” He certainly didn’t dare to refuse outright, but he still had some concerns. Overall, he was still an honest businessman, and businessmen were the most reluctant to get involved in this kind of thing. “Such a big operation, what if something goes wrong? Won’t it be very troublesome?”

“Don’t worry,” Hou Longtao yawned. He hadn’t expected Xie Weidong to be so cautious. “I’ve already made arrangements with the Eleventh and Thirteenth Divisions. They’ll provide the police force and coordinate with the Sanhe City Public Security Bureau. Nothing will happen.”

“Okay, since you’re so confident, I have nothing to say.” Xie Weidong wasn’t really relieved, but he could only resign himself to fate, hoping they wouldn’t cause any trouble. “What about Ouyang?”

“Hmm…” Hou Longtao got up and walked to the man sitting on the sofa with his head covered. “Ouyang Shuang, let’s call it even today. The past is wiped clean. What do you say?”

“Okay, okay.” Besides agreeing, Ouyang Shuang had no other choice.

“I’m targeting Yi Feng and Jin Song, but I just want to play it big. I don’t mind if you go back and tell them. If they’re prepared or simply run away, it won’t affect us, but I still hope you don’t spoil our fun. We’re all smart people. It’s good to be accommodating, right?”

“Right, you’re right. I know what to do.” Three and a half years ago, Ouyang Shuang hadn’t lied. He didn’t like Yi Feng and had no reason to make an enemy he couldn’t defeat…

Most of the workers at Shanshi Chemical lived in the employee housing near the factory. Yi Luan was no exception. On Saturday evening, just after finishing dinner, he received a call from the factory director, asking him to come over to discuss something.

“Where are you going?” Yi Luan’s wife asked grumpily as she saw him getting dressed.

“Lu Qi asked me to go to his house,” Yi Luan said, patting his big belly as he took his coat from the rack.

“Lu Qi? What does he want from you? He never even talks to you when you meet.”

“Who knows? He’s the director, I have to go if he asks me to.”

“It’s not even working hours.”

“Don’t be so nosy, old woman.” Yi Luan left with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Come, come.” Lu Qi led Yi Luan into the house.

“Why are you here too?” Yi Luan noticed another man in the room, his superior, Hong Yang, the captain of the Shanshi Chemical factory guard, who was Lu Qi’s brother-in-law.

“Of course, there’s a reason for asking you here,” Lu Qi patted him on the shoulder. “I heard you’re good at playing cards.”

“What cards? Mahjong?”

“Yes.”

“Hehe, what, Director, you want to lose some money to me?” Yi Luan didn’t have much respect for this new director who had only been in office for a little over a year. He had been personally appointed by the old director and had been doing it for many years. Moreover, because his brother was the security director at a nearby resort, he often took other management personnel there for food, drinks, and entertainment. He was the “old dog” of the factory.

“Eh,” Lu Qi shook his hand. “We’re all from the same factory, we see each other all the time, it’s no fun to play small, and it hurts feelings to play big. I have a game where you can make big money, do you want to play?”

“What do you mean, a game where you can make big money?”

“I can be straight with you, but you have to promise me that no matter whether you participate or not, this matter cannot leave this room.”

“Tch.” Yi Luan always thought he was the king of this area, with over a hundred people under him. Even the police station sometimes had to ask him for help. Not to mention that he didn’t want to spread what Lu Qi was about to say, even if it did leak out somewhere, what could happen?

“Last week, a private petrochemical company boss came from Shijiazhuang to discuss a contract. He’s a gambler, and although he just learned to play mahjong, he’s addicted to it. He can’t go a day without playing. On the night he arrived, he asked me to take him somewhere to play.”

“I understand,” Yi Luan was clear about these shady things. “How much money does he have?”

“He threw over 40,000 to those guys at the bathhouse the first night without even blinking.” Lu Qi curled his lips. “He’s really rich. Compared to him, I, the director of a large state-owned factory, am just ten poor bastards.”

“Why are you looking for me for this kind of good thing? Don’t blame me for being blunt, but we don’t usually have much to do with each other.”

“Okay, since you’re so blunt, I won’t beat around the bush.” Lu Qi was just repeating Hou Longtao’s words. He had expected Yi Luan to ask this question. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. “I’m pulling you into this. Including this afternoon, that guy has already lost for three consecutive days. Even I think those bathhouse bastards are up to something. Instead of letting others pocket all that money, we might as well earn it ourselves. But if he finds out we’re also cheating him, even if he can’t do anything at the time, I don’t think he’ll let it go afterward. With you joining, I won’t have that worry. Besides, although I invited this money god, you also know those second-rate guys at the bathhouse. If I lead the money god away, I’m really afraid they’ll mess things up. If they come to make trouble and see you at the table, they won’t dare to do anything.”

“Isn’t there him?” Yi Luan pointed to Hong Yang.

“I’ve already made it clear that although he’s the 正 [zhèng – primary/chief] and you’re the 副 [fù – deputy/vice], you know better than I do who the people really listen to.”

“Hehehe,” Yi Luan didn’t hide his smugness at all. “Okay, we’ll split whatever we win three ways, right?”

“Yes, if nothing goes wrong, we should each be able to get 10,000 or 20,000 in one night.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow night.”

“Ah? That won’t work, I have something to do,” Yi Luan had promised his brother to take people to ‘Fulu Shou’ tomorrow night as a ‘reserve team.’ “Postpone it for a day.”

“It can’t be postponed. He’s signing the contract on Monday and going back to Shijiazhuang. If you want to make money, it has to be tomorrow night.”

“Hmm…” Yi Luan rubbed his hands. He didn’t want to miss out on this money. Sending someone over tomorrow shouldn’t be a big problem even if he wasn’t there. “Okay, tomorrow it is.”

The three began to discuss the secret signals at the card table…

On Sunday afternoon, Hou Longtao’s Benz S600 stopped in front of the main building of Fulu Shou Resort. This was one of the three newly purchased Benz cars of Dongxing Group, and Kuang Fei was driving.

Four men came out of the building to greet him, with Jin Song leading the way. “Ah, Mr. Hou, I’m Xie Weidong, the boss of Fulu Shou Entertainment Company. These are the managers here.”

Hou Longtao smiled and shook Jin Song’s hand. The other party was obviously unaware that he knew everything about him. “Mr. Xie, I’ve heard a lot about you. Am I early?”

“Hmm? No, why do you ask?”

“Weren’t you inviting me to a social event? Why is my car the only one here?” In fact, there were several low-end cars like Xiali, Jetta, and Accord parked around, but those were definitely not the cars that bosses would ride in.

“This…” Jin Song showed a slightly embarrassed expression. “There’s no one else, I only invited you.”

“How could that be?”

“Actually, I’ve admired Mr. Hou for a long time. You’re a model for young entrepreneurs. I invited you here today just to get to know you. It’s a dinner party, but I was afraid you’d look down on my small place and wouldn’t want to come.”

“Mr. Xie, you’re too polite. You’re also quite impressive,” Hou Longtao sounded polite, but his face showed a displeased expression. “You manage such a large entertainment city and have other businesses. I think you must be very busy. I’m still taking up your time. Let’s make an appointment in Beijing next time.” As he spoke, Kuang Fei had already opened the car door for him again.

“Don’t…” Jin Song was a little nervous. “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave, I’ve prepared a lot of entertainment.”

“Hmm? What entertainment?” Hou Longtao stopped.

“Ah, haha, of course, it’s the kind of entertainment that men like. I specially selected the people.”

“Okay, since Mr. Xie is so sincere, I can’t refuse to give you face. I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Just call me Weidong, don’t be so formal. Come, come, let’s go to the banquet hall to talk, it’s so cold outside.” Jin Song was overjoyed. The other party was indeed someone who was easily tempted by women. He was destined to get rich.

Eating at five o’clock was indeed a bit early, but because both sides had ulterior motives, no one objected.

“Weidong, how’s business at your entertainment village?”

“It’s not bad. Don’t think that just because it’s not the peak season, there are fewer people,” Jin Song had asked Yi Feng about the basic situation of the resort in advance to prepare for Hou Longtao’s possible questions, and now it really came in handy. This made him feel even smarter and more confident in his plan. “You know, these days, how many people come to the resort to relax? They’re all here for that. As long as there are 混混 [hùn hùn – hoodlums/gangsters], there’s no need to worry about not having anyone.”

“Hmm, that makes sense. Okay, let’s not waste time here, bring on the main course.” Hou Longtao deliberately acted impatient.

“Okay, okay, Longtao is indeed a man of passion. Let’s go now.”

The six people arrived at the bathing center behind the main building. It was no longer the same as it had been three years ago; the renovation had long been completed.

Jin Song went over and said a few words to the waitress. Soon, the waitress led out five heavily made-up women, including Gao Miaomiao. She really stood out among these ordinary prostitutes…(金鳞岂是池中物) [jīn lín qǐ shì chí zhōng wù – A golden carp is not a thing to be kept in a pond – meaning a talented person will eventually rise above their humble surroundings]

Golden Scale [EN]

Golden Scale [EN]

金鳞岂是池中物
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] From the bustling streets of Beijing to the sun-kissed shores of California, witness the audacious journey of a reformed hooligan turned unlikely millionaire. Armed with a college degree and a lottery ticket from the Golden State, he's about to shake up the world of high finance. Back in Beijing as an investment department manager, he navigates a treacherous landscape of seductive beauty, cutthroat competition, and unforeseen crises. Watch as he leverages his street smarts, newfound wealth, and a dash of pure luck to transform every obstacle into an opportunity, rising through the ranks to become a titan of industry. Prepare for a thrilling saga of ambition, intrigue, and the intoxicating allure of power.

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