Time flew by. Over the next month, Ye Yaozu completely became Xi Yan's right-hand man and gained control of the Hong Xing territory and influence in Kowloon.
Of course, this was under the condition that Xi Yan wasn't present. It's safe to say that besides Xi Yan, Ye Yaozu was the top dog in the Kowloon branch of Hong Xing. After all, who could deny that Xi Yan was still the one calling the shots here?
At the same time, Ye Yaozu's prestige gradually increased from 200 to 500, not far from the 1,000 needed for an upgrade.
Hong Xing's territory in Kowloon was limited to two KTVs, one bar, two teahouses, and three billiard halls. That's it. The bar was a protection racket, a place they just collected fees from. The rest were Hong Xing's own businesses.
Besides this, loan sharking was Xi Yan's own venture. Of course, the profits from loan sharking were still paid to Hong Xing, since he was doing business under the Hong Xing banner and naturally had to make a contribution.
Xi Yan had a total of 300 official members on the roster. Don't think this is a small number. These are the ones who get paid. It's completely different from those temporary workers. Frankly, it's a joke to say that those few establishments in Kowloon could support 300 members.
So, apart from loan sharking, Xi Yan's other business was smuggling.
Ye Yaozu was also involved.
Smuggling was something everyone in Hong Kong with a brain did. Of course, what Xi Yan did was different from those big shots.
Xi Yan smuggled ordinary clothes, shoes, and perfumes, but the profits were considerable. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to support those 300 members with just those establishments and loan sharking.
You have to remember that Hong Xing operated on a 50/50 split. Any money earned under the Hong Xing banner had to be paid to the organization – 50% for them, the remaining 50% went to the one calling the shots.
And this 50% didn't all go to the leader. His subordinates had to eat too. That money came out of this 50%, so the leader didn't have much left.
This is why Xi Yan had only about 300 members under him.
He couldn't afford more, nor did he want to.
After all, the Hong Xing name was still a powerful one in Hong Kong, and hardly anyone dared to mess with them. With this in mind, Xi Yan didn't need many members under him.
On one hand, Xi Yan was unwilling to part with the money, and on the other, the Kowloon branch of Hong Xing was genuinely poor.
"Azu, take your men to the pier tonight. There's a shipment coming in at midnight." Xi Yan said to Ye Yaozu.
"Understood, Boss." Ye Yaozu nodded.
Xi Yan looked at Ye Yaozu with a smile on his face. Over the past month, Xi Yan had been very pleased with Ye Yaozu. Not only was he a good fighter, but he also knew how to get things done. Ye Yaozu had kept the branch running smoothly.
But soon, the smile on Xi Yan's face vanished.
Xi Yan knew that Ye Yaozu and Chan Yao were close to Jiang Tian Sheng.
Xi Yan was well aware of what was happening. Jiang Tian Sheng wanted to promote Ye Yaozu.
But he was the one calling the shots in Kowloon, so what did this mean?
Thinking about this, Xi Yan felt a surge of anger, not just towards Ye Yaozu but towards Jiang Tian Sheng as well.
Although he was unhappy with Ye Yaozu, Xi Yan wasn't a fool. Jiang Tian Sheng was so blatant in promoting his own man, so Xi Yan knew he couldn't touch Ye Yaozu.
He might be an old-timer in Hong Xing, but he held no real power. He was just a leader in name. He had no money, no people, and no real influence.
Jiang Tian Sheng had essentially told Xi Yan straight up, "Ye Yaozu is my man. You just keep earning money and leave him alone. Everything will be fine. But if you try anything, you'll regret it."
So, Xi Yan turned a blind eye to the situation.
He wasn't happy, but he didn't voice his displeasure. Moreover, Ye Yaozu had been handling things for him, and nothing had gone wrong. Considering the money involved, Xi Yan had come to terms with it.
He was about to retire, and making money was the priority. As long as Ye Yaozu didn't interfere with his profits, Xi Yan didn't care who he was working for. This is why he'd arranged things this way.
He'd let Ye Yaozu handle Kowloon Hong Xing's affairs for a month, basically setting him up for his future role. The underworld wasn't just about fighting and killing. There was also a whole lot of social maneuvering involved.
"Azu, I'm retiring next month. Kowloon's yours after that." Xi Yan said to Ye Yaozu.
Ye Yaozu said nothing. It wasn't surprising that Xi Yan was stepping down. He was just reminding Ye Yaozu, that's all.
Everyone understood. "Do your job now and I'll leave you be. But if you don't, don't blame me for making things difficult." That was the message Xi Yan was sending.
Nightfall descended.
Ye Yaozu, with his men, arrived at a private pier in Kowloon. It wasn't really a pier, more like a beach. Midnight arrived.
A light flickered on the water.
A fishing boat pulled in.
"Get a move on! Load the goods and leave." Ye Yaozu said in a low voice.
The Hong Xing members started loading the cargo quickly. Then they got in the car and drove back. Ye Yaozu wasn't new to this cargo. It was all just ordinary smuggled goods like high-end perfumes, bags, etc.
Xi Yan wasn't daring enough to get involved in that kind of stuff yet. He was close to retiring and wanted to be extra cautious. He didn't want to have any problems at this point in his life.
Ye Yaozu lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and thought to himself, "I'll be taking over in a month." He'd been to Jiang Tian Sheng's villa many times over the past month.
He'd also gotten close to Chan Yao.
He was likely to become the next leader of Kowloon Hong Xing. Of course, there would be some obstacles.
He was young and inexperienced. Liang Kun, who was opposed to Jiang Tian Sheng, would definitely object. There would be trouble ahead.
As Ye Yaozu was planning how he would proceed after taking over, a voice echoed through the night.
"Help me!!!"
A lewd laugh followed.
"Stop the car!" Ye Yaozu said to his men.
The men stopped the car. A woman in plain clothes lay sprawled on the road, blocking their path. The headlights were so strong she couldn't open her eyes. A bald man appeared behind her.
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