Many years later.
After drinking, Li Sanhui pointed at the omnipresent Jinxiu Group advertisements, belched, and recounted the few memorable experiences of his uneventful life.
"That day, Xiao Hongpao directly handed me a pack of China cigarettes and asked me to give it to the security guard. He said there would be a lot of people coming for dinner later, so it's best to give them a heads up to avoid misunderstandings."
Someone would then ask, "Why do you call the Jinxiu CEO, Mr. Su, Xiao Hongpao?"
Li Sanhui would squint his eyes, smile nonchalantly, and say, "You wouldn't understand. We were close back then. Everyone who knows the name Xiao Hongpao is an old friend of Mr. Su. It was 1992, and he just gave me a pack of China cigarettes like that."
An impatient person, unable to hold back, would light a cigarette for Li Sanhui, now a respectable middle-aged man. Li Sanhui would light up and continue his story with a satisfied look.
"Man, Master Lin and his disciples, they were skilled in all eighteen martial arts, serving dishes quickly. And let me tell you, Master Lin's cooking was amazing. Xiao Hongpao was a real boss back then, he kept sending truckloads of rare delicacies that you wouldn't even see today. That was the best meal I've ever had in my life."
"What kind of stuff?" someone who had heard the story would ask.
"Wild deer, silly roe deer, not to mention, there was a lot of tiger penis and bear paw with honey. You name it."
Li Sanhui looked at the envious faces in the cheap restaurant with a sense of superiority, smacked his lips, as if savoring the taste from that day.
"Go on, Uncle."
Li Sanhui looked up, as if reliving that night.
"Redpao called, and within ten minutes, five Land Cruisers arrived. Dozens of young men in black suits jumped out, and soon hundreds of taxis filled with gangsters from the train station gathered outside the knitting factory. The scene, the scene..." Li Sanhui exclaimed.
"How could Xiao Hongpao have so many people back then?" another middle-aged man at another table interjected.
Li Sanhui's face turned red, and he swore, "If I'm lying, may my whole family suffer!"
"They were so numerous, black as night, and silent. I knew then that as long as Xiao Hongpao lived for five years, he wouldn't just rule Wu City, but the entire Tiannan province would be his!" Li Sanhui raised his thumb high.
"Do you know those famous people, Yang Qianli and Zhang Tong? They were all polite to me back then. And what about Guo Guangyao?"
"I know, one of the bigwigs in Jinxiu."
"He's my classmate, you think I'm lying?" Li Sanhui looked triumphantly at the interjecting middle-aged man.
"Brother San, why didn't you follow them all along? They are so successful now."
Li Sanhui smiled, "Brother San, I'm a family man, I take care of my family and respect my parents. They were wild back then, and we didn't hang out together after that."
Li Sanhui repeated the lie he had told countless times, as if doing so could make up for the regret he had carried for over a decade.
That night, Su Pingnan's people occupied all the tables in the knitting factory dining hall. Su Pingnan said only one thing, "Master Lin is showing off his culinary skills tonight, give me some face and don't make a fuss."
As a result, the entire evening, the large dining hall was filled only with the sounds of people eating and picking up food.
When Su Pingnan left, he looked at Li Sanhui, shook his hand, and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I owe you a favor. If you need anything, find Guangyao."
Li Sanhui nodded silently, unable to speak. The next day when he went to work, he discovered that Master Lin and his nine disciples had already resigned.
Su Pingnan spent the night rushing to Tiandu with Yang Qianli and a few others. Aside from him, no one knew that those green-colored boards would sweep across the entire Xia Kingdom continent within a few years, becoming a memory for a select few.
Arriving in Tiandu at 3 am, Su Pingnan didn't go directly to the Gao brothers, instead, he found a place to stay not far from Tiandu Electronic University.
Early the next morning, Su Pingnan called a big pine nut businessman in Tiandu.
After the call, Su Pingnan quickly scribbled an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Guo Guangyao.
"Find this person and bring him here."
Su Pingnan was a ruthless and arrogant man but also extremely cautious. Through connections, he had found a technical expert from the Electronic University to oversee this deal.
The Gao brothers had been waiting at the auto repair shop since early morning. Around 9 am, three cars they were both familiar with drove into the yard one after another. Su Pingnan, with a dozen burly young men and a refined middle-aged man, stepped out.
"Lao Gao, sorry to keep you waiting," Su Pingnan greeted the Gao brothers politely, his eyes falling on the stranger.
Xiao Hongpao was now a big shot in Wu City, so the Gao brothers naturally greeted him with smiles. Seeing Su Pingnan's gaze, they immediately introduced, "Redpao, you're a big man now, we're grateful for your support on this deal. This is our brother from the sea, just call him Liu Da Ge."
Su Pingnan could smell the ocean from the man's aura. He nodded, acknowledging the introduction.
Liu Han laughed, revealing a set of yellow teeth stained with smoke, and spoke rudely, "You're not even old yet, and you're already calling yourself a 'Brother.' You're so full of yourself, you've kept old Liu waiting for so long."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Su Pingnan's face darkened, and the Gao brothers were also unhappy.
Yang Qianli and Guo Guangyao immediately walked towards Liu Han, their faces stern, their hands already reaching for their waists.