“Damn! I thought I was your good brother, Big D, but you look at me like this.”
“I, Ah Dong, always live with a clear conscience, separating my gratitude from my grudges. My support for Uncle Deng is out of respect for our familial ties, and my help for you is because of our brotherhood. You? What do you think of me?”
“Since Big D, you see me this way, then fine. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways. Let’s pretend I never heard a word of this today. You go your way, I go mine. Farewell.”
Seeing Big D’s expression, Chen Dong put on a face of no longer acknowledging him, slamming the table and shooing him away.
“Hey! Don’t get upset, Ah Dong. I know you’re loyal. I’m just being cautious. What if tonight’s matters get out? It wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
Seeing that Chen Dong was about to turn against him, Big D felt a sense of relief and explained.
“Big D, you’re right. It’s better to be cautious. But don’t overthink things, Big D. As the saying goes, ‘There’s a chance of winning even when you gamble.’ Everyone’s still holding their cards close. Even if Ah Le has Uncle Deng’s support, we don’t know who will win. Right now, all you need to do is gather more chips. If your vote count is higher than Ah Le’s, even if Uncle Deng supports him, it won’t matter. Don’t you think so?”
Chen Dong pretended to be generous, sitting back down and analyzing the situation for him.
“Hmm... my wife also said the same thing. But we just gave those old guys money, and now we’re giving them more? What if they become insatiable? I’ve seen how those old guys are.”
Big D nodded, agreeing with his analysis. But the money-giving strategy had already been used once. Doing it again would undoubtedly arouse those old guys’ greed, and he’d seen firsthand how they were.
“It doesn’t have to be money. I heard that our Chairman, Blowjob, only has one bar left in Wan Chai. Why don’t you have someone go to Wan Chai, fight with the local punks, and get two bars back for him to retire with? That’s more effective than giving money. Blowjob is also a big figure with a lot of votes.”
Chen Dong rolled his eyes and said.
Speaking of Blowjob, he was truly pitiful. When he first took over, he remembered Blowjob had several bars and bathhouses. Yesterday, he heard Ah Bao bragging to his younger brothers that now Blowjob only has one bar left. His brothers either transferred out or ran away. He only has one errand boy left.
He’s called the Wan Chai boss, but he only has one bar…
“Slap!”
“Good idea! How come I didn’t think of that? I’ll chat with Chen Yao Qing tomorrow and ask him for two bars.”
Hearing Chen Dong’s solution, Big D’s eyes lit up, and with a slap, he slammed his hand on the table in excitement.
He and Wan Chai Tiger, Chen Yao Qing, were sworn brothers. It was a simple matter, a phone call was all it took to get two bars.
“That’s the way to go. Use the same approach for the other old guys. If they need something, just give it to them. If you can’t figure it out, just ask Big D’s wife. So many people envy Big D for having such a smart wife.”
Chen Dong waved his hand and said.
He didn’t want to choose the chairman so quickly. Earlier, when Ah Le approached him, he’d casually mentioned it. After taking care of Old Ghost Lu, his territory in Mong Kok was already the largest, making him a target. But to get involved with the Death Scissors guy, Fat Bastard, or with the likes of Lin Hao Long, big-time money launderers who deal with hundreds of thousands per minute, a few streets in Mong Kok wouldn’t be enough. They’d scoff at his territory. So, to get close to Lin Hao Long, the top dog, he had to keep working hard. But if the chairman was chosen too quickly, Ah Le, with his smiling face but malicious intent, would definitely target him. Even if he had Uncle Deng’s backing, it wouldn’t be enough.
He didn’t want to be targeted by someone like Ah Le so soon. So, he had to come up with a way to make this chairman election more difficult. Even if Ah Le had Uncle Deng’s support, they needed to give Big D the means to fight back against Uncle Deng. If possible, he even hoped Big D would take the position. After all, Big D was simple and easier to get along with than Ah Le, that scheming old bastard.
However, he knew that getting Big D to take the position was almost impossible. Uncle Deng’s authority had been solidified over decades. Not everyone was money-hungry. Many old guys still adhered to the old way. So, for now, he could only continue to strengthen Big D’s position, creating an illusion of a 50/50 battle between him and Ah Le. He would wait until he had enough power to handle someone like Ah Le, to be able to laugh in his face even if Ah Le became chairman.
Honestly, this triad business was more brain-consuming than working in a company. He was so pure and kind, he’d been forced into becoming a schemer…
“Humph! In all of Hong Kong and Kowloon, who else can marry a wife like that?”
Big D couldn’t help but be arrogant.
“Boss, Brother Mei is here.”
At this moment, Ah Bao’s voice came from outside the door.
“Don’t you dare delay. Invite him in… No! I’ll go greet him myself.”
“Haha, Brother Mei is truly punctual. It’s five minutes before eight, and he’s arrived early. Truly worthy of being a boss who has dominated the scene for decades.”
Chen Dong winked at Big D, ignoring whether he understood or not, and stood up to go out the door. But as the door opened, a sharp, impeccably dressed Brother Mei, his hair tinged with gray but not showing his age, entered with his people. Wei Ji Xiang and two of his younger brothers were among them.
“I’ve heard a lot about this young man who hung Ah Tong in less than two hours. Truly, the young are formidable.”
“Oh? Big D is here too.”
Brother Mei looked at this smiling young man, who was even more handsome than a movie star, and didn’t hesitate to sit down, speaking as he did. Seeing Big D, who had returned to his arrogant swagger since Brother Mei entered, he was slightly surprised.
“What? Is it because this is our Hong Xing territory that you can come, but I can’t?”
Big D’s tone remained as arrogant as ever. Except for Uncle Deng, his wife, and Chen Dong, probably no one could make him speak properly.
Even if the person across from him was the Hong Tai chairman. Although they belonged to different gangs, the other man was an elder, his seniority was clear.
“Young man Dong, I’m here, and I’ve brought the money. Let my son out.”
Perhaps knowing what Big D was like, Brother Mei ignored his arrogant demeanor, the group of his brothers behind him looking like they were about to devour him. Brother Mei didn’t mind and turned to Chen Dong instead.
He was here to pick up his son, not to fight. He originally planned to let Dog仔祥 handle it, but his plans had changed. He wasn’t comfortable letting Dog仔祥 take two million on his own to pick up his son. Besides, when he came in, he realized the restaurant was practically filled with Hong Xing members. He knew that it would be impossible to fight today.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to get out of this restaurant, father and son.
Since fighting was out of the question, he didn’t want to waste any more time. His grandson was waiting for his father to come home.