Chapter 56: This Kid's Wildness Is Too Cool

In less than half an hour, Brother Xiao Long was already panting as he called Fang Xinghe back.

"Fang Shao! Found them, found the people!"

"No rush, catch your breath, take it slow…"

"I'm f-fine! They're at, at the Lijing Hotel, the one by the station, the inn Wang Ye runs!"

"Good, thanks for the hard work. Wait for me to come over."

Fang Xinghe stood up, and the two who had rushed over—Duoyu and Heizi—sprang up as well. Duoyu tucked a dagger behind his waistband, and Heizi grabbed Fang Xinghe's leather bag.

"What are you doing?" The boss, Fang, was caught between laughter and tears. He waved a hand. "Put the hardware away. We're the Thirteen Eagles now, we've gone legit. We're a goddamn study group, not a gang anymore…"

The boss's cold joke sent the two of them into stitches, doubled over and unable to straighten up.

"Hahahaha… a-a study group…"

"Ehehehehehe…"

Fang Xinghe couldn't hold back his laughter either. That editor at the Jibao was definitely a genius—once he started his company, he should poach the guy to keep everyone entertained every day. Leaving him at the provincial paper was a waste.

"Alright, let's go. Let's go meet our new friends."

"Okay! GoGoGo!"

Some big-shot street boss, and he didn't even have a car. Luckily Duoyu had called a taxi to wait at the door on his way over, so Fang Shao wouldn't have to go on foot.

The taxis in Nong'an at this time were little Oltos. Fang Xinghe had never seen the things in his later life—no matter how he looked at them, they looked like old-man mobiles.

Arriving and stepping out, he looked up and saw… a four-story building.

Lijing Grand Hotel? Good, good, good. Perfectly on-brand.

Before he could make out more details, Brother Xiao Long darted up in front of Fang Xinghe. He wanted to raise a hand but didn't know where to put it—fidgety, face red as a beet—finally just calling out.

"Fang Shao!"

Fang Xinghe didn't know how the street kids greeted each other in this day and age, so he took the initiative, opening his arms and reaching out.

"Brother Brother Xiao Long, good work."

Brother Xiao Long hurriedly shook Fang Xinghe's hand, saying repeatedly, "No trouble at all, no trouble at all. The station area is so small, found them in no time!"

"Where are they?"

"Fourth floor, 404!" Brother Xiao Long raised his hand to point. Beside the lit window, there was actually a little brother keeping watch.

"Let's go, upstairs."

Brother Xiao Long immediately led the way in front, with Duoyu and Heizi following behind, surrounding Fang Xinghe in the middle.

As they walked, Brother Xiao Long briefed Fang Shao on the situation.

"We went to the front desk of every inn and asked one by one. The front desk girls here all know us, so it was easy to confirm.

Then I had my two sisters go trick the door. Those two idiots, the moment they heard the two girls were real sisters, they opened right up. Then the brothers rushed in and pinned them down on the spot!

Damn, the ones from the capital really are different—plenty of valuable stuff. Camera, cell phone, tape recorder…"

Fang Xinghe listened patiently, only asking now: "You didn't touch their stuff, did you?"

"How could we!" Brother Xiao Long shook his head at once. "Wouldn't that be home invasion robbery? We're just thugs, not idiots."

"Good, you've got brains."

A casual compliment, and Brother Xiao Long scratched the back of his head with a silly grin, embarrassed again.

On the fourth floor, looking up, three stood guard in the hallway outside the door—two girls and a boy. The moment they saw Fang Xinghe appear, their eyes lit up; they hurriedly covered their mouths, nearly screaming.

Fang Xinghe nodded at them amiably and, led by Brother Xiao Long, walked into room 404.

Inside were four more young men and two young women. Seeing Fang Xinghe, they all stood up at once—some nervously rubbing their hands, some instinctively stepping forward, some so startled they covered their mouths…

Whatever young women in the later era looked like seeing their idol in person, that's what they looked like.

—Perhaps even more exaggerated, because your Brother Fang, bare-faced, was a true top-tier looker capable of unifying human aesthetics.

"Wow…"

Amid the softly suppressed gasps, Fang Xinghe looked toward the bed.

Two middle-aged men in their thirties or forties sat on the bed, stripped down to a single pair of underpants, shivering and shrinking. There were no signs of being beaten, but they were badly frightened.

On the bedside table beside them, scattered about, sat a camera, a tape recorder, a cell phone, notebooks, and pens.

Fang Xinghe had the picture. He raised a hand, and Heizi immediately handed him the bag.

"Thanks for everyone's hard work today."

He reached into the bag and casually pulled out about two or three thousand yuan, didn't even count it, and handed it straight to Brother Xiao Long.

"Brother Brother Xiao Long, take the brothers out for a late-night snack, and thank everyone properly on my behalf. If there's still time after we're done, I'll go toast everyone a drink."

Damn, that's gangster!

The two reporters looked up in astonishment, faces full of shock, eyes filled with doubt—Holy shit, Fang Xinghe, you actually unified the Nong'an underworld?!

Looking at that big-brother air of yours, if you don't have a few lives on your hands, I definitely won't believe it…

That bearing, so dashing; those movements, so natural; that speech, so seasoned—one look and he clearly wasn't any good guy.

The two old boys thought again of how, when interviewing Wang Deli, the guy had sobbed with snot and tears pouring down, and their hearts leaped into their throats—Oh god! The guy wasn't lying. Fang Xinghe really was the kind of crazy little bastard who'd bury you over the slightest disagreement!

Their vision went dark, their hearts clenched, and the two old boys started shaking like sieves.

And Brother Xiao Long, with that thick wad of RMB stuffed into his hand, felt both flattered and torn, the two feelings blending into pure bewilderment: "Fang Shao, this… I… the brothers just did you a little favor…"

"If you've troubled a friend, you should thank them."

Fang Xinghe waved a hand, cutting off Brother Xiao Long's half-hearted refusal, and in a tone that brooked no argument instructed: "Give the extra to the younger brothers and sisters, tidy up your look. The guys are clearly handsome, the girls are clearly pretty—how did you end up looking so scruffy?"

Where had these kids ever seen anything like this?

Two of the young women were on the verge of tears.

The others, who had originally wanted to step forward and greet Fang Xinghe, all clingy and affectionate, now felt inferior and didn't dare move.

But they weren't angry about it—instead, their hearts were full of feeling—Fang Shao praised me! Even my mom has never cared about me like this!

Actually, this is precisely where Boss Fang's bag of tricks truly shines.

He didn't want to get tangled up with a bunch of little brats, chattering away with endless questions, draping arms around his neck and rubbing against his legs.

But the others had given their all to help, so he couldn't just face them with a cold look, could he?

So, showing friendliness while keeping distance — that really tests emotional intelligence and skill. Your Brother Fang may dare to act at the slightest provocation, daring to take on anyone, fierce as all hell, but that doesn't mean he has no EQ.

On the contrary, when needed, his Perception stat could convert into quite a bit of emotional intelligence.

"Don't worry, Fang Shao!"

Little Dragon nodded hard, dead serious: "Everyone who helped today will get their share. Working for you, I won't take a cut myself and I won't shortchange them either!"

Fang Xinghe raised a hand and patted the other's shoulder: "Alright, go have fun. We'll be in touch later."

Little Dragon glanced at the two reporters and said hesitantly: "Do you want me to leave a couple of brothers to pin them down…"

"No need. Just a little chat, nothing that serious."

Fang Xinghe smiled lightly, which only made the two reporters even more terrified.

What the hell kind of dump is this?

What the hell kind of bullshit is this?

Fang Xinghe, you're about to break the law, you know that?!

The group of young men and girls retreated in a noisy scramble. They didn't dare draw a full breath inside the room, but the moment they stepped out they were chattering away.

Fang Xinghe vaguely heard those two tiger-girls blaming each other again.

"Why didn't you step up again?"

"I didn't dare…"

"Useless trash! You were barking so tough earlier, but up close you went limp like a wilted cucumber!"

"I-I really got weak in the knees…"

"Shit! Another good chance wasted!"

"Y-you-you're still talking about me? You're so badass, why don't you go then?"

"I'm fucking weak in the knees too!"

Said with such righteous conviction — absolutely killing me.

But the companions didn't laugh at her at all; instead, they chimed in one after another.

"Right, right, right! Fang Shao himself is just insanely badass. I only dared sneak peeks at his side profile — I didn't dare look him straight in the eye!"

"His aura is even stronger than those big brothers on the street!"

"He really made me dizzy with how handsome he is. Fuck, how can a man be this good-looking?"

"The moment I saw him I panicked like crazy. Damn, I didn't dare step closer, afraid I'd suddenly, sudd—suddenly… fuck! What's that line again?"

"Fang Shao is really loyal… for such a small thing, he actually gave this much money!"

"Brother Long, from now on you're my real bro. When can you get Fang Shao to come out for a meal?"

From Little Dragon back to Brother Long, he swaggered with a cigarette dangling from his lips, slapped the wad of bills against his palm, and looked at people sideways.

"Eat my ass! Look at the sorry state of you lot — all scruffy and sloppy. If I brought you to dinner with Fang Shao I'd be embarrassed for you!

Later I'll give each of you 200. After you go back, tidy yourselves up properly!

We're different now from before — we're people who've legitimately done work for Fang Shao. From now on, pay attention to your personal image, got it?"

"Got it! Yay!"

Hearing they could get as much as 200, the kids burst into cheers, thrilled out of their minds.

Still standing at the doorway, not having stepped inside, Fang Xinghe couldn't help but shake his head and smile, finding this bunch of kids amusing.

Don't be fooled that in his past life he only lived to 25, and now he's only 14 — but the difference in experience and the vast gap in worldly knowledge decided who the kids were, and who, even among adults, stood out as exceptional.

"Quite a cute bunch of little brothers, aren't they?"

Fang Xinghe took the initiative to speak his first sentence to the two reporters. The unexpected angle of approach made the two reporters even more uneasy.

The two exchanged a glance, and the older one forced himself to pick up the thread.

"Y-yes, all quite… innocent."

Seeing that Fang Xinghe's attitude wasn't that hostile, the younger one spoke up too: "Fang Xinghe, you're the teenage writer I admire most. Your future is boundless. We're just a couple of small reporters scraping by — we don't have anything…"

"Got money?"

Fang Xinghe drawled, cutting him off.

"Huh?!"

The two — one tall, one short, one fat, one thin — the older one had a hairline in dire straits, the younger one had dark circles under his eyes. They looked like a pair of born losers.

At this moment, asked by Fang Xinghe, they stared at each other in utter bewilderment, their faces growing even more wretched.

"We… d-don't have much…"

"I figured as much." Fang Xinghe nodded knowingly, pulled over a chair from the room, sat down with an imposing air facing the two of them, and stared at them unblinkingly.

"I've got a way to make money here. Want to hear it?"

"Uh…"

The bald forehead and the dark-circled eyes exchanged a look for the third time, both with hesitant eyes.

When people find themselves in an unknown and high-risk environment, they more easily develop a sense of dependence on their companions. The two of them drawing courage from each other wouldn't feel quite so guilty and afraid.

So Fang Xinghe didn't separate them at all; instead, he openly faced both of them at once, hoping they would influence each other.

"Living in Jingcheng isn't easy!"

With that sigh, Boss Fang pulled half a pack of Hongta Mountain from his bag, drew out two cigarettes, and unhurriedly tucked one into each of their mouths, then raised his hand to light them.

This whole routine wasn't for showing off — it was to apply pressure on them, laying psychological groundwork for what came next.

"Me, I've lived in the capital for a while too. One person eats his fill and the whole family isn't hungry — it was actually fine, novelty far outweighed the pressure. How about you two? Settled down yet?"

"No, no, not really." The one with dark circles held the cigarette in his mouth without daring to light it, smiling cautiously and apologetically. "How could we afford to settle down anywhere?"

The bald forehead, however, was an old chain-smoker. He greedily took a deep drag, feeling a bit steadied inside, and looked at the young man with caution and tension: "Classmate Fang, you're a busy person too. If you have something to say, why not come right out with it?"

"Nothing much." Fang Xinghe gave an easy smile. "I've really come to bring you money."

"The interview with your uncle?"

Anyone who could become a reporter was at least not stupid. The two had actually long had their suspicions; they just finally had a chance to ask.

"Right."

The bald forehead immediately waved his hand: "Then no money needed. You can take all our photos and written records right now. Just consider it our apology to you."

Fang Xinghe laughed in spite of himself: "I'm not a robber."

He paused: "Too low on technical content."

Finally he raised a hand and pressed forward: "No rush. Smoke."

Meaning: you two can shut up now.

Three sentences, each accompanied by three actions—a laugh, a pause, a raised hand to stop them—leaving the two no room whatsoever to interrupt.

Not only was it forceful enough, carrying a composure of completely controlling the scene, it was also layer upon layer of aggressive details breaking through the other's psychological boundaries.

The two could only obediently shut up and silently smoke.

During this time, they cautiously observed Fang Xinghe while their brains spun at high speed.

How long does it take to finish a cigarette?

If fast, half a minute—just like now.

Then, how many problems can be thought through clearly in half a minute?

Very, very few. For any specific problem, it's usually not enough.

So actually they only confirmed one thing—Fang Xinghe was no simple matter. They absolutely could not treat him as a child. They had to give him enormous respect and carefully consider his proposals or demands.

At this point, the two reporters from Nandu went from panic, unease, and anxiety to puzzlement, curiosity, and shock.

And Fang Xinghe finally began to talk business.

"There's no point in taking anything from you, nor in hurting you. To put it impolitely, the higher-ups at Nandu probably couldn't wait for you two to be buried by me in Nong'an—to trade your two lifetimes for one big news story of mine. Some people might just jump for joy... Do you know who I'm hinting at?"

The earlier words made the two feel very offended, but after that last sentence was added, the anger vanished, replaced by suspicion.

"Heh heh, looks like you two already have an idea."

Fang Xinghe, like a devil, gave a soft laugh, mockery maxed out, then didn't press further, suddenly shifting the tone.

"Forget it, that's not important. I never care about people or things I can't reach. I only care about myself."

This sentence was another small, sharp hook with barbs, quietly tugging at certain emotions.

The one with dark circles grew restless: "What exactly do you want?"

The bald forehead hurriedly smoothed things over, patching up the "disrespect" in his companion's tone.

"Right, Classmate Fang. Look at how things are now. If there's anything you want to discuss, let's be open and honest, alright?"

"Very simple."

Fang Xinghe leaned lazily back against the chair and unhurriedly put forward his request.

"I need you to hold back the current interview content, rewrite a draft without any suspicion and fax it back. You control the degree yourselves. I only have one requirement—no more reporters coming to interview my uncle's family. Their family must not become suspicious because of this, must not actively go somewhere to leak information..."

"Impossible!" The one with dark circles was so anxious he almost jumped up. "How could we have that kind of influence? We simply can't do it!"

"50,000 yuan."

"Huh?!"

The moment Boss Fang's airy voice came out, the one with dark circles froze on the spot, half-seated, half-jumping, only his butt sticking up high.

The bald forehead gaped, his head tilted slightly back. The lamplight shone on his forehead, gleaming with oil.

"H-how much?!"

Boss Fang leisurely raised his right hand and spread five fingers: "50,000, RMB. You two figure out how to split it yourselves."

He only had a little over 200,000 in total savings, yet dared to spend 50,000 on something like this. But don't think 50,000 is worthless—the actual salary of these two reporters from the Imperial Capital was only a little over 600.

Gulps!

The sound of the one with dark circles swallowing his saliva was deafening.

The bald forehead's bald forehead was covered in sweat, his lips so dry they were about to crack. But he thought more, and hoarsely reminded: "Doing this is pointless. Even if we can stall for a while, we can't keep stalling forever..."

"I don't need you to stall forever."

Boss Fang curved up the corners of his mouth, his eyes slightly narrowed. Those beautiful heterochromatic eyes were long, narrow, and devilishly charming. The impact was simply indescribable—the more you looked, the more he resembled a devil tempting one to crime.

"Two to three months. By then, you can even break the news yourselves and grab another bonus from the agency. I've even thought up the reason for you—'The previous investigation wasn't perfect. We felt something was off. The more we thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. Then through a second covert visit, overcoming all difficulties, we finally managed to win over Wang Deli's cooperation, and the truth finally came to light...'"

The two brothers exchanged another glance, and clearly saw wavering in each other's eyes.

"But... but..."

"I don't understand. What on earth are you after?"

Fang Xinghe glanced at the one with dark circles and answered openly: "To find a good day to put my new book on the shelves."

"Just for that?!"

The one with dark circles' exclamation was on the verge of breaking voice. He simply couldn't understand—how could a person be so crazy?

Putting on such a huge show, pulling out so much money, all for such a trivial matter?

Is it that I don't understand geniuses, or that you're just too sick?

Although his belly was full of doubts, looking at Fang Xinghe's calm, resolute face—as if everything was under his control—he had to admit: damn, when this kid goes wild, he's really too damn cool...