Chapter 13: Xiao Huangmao

Early in the morning, Lu Chen woke up groggily, stretched, and glanced at the wooden box.

After exiting his portable space, Lu Chen habitually requested a newspaper, lit a Cigar, and began his day of information gathering.

Now that he was no longer short on money, he actually didn't have much interest in those trivial matters.

It was time to find a secretary!

It was also time to settle down in Xianggang!

However, there was no rush; he was still waiting for that hoodlum who wasn't worth investing in yet.

Well, perhaps it wasn't impossible to invest; everything would only be settled once they met.

Lu Chen went about his business at a leisurely pace.

It wasn't until noon that he emerged from the hotel and found a random tea restaurant.

"Boss, one order of stir-fried beef noodles!"

Lu Chen found a booth by the window and sat down.

He watched the hurried pedestrians outside the window and the bustling scene inside the restaurant.

Xianggang, a city that is always busy!

A few men who looked like hoodlums, clearly non-mainstream, were gesturing wildly in the tea restaurant.

Although Lu Chen wasn't interested in them, he still took a glance.

So tacky, so tacky...

As they chatted, one of the hoodlums stepped onto his chair with one foot!

"I heard that at the auction two days ago, they had such a huge diamond! It seems to be called... what was it, Rainbow, right! That's it, Rainbow!"

The hoodlum gestured exaggeratedly while boastfully bragging to the hoodlums around him.

"Even Sister Luosha was attracted to it!"

The eyes of everyone in the entire tea restaurant were drawn to the hoodlum.

Seeing so many eyes on him, the hoodlum became even more smug!

"Listen to me, that diamond sold for 65 million pounds, and my boss's boss saw it with his own eyes..."

The hoodlum looked around again before continuing in an exaggerated manner.

"You all know Sister Luosha, right? She stepped in and snatched it! She shouted that she liked it, and everyone was terrified by Sister Luosha!"

Lu Chen lowered his head in surprise, looked at the stir-fried beef noodles in front of him, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he picked up his chopsticks.

Hmm, the taste is not bad.

The hoodlum was still rambling on about how powerful Luosha was and how the surrounding bidders were all scared out of their wits.

It caused everyone in the tea restaurant to burst into laughter!

After finishing the meal, there was no oil left on the bottom of the plate.

Lu Chen reached out and pressed a piece of Hong Kong currency under the plate.

He stood up and left.

Interesting!

At the coffee shop on the street corner, this was the seat where Lu Chen had interviewed Li Xuanhua.

With a cup of coffee, a Cigar, and a newspaper, Lu Chen sat with his legs crossed, listening to the melodious music, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest to the rhythm.

Yet, on the newspaper at his side, there appeared information completely different from the morning!

The auction!

It was described in an exaggerated way.

Hmm...

Actually, it was no different from what the hoodlum had said.

"BOSS!"

This time, Li Xuanhua did not walk up with a steady gait like last time.

Beside him followed a Xiao Huangmao wearing a well-fitted suit, but... he looked awkward no matter how you looked at him.

"Sit, don't be constrained."

Lu Chen smiled and pointed to the sofa next to him.

Li Xuanhua gave Xiao Huangmao a push, and only then did he sit on the sofa next to Lu Chen.

"You sit opposite!"

Seeing that Xiao Huangmao seemed to want to follow him over, Li Xuanhua pointed to the sofa opposite Lu Chen.

"Don't be nervous, I didn't call you here to eat you."

Lu Chen looked at the somewhat flustered Xiao Huangmao, smiled gently, and pushed the cigarettes on the table toward him.

"Light one yourself, and, if you're uncomfortable, take off the suit."

"Uh..."

Xiao Huangmao glanced at Li Xuanhua, then looked at Lu Chen.

Only then did he carefully take off the suit and place it on the armrest of the sofa.

He loosened his shirt buttons, then carefully looked at Lu Chen and tentatively called out.

"Big Boss..."

"Smoke, don't be constrained."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, tossed a Cigar to Li Xuanhua, took a puff himself, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

He tossed the newly bought Zippo lighter onto the table, and it slid right next to the cigarette case.

The hoodlum picked up the lighter in a flustered manner, took a 555 cigarette from the pack, and lit it.

Only then did he finally relax.

Although his body remained sitting bolt upright, the tension on his face was slowly subsiding.

"No need to be nervous; can you tell me about the place where you live?"

Lu Chen smiled gently before he began to ask.

Li Xuanhua glanced at Lu Chen with a surprised look; he didn't speak, but instead silently preheated his Cigar.

"Uh..."

Xiao Huangmao looked at Lu Chen in astonishment, and only after a good while did he speak.

"Big Boss, there's nothing much to say about our place; if you can't do well in school, you just end up running with the crowd."

After a brief pause, Xiao Huangmao continued.

"By your understanding, it's just dirty, chaotic, and poor, with no order."

"We have our own way of surviving: transporting goods for the boss, standing guard for the owners, and, well, fighting... it's all just to stay alive."

As Xiao Huangmao recounted this, he became increasingly calm, and Lu Chen gained a deeper understanding of the area around the Textile Factory.

Hmm, different people see different things.

This was the first time Lu Chen understood this profoundly.

The intelligence provided by Wang Jingli, the perspective from which Li Xuanhua stood, and the perceptions of Xiao Huangmao.

Completely different!

One could even say they were poles apart!

Even Li Xuanhua, who was standing to the side, was somewhat surprised!

"Take these twenty thousand Hong Kong dollars to improve your life; I will have Li Xuanhua supervise you, and if you go gambling..."

Lu Chen smiled and took a stack of Hong Kong dollars wrapped in newspaper from the corner of the sofa.

He placed it on the table and pushed it over with his hand.

"I will have need of you again in the future."

"Thank you, Big Boss, thank you, Big Boss!"

Xiao Huangmao grabbed the Hong Kong dollars with a beaming smile, glanced at Li Xuanhua, and only then tucked them into his pocket.

"It's what you deserve; follow Li Xuanhua and work hard in the future. No need to be so formal."

Lu Chen smiled and gave Li Xuanhua a light nod.

"Understood, BOSS."

Li Xuanhua nodded with a solemn look in his eyes.

He gave a slight signal to Xiao Huangmao before continuing.

"Then I will go see the teacher."

Only then did he take Xiao Huangmao and leave the coffee shop.

The melodic music changed to a jazz track with a stronger rhythm, and Lu Chen's fingers paused slightly.

A trace of calmness remained on his face.

He took a light sip of coffee.

He looked out the window at the hurrying pedestrians and the bustling street.

Interesting!

Xiao Huangmao was even more interesting than he had imagined!

This investment was not bad!

However, it was also necessary to establish a communication channel with the upper echelons of a gang at the Textile Factory as soon as possible.

A small-time hoodlum wasn't enough!

And also...

What kind of surprise could Li Xuanhua's teacher bring?

Lu Chen just sat quietly in the coffee shop until the lights came on and the pedestrians on the street increased once more.

Only then did he stretch, put down his Cigar, and finish the last of his coffee.

He placed a Hong Kong dollar note under the coffee cup.

He stood up and left.

Returning to the Banshan Jiudian.

"Mr. Lu, you have finally returned!"

Seeing Lu Chen return to the hotel, Wang Jingli walked over impatiently.