Chapter 17: Huang Laohu

"You don't know, but there is a rule in the Black Skin Bar: you cannot collect kickbacks or get into fights on the premises, especially for the bar's own staff. If you break this rule, you get a hand chopped off. This has been the rule for a long time, established even before Sister Ling was around. This is also why the Black Skin Internet Cafe is always packed—because it's relatively safe, plus Brother Huang keeps order, and everyone in the underworld gives Sister Ling face!" the bald man explained to me.

Only then did I understand that the situation was so serious. No wonder the bald man was scared into kneeling and begging for mercy; after all, losing a hand is no small matter.

The bald man took me to a private room. He knocked on the door gently, and an impatient voice came from inside: "Fuck, who is it!"

This voice belonged to none other than Huang Laohu. Huang Laohu's voice was quite distinctive, so I recognized it immediately.

Just as the bald man was about to say something, I spoke up first: "Brother Huang, it's me, Yang Yun. You told me to come here back at the Lihuang KTV!"

The door opened at that moment. The person who opened it was a woman. She had a fantastic figure and wasn't bad-looking either, appearing to be in her thirties. She was very alluring; although she lacked Sister Ling's aura and temperament, she had her own unique charm.

Huang Laohu was sitting on the sofa, looking aged and weary, as if he had been waiting for someone for a long time.

After opening the door, the woman left and didn't linger. Huang Laohu looked at the bald man behind me and signaled with his eyes. The bald man understood and hurried out.

After I entered the room, it was just Huang Laohu and me. Huang Laohu picked up the red wine on the table, poured himself a glass, and then reached for another. Seeing this, I was startled and quickly stepped in: "Brother Huang, let me do it!"

Huang Laohu didn't refuse. I held the red wine; looking at the brand, it didn't seem cheap—I had seen wealthy people order it back at the KTV.

"No need to look, the wine isn't expensive, just over ten thousand a bottle," Huang Laohu said, picking up his glass and sipping it lightly.

Huang Laohu's words almost made me drop the bottle. I quickly gripped it tight; after all, this was wine worth over ten thousand yuan a bottle. If I smashed it, I really couldn't afford to pay for it. However, it was clear that Huang Laohu was quite well-off to open a ten-thousand-yuan bottle of red wine so casually.

"Do you know why I asked you to come?" Huang Laohu sipped the wine lightly and smiled.

I shook my head, feeling at a loss. I had thought of many possibilities, but I truly didn't know why Huang Laohu would look for me.

"I think you're quite interesting. To be able to get Sister Ling to help you so much, you must have something going for you," Huang Laohu said, gesturing for me to sit down.

"No, Sister Ling probably just took pity on me," I said. I had thought of many reasons for why Sister Ling helped me, but other than this one, I couldn't think of any others.

"You're wrong. Yu Manling is not the kind of kind-hearted person who helps others. On the contrary, she is cold-blooded, ruthless, and decisive. Zhang Longtao might not know Yu Manling very well, but I know her very well. If you can gain her favor, you must have extraordinary qualities. Besides, I saw that you had courage that day; you had guts, which is right up my alley. That's why I wanted to have you over for a chat."

I looked at Huang Laohu in confusion. Huang Laohu actually said Sister Ling was cold-blooded and ruthless, which I found completely baffling. Usually, Sister Ling treated me and the KTV staff quite well. Where did this "cold-blooded and ruthless" talk come from? However, after thinking about the attitude Sister Ling had toward the bald man earlier, it was indeed possible. This only made me even more curious about Sister Ling.

"I'm not in a position to tell you much about Sister Ling's affairs. If you have time, ask her yourself. Do you know? Actually, I knew about the incident a few days ago when you, your little girlfriend, and Wang Li were on my turf, and I also knew about what happened in the bar today," Huang Laohu said, relaxing on the sofa and watching me comfortably to see my reaction.

I was indeed very surprised. I didn't expect Huang Laohu to have such reach; he actually knew about all these things. I had originally thought he was just a gang leader, but now it seemed it wasn't that simple.

"Oh, Brother Huang is quite concerned about my affairs," I said, not showing much reaction, just a faint smile.

"What? Don't you want to ask why I didn't come to save you? Since I knew your situation at the time, I certainly could have sent people to rescue you."

"Brother Huang, you're joking. First of all, you had no reason to save me; saving me would have brought you no benefit or value. I don't expect you to save me. I have no relationship with you at all, and we even had a conflict back then. I'm already thanking heaven that you didn't kick me while I was down!"

Huang Laohu gave me an approving look and said, "You're right. Naturally, I have my own considerations. I have to see if you are worth my investment. Although you have gained Sister Ling's appreciation, I haven't seen any value in you yet. In fact, you're not even as good as Wang Li."

Hearing the name Wang Li, I paused for a moment, then thought carefully in my mind and looked at Huang Laohu in surprise: "Is Wang Li working for Brother Huang?"

Huang Laohu smiled dismissively and said, "I don't trust a turncoat like him. If he can betray Zhang Longtao today, he can betray me tomorrow. So, naturally, I need to find someone more reliable. That day, I saw that you had more backbone and guts!"

"Aren't you afraid that I will betray you just like Wang Li?"

"You won't. I trust my own judgment, and I trust Sister Ling's judgment even more. I know you want to go back to school, right? That's not a problem, but why should I help you?"

Huang Laohu made it very clear. He could help me settle the school issue, and I could naturally hear his requirement: I had to work for him. But this "working for him" wasn't direct; I had to make a name for myself first to earn the qualification for his help.

"You want Nanjie?" I was naturally not stupid and roughly guessed his thoughts. I just didn't expect Huang Laohu's ambition to be so great.

"Communicating with smart people is just comfortable. You're right, I do have that intention. But Zhang Longtao isn't that easy to bully, so I need someone on the inside to work with me," Huang Laohu said, taking out a cigarette, tossing one to me, and lighting his own while watching me, waiting for my answer.

"When the time comes, as long as we take Nanjie, I can let you replace Zhang Longtao's position. What do you think?"

Seeing that I didn't speak, Huang Laohu continued to say to me. ===== CHAPTER 18 =====