[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rise-of-the-warlord":3,"chapter-rise-of-the-warlord-rise-of-the-warlord-chapter-19":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rise of the Warlord",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1895500,2527,"Chapter 19: Good Brothers","rise-of-the-warlord-chapter-19",19,"\u003Cp>\"You stinky thief, stinky thief!\" Su Xueyan grabbed the bag and smacked Xu Hongzhi on the head repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, seeing how we were acting, she was clearly stunned and looked at me strangely: \"Yang Yun, do you actually like men?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Hongzhi and I quickly separated, and I said to Su Xueyan, annoyed: \"What nonsense are you talking about? Laozi is a normal man!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xueyan looked at Xu Hongzhi and me with great suspicion and said \"Oh,\" but she clearly didn't believe it very much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is my Third Brother. Don't get the wrong idea. We haven't seen each other for many years. I didn't expect to meet in this way!\" I introduced him to Su Xueyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this way of meeting was indeed quite ironic. It was clear that Third Brother hadn't been doing well these years; otherwise, how could he have been reduced to snatching bags?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Hongzhi quickly said: \"Sorry about today. I didn't expect it to be my sister-in-law. It's really a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple. Number Four, you're quite something, finding such a beautiful girlfriend!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Xueyan blushed and didn't deny it. Seeing that this silly girl didn't deny it, there was no need for me to deny it either. I might as well let others misunderstand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Third Brother, how have you been all these years? Where are the other brothers?\" I asked anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the orphanage, the relationship between the seven of us was truly excellent; we were brothers from childhood. However, life in the orphanage wasn't as good as shown on TV. The director and the staff abused us every day, didn't give us food, often beat and scolded us, and made us work. When I was nine, we brothers discussed it and ran away at night when they weren't paying attention. But we were discovered by the security guards. We ran for our lives, but later we got separated, and I never had news of them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know. After we ran away, everyone got separated. Later, I secretly went back to the orphanage to find out about everyone, but I found that except for the Eldest Brother, there was no news of the others. The Eldest Brother didn't run away because he was covering for us. But the Eldest Brother is no longer the Eldest Brother he was back then!\" Xu Hongzhi sighed, sitting on the ground, looking helplessly at the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When you secretly went back to the orphanage, didn't the Eldest Brother leave with you?\" I asked Xu Hongzhi in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, the Eldest Brother wouldn't go with me. But it was clear that after we ran away, the Eldest Brother must have suffered more abuse. I guess he probably still holds a grudge against us!\" Xu Hongzhi said helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This?\" Hearing this, I didn't know what to say. The Eldest Brother actually held a grudge against us? How could that be? But thinking about it, it was possible, because back then, except for him, we all ran away, and no one cared about him. I also sighed helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Third Brother, let me treat you to a meal. I'll help you find a job. Don't steal anymore; it's not good!\" I pulled Xu Hongzhi up from the ground and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good, I haven't had a full meal in many days. This time I must eat a big meal!\" Xu Hongzhi was incredibly excited when he heard about eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of us found a small restaurant and ordered a few dishes. Basically, Third Brother was the only one eating. It was clear that he had been living a very miserable life these years. I was relatively lucky; at least Sister Shuang took me in. However, I had failed Sister Shuang's expectations, and the other brothers might not have been so lucky. Perhaps they were just like Third Brother, where being able to eat a full meal was already good enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Brother finished all the dishes on the table, took a sip of water, and rubbed his stomach: \"It's been so long since I've eaten this well!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, I told Third Brother about the KTV job. Third Brother didn't refuse and said that as long as the salary was good and there was food to eat, it would be fine. Third Brother had looked for many jobs before, but basically, he was either cheated or they didn't want him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, I called Sister Ling and told her about this. Sister Ling agreed without hesitation. I was truly grateful to Sister Ling. Tomorrow was payday, and after I got paid, I would definitely treat Sister Ling to a meal to thank her properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, man proposes, God disposes. The next day, when I went to Wang Li to collect my salary, things didn't go very smoothly. Wang Li didn't even look at me: \"You didn't come for a few days last month, so your salary was deducted. So there's no money this month!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, I froze, then asked: \"I only missed two or three days, and it's all gone? Not even a cent left?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I said it's gone, it's gone. Don't you understand?\" Wang Li was clearly impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My face darkened. This guy clearly didn't want to pay me. This wasn't the first time this had happened; it happened occasionally before. This guy just figured I was easy to bully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to get angry at this moment, but seeing San Mao and the others beside Wang Li, I held it back and walked out the door in a rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking out, I lit a cigarette and thought about it. This couldn't just end like this. Originally, I wanted to wait a few days to see how to deal with Wang Li, but this guy gave me a reason directly. Plus, I now had Third Brother and the bald man Wang Hua by my side, so 3 against 3, I wasn't necessarily afraid of him. Besides, Third Brother had been a fierce fighter since he was a kid, and the bald man's build looked pretty good, so we could give it a try. After thinking about it, I found Third Brother and Wang Hua at noon to discuss this matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Third Brother heard that Wang Li wouldn't pay my salary and usually bullied me, he cursed angrily: \"Damn it, let's just do him. Bullying my brother, I think he's tired of living. Let's go deal with him now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying that, he got up and was about to go find Wang Li. I quickly pulled him back: \"Third Brother, don't be in a hurry. We definitely have to deal with him, but not now. After all, it's broad daylight, and everyone is around. This kind of thing should be done on a dark and windy night. We'll wait for him to come out tonight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, I told Xu Hongzhi and Wang Hua about the situation. I knew Wang Li's usual routes like the back of my hand. I chose a place with relatively few people, and there were no streetlights or surveillance cameras there, making it a good place to take action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, Wang Li actually asked me to go buy him cigarettes and food again. Where would I get money? I simply refused outright: \"I have no money. I don't have a cent on me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Didn't I give you money? Go buy it quickly!\" Wang Li said viciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not enough!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn, I think your skin is itching again these past few days, isn't it? The lesson from a few days ago wasn't enough, right?\" Wang Li was so angry that he grabbed my collar and shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just stared at him, then gently pulled his hand down and said coldly: \"Really no money! How about you lend me some?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine, same old rule. San Mao, give him three thousand yuan!\" Wang Li smiled and said to San Mao beside him. Only an idiot wouldn't make money when they could; Wang Li was certainly happy to lend out such high-interest loans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the money without saying a word and went out to buy the things. To Wang Li and his group, I looked particularly cowardly and easy to bully. I cursed in my heart: \"You guys just enjoy yourselves for now; wait until tonight, and I'll show you!\" ===== CHAPTER 20 =====\u003C\u002Fp>",1397,"2026-06-11T15:09:04.179Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","f7beb80a88adfc40429d0928bf02c53c1f5b22fa9c6495b96510f7bf09145cc0","rise-of-the-warlord-chapter-20","rise-of-the-warlord-chapter-18",227,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frise-of-the-warlord-cover.jpg"]