Chapter 8: The Second Young Master of the Boatmen's Guild (Please Favorite and Recommend)

The news Fang Min revealed was absolutely a bombshell.

If a shocking heist could be orchestrated to clean out the Vice Prefect, the haul would consist entirely of hard currency like gold.

Its value would certainly be no less than that of Mu Liancheng.

When there's an opportunity later, I must plan this out properly with Master Wu.

"Well done, you've set aside my share, haven't you?" He gently lifted Fang Min's smooth chin.

"Do you still not trust me to handle things?"

"I left it in my car downstairs; you can just drive it away later." Fang Min nodded obediently.

"Thanks, baby." Hong Zhiyou kissed her.

"You, you call me baby when you need me, and when you don't, you act like a monk; you don't dote on me at all." Fang Min hummed coquettishly.

"Who says I don't dote on you? You're my big girl, haven't I called you that enough?" Hong Zhiyou smirked, pulling her by her slender waist.

"You're asking for it. I don't care, you have to accompany me to the usual spot tonight." Fang Min grabbed his vital point.

"My dear lady, you aren't exactly short of men." Hong Zhiyou hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Those stinking men, they either can't play properly or they're crude and foul."

"They're nothing like you—you speak so sweetly, have so many tricks, and are so gentle."

"I don't care, I'm sticking with you."

Fang Min pouted, acting charmingly spoiled.

"Fine, you're my dear lady, I'll accompany you tonight."

"Call me 'Daddy' first."

Hong Zhiyou pinched her beautiful oval face.

"Daddy!"

"My dear Daddy!"

"Let's go to the restroom right now."

"Don't."

"I don't care, who told you to tease me."

"Damn it!"

A while later, Hong Zhiyou straightened his clothes and returned to the living room with weak, shaky legs.

Fang Min looked even more alluring, her face flushed like a flower, as she walked among the guests with a glass of red wine.

Damn it.

Master Wu's deer antler powder all went to waste on an outsider.

Hong Zhiyou grumbled.

Inside the hall.

Flashbulbs flickered.

Du Jianshi signed the contract and shook hands with several merchants who had won the bids for photos.

Next, naturally, was the pleasant cocktail party.

Wanqiu had stopped playing for the moment and was sitting on the piano bench drinking juice.

Hong Zhiyou walked to the piano with a wine glass and smiled brilliantly: "Miss Wanqiu."

"Secretary Hong?" Wanqiu nodded politely.

"You know me?"

"I... my aunt told me. She said you are one of Station Chief Wu's men, and no one in this hall has a higher rank than you." Wanqiu's eyes darted toward a spot not far away.

Hong Zhiyou looked over; a woman in a cheongsam was smiling at him and bowing with her hands held at her chest.

Mu Liancheng's Japanese woman.

As expected of a spy from the Plum Blossom Agency, her eye for detail was sharp.

Hong Zhiyou came from a "prominent family," so he was slightly better off than ordinary recruits like Mi Zhiguo, but he only held the rank of a minor Second Lieutenant.

He was still two grades below Sheng Xiang and Qi Physician.

In the station, he was nobody.

But in this hall, as the "special envoy" of the Station Chief, his borrowed authority still carried quite a bit of weight.

"I'm not a high official, I'm an honest one."

"Clean as a whistle, an official with no wife and no family."

Hong Zhiyou replied humorously.

Wanqiu was immediately amused: "Secretary Hong, you speak so interestingly."

"The more interesting part is yet to come."

"Miss Wanqiu, would you mind if I played a piece for you?"

Hong Zhiyou asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"You can play the piano?" Wanqiu's eyes lit up.

She had seen too many sons of officials and the wealthy, all of whom were vulgar and boastful; very few knew how to play the piano.

Only those who had studied abroad in Europe and America would spend their energy on art rather than just making money and chasing women.

"A little, but certainly not as well as you," Hong Zhiyou said.

"I'll find you some sheet music, Beethoven or Mozart?" Wanqiu felt the joy of finding a kindred spirit.

"No need, my sheet music is right here."

He pointed to his temple and sat down on the bench.

Then, he closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath.

In his past life, he had studied piano, but later his parents lost the family fortune in the stock market, and he had to stop halfway.

Although he couldn't compare to Lang Lang, playing a piece was no problem.

Hong Zhiyou's fingers brushed across the piano, and light, nimble notes leaped out.

Perhaps it was because a beauty was by his side.

He played with great focus, without a single moment of hesitation.

The light, graceful melody drifted through the hall, quickly attracting everyone's gaze.

There was sweetness within the sorrow.

There was a vision of the future within the destruction.

Just like this era, and the fate of everyone present.

The piece ended.

Hong Zhiyou stylishly finished with a trailing note.

Clatter!

Thunderous applause erupted in the hall.

Good music doesn't require high-level technique; it always strikes precisely at everyone's heart.

Hong Zhiyou bowed to the crowd like a gentleman, then looked at the stunned Wanqiu: "Miss Mu, how was it?"

"It was so beautiful. Mr. Hong, could you give me the sheet music?" Wanqiu clutched her full chest, stars of admiration sparkling in her eyes.

"Don't you want to know its name?" Hong Zhiyou asked with a smile.

"Mm-hmm."

"'Wedding in a Dream'!" Hong Zhiyou said.

"'Wedding in a Dream', how romantic!"

"Inviting you here today was my idea, and this piece was dedicated specifically to you." After saying this, Hong Zhiyou took a piece of letter paper from his pocket.

On it was the music he had written down.

"Thank you, Mr. Hong." Wanqiu was overjoyed and carefully placed it into her handbag.

"It's stuffy in here, shall we go for a walk outside?"

Hong Zhiyou invited.

Mu Wanqiu looked at the "aunt" beside her.

The Japanese woman nodded.

She was extremely happy: "Mr. Hong, let's go."

"Wanqiu!"

Just as they were about to leave, a young man wearing a white suit, with his hair slicked back and looking slightly pretentious, walked over.

"Young Master Zhang!" A flash of fear appeared in Wanqiu's eyes.

"Secretary Hong, I am Zhang Shaobai." The young man lifted his chin slightly, his expression extremely arrogant.

Hong Zhiyou remembered; this man was the second young master of the Boatmen's Guild.

"Is there something you need?" he asked.

"Secretary Hong has quite the methods—the grain shop, the textile mill, the caramel factory..." Zhang Shaobai gestured with his hands, his dissatisfaction self-evident.

"I'm just an errand boy for my superior's affairs," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Is that so?"

"As far as I know, Station Chief Wu isn't interested in these matters," Zhang Shaobai said.

"Perhaps the chips you offered were not enough." Hong Zhiyou stared into his eyes, showing no fear.

"No, it is that you do not understand the rules of our Cao Gang."

"Our money has thorns; if you take it, you must see blood," Zhang Shao said coldly.

"Hmm, I truly do not understand," Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"Secretary Hong, you and Station Chief Wu are new here, so I find it necessary to offer a reminder: in Jinhai, those who offend us never live long."

"Whether it is the devils' Section Chief Yamaki Ichijo or the former Police Chief Wang Quanfu, they can both attest to this."

The corners of Zhang Shao's mouth curled up in a wickedly sinister smile.

"What do you mean?" Hong Zhiyou's brows furrowed.

He had not expected the Cao Gang to be so arrogant as to dare threaten the Jinhai Station.

"Your Jinhai Station has a full complement of only 200 people, right? Even counting field agents, it wouldn't exceed five hundred."

"My Cao Gang has six thousand brothers, and six thousand axes."

"Understand?"

Zhang Shao poked Hong Zhiyou in the chest, acting with extreme insolence.

(End of chapter)