Chapter 216: Changes, a New Manager, and Human Hearts

Bolton returned home, burdened with worries. He had just been summoned by Lanse for a meeting.

This was his first time attending a high-level cadre meeting. Looking at that group of people who were clearly only seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen—with twenty being considered quite old—and filled with extraordinary vitality, he felt a sensation he couldn't quite put into words.

He felt that he had already grown old.

He had never felt this way before. Back then, all he had in his heart was the "Federal Dream." He wanted to make his life a model of the Federal Dream, to become a "Mr. Bolton" whom others could envy.

But after so many years, aside from an extra house and a loan, he also had a broken family and two children who didn't listen very well.

Fortunately, however, everything had changed.

At the cadre meeting, Lanse spoke about the fact that one of their bars had been raided by the Hazardous Materials Administration. He said that someone had sold the location of the bar to the Hazardous Materials Administration.

He didn't know who this person was, but the person in charge of tonight's operation said that they should know this individual.

This caused many of the young people to stand up in anger. Lanse had solved more than just the problem of whether they could eat their fill and satisfy their hunger.

He had also allowed them to gain the respect of others and enabled their personalities to be independent; this was not something that could be obtained just by spending money.

He, too, had only recently begun to feel this way.

Mr. Qiaobafu was very wealthy, but he lived without any dignity; in fact, he was inferior to the people here.

Lanse even took the initiative to mention Bolton—

"Your work remains the same, but your focus needs to shift somewhat. Arrange for some people around the bars to see if anyone appears frequently near our bars but never enters them."

"If this person is very familiar with our bar locations, then they must be from the Imperial District, and it is possible that we have all actually met them."

"Keep an eye on those familiar faces; these familiar faces are actually more deceptive. Once discovered, get their situation cleared up, and then we will find a way to verify it."

Facing the tightening pressure from the Hazardous Materials Administration, Lanse made his arrangements without a hint of panic; one could even say he was composed.

This caused Bolton to develop even more admiration. Thinking of his own behavior when Lanse first came to their home as a guest, he couldn't help but want to slap himself a few times.

Fortunately, Lanse was not the type of person to dwell on his ugly past behavior and had even given him a decent position.

The temperature at the end of March had already reached over ten degrees. The young people had already changed into thin clothes and were shivering in the cold wind, while the elderly were still wearing thick garments.

He took off his coat and hung it on the rack. Just as he entered the living room, he smelled the scent of meat.

He walked a few steps faster and saw a sumptuous dinner on the table: steak, lamb chops, and some vegetable salad and dinner rolls.

He had been busy all day and was indeed tired, so he sat down naturally. "What kind of good day is it today that someone is actually willing to treat us?"

Luo Bu spent almost all his money on dating. Sometimes, by the end of the month, he wouldn't have enough and would have to ask him for more.

As for Nanxi, she certainly didn't need to ask Bolton for extra pocket money, but she would definitely not be generous enough to buy so much good food to share with everyone.

Bolton was very clear that both of his children had problems with their personalities. This was caused after he and his wife divorced, and he bore some responsibility.

Perhaps because of his guilt toward the children, and not knowing how to make up for it, he adopted an indulgent attitude toward both of them.

Perhaps in his view, doing so was the only way he could compensate them.

But in reality, doing this would only make their personalities worse.

Luo Bu coughed twice. "I found a new job. The boss is good to me and paid me half a month's salary in advance, so I decided to treat you all to a better meal."

Bolton picked up a small lamb chop; it was very tender and melted in his mouth. "Where is Sai Lin Na?"

Nanxi, sitting opposite him, put down the knife and fork in her hand. "Dad!"

Bolton shrugged. "Sorry, I forgot."

After two months of a cold war, Sai Lin Na and Luo Bu had finally broken up.

Sai Lin Na simply couldn't stand Luo Bu's... she didn't know how to describe it, stinginess?

In short, as long as she spoke a few words to another man, Luo Bu's jealousy would erupt. He would demand that Sai Lin Na keep her distance from those men and not have too much contact with them.

Sometimes, he would even use Lanse to mock her—

When they first met, he believed that Sai Lin Na had argued with him because of Lanse, and had told him to "shut up" without giving him any face, and that when he left in anger, she had remained where she was, chatting enthusiastically with Lanse.

Luo Bu believed she liked Lanse, so he became jealous and kept this matter in his heart.

Whenever the two of them had an unpleasant argument, he would bring this matter up and embellish it to attack Sai Lin Na.

Sai Lin Na couldn't stand having a boyfriend like this and sometimes even wondered if he had mental health issues. He would use phrases like "Do you want to sleep with Lanse?" and "How do you want him to f*** you?" to humiliate her.

And after saying these things, she could clearly feel Luo Bu becoming more excited and agitated!

When they first met, Luo Bu had seemed quite normal, but as the time they spent together increased and they became more familiar with each other, a more real version of each other was revealed.

Sometimes, the real version isn't necessarily the best; it might be even worse.

Now, the two had completely broken up. Luo Bu seemed to have moved on from this failed relationship, and everything was developing for the better.

Bolton chatted with Luo Bu about his new job. Luo Bu didn't seem very willing to talk about it, only saying that it was a very easy job, so Bolton didn't ask any more questions.

He was currently at a point where his ambition was exploding; he hoped to gain more attention from Lanse and have a place of his own among the high-level cadres.

After finishing his meal, he went out again quickly. He needed to contact more people.

At the dining table, the brother and sister swallowed the last bit of food. Nanxi stroked her stomach with satisfaction. "If only you were a rich man, I could eat meat every day until I couldn't walk!"

Luo Bu looked at her with a smile. "There will be such a day."

The next morning, Lanse made a phone call to Alberto.

"One of my bars was sealed off by them last night. How is the situation on your end?"

After listening, Alberto asked, "Are the losses heavy?"

"A few thousand, it's alright."

Only then did he answer Lanse's first question. "It's about the same. We also had a bar sealed off last night. Fortunately, it wasn't our liquor storage warehouse, but it still caused the family a loss of over ten thousand."

"I heard that the Keda family was raided the most, which forced their casino to stop providing liquor; now they only provide fruit juice."

When mentioning this, Alberto couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Who the f*** wants to drink fruit juice while gambling?"

"Can you imagine this?"

"In the most exciting and cruel card games at the gambling table, what they pick up isn't a glass filled with whiskey or brandy, but a cup of fruit juice."

"I want to laugh just thinking about it. I hope fruit juice goes better with cigarettes!"

Lanse asked a question he was concerned about. "Does Paul not have any thoughts of chatting with Dai Er and the others?"

Paul was the first name of Director Du Ke; in private, they would all call him that. Only when outsiders were present or on formal occasions would Lanse call him "Mr. Du Ke."

Alberto was well-informed. "I heard that Dai Er is impossible to communicate with. He is on the same line as the mayor, so it is destined that he cannot stand with us."

"Besides, Lanse, I heard that many people have come from the side of Xiao En. You have to be careful; I'm afraid they didn't come for a vacation."

Xiao En was located in the northwest of the neighboring state. Previously, the mayor had served as a municipal councilor in Xiao En, and later, through some political deals within the party, he obtained the party's nomination for mayor of New Jincheng and successfully took office.

No one knew exactly how many immoral deals were behind this, but there were definitely not few. However, it was also hard to say.

The mayor was not the first "outsider." The Socialist Party must have been very dissatisfied with the local cliques, and selecting him to serve as mayor might have been an attempt to use his methods to open up the situation, but it didn't seem to be very effective.

But now, the situation had changed somewhat. He had begun to mobilize a large number of people from Xiao En, and the five major families believed this was a very bad signal.

This meant that their conflicts and clashes would continue to escalate. But now that the competition had begun, it was impossible to stop unless one side bowed their head.

The five major families couldn't bow their heads, and neither could the mayor. It seemed like there was a choice, but in reality, there had been no choice from the very beginning.

"Lanse, you might not believe it if I say it, but I actually... am full of anticipation for what is about to happen."

"New Jincheng is too quiet. Over these years, perhaps this will be an opportunity for a transformation."

Lanse understood the meaning behind his words. "Mm, I think so too."

Alberto advised, "Be careful. I hope you become a big shot in the future, and for the sake of our past friendship, you can give me the capital to be arrogant. I only need to tell people that I am good brothers with Lanse, and they will yield to me!"

Lanse couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing this. "Are you talking about Eric?"

"Then you must first call me Dad, and then be prepared to have your legs broken by someone!"

"F***, that's not what I meant!"

"Yes, yes, I know, that is exactly what you meant!"

After the two of them bragged for a while, Alberto told Lanse that the film crew of Luo Jiefu had already started shooting. If Lanse was interested, he could go over and take a look; it was in Dashan.

A few days later, the Jin Bihuihuang Nightclub began to reopen for business.

The Jin Bihuihuang Nightclub was already considered a landmark building in the Imperial District. Its reopening attracted a lot of discussion, and the most discussed topic was who would take over the position of general manager after Lanse left.

At ten in the morning, a group of people arrived at the steps outside the Jin Bihuihuang Nightclub. One of them was wearing fur, and the fluffy collar made his shiny bald head even more conspicuous.

This person was wearing a pair of sunglasses; he was the new general manager of the Jin Bihuihuang Nightclub, named Bulin Dun. In New Jincheng, there might not be many people who knew who he was.

But in another city, Xiao En, there were quite a few people who knew him.

This guy was the number two figure of the Viper Gang, and he also had a nickname called "Oil Saw," which had to do with his special hobby.

When he executed those enemies, what he liked most was using an oil saw to complete his final kill. He often made people feel uncomfortable because he made the scene too bloody.

However, to him, these were all a kind of praise. In his cognition, the more people who feared him, the more it could prove his success on this path.

The Viper Gang responded to the mayor's call, letting Bulin Dun bring a group of core elites to transfer over from Xiao En.

Xiao En was an inland industrial city. If you asked if it was poor, it clearly wasn't.

But if you asked if it was wealthy, compared to the prosperity of New Jincheng, it was clearly far behind.

The number one figure of the Viper Gang told Bulin Dun that if they could gain a firm foothold in New Jincheng and develop rapidly here, they could completely abandon their foundation in Xiao En and transfer over directly.

You have to know that in the Federation, people often mention the five major families of New Jincheng and the five major families of the Federation, but there are no five major families of other cities.

This explains the "gold content" of this city!

At the same time, Bulin Dun had an extra new job coming here, which was to take over the Jin Bihuihuang Nightclub and several bars.

He needed to manage these industries well to provide the mayor with a steady stream of funds for conflicts.

How much money he could get and how much attention and reuse he could receive depended entirely on how much money he could provide the mayor from here.

"A big city is a big city. I heard that the Imperial District is a poor and backward place here?", he took off his sunglasses and looked at the people around him.

The Jin Bihuihuang Nightclub was designed in imitation of famous imperial buildings. The twelve columns on the front made the place look not like a nightclub, but more like a grand assembly hall or something similar.

The group chatted and laughed as they climbed the steps. Looking at the luxurious decoration inside, Bulin Dun was very satisfied with his "new home."

After walking around, he came to the manager's office and sat in that chair. "I heard that the person who served as manager here before was called what again?"

The person sitting in the first seat on the sofa, who looked a bit thin and wore nearsighted glasses, said, "He was called Lanse. He is the Boss of the Lanse family and has a high reputation in the Imperial District."

After hearing this, Bulin Dun bared his teeth and said, "What's the use of having a reputation? Did he offend Councilor Xidini?"

Compared to the people of New Jincheng calling the mayor "Mr. Mayor," these people from Xiao En were more accustomed to calling him "Councilor Xidini." This was a very intimate form of address.

That person nodded. "He didn't take good care of Young Master Eric. Now Young Master Eric has had his legs and arms broken, as well as his ribs, and is staying in the hospital."

"My God, these people are really f***ing terrible. And this Lanse, he couldn't even handle such a small matter. No wonder Councilor Xidini wanted him to get lost."

"But since we are here, everything will return to the right track. We must let those damn 'locals' experience the simple folk customs from Xiao En!"

Bulin Dun's face didn't actually show much of the emotion he was trying to express in his words. In fact, not many people liked this bastard Eric. If he didn't have a good... uncle, who the f*** would care about such a small character?

The people in the room all revealed that kind of knowing smile. They also lacked respect for Eric.

"Then where should our work start?", Bulin Dun rubbed his stomach. "I'm a little hungry."

"Perhaps we should manage these places well first?"

That night, the Jin Bihuihuang Nightclub reopened, attracting many people to patronize it, along with those bars; everything became lively and extraordinary again.

The most important point was that in these business premises, liquor could be sold without any scruples.

Lawyer Aosen told them not to worry about the Hazardous Materials Administration coming to check on them, because Director Dai Er was also one of their "own people."

Not only would they not check on them, but if they needed to deal with competitors, they only needed to tell Director Dai Er, and Director Dai Er would arrange for people to help them strike at their competitors.

This caused Bulin Dun and the Viper Gang behind him to radiate a strong self-confidence from the inside out, along with a kind of "arrogance" that was three parts similar to Eric's.

To them, even the "official" side was on their side, so what reason did they have to lose?

It was another weekend. A large number of Imperial people gathered outside the Shengna Ye Cathedral again, only this time, the organizer, Mr. Qiaobafu, was no longer the core of this place.

With Lanse's arrival, people soon began to line up to greet Lanse. Although Mr. Qiaobafu felt a bit sour, he eventually accepted this outcome.

But he had also had some troubles recently because the mayor had put forward new requirements.

"Where is your assistant?", Lanse asked curiously, not seeing the old guy who was almost inseparable from Mr. Qiaobafu.

"I arranged some new work for him, so he didn't come.", Mr. Qiaobafu brushed over this topic in one sentence; he didn't want to talk deeply about this topic.

In fact, after the last incident ended, he had transferred the assistant away from his side, and the reason was that his nephew's child was in the process of growing up, and he needed a father-like figure to help him find the right direction on the path of life.

His nephew's wife couldn't fulfill this role, so Mr. Qiaobafu felt that he had to do this himself.

And his assistant had agreed without the slightest hesitation.

To be a lighthouse and navigator on a child's path in life, he certainly couldn't take care of Mr. Qiaobafu's busy work. Now he served as the vice general manager of Jin Da Bank and had more time to take care of that child.

Of course, these were just some superficial factors and results. In reality, Mr. Qiaobafu had developed a trace of vigilance toward this old partner who had followed him for decades.

You have to know, if something finally led to his nephew's death, then he was also one of them!

Not to mention going to see what Jimmy had finally become, just recalling the assistant's madness during the revenge made his back feel cold.

What if one day, he suddenly felt that he should also die; would he also silently give himself a blow?

He didn't dare to gamble, and he had a suitable reason, so he transferred him away.