The group walked toward the private room.
Two rows of bodyguards followed in step.
This display of grandeur immediately made those inside realize who had arrived.
They entered the elevator and went up to the sixth floor.
Bai Jinghong’s bodyguard was the first to open the door to the private room.
Inside, there were four men.
All of them were a bit older; the youngest looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six.
The rest were in their forties.
Seeing the door open, the four men stood up in unison.
Bai Jinghong entered with Shen Yaoyao, accompanied by Ah Kun and another of Bai Jinghong’s confidants, the Hall Master of White Tiger Hall, “Duan Fei.”
Four additional bodyguards also entered, each taking a position in one of the four corners of the room.
“Young Master Bai… I have long admired your great name. To have you come here in person today truly honors us brothers!”
The leading middle-aged man hurriedly came forward, extending his hand.
The corner of Bai Jinghong’s mouth twitched slightly.
He had no desire to engage at all, but to verify certain matters, Bai Jinghong smiled and extended his hand, shaking the other man’s briefly.
“Your honorable surname?”
The middle-aged man smiled and said, “No need for honorifics, my surname is Wu, given name Tao!”
“Mr. Wu, is it? Welcome to Dragon Sea!” Bai Jinghong’s smile was quite amiable.
“Hahaha, thank you, thank you. Just trying to make a living. We hope for your kind care, Young Master Bai, your kind care!”
Bai Jinghong didn’t respond. Wu Tao then turned his attention to Shen Yaoyao.
At first glance, he felt the girl was somewhat familiar.
It was as if he had seen her somewhere before.
But he had absolutely no clear impression.
“This must be the Young Madam, hello!”
Wu Tao also greeted Shen Yaoyao.
But he did not attempt to shake her hand.
He wouldn’t dare touch the hand of Bai Jinghong’s woman.
At this moment, Shen Yaoyao was acting incredibly strange.
She was staring fixedly at Wu Tao.
Her gaze could even be described as eerie.
Bai Jinghong was almost certain. These guys were indeed characters from the plot.
They were absolutely connected to the murder of Shen Yaoyao’s family.
Otherwise, Shen Yaoyao wouldn’t have such a strong reaction.
Bai Jinghong could even feel his hand being squeezed painfully tight.
This reaction was entirely a subconscious, instinctive one; she wasn’t even aware she was doing it.
When Shen Yaoyao’s whole family was killed, she had been hidden away, but she definitely had some lingering impression of those people’s faces.
“Mr. Wu, please take a seat!”
Bai Jinghong gently squeezed Shen Yaoyao’s hand.
He wouldn’t act until he had a definite answer.
“Good, good!” Wu Tao smiled and returned to his seat.
Bai Jinghong led Shen Yaoyao to the main seats.
Duan Fei and Ah Kun sat to the left and right of Bai Jinghong and Shen Yaoyao respectively.
Wu Tao then introduced the three men who had come with him.
Two were sworn brothers, bound by life and death. The remaining man, who was just over thirty, was Wu Tao’s son.
“Mr. Wu, you’ve come all the way from Su Province. What kind of big business are you looking to do here?”
Bai Jinghong put his arm around Shen Yaoyao, placed a cigarette in his mouth, and looked at the four men opposite him with a smile.
“Ai, business is tough these days. We were squeezed out by others over there. That’s why we had no choice but to come to your territory, Young Master Bai, and ask for a bowl of rice to eat!”
Wu Tao sighed dispiritedly.
“Squeezed out, were you?” Bai Jinghong smiled. “Only capable people get squeezed out. So, Mr. Wu, you should be happy, because it means you’re very capable!”
“Hahahaha, Young Master Bai, I’m flattered by your praise. Allow me to toast you!” Delighted by Bai Jinghong’s words, Wu Tao stood up and downed his glass of wine in one gulp.
“Mr. Wu has a great capacity for liquor!” Bai Jinghong gently applauded.
After three rounds of drinks, the conversation had been quite pleasant.
Bai Jinghong was acting out of character, seemingly going along with whatever the other party wanted to say on many topics.
This left Ah Kun and Duan Fei somewhat baffled.
But they didn’t dare to speak out of turn.
“Young Master Bai, if not for the age gap between us, I, Wu, would truly wish to become sworn brothers with you!”
Bai Jinghong smiled. “This is called hitting it off. My personality is well-known to many; practically no one can hold a conversation with me like this.”
“Meeting Mr. Wu today feels like reuniting with an old friend I haven’t seen in years!”
“Since today is a happy occasion, I must give Mr. Wu a grand gift. From now on, in Dragon Sea, you can walk sideways. I can smooth over any trouble for you!”
Bai Jinghong directly dropped a bombshell offer.
Wu Tao and the others’ eyes lit up.
Their goal today had originally just been to pay respects to the local boss and get acquainted with Bai Jinghong. They never imagined it would reach this level.
If Bai Jinghong was backing them, it would be like riding a rocket straight to the sky.
“Come, come, come, let’s all toast Young Master Bai!”
Wu Tao immediately seized the opportunity.
After they toasted, Bai Jinghong got to the main topic.
“I have some business on hand. I wonder if Mr. Wu dares to take it on? Or if you have better channels, you could also mention them?”
“You know what I mean!”
The moment Bai Jinghong said this, the four men across from him froze in unison, then broke into laughter.
“I didn’t expect Young Master Bai to be of the same path. Rest assured, we do have some channels!”
They wouldn’t doubt Bai Jinghong’s words.
This playboy young master doing anything wouldn’t seem out of place.
Moreover, as the man behind the largest underground gang in Dragon Sea, what kind of vice—prostitution, gambling, loan sharking—did Bai Jinghong not touch?
Him saying this now probably meant that, because of his status, he couldn’t personally deal in drugs.
If they seized this opportunity, they would very likely become Bai Jinghong’s proxy in this line of business.
In truth, they had guessed completely wrong.
Bai Jinghong dabbled in many industries, but drugs were the one thing he absolutely would not touch.
He knew the stakes and understood the severity of the matter. He wasn’t stupid enough to risk a brilliant future by crossing the nation’s bottom line.
But others didn’t know about this taboo of Bai Jinghong’s.
“Channels? Could it even be from abroad?” Bai Jinghong responded with a smile.
Wu Tao shook his head. “I do know one person abroad, and he’s doing very well for himself.”
“But times have changed, and our statuses are different now. He probably wouldn’t look down on us anymore.”
“We do have channels in the Yangtze River Delta region, though!”
Bai Jinghong’s eyes lit up. The person Wu Tao mentioned was very likely connected to the Hell Organization.
Bai Jinghong didn’t press the issue excessively, instead smiling and saying, “The Yangtze River Delta is sufficient.”
“I have the supply, and it’s a steady, unending stream. I can give up thirty percent of the profit as a gesture of sincerity for our cooperation!”
Upon hearing “thirty percent profit,” Wu Tao’s eyes practically glowed.
“Young Master Bai is righteous. Leave this matter to us.”
Bai Jinghong nodded. The timing was about right now.
“Mr. Wu should be aware of my identity. It’s quite sensitive. Honestly, I find you very agreeable and am very willing to cooperate with you.”
“But for this kind of head-losing business, we need to deepen our mutual trust.”
“To play together, we should always show some gesture. I’ve shown mine. Now, it depends on Mr. Wu.”
Bai Jinghong picked up his glass and took a sip of wine.
He also glanced at Shen Yaoyao beside him.
Shen Yaoyao was still trembling slightly, her eyes ceaselessly scanning the three men.
Wu Tao naturally understood the unspoken rule.
“Young Master Bai, what kind of gesture do you need from me?”
“It’s very simple. Tell me some unknown secrets. I’ll have people verify them. If they prove true, that’s enough. Then, we’ll be brothers on the same boat.”
Wu Tao and the others were unsurprised by this kind of rule.
Without handing over some leverage, how could the other party trust them wholeheartedly?
What if they were cops?
Wu Tao symbolically mentioned several murder cases.
But to Bai Jinghong, those were all insignificant.
Seeing that Bai Jinghong didn’t seem satisfied, Wu Tao prepared to drop a bombshell.
“Does Young Master Bai know about the Shen Family massacre case from twenty years ago in Su Province?”
Wu Tao asked cautiously.
Bai Jinghong gave a cold snort. This immediately confirmed everything.
He quickly grasped Shen Yaoyao’s hand to prevent her from erupting or breaking down.
“I do know of that case, though it was a long time ago. Could it be that this matter was…”
Wu Tao nodded. “It was!”
