206: Chapter 202 Seeking Refuge 206: Chapter 202 Seeking Refuge In the following days, everything was peaceful and calm.
Chen Hai’s life was simple, consisting of just two places.
He was either at school or at the West Mountain Villa.
These past few days he had been practicing driving, and he felt a natural touch to it.
This morning, he even drove himself to school.
Apart from driving a bit slowly, Chen Hai felt that his skills were on par with an average experienced driver.
The only thing that bothered him was that, along the way, several young cyclists pedaled past him so fast that they not only overtook his car but also disappeared from his view.
Fortunately, at this time, traffic police checking cars was essentially a non-issue.
Otherwise, even though Chen Hai had his driver’s license and the car was registered in his name, his driving speed would have definitely attracted a traffic stop.
Of course, driving slowly had its advantages.
Needless to say, the primary one was safety.
After wandering around the school, not even noon yet, Chen Hai was plotting to skip class and slip out of the school.
He hadn’t driven his Jeep Cherokee onto school grounds but had parked it near the side of the road just outside.
Walking out of the school gate towards his parked car, Chen Hai, still some distance away, noticed two listless figures squatting by his car, smoking cigarettes.
Seeing these two, Chen Hai was slightly surprised, but then a sense of joy followed swiftly.
“Brother Xiaohang, Xiang Dong, are you guys here waiting for me?” Picking up his pace, Chen Hai approached the two and greeted them with a smile.
“Yeah!” Upon seeing Chen Hai, the squatting Bai Xiaohang and Xiang Dong immediately stood up, exchanged glances, and nodded heavily in response.
“Young Master Chen…
I’ve thought over what you told me these past few days.”
“I have come to understand that just messing around aimlessly, as you said, only looks good on the surface; there really isn’t a promising future in it.”
“If your words still stand, I would like to come and help you, to hang out with you…” Bai Xiaohang hesitated, then clenched his teeth and spoke out.
In his previous view, he thought their boss Yan Jing had widespread connections and could make moves in both the underworld and in legitimate circles, making him one of the big shots in the Capital City.
But after the incident at the West Mountain Villa, he realized that his boss was no better than a dog in the eyes of the real power players, completely lacking in dignity.
Over the past few days, Bai Xiaohang had done a lot of thinking and reflecting.
He repeatedly questioned himself: following a boss like Yan Jing, did he have a future?
Over the years, with a reckless and bold character, he did make a name for himself in the Capital City.
Everywhere he went, gang members would address him respectfully as “Brother Xiaohang,” and it indeed got to his head.
To be honest, he was now infamous and had made quite a few enemies.
His reputation was based on the fact that he hadn’t yet offended people he couldn’t afford to anger.
If he continued acting tough and causing trouble outside, crossing paths with the wrong person could end badly.
His boss Yan Jing would surely not hesitate to sell him out!
A wise bird chooses the tree it perches on.
Chen Hai, with such a formidable background and seemingly taking good care of him, appeared to be someone to follow!
Having the opportunity to cling to such a strong supporter and work for him seemed like a wise choice for Bai Xiaohang!
“Brother Xiaohang, if you’re willing to help me, I naturally welcome you!” Chen Hai chuckled and turned his gaze to Xiang Dong.
“Young Master Chen, knowing Brother Xiaohang is acquainted with you, I specifically asked him about you.”
“I’m very disappointed in Yan Jing.”
“After learning that Brother Xiaohang wanted to join you, I said a lot of good things about you to him before he reluctantly agreed to bring me here to see you!”
“I, like Brother Xiaohang, want to join you.
I wonder if you would accept me!”
When Chen Hai looked towards him, Xiang Dong quickly straightened his posture and explained.
As Yan Jing’s right-hand man, although Xiang Dong couldn’t compare with Bai Xiaohang in terms of martial prowess, he was also a daredevil.
What’s more important was that he was very astute.
While working under Yan Jing, he had discovered several lucrative opportunities, allowing Yan Jing to make a tidy profit.
Chen Hai sized up Xiang Dong with a gaze that glinted with an inexplicable light.
Using his face-reading skills, he glimpsed into the man’s destiny to confirm that Xiang Dong wasn’t the type to be insubordinate and was indeed a valuable asset.
Chen Hai smiled and nodded: “Brother Dong, I would be more than happy for someone like you to help me with my affairs!”
Relieved to hear this, Xiang Dong finally relaxed.
The incident in the West Mountain Villa where Yan Jing had nonchalantly blamed him and even threatened to break his legs had deeply wounded him.
As Yan Jing’s right-hand man, he knew too much about Yan Jing.
If he wanted to switch allegiances, stop mixing with Yan Jing and turn to others for support, that would certainly be problematic.
However, if he defected to Chen Hai and helped him with his work, he would have no such concerns.
After all, Yan Jing, who knew about Chen Hai’s terrifying background, wouldn’t have the guts to trouble Chen Hai even if he borrowed some.
“Young Master Chen, what do Xiaohang and I need to do now?”
Now that he had been accepted by Chen Hai, Xiang Dong immediately started to consider what Chen Hai might need and asked about the matter.
“I’m a student.
If I’m not in school, I’m at home.
What could there possibly be for you to do?”
“Follow me, help me out with tasks.
On normal days, you can do whatever you like!”
“When there’s something that needs to be done, I will naturally let you know!”
Tilting his head, Chen Hai responded with a nonchalant smile.
Recruiting Bai Xiaohang to help him, Chen Hai just saw that he was a born strongman and felt he was talented, making a spur-of-the-moment decision.
But now that Bai Xiaohang and Xiang Dong had truly come to his side, what to assign them, Chen Hai hadn’t really figured out in the moment!
Get involved in the underworld?
Fight over territory?
Collect protection fees?
Such things would only lower his own stature, things that Chen Hai didn’t want and disdained to do!
“Maybe, I should get some kind of business going and have the two of them, Bai Xiaohang and Xiang Dong, help manage it?” He mulled over it in his mind for a while.
Of course, while he thought that, deciding which industry to enter wasn’t something he could decide in the spur of the moment!
After all, his focus was on Tao Cultivation, and as for doing business, he genuinely had no experience.
“Brother Dong, Brother Xiaohang, what do you think, what kind of business in Capital City can make money easily these days?”
After a moment of silence, Chen Hai tentatively spoke up, asking for opinions.
“Open a nightclub, maybe.
Yan Jing’s Daduhui, on a good day, can make tens of thousands!” Bai Xiaohang, scratching the back of his head, replied.
In fights and brawls, wielding a knife to take on ten at a time, he was more than capable.
But when it came to business, he was possibly even less experienced than Chen Hai.
After suggesting opening a nightclub, Bai Xiaohang added, “If Young Master Chen is really considering opening a nightclub, I’ll sweep through the similar places nearby once a day to ensure they can’t stay open…”
Well then, the money-making idea Bai Xiaohang brought up was indeed very much like Bai Xiaohang.
In just a few words, he straightforwardly brought violence to the forefront, indeed very consistent with his way of doing things.
“Young Master Chen, if you have enough capital, I think we can set up a private club.”
“With your background, starting such a place should be quite easy to develop.”
“Such clubs offer special services exclusively for the wealthy and powerful, and upon opening, could not only make money but also help Young Master Chen build an extensive network.”
“If you’re interested, Brother Xiaohang and I can handle the specifics for you.
You would just need to occasionally show your face to support the club.”
“I’ve even thought of a name for it, ‘Heaven and Earth’…”
Xiang Dong had a head for business, and his suggestion sounded much more reliable than Bai Xiaohang’s.
Listening to Xiang Dong’s suggestion, Chen Hai did feel a little tempted.
Unfortunately, after a rough estimate of the capital required to start a private club,
he realized the money he had was barely enough to open a private clinic.
“Heaven and Earth, it seems I’m destined to miss out!” With a bit of frustration in his heart, Chen Hai sighed deeply.
For some reason, upon hearing the name “Heaven and Earth,” his instinct told him that if this private club were to open, it would be a huge hit in Yanhuang Country in the future.
Those who cultivate Tao and reach a certain realm can act on a whim when they confront certain situations.
And this was likely what Chen Hai was experiencing.
If the situation hadn’t been so unsuitable, he might have used divination to predict how popular “Heaven and Earth” would become in the future!
Thinking about such a profitable business just brushing past him left Chen Hai feeling quite down and full of helplessness.
“Forget it, let’s talk about doing business later!”
“Brother Xiaohang, Brother Dong, which one of you can drive?
Take me to the bank nearby first!” Setting aside his frustration for the moment, Chen Hai looked at the two and asked.
“Young Master Chen, I can drive.
If you need to go to the bank, I’ll take you there!” Xiang Dong quickly offered.
People joining his ranks, one had to give them some kind of settlement, and Chen Hai was heading to the bank for that reason.
Considering the lack of income and still unsure of what tasks to assign Bai Xiaohang and Xiang Dong,
He gave each of them ten thousand and instructed them to get a pager to keep in touch.
Only then did he leisurely drive back to West Mountain Villa.