Chapter 45

With nearly thirty free laborers working, the speed was indeed fast. By the end of the day, these originally tough ruffians no longer had their usual arrogance, having not had a drop of water or a grain of rice all day. The feeling of hunger was truly tormenting.

Guo Guo was dismissed from school relatively early in the afternoon. On the first day of school, Qiu Yan had secretly accompanied Guo Guo for the entire day, though Guo Guo didn't know about it.

"Father, who are these unlucky guys?" Guo Guo returned to the herbal cuisine restaurant and immediately noticed something was off with these people.

"Yesterday they beat up the workers who were renovating for us. Today they came to atone for their sins." Xu Yun picked up Guo Guo and asked with a good mood, "How was school today? Were you well-behaved? Did Teacher Su say she missed us?"

Guo Guo nodded seriously, "Of course, not only was I well-behaved, but I also helped you seduce Teacher Su."

Oh my!

Xu Yun really wanted to bang his head against the wall. He guessed that he hadn't even started seducing her, and it was probably already ruined by Guo Guo.

"What do you plan to do with these people?" Qiu Yan suddenly spoke up.

Xu Yun shook his head, "I'm still thinking about it. I'm afraid they'll leak information if I let them go, but I don't have a place to keep them here."

"I'll handle it." Qiu Yan said and then turned to make a few phone calls.

Less than half an hour later, three cars arrived at the herbal cuisine restaurant: a Land Rover Discovery, a Jeep Wrangler, and an Audi Q5, all high-end off-road vehicles worth four to five hundred thousand yuan.

Three tough ruffians, with fierce looks and robust builds, got out of the cars, but they all showed utmost respect to Qiu Yan.

Xu Yun smiled slightly. He knew that Qiu Yan must have been doing something important last night, not just passing the time. For Guo Guo's safety, she had already started to intervene in the criminal forces in the Hedong South District, and it seemed she had achieved significant results.

"Damn..." Qiangzi's mouth dropped open. Although these people weren't as notorious as the leaders of the Axe Gang and the Four Wolves Gang, they were definitely not to be trifled with: "Kong Zhong, Lü Feng, and Shan Hongning... the Three Tigers of the South City. These are big shots in the South District of our city..."

The Three Tigers of the South City referred to Kong Zhong, Lü Feng, and Shan Hongning. These three were not simple; in high school, they were the leaders of three different high schools in Hedong City. After dropping out, they didn't idle around. Kong Zhong led his brothers to run a sand quarry that made a fortune, Lü Feng took advantage of the city's construction and demolition to start a construction team, and Shan Hongning, from a relatively wealthy family, opened a Hong Kong and Macau seafood restaurant that was also very profitable.

These three could make money honestly, but they also had a bit of a dark side. In this era, if you don't have a few brothers under you, you'll be bullied in everything you do. Since these three could reach this level, they must have some means.

Although Xu Yun didn't know these people, he could tell from the class of their cars that they were at least dozens of times better off than Qiangzi.

Qiu Yan wasn't good at dealing with them, so she pointed to Xu Yun, "Do whatever he says."

After giving the instructions, Qiu Yan took Guo Guo upstairs.

Guo Guo didn't care about these messy affairs and ran up the stairs with his schoolbag, missing his mother Ruan Qing霜 all day. He wondered if his mother missed him too.

The three ruffians, all nearly 1.8 meters tall, looked aggrieved but dared not speak out.

A few days ago, there was an incident at Lü Feng's construction site. Since the three were good brothers, Kong Zhong and Shan Hongning had sent many people to help. Lü Feng set up a banquet to thank them, but before they had even finished a few bottles of wine, Qiu Yan walked directly into their private room.

Shan Hongning thought she was Lü Feng's new girlfriend and tried to tease her, but before he could finish his sentence, he was kicked to the ground! Lü Feng and Kong Zhong were also furious, but Qiu Yan suddenly slashed the table with a sword, and the three's subordinates, who were all tough guys, were all knocked down within ten seconds. Each of them had a shallow knife mark on their necks. If Qiu Yan had used more force, the room would have been filled with corpses.

The Three Tigers were stunned, realizing they had encountered a real tough person.

One of Lü Feng's subordinates tried to sneak an attack with a knife, but Qiu Yan dodged and disarmed him, twisting his arm to a 90-degree angle. The pig-like screams still made the Three Tigers' scalps tingle.

...

Xu Yun smiled as he watched the three tough ruffians, whom Qiangzi had mentioned, walk up to him with aggrieved expressions.

"Brother, what's the matter?" Kong Zhong sized up Xu Yun. This guy was only better-looking than him, but in every other way, he was inferior. He smiled cautiously and said, "Sister Yan has given us instructions. You can speak freely."

Shan Hongning frowned at Xu Yun. He was clearly not as easy-going as Kong Zhong and said impatiently, "Speak up. What do you want us to do? I'm busy."

Of the three, Lü Feng was the least respectful to Xu Yun. He was afraid of Qiu Yan, not this unkempt guy: "Kid, what are you smiling about? If it weren't for Sister Yan, I wouldn't be here..."

"Watch your mouth!" Qiangzi was furious. Although these people were more famous in the underworld than him, he had Brother Yun backing him up, so he wasn't afraid.

"What are you, a nobody? Don't talk to me like that!" Lü Feng didn't even look at Qiangzi, "Wait until you grow some balls before you talk to me!"

Kong Zhong coughed lightly, reminding Lü Feng that Qiu Yan was upstairs.

Shan Hongning patted Lü Feng's shoulder and whispered, "Let's just do what we're told..."

Xu Yun found this amusing. These people were interesting; they only respected Qiu Yan. He really wanted to know what Qiu Yan had done to them last night. Since Qiu Yan was a typical warrior who only cared about the kill, not the cleanup, Xu Yun decided to let them join Sister Shuang.

"Hehe, let's talk things over. We're all just trying to make a living, and it's not easy for any of us." Kong Zhong tried to smooth things over, taking out a pack of Su cigarettes and offering one to Shan Hongning and Lü Feng before offering one to Xu Yun and Qiangzi.

Xu Yun refused, "No, thanks."

Qiangzi, however, didn't hesitate, lighting up the cigarette. They cost 2.5 yuan each!

Just as Qiangzi lit his cigarette, Xu Yun pointed at him and said to the three tough ruffians, "Since it's not easy to make a living, you'll all follow him from now on."

The air instantly became quiet. The three, who had some influence in the South District of Hedong City, all looked at this young man who had just spoken arrogantly.

Qiangzi was also stunned, dropping his cigarette to the ground, "Bro, you... you want me to be the boss?"

Xu Yun poked Qiangzi's head, "No way! Your boss is me, my boss is Guo Guo, and Guo Guo's boss is Sister Shuang. Who's the boss?"

"Sister Shuang!" Qiangzi nodded vigorously.

"Brother, we don't have time to joke around." The veins on Shan Hongning's neck bulged. If it weren't for the woman who had single-handedly taken down four of his best subordinates, he would have been furious.

Lü Feng was already impatient, but Kong Zhong held him back, preventing him from doing anything foolish.

Xu Yun didn't waste words. Since Qiu Yan could control them, he could do the same. He waved at Qiangzi, "Bring that guy and his people out."

"Sure!" Qiangzi immediately ordered Xiao Fei to bring the laborers over and lined them up, then went in to drag out Wei Weiming, who was like a dead dog.

With a thud, Wei Weiming was thrown in front of everyone.

Since Wei Weiming's face was swollen and covered in blood, Lü Feng and Shan Hongning didn't recognize him at first. It wasn't until Kong Zhong exclaimed, "Wei Weiming?!" that they realized who it was.

Shan Hongning's face changed instantly. This guy had a lot of nerve to beat up someone from Fan Nanjie's gang!

Lü Feng was also shocked. He hadn't taken this young man seriously, but now he realized he had been wrong. This kid didn't even care about them, treating Wei Weiming from the Axe Gang with such disdain. Had he killed him?

"I have a simple task for you. Find a place to keep these people and bring them back tomorrow to continue working as laborers." Xu Yun smiled, but even his smile was terrifying to Wei Weiming and his gang.

Kong Zhong's Adam's apple moved as he swallowed. This guy... was actually asking them to imprison people from the Axe Gang? That was a clear provocation against Fan Nanjie, who was supported by the other three district bosses. Offending him would be like cutting off their own future!

Lü Feng wanted to ask if this guy knew what he was doing, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

Finally, Shan Hongning couldn't hold back, "Do you know who you're offending?"

"Who?" Xu Yun had forgotten and turned to Qiangzi.

Qiangzi's lips twitched. Every time he mentioned this person, he felt a bit uneasy, "Fan Nanjie."

"Oh, right!" Xu Yun nodded and said to Shan Hongning, "The one Brother Qiang mentioned."

Brother Qiang? Lü Feng sneered inwardly, "If you want to die, I won't stop you, but we won't go with you! Do you think you can offend Fan Nanjie?"

"Are you saying you won't do as I say?" A cold light flashed in Xu Yun's eyes, and a chilling aura burst forth, like a bolt of lightning striking Shan Hongning!

Lü Feng was completely intimidated by the killing intent. A bone-chilling fear rose from the depths of his soul, and he was utterly crushed. This guy hadn't even moved, but his aura alone had defeated him!

Was he human or a ghost?

Lü Feng's legs went weak, and he could barely stand. The overwhelming aura not only crushed Shan Hongning's fragile heart but also affected Lü Feng and Kong Zhong, who could feel cold sweat on their foreheads and their backs drenched in sweat.

Qiu Yan slowly descended the stairs, not even looking at the three. She took a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and walked back upstairs, her cold gaze sweeping over the three at the corner of the stairs. She had, of course, heard everything from upstairs.

Kong Zhong and Shan Hongning finally admitted defeat, realizing that this small herbal cuisine restaurant was a den of hidden dragons and tigers.

"Brother Yun, whatever you say, I'll do it!" Kong Zhong made the right choice first, "I, Kong Zhong, will follow you from now on. Just give me orders."

Shan Hongning, though reluctant, was intimidated by Qiu Yan's cold gaze and had to submit, "I'll do anything, even if it means climbing a mountain of knives or walking through a sea of fire, without any complaints."

"I'm willing to follow Brother Yun." Lü Feng was completely crushed by the chilling aura and felt an endless sense of mystery from Xu Yun.

Xu Yun smiled, "We're all just trying to make a living under Sister Shuang. No need to be so formal."

Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the stairs.

Guo Guo dragged Ruan Qing霜 to the corner of the stairs, looking down with a smug expression, "Do you know who this is?"

Everyone was stunned and stared in shock.

Qiangzi held his hands up like a full moon and announced, "Look closely. This is Sister Shuang, our future boss!"

Ruan Qing霜 frowned, "Qiangzi, are you crazy? What are you saying?" She then picked up Guo Guo, "Kids, stay out of adult affairs. Go back to the room with your mother. You haven't even told me what homework Teacher Su gave you today!"

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