Chapter 19#

Three months ago, Ma Lei moved all the drivers’ and freight workers’ dormitories out of his own small courtyard and rebuilt a two-story independent courtyard at the east end of the village. It was spacious and bright, and everyone lived in a single room. It was also a little closer to the urban area of Zhuhai. Everyone raised their hands in favor of this arrangement. Every holiday, this group of men would go to the city in groups for consumption and entertainment, venting the frustration accumulated from long-distance driving.

Unlike others, Chen Yuanming never participated in this kind of social interaction. Because he was the youngest and didn’t like to talk, and he was on the second boss’s special line, there was an invisible barrier between him and the others. Although this group of rough drivers was not smart, they still had their pride and could read people. Naturally, they didn’t bother to ask him to go out and play with them. Over time, Chen Yuanming was once again isolated from the group.

But this “isolation” was what he wanted. Compared to wasting time on eating, drinking, and playing, he obviously had more important things to do.

The second batch of goods for this month had all been delivered, and the warehouse was empty again. The idle drivers all went to the city to revel. The entire dormitory building was dark, except for the window at the east end of the second floor, which was lit. Sitting at the desk in the dormitory, Chen Yuanming was flipping through the newly arrived newspapers.

In this room of only a few square meters, there were no extra furniture, electrical appliances, or entertainment facilities. All that could be seen were stacks of newspapers. These were all the newspapers and periodicals that the Zhuhai Post Office could subscribe to in the past six months, from current affairs to business information, all the news that Chen Yuanming needed or didn’t need, until today… His fingertips slid across the headline in the corner of the newspaper. Chen Yuanming let out a breath. It was finally coming.

“Ah Ming!”

A sudden shout interrupted his thoughts, followed by a series of impatient banging on the door. Scarface? Chen Yuanming frowned slightly and got up to open the door.

“You really didn’t go out, kid.” As soon as he entered the door, Scarface poked his head in and looked around the room, sighing with emotion. “You don’t have to save money to this extent. Is it enough to just read the newspapers? You should at least buy a few books by Gu Long or Jin Yong! Or get a TV. ‘The Qianlong Emperor’ is on recently, starring Adam Cheng. It’s really good…”

“Brother Qiang, is there something you need?” Chen Yuanming interrupted Scarface’s endless chatter and asked faintly. Although the man in front of him was always unreliable, he was still the real second-in-command of this smuggling gang. It was impossible for him to come to his place in the middle of the night for a casual chat.

Scarface really stopped talking and looked the boy up and down seriously. When he first saw him half a year ago, this kid was as thin as a monkey, and his face was bruised and battered, not much better than a refugee. Half a year later, his figure had grown a lot, and he was much stronger. His face had completely matured, with a proper nose and eyes, exuding a spirit. He looked really good. When he stared at people with his dark eyes, it inexplicably gave him a sense of oppression similar to when he faced his own big brother. He really didn’t look like a kid.

Could this be what the big brother valued? Scarface grinned and stretched out his good arm that was not in a cast, patting Chen Yuanming’s shoulder. “Alright, your luck has come.”

Chen Yuanming was stunned, still not understanding the other party’s intention. Scarface had already opened his mouth and asked, “Are you going out tomorrow?”

“Something up?” Chen Yuanming asked back.

“Yeah.” A hidden meaning was added to the smile on Scarface’s lips. “Good thing. I’ll pick you up at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Don’t run around.”

After saying this nonsensical sentence, he patted Chen Yuanming’s shoulder and turned to leave the dormitory building. Standing at the door for a long time, Chen Yuanming silently closed the door.

At noon the next day, Scarface came to pick him up on time, with a car. The driver was a stranger. Scarface casually pulled him to the back seat and patted the leather backrest.

“Audi 100, ever heard of it?”

Chen Yuanming’s face was not good. He forced a smile and looked down at his feet. Scarface didn’t miss the opportunity to show off, leaning back comfortably in the seat and crossing his legs.

“You probably don’t know, but this Audi 100 is a real ‘official car’. The police don’t dare to stop it on the main road. My brother spent a lot of effort to get it.” He glanced at the boy who looked a little restrained and smiled. “There’s still a lot to see when you hang out with us brothers.”

The car drove very fast and soon arrived at a street in the east district of Zhuhai. After passing a few high-end restaurants, it stopped steadily in front of a small building.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yuanming did not hesitate and got out of the car directly, looking at the building in front of him. It was a four-story small villa with about a dozen rooms on the first floor, in a somewhat European style. The surrounding wall was ridiculously high, and there was a dedicated parking lot next to it.

Scarface put his arm around Chen Yuanming’s shoulder and led him inside. “Come and see…”

As soon as he walked into the gate of the small building, Chen Yuanming’s eyes widened. A scarlet long-haired carpet, wallpaper and ceiling decorations, and a small fountain in the hall, which was spouting water at the moment. There were two receptionists standing at the door, both of whom were above-average beauties. Their clothes were a little less decent than proper, and a little more conservative than flirtatious, exuding a sense of uniform temptation.

A club? With just one glance, Chen Yuanming saw the clue. In this era, perhaps few people had heard of such a place, but in later generations, the name “Heaven on Earth” was famous all over the country, and few people didn’t know what kind of business a club was engaged in. He never expected to be brought to such a place. Even though Chen Yuanming was fully prepared, he couldn’t help but be a little stunned.

This was the right time. Finally seeing a little surprise on the boy’s face, Scarface smiled triumphantly. “Never been to a place like this, have you? Come on, I’ll show you around.”

At this time, a woman walked quickly from the side of the hall. Her makeup was very heavy, her hair was piled high, her figure was full and enchanting, and she could walk like the wind on the soft carpet even in high heels. It was hard to tell her age, she could be anywhere from 25 to 45, exuding a mature charm.

“Brother Qiang!” As soon as she saw Scarface, the beauty called out in a coquettish voice. Her voice was quite different from her appearance, soft and sweet, like a girl next door, a very seductive contrast. “You’re finally here. Big brother has been waiting upstairs for a long time~~”

“Yo, Qianqian, every time I see you, I feel a few years younger. Are you 18 this year?” Scarface laughed and teased.

“I was 18 last year, and I’ll be 16 this year.” The beauty didn’t mind at all and gently punched him, then turned her head to look at Chen Yuanming curiously.

“How about it?” Scarface certainly didn’t miss the other party’s searching gaze and squinted his eyes triumphantly. “Is this brother handsome?”

“He’s handsome, but too young.” The beauty covered her mouth and let out a light laugh. “Is this brother 15 years old this year?”

“15 to your 16, isn’t that just right?” Scarface laughed, and slapped the beauty’s perky buttocks that were tightened by her skirt, in exchange for a seductive glance. “Don’t be a flirt, my brother is waiting.”

The woman didn’t waste any more words and led the way with her swaying waist. Scarface lowered his body and whispered in Chen Yuanming’s ear, “Do you like it? I’ll pick a pretty one for you later, so you can have a taste too.”

Chen Yuanming’s lips were tightly pursed, and he did not reply. Scarface sneered and did not ask further, leading the boy directly to the second floor. They walked to the innermost room at the end of the corridor and opened the door. Ma Lei was sitting in the middle of the main sofa, and a scantily clad girl was kneeling on the sofa beside him, kissing him passionately with her head down.

Seemingly hearing the sound of the door opening, he pinched the other’s buttocks, pulled himself out of her beautiful hair, and smiled at Scarface. “You’re here?”

Scarface threw Chen Yuanming aside and sat down on the sofa next to him. The woman named Qianqian beckoned, and a pure-looking girl in a student uniform sat down next to Scarface, leaning softly on his shoulder.

“Sit.” This time he was talking to Chen Yuanming. Ma Lei pointed his chin at the sofa in front of him, gesturing to the other party.

Looking at the situation in the room, Chen Yuanming did not hesitate and sat down opposite Ma Lei. But unlike the two of them, he did not sink his body into the sofa, but leaned forward slightly, with his hands clasped and placed between his knees, in a serious business negotiation posture.

Ma Lei looked at the serious-faced boy in front of him and couldn’t help but show a hint of a smile. “How’s this place?”

“Very good.” Concise and comprehensive. “Private car pick-up, good service. You must have spent a lot of money.”

Ma Lei raised his eyebrows, seemingly a little surprised that this boy could be so calm. With just a glance, Qianqian let out a soft and coquettish laugh and leaned over to sit next to Chen Yuanming.

“Do you smoke?” With a casual toss, a small box landed on the coffee table.

Chen Yuanming looked down at the light yellow cigarette case and the three gilded numbers on it, and shook his head. “I don’t.”

Ma Lei smiled. “Don’t be nervous. I just wanted to talk to you about something today.”

The expression on Chen Yuanming’s face did not change at all, making the beautiful snake beside him who was breathing like an orchid unable to get close. Ma Lei looked at Qianqian, whose face was a little stiff, with amusement, and leaned back on the sofa relaxedly.

“I heard from Scarface that you’re not doing business in Wuhan anymore?”

Chen Yuanming glanced at Scarface, who was drinking and flirting happily on the side, and nodded.

“What, do you have other plans?”

The question was straightforward, and Chen Yuanming didn’t hesitate. “That’s right, I have some plans.”

“I see you’ve made 200,000 or 300,000 in the past six months. You can just throw that away?”

Chen Yuanming showed a faint smile. “It’s all thanks to Brother Ma’s help. Otherwise, how could I have brought my own goods.”

Ma Lei didn’t pay much attention to the other party’s evasion and instead turned his head and shouted at Scarface, “Scarface, tell me what you were doing when you were 15!”

Scarface was just about to slurp the wine from the beauty’s hand and answered vaguely, “Who the hell knows? Was I being chased by Sanhua’s father for watching her bathe?”

“Haha.” Ma Lei laughed heartily and turned to look at Chen Yuanming. “When I was 15 or 16, I was still learning carpentry from my father. I hammered iron nails every day until my arms were sore and weak. I wished I could sleep for more than ten hours a day… Little Chen, how many kids like you do you think I’ve seen?”

Chen Yuanming’s heart skipped a beat, and his gaze was fixed straight ahead. He could somewhat guess the other party’s meaning. Damn it, he was careless.

Looking at Chen Yuanming’s clear eyes, Ma Lei smiled. “The timing of the application was coincidental, the attitude towards work was strong, and you have a good ability to do business. If I hadn’t found out that you have no relationship with those Guangdong and Fujian guys, I might have thought differently of you. But that’s all in the past. I’ll just ask one question now, what are your thoughts?”

He slowed down his voice, and his tone carried an undeniable firmness. “A line of business worth tens of thousands a month can be thrown away just like that. It’s not hard to guess how big your ambition is. There aren’t many jobs that can make so much money these days. You’ve had a taste of it. What’s next? Do you want to join the gang, or do you want a share? Give me a plan.”

Chen Yuanming showed a bitter smile. It finally came…

Author’s note: The first part of “The Qianlong Emperor,” starring Adam Cheng, was broadcast on Taiwan’s China Television in May 1991 and premiered in mainland China in 1992. Let’s just assume that Zhuhai can receive Hong Kong signals XD

Audi 100, when FAW produced the first batch of Audi 100, only 499 units were built, all of which were purchased by the government, hence the name “official car.”