Cao Yan, originally named Cao Yan, had three subordinates named Liu Daniu, Ma Xiang, and Yi Zetao. Just from the names alone, it's clear that Yi Zetao doesn't quite fit the same mold as the other two.
It was indeed true. Yi Zetao came from a middle-class family, with parents engaged in legitimate businesses, having at least a college education. In contrast, Liu Daniu and Ma Xiang came from urban villages; one lost a father, the other a mother, which led one to become a raging giant baby and the other a blame-shifting coward, standing there like some comic duo.
Cao Yan was six or seven years older than them, smart, with ways to make money. He wasn't just about the pimp business; in his early days, he smuggled, sold fake drugs, ran bars… basically, whatever made money, he did. Gradually, he became the leader of the four-man group.
Yi Zetao was smarter than Cao Yan, but not as bold. When things happened, he tended to get flustered, and once flustered, his brain didn't work so well.
