"So what do you want to do?"
"In short—one sentence," Feiji said.
"You can tell me to kill anyone you want. Anyone is fine… except my boss."
"That works," Lin Yao said with a smile.
"I'll take you at your word. You can go back now."
"…Huh?"
Feiji froze.
He clearly hadn't expected Lin Yao to handle it this way.
He'd thought he'd either be crippled, or forced to defect.
Instead, Lin Yao hadn't even mentioned switching sides—only territory.
After a few seconds of silence, Feiji finally forced out a sentence through clenched teeth:
"…Alright, Yao-ge."
"From now on, if you want someone dead, just say the word.
I, Feiji, won't hesitate."
Lin Yao didn't turn around.
He just lifted his hand and waved casually, taking it as agreement.
Footsteps gradually faded from the street.
The onlookers, reading the room, dispersed as well.
Back at the hall, Lin Yao arranged for Wu She to keep an eye on Feiji over the next few days.
"Boss, you're really just letting him go like that?" Wu She said, unconvinced.
"He can't escape my grasp," Lin Yao replied calmly.
"Since he fell publicly today, he'll do everything for me from now on.
Do you think Fish Head Mark will feel safe keeping him?"
Wu She understood instantly.
Elsewhere—Diamond Hill.
There was no hill there, only slums.
A place where the Chen family's plastic shacks collapsed whenever it rained.
Fish Head Mark specialized in drug trafficking.
With Feiji helping him these past few years, his market had expanded rapidly.
Though still weaker than Big D and Tai Po Black,
he had already surpassed Ah Lok, Gao Ren, and Old Ghost Kui.
When Feiji returned, he stood with his head lowered in the hall, listening to a scolding.
Fish Head Mark's spit nearly flew into his face,
yet Feiji stood like a stone, saying nothing.
Only when the yelling ended and the "price of losing" came up
did Feiji mutter in a hoarse voice:
"I answered Lin Yao's summons."
The temperature in the room instantly dropped.
Feiji didn't dare look up,
but he could already imagine the malice in Fish Head Mark's eyes.
Not until he heard,
"The day after tomorrow, go to Sai Kung to receive the shipment,"
did he finally breathe out.
He thought the matter was temporarily over—
yet when he turned around, his back was drenched in cold sweat.
As soon as he stepped out of the hall, Fish Head Mark shouted inside:
"Ah Keung!"
A thin, sharp-eyed man rushed out, spine straight.
"Mark-ge!"
"From now on, watch Feiji closely—every move.
If he looks like he's about to become a traitor…"
"If he pulls even the slightest stunt during the pickup,
kill him on the spot."
Ah Keung's eyes flashed with viciousness. He nodded hard.
"Understood. I'll make sure it's done."
Fish Head Mark lifted his tea and took a deep gulp, calculating silently.
If Feiji truly became Lin Yao's man, keeping him would be courting disaster.
That Sai Kung shipment was risky to begin with—
perfect for testing him.
If he passed, fine.
If not, he'd disappear forever.
Meanwhile, Feiji was walking back to his place.
His back still ached,
and his heart was in turmoil.
He feared Fish Head Mark's "discipline,"
yet remembered Lin Yao's restraint—not forcing him to defect.
It felt like being crushed between two boulders,
even breathing was hard.
He never noticed that Ah Keung had been tailing him the whole way.
Nor did he realize—
from this moment on, Fish Head Mark no longer trusted him.
In fact, he'd already been labeled
a potential traitor.
In the drug trade, nothing was more feared than an internal mole.
Back on Lin Yao's side.
After dealing with Feiji's matter, Lin Yao shifted his focus entirely to the property management company.
Tianyao Property had just been founded and was desperate for manpower.
The day recruitment notices went up, interview lines stretched endlessly.
Lin Yao personally oversaw the process.
He wasn't just looking for workers—
he wanted his own people, those who could follow him long-term and stand firm.
That afternoon, résumés piled up like a small mountain.
He flipped through them absentmindedly—
Until a thin sheet slid under his fingertip.
He froze.
Ruan Mei?
Little Monkey Tai?
The fuse girl?
No—
Big Time.
Lin Yao looked up toward the door.
Ruan Mei had just walked in.
Goose-egg face.
Moist almond-shaped eyes.
Even in a plain cotton dress, her beauty couldn't be hidden.
Slim waist, long legs—
delicate, yet not bony.
Up top… by visual estimation alone,
at least a small C.
But her gaze was timid, restrained.
She didn't dare look at Lin Yao, eyes fixed on the corner of the desk.
"H-Hello, sir… My name is Ruan Mei.
I'm here to apply for a typist position…"
Before she could finish, Lin Yao leaned back in his chair and said calmly:
"No need to apply as a typist.
Be my secretary instead."
"…Huh?"
Secretary?
Ruan Mei snapped her head up, eyes filled with shock.
Even those waiting nearby couldn't help but look over.
No one expected this pale, timid girl
to be picked on the spot by the boss.
"Th-the salary… how much?" she asked softly.
She was the type who haggled over vegetables,
who avoided buses to save fare—
a "secretary" job sounded unreal.
Lin Yao looked her up and down once more, then smiled.
"Three thousand Hong Kong dollars a month."
"Daily duties: office cleaning, serving tea and water."
"Day or night—if I call you, you show up immediately."
Three thousand?!
Ruan Mei's mind went blank.
Her hands started trembling.
In Diamond Hill, the highest wage she'd ever seen was twelve hundred.
Three thousand a month—
She almost thought it was a scam.
She wanted to ask if he'd made a mistake,
but the thought of losing this job forced the words back down.
She needed the money too badly.
Her congenital heart medication couldn't be stopped.
Rent was coming due.
If she missed this chance, she wouldn't even be able to afford medicine next month.
Seeing her eyes filled with joy, fear, and struggle,
Lin Yao said nothing more.
He pulled out a wad of crisp Hong Kong bills.
Counted nine large red notes.
Smack.
"Three months' salary in advance.
You can take it now."
The bills gleamed under the light.
Ruan Mei's breath caught.
She stared at the money, fingers digging into her palm.
It was the first time she'd ever seen so much cash.
Enough to stop worrying about medicine.
Enough to leave that leaking shack.
She looked up at Lin Yao.
His face was expressionless—
but the certainty and composure in his eyes shattered her last doubt.
"I—I'll start work tomorrow!"
Her voice trembled.
Her heart was already racing wildly.
Long-term illness made her sensitive—
she could feel her pulse hitting 120 a minute.
Lin Yao nodded and pointed to a small door in the corner.
"No need to wait until tomorrow.
Start today."
"That room is empty—use it as the secretary's office."
"You'll stay there from now on.
Makes it easier for me to… call you."
Holding the red envelope with nine bills inside,
Ruan Mei followed Lin Yao toward the small room—
Her heart warm, yet pounding with nervous anticipation.
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