Lei Dian left. Before he did, he handed the bag of electronic chips to Cao Yang.
He said the thing was valuable and asked Cao Yang to keep it safe for him. Once he found a buyer, they'd split the money fifty–fifty.
"Don't cry. He'll pay you back," Cao Yang said.
But Li Yan's tears kept falling.
"Pay back my ass! In Dongguan, there's no such thing as love or friendship. Once people leave, they're gone forever. Lending him money is like throwing a meat bun at a dog — it ain't coming back!"
"He won't. I'm good at reading people. He's the first friend I made here… and he left his stuff with me. He won't run."
Li Yan didn't listen and kept crying.
Cao Yang sighed. "Fine, treat it as me borrowing from you. I'll pay you back tenfold, a hundredfold!"
Li Yan still cried, silent tears streaming down her face.
"Come on, sis, don't cry like that. People will think I did something to you!"
"Let's go." Li Yan wiped her face and grabbed Cao Yang's hand, pulling him to leave.
"Go where?" Cao Yang didn't budge.
"You're staying here waiting for them to come back and kill you?!"
"Look, this has to be dealt with eventually. If I run, I'm afraid they'll burn the shop down."
"How are you going to deal with it? You're one man, they're a whole group!"
"Who said I'm alone?"
Cao Yang grinned and held up the note. "We still have Brother Shanying, don't we?"
He dialed the number.
"Hello? Brother Shanying, it's Cao Yang."
"The guy from earlier? The one you went to collect protection money from."
Shanying finally realized who he was talking to.
"You got the money ready already?" Shanying asked, sounding pleased, thinking Cao Yang called for payment.
"Almost. But the Sichuan gang came and told me I'm not allowed to operate here. What do you think about that?"
Shanying frowned. "Didn't you tell them you're under my protection?"
"I told them. They said you're worth jack shit — that you don't even count as a single hair."
Shanying exploded. "They really said that?! You better not be screwing with me!"
"It's true. You can ask them yourself. Not only did they say you're just one hair, they said you don't even count as that!"
"Tell them to wait. I'll show them exactly what I'm worth today!"
He hung up angrily and began gathering his men.A thought crossed his mind: Damn it… I haven't seen a single yuan yet and now I'm going to war for this brat… What a loss.But he had to go — otherwise how would he ever collect protection fees later?
When the call ended, Cao Yang grinned at Li Yan. "Go home first. My reinforcements are on the way."
Li Yan still looked anxious. "The Hunan gang isn't any better!"
Cao Yang patted her shoulder. "I'll handle it. Don't worry. If I have to run, no one here can catch me."
After sending Li Yan away, he lit a cigarette and relaxed on the rocking chair.
Soon, two Haishi vans pulled up. About twenty men got out, each holding something long wrapped in newspaper — unmistakably weapons.
The Hunan gang had arrived, led by Shanying.
"Kid, you look awfully relaxed," Shanying snorted.
"With you here, Brother Shanying, I feel confident," Cao Yang said, laying it on thick.
Shanying smirked, then quickly put on a straight face. "Enough flattery. Money."
He held out his hand.
"What money?" Cao Yang blinked.
"Don't play dumb."
"Oh! Right. We've got it, but my sister has the cash. After this is handled, I'll have her bring it."
Shanying was annoyed but didn't push it. He didn't believe Cao Yang dared run.
He added, "Six thousand is just the basic fee. I brought over twenty brothers to fight for you — shouldn't I at least buy them cigarettes, food, maybe a girl? That means extra. Five hundred per person. Twenty-two people. You owe me another eleven thousand."
Cao Yang shook his head. "We're broke."
"No problem, you can owe it. Pay me when you earn it."
"No. Too expensive. I don't need your help. You can go back."
"Bullshit! We're already here. Whether we fight or not, you're paying!"
"Got no money," Cao Yang repeated calmly.
Shanying snapped, furious. Before he could strike, one of his men tugged his sleeve.
"Brother Shanying, wait. I think this kid is the one the boss has been looking for."
The man recognized Cao Yang from the Nightingale Club incident but wasn't entirely sure.
Shanying frowned, about to ask more, when—
Tires screeched from the other end of the alley.
Another van blocked the exit. Ten men with machetes poured out.
A fat, vicious-looking man pointed at Shanying.
"Motherf***er Shanying! So it was you causing trouble!"
The two clearly knew each other — and hated each other.
"Fat Long, you son of a bitch, you dare mess with my territory!"
The two sides cursed, shoved, snarled… but no one swung.The Sichuan gang wanted revenge but were outnumbered two-to-one.The Hunan gang had numbers but were annoyed they hadn't been paid yet.
Seeing them shouting forever without fighting, Cao Yang casually picked up a stone and hurled it at Fat Long's forehead.
Smack!Blood trickled instantly.
Fat Long touched the blood, stared at his hand, and roared:
"You motherf***ers — KILL THEM!"
Newspaper wrappings fell to the ground — revealing gleaming machetes.
Chaos erupted.
Cao Yang watched from the side like it was a movie, occasionally commenting on someone's sloppy technique.
One Sichuan thug couldn't stand his attitude and charged at him with a machete.
Cao Yang kicked him flying, then hopped onto a wall to continue spectating.
Screams filled the alley. People dropped. Blood flowed.
The fight was fierce but short — barely three minutes.
The Hunan gang won by numbers, but five or six of their men lay on the ground, not knowing if they were unconscious or dying.
The Sichuan gang was completely wiped out. Only Fat Long remained sitting against the wall, cursing Shanying and daring him to finish the job.
Shanying ignored him. Nobody wanted an unnecessary murder — not with the boss or the police to answer to.
He scanned the area looking for Cao Yang.
His brothers were injured, meaning he needed Cao Yang to pay medical costs.
But after searching for a while…
Cao Yang was nowhere to be seen.