After hanging up, Hu Qing frowned."You said you'd wait until he finished the job before cleaning up his mess."
"It's called preparation. If we don't get ahead of it, things will get complicated once they decide how to classify the case."
"Whatever." Hu Qing rolled her eyes. "When you finish wiping his butt for him and he turns around and walks away, don't come crying to me."
"That won't happen. I'm good at reading people. That Cao Yang kid isn't that type. He's proud, sure— stubborn even— but if you treat him sincerely, he'll repay it with sincerity."
Hu Qing didn't bother responding. She simply turned around and walked off.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm going to check on the kid."
Lushan Shuihui was huge. Seven floors didn't sound like much, but each floor spanned tens of thousands of square meters.
Tang Shaojie's office occupied only a small section. The rest was divided into multiple areas— most of it converted into dorms and cafeterias.
There was even an in-house medical wing.
A-Le led Cao Yang inside. The equipment here shocked him— it looked as professional as a top-tier hospital.
Seeing his reaction, A-Le grinned proudly."We never need to go to a real hospital. Any external injury can be dealt with right here."
A middle-aged doctor stepped out. After exchanging a few words with A-Le, he told Cao Yang to remove his shirt for another checkup.
The doctor frowned as soon as he saw the wounds."You handled this way too sloppily. I'll have to reopen and treat it properly."
Cao Yang nodded, and also explained the dog bite and his intestinal injury.
Doctor Chen sighed. They had everything here— even all types of plasma— but no rabies vaccine.
"That's fine. Someone's already on the way to get one from a hospital. Lie down."
Cao Yang lay on the bed, and Doctor Chen prepared the anesthetic.
This time, Cao Yang didn't resist. If Tang Shaojie and his people wanted to harm him, they wouldn't bother with something so elaborate.
At that moment, Hu Qing pushed open the door. She looked over his wounds and clicked her tongue.Shot, burned, and bitten by a dog— the kid really had it rough.
"Just cooperate with Dr. Chen. Stay here and recover for a few days. Your Jie-ge will handle the rest."
"Don't worry about the cops or the Henan Gang. Even if they know you're here, none of them dare step inside. Focus on healing."
She patted him on the shoulder, full of confidence.
"Thank you, Sister Hu."Cao Yang nodded. The anesthetic kicked in, and he drifted off.
Henan Gang – Meeting Room
More than a dozen leaders sat around the table. Smoke hung in the air, but no one spoke.The atmosphere was heavy.
Their boss was dead. Some were truly grieving. Some were pretending. Either way, everyone had to act like they were devastated.
"A country can't go a day without a ruler. A gang can't go a day without a boss."
"Zhenhu's death shocked and saddened me… but right now, finding that Cao Yang isn't the priority. We need to choose a new leader to stabilize the gang."
The speaker was an old man in his fifties— one of the Henan Gang's founders. He'd already retired with more money than he could spend.
But with Liu Zhenhu dead, he had no choice but to step back in until a new leader was chosen.
Whispers spread across the table. Then someone raised his hand.
"I nominate Brother Dong. He did time for the gang, and the younger brothers all respect him. I don't think anyone would oppose him becoming the new boss."
"Yeah, I second that. If he hadn't gone to prison back then, he would've been the boss instead of the last guy."
"Hey— don't bring up things that will divide us."
"I object! Everyone knows Cai Xudong never got along with Tiger-ge. Honestly? I suspect he had something to do with Tiger-ge's death!"
"Yeah! I object too!"
Voices rose one after another.Meanwhile, Cai Xudong sat in his chair smoking, calm as a still pond— as if their arguing had nothing to do with him.
Back in the day, he and Liu Zhenhu had both been second-generation leaders under the old boss. In terms of strength and reputation, Cai Xudong had been above him.
Then he went to prison for five years. When he came out, Liu Zhenhu was already the boss.
Of course he wasn't satisfied— but the decision was set. There was nothing he could change.
And Liu Zhenhu hated him in return, constantly suppressing him, throwing obstacles in his path.
Cai Xudong finally snapped. If not for the founders intervening, the gang would've split in a civil war.
After that incident, he had wanted to leave the gang altogether.
Liu Zhenhu immediately agreed— keeping someone that strong, that respected, and that disobedient around would be torture.
But Cai Xudong's departure sparked chaos. Many people wanted to follow him out and form a new Henan Gang.
If that happened, the gang would be crippled— maybe even torn apart.
The founders stepped in once more, mediating between him and Liu Zhenhu.
The result: Cai Xudong stayed, and he was given several of the most profitable territories.
Liu Zhenhu hated it, but he also knew:If a civil war broke out, he might lose— and losing meant his whole family could die. So he gritted his teeth and endured it.
Because of all this, Cai Xudong held a special position in the Henan Gang. Not the boss— but more influential than one. Even the official boss couldn't command him.
Now the arguing was escalating. A fight was moments away.
"Enough!"The elder slammed his hand on the table, signaling silence.
He looked at the room. Those supporting were people loyal to Cai Xudong. Those opposing were Liu Zhenhu's remaining men. The rest stayed quiet.
But all of Liu Zhenhu's true confidants— Liu Yilong, Liu Yu, A-Wei— had been killed by Cao Yang. Only A-Fa and a few others remained, and their voices couldn't outweigh the support.
"A-Fa," the elder asked, "if you don't agree with Brother Dong becoming boss, who do you propose instead?"
A-Fa was speechless.
Because the truth was obvious:No one besides Cai Xudong could hold the gang together.
If someone else became boss, they wouldn't be able to command the gang.Or worse— Cai Xudong would simply leave with his people and form a new Henan Gang on the spot.
That would turn the current gang into a joke.
A-Fa and his side fell silent.
A vote was held. Cai Xudong won by a landslide.
"A-Dong," the elder said, patting his shoulder, "lead well. I hope the Henan Gang rises higher under you."
He lowered his voice."I know you and A-Hu never got along, but he's dead. It's time to let things go. Still… his death must be avenged. Kill that Cao Yang. It'll calm the restless and give the gang an answer."
"I will," Cai Xudong replied.