Cao Yang returned home and asked Li Yan to withdraw the 100,000 yuan from the card.
Li Yan heard "withdraw money" and acted as if he were asking for her life. Without demanding a reason, she simply refused.
Although it was Cao Yang's money, she just did this.
Cao Yang patiently explained that it was to open an arcade with Lei Dian.
After hearing this, Li Yan got even angrier.
She hated Lei Yu, and naturally included Lei Dian in that dislike. Hearing that Cao Yang wanted to do business with them, and that they wouldn't contribute a single penny, she thought, Isn't this just tricking Cao Yang?
"No! I don't agree! I've already told you, these two siblings are not good people. They only approached you because you're naive. You can't fall for it!"
"I suggested it myself," Cao Yang explained.
"That makes it worse. They planned it all along, leading you to this step, waiting for you to ask. How calculating!"
Ah… Prejudice in the human heart is like a mountain. Li Yan disliked them so much that no matter how Cao Yang explained, she could find faults from every angle.
Cao Yang had no choice but to change his strategy.
"I'm opening this arcade mainly for you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You don't have a job. The arcade is for you. You manage the money and become the boss lady. Under your control, can they still cheat me?"
Hearing this, Li Yan grinned from ear to ear.
"With me in charge, nothing will go wrong. It's just…"
"Nothing 'just'! It's you!"
"No, I still need to ask… how much will you pay me per month?"
"What pay? What nonsense are you talking about? Isn't all mine already yours? We're partners!"
Hearing this, Li Yan was even happier. She shyly threw herself into Cao Yang's arms and, after a brief embrace, gladly withdrew the money.
Cao Yang immediately gave the money to Lei Dian to rent a place, buy machines, and hire staff.
He instructed Lei Dian to find a location as close to Lushan International as possible. Not only was it convenient for him to come and go, but also many employees of Lushan International loved playing arcade games—especially the hostesses. If he brought them to his arcade, it wouldn't be a problem.
Lei Dian worked efficiently. By noon the next day, he had found a location and learned that the nearest arcade belonged to the Hubei gang. He suggested Cao Yang go and greet their boss.
Arcades weren't monopolized. Local gangs all ran them. A new arcade without backing would naturally attract trouble. The ones most likely to interfere were the closest, most affected arcade.
Cao Yang went alone to the Hubei gang arcade. It was morning, and not many people were playing. A few lackadaisical thugs were smoking and chatting, paying little attention to him.
Cao Yang tapped on a machine to draw their attention.
"Watch it! Don't break the machine!" a thug shouted angrily.
Cao Yang took a deep breath, not wanting to argue. "Where's your boss? The person in charge? Tell them I need to speak with them."
"Who the hell are you? Go to the front to load points. Want a refund? Beat it!"
The thug was rude. Often, when someone lost money, their family would come demanding refunds. They mistook Cao Yang as one of those family members.
"I'm not here to load points or get a refund. I'm just here to let you know I'm opening an arcade 500 meters away in the next few days. Tell your boss not to interfere."
"What the hell! You're the one causing trouble, aren't you?" The thugs stepped forward, surrounding Cao Yang.
They thought, Is this guy causing trouble or is he an idiot? His words suggested trouble, but coming alone made him look like an idiot.
"Move aside. Make sure my message reaches him."
Cao Yang tried to leave, but the thugs wouldn't let him.
"Showing off and leaving? Do you think we Hubei gang are pushovers?"
"Hey… you're from Hubei, I'm from Hunan. One Dongting Lake nourishes both provinces. We're practically fellow countrymen. I don't want to fight. Just let me through."
"Damn! This guy's addicted to showing off!"
"Hit him!"
The thugs prepared to teach this show-off a lesson.
Just then, a man in his thirties with a prominent hooked nose came out of the office. He was in charge here—the big brother of the thugs.
"Little brother, what's your name?"
Cao Yang finally had someone ask him his name. He calmly replied: "Cao Yang."
"Cao Yang? Have I heard that?"
"Never, I only know Cao Cao."
"I've heard of Cao Ni Ma!"
"Hahaha…"
The thugs laughed and cracked their knuckles, waiting for their boss's command.
The boss frowned. Cao Yang's name sounded familiar, but he couldn't immediately place it.
"Are you from the Henan gang?" He remembered the name connected to the Henan gang.
Cao Yang shook his head.
"Boss, this guy's from Hunan. How could he be Henan gang?" a thug reminded him.
Hearing Hunan, he thought of the Hunan gang. Combining the two memories, he suddenly realized.
"You… you…"
He stepped back two paces. "Are you the Cao Yang who killed Liu Yilong with a single punch?"
"Yes." Cao Yang crossed his arms, eyes closed, nodding calmly.
"You're the one who killed Yu Tie from the Hunan gang?"
"Yes."
"The one who single-handedly killed ten people and the Henan gang boss?"
"Yes."
"The one Tang Shaojie personally took in as a trusted follower?"
"Yes."
The hooked-nose man stepped back again.
"Brother Cao Yang, what brings you here?"
"I've already told your men. They'll pass it on."
Cao Yang finished and strode out. The thugs, seeing their boss's reaction, didn't stop him.
Outside the arcade, Cao Yang felt pleased. His name really carried weight. Aside from low-level thugs, anyone with some awareness knew him.
He was confident the Hubei gang wouldn't make a fuss over a single arcade.
It wasn't that they feared him—they just had no major interests at stake.
After handling the gang, the next step was the police.
Cao Yang couldn't handle the police himself, so he had to ask his sister-in-law for help.
Why not ask Jie Ge? Because she handled internal matters and he handled external matters. Opening an arcade was a minor matter, so he naturally went to her.
Outside her office, Cao Yang hesitated, wondering how to ask for help. Last time he owed her a favor, and now he was going to trouble her again.
When he opened the door, Hu Qing looked up and smiled brightly.
"Ah Yang, perfect timing. I heard from A Le about what happened in Shencheng. You did great—made your brother look good. Tell me what reward you want."
Cao Yang didn't know how to start, but she offered first.
He smiled and tapped his hand. "Actually, I do have something I need your help with."
Hu Qing was surprised. "I was just joking. You really want help?"