"Su Yuanshan is their proxy?"
"More or less."
Cao Yang hadn't expected a man as wealthy as Su Yuanshan to be nothing more than someone else's glove puppet.
But thinking deeper, he realized this actually worked in his favor.His agreement with the Han family had never been fair.
They wouldn't hurt Cao Yang's family.And in return, he wouldn't touch theirs.
But they could send people to kill him.And he had no way to retaliate against their people.
But Su Yuanshan was here in America.That meant he was fair game.Maybe Cao Yang could even dig up evidence on the Han family and pass it to Wang Nanjiang.
"Why should I believe a word you say?" Cao Yang demanded.
"It's the truth."
"Even if it's the truth, you wanted me dead. I'm not letting you walk free."
—
"Let go of Miss Situ!" A group of people rushed over.
"Let go of Miss Situ!" Another wave of people flooded in after them.
These weren't bodyguards.They were just Chinatown residents.
Someone had seen Cao Yang holding Situ Meixin at gunpoint and immediately called for help.
Within moments, hundreds of people poured into the narrow alley, blocking every exit.Old, young, men, women—even a pack of little kids—were yelling at Cao Yang to release her.
"Let go of Miss Situ!" they shouted again, all glaring at him with murderous intent.
"Let go of your mother!" Cao Yang tightened his grip around Situ Meixin's neck, lifting her off the ground like a hostage.
"You should stop now," she rasped. "If you hurt me here, you'll never walk out of Chinatown alive."
Cao Yang believed that.These ordinary residents looked like they were ready to tear him apart with their bare hands.And if the Hung Men disciples arrived, the situation would only get worse.
"Let you go? So you can tell these people to rip me into pieces?"
"Relax. You saved me earlier. I won't harm you now."
"And why should I believe that?"
"In Hung Men, we uphold loyalty, filial piety, righteousness, trust, and profit."
"You saved me. If I hurt you, it would violate righteousness."
"If I promise not to harm you, I must keep my word—breaking it would violate trust."
"I won't do anything that disgraces my ancestors."
Cao Yang snorted. "You tried to kill me with no grudge between us. Why would I trust you?"
"Killing you was for profit. Su Yuanshan offers profit, so I acted."
"But now? I won't abandon trust and righteousness for profit. Profit comes last. Understand?"
"Understand your ass."
She sighed. "Then what do you want? You're surrounded by hundreds of people. Kill me and you'll still die."
"Then we die together!"
Situ Meixin suddenly laughed. "Go ahead then. Do it. Let's die together."
"What are you laughing at?" Cao Yang felt mocked. She clearly believed he wouldn't dare.
And of course she was right.Who the hell wants to die?The old Cao Yang might've been reckless, but now he was a father.Cao Yinuo still needed him.He wouldn't throw his life away.
"I'm laughing because you're all bark. You don't have the guts to die."
"Watch your damn attitude. Who's holding the gun here?!"
"Hmph." She scoffed, certain he wouldn't pull the trigger.
Her arrogance finally made him snap.Cao Yang reached down and pinched hard at the inside of her thigh.
"Ah—!"
"What are you doing?!"
Situ Meixin's face flushed with humiliation, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Giving you a little lesson. Don't act high and mighty in front of me."
"F**k your mother!"
"You damn pervert! What the hell are you doing?!"
The move had been seen by many residents.All of them exploded with rage, hurling curses at him.
Cao Yang ignored them and dragged Situ Meixin backward like a shield.
"Everyone stay back! Or deal with the consequences!"
The residents stepped back reluctantly.They were furious, but they prioritized her safety.
Cao Yang could tell—Situ Meixin was deeply respected here.These residents weren't protecting her because of her ancestors.Her personal charm and contributions must be remarkable.
A person like that probably did keep her word.But he wouldn't gamble on it.If he guessed wrong, he'd lose his life.
He continued retreating, using her as cover until they were finally out of the narrow alley.
As soon as they exited, Cao Yang shoved her back toward the crowd and bolted.He ran fast, constantly checking over his shoulder to see if anyone chased him.
No one did.Instead, they laughed at him.
"What are you running for?! Miss Situ said she wouldn't touch you, so she won't!"
Situ Meixin indeed didn't send anyone after him.She merely clenched her jaw in anger, watching him flee like a coward.
Returning to the Zhonghua Building, she marched straight to the restroom.Once inside, she yanked down her pants to check the damage.
Riiiip—A massive bruise spread across her thigh, already turning blue and purple.
"That bastard!!"
—
"Miss Situ, Sir is asking for you."
After tidying herself, Situ Meixin entered Situ Xinghe's office.
It was already full.Every important Hung Men figure in San Francisco was present.
"The Fick family dared lay hands on my daughter," Situ Xinghe said coldly. "Brothers, what do you say?"
"Fight!"
"Yeah! Fight! What's there to discuss?!"
"I've been sick of those damn Italians for years! Today we kick them out of San Francisco!"
Situ Xinghe nodded in satisfaction."Good. Gather the men. Tonight we'll sweep all their establishments."
The group dispersed immediately to mobilize manpower.
Once everyone left, Situ Xinghe rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine." Situ Meixin shook her head, though her eyes dimmed with sorrow.
She had taken ten men out with her today.Seven were dead.Her most trusted bodyguard, A-Bao, had used his body to shield her and been shredded by bullets.
"A-Bao is gone. I'll assign you two new reliable people later."
"Mm." She nodded. "That Cao Yang—I didn't kill him."
"Oh? Why?"
"He saved me at the critical moment."
Situ Xinghe nodded."That's fine. We had no personal feud anyway."
"What do you think of this conflict with the Fick family?" he asked.
Situ Meixin sighed. "It's complicated."
It wasn't that Hung Men couldn't beat them.Nor that they feared them.The issue was—Hung Men had already gone legitimate.They ran proper businesses now, while the Fick family handled every dirty industry imaginable.
Hung Men's upper echelon had long washed clean.But their lower-level members still engaged in prostitution, gambling, drugs—everything.
The upper class didn't touch that money.But when those lower members clashed with other gangs, Hung Men couldn't ignore it.
To the outside world…Anything done by a Chinese group was labeled as Hung Men's action.
Those debts would ultimately be placed on their shoulders.
They didn't want to intervene.But they had no choice.
Unless they gave up their Hung Men identity.
But the power, the status, the influence—all came from that very title.No one was willing to let it go.
They were trapped—caught between honor and practicality.
—
That night, San Francisco was far from peaceful.The Chinese triad and the Italian mafia erupted into full-scale war.Chief Foboler cursed nonstop as he worked through the entire night.