She had never lived in a place this clean before—
a room she didn't have to share or fight over with anyone.
But the moment she realized she was living this close to the boss,
her face flushed, and unease crept in.
The news reached Zhang Linlin's ears very quickly.
When she arrived at the office,
she saw Ruan Mei carefully wiping down Lin Yao's desk.
Her movements were cautious and gentle.
Lin Yao sat nearby reading documents,
occasionally lifting his head to say something to her.
The ambiguous vibe was off the charts.
Zhang Linlin couldn't help feeling a twinge of sourness.
She walked over to Lin Yao and spoke with a hint of teasing jealousy:
"Yao-ge, your hiring speed is even faster than the company's expansion."
Lin Yao reached out and lightly pinched her chin.
"We're all here to get things done.
Don't overthink it."
Zhang Linlin pouted and didn't press further.
That night, sitting at her vanity and looking at herself in the mirror,
Zhang Linlin suddenly figured things out.
A man like Yao-ge—
Even without Ruan Mei,
there would be other "Meis" sooner or later.
For outstanding men,
the pheromones they release are many times stronger than those of ordinary men.
Even if they don't take the initiative,
women will still throw themselves at them desperately.
And the tricks only get more elaborate—
even a single glance carries dazzling intent.
Rather than passively getting jealous,
it was better to take the initiative.
Turn enemies into friends.
Form a "united front."
Convert a "potential rival"
into a "close bestie."
The best way to justify it logically
was self-persuasion.
The next morning, after Lin Yao had fed her breakfast,
Zhang Linlin brought a plate of pastries to Ruan Mei's little room.
She didn't put on any "senior woman" airs,
smiling warmly as she handed them over.
"Ah Mei, I just bought these yesterday.
Try them."
"Yao-ge likes tea—especially black tea."
Ruan Mei hadn't expected such enthusiasm.
She hesitated before accepting the pastries and softly said, "Thank you."
Zhang Linlin pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed
and started chatting about Lin Yao.
Gradually, Ruan Mei relaxed.
In less than half a day,
two women who should have been "at each other's throats"
somehow became close friends.
Seeing Zhang Linlin and Little Monkey Tai getting along peacefully
made Lin Yao feel genuinely relieved.
The only issue was—
Little Monkey Tai hadn't yet reached the point
where she could actually enjoy this comfort.
Based on Lin Yao's limited medical knowledge,
her ventricular septal defect was treatable with surgery.
It's just that Hong Kong's medical level hadn't reached that stage yet.
But in Europe or America, it was possible.
It would cost tens of thousands of US dollars.
Money wasn't the problem—
time was.
Right now, whether it was the hall or the company,
neither could function without him.
He would have to wait until he had free time
to personally take her overseas for surgery.
What pleased Lin Yao the most these past few days
was the effectiveness of the dozen-plus letters A-Bu had sent out.
Veteran comrades from Guangdong and Guangxi
didn't even wait for the 1,000-dollar relocation fee to arrive
before sneaking into Hong Kong on their own.
After all, they were former reconnaissance soldiers.
Crossing mountains and seas was nothing more than routine training.
Today's meeting
was with four men from A-Bu's old squad.
A few minutes later, A-Bu led them in.
The four men wore washed-out old military uniforms,
liberation shoes still caked with mud,
patched socks neatly darned.
Their eyes held both excitement for a "new world"
and the sharp steadiness forged through years of combat training.
Alert.
Focused.
"Da Dong, Fu Dianju, Jiang Wenjun, Luo Wei."
The four introduced themselves, voices steady.
Lin Yao swept his gaze across them
and paused briefly on the man nearly 1.8 meters tall—Da Dong.
A flash of recognition crossed his eyes.
This was the tough guy from Provincial-Hong Kong Mercenaries 1—
the spitting image of Schwarzenegger's imposing presence.
Tall, powerfully built,
naturally exuding an oppressive aura.
The other three were only around 1.65 to 1.7 meters,
but lean as steel rods.
Their knuckles were thick and calloused—
clearly men who had handled guns and trained hard for years.
"The relocation money has been sent according to your addresses,"
Lin Yao said.
"That money should improve your families' lives."
"For now, get familiar with Hong Kong.
This 1,000 Hong Kong dollars is an advance on your monthly pay."
At this time, the Hong Kong dollar was far more valuable
than mainland currency.
When the four accepted the money,
their hands trembled slightly.
Their discharge compensation back home
had only been a few hundred yuan.
This move by Lin Yao
was both trust—and confidence.
"I'll have Wu Qiuyu take you around to get familiar with the place.
You may need to fight street battles here—
it's different from fighting in the jungle."
Lin Yao's tone shifted slightly as he continued:
"A-Bu has to hold territory.
He won't have time to handle your matters."
After a pause, he added a key point:
"Qiuyu, get their ID cards done as soon as possible.
Walking around without papers attracts trouble from the cops."
At this time, mainlanders coming to Hong Kong was difficult,
but getting IDs was still relatively loose—
something that would tighten sharply in a few years.
Twenty years earlier,
you could get papers as soon as you arrived.
Hong Kong was severely short on labor then,
especially cheap labor.
Wu Qiuyu patted his chest confidently.
"Yao-ge, don't worry.
Three days max for provisional real IDs—200 each.
I've got connections."
Lin Yao nodded slightly and waved his hand,
signaling him to take the men away.
After they left, Lin Yao turned his gaze to A-Bu.
"How are Feiji and Ba Bi doing lately?"
A-Bu immediately straightened and replied:
"A few days ago, Feiji helped Fish Head Mark pick up a shipment.
They got black-eaten—robbed by another crew.
Feiji himself was badly injured."
"Fish Head Mark now suspects him of being an inside mole.
He's already sidelined him and openly said Feiji's a wolf that can't be trusted."
Lin Yao asked calmly,
"Wasn't Wu She keeping an eye on him?"
"He's cornered now," A-Bu replied.
"If he defects, he'll be absolutely loyal."
After a brief pause, Lin Yao said:
"Go tell Fish Head Mark—
Feiji is my man now."
"If he dares give Feiji trouble,
he's giving me, Lin Yao, trouble."
"Boss, don't worry!"
"Once this gets out, ten Fish Head Marks
wouldn't dare oppose you!"
"I really don't know how he became a boss—
he even doubts someone like Feiji."
Lin Yao neither confirmed nor denied it,
instead shifting the topic.
"What about Ba Bi?"
"According to the agreement,
we still have to pay him a huge monthly high-interest loan."
"That money—
I don't plan on paying anymore…"
A-Bu suddenly understood.
"Boss, I get it!"
"If he doesn't get taken out by enemies,
I'll handle it—clean and quiet."
Hearing this, Lin Yao felt satisfied.
A-Bu's growth was obvious.
He had even guessed Lin Yao's intention
to quietly erase Ba Bi's debt.
Of course, he didn't know that in the movie,
Ba Bi would be personally taken out by Chen Haonan.
Right now, Jin Kun and Big Brother B
were already secretly clashing,
and Chen Haonan and Ba Bi were mortal enemies.
Chen Haonan was hunting Ba Bi across the city,
while Ba Bi wasn't idle either—
burning down bookshops and sending men
to ambush girls working out at the racetrack.
It just so happened that one of those girls
had already mastered the art of escaping death—
leaping out of windows, crashing through awnings,
falling into fruit stalls without a scratch,
as if she'd inherited Ji-ge's survival instincts.
Taking a drag from his cigarette, Lin Yao said quietly:
"A-Bu, I've got a feeling—
something's about to happen on Ba Bi's side in the next few days."
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