Chapter 84: A Man in the Rivers and Lakes

A few minutes later, surprisingly, two more groups arrived, each led by one boss with two underlings. There were not many of them, but they were even stronger than the men from the Golden Union.

Ling Tian’s gaze turned cold. Were all these people here to negotiate with Song Ziyue? It was fortunate he had come; otherwise, she might well have suffered a loss.

From the information Ling Tian had learned from Tiger, the reason Song Ziyue’s Purple Moon Gang was so formidable was chiefly that Song Ziyue herself was extremely capable. As for her subordinates, Tiger and the others were far inferior to her.

That made Ling Tian feel uneasy. No matter how strong Song Ziyue was, she was still only one person, still only a girl. How could she manage without powerful subordinates? Still, he was rather curious to know exactly how strong she was.

So he decided not to make a move for the moment. He would act only if she could not handle the situation herself. He was not sure whether Song Ziyue wanted his help, so for now he would watch and wait.

The two newcomers were a flat-haired man wearing amber sunglasses, and a pretty boy. That was Ling Tian’s impression, because this fellow looked only just a little worse than him. He only hoped that Song Ziyue would not be taken with this pretty boy later on.

“Both of you are here at last. A pleasure, a pleasure!” At that moment, the pale-haired man stood up and shook hands with them one by one.

“We owe a great deal to Brother Pale Hair for making this possible. If things succeed, you shall be handsomely rewarded!” The flat-haired man in sunglasses thanked him.

Ling Tian listened in a daze. Was this young man with the pale hair actually called Pale Hair? Ha, what a terrible name. But what did they mean by making arrangements? He would have to watch closely and see.

“My own matter also troubles the two of you; I hope you will speak well of me.” The pretty boy spoke up.

The more Ling Tian heard, the more suspicious he became. It seemed the three of them had entirely different aims, especially this pretty boy, who appeared to be hiding some ulterior motive.

After a while, it was already half past six, yet Song Ziyue still had not appeared. Some people in the conference room had grown restless. In truth, only the three leaders were seated; the others were naturally standing. In a gang, the rules were strict: when the boss sat, the underlings stood. Exceptions were rare.

“Damn it, why is that Song Ziyue still not here? This is her turf; she ought to arrive first,” Pale Hair said with obvious displeasure.

“She’s probably trying to put on a show of strength for us. Tell me, she wouldn’t be planning something, would she? Trying to wipe us out?” The flat-haired man was beginning to feel uncertain as well. It was his first time dealing with Song Ziyue.

“You’re overthinking it. Women, when they go out, who doesn’t need to put on makeup? She’s probably nervous about meeting me, the most handsome man alive, and doesn’t know which dress to wear. All my women are like that; every time they date me, they’re at least half an hour late.” The pretty boy, on the other hand, was in excellent spirits, as though Song Ziyue not being late would be the strange thing.

But his claim that he was the most handsome man alive truly made Ling Tian sick to his stomach. Ling Tian had always believed himself to be the most handsome man under heaven. Damn it, and now this fellow wanted to compete for the title.

“Come on! Zhang Shuai, you’ve never seen Song Ziyue. If you had, you wouldn’t think that way. She’s not at all feminine; her presence is even more oppressive than a man’s. I really don’t understand why your old man would send you, the young master of the Northeast Gang, to propose marriage?” the pale-haired man asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Pale Hair, how can you not understand this? I’m not handsome enough. If I were a bit more handsome, I’d want to marry Song Ziyue too. First, she’s the boss of Jianghai City, and also the boss of all H Province. Marry her, and the entire underworld of H Province becomes the dowry. Second, her father is the provincial party secretary. If we could become in-laws, wouldn’t we get whatever we wanted?” Before the pretty boy could answer, the flat-haired man gave his own analysis in great detail. If only he had been born a few years earlier and looked a little better, he would have gone to propose to Song Ziyue as well.

The pretty boy nodded and said, “Brother Long Qi’s analysis is indeed reasonable. My father thinks exactly the same way. My Northeast Gang is very powerful in the Northeast, but in North China it is weak. If I could marry Song Ziyue, entering North China would be effortless.”

“But sacrificing your personal happiness for that is hardly worth it. Such a woman is a tigress. Once you marry her home, will you still be able to go out and revel in wine and beauty?” Pale Hair still did not approve of such a plan. To him, women like that were best avoided.

“Haha, once we’re actually married, it won’t be up to her anymore. No matter how much she struggles, can a woman struggle out of a man’s grasp? Once she bears a child, her heart will be tied down too. No matter how wildly this young master plays, she’ll just have to endure it.” The pretty boy certainly had a shrewd scheme.

“You don’t understand. There’s a saying circulating in H Province’s underworld: cherish your life, and stay far away from Miss Song. Brother Zhang Shuai, I advise you to think twice before you act.” As he spoke, Pale Hair patted the pretty boy’s shoulder with sympathetic sincerity.

By now, Ling Tian had fully understood. So this pretty boy had come to steal his wife, and he was even the young master of the Northeast Gang. Pah! With such a minor identity, and he still dared to compete with him for a wife? Ling Tian decided that after the meeting, whatever the consequences, he would give this pretty boy a good beating.

“Haha, so I’m that famous in the underworld? Cherish your life, stay far away from Miss Song. Well said!” At that moment, Song Ziyue entered the conference room with Tiger and more than a dozen others, and happened to hear Pale Hair’s words.

“Oh, I was only joking. Sister Yue, please don’t mind. You were late, and the few of us were simply bored. Everything we said was a joke.” Seeing Song Ziyue enter, Pale Hair felt a little awkward. Being caught speaking ill of someone behind her back made him wish he could bite off his own tongue.

“It doesn’t matter. I rather like that saying. True enough, I do tend to threaten lives at the drop of a hat, so everyone should be careful. There are quite a few people here today. Xu Shaobai, who are these two?” Song Ziyue said with a faint, wicked smile.

“Sister Yue really is fond of joking. Let me introduce them. This is Long Qi of the Black Dragon Gang. He has something he wants to cooperate with you on this time—big business. This one is the young master of the Northeast Gang, Zhang Shuai. He just returned from studying in France, and he is one of the few people on the scene who is accomplished both in literature and martial skill. As for why he has come, he will tell you himself in a moment.” Xu Shaobai introduced the two of them one by one.

Song Ziyue showed no reaction. In a corner, Ling Tian lowered the service cap on his head and listened to their conversation, gradually getting a sense of who these people were. At the same time, Song Ziyue had not noticed him at all.

“Sister Yue, a pleasure to meet you.” Long Qi extended a hand, but Song Ziyue did not shake it. Instead, she said lightly, “Men and women should keep proper distance. I do not like to shake hands with men at random. Please forgive me.”

At those words, Long Qi felt awkward as well, but he could not lose his temper. In the underworld, very few people dared to slap his face so openly. For the sake of the negotiation later, he could only swallow his anger for the time being.

“I have long heard of your great name, Ziyue. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary in bearing. I hope you will give me much guidance in the future.” Zhang Shuai naturally did not extend his hand either, but on his own initiative he changed the way he addressed her. He did not follow the underworld custom of calling her Sister Yue, and instead called her Ziyue, which gave the impression of undue familiarity. Ling Tian clenched his teeth in fury upon hearing it.

“You should still address me as Sister Yue, as is customary in the underworld. Calling me Ziyue makes us sound too close, and we have no such acquaintance.”

Song Ziyue did not save the other party any face at all. She knew these people had not invited her here for any good purpose, but she could not refuse to come. When one lived in the underworld, one was not always free to act as one pleased.

“Very well, Sister Yue. Please enlighten me.” Zhang Shuai had been doused with a bucket of cold water and could not flare up. He could only sit down sullenly. In his heart, however, his impression of Song Ziyue had diminished by several degrees. She was not his type, plain in appearance, with too small a chest and too bad a temperament. But for his father’s orders, he would still have to steel himself and propose.

“There’s no need to beat around the bush. I’ve already arranged everything around here; all of them are my people. Don’t think of playing any tricks. Just state your purpose directly.” Song Ziyue took the seat of honor and once again displayed her swift, decisive style, going straight to the point.

“Good. Sister Yue is indeed straightforward, so I’ll speak first. This matter was brought up before, and I’ll restate it on behalf of my two elder brothers: the underworld of H Province is too clean, and our goods simply cannot get in. We hope Sister Yue can be accommodating. Whatever share you want, name your price.” Xu Shaobai was the first to state his purpose.

Song Ziyue gave a cold laugh, adjusted her glasses, and then said, “As long as I am here in the underworld of H Province, no one is permitted to traffic in drugs. That is my principle. There is nothing to discuss.”

Her words came slowly, but her tone was hard, leaving no room for compromise.

“Song Ziyue, have you thought this through? Keeping the underworld free of drugs—what kind of nonsense principle is that? Do you know how many people’s livelihood you’ve cut off? Is life more important, or principles? You should think it over before answering.” Xu Shaobai was truly angered by Song Ziyue, and his tone was no longer courteous. He tore away the pretense at once.

Song Ziyue remained utterly calm in the face of his words and gave no reply at all, merely turning her gaze to Long Qi and saying directly, “Black Dragon Gang? I have heard of you—a newly risen gang at the border between H Province and Yu Province. I hear you have considerable backing. However, I have never placed much stock in gangs that merely have a little support behind them. State your purpose directly.”

“Sister Yue, our Black Dragon Gang’s strength is absolutely beyond your imagination. I, Long Qi, am no ordinary man either. In time, the Black Dragon Gang will surely catch your eye. We came today hoping to cooperate with you and do some business in H Province.”

Long Qi was also badly provoked by Song Ziyue, but he forcibly suppressed his anger and did not turn hostile. He stated his purpose, though the seed of resentment had already been planted in his heart.