Pretentious and Suffering

"There are many paths to great wealth and power—through stealing, robbing, or cheating. But if you dare to reach for us, I guarantee it'll be riskier than robbing an armored truck," Zhou Yunkang said with a smirk.

He paused, then continued, "Do you know who I am? You dare to interfere with the Black Dragon Society? Even if you're a financial wolf or a beast, I'll still chop off your dog head!"

"It seems our negotiation is doomed to fail," Chen Liuhe shrugged, then glanced at Qin Ruohan with a smirk. "What's the plan? Ready to compromise?"

Qin Ruohan shot a frosty glare at Zhou Yunkang, gritting her teeth. "He's threatening my brother. If I don't sign the contract, they'll hurt him."

Chen Liuhe nodded, sneering at Zhou Yunkang. "You guys are really a bunch of ruthless scoundrels." He then turned to Zhou Yunkang. "Alright, let's get down to business. Boss Zhou, how about you give up on this club?"

Zhou Yunkang was initially stunned, then burst into disdainful laughter. "Are you looking for death? I'm making it clear now: if I don't get that signed transfer contract before I leave today, you might not see tomorrow's sun."

"Wow, the Black Dragon Society is really impressive. But coming from you, it sounds so weak, lacking any impact," Chen Liuhe chuckled. He turned to Huang Baiwan. "Old Huang, are you scared?"

"Scared of what?" Huang Baiwan grinned, showing his big yellow teeth. As a solitary man with no family, he was committed to helping Chen Liuhe from the moment he began investigating Zhou Yunkang.

Chen Liuhe continued, "Boss Zhou, I'll be blunt. Since I'm involved, this club is no longer something you can even think about. You won't be able to take it, no matter if you're from the Black Dragon Society or the Black Dog Society."

Zhou Yunkang's face darkened. He looked at Qin Ruohan and asked, "Is this your stance?"

Qin Ruohan bit her lip and remained silent, clearly supporting Chen Liuhe's words.

Zhou Yunkang's expression turned cold as he rose. "Good, very good." With a murderous look in his eyes, he turned to leave.

"Leaving already? Did I say you could go?" Chen Liuhe's lazy voice rang out.

Zhou Yunkang glared angrily. "Little punk, if you have the guts, try to stop me!" With that, he boldly continued forward.

Chen Liuhe sneered and, without warning, grabbed the ashtray from the table and hurled it.

With a loud crash and Zhou Yunkang's scream, the ashtray struck him on the back of the head, opening a gash that bled profusely.

Seeing this, Qin Ruohan gasped in shock, covering her mouth in disbelief. Was Chen Liuhe crazy? That was Zhou Yunkang, the vice-president of the Black Dragon Society! Starting a fight was only going to make things worse.

She felt a wave of despair. She had now made a deadly enemy of the Black Dragon Society. Even if she saved the club tonight, what good would it do? She couldn't compete with the Black Dragon Society and faced a grim future.

Chen Liuhe ignored Qin Ruohan's feelings and coldly looked at Zhou Yunkang, who was lying on the floor holding his head. "Keeping you here isn't hard for me."

"You're finished! I'll make sure you die a horrible death!" Zhou Yunkang howled, unable to believe Chen Liuhe dared to act against him. How many years had it been since anyone had dared to touch him?

"Drag him over here," Chen Liuhe said to Huang Baiwan. Without hesitation, Huang Baiwan grabbed Zhou Yunkang by the hair and dragged him to Tang Ren's feet, leaving a trail of blood on the floor.

"I can't be sure if I'll die, but if you don't talk properly today, you'll definitely die a terrible death," Chen Liuhe said, his tone devoid of the legendary chill or killing intent, but his words made Qin Ruohan and Zhou Yunkang shiver with fear.

"The Black Dragon Society has power, but let me make it clear. My brother and I are both poor and rough. We don't mind doing extreme things, and if necessary, we'll just leave," Chen Liuhe said.

Zhou Yunkang felt a shiver of fear. The poor have nothing to lose.

Gasping for breath and enduring the pain, Zhou Yunkang looked at Chen Liuhe and finally began to give in. "Negotiate? How do we negotiate?" He wasn't afraid of those richer or more vicious than him, but he feared those who had nothing to lose.

"Well, if we're negotiating, I have my cards to play," Chen Liuhe said with a smile, signaling Huang Baiwan to help Zhou Yunkang onto the sofa.

Without delay, Chen Liuhe pulled out a stack of photos from his pocket and threw them on the table. "Boss Zhou, I must say, I admire you. You're quite the model for us."

Ignoring Chen Liuhe's sarcasm, Zhou Yunkang turned pale when he saw the photos. He grabbed them, flipping through them in panic, his face growing more and more distressed.

Before Zhou Yunkang could speak, Chen Liuhe said, "Boss Zhou, you know better than anyone how you reached your position. What do you think your wife would do if she saw these photos? Without her, what would your future in the Black Dragon Society look like?"

"You bastard, you investigated me? How did you get these photos?" Zhou Yunkang could no longer remain calm. He glared at Chen Liuhe, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"I told you, no one dares to scale the mountain without the necessary skills. When negotiating with someone like you, my brother and I had to be prepared," Chen Liuhe said lightly. "As for how we got the photos, you don't need to worry. Those who dare to act should fear others finding out."

Chen Liuhe asked, "Tell me, what do you think these photos are worth to you? Can they be exchanged for a club?"

Zhou Yunkang took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He threw the photos aside and feigned indifference. "You're too naive. Do you think these photos can threaten me? It's normal for men to have affairs. Even if my wife finds out, it'll blow over. And what about your fate?"

"Ha, what if your father-in-law found out you were messing with his woman? What do you think would happen? Would you end up in West Lake or be dismembered and fed to dogs?" Chen Liuhe said with a hint of amusement.

At this, Zhou Yunkang's face turned deathly pale again. He was terrified and stammered, "How do you know all this?"

Chen Liuhe shook his head with a cold smile, remaining silent. He knew Zhou Yunkang was caught in a fatal trap. Someone who climbed to his current position through women wouldn't want to lose everything, and Zhou Yunkang was afraid of death. Since he feared death, he had no choice but to compromise.

After a while, Zhou Yunkang, clutching his wounds, lay dejectedly on the sofa, giving a bitter laugh. "You've won. I underestimated you."

Chen Liuhe smiled lightly. "Winning or losing isn't important. What matters is that we each get what we need and hope for a peaceful and prosperous future."

Zhou Yunkang asked, "So, what do you want?"

"You should know very well," Chen Liuhe said with a smile, though to Zhou Yunkang, it looked more like a devil's grin.

"You're overestimating me. I can't make decisions on this scale. I'm just a vice-president of the Black Dragon Society. The real decision-maker is Zhang Yongfu. He's invested so much energy into this club; he won't give up halfway," Zhou Yunkang said.

"So, what role do you play in this?" Chen Liuhe asked.

"It's impossible to make Zhang Yongfu give up on the 'Golden Jade Pavilion.' Even if you kill me, it won't change anything," Zhou Yunkang said.

Hearing this, Chen Liuhe thought for a moment, glanced at Qin Ruohan, and then said, "In life, the goal is to be safe and prosperous. We don't want to break with the Black Dragon Society; that's bad for everyone."

After a pause, Chen Liuhe continued, "How about this? Let's both make a concession. We'll settle for a 20% stake in the club. That's our bottom line."

Zhou Yunkang's face darkened. "Twenty percent? That's too little. Zhang Yongfu won't agree. He wants the entire 'Golden Jade Pavilion.'"

Chen Liuhe patted Zhou Yunkang on the shoulder, speaking earnestly. "I know it's difficult, but you're the one negotiating. Otherwise, what's the point of you being alive?"

Zhou Yunkang's heart skipped a beat at the threatening words. Chen Liuhe added, "You can tell Zhang Yongfu there's no need to go to extremes. Leave a way for us to meet again. Money is endless. If we all end up fighting to the death, no one will have a good outcome."

"I'll try," Zhou Yunkang said after taking a deep breath. He knew he had no other choice