Chapter 53 Nighttime Part-Time Job

Creak!

The police car came to a direct halt right beside Ye Chen. He smiled, opened the door for Zhang Yantong, who stepped out from the driver’s seat, glanced at him, and said, “What’s up? Heading back? Don’t tell me you want to go back and silence someone?”

“How could I? This is China, a country governed by law. How could I possibly do something like that!” Ye Chen chuckled, scratching his head. “Actually, I just wanted to ask you for something you owe me.”

“What’s that?” Zhang Yantong was taken aback.

“You promised me, remember? The Jianghuai Hot Pot City in University Town. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?” Ye Chen smiled slyly.

“That? Do you even have the money?” Zhang Yantong laughed. “Taking over the whole place would cost at least three hundred thousand, you know?”

In her mind, there was no way Ye Chen could have three hundred thousand. The hot pot restaurant’s location was large, two floors, fully equipped, with a complete staff. All it required was the cash and the contract could be signed immediately. The police station currently held authority over the hot pot restaurant; with Zhang Dadan arrested, all his assets were frozen, including his bank accounts. As soon as the court passed sentence, everything would probably go up for auction.

“Three hundred thousand? No problem, that’s nothing!” Ye Chen grinned. Three hundred thousand, or even three million, was nothing to him now.

Zhang Yantong looked at Ye Chen with suspicion. How could he speak with such confidence? Three hundred thousand? Even in all of Jianghuai City, there weren’t many ordinary people who could pull out that much cash in one go. Not so long ago, this guy was broke; how could he suddenly produce that much money?

“Where did you get the money?” she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Officer Zhang, aren’t you meddling a bit too much?” Ye Chen burst out laughing. “The emperor may rule the heavens and the earth, but even he can’t control the people’s most basic needs. Do you really need to know where my money comes from? I’m not about to tell you I made it working at a bar at night, am I?”

“Bastard!” Zhang Yantong was so infuriated by Ye Chen, she gritted her teeth and glared at him. “Don’t forget, the contract for the hot pot restaurant is in my hands. If you want it—tomorrow morning, wait for me at the police station. Bring the money if you have it. If you don’t, don’t expect me to do you any favors!”

Bang!

With that, she climbed back into the car and drove off, leaving Ye Chen standing motionless with Haozi and Daxia. Ye Chen wiped the sweat from his brow, secretly muttering, Damn, this girl’s got some fire in her. Why is she always so fierce with me? Not a trace of feminine gentleness; our Mo Mo at home is so much better—gentle and skilled in every way...

“Boss...” Haozi began, but Ye Chen cut him off. “Say no more. Let’s go.”

“Yes!” Haozi and Daxia took the lead.

The three of them vanished swiftly into the night. At the foot of Xiangming Mountain, on the outskirts of Jianghuai City, there stood an abandoned building. Ye Chen and his companions appeared at the edge of the structure. Daxia remained outside, keeping watch. He looked at Ye Chen and said, “Boss, you two go in. I’ll keep an eye out.”

Ye Chen nodded, and Haozi quickly led the way inside.

“Boss, the other side is from Hong Kong. The goods came in from the Golden Triangle!” Haozi explained as they moved.

“As long as we didn’t mess up this time, it doesn’t matter whose people they are. If they’re doing business under my nose, I’m going to get a cut!” Ye Chen sneered. Given his nature, he could never let such a lucrative transaction pass him by. The goods, he could do without, but the money was non-negotiable. So, on the day of the deal, Ye Chen arranged for Haozi and Daxia to lie in wait at another location by the docks.

Guided by Haozi, Ye Chen quickly entered the dim interior of the abandoned building. Haozi pulled a military flashlight from his coat and switched it on, flooding the area with bright white light. He then extracted a black leather suitcase from a pile of debris and tossed it before Ye Chen. “Boss, it’s all here!”

“Open it,” Ye Chen ordered with a wave.

Crack!

Haozi didn’t bother with finesse. He simply picked up a large rock and smashed it down, breaking the lock cleanly in two. With a twist, he pried open the case, revealing stacks of crisp, green bills.

“Damn!” Ye Chen was stunned. The case was full of thick bundles of hundred-dollar bills. Not renminbi, but US dollars—and all in five-hundred-dollar notes. Damn, this was annoying; he’d have to exchange them before he could spend a cent. He grabbed a bundle and examined it; they were all genuine and, dammit, sequentially numbered. Zhang Dadan really did have some skills to acquire such pristine currency. Ye Chen grinned and waved his hand. “Take it all!”

“Yes, boss!” Haozi nodded.

The three quickly left Xiangming Mountain and returned to Xinhai Apartments in one go. The suitcase was dumped on the floor, scattering bundles of greenbacks everywhere. Five million US dollars; at five hundred per note, that made ten thousand notes. The weight alone must have been dozens of kilograms.

“Boss, using this much cash might be risky,” Haozi said gravely.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Ye Chen smiled coolly. “It’s just five million. Besides, Hong Kong’s across the sea from here. Are they going to come after us? Even if they do, how would they know who took their money?”

“Right. We’ll just be careful,” Haozi agreed.

“We’ll find someone at the black market to exchange it all for renminbi and deposit it in the account. I’ll rise again one day—though, honestly, this isn’t enough.” Ye Chen sighed. “The Golden Triangle is chaos. Dammit, I don’t even know who I’ve offended. Why does that general always target me?”

“Uh...” Daxia started to speak, but Haozi stopped him with a look.

“Oh, right!” Ye Chen suddenly pulled a photo from his pocket and held it up for them to see. “Do you recognize this man?”

“Ah?!” Daxia blurted out, and Haozi was visibly stunned. The face in the photo was so familiar—how could they not recognize him? The two of them hated that man’s guts. They exchanged glances but dared not say a word; the Duke himself had ordered them not to restore Ye Chen’s memory until the time was right. They stared at the photo, nervous that Ye Chen might accidentally trigger a memory.

“So do you know him or not?” Ye Chen snapped at them.

“No, never seen him!” Both of them shook their heads vigorously, like rattles.

“Really? Well, forget it then.” Ye Chen sighed in frustration and slipped the photo back into his pocket. “Yaoyue’s already found out—the general’s being manipulated by this guy. What the hell kind of grudge do I have with him? He’s destroyed every bit of influence I had and still won’t let up. Damn him! If I ever catch him, I’m going to slap him silly with my shoe!”

Daxia and Haozi stifled their laughter, though deep down, both were eagerly anticipating that day.

The black market in Jianghuai City held a monopoly on all foreign exchange in the city. Hardly anyone bothered with banks anymore; the black market always offered better rates. Most regular people did their exchanges there, while big corporations stuck to banks to avoid trouble.

The whole black market was run by the Yanlong Gang. It was as black as its name, and there was nothing you couldn’t buy—smuggled cars, foreign currency, even people. The only limit was your imagination.

“Hey, I’ve got a big deal. Interested?” Haozi, dressed in black, sidled up to a shop advertising foreign currency exchange. Inside, a few men sat playing cards, business seemingly slow. At the black market, though, trade was always by appointment unless it was a major deal.

“How big a deal? Don’t be so secretive,” a shirtless man growled, glaring at Haozi.

“Five million... US dollars.”

Crash!

The shirtless man toppled out of his chair, which clattered to the floor. Scrambling to his feet, he stared at Haozi in disbelief, rubbing his backside. “You messing with me?”

“No joke. Five million—no more, no less. If you don’t want it, I’ll find someone else,” Haozi replied, his hat pulled low to conceal most of his face.

The shirtless man snorted, “You turn us down, you won’t find anyone else.”

With that, Haozi turned to leave.

“Hey, wait up!” The man quickly called his companions to attention. “Guys, stop playing—time for business!”

“You really have five million?” a man in a flowery shirt eyed Haozi skeptically. He didn’t look like someone who could have that kind of money. Stepping closer, he scrutinized Haozi from head to toe. “If you’re lying to us, you know we can’t let it slide.”

“Is the Yanlong Gang always this timid in business?” Haozi retorted, turning as if to leave.

“Wait, brother!” The shirtless man hurriedly pulled on a jacket and ran after him, grabbing Haozi’s arm. “Don’t mind my buddy—he doesn’t know any better. Let’s go take a look.”

“Fine, if you trust me, let’s go.” Haozi nodded.

The shirtless man quickly drove Haozi toward Xinhai Apartments at top speed.