"Are you out of your minds? This factory is owned by Foreign Devil!" Brother Xiong said nervously, leading his three dogs. "Get out of here! If we're going to collect debts, we should go to the boss's house. If you don't leave, I'll unleash the dogs!"
"Release the dogs! Release them! I just happened to be killing them for dog meat hotpot!" The big-eyed companion next to the bald youth glared and said with an unfriendly look, "Song Tianyao promised Brother Tai a million, and now that Brother Tai isn't here, he wants to renege? Does he think we're idiots? Let me tell you..."
A refined-looking young man, dressed in a reasonably clean white shirt, stepped forward from the crowd, interrupting his Brother Xiong, and launched into a long, rambling speech in English. After Brother Xiong was left speechless, he switched to Chinese and said:
"Sir, I am Kam Shou-hong, a trainee lawyer at Lok Fu Law Firm, and Mr. Chen Tai's lawyer. Mr. Chen Tai..."
Yao Chunxiao, who was leaning against the wall yawning, didn't even bother to shoo these harmless Boy Scouts away.
Just then, Song Tianyao, his mood ruined by Sister Xiong, walked out rubbing his nose and looking annoyed. Hearing Kam Shou-hong speaking English to Brother Xiong, he was about to curse when Ning Zikun, who was reviewing his chess moves, spoke up, "Young man, did you learn your English from a deaf-mute in Britain? Besides 'Hello,' not a single word is understandable. It's amazing you can speak it so convincingly. You should at least put in some effort to fool people; your cloth shoes are filthy. Do you ever see a lawyer wearing cloth shoes? But you do have some quick wit; seeing that Brother Xiong is a roughneck, you know to impersonate a lawyer to scare him."
"Chen Tai sent you to the factory to collect a debt?" Song Tianyao impatiently took a few steps forward, sizing up the group. "Let's go. Wait for Chen Tai to come out, and let him come see me himself."
"You think you are..." The leopard-headed, piercing-eyed youth raised his hand to point at Song Tianyao and swear, but was pulled back by the bald youth. The youth calmly addressed Song Tianyao, "Mr. Song, we are nobody big shots, but Brother Tai is currently imprisoned in the police station, and dozens of his men have been killed or wounded. Brother Tai asked us to help him collect this money from you, Mr. Song, to bail out his men, and to provide them with resettlement funds and medical expenses. This amount may be small to you, but it could be the last money Brother Tai's men earn with their blood and lives. We promised Brother Tai we would do this for him, and we must keep our word. We have no connections to see Detective Chief Inspector Yan, so we had to resort to this foolish method—going directly to the factory. As long as you, Mr. Song. Mr. Song, hand over the money to Brother Tai, I'll leave my life to you..."
Song Tianyao frowned, his sharp gaze fixed on the bald young man until sweat beaded on the man's forehead. Only then did Song Tianyao turn to Lou Fengyun, who was looking over from the office doorway, and say, "Call Yan Hung and tell him to arrange for more Uniformed Branch patrols near the factory from now on. Don't let these idiots come to the factory to preach about brotherhood to me anymore. I'm a legitimate businessman; people who don't know better will think I've opened a gang here."
After speaking to Lou Fengyun, Song Tianyao impatiently said to the bald man, "Go to the Yau Ma Tei Police Station and block the main gate. Yan Hung will come out to see you and give you an explanation. Let's go. Chen Tai is an idiot. He's only been in there for less than 24 hours and he already wants to bail him out? Does he think the Hong Kong-wide crackdown on triads is child's play? Tell him to endure it for ten days or half a month. If he can be locked up for a year or two to reform his ways, that would be even better."
"Thank you, Mr. Song." The bald young man breathed a heavy sigh of relief and hurriedly called to his companion to turn around and leave.
Song Tianyao suddenly called out to the other person from behind, "Hey, bald guy?"
The bald young man hurriedly turned around. "Mr. Song, what's the matter?"
"You're so young and already bald? Be careful you don't end up with a wife. Why don't you buy a wig from me? I'll give you a 10% discount," Song Tianyao asked with a smile, lighting a cigarette as he looked down.
Ning Zikun, his eyes gleaming, clutched the chessboard. He walked past Brother Xiong and the three dogs, out the door, caught up with the young man posing as a lawyer, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Young man, I see you have extraordinary talent, a once-in-a-million genius. So young and already spouting nonsense and posing as a lawyer? Do you lack a grandfather to support you? If you're willing to care for me through life and death, I'll teach you some cheating tricks, consider it taking on a disciple so the family line doesn't die out..."
Song Tianyao didn't go to see the master swindler Ning Zikun taking on a disciple; instead, he turned to get intimate with Lou Fengyun, but Lou Fengyun had already said:
"Lawyer Ji just called. Lin Xiaojie wants to meet with you, A-Yao, to discuss the Soda Factory matter."
"Tell Lin Xiaojie that the ban won't be lifted until the Soda Factory is sold to HSBC. The breach of contract penalties will bankrupt him. Second Young Master Chu has already prepared his cash, just waiting to buy the Soda Factory from HSBC. He'll make HSBC another fortune then. With such a huge piece of meat going to the Lu Family, I have no interest in chatting with him!"
"Chen Tai!" a policeman called out from outside the cell.
Chen Tai, who was facing away from the prison gate, shirtless and throwing a punch at the wall, turned around and answered, "Here!"
"Someone vouches for you, pack your things and come out!" the policeman outside said as he opened the door.
Chen Tai grabbed his shirt and said to the dozen or so fellow inmates Harmony Heroes, "Once I get out, I'll find a way to bail you all out immediately."
A lawyer handled the paperwork for Chen Tai. After Chen Tai was released on bail, the lawyer started processing the paperwork for Chen Tai's subordinates. He gestured for Chen Tai to leave first. As Chen Tai walked out of the prison gate, he looked at a Chevrolet sedan parked across the street. Handkerchief Qing was sitting in the passenger seat and gesturing to him.
"Did you send the lawyer?" Chen Tai smiled at Handkerchief Qing on the street and asked.
"Of course I sent him. Otherwise, who do you think would be kind enough to bail you out, Song Tianyao?" Handkerchief Qing got out of the car on the other side of the street, crossed his arms, and said to Chen Tai.
Chen Tai rubbed the scab on his wound with his hand. "Weren't you arrested with me last night?"
"You were released the next day. After all, I still have my connections, so guaranteeing someone is quite easy. On the other hand, Heroes is leaderless now. Once you go in, the outside will be even more disorganized." Handkerchief Qing walked over, took out a cigarette, and handed one to Chen Tai.