"Cough, cough..."
Back in the bedroom of the villa he rented on Earth, Bai Yang instinctively coughed a few times.
"The air quality here really can't compare to over there. After spending so long there, I'm actually having a bit of trouble adjusting."
Muttering to himself, he collapsed onto the soft bed like a boneless heap.
His mind was a mess. One moment, all he could see were bloody images; the next, he was thinking about the villagers' problems. Everything swirled together until his head felt like a lump of mush...
He thought and thought, forcing himself to focus. There seemed to be so much to do next, so many tangled threads, and for a moment he had no idea where to start.
"Why am I thinking so much? At least I'm a rich man now. I can't do everything myself. I've got money! I'll get someone to run errands for me. Why the hell am I agonizing over things I can handle with a few words? I'll find myself a secretary or something. When there's work, the secretary does it; when there isn't... Cough, cough, enough. I have Little Cat now..."
The question was, who would be suitable for running errands and handling things for him? He thought it over, then slapped his forehead. Got it—Xiong Da. That bear of a guy was the perfect choice.
"I bought him the factory too, so he can make all the decisions. He can do whatever he wants. Xiong Da's a bit of a blockhead; he won't ask too many questions. And that factory's got plenty of space and is far enough out of the way. Perfect conditions..."
Thinking this, he pulled out his phone, ready to call Xiong Da, only to discover that the battery was dead...
He plugged it in and turned it on a few minutes later. Before he could make a call, a flurry of missed-call and text-message alerts nearly froze the phone!
Speechless, he waited until the phone started working again, then glanced through the messages. There was a lot, but they were mostly from just a few people.
Of the dozens of missed calls, two were from his dad, one from Liu Qingshan, two from Song Guotao, five from Xiong Da, and all the rest were from Song Yidao...
As for the text messages, aside from two junk messages from his carrier, they were all from Song Yidao too, mostly pointless stuff like "Are you there?" "I need to talk to you urgently," and "It's an emergency"...
Family came first, so Bai Yang called his dad back.
"Dad, what did you need?"
He had to be a good son, after all. His parents had gone to plenty of trouble raising him.
"Nothing much. I've already transferred the payment for the third installment. Keep an eye out for it."
"Oh, okay."
If his dad hadn't mentioned it, Bai Yang might have forgotten about that.
"By the way, where did you run off to yesterday? I called, but you didn't answer."
"Uh, work wore me out. My phone ran out of battery, and I forgot to charge it."
Scratching his head, he made up some excuse to fob his dad off.
"When are you going to grow up, you little brat? Take care of yourself out there. Don't give me something to worry about."
"Yes, yes, you're right, Dad. Is there anything else?"
Dad, your son is really busy. Can we stop chatting?
No matter how busy he was, he still had to be patient with his parents...
"Heh heh, son, I've got good news for you. Guess what it is?"
Bai Jianjun suddenly lowered his voice, sounding mysterious.
Bai Yang's eyes widened. "Dad, don't tell me Mom's having a little brother or sister for me? That'd be amazing..."
"Get lost! What are you talking about? I'll tell you straight: your old man's made a fortune! I took the lumber I bought from you last time and had the workers turn it into high-end solid-wood furniture. Dozens of sets, in all. I've already sold nine of them for forty-eight million! Most of the rest have been reserved, and I'm just waiting to ship them and collect the money. Sigh... Why are there so many rich people these days? My lousy factory can't keep up!"
Bai Yang's forehead creased with exasperation. So his dad had called just to come brag to him?
"First, congratulations on your booming business, Dad. Then I want to ask: does this mean I can settle down and be a layabout who eats for a living?"
"Heh, you wish. Cut the nonsense. I just want to know if that company of yours has any more of that lumber."
Bai Jianjun asked without the least bit of embarrassment. Did he need to be polite with his own son?
Bai Yang knew his dad had gotten a taste for the profits. Scratching his head, he said, "There isn't any right now, but if you want more, I can apply to the company to get another shipment. It'll take a while, though. I'll call you when it comes in."
"That'd be great. But what about payment...?"
"Same as last time!"
Bai Yang answered with absolute conviction!
Dad, you're the only person I'd make such a brainless deal with. But what can I say? You're my dad...
"Son, are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Dad, if you're worried, I'll invite the boss to have dinner with you once he's free."
Bai Yang quickly tried to placate him. His dad wasn't stupid; he understood what was going on. He'd just brought it up tactfully.
He'd have to find time to get a couple of people to pretend to be the boss and fool his dad. One lie needed a whole bunch of others to back it up. What a pain...
"Fine, then. I'd better get back to work..."
After hanging up, Bai Yang scratched his head again. Was making furniture really that profitable? A few sets could sell for tens of millions?
But he could more or less understand how rich people thought: buy the expensive stuff, buy the best stuff. They had money to burn, and he was basically the same way...
Business came first; everything else could wait. He called Xiong Da.
"Hello, Boss Xiong. What can I do for you?"
He'd get the upper hand from the very start. Heh...
"Oh, it's Boss Bai! You're a busy man... Well, I was free, so I thought I'd see if you had time to get together..."
Yeah, right. That bastard couldn't land any orders and wanted to try his luck with me. But that was exactly what I wanted!
"What a coincidence. I'm free right now. How about Royal Banquet, like last time?"
What a coincidence indeed. I was looking for you.
Xiong Da's voice wavered. Awkwardly, he said, "Boss Bai, how about a farmhouse restaurant out in the suburbs instead? It's quiet, and the food's pretty good."
"Sure. Tell me where, and I'll head over right away..."
At the Giant Bear Metal Processing Plant, Xiong Da hung up, looking a little dazed. Was Bai Yang just too easy to deal with?
But seeing the eager faces all around him, he clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, and said fiercely, "Brothers, I've got Boss Bai to meet us. Whether we can get an order out of him is going to depend on you now!"
"Don't worry, Brother Xiong! We'll drink ourselves sick if we have to, but we'll get that order from Boss Bai!"
A group of muscle-bound men roared, ready to give their lives for the cause.
"Get the van ready! Let's go!"
Xiong Da waved them onward like a general marching into battle!
After hanging up, Bai Yang was speechless. What a cheapskate. He'd made at least a few million off me last time. Was one meal at a nicer place really going to bankrupt him?
He entered the address Xiong Da had given him into the GPS, locked up, then drove off in his ridiculously flashy Bugatti, roaring all the way there.
Half an hour later, he arrived. It turned out to be a little farmhouse nestled against the hills and beside the water. The scenery was genuinely lovely.
Ignoring the onlookers gathered around the luxury car, he spotted Xiong Da and a few others waiting at the entrance, looking like a gang of black-suited thugs. He got out, shut the door, and walked over.
"Boss Bai, sorry we haven't been able to offer you a proper welcome. Please come in. We've already ordered everything. You're used to big meals and rich food, so we thought you might like something light for a change."
Xiong Da was a big, burly man. Seeing him act so politely was awkward enough to give Bai Yang goosebumps.
"Heh, something's up. Let's see what you guys are plotting!"
Bai Yang was sharp. Anyone could tell from the way they were acting that they had an ulterior motive. He wasn't worried they'd try anything underhanded. He'd seen plenty in his time; worst came to worst, he could just disappear into thin air. Let's see how they liked that!
They went into the private room they'd reserved, and a stream of light dishes began arriving.
Bai Yang was dumbfounded. They really were light—he hadn't seen a single meat dish. What were these guys up to?
"Waiter, bring us a few more cases of beer!"
Xiong Da stood up and called out boisterously. He seemed generous, but his face was full of pain...
"Hold on, I'm driving. I'm not drinking."
Bai Yang quickly stopped him. There was definitely something fishy going on!
"Uh, then Boss Bai can have tea, and we'll drink beer."
Xiong Da said awkwardly, then signaled the server to bring them a pot of tea.
Could they make it any more obvious? Bai Yang was speechless.
He tapped the table and smiled. "Come on, cut the act. You're tired of performing, and I'm tired of watching. If you've got something to say, just say it."
Xiong Da gave an awkward smile, then nodded to two big men in camouflage. They stood up, left the private room, and shut the door behind them.
Bai Yang faintly heard them telling the server to leave...
Squirming in his seat like he had hemorrhoids, Xiong Da creaked the chair beneath him. Looking at Bai Yang, he said sheepishly, "We're short on money. We need cash..."
"Then what?"
Bai Yang nodded to show he understood. I need money too. Who doesn't? Ask Bill Gates if he needs money...
At the same time, he wondered what this was all about. Had opportunity really just knocked at his door?
Then he thought better of it and asked, "Are you trying to fool me? You made at least a few million off the last order I gave you. And now you're telling me you're short on money?"
"Some things came up, and that money just wasn't nearly enough, so..."
Xiong Da gave an awkward smile and scratched his head, nearly scraping his scalp raw.
"Fine. Then what?"
Bai Yang asked, blinking.
"Well, the thing is, we wanted to see if you had anything else you needed us to do."
Xiong Da flushed as he spoke. It was hard enough for such a mighty, imposing man to swallow his pride and ask for work.
"So after all that, you weren't asking to borrow money?"
"Uh, no. We were just hoping to work with you again..."
As he said this, Xiong Da glanced at one of the men beside him.
The man looked ready to cry. Boss, he's being so nice about it. Why'd you have to make this so complicated?
"I was thinking, why don't you just sell me the factory?"
Bai Yang looked at Xiong Da, rubbing his chin.
"What?"
Xiong Da didn't understand at first...
Before you continue