Your spending money

Gu Sheng was in a good mood. He had given all his money to Kong Sang earlier, and buying off the faction bosses would cost another hefty sum. He was short on cash himself now.

This five hundred thousand would tide him over nicely. Once the other branches opened and next month's protection money came in, his cash flow would be back on track.

"Brother Sheng, will this really be okay?" Bik Ham asked quietly in the car.

What had happened earlier had genuinely scared him. Now his eyes were full of fear whenever he looked at Gu Sheng.

He was also afraid Sex Fiend Hung would come back and cause trouble for him.

"Relax. If he dares come after you again, we'll just chop him up," Mantis said, patting his shoulder.

When Bik Ham returned to the shop, Au Ka-Chuen and Blackie crowded around him. "How did it go?"

"It should be settled, I guess?" Bik Ham said uncertainly.

David Chow came in with a grim face and sat off to one side without a word.

"What exactly happened?"

Bik Ham recounted what had happened, giving the other two a fright.

"Those guys really have no humanity."

"David, give it up. You can't beat them." Au Ka-Chuen patted David's shoulder.

"It might be a good thing for your sister to be with him..." Bik Ham said quietly.

"What did you say?" David grabbed Bik Ham by the collar and shoved him against the wall. "You caused all this, and now you're saying it's a good thing for Ann to be with him? Have you got any conscience?"

"I'm not wrong! He's rich and powerful, young, and good-looking. Ann isn't losing out by being with him, and she won't have to worry about anyone bullying her anymore!" Bik Ham had still felt a little guilty, but now he suddenly exploded, raising his voice.

"Go find somewhere to have fun. Don't wait for me. Come pick me up tomorrow morning."

"Brother Sheng, want something to help you along? Indian Divine Oil. It works really well," Ah Yong said, sidling over.

"Fuck, with my stamina, do I need that stuff? You want me to smack you?" Gu Sheng snapped.

"Just use it occasionally for a change of pace." Ah Yong covered his head.

"Does it really work that well? I don't believe it!" Gu Sheng took Ah Yong's little bottle and casually slipped it into his pocket.

He didn't need it, but he might someday. Better to have it and not need it.

"It really works, Brother Sheng!"

Gu Sheng got out of the car and went straight into the hotel. Big-Eyed Hua had already given him the room number.

As soon as he entered the room, Ann stood up and asked anxiously, "How are my brother and the others?"

"Ask them yourself." Gu Sheng tossed her the Big Brother Phone.

Before long, Ann hung up and began fidgeting shyly.

"What are you standing there for?"

"Oh, you really are!"

GS found Ann's shy, awkward manner rather amusing.

...Tens of thousands of words' worth of punctuation omitted...

The next morning, Gu Sheng climbed out of bed with a hand pressed to his lower back.

"One, two, three, four, five... Fuck, is this testing my math or my eyesight?" Watching his urine spray out like a showerhead, Gu Sheng lost all desire to look down and stared at the ceiling instead.

He got dressed and casually tossed a stack of cash onto the table.

Ann, who had barely slept last night and had just been woken again by Gu Sheng getting up, saw this and mustered her courage. "I'm not a prostitute. I don't want your money."

"Fuck!" Gu Sheng slapped his forehead. Old habits.

"It's your spending money! You're mine for the next year."

"I've already quit my job, and I can help out at my brother's shop..." Ann said quietly.

"That's your business. I'll have someone bring you a Pager later and find you somewhere to live. Go downstairs for something to eat in a bit... Forget it. I'll have the hotel send breakfast up."

Gu Sheng figured she wouldn't be able to get out of bed anytime soon.

After a moment's thought, Gu Sheng took another ten thousand from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.

"Buy yourself some clothes when you get back. Get good ones, not cheap stuff. People who don't know better might think I'm too poor to buy clothes for my woman."

"I'm off. I've got things to do. I'll page you later."

After Gu Sheng left, Ann buried herself under the covers.

It was a long time before breakfast arrived, and only then did she get dressed and open the door.

At noon, she stared at the Pager and twelve thousand dollars on the table, unsure what expression she should make. She sat there in a daze for ages.

It wasn't until the afternoon that she returned to her brother's shop.

"Brother Sheng, how did it work?" Ah Yong waggled his eyebrows.

"Didn't use it. It'd take at least nine women before I needed that stuff." Gu Sheng smacked him over the head.

"Brother Sheng, are we going to see Shark Yan in a bit?" Ah Tung asked.

"No. Call Shark Yan and tell him we'll meet in a few days," Gu Sheng said flatly.

His legs were still weak. How was he supposed to go?

"Empty the Thermos and brew another cup. Remember to use warm water," Gu Sheng instructed.

After breakfast, he returned to the shop.

"Brother Sheng!" Everyone in the shop greeted Gu Sheng cheerfully when they saw him.

They had just received last month's wages. Even the lowest-paid had earned four thousand, while the highest had made over six thousand.

They had already had a rough idea of what they would get, but actually having the money in their hands was a different feeling altogether.

Ordinary workers only made sixteen to eighteen hundred. This was unquestionably a high income.

Everyone was working even harder now.

The display windows had been wiped free of even a speck of dust, leaving the place gleaming.

The other four branches paid their wages that day too. They had only been open for twenty days, so their staff hadn't received as much, but it was still a decent sum.

Quite a few of Gu Sheng's underlings worked in his shops. How many of these low-level gangsters wouldn't show off after making some money? Especially money they had earned legitimately.

The more responsible ones took some money home to their families, but most headed straight to the nightclubs.

That evening, word of the shop employees' earnings spread among plenty of the underlings.

"Ah Keung got five thousand. Fuck, even I want to work in the shop," one low-level gangster said, sitting by the roadside with a bottle of soda in his hand.

"That much?"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Apparently, the shop takes in tens of thousands a day, and they all get commission."

"Are they still hiring?"

Quite a few of these men had only joined the gang to avoid being bullied, or because they had no other options.

Working in the shop meant wearing a suit and tie every day. Even people on the street looked at them with more respect.

People outside the gang would fight tooth and nail for those jobs.

"No idea. Ask Brother Hua later."

Even Big-Eyed Hua had been upgraded to Brother Hua.

Meanwhile, Gu Sheng was at home, being squeezed dry.

"So you still had the energy to go fooling around?" Kong Sang hissed through gritted teeth, leaning close to his ear.

(Redacted)

"Let's see how you go fooling around now."

"Fuck. Just you wait."

When had Gu Sheng ever put up with humiliation like this in his life?

He immediately jumped out of bed and started rummaging.

If that bastard Ah Yong's Indian Divine Oil doesn't work, just watch how I deal with him.

(Redacted. It took me ages to restore even a little.)

"Come shopping for clothes with me tomorrow?" Kong Sang asked, resting her head on Gu Sheng's arm.

"Fine, fine, fine." Gu Sheng didn't want to deal with her now. He just wanted to sleep.

Even going out to slash people wasn't this exhausting.

"You promised!" Kong Sang smiled, only for Gu Sheng to start snoring a second later.

Kong Sang turned her head and sank her teeth into Gu Sheng's arm.