Chapter 026: I’ve Set My Heart on This Big Shot

On the outskirts of the small town, in an abandoned factory, Red Hair and his group were panting heavily. That guy had gone too far—just coming over to provoke and intimidate them, was it really necessary to bring the police station chief along as backup? Even if he hadn't called for reinforcements, they wouldn't have laid a hand on him; after all, their benefactor hadn't paid for the job!

“Boss, what should we do next?” One of the younger members, recovering faster than the rest, asked loudly.

“Keep it down! Do you want everyone to know we're acting on someone else's orders?” Red Hair caught his breath, sat on the ground, and said, “Wait until dawn. I'll head out to the countryside and call our contact. Let’s see what he says.”

“Boss, if he doesn't pay us, are we still going to rough up that punk?”

“We’re going to do it, absolutely. Even without the money.” Red Hair growled, “Just now, the police were present—if they weren’t, I’d have made him beg for mercy!”

Red Hair was adept at rallying his men; stabilizing the crew always came first, and deciding when to strike was entirely up to him. But fate is strange—just as he finished his speech, Zhang Tianfeng entered with his entourage.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, he stood under a lamppost, his expression contemptuous. “Go ahead and make your move. I’m right here. I won’t resist.”

“Boss, don’t be impulsive—there’s definitely a trap in there!”

Good brother, you’re a master at finding excuses. I ought to make you vice-chief of the Swallowing Heaven Gang!

Red Hair shouted, “I know! Nobody do anything rash. He’s probably trying to lure us into attacking so the police can catch us in the act.”

His warning worked; his men were cowed, none daring to make a move.

“You call yourselves tough guys? You’re a joke.” Zhang Tianfeng sneered, teeth bared in disdain.

“Then tell me, what does it mean to be a tough guy?”

“Having money and power, respecting women, caring for the young and old, driving luxury cars, courting celebrities, able to donate when people need help—and when trouble comes, you don’t even need to act, people will rush in from all directions to back you up. That’s what it means to make it.”

His words not only stunned Red Hair and his gang, but even Fourth Uncle and the others were dazzled. Zhang Tianfeng sounded just like the big boss in those old gangster movies.

Who would have thought this brat knew so much?

Seeing that Red Hair and his men had fallen silent, Zhang Tianfeng continued, “Alright, now let’s talk about compensation.”

“Compensation? You’ve already taken all our money. I don’t even have enough left to buy water!” Red Hair was indignant—when had he ever been so humiliated?

“That’s why you guys are doing badly—can’t even cough up a hundred bucks. I donated ten thousand yuan to the police station this afternoon, just on a whim.”

“Anyone can talk big. I could say I donated a million to Tangwan Town for a tsunami barrier,” Red Hair retorted.

“Then tell me, how was I able to get Lu Dingqian to come here?” Zhang Tianfeng took out his pager. “Want me to call him over right now?”

“No, no, let’s talk this over. Street matters should be settled on the street,” Red Hair said quickly.

After what had just happened, he didn’t dare gamble again—losing this time would be the end of him.

“You said it, street matters stay on the street!” Zhang Tianfeng set down the pager. “Who sent you?”

“The Chen family from Huizhou. They told us to scare you off, so you wouldn’t help that girl,” Red Hair replied readily.

He’d intended to save this information for later, but Lu Dingqian suddenly arrived, throwing his plan into disarray.

“They’re quick—looks like Tangwan Town is crawling with their informants!” Zhang Tianfeng squinted thoughtfully. “Anyone else besides the Chen family?”

“No, just them! And they call themselves a big family, but only gave us five hundred for expenses—not even enough to feed the brothers,” Red Hair grumbled.

“Alright, let’s call that settled. Now, next matter: you made me waste ten thousand yuan, so you’ll have to figure out how to pay me back.”

“What? Ten thousand! Do you really think I’m easy to push around?” Red Hair said, clenching his fists.

“I do. That’s why I came to cause trouble.” Zhang Tianfeng glanced at him. “Want to fight? Go ahead! But be ready for your whole family to end up behind bars.”

“If you say so?”

“Yes, if I say so.” Zhang Tianfeng flicked his cigarette butt to the ground. “I’ll tell them you broke into my place and robbed me of a hundred thousand. If you can recover that money, I’ll donate it to the police.”

“Do you think Lu Dingqian won’t do everything he can to make you pay? Imagine what you’ll go through then.”

Zhang Tianfeng’s unconventional approach and his deadly straightforwardness completely shook Red Hair and his gang.

They were just a bunch of bottom-feeders, and the police really could lock them up over a hundred thousand in stolen police funds—none of them had clean records.

If they went down, fine, but the worst would be if their families suffered.

“You’re ruthless. Tell us what to do,” Red Hair conceded.

“Boss! How can you give in?”

“What else can I do? We’re in this for money. If we’re not making any, we shouldn’t drag our families down. If we refuse, he really will go after them.”

Red Hair’s words struck a chord with his men.

As Jiang Jiahao had said, they were a pitiable bunch—some had sick relatives at home, some had lost their breadwinners, others had failed in business or been betrayed by those close to them. They’d quit school and come out to work, sending most of their earnings home and keeping only a little for themselves.

There was no bottom—things could always get worse.

“You’re all locals, you know Tangwan Town well. Help me dig up information about the factories,” Zhang Tianfeng said, assigning them the job he’d originally given Qin Yuelan. The Chen family’s sudden interference had made him want to speed things up.

“Investigate a boss’s background, and I’ll pay you a one-yuan commission for each,” he said. “In the meantime, you can eat at my place for free. Do you understand?”

“We understand—you’re treating us as employees,” Red Hair replied.

“At best, you’re temporary hires. That’s it for now. Start first thing tomorrow—I’m giving you two days. Fail, and you can pack your bedding and wait for the police to come.”

“Let’s go.”

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Tianfeng left with his three companions. Red Hair and his gang didn’t dare stop him.

Much later, a small, wiry fellow ran back from outside and whispered, “Boss, they’re gone.”

“I saw clearly—a car followed them. The plates are from Shenzhen, the interior is plush, and the driver was in a suit and tie.”

“No doubt—he’s a big shot,” Red Hair said with certainty.

If he wasn’t, how could he donate to the police station? If he wasn’t, how could he barge in with just three men? If he wasn’t, why would there be someone protecting him in secret?

They’d nearly messed up—but thankfully, Red Hair had kept his cool.

“Boss, what’s the plan now?”

“In this world, choosing the right people matters more than how hard you try. The protagonists in those gangster movies only made it big because they picked the right allies.”

“What if he doesn’t take us in?”

“Don’t worry—he’s a big shot for sure, and he won’t get away.”

If Red Hair had known that the people secretly guarding Zhang Tianfeng were only there to prevent him from running away, imagine his reaction.

Luckily, no one knew. And it was precisely this beautiful misunderstanding that let Zhang Tianfeng acquire a stubborn, iron-willed lieutenant, who would go on to solve many hidden troubles for him.