Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

After Yang Ce bought the house, there were many small matters and procedures he had no time to handle himself, so he sent Bao Lin to take care of them. Bao Lin had failed to handle the last matter properly and was worried Yang Ce might think poorly of him; now, seeing that Yang Ce had yet another task for him, he scurried off to see it done, wagging his tail like a happy dog.

Ordinarily, such trifling matters would not have required Bao Lin to attend to them in person—any underling could have been sent—but because it was Yang Ce who had given the order, Bao Lin could not afford to be anything but meticulous.

There was no one in Songjiang Manager Liu did not know, but he could not fail to know Bao Lin. Bao Lin coming in person to handle the property deed left Manager Liu dumbstruck. No wonder Yang Ce had been so formidable before—he had sat there without a word, and Miss Xu's boyfriend had been scared half to death.

So what if you have underworld connections? The biggest underworld boss in Songjiang runs errands for Yang Ce.

Manager Liu's forehead was drenched in cold sweat. Thank goodness he hadn't spoken up for Miss Xu that day—otherwise he would have been finished.

By the time Li Dagang reached the food stalls, Li Dadong had just arrived as well. Li Dadong knew this place all too well; back in their school days, he and Yan and Xu Peng used to drink here whenever they had nothing better to do.

"Little brother, you were quick," Li Dadong said—Li Dagang's company was not close to here, which was why he remarked on it.

"I took a cab—how could I not be quick?" Li Dagang laughed. "What's the matter? You look rather glum. Something on your mind?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you slowly," Li Dadong said noncommittally, pulling out an empty chair and sitting down.

"Fine." Li Dagang was in no hurry. After sitting down, he called to the waiter, "Waiter, thirty lamb skewers to start, ten beef kidneys, five lamb chops, two bottles of beer."

"Right away!" The waiter noted down Li Dagang's order and hurried off to prepare it.

"Go on, then—what's this about?" Li Dagang peeled a head of garlic as he spoke.

"Little brother, you know Lin Yanhe, don't you?" Li Dadong said after a moment's hesitation.

"Of course I know her. Isn't she your childhood sweetheart?" Li Dagang was quite familiar with Li Dadong's affairs.

"Childhood sweetheart." Li Dadong sighed. "She has a boyfriend now."

"What?" Li Dagang was taken aback. "How did that happen? It's not you?"

"If only it were me," Li Dadong said with a bitter smile and a shake of his head. "But I've come around, too. Lin Yanhe has always thought of me as a big brother—there was never anything of that sort between us. Love isn't something you can force, and she has the right to pursue her own happiness."

"Damn, if you've already come around, why did you drag me out here? Bored with nothing to do?" Li Dagang was rather baffled. Naturally he knew love could not be forced, and since his big brother had already figured it out, what the hell was there left to fret about?

"No, it's not that—it's something else," Li Dadong said, pausing. "Lin Yanhe's boyfriend wants to invite me to help out at his company. Lin Yanhe works there too."

"That rich? He's got his own company already?" Li Dagang was briefly stunned. "But I don't quite follow you. Her boyfriend wants you to come work at his company—are you sure you've got that right?"

"Of course I'm sure. Otherwise I wouldn't be troubling myself over it," Li Dadong said with a wave of his hand. "What I'm torn about right now is whether to go or not."

"Hold on—why do I find this so hard to believe? Lin Yanhe's boyfriend knows you're in love with Lin Yanhe?" Li Dagang asked.

"He knows," Li Dadong nodded.

"Good grief, what kind of logic is that? You've got me completely confused," Li Dagang said, slapping his forehead.

"Little brother, it's really quite simple. Lin Yanhe's boyfriend knows Zhiyun doesn't like me and has always treated me like her big brother. This time he called me in to help at the company because he wants me to clear my head, to stop wallowing in the shadow of a broken heart, and to move on," Li Dadong explained Yang Juehuan's meaning to Li Dagang.

"A real man—the genuine article!" Li Dagang slapped his thigh and praised him from the bottom of his heart. "Then what are you still hesitating for? That boyfriend of Lin Yanhe's doesn't look like a petty man. Since he's given you such a good opportunity, what's holding you back?"

"But I'm afraid that once I get there, it'll only be more awkward," Li Dadong said worriedly.

"As long as you keep your position straight, there won't be any awkwardness," Li Dagang said, shaking his head. "Brother, if I were you, I'd make the same choice."

"I know. All right, let's drop it for now—let's drink," Li Dadong said, seeing the lamb skewers arriving, and poured himself a glass of beer.

"Fine, let's drink first." Li Dagang poured himself a glass too, then picked up a steaming skewer and began to chew.

After a few glasses, a faint flush appeared on Li Dadong's face, and he was no longer as troubled as before. The two brothers chatted and laughed about other things.

"Old Wang, any tables free?" Just as they were talking merrily, several burly men who looked like thugs came over and asked Old Wang, the owner of the barbecue stall.

"Sorry, we're full. You gentlemen can wait a bit or come back another time," Old Wang said apologetically.

Old Wang's barbecue stall was a long-established brand, famous among the food stalls. Many people came here to eat, and at mealtime there was almost never a seat to be had.

"What a letdown," the leading thug cursed, turning to leave.

But one of his underlings rolled his eyes, glanced over the customers at the stalls, and walked straight over to Li Dadong's table. "You two, taking up a six-person table all by yourselves—go squeeze in with those people over there. My boss wants to eat here," the underling said directly to Li Dadong and Li Dagang.

To be continued.

703. You Know Yang Ce Too? (Part Two)

Here, you could have a little drink, talk over what weighed on your mind, each saying his own piece without interfering with the other. Who would want to squeeze in at a table with others? Then not only could you not talk, but the drinking wouldn't be enjoyable either, and eating would feel downright constrained.

Li Dagang frowned. He had not been a pushover in the old days—back when he ran with Yang Ce, he had been the sort to swagger around with his shoulders thrown back, ready to take on anyone without a moment's hesitation.

But now, after all, he had gone straight, and his cousin was here besides. Li Dagang knew his cousin's temperament—not the type to stir up trouble—so he did not blow up on the spot.

Besides, the other side had numbers, and there were only two of them here. True, if it came to a fight, his cousin Li Dadong would certainly not stand by and do nothing, but after all, he was no fighter—having him there was about the same as not.

"We're discussing business. Sharing a table with others would be inconvenient," Li Dagang told the underling.

"Hey, pretty cocky, aren't you? Do you know what my boss does?" Actually, at any other time this would not have amounted to much. Recently the higher-ups in Songjiang's underworld had issued a strict order forbidding them from harassing ordinary citizens. But the underling had been publicly snubbed by Li Dagang in front of so many people and felt humiliated, so he threw out a few blustering words.

"Do you know what my boss does?" Since Li Dagang had last seen Yang Ce and witnessed the whole chain of events around him, he knew Yang Ce was no ordinary figure now—probably everyone on the street gave him face. Otherwise, that Guo Jianchao, who was said to have underworld connections, would never have slunk away in disgrace.