A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1541 When have I ever refunded money in my business dealings?! (Please subscribe!)
The evening's gathering was scheduled for a private club owned by Shen Jiawen. Fu Guosheng chose this location because of its security and privacy; there were two layers of access control, an elevator that went directly to the private room floor, and no unauthorized personnel along the entire corridor.

Old Fu originally had eight smuggling gang leaders under his command. Now, Old Liu and Old Wu have disappeared, and the remaining six have all arrived here tonight.

Zheng Chao, Pei Yu, and Han Fuhu each lost a lot of money because of the express delivery incident. Now, all they want to do is find the swindlers, recover their losses, and maybe even tear them apart or throw them into the river in cement.

The three of them couldn't sit still from the moment they sat down. They drank several rounds of tea, becoming increasingly agitated and irritable.

The other bosses had no idea what these three were up to, assuming they were just frustrated by the recent market turmoil. The atmosphere in the private room wasn't exactly tense, but it was undeniably oppressive.

Zheng Chao was the first to lose his temper, slamming his teacup on the table:
"Who the hell knows what Old Fu is up to tonight? I have a ton of stuff to deal with."

The bald man surnamed Guo chuckled and replied indifferently, "Boss Zheng, if you're in a hurry, why don't you just call Old Fu and ask? What's the use of getting angry at us here?"

Zheng Chao snorted coldly: "Can't I even complain a couple of times?"

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside.

Fu Guosheng and Hua Shier walked in side by side, followed closely by Jiao Tao, Haozi, and Kun Ge.

Everyone stood up at the same time and called out, "Boss Fu!"

Old Fu burst out laughing as soon as he entered, and first pressed his hand down:

"Sorry I'm late. I bet you've all been waiting impatiently. Zheng Chao, I heard you complaining at the door earlier."

Zheng Chao gave a forced, insincere smile:
"Then you must have misheard. It's only right and proper for us juniors to wait on you."

The other gang leaders all wore expressions of anticipation, as if they were watching a good show. Fu Guosheng, however, remained unconcerned, raising his hand and giving him a cursory nod:
"You really know how to talk. Come, come, sit down."

He took the seat of honor without hesitation, pulled out the chair next to him, and invited Hua Twelve to sit down. Only then did he leisurely glance around at everyone.

Let me introduce a new friend to everyone.

Fu Guosheng raised his hand and gestured to Hua Shier: "This is my little brother Yu Tianlong. He will officially join our big family in the future."

He then introduced Hua Shier to each of them: "This is Boss Zheng Chao, Boss Han Fuhu, Boss Pei Yu, Boss Guo Yang, Boss Zhao..."

Regardless of what the leaders thought in their hearts, they all gave each other face by nodding or raising their hands in greeting.

After both sides finished their introductions, Han Fuhu spoke first, asking in a gruff voice:
"Boss Fu, Lao Liu and Lao Wu have disappeared without a trace, and you're already rushing to find replacements for them? Isn't that a bit heartless?"

As soon as he raised his head, the others nodded in agreement, and a low murmur of discussion immediately filled the private room.

With two fewer people competing for food, the remaining families secretly started calculating how much more of the freed-up portions they could get.

Now, another person has suddenly appeared out of nowhere to compete with them for profits, and no one would be happy about that.

Fu Guosheng raised his hand again and pressed down, and everyone immediately fell silent.

He then slowly explained, "I didn't explain clearly earlier. Brother Tianlong will be in charge of the Southeast Asian business from now on. Now, is everything alright?"

Upon hearing this, the guard on the faces of the men visibly relaxed.

Without any conflict of interest, Hua Shier's gaze immediately became much more sincere.

Guo Yang brought up another topic:
"Boss Fu, you said last time you would personally deal with that outsider. How's it going? Business is tough, and the people below are complaining every day. If this problem isn't solved soon, we'll really be starving."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Chao, Pei Yu, and Han Fuhu exchanged glances, their eyes flickering uncertainly.

Their feelings were complicated and contradictory at this moment—they hoped that Fu Guosheng would quickly find the bastard who stole their business and tear him to pieces, but they also wanted to find the other party before Old Fu made a move and get back the hundreds of thousands they had lost.

Fu Guosheng suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the private room for several seconds, leaving everyone bewildered.

Once he stopped laughing, he tapped the table with his finger: "This is the second thing I want to talk about today."

He paused, his gaze falling on Hua Shier.

"The person who's stealing your business by selling goods online at low prices is both far away and right in front of you—it's my little brother, Yu Tianlong. Now that he's one of us, the situation like before will naturally not happen again."

As soon as these words were spoken, the other unsuspecting leaders all breathed a sigh of relief.

In their view, it was because Boss Fu personally intervened and successfully negotiated, using Southeast Asian channels to recruit the other side.

It's better for things to end peacefully than to have a real fight.

But the next second, Zheng Chao, Pei Yu, and Han Fuhu exploded on the spot.

Zheng Chao slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, causing the teacups on the table to jump.
"You bastard, so it was you who cheated us out of our money!"

Without a word, Pei Yu reached behind his back, a glint of cold light flashed, and a dagger was already in his hand. Han Fuhu, relying on his large frame and strong waist, didn't even bother to draw his weapon, and immediately stood up to attack.

The atmosphere instantly became tense. The other leaders were caught off guard by this sudden turn of events and didn't react for a moment.

Fu Guosheng's face suddenly darkened, and although his voice wasn't loud, it carried a heavy, imposing weight:

"Stop it, all of you! What are you doing? Are you trying to disrespect me? What happened before is in the past. From now on, we're all brothers. Can't we sit down and talk things out?"

The other bosses, unaware of the situation, assumed the three were simply enraged because their business had been stolen earlier. They immediately followed Fu Guosheng's lead, acting as peacemakers and urging Zheng Chao and his group to let the matter rest.
"Alright, alright, Boss Fu has already spoken, Boss Zheng, you should give him some face too."

"Yes, we're all on the same side now. Let's make money together from now on and not hurt our relationship."

Zheng Chao's face was contorted with rage, and his voice was practically squeezed out through clenched teeth:
"Boss Fu, it's not what you think. I ordered hundreds of thousands of yuan worth of goods from him—and they're all fake!"

Han Fuhu and Pei Yu then revealed the truth.

Of the three, Pei Yu lost the least, 300,000; Han Fuhu lost the most, a full 500,000; and Zheng Chao also lost more than 400,000.

Zheng Chao turned his head and stared intently at Hua Shier, uttering each word with gritted teeth:
"You have to give this money back to us."

All eyes in the private room turned to Hua Shier. The air seemed to tighten for a moment.

Hua Shier leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and was more relaxed than anyone else present.

He took out a cigarette, lit it slowly, and took a deep drag, the smoke slowly exhaling from his nostrils. In the dead silence, he stared at Zheng Chao's face, which was almost dripping with blood, and suddenly chuckled.

"Shouldn't we try to reason with each other?"

Hua Shier took out his cigarette, flicked off the ash, and looked at Zheng Chao with a smile: "Tell us in front of everyone—what kind of goods did you receive?"

Zheng Chao, his neck stiff, roared, "I ordered 300,000 yuan worth of goods, and what I received was all bird's nest coffee and Indian rock sugar!"

Hua Shier spread his hands, his face innocent to the point of being sincere:
"That matches up perfectly. Let everyone be the judge—that's exactly what I'm selling. Genuine products, fair and honest, I even added goji berries! Don't you have any conscience? If you're not happy, you can call the police!"

Zheng Chao's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and his voice cracked:

"Are you sure you don't want to throw it up?"

Hua Shier held a cigarette between two fingers and spat it at Zheng Chao:
"Spit your ass out. I don't have the habit of spitting out what I eat."

Zheng Chao, his face contorted with rage, roared at his henchmen behind him, "Kill him!"

Each of the bosses present brought two or three underlings with them. At Zheng Chao's command, two of his men rushed towards Hua Shier without saying a word.

Han Fuhu and Pei Yu waved to their own men at the same time: "Grab him!"

Hua Shier also brought his underlings, but Haozi and Kun Ge were both useless. Their legs started trembling on the spot, and they could barely stand up, let alone help.

So Hua Shier had to rely on himself. He stood up, grabbed the solid wood chair he was sitting on, and swung it around in a wide arc, delivering a sweeping blow.

With a muffled crack, the henchman at the front was sent flying sideways before he could even utter a sound.

Immediately afterwards, Hua Twelve attacked from both sides, simultaneously chanting the close-combat incantation of 'Grand Master Liu':

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit your mother's ass, holy shit your mother's ass."

He wielded the solid wood chair with great force, smashing it repeatedly. In less than ten seconds, he had knocked Pei Yu and Han Fuhu to the ground, their heads covered in blood.

The solid wood chairs in Hua Shier's hands were all dried up and broken, leaving only a stool leg in each hand!

Everyone in the private room was completely dumbfounded. What kind of fighting power is this?!

Everyone was stunned. What kind of combat power was this?

That wasn't the end of it. Hua Shier threw away the stool leg, pulled out a pistol from his back waist, and fired a barrage of shots at Zheng Chao, who was not far away.

Bang bang bang bang bang——

Everyone in the private room covered their heads and lay down. The gunshots were deafening in the confined space, and the smell of gunpowder filled their nostrils.

When the gunfire stopped, everyone cautiously looked up and saw Zheng Chao standing there, trembling violently, like a stone statue just pulled from the water.

Several bullet holes were still smoldering on his body, but they had all passed through his clothes: one hole in the fabric of his left shoulder, one hole in the fabric of his right rib, and one hole on each side of his trouser leg. Every shot had only grazed the edges; none of them had actually wounded his flesh.

But his legs were already soaked, dark water stains running down his trouser legs and forming a small puddle on the floor.

Zheng Chao was so scared he wet himself.

Hua Shier chuckled, "Sorry, my marksmanship isn't very accurate. How about we count to four and try again?"

He casually tucked the empty gun behind his back, then pulled out a second one, aiming the dark muzzle at Zheng Chao again, a roguish smile still playing on his lips.

"Come on, kneel down first, then we'll talk about everything else!"

Zheng Chao's legs were no longer under his control; his knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, trembling violently. Hua Shier walked over unhurriedly, pressing the muzzle of his gun against Zheng Chao's forehead:
"I didn't hear what you just said clearly. Come on, repeat it so I can hear it again?"

Zheng Chao's upper and lower teeth chattered uncontrollably, making a clicking sound, and he couldn't utter a single word.

The private room was so quiet that only the sound of Zheng Chao's teeth chattering could be heard. The other gang leaders, who had previously harbored some thoughts, all fell silent and remained obediently seated in their seats, not daring to utter a sound.

They finally understood why Boss Fu had entrusted his Southeast Asian business to this guy—he was a complete scoundrel!

Fu Guosheng watched the entire spectacle unfold without showing any emotion, and only then did he slowly speak, his tone carrying just the right amount of peacemaker warmth:

"Brother, we're all on the same side. Give me some face."

Hua Shier turned his head to look at him and smiled:

"Old Fu, if it weren't for your sake, he would be dead by now."

After he finished speaking, he tapped Zheng Chao's forehead with the muzzle of the gun, making a soft tapping sound.

"Aren't you happy that I didn't kill you?"

Zheng Chao was so struck that he saw stars and his whole body convulsed.

Hua Shier added, "Say thank you."

Zheng Chao's lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a slurred voice: "Th...thank you."

Hua Shier kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"Use your clothes to wipe up the urine on the ground. It smells awful. Don't you have any sense of public decency when you pee and poop anywhere?"

Zheng Chao cried and could only start wiping the floor with his clothes.

Hua Twelve looked down at him, his contempt undisguised:
"Someone like you think you can compete with me? Do you even have the ability? Even if I gave you the chance, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the other bosses present, and none of them dared to meet his eyes.

Hua Twelve put on a smiling face:
"Actually, I'm a very kind person. It's just that I can't stand these three betraying their boss. They ate with Lao Fu, but then they came to my place to secretly place an order, doing dirty tricks behind their boss's back. What do you think? Shouldn't they be beaten up?"

The gang leaders paused for half a second, then nodded in unison, as if striking garlic. They bypassed Fu Guosheng to get the goods elsewhere, which was indeed a bit taboo.

Hua Shier continued, "What's most infuriating is that they actually want a refund! When have I ever refunded money in business? That's just wishful thinking!"

Fu Guosheng smiled but remained silent. He was also quite annoyed by Zheng Chao and the other two's petty actions. Hua Shier's intervention to teach them a lesson saved him the trouble of personally doing so.

Hua Shier continued, his face innocent as he said:

"Besides, I'm just a coffee seller. I sold them the real thing, and I even added goji berries and chrysanthemum, and they still found fault with me? Holy crap, is there no justice in this world?"

The expressions on the faces of the gang leaders were indescribable. You have two guns, so whatever you say is right.

Seeing that the time was right, Fu Guosheng stood up, patted Hua Shier on the shoulder, and gently pressed the gun in Hua Shier's hand down slightly.

"Alright, we're all on the same side, it's good to have things said."

He turned to everyone present and said loudly:

"You may not know this, but my brother used to be in the arms business, so he has a bad temper. Please bear with him in the future."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, and they suddenly realized why he was so aggressive—he was involved in arms dealing.

Although their business is quite profitable and they operate in the underworld, when it comes to fighting skills, they are not on the same level as those who deal in arms. They are truly not to be trifled with.

Fu Guosheng sat back down, his voice returning to its usual unhurried tone:

"We must not bring up the past again. We must work together and focus on making money."

He asked Hua Twelve to sit back down first, and then continued:

"Now, let me tell you something else."

Fu Guosheng's voice dropped half a octave, his face ashen.
"When I was in the cell, I almost got killed. Someone wanted me dead. Thanks to Brother Tianlong for saving me, otherwise—I'm afraid I wouldn't be here sitting with you all today."

His gaze slowly swept across the faces of every boss present. The pause was brief, but enough for each person to feel those eyes linger on them for a moment.

“I suspect that among the brothers here, some of them want my life, Fu Guosheng.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the private room seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand. The gang leaders exchanged glances, their expressions varying.

Fu Guosheng didn't give them time to process it, turning his head to call out to Xiao Tao.

Jiao Tao waved his hand towards the door, and two of his underlings pushed the door open and brought in a man.

The prisoner being held captive was the same one who had stabbed Fu Guosheng with a toothbrush in the cell.

At this moment, he looked extremely nervous, and his body was trembling just as much as Zheng Chao, who was standing not far away.

Fu Guosheng looked at the man and said in a kind tone:

"Relax. I'm a reasonable person. We have no grudge against each other. If you come to kill me, there must be someone behind you. Tell me who instructed you—and I'll spare your life."

All the leaders realized at this moment that Fu Guosheng was not only introducing Hua Shier, this powerful dragon, tonight, but also a veritable trap.

The man pursed his lips tightly, his face was pale, and his body was trembling, but he refused to utter a single word.

His gaze was lowered, avoiding looking at any of the leaders present, and he also deliberately avoided Fu Guosheng's gaze.

The silence lasted for about ten seconds.

Fu Guosheng nodded, as if confirming something:
"Loyalty is a good thing. I admire people like you the most."

He took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, stood up, and walked slowly behind the man.

But rules are rules.

He sighed, his voice even carrying a hint of regret, "If you don't want to tell me, don't blame me."

Before he could finish speaking, he had already grabbed the man by the neck.

The man struggled desperately, kicking his feet a few times on the ground and making muffled gasps in his throat, but soon fell silent.

When Fu Guosheng released his grip, the man's body collapsed limply to the ground like a bag of flesh with its bones removed.

The entire private room was deathly silent.

Even an old tiger can still eat people.

Fu Guosheng, who was usually all smiles and amiable, revealed his long-dormant fangs to all his bosses at this moment.

Fu Guosheng returned to his seat, took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and smiled slightly at everyone:
"No matter who it is, don't let me find out. Otherwise, you know what the consequences will be."

No one dared to speak.

Fu Guosheng tossed the handkerchief onto the table and waved his hand: "Alright, Xiao Tao, handle this. Let's get back to business."

Jiao Tao and his men quickly cleaned up the body and the ground. In less than two minutes, the private room was spotless again, as if nothing had happened.

Fu Guosheng turned to Hua Shier, his tone becoming warmer again:
“I just mentioned the rules. If you want to join, you'll have to follow the rules too—is that alright?”

Hua Shier shrugged casually: "Without rules, there can be no order. Old Fu, just say what you have to say."

Fu Guosheng nodded in satisfaction: "Good. According to the rules, newcomers must submit a pledge of loyalty."

"No problem."

Hua Shier bent down and picked up the dagger that Pei Yu had dropped from the ground. He held it in his palm and strode over to Zheng Chao, who was lying on the ground.

His tone was as casual as if he were going to the market to buy a piece of meat: "I'll cut off his head and hand over the blood oath now."

Zheng Chao, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, was terrified and scrambled towards the door.
"Are you fucking crazy?!"

Pei Yu and Han Fuhu were also terrified, their faces turning pale, and they instinctively shrank back. This man had just said he'd shoot, and now he was saying he'd cut off heads. Sitting next to someone like that was too much for their hearts to handle.

Fu Guosheng quickly stood up, grabbed Hua Shier's arm, and, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, pressed down on the hand holding the knife:

"Brother, you've misunderstood. What era are we living in now? We don't use those 'blood oaths' anymore."

Hua Shier casually flicked his wrist, and the dagger flew out of his hand, grazing Zheng Chao's crotch before embedding itself in the floor, the blade vibrating and humming.

Zheng Chao was so frightened that another surge of heat uncontrollably gushed out, the second time.

Hua Shier clicked his tongue and looked down at himself:
"Oh, I see. You should have told me earlier next time, or you almost dirtied my Vasaki."

Fu Guosheng laughed heartily, his laughter more hearty than ever before that evening.

He put his arm around Hua Shier's shoulder, his admiration undisguised in his eyes:

"It's nothing major. It's just that you'll have to help me transport this shipment yourself."

Thanks to 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, and Hai Dongqing for their generous donations, and to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!