A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1543 My worship of him is bad for him! (Please subscribe!)

The day before the typhoon made landfall, Hua Shier was playing cards with Haozi, Kun Ge, and a few others in his hotel room. Suddenly, his phone beeped. He picked it up and saw it was another unknown number sending a string of random characters.

Hua Shier showed the screen to the others, muttering disdain:
"These telecommunications companies are becoming increasingly unreliable. Look at the mess they're collecting."

The mouse chuckled as it drew the cards:

"That's still considered good. Guess what kind of text message I received last time? The other party said he was Jiang's illegitimate son, that over 10 billion New Taiwan Dollars were frozen in Taiwan, that he was stuck on the mainland and couldn't go back, and that he urgently needed 80,000 NTD for working capital. He said he would give me 2.5 billion NTD as soon as the funds were unfrozen."

Kun and his gang burst into laughter: "Mouse, you're going to make a fortune! Then hurry up and transfer the money to them!"

The mouse slammed the cards on the table and said irritably, "How stupid do I have to be to believe this!"

Hua Shier laughed along for a while, then casually added a joke for him:

“Then send him a message saying that you are Qin Shi Huang, that you didn’t die at all, and that you buried more than 10 billion tons of gold in Xianyang, which needs 800 coins to thaw. Ask him to send you 800 coins first—that’s enough for you to make two big swords.”

The group played a couple more rounds, laughing and joking, before Hua Shier shoved his cards into the arms of his underling next to him, telling him to take his place, and stood up, saying:

"I'm tired, let's go for a walk."

Once he stepped outside, the smile vanished from his face. The garbled text message he'd just received wasn't spam; it was a secret code sent by An Jialu from the same floor.

When he pushed the door open, An Jialu was the only one in the living room.

Seeing that the opportunity was good, Hua Shier didn't hesitate and opened his arms to meet him:
"Come here and give me a hug."

An Jialu's face flushed red instantly. She shrank back and whispered reproachfully:
"Stop fooling around, Sister Lin is still here."

Before the words had even finished, Lin Yujing walked out, carrying a toolbox, and expressionlessly raised her chin at Hua Shier:
"Come here and sit down."

Hua Shier rolled her eyes at An Jialu, her face full of disappointment:
"I don't believe you didn't hear anything. Do you think you'll get pregnant if you come out a little later? This is so boring."

"What do you mean by 'interesting' or 'uninteresting'? Yu Zui, be serious for once. We're on a mission, this is work time."

Lin Yujing placed the toolbox on the coffee table, opened it with a snap, revealing neatly arranged equipment and cables inside. She squatted in front of the coffee table without looking up.

"To ensure the success of the operation, your family has prepared double insurance for you. In addition to the personnel on standby at all times, we're going to attach a signal device to you now. By the way, did you have your wisdom tooth removed? It can be inserted under your molar."

"If you encounter any danger, you can tap your teeth three times to generate a weak electrical signal. The signal will only last for two minutes, and your family can pinpoint your exact location within those two minutes."

Hua Shier made her laugh:
"Stop joking. I'm not faking this."

Lin Yujing's pretty face hardened, and she looked up at him directly: "Yu Zui, I'm not discussing this with you. This is an order."

Hua Shier raised his hand and slapped his forehead, his voice suddenly becoming sharp:
"Now I understand why those three special agents died—they had too many useless teammates, and they just couldn't carry the team."

As soon as she said that, Lin Yujing's eyes immediately reddened. One of the three intelligence agents who had been killed was her fiancé.

An Jialu was startled and quickly stepped in to smooth things over, her voice incredibly soft:

"Yu Zui, this is for your own good. Sister Lin specifically suggested it to Director Xu, just in case you get into danger."

Hua Shier waved his hand, his tone softening slightly but his attitude remaining unchanged:

"Okay, I appreciate the thought. But I won't pretend."

He held up one finger, his tone becoming serious:

“I’ll tell you why. It’s not directed at anyone in particular, it’s just that this stuff is too easy to detect.”

"Don't even mention that the blasphemy might have detection equipment; even one of those cheap radar detectors that sell for a hundred yuan online can scan it. What if I'm exposed before the signal is even sent? Do you really think those heartless blasphemers will have the audacity to give you two minutes to save me?"

Lin Yujing bit her lip, but her chin remained tense: "Yu Zui, this is an order."

Hua Shier pointed at her, his voice not loud but unyielding:

"Don't give me that order nonsense. Qin Han's father was right: 'A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders.' If you insist on making me take this, then I won't do it."

After saying that, he stood up and walked out.

As he passed by An Jialu, he reached out without warning, pulled her close, and stamped her hand:
"You didn't take my side just now, so I'm punishing you. If you do it again, I'll give you a real beating."

They covered it up and ran, the door slamming shut behind them.

An Jialu was stunned for several seconds before she came to her senses. She raised her hand and touched the spot on her face where she had been kissed; her face was so hot it could fry an egg.

She waved her little fist, looking embarrassed and annoyed. Her mind went completely blank when she was stamped. She had to admit, this kind of punishment felt rather strange.

Seeing her utterly lost and bewildered expression, Lin Yujing felt both heartache and anger:
"You—you'll be completely under his thumb sooner or later. No, it's not even sooner or later, you're already completely under his thumb right now."

She picked up the phone and called Xu Pingqiu to report the situation.

After listening, Xu Pingqiu remained silent for a few seconds, then didn't hesitate for long:
“If he doesn’t want to pretend, then he doesn’t have to. What Yu Zui said isn’t unreasonable. I believe in his abilities; he’ll definitely handle it well. Since we chose him, we have to give him enough trust.”

The typhoon officially made landfall in Guangzhou that night.

Hua Shier lay in bed, listening to the howling wind and rain outside all night long. The window frame hummed under the pressure of the wind, and the rain lashed against the glass like whips.

The wind and rain showed no signs of abating early the next morning. Hua Shier's phone rang right on time; it was Lao Fu calling.

Fu Guosheng was as cheerful as ever on the phone, his voice as relaxed as if he were inviting someone for morning tea.

"Brother Tianlong, go to Dahua Toy Factory to pick up the goods at ten o'clock. Today we'll see how you perform."

Hua Shier chuckled, resting his head on his arm.
"No problem, Lao Fu. Just have your wife make dumplings at home and wait to celebrate my success."

Old Fu's face immediately darkened on the other end of the phone:
"Get lost. Don't think I don't understand. I'll just arrange two more college students for you. Don't even think about your sister-in-law—we're truly in love."

Hua Shier laughed loudly: "Alright, alright, I was just kidding you, Lao Fu. My idol is Chen Haonan, who always puts loyalty first."

This time, Fu Guosheng hung up the phone immediately.

Did he not understand Chan Ho-nam's jokes? That kid's hooking up with his second sister-in-law.

Shen Jiawen, who was standing nearby, also heard Hua Shier's voice on the phone and covered her mouth, laughing.
"What, you actually took it seriously?"

Fu Guosheng smiled and shook his head, placing his phone on the coffee table.

"That disrespectful brat. He's just trying to annoy me, but I'm not going to take it seriously."

Shen Jiawen stopped joking and smoothly steered the conversation to more serious matters:
Do you think this Yu Tianlong is reliable?

Fu Guosheng leaned back on the sofa, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with certainty:

“I’ve had someone investigate his background, and everything matches up. As long as he gives us this opportunity to prove his loyalty, and we have something on him, there won’t be any major problems.”

He put down his teacup, took Shen Jiawen's hand, and his tone suddenly became very soft, as if he were discussing something with her or talking to himself:

“This line of work isn’t a long-term solution. Jiawen, we’ve made enough money. After this is over, why don’t we retire gracefully and settle abroad? We can hand over the business here to Yu Tianlong, and we can just sit back and collect the money remotely.”

A fleeting hint of reluctance flashed in Shen Jiawen's eyes, but her expression remained unchanged.

She looked at Fu Guosheng and smiled gently: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

At 10 a.m., Hua Shier drove the beat-up van of the Groundhog Digging Team, along with his "right-hand men" Kun Ge and Haozi, out into the wind and rain.

After the typhoon passed, the sky was as gloomy as dusk.

The strong wind whipped the rain horizontally, causing the metal signs on both sides of the road to rattle and rattle, and the windows of the van to vibrate and buzz in the wind.

A white curtain of rain rolled and surged across the streets, and not a single pedestrian could be seen on the road, not even the shadows of cars.

As they approached the toy factory, Hua Shier's phone rang; it was Zheng Chao calling.

"Hey, Tianlong, we've changed the location—come to XX Entertainment City, I'll send you the address."

Hua Shier was immediately displeased and snapped into the phone:
"Hey Zheng Chao, what are you up to? We agreed to meet at your toy factory, so why did we go to the amusement park? You're not doing this on purpose because I beat you up last time, are you?"

Zheng Chao quickly explained, "No, no, Brother Tianlong, you've misunderstood. In our line of work, you can never be too careful. Last-minute changes are common; it's all part of the rules, the rules."

Hua Shier nodded: "Okay, I'll go. But if I find out you're messing with me—I'll never forgive you."

He hung up the phone, turned the steering wheel, and the old van drifted and made a U-turn on the flooded road, splashing water as high as a person, heading straight for the entertainment center.

When they arrived, Zheng Chao was already waiting in the lobby.

He greeted him with a big smile: "Brother Tianlong, come upstairs and play for a while, then we'll talk about other things." As he spoke, he gave Hua Shier a wink, meaning not to ask anything for now.

His smile was natural and friendly, as if he wasn't the one who had been beaten bloody and trembling on his knees by Hua Shier last time.

He went upstairs and entered a private room, where a dozen or so thugs were scattered about, some drinking, some playing cards. As soon as they heard the door open, they all stood up simultaneously and greeted him in unison, "Brother Chao!"

Hua Shier glanced at them—each one was burly and broad-shouldered, with dragons or tigers around their necks.

He chuckled, turning to look at Zheng Chao: "Old Zheng, this whole setup isn't some kind of trap, is it?" Zheng Chao quickly explained: "Please don't misunderstand. We're just transporting goods today, these are all my men." He turned to his underlings and loudly ordered, "Call him Brother Tianlong, give him your regards!"

A dozen or so people greeted in unison, "Hello, Brother Tianlong."

Zheng Chao gestured for him to go ahead, his tone solicitous: "Brother Tianlong, please have some fun for a while. But today is a special occasion, so I won't find you a girl. Let's get together another day when we're free, and I'll make it up to you then."

Hua Shier didn't say anything, but his intuition told him that Zheng Chao was being too polite today, to the point of being unnatural.

He always felt there was something hidden beneath that kind face. But he didn't care—he'd just break off the fangs when the other party showed them.

He nodded casually to his group of underlings, but his gaze suddenly stopped and locked onto a person in the corner.

The chubby, fair-skinned, and pink-haired little boy is the same pink-haired boy in Xu Pingqiu's photo.

Hua Shier withdrew his gaze, calmly sat down, and drank two bottles of beer with Zheng Chao.

They stayed in that private room for several hours, and the underlings didn't even go out to use the toilet; instead, they took their spittoons and relieved themselves right there.

Just as Hua Shier was holding the microphone and singing 'Only You Can Accompany Me on My Journey to the West,' Zheng Chao's phone screen, which was on the table, lit up.

Zheng Chao picked it up and saw it was an MMS advertisement. The picture showed a beautiful woman, and below it was a line of numbers like '188' and '388'. Hua Shier, being so innocent, naturally didn't understand what it meant and had never seen such an advertisement before.

But he intuitively guessed that it was most likely some kind of code.

Sure enough, after reading the MMS, Zheng Chao put his phone in his pocket, stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Let's go."

Everyone put down their glasses and started walking out of the card game. Zheng Chao turned his head towards Hua Shier and said, "Brother Tianlong, it's time to get to work."

Hua nodded and beckoned Kun and Haozi to follow.

The group followed Zheng Chao down the stairs through the emergency exit to the back entrance of the entertainment center.

The wind and rain rushed in, and a van was already waiting outside the back door.

The back door was opened, and without being told, Zheng Chao's men filed in.

Hua Shier was standing in the rain, glancing around the carriage, when a fierce-looking henchman with a thick gold chain next to Zheng Chao suddenly reached out and shoved him hard from behind.

He was slightly surprised that Hua Shier didn't move, but he still said in an unfriendly tone:

"What are you standing there for? Get in the car!"

When Haozi and Kun saw their boss being pushed, they both shouted angrily, "What are you doing? Show some respect to my boss!"

The man with the gold chain pointed at them, his eyes fierce, and said:

"Don't fucking cause trouble. You call him 'brother,' and he actually thinks he's the boss!"

Before the words had even finished, Hua Shier's right hand, gripping the phone, had already swung it, smashing it solidly onto the man's head.

"Holy crap, who do you think you're talking to?!"

While cursing, he grabbed the other person's neck with his left hand and slammed him against the car door, while his right hand gripped the phone and repeatedly smashed it down, each blow accompanied by the dull thud of bones hitting metal.

On the fourth hit, the phone screen shattered and flew everywhere. The man was covered in blood, which flowed down with the rain. He slumped to the ground.

From the moment the action was taken to the moment the person lay down, it took only a few seconds.

Zheng Chao realized what was happening but it was too late to stop them; his trusted confidant had already collapsed in the rain.

Hua Shier wasn't finished yet. He pulled out a pistol from his back waist, cocked it with a click, pressed the muzzle towards the man on the ground, and his finger was already on the trigger.

Zheng Chao was so frightened he almost jumped out of his skin. He rushed forward and grabbed Hua Shier's wrist, his voice cracking:

"Brother Tianlong! Brother Tianlong—I was ignorant, please be magnanimous. Please, please don't fire! Business is important, if a shot causes delays..."

Hua Shier's chest heaved violently, his face filled with ferocity:

"Zheng Chao, it's not that I'm not giving you face—you saw everything, right? He dared to push me! If I don't teach him a lesson, he might just kill your whole family!"

Zheng Chao's face darkened, but he still forced a smile and explained:
"We're going to the warehouse. Everyone has to get on the trailer; it's a confidential rule, it's not targeting you. He doesn't know your identity, so please don't take offense at a subordinate like him..."

Hua Shier exhaled a breath of stale air, as if he had barely managed to suppress his anger:

"Then why the hell didn't you just talk to me properly? Why are you pushing me like that?"

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault for not disciplining them properly. I will definitely give them a good lesson later."

As Zheng Chao spoke, he wiped the rain and cold sweat from his face—this guy is a beast, he'd shoot someone on the spot at the slightest provocation. If it weren't for the fact that there wasn't a soul in sight outside during the typhoon, things would have been a huge mess today.

"Brother Tianlong, hurry up and get in the car, don't be late." Zheng Chao gestured for him to enter the car.

Hua Shier put away his gun, looked down at the smashed phone in his hand, clicked his tongue twice, and looked up at Zheng Chao:

"My phone, which I just bought for 50,000 yuan, was broken by your little brother hitting it with his head—what do you say about that?"

Zheng Chao's face turned dark.

Fifty thousand for a chicken feather? Is it made of gold or diamonds?

But he glanced down at his trusted aide, who was still groaning on the ground, gritted his teeth, and swallowed his anger.

"I'll pay for it. After this is over, I'll buy you a new one."

Hua Shier waved his hand: "Forget it, with our relationship, would I let you pay for a new one? Let's settle for cash. I'll go buy one myself, no need for you to make an extra trip."

Zheng Chao cursed under his breath—"It's only a few dollars to compensate you with a brand new Apple product, but you're asking for 50,000 in cash. You're fucking rip-off."

But at this critical juncture, he didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he could only grit his teeth and agree.

Hua Shier then led Kun Ge and Haozi onto the train carriage.

Those underlings who had previously been dismissive of him now looked at him with awe and fear. As soon as he came up, they all greeted him again, their attitude extremely respectful, and they hurriedly made way for him in the most comfortable spot in the carriage.

The carriage door closed, and the train started. The sound of wind and rain was kept out by the metal sheeting, making the carriage stuffy and heavy.

Hua Shier leaned against the side of the compartment with his eyes closed, when he suddenly caught a faint conversation coming from the cockpit ahead.

The henchman, whose face was covered in blood from being hit, gritted his teeth and muttered a complaint:
"Brother, he's too arrogant. So what if he's dealt in arms? It's not like we don't have guns or we haven't killed people before."

Zheng Chao sneered: "If it weren't for Lao Fu spoiling him, would he dare to be so arrogant?"

The underling was unwilling to give up: "Are we just going to let it go like this?"

"Forget it? How could I?"

Zheng Chao lowered his voice even further, but every word drifted into Hua Shier's ears:
"Don't worry, I've arranged everything. Today is his death day. Once he's dead—Old Fu won't turn against me for a dead man."

Hua Shier leaned against the pitch-black, bumpy seat, a silent smirk playing on his lips. This trip seemed to be getting interesting.

The van swayed and rattled for over half an hour before finally coming to a stop.

The door to the side room was pulled open from the outside, and the wind and rain rushed in.

The parking spot was under an overpass, with four trucks parked side by side in front of it, their headlights casting dim yellow beams in the rain.

Zheng Chao told everyone to get off the bus and then began assigning tasks.

"Brother Tianlong—have your two little brothers go with another car, and I'll send a few of my underlings into your car, is that alright? Don't worry, in our line of work, the more tricks we use, the safer we are."

Hua Shier's lips curled upwards, raindrops dripping down the brim of his hat. He wiped the water from his face with his thumb:
"No problem. Haozi, Akun, you two will follow Lao Zheng's instructions today."

Haozi and Kun Ge nodded at the same time.

Zheng Chao first sent the three trucks off, then turned around and whispered to Hua Shier:

“Those three vehicles are just decoys, used to evade customs officials. The cargo is all in your vehicle. Be careful.” He paused, then suddenly beckoned, “Come, let’s pay our respects to Lord Guan first.”

One of the henchmen took out his phone, pulled up a picture of Guan Yu, and held it up high with both hands.

Zheng Chao led his henchmen to clasp their hands together and respectfully bow several times towards the screen, chanting prayers for Lord Guan's blessing for a smooth journey.

Hua Shier stood to the side with his arms crossed, not even raising his hand: "I don't believe in this."

Zheng Chao and his henchmen were all stunned for a moment.

Hua Shier glanced at Guan Gong on the screen and added, "Besides—it's not good for him if I worship him."

Zheng Chao and his henchmen were completely dumbfounded. This is insanely arrogant! Serves you right for being unlucky today.

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