Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 355 Hu Ming, the Manager Who Wants to Shirk Responsibility
"Long time no see, Second Master!"

Although Sheng Sheng Man's hearing was far inferior to Hu Ming's, it was still extraordinary. When Jiang Nan and Xiao Ge arrived at the village entrance, Sheng Sheng Man heard the commotion.

"Wait, Second Master? What the heck? When did my way of addressing you change?"

Hu Ming was taken aback and asked instinctively.

He was certain his memory was intact; just six months ago, these people were calling him "Second Master." How could it have changed so suddenly?
"Since the passing of Second Master Er Yuehong, the position of head of the Hong family has remained vacant."

"As you know, Er Yuehong's three sons have all left the Nine Gates for many years and are living the lives of ordinary people."

"Therefore, in the six months you have been away, the Hong family, as well as some smaller families that depend on the Hong family for survival, have come to regard you as their head."

“You are now the true Second Master of the Nine Gates, not some Junior Second Master.”

Sheng Shengman said softly with an impeccable smile.

However, upon closer inspection, one can see that her smile is slightly unnatural.

Clearly, she's still not quite used to such a ridiculous thing.

Hu Ming grinned, unable to describe his feelings.

No, it was all so inexplicable that I became the head of the household?
This is unbelievable! He thought he would have to go back to the Hong family and put in a lot of effort to become the real Second Master. He hasn't found the right person yet, so he can't just sit back and do nothing!

"Heh, are all these people brain-dead?"

"Besides, the Hong family's ancestral skills are more like opera performances than tomb raiding. Isn't Xiao Hua more suitable than me? She's his personal disciple!"

Hu Ming shook his head. To be honest, he didn't want to get involved unless absolutely necessary.

Although he had considerable influence, he was used to being a hands-off manager.

Currently, no one is replacing him to help manage the Hong family. He's still thinking of finding a suitable person to take over the Hong family after some time.

We've always heard of power struggles, but who would have thought the Hong family would pull such a stunt!
Damn it, doesn't the Hong family have at least one or two ambitious individuals?
They'd better hurry up and send someone to seize power! They don't have anyone of their own to help them take over the Hong family's position.

"Give up, Second Master. Half a year has passed, and it's already a done deal. Your current identity is unanimously recognized by the members of the Nine Gates."

Seemingly guessing that Hu Ming wanted to quit, Sheng Shengman spoke slowly and deliberately again.

"That's it! Bro, how about we go back the way we came, and I'll stay in there with you for ten or eight years, outlasting those old guys? What do you say?"

Hu Ming looked at the young man with a blank expression.

"Second Master, I still have things to take care of outside. If you want to go, you should go back by yourself. I won't accompany you this time."

The young man aloofly turned his back on Hu Ming, but judging from the upturned corners of his mouth and that ridiculous nickname, it was clear that he was in a good mood.

Well, seeing Hu Ming in trouble made him feel pretty good.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Hu Ming sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Brother, don't you love me anymore?"
"Second Master, I know what you're worried about, but don't worry. Half a century ago, after Second Master Er Yuehong left Changsha, the Hong family had already started to clean up their act and dispersed many people."

"Nowadays, no one who is still willing to admit to being a member of the Hong family continues to be involved in underground activities. Apart from their old profession, they only do some legitimate businesses." "Moreover, the Hong family has not had a head for many years, and they have long since developed their own set of procedures. Therefore, even if you take over the position of head of the Hong family, it seems that there is nothing for you to worry about at the moment."

He said with a slow, gentle laugh.

Hu Ming had stayed at the New Moon Hotel for quite some time and had a lot of contact with him. Sheng Sheng Man knew Hu Ming quite well and knew that he was a person who hated trouble and had left the power he had built to his cousin and his family!

"I don't believe you! There's no such thing as getting something for nothing in this world. Just wait, I'll get my comeuppance sooner or later..."

"Forget it, things are already like this, there's no point in me dwelling on it anymore."

"Speaking of which, suddenly becoming the head of a large family, others would be overjoyed, so I won't be pretentious..."

Hu Ming sighed helplessly. If the entire Hong family had reformed, then the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks, and it was something worth considering.

There's a long road ahead, and it's inevitable that there will be things that are inconvenient for me to do myself, or that some trivial matters will require someone else to handle them.

Before joining the Nine Gates, the Hong family was a prestigious family in Changsha that had been passed down for hundreds of years, although it had declined somewhat in the last hundred years due to a series of changes.

But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; the Hong family is still a behemoth today.

Besides, it was free!
"By the way, Second Master, Miss originally wanted to pick you up herself, but something came up, so she sent me instead."

"Hmm, it's nothing. I'm not that controlling, and besides, Nanfeng is a strong woman, so it's only natural that she has her own things to do."

Hu Ming waved his hand dismissively.

"Then... then, you and my brother can rest here for the night, and we'll set off back to Beijing first thing tomorrow morning?"

Sheng Sheng nodded slowly and asked softly.

"Beijing? Who said I was going to Beijing? I'm going to Hangzhou!"

"Hey buddy, what about you?"

Hu Ming raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the young man.

"Just drop me off at the nearest bus station. I need to go to Shanghai to take care of some things, and it's not on your way."

The young man thought for a moment and then answered.

Shanghai?
That place, if I remember correctly, is the headquarters of Qiu Dekao's people in China!
A videotape?
So, does this mean the trip to the Snake Swamp Ghost City is already on the agenda?
Ah, what a life of toil!

Hu Ming sighed, looking up at the sky. It seemed he wouldn't be able to get a proper rest when he got back.

About three days later, after tossing and turning all night, Hu Ming finally returned to his small villa in Hangzhou.

After half a year, Hu Ming enjoyed the soft mattress again and slept in late, too lazy to get out of bed.

That morning, while I was watching TV in bed, an uninvited guest suddenly arrived.

The moment Hu Ming saw the visitor, he knew that his peaceful days were over and the trip to the Snake Swamp Ghost City was imminent!
(End of this chapter)