Age of Legends

Chapter 236 Who is he?
After clinking glasses with Zhang Chen, Lu Weiqin sat on the edge, not saying much, and just letting his mind wander.

After being rejected by Shen Nuoyi multiple times at the entrance of Yude, he adopted a long-term strategy. Later, he heard rumors about Pei Yan and was half-believing and half-doubting. On the one hand, he did not believe that Shen Nuoyi liked Pei Yan, and on the other hand, he had indeed heard how amazing Pei Yan was, so he was apprehensive.

Then another person named Zhang Chen appeared, and Lu Weiqin was completely baffled. He watched from the side, wondering how Zhang Chen had managed to defeat Pei Yan.

He's alright looking, but definitely not as handsome as Pei Yan. As for his family being rich? They couldn't possibly be as rich as Pei Yan's. If they were, people would at least mention it. Besides, I heard his family is from the Third Division and Fourth Hospital area. Wang Shuowei introduced them as people he'd known since childhood, from Nanguang Company. I didn't hear any introduction about him being the child of any leader.

So what exactly makes them so special? It can't just be because their personalities match, can it?

He carefully observed Zhang Chen from the side. Zhang Chen did not seem to be an outgoing person. When he was sitting there, Yan Mingshu and Gu Zhiyu would talk to him. They probably knew each other through Wang Shuowei. Their relationship was not that deep. Unlike some people who knew how to get along with others, Zhang Chen did not actively try to get into their circle. He was well-behaved and mostly quiet.

This frustrated Lu Weiqin. Could it be that Shen Nuoyi didn't like his extroverted personality and instead preferred Zhang Chen's introverted one? This was unbelievable! He should have just kept quiet and pretended to be reserved. But that wouldn't work either; he wasn't at Yude High School, and without making a move, he had no chance.

Lu Weiqin comforted himself, saying it wasn't a fault of his fighting skills, but simply that Zhang Chen had the advantage of being close to Yude High School.

At this moment, Zhao Tao left the next private room and came into this private room. Yan Mingshu's eyes lit up immediately. She genuinely liked Zhao Tao and didn't need to pretend.

Gu Zhiyu and the others standing nearby immediately stood up, showing Zhao Tao ample respect, "Brother Zhao!"

Zhao Tao is simply a legend among the young people of Rongcheng. Putting aside his experiences in the underworld, there are many other tough guys out there, but most of them either get executed or go into hiding after causing big trouble. They will inevitably be executed in the future, but Zhao Tao has earned the respect of many outsiders.

Starting from the earliest days when my older brother started his business selling pig's trotter soup at a street stall, he took one step at a time, opening an arcade, an internet cafe, and now a courier company, gathering many of his old buddies together to do something worthwhile.

In the past, Zhao Tao would get a headache just thinking about those old factory areas because his gang was involved in nine out of ten fights. But now, there are far fewer thugs. Those old bastards like Wang Mazi and Zhao Erwa have all found work with Zhao Tao. Some of the former scoundrels are even said to have taken money home, and their parents tell everyone that this scoundrel has finally seen the light.

Back then, young hoodlums in Fuzhou could easily rattle off a few rhyming phrases, like "Eastern Chao Ge, Western Luo Yue, Southern Ma Cheng, Northern Shuang Bing." If the "Young and Dangerous" series made some unemployed youths and countless students who couldn't concentrate on their studies dream of fighting and killing in the underworld, then these legendary figures like "Old Chao Ge" and "Big Brother" were the embodiment of the Fuzhou underworld. Then, Xiong Laoda, a desperate outlaw, emerged, seemingly determined to wipe out all these legendary big brothers of Fuzhou.

Until Xiong Laoda made a move against Zhao Tao.

Boss Xiong issued a decisive battle ultimatum to Zhao Tao, leaving Zhao Tao's gang of brothers injured, crippled, and nearly wiped out. Zhao Tao was even sent to the intensive care unit, his life hanging by a thread. After that battle, the city of Rongcheng was filled with fear and trepidation, and countless gangsters turned pale at the mere mention of Boss Xiong.

Two months later, Zhao Tao was discharged from the hospital, while Xiong Laoda died a violent death on the street.

The final investigation revealed that this Boss Xiong had more than ten lives on his hands. The entire Rongcheng Public Security Bureau felt as if they had just narrowly escaped a major disaster, like they had narrowly escaped a nationally sensational case.

Otherwise, if someone like Boss Xiong is allowed to continue like this, Rongcheng will probably see a major case that gets reported to the Ministry of Public Security.

After that, Zhao Tao's reputation reached its peak. If Zhao Tao were just a simple gangster, he might not have been able to gain the respect of officials' children like Gu Zhiyu and Yang Du. The key was that Zhao Tao's family also had influence and power. This made Zhao Tao a figure respected by both gangsters and certain elite circles.

What's even more impressive is that, given Zhao Tao's family background, he could easily have used his privileges, put on a suit, and transformed himself, using his grandfather's connections to secure projects. Wouldn't that have made him money much more easily than he does now?
But he happened to be doing the hardest and most tiring entrepreneurial work, and he even made a name for himself. Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. Guiding people onto the right path is more convincing than simply resorting to violence.

The most important thing is its guiding significance. From the legends of the old gangsters in Fuzhou to Zhao Tao's transition, it's clear that in the eyes of those who think being a gangster is cool, those old "Brother Chao" types are outdated. With the rise of Boss Xiong and the collapse of their myths, it's a completely different story in the underworld.

On the contrary, the rise of the new big brother Zhao Tao made them feel that being in the underworld is not just about fighting and killing, but also about doing something down-to-earth.

When you're young, you're immature, but when you get older, you can support yourself, and later you can do something beneficial for society. That makes a lot of sense!
In the past, fighting and brawling were just signs of immaturity. Now, understanding the hardships of one's parents and knowing how to do something worthwhile is the true sign of a Rongcheng hoodlum maturing!

But if you could work with Zhao Tao and join his company, that would be the ultimate level of the Rongcheng underworld! That's something to be proud of.

Many outsiders who observe Zhao Tao also perceive him as possessing great courage and wisdom. This is because many underworld figures in surrounding cities within the province have similarly unified their localities, ultimately leading to collusion between officials and businessmen, causing widespread suffering, and ultimately resulting in government crackdowns and unfortunate ends for them.

In contrast, Zhao Tao, despite his reputation, did not resort to bullying or market manipulation. Instead, he chose a down-to-earth and arduous path of entrepreneurship. His personal charisma is admirable and has earned him a great deal of positive reputation.

The story of Zhao Tao's work at Shengfeng Express had already been circulating among people before.

"I heard that Brother Zhao goes door-to-door every day. 'Door-to-door' means going into people's offices, floor by floor, asking if they need packages delivered. Everyone in the area around his dad's workplace knows him, so he hasn't encountered any obstacles. But in office buildings further away, Brother Zhao often runs into trouble. Some old men at the gate stop him, and some building managers scold him for soliciting business inside! Apparently, once a manager hurled some really nasty insults at him. After Brother Zhao left, his salesman, still angry, told others about it privately. And what happened? Brother Zhao got yelled at! Before his crew could even react, the news reached the manager's ears. Only then did the manager realize that the person who insulted him that day was Zhao Tao. The manager was so shocked he almost collapsed. Of course, later Brother Zhao strictly prohibited it, reiterated the rules, and no one dared to disobey him or cause trouble for the manager. Instead, the manager came to apologize with drinks..."

"Heh, Brother Zhao has a lot more to his story. The post office saw that Shengfeng had opened and was even violating postal laws by sending mail, so their inspection team came to arrest him. That day, Brother Zhao was carrying a bag of mail to mail from his office building when the post office people came to arrest him. He immediately ran into a convenience store. Which convenience store on Dongda Street doesn't know Zhao Tao? The girl at the store quickly put Brother Zhao's mail under the counter, and Brother Zhao walked out with a smile. The post office people didn't dare to go in and search! Heh, later the post office realized that it was Zhao Tao that day, so those inspection team members all learned from him. They all recognized Zhao Tao and wouldn't chase after him. But the post office would check other Shengfeng couriers, but everyone learned from Brother Zhao. Anyway, when they came to check, they would just throw the mail sack into a familiar shop, and the post office couldn't do anything about it! Those are other people's shops; they only dare to check mail, not shops!"

Everyone listened to Zhao Tao's new legends with rapt attention.

Zhang Chen was also astonished. It turned out that the postal service was cracking down on courier services secretly delivering letters, and even Zhao Tao was being chased and forced to hide! Of course, the postal service was the boss in this area, and the Postal Law enacted in 86 stipulated that the delivery of letters and items of a letter-like nature was a monopoly of the postal service. To combat courier services, the post office organized various inspectors to raid couriers everywhere, setting up roadblocks, even searching branch offices, and fining those caught.

Of course, the initial prohibition of courier companies by the national postal service wasn't unique to China. American postal law also stipulated this. When the earliest private courier services emerged in the United States, the postal service not only prosecuted them but also deployed three thousand postal inspectors and postal police to enforce the law, intercept vehicles, and seize packages containing smuggled mail. Now, listening to Zhao Tao's exploits, everyone in the private room felt they couldn't get enough. Yan Mingshu, hearing about Zhao Tao being chased away while delivering packages, had tears welling up in her eyes. Now, as Zhao Tao entered, she quickly wiped them away, her eyeshadow smudged, and gazed at him with tender affection.

Zhao Tao entered the room, nodded to each of those who called him, and then... went straight to Zhang Chen's side and said with a smile, "I heard you've won over the prettiest girl in your Yude!"

Zhang Chen just smiled. Lu Weiqin's face darkened even more; this matter had even alarmed Zhao Tao. Zhao Tao was probably asking Zhang Chen about it because of this.

As a result, Lu Weiqin soon discovered that Zhao Tao did not get up to mingle with Gu Zhiyu, Yang Du and the other second-generation rich kids. Instead, he sat down next to Zhang Chen and started chatting with him.

Wang Shuowei, Gu Zhiyu, and the others seemed to take it all for granted and did not show any surprise.

Lu Weiqin's eyes widened in surprise.

Zhang Chen smiled at Zhao Tao and said, "I just heard a lot about your deeds. It must have been tough. This can't go on like this."

“What can we do…” Zhao Tao smiled bitterly. “I didn’t expect this to be so difficult. The post office is like an enemy to us now. Being constantly chased away is not a solution, and we can’t fight back. It’s a legitimate business now. But all the brothers are holding back their anger, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to control it in the end.”

Conflicts between the postal service and courier services will inevitably erupt. Zhang Chen recalled that before the new postal law was enacted, there had been many cases that had caused irreconcilable differences between the two sides. The one stirring things up here is Zhao Tao, who also has many associates with criminal backgrounds. Zhao Tao can currently control them, but if things continue like this, it might actually lead to some criminal cases.

Zhang Chen thought for a moment and said, "This can't go on forever, but the postal service definitely can't stop it either; it's a trend!"

Zhao Tao nodded. "That's true. They know it themselves. The express delivery business in the China Overseas and Yangtze River Delta regions is booming, like a wildfire that can't be extinguished and is only growing stronger. Even the postal service itself is having headaches. It's impossible to stop it if things continue like this, but there's nothing they can do. The higher-ups have quotas to meet. Actually, postal workers are usually too lazy to check, but the worst they can do is when the leaders go crazy. Normally, everyone has their own territory, and we keep to ourselves, but sometimes when they take on business, they're helpless. They have to meet their quotas!"

Zhang Chen said, "Have you ever thought that since it's a problem with the leaders, we should start with the leaders and solve the problems they need to solve?"

"What problem does the leader want to solve? It's us!"

Zhang Chen thought for a moment and said, "They know they can't solve this themselves! What's affecting them is the decline in their core business, namely, the decline in mail delivery. But if we offer them benefits and maintain their business volume, wouldn't they not only stop targeting us but also try their best to protect us?"

Zhao Tao was a smart man and understood immediately. "You mean, stationing troops to support bandits?"

Zhang Chen laughed and said, "Don't put it so harshly. Who do you think you are?"

Zhao Tao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly sat up straight. "You rascal! You're really quick-witted!"

“Go find the postal management and tell them you’re guaranteeing their order volume. Basically, we’re the ones taking the business, putting on the postal labels, and that volume goes to the postal service,” Zhang Chen said.

Zhao Tao almost applauded, and he did indeed clap his hands together. "You've guessed exactly what those leaders are thinking. But I don't think that's enough to satisfy their appetites. They've tried to get some benefits and advantages from us more than once."

Zhang Chen thought for a moment and said, "That's true. Simply asking them for orders and business volume might not be enough to get them to talk. There's really no interest that can't sway them. Of course, I don't think any leader would refuse a legitimate source of income. I'm guessing they'll also demand money from us for the orders. They might charge a fee for each order, which is equivalent to giving money to the post office, paying protection money, you understand?"

Zhang Chen thought Zhao Tao would be resistant to listening, but he listened quietly, picked up his wine glass, clinked glasses with Zhang Chen, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Then he poured himself another glass and drank it all in one gulp.

He drank three cups in a row.

He reached out and punched Zhang Chen on the shoulder, "As expected of my little Zhuge Liang, let's do it this way!"

Zhang Chen, clutching his shoulder and wincing in pain, listened with utter bewilderment. What the hell was "Little Zhuge"?!
Everyone saw Zhao Tao's high spirits. After greeting everyone, he sat down next to Zhang Chen. Sometimes he frowned deeply, and sometimes he spoke vehemently, clearly discussing important matters with Zhang Chen.

But to some, it's an extremely incongruous scene. On one side is Zhao Tao, the current "big brother" of Fuzhou, and on the other is Zhang Chen, a high school student…

Let's...discuss business together?
Moreover, Zhao Tao would sometimes clap his hands excitedly, and sometimes hold his breath and listen intently to what he was saying.

Finally, Zhao Tao got so excited that he drank three cups in a row and gently patted Zhang Chen's shoulder, looking extremely trusting and affectionate.

Lu Weiqin was once again plunged into deep self-doubt and shock at Zhang Chen.

Who exactly is Shen Nuoyi's friend?!
(End of this chapter)