During the Republic of China era, I achieved unparalleled success by returning to the past.

Wei Shi, 3 PM.

Vermilion and gilded palace lanterns hung under the eaves. The scent of Longjing tea mixed with sandalwood wafted into the air before the rain.

"Gentlemen, this way please. Mr. Situ is waiting." The waiter in the bamboo cloth robe led Song Beiyou and his companions to a private room on the second floor, then bowed and left.

Su Xiaowan stepped in front of her, blocking her way: "Wait, you seem very scared. Is there some kind of monster inside?"

The teahouse waiter quickly shook his head: "No, no, sir, you're joking."

"If you're not afraid, why are you sweating?" Su Xiaowan pressed on.

"I'm getting a little hot from running up and down. If you don't have any other instructions, sir, I'll be going to attend to other matters." The teahouse waiter shrank back, about to slip away through the gap.

A large, fan-like hand gripped his shoulder from behind, forcefully pulling him back up. The teahouse waiter turned around and saw a burly man, as big as a black bear, staring at him with tiger-like eyes.

The waiter quickly begged for mercy: "Gentlemen, please don't make things difficult for me. I'm just a waiter in the teahouse."

Song Beiyou took out a silver coin, flicked it with his finger, and it jingled. Su Xiaowan, meanwhile, intentionally or unintentionally revealed the holster on her waist, her two small mustaches twitching, and asked, "Which one do you choose?" The two of them, one using enticement and the other using coercion, worked together seamlessly.

The waiter's eyes darted around, and even a fool would know which option to choose. He forced a smile and whispered, "When I came to serve tea first, I heard them at the door say that someone was coming soon, so they all rushed over."

"How many people?" Song Beiyou asked.

"Four people."

The waiter took the silver dollar and fled downstairs as if it were a plague.

"I'm going to the back window," Su Xiaowan said softly. She lightly stepped on the railing, her body like a swallow, and climbed onto the upturned eaves. Like a swallow turning over, she disappeared.

"Qiang is keeping watch at the stairwell."

Song Beiyou gave an order, then walked to the door of the elegant room and knocked on the wooden lattice door.

"Please come in."

Song Beiyou pushed open the door, and behind the deep red tea table sat a handsome young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

"Please sit down." He gestured with his hand, his eyes showing wariness and anxiety.

Song Beiyou stepped inside on the shiny hard wooden planks, his steps slow and unhurried. His eyes swept over the six-panel silk screen on his right—there was a figure behind it.

He calmly took his seat and smiled, "Mr. Situ, you've arrived early."

The young man frowned, eager to ask, "What exactly do you mean by the VIP room you mentioned?"

Song Beiyou smiled faintly, "Mr. Situ seems to be in a hurry. In that case, let's get straight to the point. The Ronghua VIP room, of course, refers to a VIP room on the third floor of the Fugui Hotel."

Situ Le's pupils dilated, his breathing involuntarily quickened, and his voice tightened: "What do you mean by bringing up this private room?"

Ping-pong! A muffled thud suddenly came from behind the screen. Four figures fell heavily to the ground, slamming their fists against the hard wooden board with a thud.

Situ Le was greatly alarmed. He sprang to his feet, punching the teapot off the table. At the same time, he made a swift motion, his hand forming a crane claw, his fingers like a crane's beak, aimed straight for his throat. The first move was a feint, the second a real attack, aiming to achieve victory in one strike.

Unexpectedly, Song Beiyou swayed, caught the teapot with one hand and pushed it back, while his other hand deftly slapped Song Beiyou's wrist.

Situ Le felt as if he had been branded with a hot iron and hurriedly withdrew his hand. However, the teapot was already heading straight for him. In the blink of an eye, he tilted his head to the side, and the teapot flew past his ear and crashed into the wooden wall behind him with a bang.

Their exchange was lightning fast, yet he was already drenched in a cold sweat. The young man opposite him gave him a terrifying aura of unfathomable depth and mystery. It seemed this was going to be a tough battle!

He sat firmly on his horse, focusing his energy in his dantian, about to unleash his inner strength, when a hoarse, cold voice suddenly reached his ears: "Don't move, or the gun might go off accidentally."

Situ Le froze instantly, not daring to move an inch. Even though he considered himself a skilled fighter, he wouldn't dare to confront a bullet at such close range.

Song Beiyou laughed and said, "Ah Chun, Mr. Situ is a friend. How can you point a gun at his head? Put it away."

Su Xiaowan rolled her eyes at him unhappily, but still managed to holster the gun with a flick of her wrist: "Mr. Situ, you dare to call for backup for something so shady? Aren't you afraid they'll find out too?"

"You killed them?"

"I just wanted them to sleep for a while, so they wouldn't hear what I was about to say."

Situ Le's face darkened: "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Mr. Situ, you should understand what I mean, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to see us. Do I really have to spell it out for you? You and Madam Zhang..."

Situ Le's hand trembled slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked, unwilling to give up, "How did you know?"

Su Xiaowan glanced at Song Beiyou and said meaningfully, "Of course, I saw it with my own eyes."

Situ Le's face turned pale, and cold sweat trickled down his temples: "You invited me here, what do you want? At worst, I'll take Ah Si and run away to another place."

"Mr. Situ, do you think you can escape Zhang Dabao's pursuit with a woman and a child?" Su Xiaowan's mustache twitched as she chuckled.

Song Beiyou was secretly pleased. This girl had gotten into character so quickly, while he had become just a spectator.

"So what do you want?" Situ Le's eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved.

Su Xiaowan walked behind Song Beiyou, placed her hand on the back of the chair, and looked at him: "What do you want? Then please tell me, Mr. Song."

Situ Le's gaze fell on Song Beiyou.

Song Beiyou smiled and said, "The first thing is to sow discord between Zhang Feilong and Zhang Dabao."

Situ Le looked surprised: "As far as I know, the two of them have been brothers for decades."

Song Beiyou interrupted, saying, "Human hearts are complex and unpredictable, and prone to change. Moreover, Zhang Feilong does indeed want to deal with Zhang Dabao and take the boss's position."

Situ Le was shocked: "Are you serious?"

Song Beiyou nodded slightly: "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. If those two can fight to the death, wouldn't you and Madam Zhang be free to roam the skies afterward?"

Situ Le's spirits lifted: "If Zhang Feilong truly has ambitions, then it's worth a try."

Song Beiyou flicked his finger, picked up the teacup on the table, and looked at the honey-like tea in it: "You think you can take the initiative to deal with me, so you do have some brains. This needs to be done as soon as possible. My brother Ah Chun can see what's going on between you and her, and there's no guarantee that others won't see it too. I have two people who can be used as a breakthrough point: one is Master Biao, and the other is Zhang Feilong's strategist."

Situ Le's thick eyebrows almost furrowed into a knot: "I understand. Is there anything else?"

Song Beiyou tapped his finger on the tea table: "Sit down and let's talk."

Situ Le nodded involuntarily. Unconsciously, he was intimidated by Song Beiyou's casual tone and all-controlling aura, and could not muster the slightest thought of resistance.

"My second matter involves a foreigner named Smith who has done business with Master Bao. I need his information."

"Smith? I don't know his specific details, but I've met him a few times with Master Bao. He's one of Master Bao's major clients." Situ Le raised an eyebrow, thinking of something: "There's a shipment to be delivered to him in two days, and he should be there."

"What goods? What port?" Song Beiyou asked in a deep voice, two questions that went straight to the heart of the matter.

"Wangjiadu, piglet." Situ Le answered just as crisply.

Song Beiyou lowered his eyelids slightly, his eyes becoming deep and unfathomable.

……

The three walked out of the teahouse, where cars and people were coming and going on the street.

Su Xiaowan raised an eyebrow smugly: "How about it? I can help you, right?"

Song Beiyou gave her a thumbs up: "No wonder she's a professionally trained talent."

Su Xiaowan's eyes were bright as spring sunshine, clearly showing she was in a good mood. Ding Qiang, standing nearby, secretly glanced at her, finding the short woman's behavior rather strange. Did Brother You like that kind of thing?!

Song Beiyou glanced at the sky and said, "Qiang, you should go back now. Your grandmother will worry about you again. We'll talk to you again in a couple of days when we're working."

"I told her I'd work for you, and she's all set. How many men do you need in a couple of days? I'm a high-ranking official now, I have a bunch of tough guys under me," Ding Qiang chuckled.

Song Beiyou laughed and said, "Those people aren't yours, they belong to Master Bao. You can come alone then; I only trust you."

Ding Qiang nodded, "Now that you mention it, I understand."

Song Beiyou hopped on his bicycle: "Then we'll be going now, you can go back by yourself."

Without being told, Su Xiaowan sat down in the back seat, the broad back blocking her view and the somewhat dazzling sunset.

Riding the bike smoothly and steadily, Su Xiaowan watched the pedestrians and vehicles passing by on the street, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart. The sunset light brushed past the man riding the bike in front of her and hit her eyes.

She tugged at his sleeve, and a melody popped into her head, causing her to hum it involuntarily: "The setting sun gently pillows my dreams, the rising moon welcomes the horizon. I look up at this tender light, my heart soaring with the evening breeze."

Song Beiyou asked with a smile, "Have you ever had a dream where there's a young man in a wheelchair in a lane filled with fragrant flowers...?"

Hidden behind her back, unafraid of being seen, she said in a melodious voice, "No, where would I get so many dreams all day long?"