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

Recently, a thick fog has been forming every morning, only gradually dissipating as the sun rises in the east.

Two rickshaws, one in front of the other and one behind, with their bells ringing, headed towards Datong Street.

"Brother You! I would die without you, right?"

Song Beiyou reached out and hooked his arm around Wen Yiwen's shoulder, patted him hard, and asked, seemingly unrelated to the question, "How are you? Can you hold on?"

Wen Yiwen felt the weight on his shoulder and nodded, saying, "No problem. The next day, many police officers came to the school and locked me up for interrogation." A mocking smile appeared on his lips. "But I didn't know anything. They even tried to torture me."

Song Beiyou raised an eyebrow slightly. "And then?"

"Father Moran appeared just in time and took me away."

Song Beiyou smiled and nodded, "Superhumans like you are rare even among foreigners. You're a real gem now."

"Yes. Brother Ayou's move was flawless. They have no real evidence, and with Father Moran backing me up, I'm safe now."

Song Beiyou then changed the subject, asking, "Do you think they deserved to die?"

Wen Yiwen's face slowly tightened, and he uttered a single word, "Serves you right."

"Good job. You must tell me if anything happens in the future. Also, this is a secret between us, you can't even tell your sister."

Wen Yiwen nodded emphatically, "Don't worry, I've already swallowed the note you left behind, and I won't tell anyone."

Song Beiyou loosened his grip, leaned back against the car seat cushion, and said with a relaxed smile, "I'll find an opportunity to tell Shen Wanqing that I want to meet her father."

Wen Yiwen blushed. "I'll find a chance to tell you."

"Master You, we've arrived." The rickshaw slowly slowed down, and the driver said from the front.

Song Beiyou strode off the carriage and casually tossed a silver coin to the driver, displaying the demeanor of a big shot.

At the entrance of the gambling den, the gatekeeper quickly bowed and scraped, saying, "Good morning, Master You!"

Song Beiyou nodded slightly and led the group into the gambling den and up to the second floor. He then turned around and said, "Uncle Wen, the business in the gambling den is very fragmented and detailed. Without you in charge, Yingxue probably wouldn't be able to get the hang of it for a while."

As Wen Yingxue and Wen Yiwen helped Wen's father upstairs, fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead and temples, and his sallow face was full of helplessness. "Ayou, I'm seriously ill, and I'm afraid I'll delay your plans."

Song Beiyou laughed and said, "Uncle Wen, don't worry. I'll have someone treat your illness. You just need to watch from the side and give Ah Xue some pointers."

Father Wen remained silent in thought.

"Father, please agree to Brother Ayou's request." Wen Yingxue gently shook his arm.

Wen Yiwen and Song Beiyou exchanged a glance and chimed in, "Father, Brother Ayou is sincere, why are you refusing? Once you're cured, you can repay Brother Ayou properly, right?"

A glimmer of light appeared in Wen's deep-set eyes, and he finally nodded: "Alright, then thank you very much, Ayou."

Song Beiyou smiled with satisfaction. Controlling the finances was only the first step in taking over the territory.

Just as the group arrived at the door of the accounting office, a young servant opened it for them. Four or five accounting assistants, who had been busy counting beads, quickly came out from behind the table, led by the manager, to pay their respects.

"Greetings, Master You." "Greetings, Master You!"

Song Beiyou smiled and nodded in response, then looked at the thin, middle-aged man in a blue robe who was leading the group: "You must be Steward Liu?"

"Yes, Master You. What are your orders?"

A series of clattering sounds came from behind a pile of account books in the corner, from which the sound of abacus beads being moved could be heard. Song Beiyou looked over curiously: "Who is he?"

Manager Liu shrugged and quickly turned around, shouting, "Old Zhang, what are you doing? Come out here!"

An old man with round-framed glasses and a white beard peeked out from a pile of account books: "Ah? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

Manager Liu said with a smile, "Master You, this is Old Zhang. He's getting old and his hearing isn't good. We'll retire him after the New Year."

Song Beiyou remained noncommittal, his gaze sweeping over the pile of account books, and said indifferently, "Seal the accounts."

Manager Liu and the other accounting staff immediately changed their expressions.

Song Beiyou turned to the door and instructed, "A-Zhong, take a few men, seal off the money room, and tell them to have a meeting in the large private room on the second floor."

"Understood." Ah Zhong's expression hardened, and he immediately led several thugs in black to the money room.

Seeing that Manager Liu and the several accounting staff were silent as if they were cicadas in fear, Song Beiyou smiled and said, "Manager Liu, why don't you take the accounting staff to the meeting as well?"

In the luxurious office on the second floor, all of the dozen or so people from the accounting and finance departments were present. Although they were all seated, they only dared to have half their buttocks on the chairs, and all of them looked trembling with fear.

Everyone was on edge, exchanging glances and glancing occasionally at the sickly man in faded yellow clothes and the young girl beside Song Beiyou. They couldn't figure out what Song Beiyou was up to.

A group of thugs in black stood at the office door, and I was genuinely afraid that I might be dragged out if I wasn't careful.

The atmosphere was oppressive and stagnant, with only the teacups in front of everyone steaming.

Song Beiyou chuckled and said, "Everyone, there's no need to be so tense. I don't have a guillotine at the door. I've gathered you all here because I have something to announce."

He looked to his side and said, "This is Mr. Wen, the chief accountant I invited. From now on, every account and every sum of money, whether it comes in or goes out, must be reviewed by the chief accountant."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, never expecting this sickly fellow to be in charge of them. Looking at his shabby appearance, could he even read? Could he understand the accounts? Their eyes darted around, and after exchanging glances, they immediately relaxed, revealing genuine smiles. They all rose and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Mr. Wen."

The oppressive atmosphere was eased and became lively.

Father Wen gritted his teeth and stood up, returning the greeting with a cupped hand: "Please, everyone, sit down. My name is Wen Guangting, courtesy name Yunzhi. I am truly ashamed to have been entrusted with such matters by Master You despite my ailing health."

Everyone picked up their teacups, took a sip, and smiled ingratiatingly.

Wen Guangting hadn't expected these people to be so enthusiastic. He smiled and said, "I studied at Jinghua University in my early years and have some knowledge of accounting techniques, such as money inflows and outflows, account auditing, cost accounting, and fund allocation. From now on, all accounting transactions, the tightness or looseness of the money supply, and exchange gains and losses will fall within my responsibilities. I hope you will all cooperate with me, and please point out any mistakes I may make."

Jinghua University? The smiles on everyone's faces slowly froze, a chill running down their spines. They forced a dry laugh and said, "No problem, no problem, we'll definitely do our best to cooperate."

Song Beiyou sat behind his large desk, taking in everything. Suddenly, he looked at the white-haired old man from before and asked, "Your name is Zhang Laoguan?"

Old Zhang stood up shakily, sighing inwardly. It seemed he would be kicked out before the New Year. "Yes, Master You."

"Old Liu said your eyesight is failing and you can't do the math anymore, is that true?"

Old Zhang thought about his two grandsons whom he supported, gritted his teeth, looked up, and met Song Beiyou's gaze. He saw a pair of clear, deep eyes. He mustered his courage and said, "Master You, although I am old, I am no slower at settling accounts than anyone else."

Song Beiyou tapped his finger on the table: "Whether the accounting is slow or not is not up to you. I'll give you a chance."

"Please give your orders, Master You."

"From now on, you'll be working as Mr. Wen's assistant. Is that alright?"

Old Master Zhang looked up in astonishment, his expression shifting dramatically. He was genuinely overjoyed and said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, Master You! No problem, I will help Mr. Wen settle the accounts as soon as possible." As he spoke, he choked up and tears welled up in his eyes.

At his age, he was bullied by Manager Liu, who was more than ten years younger than him. Wasn't that guy just relying on his flattery? Unexpectedly, the change of boss turned out to be his turning point.

Whether at the front or in the tents, everyone's smiles vanished completely, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop to freezing point.

Wen Yiwen and Wen Yingxue were too inexperienced to see the power of Song Beiyou's combo, but Wen Guangting, being worldly-wise, saw it at a glance and couldn't help but admire the young man's skill.