Which way to go is the road?

After thinking it over, Ninth Master concluded that only He Ping was capable of doing the job.

He has many brave and ruthless subordinates, but very few business talents skilled in management and operations. If it weren't for the protection of those above him, he would have suffered countless losses. The era of ruthlessness and bravado is over; if he wants to continue to launder money and make legitimate profits, he must recruit more talent.

Ninth Master looked thoughtfully at the two brothers who had just entered Shuiyun Inn: "Was that young man the manager of the shop across the street?"

"Yes! The newly promoted store manager, according to our insider, has some guts. Qian Ruofeng probably couldn't have come up with this whole farce. It seems that young man was behind it. Knowing our background, he still dared to do this. A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers!"

As the strategist of this organization, Lao Hu secretly built a large information network. Whenever there was a conflict of interest, he could always plant an informant or turn the other side's people into his own. This can be considered a survival skill he had honed on the battlefield for a long time!

Ninth Master nodded: "He acts with reason, advantage, and evidence, leaving no room for error. After ridiculing us, he even puts a tight rein on us, making us unable to touch him. Interesting! Let He Ping spar with him first; I want to see what other tricks he has up his sleeve!"

"You know what? Ninth Master, this young man manages the internet cafe, but I've also heard he's quite good at writing poetry. He's a real artsy young man!"

"Oh? That's rare. He really does have a bit of an extraordinary personality! We should recruit some people like that. Our legitimate business is growing, and we can't rely on us short mules to make money, can we? Let's put up a job posting and recruit some college students. With money, we won't have trouble attracting top talents!"

"Yes, Ninth Master!"

Ninth Master looked out the window at the three characters "Shuiyunjian," his expression complex and contradictory. The sight of his old friend's family enjoying themselves kept stimulating his sensitive heart. At his age, he had achieved everything he wanted in terms of material possessions and status, but the older he got, the more he cared about the past and the more he wanted to get back at his former glory!

The hustle and bustle of the day gives way to the tranquility of the night. In many people's minds, the day is for working and the night is for resting. For others, although the day is also for working and earning money, the night is for thinking and looking up at the road ahead.

Around 8 p.m., after dinner, the attic was brightly lit. Qian Luomei and her father sat facing each other with a full tea set in front of them, chatting and drinking tea.

"Luo Mei, although Xiang Fei handled things well today, he took a great risk. Ultimately, you should have stopped him!"

"Xiang Fei said he's the store manager and should do some work. Besides, I wanted to test his abilities so I could confidently entrust him with specific tasks in the future. I also considered the risks, so I took some precautions. Brother Dazhi disguised himself as an undercover officer and has been secretly protecting him!"

"But Xiang Fei only knows about the competition, not the grudge between us and Li Jianxin. What if we go too far and invite that old man's revenge? How are we going to explain that to his family?"

Qian Luomei held her teacup, thought for a moment, then drank the tea in one gulp, deciding to stop hiding it: "So I told Xiang Fei the whole thing. He knows about our feud with Ninth Master, so he shouldn't do anything outrageous!"

"Why are you telling an outsider about our family's affairs?" Old Master Qian said coldly, placing his teacup on the tea set.

"But he's my manager. Like you said, he has to face opponents like Master Jiu, just like you and me. He has the right to know the specific information about his opponents so that he won't make mistakes, and he'll act with appropriate discretion!"

"Are there no other reasons?"

Upon hearing this question, Qian Luomei hesitated for a moment before immediately replying, "What other reason could there be? You've seen Xiang Fei's abilities!"

Old Master Qian sensed something was amiss but didn't point it out: "That's good. Xiang Fei's outburst has put that old guy in a difficult position. At least he'll keep his men in check and won't come up with any more harmful schemes! But normal competition is still unavoidable. You guys figure out your own strategies! I won't participate!"

"Dad, you don't need to dwell on the past. It's been so long. Besides, most of the decisions you made were correct. Nobody's perfect."

Grandpa Qian waved his hand to stop his daughter's attempts to comfort him: "Don't say anymore, Luomei! I know what I should do. You take good care of 'Shuiyunjian,' and don't worry about anything else. Of course, you should also think about your own marriage! Actually, Dazhi is a good man..."

Qian Luomei also refused to let her father continue, saying, "I will consider it, but please don't rush me. When the time is right, things will naturally fall into place. I don't want to settle for someone else right now, and I'm not mentally prepared for a relationship!"

The conversation stalled at one point, and neither of them wanted to continue. Old Master Qian sighed to himself, got up, and left.

That's how things are; melancholy accompanies joy, and happiness harbors hidden worries. Who can live a life where everything goes perfectly? Xiang Fei won a great victory, which was undoubtedly a joyous occasion for the Qian family, but it wouldn't bring lasting happiness. Similarly, for Xiang Fei, while the prize money wouldn't pay off all his debts, it could fulfill an urgent need—to move, to leave the dark and damp basement.

On a weekend when Bai Xue had no classes, Xiang Fei took his girlfriend to wander around the nearby residential area looking for a suitable house.

Unlike other second- and third-tier cities, rent in Yandu is generally ridiculously expensive. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is 1500 yuan, which is 18,000 yuan a year. This is undoubtedly an astronomical price for low-level workers like Xiang Fei.

Some people might ask, is renting a place difficult? Well, it's both difficult and easy. Why is it easy? If you have plenty of money, choosing a place you like isn't difficult; if you have less money, looking for the cheapest option regardless of quality isn't difficult either. So what's difficult? It's when you have a moderate amount of money, want a nice place, but don't want to spend too much – that's when it's difficult!

Xiang Fei is currently having trouble finding a place to rent, especially since Bai Xue is with him. Even if Xiang Fei can manage to find a place, Bai Xue will have different opinions. After all, she occasionally comes back to stay for a couple of days, and the female homeowner has more say than the male homeowner.

It's possible to rent a satisfactory house for a relatively small amount of money, but it requires a lot of stamina, constantly shuttling between various rental agencies and running between multiple residential areas. Some people get tired of running around and lower their standards, just renting any place that's acceptable.

But Bai Xue was determined not to settle. Several times when Xiang Fei was busy at the internet cafe and couldn't leave, she even got Dong Lu to help him find a place, and she didn't even take a lunch break! The persistence that women have for their quality of life is truly admirable, even if it's just renting a place!

Hard work pays off. This saying is not just empty words. The more effort you put in, the better the results will be. The same principle applies to renting a house. After running around for two weeks, they finally found a satisfactory one-bedroom apartment.