Chapter 24: Negotiating with the Chairman, Securing the Brothel District

Inside the hospital room, Big Head Sheng was wrapped in bandages like a mummy. A large, swollen lump on the left side of his head served as a souvenir from the right-turning roundhouse kick Wang Yaotang had delivered the day before.

Sitting on a sofa beside the bed was a thin, middle-aged man with slightly graying hair and high cheekbones, wearing a black polo shirt. He was smiling as he scrutinized Wang Yaotang, a single gold tooth glinting in his mouth.

"Brother Sheng, Uncle Cheng," Wang Yaotang greeted with a smile. Four-Eyes placed a fruit basket on a nearby table and silently retreated.

"What are you here for!" Big Head Sheng glared at him, his face cold.

"I’m here to pull out your IV. I’m going to discharge you, got a problem with that?" Wang Yaotang couldn't help but chuckle after saying it.

"Screw your mother!" Big Head Sheng sat up abruptly, but the movement caused his head to swim—a concussion.

"Don't be like that. Uncle Cheng, you see? I'm just joking. That’s what his underling said, anyway." Wang Yaotang pursed his lips and shrugged, looking innocent. "Brother Sheng, I came to see you because I wanted to pay my respects to Uncle Cheng and settle our issues. All this fighting is just bleeding our wallets dry."

"You want to talk to me? Are you qualified?" Gold Tooth Cheng looked at Wang Yaotang with a mocking smile.

The remark hit home like a boomerang. Gold Tooth Cheng was the boss of the Tongxinhe gang, two generations above Wang. Strictly speaking, Big Head Sheng was of the same generation as Guan Zaisen. Of course, once someone had been humiliated and their turf taken, rank meant little.

"When talking business, there’s no such thing as seniority. As long as everyone makes a profit, that’s enough." Wang Yaotang patted Big Head Sheng’s leg without hesitation, telling him to scoot over, and sat down on the hospital bed.

"Fine, let's talk business. First, give back the two brothels." Gold Tooth Cheng’s expression turned stony.

"Brother Sheng, what do you say?" Wang Yaotang turned his head to look at him.

Big Head Sheng turned his head away, remaining silent.

"Uncle Cheng, you see?" Wang Yaotang spread his hands again. "You’re an elder, so it doesn't matter, but I can't disrespect Brother Sheng like that."

Gold Tooth Cheng shook his head and sighed. If a man couldn't make money, didn't have the brains to outsmart others, and still insisted on saving face, there was nothing a boss could do for him.

"How about this," Wang Yaotang said with a smile. "I didn't bring a gift to visit you in the hospital. I’ll take on the debts of all the girls in those brothels. Consider it my apology, Wang Yaotang. Some things are just out of our hands as underlings."

"For real?" Big Head Sheng looked at Wang Yaotang in surprise.

A "brothel" was just another name for a house of ill repute. What was the core asset of such a place? The debts. What was the difference between these brothels and independent street walkers? In these brothels, the women or their families owed money to the gang, so they had to work as prostitutes to pay it off. Independent street walkers, meanwhile, were just women working on their own who paid a monthly protection fee to the local gang to operate in their territory.

The debts of these brothel women were usurious; unless they found a wealthy benefactor or were sold off, it was practically impossible to pay them back. Of course, the women had to be rotated periodically. Customers wanted something fresh, and if the same girls were always there, there would be no repeat business. Thus, gangs often traded women among their brothels—much like football player transfers. It was all a sport, after all. Without the women, two empty brothels were of little use.

"That won't work. There are a few I want to take with me!" Big Head Sheng immediately objected. He had lost his turf, but the women's debts had nothing to do with the brothels themselves. He wasn't going to let Wang Yaotang take advantage of him.

"Brother Sheng, are you trying to dump the leftovers on me? Do you think I'm a trash can?" Wang Yaotang said in a low voice. "I’m paying to buy out the debt, not robbing you!"

"I'm not selling!" Big Head Sheng pointed at Wang Yaotang and roared.

Wang Yaotang looked at Gold Tooth Cheng with a helpless expression. "Uncle Cheng, let’s just talk between ourselves. Brother Sheng’s head is still spinning."

"Fine, what do you want to talk about?" Gold Tooth Cheng asked with a smile.

Wang Yaotang turned and shouted toward the door, "Four-Eyes, bring her in."

A moment later, a tall woman walked through the door. "Brother Yao." She was a street walker from Champagne Building with a great figure, whom Wang Yaotang had paid to bring along.

"What is this? You're sending me a woman?" Big Head Sheng looked bewildered.

"Change clothes and show these two bosses," Wang Yaotang said, lifting his chin.

"Yes, Brother Yao." The woman replied, stripping down to nothing right there. She pulled a set of white clothes from her bag, and a moment later...

"What are you standing there for? Go check on Brother Sheng; he’s feeling quite hot-headed right now!" Wang Yaotang waved his hand, suppressing a laugh.

"Big Brother, where does it hurt? Let me take a look for you," the woman said, walking to the bedside with a cat-like strut, arching her back into an S-shape. She reached out and began tracing circles down Big Head Sheng’s body. "Oh, is it here? You have to be patient."

Big Head Sheng’s eyes went wide. This was a hospital, and the scene was just too damn fitting!

"Alright, that’s enough." Wang Yaotang called a stop to it, feigning a reprimand. "I told you to perform, not to molest Brother Sheng. Where are your manners?"

Big Head Sheng: "I advise you not to meddle in other people's business!"

"Change into the next set," Wang Yaotang ordered, then turned to Big Head Sheng. "We're talking business, serious stuff, you terrible man!"

Big Head Sheng’s fists clenched. *I’m going to kill you!*

Gold Tooth Cheng crossed his legs and propped his head on his hand. "Lie back down, you're the patient."

While they spoke, the woman changed into another outfit—a sheer, chiffon, Republic-era style ensemble. In the 80s, the lingering spirit of old Shanghai was still very much alive. Big Head Sheng felt he could handle this style, but Gold Tooth Cheng couldn't help but sit up straight, his eyes fixed on the opening in the woman's underwear.

Big Head Sheng scoffed to himself, *And he was judging me.*

"Alright, go change back. You're done here," Wang Yaotang said with a wave. "That’s a new design that hasn't even been sent to the garment factory yet."

Watching the woman peel off the outfit, Gold Tooth Cheng let out a soft breath. At his age, and having played hard in his youth, he rarely felt such excitement anymore. This outfit... it had something special.

As the door closed, Wang Yaotang remained silent. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offered one to each of them, and they smoked in silence to calm down.

After a long while, Gold Tooth Cheng finally spoke. "Tell me, Yao-zai, what do you want to do?"

"I’ll give Tongxinhe priority purchasing rights. You can get the goods a week earlier than anyone else," Wang Yaotang said firmly.

"And the price?"

"The same as Xinjie and Tiaolin."

Before Gold Tooth Cheng could respond, Big Head Sheng shouted, "Not good enough! I’ve seen the goods. I can find people to make them myself, why would I get them from you?"

"You've seen Giordano too," Wang Yaotang looked at him with a hint of pity. "Brother Sheng, everyone has their own strengths. Don't force yourself. In life, the most important thing is to be happy."

"What did you say?" Big Head Sheng couldn't process it for a moment.

"Shut up!" Gold Tooth Cheng couldn't watch anymore. He was a gang leader, not a businessman, but even he had more business sense than Big Head Sheng. "Tongxinhe wants a stake in the company."

"Sure," Wang Yaotang replied as if it didn't matter. "At worst, I'll just launch another brand. I’ll start one for every one you want to buy into. Even the Heshengyi couldn't stop me!"

"The price I’m giving you is very cheap. You sell whatever you buy; there’s no inventory pressure, no risk, and it’s very profitable!"

Gold Tooth Cheng smacked his lips. He was just testing the waters and hadn't expected much. "Others can still buy from your shop, can't they? You wouldn't refuse them, right? I want an exclusive deal!"

"Uncle Cheng, production takes time. It takes ten minutes to make one piece, and only six an hour. The sewing machines are practically sparking; it’s not that fast!"

Gold Tooth Cheng frowned. There were some things he couldn't quite grasp, but he knew that these clothes were seductive enough to make his venues explode with business.

"I’ll take the entire 'Big Four' market. You are not allowed to sell to anyone else in the Big Four."

"I don't mind. I’d be even happier if you took 100,000 pieces at once, Uncle Cheng. As long as you can handle it, I’d be thrilled to give you not just the Big Four, but all of Kowloon. It saves me the costs of running stores, labor, and inventory," Wang Yaotang said with a smile. "Uncle Cheng, you can tell the other Big Four bosses this yourself. If anyone asks me, I’ll just say I’ve handed everything over to Tongxinhe. But if other families insist on buying from me, well, you know how it is—I’m in no position to refuse."

"Fine," Gold Tooth Cheng agreed immediately. He would go talk to the heads of the other gangs himself. Working from the top down, he didn't believe anyone would turn against him over a measly ten thousand a month.

Wang Yaotang beamed. He had secured the brothels and gained a major distributor. That was what you called a win-win.