Volume One, Chapter 10: The Gateway to a New World

Yes... It was Uncle Nan all along... Judging by his flushed face, it must have been him drinking with Old Hei at this wooden table...

I was a little dazed, but Uncle Nan quickly waved at me, “Xiaohui, put down the knife! What are you doing? Why are you two out causing trouble?”

I hesitated, while Old Hei looked at Uncle Nan and furrowed his brows tightly. “You know these two kids?”

“Of course I know my nephews!” Uncle Nan shot Old Hei a glare, then came over to my side and grabbed my hand, urging me to drop the knife.

I complied, not because Uncle Nan pulled my hand, but because he called us “nephews” while glaring at Old Hei.

As soon as I put down the knife, the men around us began to stir restlessly.

At that moment, Old Hei waved them off.

It seemed Old Hei was trying to save face for Uncle Nan.

Feeling somewhat relieved, I helped my brother, whose legs were still trembling, and picked up the money.

Then Uncle Nan asked us to explain everything.

We told him the truth.

Uncle Nan then looked at Old Hei.

After Old Hei finished explaining, Uncle Nan smiled and took two bottles of beer from a crate nearby, sitting down at the wooden table.

He popped open one bottle and handed it to Old Hei.

Old Hei followed suit and sat back down at the table.

“Old Hei, you said your man’s car was smashed by my nephew, causing him to miss his chance, and the security team chased him into a dead end, forcing him to abandon the car and flee, right?”

Old Hei nodded.

“But that’s not right...” Uncle Nan kept smiling, “All I heard was six words: your man… can’t make it~”

Old Hei’s expression darkened.

The long-haired man beside him stood up and demanded to know what Uncle Nan meant.

Uncle Nan glanced coldly at the long-haired man. “There’s a saying: rely on the mountain to eat the mountain, rely on the water to eat the water. You’re running this turf by using the roads, but you don’t even know them well! When the cops chase you, you run into a dead end! And you still have the nerve to ask Black Brother to back you up?

You’re just ruining Black Brother’s reputation.

If I were you, I’d dig a hole and bury myself!”

After Uncle Nan finished, the long-haired man wanted to retort but was silenced by Old Hei’s glare.

“Of course, Old Hei,” Uncle Nan’s voice softened, “this matter did start because of my nephew, I admit that.

But my nephew isn’t involved in the streets, so don’t drag him into your mess.

How about this: tomorrow I’ll throw a couple of banquets in Houjie as an apology to your brothers. Does that sound fair?”

“What about my injury? You’re just going to let it go?” The long-haired man pointed to the bandage on his face, from the ice skate strike earlier.

Uncle Nan couldn’t help but chuckle, “Young man, I think you hurt yourself.

You’ve got many strong men, but my nephew is just a kid fresh from the countryside. How could you lose to him? Or get hurt by him?

If it’s true, well, should I say my nephew is impressive? Or should I say you guys are...”

Uncle Nan trailed off, glancing at the bleeding wound on Old Hei’s neck.

The long-haired man frowned as if wanting to say something else, but Old Hei shot him a fierce look.

“Isn’t that embarrassing enough?”

The long-haired man turned his face away and fell silent.

At the table, Uncle Nan raised his bottle to Old Hei. “Old Hei, so it’s settled?”

Old Hei raised his bottle in return and clinked it with Uncle Nan. “Fenan, about what we discussed earlier, the small bar...”

“No problem. I’ll tell my brothers. The new route definitely has a place for you, Old Hei.”

At Uncle Nan’s words, Old Hei’s eyes sparkled and he broke into a smile, drinking from his bottle alongside Uncle Nan.

When Uncle Nan led us out of Old Hei’s small den, my brother and I naturally thanked him profusely.

Uncle Nan waved it off, saying meaningfully that it wasn’t him who saved us—it was the money.

I naturally recalled Uncle Nan’s last words to Old Hei, about the new route having a share for Old Hei.

“Uncle Nan, doesn’t that mean you’ll get less?” my brother asked.

Uncle Nan chuckled, saying his visit to Houjie was mainly to negotiate joining forces with Old Hei.

“We don’t have enough manpower to run the whole new route, but...” Uncle Nan patted my brother on the back.

“I was originally planning to hold out a bit longer, get Old Hei to take me to that five-star hotel in the backstreet, have some fun, pick a concubine, but you two messed it up, and now I owe him a meal~”

“Well... sorry about that, Uncle Nan,” my brother smiled awkwardly.

“Hey, don’t be so formal. If it weren’t for your dad tossing me a steamed bun back then, I’d have starved to death on the streets,” Uncle Nan’s eyes suddenly dimmed, as if recalling a painful chapter of his past.

When he regained his composure, he turned to me. “Xiaohui, we work the fringe trades—only the brave survive, the timid starve. It’s a shame for you not to dive in.

But I also know how stubborn your father is, so you better hold back and stay safe.

The underworld’s a ruthless place, no good at all...

But don’t worry, if anything goes wrong again, come to Uncle Nan. I’ve got your back.”

When Uncle Nan said that last sentence, he patted his chest and gave us the landline number of his new place, telling us to contact him if we ever got into trouble.

That settled the matter with Old Hei for the time being.

After seeing Uncle Nan off, we headed back to the factory.

On the way, I sincerely thanked my brother.

I truly never imagined someone who trembles just holding a stick would risk everything to protect me, diving headfirst into danger.

And like I said before, the moment he told Old Hei that any rules he had would be enforced on himself and to leave me unharmed, all the grievances I endured back home vanished like smoke...

My brother glanced at me, ruffled my hair, and hugged me tightly. “Xiaohui, was I a bit embarrassing back there in the room?”

“No,” I shook my head firmly, “Brother, you were absolutely awesome!”

He smiled, and I laughed along.

That feeling of having family to rely on was truly wonderful...

Until my brother’s eyes shifted mischievously, and he asked if I’d gotten any “benefits” from Sister Yuzhu.

“What benefits?” I didn’t understand.

“Complementing each other~ What else could it be?” He grinned slyly.

Then, as if remembering something, he slapped his forehead. “Oh right! You don’t know anything about that stuff yet, or you wouldn’t have been fooled by Kang Youwei.

Come on, I’ll teach you.”

Then my brother took me back to the market area and led me into a dimly lit video arcade down the bustling night street.

The arcade was divided into small booths, filled with a foul stench.

My brother rented a disc from the owner, inserted it into the VCD player, and pressed play.

Then he patted my shoulder meaningfully and left the booth.

That night, watching the video playing on the VCD, I finally understood everything...

I felt as if I had opened the door to a new world, one full of stirring emotions!

Only then did I realize that liking someone isn’t just about words—you have to act on it!

I definitely had to ask Sister Yuzhu if that “once” she mentioned still counted...