Chapter Thirty-Nine: Longhua Leisure and Entertainment Corporation

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Everyone turned their eyes toward Zhuo Nan. Smiling, Zhuo Nan said, “The remaining money will be our startup capital. Long Kun, choose a good location on Beiping Road—we’re opening a performance bar…”

Long Kun was taken aback. “Nan, why open a bar? Aren’t we supposed to…”

Zhuo Nan understood well. In 1998, the bar scene hadn’t yet taken off in Deqing. Most people frequented nightclubs then—places riddled with chaos and poor security, where only thugs and troubled youths gathered. A performance bar, however, was a different story. Hire a few second-rate students from the art school to dance or put on a show, dress them a bit scantily, have them accompany guests with a drink or two—regular office workers or wealthy businessmen with business to entertain would rather come here. He recalled Deqing’s bar industry only became established after 2003, when the government designated a whole street for bars—precisely Beiping Road. Zhuo Nan intended to get in early to monopolize Deqing’s future bar market.

The decision to open a bar was made after considering Long Kun and the others’ situation. The bar business straddled the line between the underworld and legitimate enterprise—without backing from the underworld, it was almost impossible. Long Kun and his men couldn’t succeed on the straight and narrow; this was the only path left for them.

“Long Kun, trust me on this. We’ll open a bar on Beiping Road. Our brothers can watch over the place, and you’ll be in charge. If you need to, hire someone to manage the staff. As for finances, no one can authorize expenses without your or my approval. Here’s 840,000—take it all. In a month, I expect our bar to be up and running.”

Even Long Kun, slow as he could be, understood that Zhuo Nan was handing him full control—not just as a bouncer, but as the true manager.

“What about you, Nan?” Long Kun asked curiously.

Zhuo Nan chuckled. “I trust you. As for me…” He then uttered something that left everyone dumbfounded: “I still have to go to school…”

The entire room was speechless… Boss, are you messing with us?

Long Kun suddenly thought of something. “Nan, should we set up a gang or something? So we have a name when we’re out and about…”

Zhuo Nan’s expression darkened at once. Seeing this, Long Kun didn’t dare breathe. After a long pause, Zhuo Nan finally spoke. “Long Kun, I have one rule. Once the bar opens, we must never allow drugs on our premises. No one is allowed to sell drugs in our place, and we ourselves are not to get involved. Understood?” Zhuo Nan’s tone grew harsher as he spoke.

Long Kun and the others followed Zhuo Nan’s lead. “Got it, Nan. Don’t worry, we won’t touch that stuff…”

Zhuo Nan nodded in satisfaction. “As for the ladies, we don’t force anyone into prostitution. If they’re willing, we won’t interfere, but if anyone coerces someone, I’ll be the first to deal with them.”

“Don’t worry, Nan, you’ve given the order—we won’t cross the line,” Long Kun quickly assured him.

“As for gambling…” Zhuo Nan looked around the room. “We can have some side bets on sports games, but we won’t run gambling operations ourselves.”

At this, Long Kun and his men were stunned. Isn’t the underworld all about vice—gambling, drugs, and prostitution? With Nan’s plan, how are they supposed to make money? The reason Ghostman Chao became Deqing’s underworld boss was precisely because of those three trades…

Seeing their confusion, Zhuo Nan explained with a smile. “Long Kun, the underworld does not have to rely solely on those things to make money. Being on the shady side is just a means, not the end. Think about it: if your children one day tell others their father is a crime boss, what do you think people will think of them? The underworld can never be truly respectable. Our goal is to turn black into white, to control the underworld while appearing to be legitimate businessmen in the eyes of others. Do you understand?”

Long Kun seemed to ponder, as if he’d grasped a bit of Zhuo Nan’s meaning.

“So, what about forming a gang?” Long Kun pressed.

Zhuo Nan chuckled. “No need for a gang. That’s outdated and too conspicuous. We can form a company, with the boss as chairman—so outsiders see us as legitimate businessmen. The police won’t bother us either. What do you think?”

“Nan, my brain is nothing compared to yours. We’ll do whatever you say.” Long Kun scratched his head sheepishly. The thought of turning an underworld group into a company had never crossed his mind.

Zhuo Nan’s expression turned serious. “We’ll establish a company—let’s call it Longhua Leisure and Entertainment Co., Ltd. I’ll be the chairman, you’ll be the general manager. That’s settled. Long Kun, you’ll handle the company’s establishment and the bar’s opening. Unless there’s something especially important, you can make the decisions yourself.”

Zhuo Nan thought, if everything could be carried out as planned, all credit went to his brain. So why not use his former home, the Longhua Star System, as the company name…

“Thank you…”

“No need to thank me. I can’t help you with much… I just hope you’ll like it…”

Long Kun understood that Nan was giving him full authority. But what counted as “especially important”? Without a standard, how could he carry things out? No, he’d better consult Nan often…

“Long Kun, one more suggestion,” Zhuo Nan added.

Long Kun quickly replied, “Nan, just say the word.”

Zhuo Nan grinned. “Now that you’re a proper general manager, can you move out of this place? It’s really disgusting…”

At that, the younger men struggled not to laugh. Long Kun’s face turned beet red as he protested, “Nan, I understand. I’ll move out tonight…”

Seeing Long Kun’s expression, Zhuo Nan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. With him leading, the others let loose as well, and soon the whole room was in an uproar. Even Long Kun laughed, embarrassed but amused.

In just two days, Ghostman Chao had lost two of his top men. He sensed he was being targeted. “Who is it? Who the hell is it? Damn it, when I find out, I’ll kill his entire family…” Ghostman Chao kicked over the coffee table in front of him—the table had just been replaced today.

“Chao, calm down. I’ve already sent our guys to investigate…” Of the Four Kings, only two remained. The one speaking was nicknamed Piggy Biao, who had also been badly beaten by Zhuo Nan in jail.

“Investigate? Investigate my ass! If you could find anything, I wouldn’t have to worry so much!” Ghostman Chao stormed up to them, spraying them with saliva like ocean waves crashing on the shore.

Both men wiped their faces in unison. That taste… truly unforgettable.

“Chao, I’ve sent all my men out as well. I’m sure we’ll have news soon…” This time, it was Black Bear speaking.

Ghostman Chao shook with rage. “Get out! All of you, get the hell out!” As he spoke, he hurled whatever was within reach at them, and Piggy Biao and Black Bear scrambled out of the villa, tripping over themselves in their haste.

Lan Qian worked late into the night. She interrogated everyone brought in. Except for Fatty Wang, the other six were proven to be members of the underworld. Lei Bao was even carrying a firearm. The bastard insisted the gun wasn’t his, but with six or seven officers as witnesses, there was no escape—illegal possession of firearms was a serious charge.

As for Fatty Wang’s two dozen floppy disks—they turned out to be empty. Lan Qian wondered if he really had just been passing by and bought the disks by chance. No matter how she questioned him, he said nothing. In the end, she had no choice but to let him go. Fatty Wang himself didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried—the disks were empty, so his embezzlement hadn’t been exposed, but this meant the disks were still in someone else’s hands. What would they do next? All he could do was leave it to fate…

The interrogations went on until after eight in the evening. Finally, Lan Qian returned to her desk, picked up her teacup, and took a sip. Just then, Captain Liu approached with a smile. “Lan Qian, you did a great job today.”

Lan Qian stood up at once. “Captain Liu, I was just doing my duty…”

Captain Liu nodded approvingly. “That’s the spirit. Young people should have drive like this. It’s getting late, go home and rest. Leave the rest to others.”

“Thank you, Captain. I’ll leave after a short rest.”

Captain Liu smiled and walked away. Lan Qian sat down again, but just then the phone rang. She picked up and said politely, “Hello, Criminal Investigation Division. Whom are you looking for?”

A magnetic, middle-aged man’s voice came through. “I heard you arrested some armed criminals today?”

Lan Qian’s body stiffened at the sound, but she replied defiantly, “Yes, I did. What of it? I caught them fair and square.”

“Can’t you give me some peace of mind? You’re a girl—why go after such dangerous criminals? Why can’t you just work in the office like I told you?” The man on the line was growing angry.

Lan Qian was annoyed and shouted back, “What’s wrong with a policewoman making arrests? Don’t think that just because you’re an official you’re all-powerful—you can order others around, but not me!”

Her colleagues, hearing her raised voice, glanced over in curiosity. Captain Liu, still nearby, quickly said, “Nothing to see here—get back to work.” Afterward, he wiped the sweat from his brow. That father and daughter could argue even over the phone…

Indeed, the caller was Lan Zhenghao, member of the Deqing Municipal Standing Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, in charge of the legal system. Hearing his daughter's words, he grew even more displeased, but before he could speak, Lan Qian snapped, “And another thing—your trusted subordinate’s nephew is a beast. He even tried to drug me! My happiness was almost ruined because of your connections. I’ll handle my own affairs, so stop interfering. That’s all—goodbye!” She slammed down the receiver. Captain Liu winced—another phone broken, and the monthly budget already overrun. If it broke again, he’d have to pay for it himself… No, he couldn’t let that happen—time to organize a gambling raid…

The dial tone droned on, and Lan Zhenghao was shaking with anger. His secretary rushed over to steady him. “Are you alright, Secretary Lan?”

Lan Zhenghao waved him off weakly. “I’m fine… What a girl…” Lan Qian’s mother had died when she was ten, and Lan Zhenghao, loyal to her memory, never remarried. He’d been so busy with work over the years that he’d neglected his daughter, and their relationship had grown increasingly strained. After graduation, he’d arranged a post for her within the bureaucracy, but she insisted on joining the Criminal Investigation Division. They’d had a big fight, and in the end, he’d relented. Still, he’d instructed that Lan Qian not be assigned to major or dangerous cases—which only deepened the rift between them.

Lan Zhenghao sank into the sofa, but suddenly remembered Lan Qian’s last words—Zhang Ning had tried to drug her. Furious, he called for his secretary. “Bring Zhang Zhiqiang to me at once…”