Chapter 47: Two Hundred Followers

Around eight o’clock in the evening, Chen Erpao finished work. He had originally planned to teach Li Haijun some martial arts tonight, but things had taken an unexpected turn.

“Why isn’t Wang Xing here yet? Don’t tell me he couldn’t even manage this?” Standing at the school gate, Chen Erpao checked the time. It was already close to half past eight, yet Wang Xing still hadn’t arrived with the athletes. There was less than half an hour left before his negotiation with Hong Xing Tianyi.

Just then, a dense crowd appeared at the entrance. Wang Xing strode out with a triumphant air, leading far more than a hundred people—Chen Erpao estimated at least two hundred.

“Brother Pao, look, I’ve brought nearly two hundred people. That’s impressive, isn’t it?” Wang Xing wore a smug grin. Chen Erpao, however, felt a pang at the thought of how much all that beer would cost. Never mind, he decided, let Huang Mao handle the shortfall.

“Brother Pao, I heard you’re treating us to drinks tonight. That’s fantastic!” A burly young man, standing well over six feet tall but plagued by a face full of acne, called out with a hearty laugh.

“Tonight we’re following Brother Pao! Let’s drink to our hearts’ content!” the other athletes chimed in, their enthusiasm bursting forth.

Looking at this group of robust, spirited young men, Chen Erpao shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself, “A few bottles each won’t be enough for these guys! I’d better call Huang Mao and have him clear all the hostesses out of the nightclub. If these fellows get drunk and their desires get the better of them, they might try to take over the entire club. At that rate, I could sell myself and still not cover the bill.”

“Alright, brothers, let’s go have a good time. But let me make one thing clear—no causing trouble. Understood?” His face suddenly serious, Chen Erpao’s commanding presence left no room for argument.

“Got it! We’ll do as you say, Brother Pao. Tonight you’re the host—we’ll go wherever you lead.” The acne-faced athlete was the first to respond.

Nearly two hundred men made their way down the street. Chen Erpao noticed the astonished looks from passersby and wondered if perhaps this was a bit too ostentatious. If the negotiations fell through and they were hauled off by the police for disturbing the peace, that would be trouble. Fortunately, the school was only a few miles from the nightclub, and at their pace, they arrived in no time.

Huang Mao and his crew were anxiously waiting at the entrance. At the sight of the approaching mass of people, they nearly lost their nerve, their legs trembling, until they saw Chen Erpao and Wang Xing at the head. Relief washed over them, and Huang Mao couldn’t help feeling proud to have chosen the right boss—after all, pulling together a few hundred men at a moment’s notice was no small feat.

“This is Huang Mao. He’s in charge here. If you come by in the future, you’ll get a discount,” Chen Erpao introduced him. Immediately, a few of the more shifty-looking athletes sidled up to Huang Mao, whispering quietly. With his keen hearing, Chen Erpao realized they were asking about the hostesses—what services were on offer, how much they cost, and so on.

He gave them a look of understanding; after all, he’d been young himself once, waking up every morning with a certain urge, mind wandering in class, feeling that uncomfortable tension, and often fantasizing about pretty female classmates or teachers.

This nightclub was the largest near Lingnan University. The first floor was a spacious hall, like a bar, able to accommodate over three hundred people at once.

When Chen Erpao entered, he noticed there were no other guests and not a single female server in sight. He shot Huang Mao an appreciative glance—he’d handled things perfectly.

Wang Xing, Huang Mao, and the rest shuttled back and forth, hauling in dozens of crates of beer under the pretense of “practicing thrift.”

“Everyone, enjoy yourselves, but don’t get drunk! Otherwise, if any of you competing in tomorrow’s athletic meet end up dead last, don’t blame it on me!” Chen Erpao raised a bottle and announced loudly.

“Come on, let’s toast Brother Pao!” someone called, and at once, everyone lifted their bottles to him.

“Drink!” Chen Erpao shouted, downing his beer in one go. In a flash, the bottle was empty. Looking around, he saw ninety percent of them had done the same, faces unflushed and eyes clear. Glancing at the dwindling stacks of beer, he felt another pang—his dream of living large was still a far-off fantasy.

After about ten minutes of drinking, Huang Mao hurried over.

“Brother Pao, Hong Xing Tianyi is at the door. He’s brought seventy or eighty men, and it looks like some of them are armed.”

Chen Erpao nodded and gestured, “Bring them in.”

Tianyi had long set his sights on the lucrative territory near Lingnan University. At first, Juanmao beat him to it, and though Tianyi was the son of the local boss, that didn’t always mean he called all the shots. Now Juanmao was out of the picture. If his father hadn’t warned him not to mess with someone called Chen Erpao, he wouldn’t have waited until today.

Later, his men reported that all the local streets were under the protection of some no-name, small-time thug called Huang Mao. Tianyi didn’t think much of these so-called gangsters. When he tried to claim half the profits yesterday, Huang Mao refused, embarrassing him. So today, he’d brought a large group to negotiate directly with Huang Mao’s so-called mysterious boss.

“Brothers, if negotiations break down, I want you to smash this place up—destroy it as thoroughly as you can!” Tianyi strutted into the club, head held high, oozing arrogance. But as soon as he finished speaking, the scene before him left him stunned.

“So it’s Tianyi! On behalf of myself and the hundreds of brothers behind me, welcome!” Chen Erpao stood up, grinning broadly.

Tianyi felt a chill run down his spine. He wondered if he’d walked into an ambush. When he recognized Chen Erpao—the man he’d chased through the streets not long ago—as the mysterious boss, his anxiety only grew. Chen Erpao’s dazzling smile made him even more uneasy.

“Brother Tian, these are my bosses, Brother Pao and Brother Xing. I’ve prepared a table for you—let’s talk over there,” Huang Mao interjected at just the right moment.