Special District 9

A group of ladies was standing in a row. With a cigarette in hand, Ma Lao-er looked at Qin Yu and the others and said, “Come, I’ll give you the first pick for today. If you aren’t satisfied with one, you can get two or three. I’ll cover all of the expenses today!”

“I’ll get that one. Yes, the one who has been looking at me lovingly,” Old Cat shouted with a wave of his hand, not holding back at all. “Come over here.”

“Hi, oppa!” A lady who had a beautiful face walked over with a smile as she greeted Old Cat with a Korean phrase.

After Old Cat had his pick, Qin Yu and the other three in the room picked a lady each to sit by their side. Ma Lao-er beckoned a waiter over to serve the drinks, and he even personally sang a song to heat up the atmosphere.

Under such an environment and the influence of alcohol, they gradually opened up to one another a little. Ma Lao-er finally sat down beside Qin Yu, and with a cup of beer in his hand, he said, “Qin Yu, I, Ma Lao-er, am not a narrow-minded person. We have our conflicts with one another in the past, but we were on opposing sides before. I had my own reasons for dragging the case on, and you had your own reasons for beating me up every now and then. But from today onward, we’ll be eating from the same pot. Let’s bury the hatchet and let everything unpleasant behind us go. Whoever talks about it again will be an asshole, what do you say?”

“Sounds good to me, let bygones be bygones!” Qin Yu nodded in agreement as he bumped his cup against Ma Lao-er’s and downed the drink.

Ma Lao-er crudely spat on the floor before he wiped his mouth and said, “My uncle is getting old, and he won’t be able to manage this business for much longer. I’ll likely be the one to settle problems in the future. Qin Yu, I am a candid person. If you have anything to say to me, you should get straight to the point. If I don’t agree with your point of view, I’ll also say it to your face frankly. Let’s not play mind games and second guess each other’s intentions. That would be meaningless.”

“Heh, I would love that too,” Qin Yu nodded in response. He looked at Ma Lao-er intently for a moment before adding, “If you’re going to be the one taking over the business in the future, there are really a few things that I need to say to you.”

“Go ahead.” Ma Lao-er gestured with his hand.

“I met Superintendent Li after I returned, and he told me that we have to steer clear of trouble for the time being,” Qin Yu said discreetly. “The Yuan Family is backed by a few of major pharmaceutical companies, and their roots run deep on this land. We have barely managed to connect the medcine route together, and most of Superintendent Li’s friends are still looking at the situation to judge how capable we are before deciding whether to get involved or not. So, we should focus on producing results and minimizing trouble during this period of time.”

Mao Lao-er immediately raised his hand and said, “Aiyo, it’s not like we are amateurs in this trade! Relax, I know what to do!”

“I’ll be honest with you,” Qin Yu said as he took out his e-cigarette. “The supplier has given us target to meet. If we want a discount on the goods, we have to deal at least 200,000 Asian Dollars worth of goods with them every month. Do you understand what this means?”

Ma Lao-er might be temperamental but he was no fool. As soon as he heard Qin Yu’s words, he immediately replied, “It means that our relationship with the supplier is very weak.”

“That’s right,” Qin Yu nodded. “The supplier wants to see if we’re worthy of working with them. Think about it, as private producers of medicine, those major pharmaceutical companies surely see them as a thorn in their back. If we don’t prove our capability, the supplier would rather not do this trade so as to lower the risk of getting caught.”

“I get your point,” Ma Lao-er nodded.

“Stability takes precedence before everything else in the earlier phases,” Qin Yu said as he grabbed a cup of beer. “As long as we can satisfy the supplier, we’ll be able to strengthen our position.”

“Don’t worry, I know what to do,” Ma Lao-er replied heartily.

“Come, let’s have a drink!” Qin Yu felt like he had already said enough today, and nagging anything more than that would just have an adverse effect. So, he raised his cup and proposed a toast.

The two of them smiled at one another before downing their drinks once more.

Having settled the business they had on hand, Ma Lao-er turned to a burly man with a knife scar across his left eye and shouted, “Brother Zishu, come over! I’ll formally introduce you two to one another!”

The burly man excused himself from the conversation with Old Cat before walking over with a cup of wine in hand.

“This guy over here is Liu Zishu. He has been with our Ma Family for nearly ten years now, and you can say that he watched me grow up,” Ma Lao-er introduced the burly man with a laugh. “He’s got something on earlier, so he didn’t join us for dinner. Come, the two of you should get to know one another.”

“My name is Qin Yu, pleased to meet you.”

“Pleased to meet you too.” Liu Zishu had a smile on his face, and he spoke with a deep and stable voice. “I had some matters I had to deal with earlier, so I couldn’t join you all earlier. Squad Leader Qin, I’ll be in your care in the future.”

“You’re too courteous,” Qin Yu replied with a chuckle. “You can just call me Qin Yu.”

Even though the scar on Liu Zishu’s face made him look belligerent, the way he spoke was relatively amicable. He didn’t put on the airs of a veteran in the underworld when he spoke. It appeared that he was quite a mature individual.

After the two of them got to know one another, Ma Lao-er began to explain, “Our Old Ma has been thinking of passing the helm over to me, but he’s worried that I wouldn’t be able to hold the fort, so he got Brother Zishu to look after me. I would usually discuss most matters with Brother Zishu.”

Qin Yu felt more at ease after hearing those words. “That’s not bad. Having a veteran by your side can help keep you check. Otherwise, it’s quite worrisome to let a person like you who can even fight with a waiter run loose.”

“Haha!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Come, let’s not talk about work today anymore. Make sure you all have your fill of drink and enjoy your time here!” Ma Lao-er happily shouted to everyone. He turned to the lady beside him and said, “Go, get some who can dance. I want to watch some Latin.”

Qin Yu helplessly patted Ma Lao-er’s shoulder as he said, “You have already spent quite a lot today.”

However, Ma Lao-er waved his hand nonchalantly and said, “Isn’t the point of earning money to spend it? To put it in a crude way, if not for Damin taking the fall on my behalf, I would have been a goner by now. What the heck would I need money for by then?”

Qin Yu actually found himself at a loss of words after hearing that.

“I have around a hundred bucks in my pocket right now. I should just have some fun tonight and worry about whatever that comes tomorrow!” Ma Lao-er said with a happy-go-lucky attitude. He swept a gaze across the room and roared, “Ladies, let’s get high! If you please my friends here, I’ll tip you handsomely!”

“Yoohoo!”

“You’re the best, oppa!”

“…!”

The ladies screamed delightfully in response to Ma Lao-er.

Qin Yu sat on the sofa as he watched Ma Lao-er with a smile. When people said that they didn’t like money, some would be lying and some just didn’t have any. In his twenty years of life, he had only seen a handful who could be truly open and carefree when it came to money, and Ma Lao-er was one of them.

Ma Lao-er wasn’t a cultured person. When he spoke, he gave off a vibe of a henchman in the pugilistic world. He also had many bad habits to him as well. However, his candid and sentimental personality was truly worthy of respect. It wasn’t easy for a person to take such a carefree attitude toward life, be it in the previous era of peace and prosperity or the current chaotic era…

…

Qin Yu’s tolerance for alcohol wasn’t bad, but even he wouldn’t be last long with Ma Lao-er and the others stuffing him drinks one after another. In less than an hour, he was already considerably drunk. In the end, it was Zhu Wei and Guan Qi who dragged him home.

On the other hand, however, Old Cat was gradually getting into a high state. He felt like he had found a soulmate in Ma Lao-er, and how he hated that they hadn’t come to know one another earlier.

As the night deepened, Old Cat also went into a drunken stupor. Under the support of one of the ladies, he clutched Ma Lao-er’s hand and said, “Bro… I can’t do it anymore… I’m going off first… I’ll digest the alcohol first and treat you to more tomorrow.”

“Haha, you had too much to drink. Alright, you should get back home now. I’ll be leaving after getting the tab.”

“Thanks for your treat.”

“Whether this lady is good or not… I’m looking forward to a verbal report from you tomorrow.”

“Of course!”

After trading some pleasantries, Old Cat left under the support of the lady.

…

Fifteen minutes later.

After footing the bill, Ma Lao-er and Liu Zishu were just about to leave the entertainment venue when they noticed one of Yuan Hua’s brothers in the music bar, shouting, “Brother Dong, I offer 500!”