The three of them gathered around Lin Jiang, who whispered a few words to them.
"Holy shit, Brother Jiang, you’re a fucking genius! No wonder you’re making a fortune," Yang Tao said.
"It really takes someone with an education. Your minds just work differently than ours," Yan Ming said.
"Alright, just do as I say. Don’t be afraid to spend money," Lin Jiang said.
"Remember, you have to find people from these specific groups. Don’t get anyone from other trades. If they try to fight you, just fall on the ground."
"Don’t worry, Brother Jiang. I guarantee I’ll get it all set up perfectly. I’m just not sure exactly how much it’ll cost," Yang Tao said.
"I’ll transfer you 100,000 to start. Spend whatever you need to. If it’s not enough, just let me know. But don’t waste any time, understand?"
"Got it." Yang Tao nodded, then glanced over at Liu Hanjun and his men.
"Brother Jiang, they brought so many guys. Why don’t we get rid of them first? The three of us should be enough."
"I can take on five of them by myself," Zheng Jiachun said.
"No. There’s no need to get physical unless it’s the absolute last resort."
"Then let’s just run them off. Just looking at them is pissing me off," Yang Tao said.
"We can’t get rid of a single one of them. The more people there are, the better the final effect will be."
The three of them only partially understood, but if Lin Jiang said it, he must have his reasons. All they had to do was follow his instructions.
"Okay, get going. Don’t waste time."
"Got it."
After Lin Jiang gave his instructions, the three of them went to change their clothes and hurriedly left the noodle shop.
After the three left, the noodle shop fell quiet again.
Lin Jiang sat behind the counter, playing on his phone. He made no move to stop Liu Hanjun and his men.
First, he transferred 100,000 yuan to Yang Tao. Then he sent a message to Qiu Yunong, asking to use her social media account, which had a hundred thousand followers. He changed its name to "Xiaojiang Noodle Shop Official Account."
"Yuanyuan."
"What is it, Brother Jiang?"
Lin Jiang handed her his bank card.
"Go to the bank and withdraw fifty thousand yuan."
"Got it."
「Shunfu Restaurant.」
At noon, the Zhang Brothers were having lunch here.
"Big brother, I got a message from Liu Hanjun," Zhang Tianyu said, raising his glass. "The noodle shop owner has chickened out. Our guys are just sitting there wearing him down. He hasn’t had a single customer since they arrived."
"Heh... Just keep it up. Let’s see how long he can hold out."
Zhang Tianlei had a shaved head and a slim build. His clothes and style were a bit more respectable than Zhang Tianyu’s, and he didn’t give off such a strong gangster vibe.
"Someone ran the numbers for us. His noodle shop can make at least three to four million a year. If he opens branches elsewhere, it’ll be like printing money."
Zhang Tianlei swirled the drink in his glass and said slowly,
"That’s why we have to take this slow. A juicy piece of meat like this... we have to get our hands on it, and we can’t let anyone else get their eyes on it."
"One week."
Zhang Tianyu held up one finger. "Give me one week. I’ll definitely handle them. When that happens..."
RING RING RING—
Before Zhang Tianyu could finish, his phone started ringing.
"Hello?"
"They brought people to our billiards hall? Dozens of them?"
"Alright, you wait there. I’m on my way back now."
After hanging up, Zhang Tianlei looked at Zhang Tianyu, his expression grim.
"What happened?" Zhang Tianyu asked.
"That was Xiaoli. He said a crowd of migrant workers showed up at the hall. Dozens of them. They’ve taken over the whole place, and our regular customers can’t even play."
"Let’s go take a look."
After paying the bill, the two brothers quickly left the restaurant and rushed back to their billiards hall.
When they got back, they found they couldn’t even fucking get inside. There were dozens more people crowded outside.
"Make way! Make way!"
Their men pushed through the crowd, allowing the Zhang Brothers to finally squeeze into the billiards hall.
They found the place packed with people, a motley crew in all sorts of attire. All their regular customers who actually came to play billiards were gone.
These newcomers were playing billiards, occupying every single table. But their skill level was atrocious—they were all just whacking the balls around randomly.
What was once a relatively high-end billiards hall had been turned into something resembling a backwater dive.
To make matters worse, there were even a few beggars in tattered clothes, banging on iron basins.
The sight of these people made the Zhang Brothers’ blood boil, their anger flaring to its peak.
Most importantly, they couldn’t get physical with them.
A fight between thugs was one thing, but beating up manual laborers was a whole different story.
"Boss, the one in charge is over there," a staff member said, walking up to them.
Following his finger, the two spotted Yang Tao and stormed over furiously.
"What’s the meaning of this? You trying to play dirty with us?" Zhang Tianyu said with a grim expression.
"Well, well, if it isn’t Boss Zhang. You’re back?"
Yang Tao said with a grin,
"These cues of yours are great. I’ve already sunk a few balls in a row. I think I’ll come here to play every day from now on."
"You’re here just to cause trouble, aren’t you?"
"How could you say we’re causing trouble? You come to our noodle shop to eat, and we come to your place to play billiards. We’re all business owners in the same neighborhood. Shouldn’t we support each other?"
"You motherfucker!"
"Whoa, whoa... I don’t feel so good. Quick, help me."
Just as Zhang Tianyu was about to make a move, he saw Yan Ming clutching his chest nearby.
"They’re going to hit us! The shock... I think my heart is giving out."
Zhang Tianyu’s face went pale with rage. ’I haven’t even fucking touched you yet!’
"Fine. So you want to play dirty, is that it?" Zhang Tianlei said, his eyes narrowing.
"I’ve been running things in this neighborhood for years. If I can’t handle a few punks like you, I’ll change my last name!"
Yang Tao shrugged. "Now that’s just uncalled for. We just came to play some billiards. Why all the hostility?"
"Don’t you go anywhere. After I’m done with him, I’m coming back for you!"
Zhang Tianlei shouted, "Men, with me!"
Five or six of his staff followed Zhang Tianlei out, while the rest stayed behind to maintain order.
Watching the Zhang Brothers leave, Yan Ming smirked.
"With the IQ of those two, Brother Jiang could ruin them with a flick of his little finger."
"Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show."
After leaving the billiards hall, the brothers and their men piled into a car and headed straight for Lin Jiang’s noodle shop.
The noodle shop was still closed for business. Lin Jiang wasn’t worried, continuing his standoff with Liu Hanjun and his crew.
As far as Lin Jiang was concerned, he could afford to outlast the Zhang Brothers even if he did nothing at all.
"How’s it going with finding those new waiters and chefs?" Lin Jiang asked Li Yuanyuan.
"I’ve already contacted the waiters. They can start anytime."
"Are they from your village, too?"
"There’s no one suitable left in our village. I found these ones in the next village over," Li Yuanyuan said.
"And you don’t need to worry about the chefs, either. The guys we have in the shop now are pretty much fully trained. If we open a new branch, we can send them over to work there. Also..."
CREAK—
Before Li Yuanyuan could finish, the sound of the door being pushed open interrupted her.
The newcomers were none other than the Zhang Brothers.

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