When a customer lay down, a woman would be at his side to prepare the opium, pass the pipe, light it, chat with him, or sleep with him. Basically, she would do whatever he wanted. To him, it was an undeniable paradise on earth.
This time, however, Boss Huang did not respond immediately. He flashed a mouthful of teeth, blackened from smoke, and beamed at He Zhongchen. "Young Master Chen, you great men are so forgetful. Have you forgotten?"
"It’s already the end of the month. There are only five days left."
"Young Master Chen, it’s time for you to settle your bill."
Hearing these mood-killing words, the excitement on He Zhongchen’s face instantly vanished.
He frowned at Boss Huang, his tone unfriendly. "Boss Huang, what is the meaning of this? I’m one of your biggest patrons, you know."
"Can’t this wait until I’m finished?"
But who would have thought that the usually amiable Boss Huang’s smile would now become exceptionally creepy.
He didn’t speak, merely lifting his right hand, which wore a jadeite archer’s ring, and giving a slight wave to the few thugs at the door.
The tall men, who had been standing by the door as still as statues, immediately moved. They ambled over and stood in a line before He Zhongchen.
There were three of them, all broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, their open collars revealing tattoos on their chests.
The men’s eyes scanned He Zhongchen up and down, the corners of their mouths curved in smirks, as if they were looking at a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
After glancing at them, He Zhongchen’s face filled with disdain. He looked back at Boss Huang and said impatiently, "Boss Huang, do you have a death wish? Do you not know who I am?"
At this, Boss Huang didn’t flinch. Instead, his smile grew even wider.
He drawled out a compliment, "I know, of course I know. Young Master Chen is the son of He Xin Town, the chairman of the Dingsheng Flour Mill. Who in this area doesn’t know that?"
"Furthermore, the police captain in charge of this district, He Xinli, is your second uncle. Who around here doesn’t show the He Family some respect?"
"Young Master Chen, tell me, how could I not know?"
After being flattered by Boss Huang, He Zhongchen raised his chin arrogantly, his nostrils practically pointing at the sky. "You know, and you still dare to make a move on me?"
"It seems to me that you don’t want to keep this Jinhua Building in business around here anymore, do you?"
Boss Huang waved his hands frantically. "Young Master Chen, you wrong me! How could a humble merchant like me dare to have a problem with you? I wouldn’t dare, not even if I had a hundred times the nerve!"
"It’s just that, we’re running a humble business here, and we’re just hoping Young Master Chen can settle his bill."
"Otherwise, I won’t be able to keep the Jinhua Building open. The staff needs their wages, the girls need to eat, and the opium needs to be restocked. All of this costs money."
He Zhongchen looked at the unmoving thugs around him, then back at Boss Huang’s face, which was plastered with a smile.
These people had no intention of moving aside. His brows furrowed even more tightly.
What was worse, his body had already begun to tremble slightly.
That familiar craving, the one He Zhongchen both loved and hated, was slowly crawling its way out from the depths of his bone marrow.
It was the opium. His body was craving opium!
It felt as if countless ants were crawling through his veins—itchy and numb, an agony so unbearable it could drive a man mad.
He Zhongchen gritted his teeth, desperately suppressing the agitation, and waved his hand impatiently. "Fine, how much? Show me the ledger!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Boss Huang suddenly burst out laughing. He waved his hand, his face once again plastered with that harmless-looking smile. "Young Master Chen, my sincerest apologies!"
"And you useless fools, what are you doing getting in the way? Scram!"
The thugs immediately stepped aside and retreated to the doorway, resuming their roles as statues.
Watching them play good cop, bad cop, He Zhongchen felt his anger flare.
But he had no outlet for his fury. After all, who was he to challenge them when the Jinhua Building was the turf of the Weiyuan Thirteen Eagles Gang?
They were one of the most prominent powers in the Yun Port City underworld.
Boss Huang cheerily took the ledger and flipped through it, page by page. Only when he reached the last page did he look up, beaming at He Zhongchen. "Young Master Chen, this month’s total comes to eight hundred eighty-eight oceans."
Eight hundred eighty-eight oceans!
For an ordinary family, this was an astronomical sum, more than they could earn in a lifetime.
But for He Zhongchen, it was merely a month’s allowance.
But times had changed. Ever since his older brother had returned from the Western World, his father had revoked his authority to manage the flour mill’s business.
Consequently, He Zhongchen had also lost his opportunity to line his own pockets. These days, life was growing more unbearable by the day!
The great Second Young Master of the He Family couldn’t even scrape together ten oceans.
He Zhongchen looked at Boss Huang’s smiling face and gritted his teeth. "Boss Huang, can you give me a two-day extension?"
"I am a man of my word!"
Boss Huang didn’t speak. He just shook his head with a faint smile.
Seeing that the man was impervious to both pleas and threats, He Zhongchen’s heart sank.
"One day! Give me one day!"
This time, Boss Huang finally spoke. He sighed and put on a troubled expression. "Young Master Chen, it’s not that I want to make things difficult for you."
"You have to understand the position of us underlings. The gang is sending someone to audit the books tomorrow. If I can’t settle the accounts today... this humble one’s head will roll."
At last, He Zhongchen’s expression turned utterly foul.
Seeing his state, the smile returned to Boss Huang’s face. "Young Master Chen, I was just thinking, if you hadn’t come today, I was planning on sending someone to your family’s residence for a little chat."

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