Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 208 A qualitative change has occurred

Su Hanze stood in front of the portrait, silent for a moment, then slowly bent down and bowed three times. His movements were not redundant at all, his back was straight, as if he was completing some sacred ritual.

"Mr. Su, are you here to laugh at us?" A cold voice came from the side with obvious provocation.

Su Hanze stood up and turned to look. The person who spoke was Abin. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was filled with undisguised anger and unwillingness. He stood a few steps away, his hands clenched into fists, as if ready to rush up and fight Su Hanze at any time.

"Abin." Su Hanze's voice was still calm. "I came here today not for you, nor to see a joke. I just came to see Qiu San off for the last time. He and I are rivals, but he is a man, and I never deny that."

"Stop pretending here!" A Bin gritted his teeth and said with uncontrollable anger in his voice, "If it weren't for you, how could he have ended up like this?"

"He got out of this situation by himself." Su Hanze said slowly, in a low voice, "He died not because of me, but because of his own choice. If you don't understand this, it will be your turn to repeat the same mistakes in Wan Chai today."

A Bin was stunned, as if this sentence had hit him in a place that he couldn't refute. His lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't say anything anymore.

The hall became quiet, and everyone's eyes fell on Su Hanze and A Bin. The air was filled with tension, as if only one move would turn the entire funeral into a conflict.

"That's enough." A deep voice came from behind the crowd.

Su Hanze looked up and saw one of Qiu San's confidants. He walked forward with a tired face and a hint of sadness in his voice: "Today is Qiu San's funeral, not the place for you to quarrel. If Qiu San is still alive, he would not want to see such a scene."

Abin lowered his head and said nothing more.

Su Hanze nodded, turned slightly, and his eyes fell on Qiu San's portrait again: "Qiu San, I have fought with you for so many years. Today you are gone. I just want to tell you one thing - Wan Chai is a game. Although you lost, you have never been looked down upon."

After saying that, he turned and left without even looking at anyone.

It was still raining outside, and Su Hanze walked towards the car parked not far away with an umbrella. Ah Kuan followed him at a trot and asked in a low voice: "Brother Ze, those people...are they going to let it go?"

"They won't." Su Hanze said calmly, "But it doesn't matter. Without Qiu San, they can't cause any trouble."

A Kuan nodded and stopped talking.

The moment the car door closed, Su Hanze raised his hand, rubbed his eyebrows, and let out a long breath.

Su Hanze sat in the conference room on the top floor of the Dynasty Nightclub. The sound of rain outside the window gradually subsided. The night in Wan Chai seemed particularly quiet under the damp lights. A detailed map was spread on the table. Every street and every corner of Wan Chai was clearly marked. His fingertips gently touched several key locations, his eyes deep and calm.

"Qiu San's territory is divided into three parts." Su Hanze whispered, with a firm control in his tone, "East Pier is his lifeline, and it is also the place where he has lost the most. Bar Street is on the periphery and he has basically no actual control now. The rest are places that are temporarily stabilized by those small gangs."

Ah Kuan stood aside, his expression focused, holding a notebook and writing quickly: "Brother Ze, you are right. Now the cargo owners at the East Pier have basically turned to our people, and several bosses on Bar Street are also negotiating with us. As for those small gangs, they have lost their backbone now, and almost all of them are fighting on their own."

"Everyone is on their own." Su Hanze sneered, "This is where we have the greatest opportunity. Tell the people below to re-plan the cargo routes at the East Wharf and prioritize the interests of these cargo owners. Let them know that following me, Su Hanze, their business will only be more stable than before."

Ah Kuan nodded and added, "What about Bar Street? The owners of several major venues are waiting and watching, and their attitude is a little hesitant."

"They are hesitant because they are still calculating their own accounts." Su Hanze leaned back in his chair, his eyes sharper. "Bar Street is not the focus, so let's put it aside for now, but we can't let them get too comfortable. Let the brothers negotiate the terms and tell those bosses that as long as they are willing to stand up and support me, we can not only ensure that there will be no problems with their places, but also help them expand their business."

"Brother Ze, do you want to use the bar street as a model?" A glimmer of understanding flashed in A Kuan's eyes.

"That's right." Su Hanze nodded, his tone full of conviction, "Wan Chai's business has never been completely stabilized by force. Qiu San's fall has proved this. Next, what we have to do is to weave the entire Wan Chai interest network more tightly, so that everyone knows that the only safest choice is to follow me."

Ah Kuan nodded, with a little more excitement in his eyes: "I understand, I will arrange it right away."

Su Hanze watched Ah Kuan's back as he left, his eyes once again falling on the map on the table. His fingertips lightly brushed across the location of the bar street, a hint of coldness flashing across his eyes.

What Qiu San left behind was not a complete territory, but a pile of loose sand. His task was to use the shortest possible time to mold this pile of loose sand into a solid piece of iron.

The next morning, the cargo yard at the East Wharf was busy again, with several trucks slowly driving out, looking particularly dazzling in the morning sun. The cargo owners stood by, with complicated expressions on their faces, but more of a long-lost sense of peace.

"Mr. Su really keeps his word." An elderly cargo owner said in a low voice, with a bit of respect in his eyes, "All the problems with the cargo transportation in the past few days have been solved. Our cargo is delivered faster than before."

"Yes, following Mr. Su, at least we don't have to worry anymore." Another cargo owner nodded, "Although Qiu San is powerful, he can't protect our business. After all, he is unreliable."

Su Hanze stood on a high platform, overlooking the busy dock, with several of his confidants beside him. His eyes were calm, but his tone was a little softer: "Tell the cargo owners that this is the first step of our cooperation. Next, I will let them see that the cargo routes in Wan Chai will only become more and more stable."

Ah Kuan stood aside and whispered, "Brother Ze, this operation has made the cargo owners firmly stand in line. It will be easier to negotiate with the bar street next time."

"That's right." Su Hanze nodded, "But don't worry. The owners of the bar street are different from the cargo owners. They care more about the immediate benefits. The next step is to create a benchmark venue in the bar street to let others see that by following me, they can not only live well, but also earn more." "Brother Ze is smart." A Kuan showed an admiring smile, "I will immediately find a suitable venue and arrange for people to take over."

Wan Chai was still bustling at night, with the neon lights of the bar street lighting up the entire street as bright as day. However, several small places that once belonged to Qiu San now seemed deserted, with only a few guests spending time at the bar.

"Where is your boss?" A young man in a black suit stood in front of the bar with sharp eyes.

The bar manager came forward with a big smile on his face, and said with a hint of uneasiness in his tone: "Sir, our boss is in the back. I'll go call him right away."

Not long after, a middle-aged man hurried out from the kitchen with a deliberate smile on his face: "Sir, I wonder why you are here..."

The young man smiled coldly and handed over a business card: "I am Mr. Su's man. He asked me to tell you that as long as you are willing to stand up and support us, this place will make twice as much tomorrow as it did today."

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes: "This...Sir, it's not that I don't want to, but..."

"You are still hesitating, right?" The young man interrupted him, his tone cold, "You can think about it again, but you have to know that opportunities are not always there. Qiu San has fallen, and Wan Chai now has only one way to go. You can either follow Mr. Su or wait for your place to collapse completely."

A layer of cold sweat broke out on the middle-aged man's forehead. He lowered his head and was silent for a moment. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I agree."

The next day, a new sign was put up at the door of the bar, and business suddenly became prosperous. When the bosses around saw this, they began to move closer to Su Hanze's people, and the situation on the bar street gradually became clear.

On the top floor of the Dynasty Nightclub, Su Hanze sat behind a large desk, listening to A Kuan's report with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Brother Ze, several owners of the bar street have completely turned to us, and now the entire street is basically stable."

"Very good." Su Hanze nodded, his tone more indifferent, "Next, we will straighten out the interest chain in Wan Chai and let everyone know that the rules I, Su Hanze, talk about are the real rules."

Ah Kuan nodded, with an undisguised excitement on his face: "Brother Ze, this time you not only took over Qiu San's territory, but also made the entire Wan Chai business completely belong to you. I'm afraid this situation was not achieved even when Qiu San was here."

Su Hanze didn't say anything. His eyes fell on the window and he whispered, "This is just the beginning. Wan Chai is just the first step. What I want is the business of the entire Hong Kong Island."

Su Hanze leaned back in the wide chair. On the conference table in front of him was a detailed map of Hong Kong Island, with the locations of the East Pier and Bar Street marked with bright red circles. His fingertips slid lightly across the map, and every pause was like calculating the next move. His eyes were calm and sharp, full of a sense of control over the future of the entire Wan Chai.

The whispers coming from outside the office were blocked by the thick wooden door. Only outside the huge glass window behind him, the neon lights of the busy traffic cast a flowing, cold light and shadow in the room.

A Kuan pushed the door open and walked in, his steps brisk but his eyes still cautious. He held a report in his hand and placed it on the table, his tone filled with a bit of suppressed excitement: "Brother Ze, I just received news that the revenue of our two places on Bar Street doubled yesterday. The bosses who just agreed to cooperate have taken the initiative to offer their full support to us today, and also said that they are willing to let our people take over the accounts."

Su Hanze didn't look up. He just took a cigarette from the box on the table, lit it, and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: "It's too early to talk about cooperation now. Bar Street is a touchstone. It's openly trying to win them over, but in fact it's a test. Those people seem to have submitted, but once the situation changes slightly, they will be the first to turn against us."

Ah Kuan frowned slightly and asked in a low voice: "Brother Ze, then what should we do next... continue to test, or directly control?"

Su Hanze raised his eyes slightly, and his voice was steady with a hint of unquestionable decisiveness: "Control them, but don't do it openly. Let them feel that they have taken advantage and are willing to come over. When they can't leave our business chain, let them know that they have no choice."

Ah Kuan nodded, a smile on his face: "Brother Ze is still thinking long-term. From this point of view, we have secured the game in Wan Chai."

"Stable?" Su Hanze sneered softly, his tone low, "Wan Chai right now is just a lump of clay that has just been held in the hand, and it is still a long way from being molded into shape. Do you know why Qiu San lost so quickly?"

A Kuan was stunned, then shook his head.

"He lost because the situation was too scattered and the links were too messy." Su Hanze flicked the ash from his cigarette, his tone indifferent but revealing deep meaning, "His business is too dependent on personal connections, and every link has to be maintained by trust. Once his trust collapses, the whole situation will collapse. And what I have to do is to connect every line in Wan Chai together, and every link listens to me. This is not a business based on personal connections, this is a business based on rules."

Ah Kuan nodded as if he suddenly understood something: "I see. What Brother Ze meant is that he not only wants to swallow up Qiu San's territory, but also integrate the resources of the entire Wan Chai to form a network that no one can escape from."

"Not bad." Su Hanze put out his cigarette, stood up, and looked back at the map. "Now, the next thing to do is to expand."

After the meeting, the night in Wan Chai seemed particularly quiet, but the undercurrent was becoming more and more obvious. The freight at the East Pier was back on track, not only was the efficiency improved a lot, but even the outside world's reputation for the freight route began to improve. The cargo owners gradually regained their confidence in the situation and even began to actively attract new customers for Su Hanze.

At the same time, the business of Bar Street has also undergone a qualitative change. Several new places under the Su Hanze banner have quickly become new benchmarks in the street with stable management and expanding customer flow. Those wait-and-see bosses finally couldn't sit still and sent people to pass on messages to Su Hanze, expressing their willingness to join his camp.

"Brother Ze, the bar street is now stable." Ah Kuan reported to Su Hanze in the office, his tone revealing uncontrollable pride. "Those owners of the venues even offered to help us attract resources from other blocks. They are really convinced now."

Su Hanze sat on the chair and nodded slightly, but there was no smug expression on his face: "Whether you obey or not, it's not in your words, but in your hands. Let their people start to participate in freight management, and completely tie their resources to our interests. Let them know that without us, they can't get a penny of profit."

(End of this chapter)