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

Chapter 246: Boxing Gym Opens

The smile on the man's face froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Okay, Mr. Su is really a man of character. We will wait for your news, but it won't take too long."

After saying that, the man turned and left, and the convoy soon disappeared at the intersection outside the old shipyard. Ah Liu threw the iron rod on the ground and spat fiercely: "Damn it, this Zhao guy is quite arrogant."

Su Hanze didn't say anything, his eyes still fixed on the road in the distance. He knew very well that Mr. Zhao's patience would not last long, and Young Master Jin's pressure would become more and more intense. The situation in Xiwan was no longer something he could solve by just holding on, he had to find a breakthrough.

Night fell again, the lights in the old shipyard flickered, and a few flashlights barely illuminated the empty factory. The brothers sat on the ground, some smoking, some chewing dry and hard steamed buns, the atmosphere was silent and depressing.

"Boss Su, what should we do next?" Ah Liu sat down next to Su Hanze and spoke in a low voice.

Su Hanze leaned against the wall, looking deeply at the roof of the factory in the dark: "Tomorrow, I will go to see the man named Zhao. But this time, I want him to play the first card."

Ah Liu was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "I understand."

The night wind blew into the factory, making the worn iron sheets rustle. Su Hanze closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the cold wall.

Every step that follows is like dancing on the edge of a knife. One mistake will plunge Xiwan into the abyss. He cannot lose, and he cannot afford to lose.

The next morning, the sky was gray, the humidity was still heavy, and there was a slight smell of rust in the air.

Su Hanze stood outside the old shipyard, holding a cigarette in his hand, his eyes fixed on the distant shoreline beaten by the waves. He had not slept all night, and his eyes were slightly blue, but they were still cold and resolute.

"Xiaolong, prepare the car and go meet Mr. Zhao." He said, turning and walking into the factory.

Xiaolong was stunned, and he hesitated beside the car and said, "Boss Su, Mr. Zhao has bad intentions. Do you really want to go over there?"

Su Hanze put out his cigarette and glanced at Xiaolong: "If we don't go, Xiwan will be completely dead." He paused, his voice as cold as ice, "Now it's not about who is scheming against whom, but who has the faster knife."

Xiaolong gritted his teeth, said nothing more, jumped into the car, stepped on the accelerator, and the truck rumbled away from the old shipyard.

The agreed location was the Seaview Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, which has always been a place for businessmen to discuss business. It looks magnificent on the outside, but the transactions behind it are filthy. The car stopped at the door of the hotel. Xiaolong looked at the door of the hotel with a nervous look: "Boss Su, I will go in with you."

"No need." Su Hanze pushed open the car door and closed it with one hand. "Guard the car. If anything happens, leave immediately."

He walked into the hotel step by step. The private room upstairs had already been prepared. Mr. Zhao was sitting by the window with a cup of Tieguanyin in his hand. Behind him was a floor-to-ceiling window, and outside the window was the view of Victoria Harbour.

When he saw Su Hanze, he showed a perfect smile on his face: "Mr. Su, you finally honor me. Please take a seat."

Su Hanze glanced at him, sat down slowly, and looked at Mr. Zhao coldly: "Mr. Zhao, don't beat around the bush, just say what you want to say."

"That's great." Mr. Zhao put down his teacup and raised his hand to signal. The bodyguard next to him immediately pushed a document on the table to Su Hanze. "This is my sincerity. 30% of the shares. On the surface, it's a boxing gym, and we will run the gambling behind the scenes. If you sign this contract, I will protect your money, territory, and your brothers' jobs."

Su Hanze did not touch the document, staring at Mr. Zhao sharply: "You want Xiwan."

Mr. Zhao smiled slightly: "Mr. Su is really smart. Xiwan is a fire pit in your hands, but it can become a gold mountain in my hands. If you cooperate, I will give you 30%. If you don't cooperate, you can't go on the road of Xiwan."

"Are you so sure?" Su Hanze asked back coldly.

"Mr. Jin's beast house beat your brother so badly that he couldn't even lift his hands. The goods were intercepted and the place was empty," Mr. Zhao shook his head, his tone as calm as if he was stating the facts. "Mr. Su, if you keep holding on, you're not a hero, but a joke."

The room was quiet for a moment, with only the sound of Mr. Zhao's fingers tapping the table. Su Hanze's face showed no emotion, but his fingertips trembled slightly. He knew that Mr. Zhao was right. Xiwan was being suppressed by Young Master Jin, and his brothers were struggling to support it, but they could not see any hope. But he knew that by cooperating with Mr. Zhao, he was just jumping from one pit into another deeper pit.

"Mr. Zhao," Su Hanze said slowly, his voice low and steady, "You can swallow Xiwan, but aren't you afraid of choking to death on this piece of meat?"

Mr. Zhao's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Mr. Su, I am a businessman, and businessmen value profits. As long as you nod, Xiwan is still your territory. I am just paving the way for you behind the scenes."

Su Hanze stood up and looked at him sharply: "I will walk the path on my own, and I will take care of Xiwan's affairs on my own."

Mr. Zhao's smile completely disappeared, and his eyes turned cold: "Mr. Su, don't be ungrateful. If you cooperate with me, you still have a way out. If you don't cooperate... Young Master Jin won't give you a chance to breathe, and neither will I."

Let's give it a try." Su Hanze said this, turned around and strode out of the box, leaving Mr. Zhao with a gloomy face.

Walking out of the hotel, Su Hanze took a deep breath in the cold wind. The conversation just now made him feel cold all over. He knew what the consequences would be if he rejected Mr. Zhao. Mr. Jin's suppression had already made him breathless. Now with Mr. Zhao, the situation in Xiwan would only get worse.

Xiaolong saw Su Hanze coming out and quickly opened the car door: "Boss Su, how is it?"

"Drive back to the old shipyard." Su Hanze's voice was so low that it sounded like he was speaking through gritting his teeth.

When the car drove into the old shipyard, several brothers gathered around, their faces showing fatigue and anxiety. Ah Liu stood in the front and asked anxiously: "Boss Su, the one with surname Zhao..."

"Rejected." Su Hanze interrupted him, his eyes swept over everyone, and his voice was firm, "The roots of Xiwan are still in our hands. It won't be easy for others to take it."

Ah Liu was stunned for a moment, then a complicated expression appeared on his face: "Boss Su, what should we do next? My brothers... we can't stand it any longer."

The light bulbs in the old shipyard were flickering, and the dim light fell on Su Hanze's tired face.

He sat on a wooden box, smoking one cigarette after another. After a while, he extinguished the cigarette butt fiercely at his feet, raised his head and looked at Ah Liu and Xiao Long who were sitting beside him, and said in a low and firm voice: "Notify the brothers to go see Mr. Zhao." Ah Liu looked at him in astonishment, frowning: "Boss Su, didn't you say--"

"I've said before that I'll handle Xiwan's affairs myself, but we have no choice right now." Su Hanze interrupted him, his tone as calm as a pool of stagnant water, "The Zhaos are poisonous snakes, but snakes can sometimes find a way out. Let the brothers have something to eat first, and then we can find a chance to turn things around in the future."

Xiaolong looked at Su Hanze, moved his lips, and wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

He knew that Su Hanze must have weighed the pros and cons countless times before making this decision. Xiwan is in a precarious situation now. If he continues to hold on, his brothers will be scattered, his territory will be lost, and he will end up in complete defeat.

But he also understood that cooperating with Mr. Zhao was like stepping one foot into a swamp, and if he was not careful, he would be completely swallowed up.

The next day, in the private room of Jinyu Tea House, Mr. Zhao was still sitting in front of the French window, holding a cup of Tieguanyin in his hand, looking at the scenery of Victoria Harbour outside the window calmly. He heard the sound of the door being pushed open, tilted his head slightly, and showed a meaningful smile on his face: "Mr. Su, I thought you wanted me to wait a few more days."

Su Hanze walked in, sat down at the table, and looked straight at Mr. Zhao: "Mr. Zhao, I agree to cooperate with you. But there are two conditions."

Mr. Zhao raised his eyebrows, his smile still gentle: "Oh? Mr. Su, please go ahead."

"First, the territory of Xiwan belongs to me, and no one can interfere. Second, I want the safety of my brothers. You can do business, but don't touch my people." Su Hanze's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable ruthlessness.

Mr. Zhao stared at him with a slightly cold look in his eyes, but soon he laughed: "Mr. Su, you are really tough. However, I can agree to your conditions, but I also have one request - during the cooperation period, you must ensure the smooth operation of the boxing gym. If there is any problem, I will only look for you."

"Okay." Su Hanze nodded without any hesitation.

Mr. Zhao's smile widened a little, and he clapped his hands. The bodyguard beside him immediately handed him a contract that had been prepared long ago. Su Hanze glanced at it, flipped through a few pages, and picked up the pen to sign his name. The moment the contract was written, Mr. Zhao looked at him meaningfully and said softly: "Mr. Su, you made a wise decision. With you supporting Xiwan, I believe it will become more and more lively in the future."

"I hope so." Su Hanze threw the pen back on the table, stood up and left the box.

The wind outside the teahouse was still damp and cold. Su Hanze stepped out of the door, and the sunlight made him squint slightly. Ah Liu was waiting by the car. When he saw him come out, he immediately went to greet him: "Boss Su, is it done?"

"It's done." Su Hanze spat out two words coldly, raised his hand, opened the car door and sat in.

Ah Liu got into the car and said with some worry in his tone: "Boss Su, Mr. Zhao looks like a smiling face, but who knows how many daggers he has hidden behind his back. How long can we last if we cooperate with him?"

"How long we can hold out depends on how anxious he is." Su Hanze leaned back in his seat and looked out the window with deep eyes. "He wants to use me, but he also has to worry about when I will bite him back."

The car drove through the streets of Xiwan, and Su Hanze saw the dilapidated factories, empty cargo yards, and brothers gathered in groups of three or four smoking and chatting.

Xiwan was saved temporarily, but this was just the beginning. Zhao's hand was too long, and Young Master Jin would not give up easily. Sooner or later, this game between them would end in bloodshed.

On the day the boxing gym opened, the entire street in Kowloon was as bright as day.

Neon lights flickered, luxury cars were parked outside the stadium, and rows of security guards in black suits were stationed at the entrance to maintain order. Inside the stadium, there was a bustling crowd of wealthy people, businessmen, local bosses, and even some boxing fans from other places, all crowded around the gambling tables and the boxing ring, with excitement on their faces that could not be concealed.

Everyone held a thick stack of chips in their hands, their eyes full of greed. Every shout and every blow seemed to help them regain some kind of primitive pleasure.

Su Hanze stood in a corner of the backstage, wearing a straight suit, but without a smile on his face. He stared through the half-closed curtain at the boxing ring in the middle of the field.

Two boxers were fighting, sweat and blood mixed together and slid down their faces, soaking the floor. The audience around them cheered enthusiastically, the amount of bets was getting higher and higher, and the whole arena was like a beast fed by money and violence, wantonly devouring everyone's reason.

"Boss Su, this bet has broken a new record." Ah Liu came over and said in a low voice. He glanced at Su Hanze, hesitated for a moment, and added, "The Zhao people are very satisfied. They just sent someone over to tell us to continue this."

"Satisfy him?" Su Hanze sneered and looked towards the VIP box. Mr. Zhao was sitting there, surrounded by several women in evening gowns, smiling easily, as if everything here was under control. He raised his glass and saluted in the direction of the ring, as if sending a signal to Su Hanze.

"Boss Su, Mr. Zhao has made a lot of money from this restaurant." Ah Liu said in a low voice, "But you can see that the brothers are also exhausted here."

Su Hanze didn't answer, his eyes still on the ring. The boxer on the ring punched the other's nose, and the other's nose bleeds and he staggers to the ground. The referee immediately rushed forward and called for a timeout.

There was a burst of enthusiastic applause from the audience, cheers and insults mixed together, and the atmosphere on the scene was instantly pushed to its climax.

Su Hanze watched this scene, his eyes gradually turned cold. He knew that Mr. Zhao had a plan, the boxing match was just a cover, the real money was made from the crazy bets off the stage.

But this kind of business can't go on like this forever. One day, the gamblers at the card table will get bored and start wanting something more exciting and bloody. At that time, this boxing gym will become a hell that swallows everyone, and sooner or later he will be forced into a corner by Mr. Zhao.

"Where is Xiaolong?" Su Hanze suddenly asked.

"Watching the place from behind." Ah Liu replied, with a little uneasiness in his tone, "Xiao Long told me a few days ago that people from Young Master Jin's side seemed to be watching this place secretly. I think something is wrong."

Su Hanze's eyes darkened slightly. "Mr. Jin is still crazy, so it's normal for him to stare at this place. Tell Xiaolong to keep a close eye on it and notify me immediately if there is any movement."

Ah Liu nodded, then turned and walked backstage.

The match was over, and the new boxer was ready to take the stage. Su Hanze leaned against a pillar, his eyes casually scanning the arena. He saw a few men in inappropriate clothing mixed in the crowd, their eyes were not focused on the boxing ring, but wandering, as if searching for something.

(End of this chapter)