Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 733, Section 324: Testing the Waters (Part 2)
Instead of immediately taking action, Bai He returned to his apartment building and put the huge sum of money into a safe under his bed.

Because of the damn Triad Act, a gangster like him, whose criminal record is taller than his height, can't open a bank account normally.

The Commercial Crime Bureau will provide a list of names to the gold shops. Once the gold shops discover that someone on the list has deposited money, they will send a report to the Commercial Crime Bureau.

However, there are always countermeasures from above and policies from below; for every clever plan you have, there's a way to get around it.

Gangsters usually use their parents' or grandparents' identity cards to open bank accounts.

If the money is deposited into the account of a trusted relative, even if the clerk knows, he will be helpless and can only stare blankly.

Baihe deposited the silver notes into the old lady's account. The old lady was old and lived in a nursing home at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.

The nursing homes at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals all have single rooms, but you need to apply for one at the Municipal Affairs Bureau.

Bai He also found a scalper in the Number Gang and paid him a full fee according to the rules of the underworld before he was able to snatch the item.

But if an elderly person's account suddenly shows one million, there's definitely a problem; it'll raise red flags.

After delivering the goods for the big boss, deposit the money into a financial company in Central. If you want to make a profit, buy penny stocks from the triad's Sequoia Boys. If you want to preserve your principal, buy bonds from foreign firms.

After changing her clothes and swapping her leather shoes for sneakers, Baihe stepped out of the house.

"White Crane Boy, thank you so much!"

The security guard in the room saw the white crane come downstairs and quickly greeted it.

"Uncle Bai, don't be so polite, we're all old neighbors."

Uncle Bai's granddaughter is in her third year of secondary school and is being harassed by a group of blue lanterns (a derogatory term for girls with darker complexions). She wants to make friends.

The junior high schools in the housing estate area are all terrible. Uncle Pak is so old and still has to work. He definitely doesn't have any money in his pocket. Without money, he can't change schools.

After much thought, Uncle Bai approached Bai He to help him set out tea and negotiate the terms.

Regardless of the circumstances, Baihe is also a member of the "Filial Piety" group.

Trying to negotiate with a bunch of gangsters and blue lanterns would be a laughing stock if the other gangsters found out.

The solution was simple: Bai He sent one of his men, Si Jiuzi, to talk to Si Jiuzi at Bai Shu's granddaughter's middle school and teach those scoundrels a lesson.

These "pupil party" members and "blue lanterns" announced that Uncle Bai's granddaughter was under the protection of the "number gang."

Now that Uncle Bai's granddaughter is in junior high school, no one dares to mess with her, and she can focus on her studies.

"I still need to express my gratitude. This is a thank-you gift. Baihezi, you're a big shot now, you definitely wouldn't be interested in Jinlu. I bought two Lucky Coins, you must accept them."

When you ask someone for a favor, you must express your gratitude.

Uncle Bai placed two packs of Lucky Strike cigarettes he had prepared beforehand on the table to thank Bai He for his help.

Ever since he put the incense stick into the incense burner with the number "孝" (filial piety) piled up, Baihe has been drawing red numbers and hasn't had any good luck in a long time.

However, he also knew that it was already a stretch for Uncle Bai to buy Lucky Strike cigarettes; it was the best cigarettes Uncle Bai could afford.

"Uncle Bai, I appreciate your kind gesture!"

“We’re old neighbors, so don’t be so polite. You’ve been helping me take care of my grandma all the time, and you even buy her meals and deliver them to her. It’s already a lot of trouble for you.”

"It's better than this!"

Bai He opened a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes, took out two boxes, and put them in his pocket: "I'll take two boxes, Uncle Bai, you can return the rest."

"I have to go out to work now, and I don't know when I'll be back! I appreciate your kind words!"

When Uncle Bai saw that Bai He had taken two boxes, he felt that his wish had been fulfilled, so he nodded in agreement: "Bai He, you still care about me so much!"

"By the way, two thugs with brightly colored hair came looking for you earlier. I told them you weren't here, and they didn't ask any questions. They're still squatting by the roadside now."

“Bai Hezai, if you get into trouble, you don’t need to show up. I’ll call the police right now and tell them that these two bastards are causing trouble.”

"The military will definitely trust an old man like me. Let the military drive these two bastards away, and you'll be safe."

Hearing Uncle Bai say this, Bai He looked out and saw two colorful light bulbs squatting by the roadside smoking.

"It's alright! I'll go out and take a look. In broad daylight, those two bastards won't dare to cause any trouble."

Bai He took out his cigarette case, gave Uncle Bai a Red Wan cigarette, and then walked out of the apartment door.

It had been a long time since he'd smoked a Red Man cigarette, so Uncle Bai quickly lit one with a disposable lighter, then crossed his legs and watched Bai He negotiate with the two colorful, hapless guys.

Which road?

"Who's looking for me?"

Baihe walked up to the two scoundrels with brightly colored hair, exhaled a smoke ring, and asked them with a cold face.

The two men with multicolored hair quickly stood up, looked at Bai He nervously, and tentatively asked, "Are you Brother Bai He?"

“I’m Fengzai, the younger brother of Shuiche Niu. This is the waterwheel that Ninth Aunt ordered. My boss asked me to come and deliver the keys.”

Fengzai took the key out of his pocket and handed it to Baihe.

"I am Baihe, and that car is?"

Baihe took the keys, looked around, but couldn't find which car it belonged to.

"Brother Baihe, that Suzuki FB Carry pickup truck is the one I delivered. I don't know why I used this truck; it was the boss who instructed me to."

Fengzai was unaware of the inside story; he was only responsible for delivering cars, doing whatever the bosses told him to do! "Is it safe?"

It seems there isn't much stock this time!
Because Suzuki's FB Carry pickup truck has a twin-cylinder engine, it can't carry much cargo at all.

Baihe doesn't care how much cargo it can carry; he's more concerned about the safety of the Suzuki pickup truck.

"Don't worry! This car was ordered by Wanwan. After the matter is over, we will take a boat across the sea. Even if the cops are very resourceful, they won't be able to find the car in Wanwan."

The waterwheels came from all sorts of places, mostly from Japan, Australia, and their ancestral homeland.

In these regions, the insurance industry is well-developed, and vehicles are typically insured against theft. Therefore, if a vehicle is stolen, one only needs to report it to the authorities, obtain a notification from the police, and then apply for insurance compensation.

The insurance company will compensate based on the vehicle's age and depreciation, while simultaneously increasing the insurance premium for the following year.

Hearing that the pickup truck would cross the sea that night, Bai He felt relieved. He took out the Lucky Strike cigarettes that Uncle Bai had given him from his pocket, put them in the hand of the scoundrel named Fengzai in front of him, and told the two scoundrels to get lost.

Seeing the cigarette in his hand was a relief. Fengzai pursed his lips, but something was better than nothing. He told Baihe that after using the car, he should just park it in the same spot.

He will come to pick up the car at 8:00 AM tomorrow. Just leave the car keys at the security office. If he doesn't see the car by 8:00 AM tomorrow, the rental fee will be charged for an extra day.

They're in a business that carries the risk of death, so they don't care about the thousands of dollars in rent per day.

He was willing to pay an extra week's rent, provided the Suzuki pickup truck was powerful enough, in good condition, and wouldn't stall midway.

"Enough talk! Let's get out of here!"

Bai He waved his hand, signaling the two colorful light bulbs to disappear from his sight. He then opened the car door, started the pickup truck, and drove towards the Shenwei Building.

At 5:30 p.m., on Pok Fu Lam Road next to the University of Hong Kong, Jasmine, wearing a light blue dress, carried a handbag and walked forward with her head down.

That damned bastard just called me, asking me to give the photos I got from our last meeting to Big Stupid Donkey.

She was supposed to have another evening class today, but the matter was extremely urgent, so she immediately called Big Donkey and asked him to meet her at the bar.

The sea breeze was strong, and Jasmine, wearing a thin dress, shivered from the cold. She clutched a brass lighter in her fingers, the HKU letters engraved on the body gleaming from the friction.
She found this kerosene brass lighter at a flea market next to the University of Hong Kong library. She wanted to smoke a cigarette, but the sea breeze was too strong, so she had to give up.

She steeled herself, braving the raging sea wind, and arrived at the Starfish Bar she frequented.

He pushed open the bar door with all his might, and the brass bell hanging on the lintel rang once.

The main lights in the bar were off; only two green glass-shaded pendant lights above the bar were on.

Because of the typhoon, there won't be many customers tonight. The light falls on the dark wood bar, outlining the silhouettes of a row of whiskey bottles.

The bartender was a man in his fifties, wearing a faded white shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, wiping a glass with a cloth.

The sizzling sound of linen rubbing against the cup wall mingled with the gramophone playing Sam Hui's "Half a Catty, Eight Taels" in the corner.

Compared to the howling wind outside, the bar was much warmer and more comfortable.

After waving and saying hello to the bartender, Jasmine chose a corner seat by the window, with her back to the door, where she could see the street outside through the condensed glass.

"Hey girl, what would you like to drink?" The elderly bartender came over and asked Jasmine what she wanted to drink, but his voice was as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing against wood.

"A martini, please."

"Just a heads up, you can call me Jasmine or Little Sister, but please don't call me 'Fangirl'!"

"leave!"

Jasmine complained, but seeing the bartender turn and leave without giving her a chance to finish her sentence, she could only raise the international friendship sign.

After complaining, her gaze fell on the old book "A Tale of Two Cities" on the table.

This book must have been borrowed from the University of Hong Kong Library; it has a red library stamp on the title page.

Coming to a bar to watch "A Tale of Two Cities" requires a complete idiot to do something so crazy.

Picking up girls depends on the location. People who come to bars are looking for excitement, so there are definitely no innocent girls there.

She picked up the book and flipped through a few pages, but she wasn't really interested in reading it; her peripheral vision kept fixed on her reflection in the glass.

"Coming to a bar on a windy day! If you're not here to see me, you're here to do something funny!"

"I'm an old man, there's nothing to see here. I already have plans with people?"

The bartender placed the prepared martini in front of Jasmine, along with a plate of cherry tomatoes and a serving of curry fish balls.

"Of course I made plans with someone!"

"You're old and faded, there's nothing to see here!"

Jasmine, who worked in the Criminal Intelligence Bureau's surveillance team, naturally developed a sharp tongue. After embarrassing the bartender, she picked up a small tomato and put it in her mouth.

"Nonsense! It's a typhoon this afternoon. Unless it's the Heavenly Queen descending to earth, there's no need to come out and greet anyone."

"Take your time drinking. I've got some pork bone soup simmering in the pot. I'll get you a bowl later."

The bartender said he didn't quite understand, then took the plate and turned to leave.

Jasmine picked up her wine glass, took a sip, then opened her handbag, took out her cigarette case, put a cigarette in her mouth, and lit it.

(Challenge failed!)

(End of this chapter)