Underworld: Starting with conquering countless lustful beauties

Wang Defa put down his wine glass, sighed, and his fat face trembled slightly: "Brother Chen, President Jiang, to be honest, besides apologizing today, I also have a lot of grievances to vent. My current situation is like Wang Xiaoer celebrating the New Year—it gets worse every year!"

Chen Feng lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair: "Boss Wang, with such a big business, still have complaints?"

"Big? That was in the past!" Wang Defa slammed his hand on the table, his expression filled with resentment. "You all know I started out in the building materials business. A few years ago, I saw the sand and gravel business was booming, so I thought I'd get involved. Back then, Mad Dog Qiang was just a small-time hoodlum working as a bouncer."

Chen Feng flicked his cigarette ash, signaling him to continue.

"I thought his ruthlessness was impressive, so I invested in and helped him take over two quarries, and even provided him with a fleet of vehicles. We agreed I'd provide the capital, he'd provide the labor, and we'd split the profits 40/60. And what happened?" Wang Defa gritted his teeth. "That ungrateful wretch, now that he's latched onto Master Jiu's coattails, he's got all the power and kicked me out! Not only did he refuse to share the profits, but he also impounded my vehicle, claiming I was 'operating illegally'! That's half my fortune!"

Wang Defa spoke with tears streaming down his face, and if one did not know his background, they would probably be fooled by his victim-like appearance.

"Boss Wang," Chen Feng said slowly after he finished venting, "Mad Dog Qiang is now a favorite of Master Jiu, and he controls the sand and gravel business in the south of the city. You've come to me wanting me to go and meet with Master Jiu?"

"Oh, how could we dare!" Wang Defa quickly waved his hand and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Chen, Ninth Master is a god, we can't afford to offend him. But Mad Dog Qiang is not Ninth Master, he's just a dog. Now this dog is abusing his power and has offended all the construction site bosses in the south of the city. Everyone is angry but dare not speak out!"

He leaned closer, his beady green eyes gleaming with a shrewd light: "Brother Chen, I misjudged you back then. Now I know you're ruthless and capable! You even crippled a freak like Zhao Qiang, what's Mad Dog Qiang compared to that! If we join forces, even just snatching a piece of meat from his mouth would be millions in profit a year!"

Several million.

This number was enough to drive people crazy in the early 90s.

Jiang Hong remained silent, simply sipping her tea elegantly, clearly handing the stage entirely over to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng looked at Wang Defa and suddenly smiled.

That smile was cold, reminding Wang Defa of the icy look in Chen Feng's eyes after he finished drinking that night.

"Boss Wang, you've got a pretty good plan." Chen Feng leaned forward, an invisible pressure instantly enveloping the dining table. "You have the license, you have clients, but you lack the guts, you lack the manpower. You want me to be your weapon, to charge into battle for you, to fight mad dog Qiang to the death. If we win, you take the lion's share, I get a small commission; if we lose, I'm the one who dies, and you can just slap your butt on the back and say you were coerced."

"No...no!" Wang Defa was sweating profusely. "Brother Chen, I genuinely want to cooperate! Name your terms, I'll take anything!"

Jiang Hong spoke up at the opportune moment: "Boss Wang, since it's a collaboration, you need to show some sincerity. Tell me, what can you offer?"

Wang Defa steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and said, "I have a legitimate sand mining permit and over a dozen transport trucks. Besides, I can contact all my old clients and construction site owners. I'll give them all!"

Chen Feng and Jiang Hong exchanged a glance.

"Not enough," Chen Feng said calmly.

"Then...what do you want?"

Chen Feng stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked out at the bustling port.

"I'm going to start a new engineering and building materials company." His back to Wang Defa, his voice steady and powerful, "You provide the capital, the vehicles, and the permits. I'll provide the personnel and be responsible for operations and security."

"Okay!" Wang Defa readily agreed.

"The shares: I get seven, you get three."

"Wh...what?!" Wang Defa almost jumped up. "73? Brother Chen, this is too..."

"Boss Wang," Chen Feng turned around, his eyes blazing, "your cars are being watched by mad dogs right now; they'll get smashed if you drive them out. No matter how valuable your license is, it's just a piece of paper if no one dares to use it. Without me, you won't get a single penny back."

He walked step by step toward Wang Defa, his voice growing colder: "More importantly, Mad Dog Qiang will come looking for trouble with you sooner or later. What do you think he'll do to you then?"

Wang Defa shivered.

He recalled Mad Dog Qiang's ferocious face and his henchmen who would break people's limbs at the drop of a hat, and a chill ran down his spine.

Wang Defa fell silent.

He's not stupid; he can do the math.

What we got back from Mad Dog Qiang was nothing. Cooperating with Chen Feng, even if it's only 30%, would be a million times better than what we have now.

Besides, Chen Feng was right—without a powerful backer, Mad Dog Qiang would come after him sooner or later. On second thought, he realized he had invested real money, including the car.

70/30 split.

This is practically cutting off his flesh and drinking his blood!

"Brother Chen, this...this is too cruel!" Wang Defa wiped his sweat, his voice trembling. "I'm not ignorant of the rules. It's only right that brothers in the underworld risk their lives and get the lion's share. But...but you have to understand my situation!"

He stretched out his chubby fingers and began gesturing on the mahogany round table, as if calculating a lifeline: "Look, those dozen or so vehicles, even though they're impounded now, are my fixed assets, millions tied up in them! And the sand mining permit—do you know how difficult it is to get one these days? It takes real money to bribe officials. If I only take 30%… that won't even cover the vehicle depreciation and the bribes!"

Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, toying with the exquisite white porcelain wine glass in his hand, watching Wang Defa's performance with amusement. He didn't speak, but listened quietly.

This silence made Wang Defa more uneasy than any argument.

Jiang Hong gracefully cut her steak, seemingly detached from the situation as if it were just an ordinary dinner party. However, her eyes lingered on Chen Feng out of the corner of her eye, a hint of admiration in them. She knew Chen Feng was applying pressure—a classic psychological tactic used at the negotiating table.

Seeing that Chen Feng didn't respond, Wang Defa became even more uncertain. He gritted his teeth, picked up his wine glass, took a big gulp, and said with courage, "Brother Chen, I know you're ruthless and resourceful. But business is business, and we're supposed to be long-term partners. If I, as the investor, can't even get a decent share, then I have no motivation to pull strings or get permits, right?"

Chen Feng finally made a move.

He put down his wine glass with a soft thud. The sound was faint, but it made Wang Defa's heart skip a beat.

"Boss Wang, tell me, how do you want to divide it?" Chen Feng took out a cigarette from the cigarette case, but before he could take out his lighter, Wang Defa had already quickly come over and lit it for him with a "snap".

Chen Feng took a deep breath, exhaled a smoke ring, and looked at Wang Defa through the swirling smoke.

Wang Defa smiled ingratiatingly, held up two fingers, thought for a moment, then withdrew them, finally making a hand gesture: "Fifty-fifty! Brother Chen, let's split it fifty-fifty! This is my bottom line, I really can't go any lower!"

"Fifty-fifty?" Chen Feng scoffed and shook his head. "Boss Wang, you still don't understand the situation."

He leaned forward, the oppressive aura closing in again: "You think I'm taking 70% for myself? Wrong. I need to support my brothers, buy equipment, pay resettlement allowances for my wounded brothers, and cover up any trouble that might arise. I'm facing Mad Dog Qiang, Ninth Master's front man! That's a business where you're risking your life!"