After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

Several middle-aged men who had been squatting in the corner exchanged glances and were the first to move.

They weren't thugs; they were small-time bosses with some regular fellow villagers who could take on small jobs—the steel reinforcement team, the carpentry team, the concrete pouring team, and two skilled plasterers.

These people squeezed out of the crowd, put on ingratiating smiles, and approached Gong Yuelong a few steps away.

"Mr. Gong... Mr. Gong? Good morning, just stopping by the market?"

Gong Yuelong looked at him and nodded: "Master Li, good morning."

Seeing that he recognized them and responded, the group visibly relaxed and became a little bolder.

"Boss Gong, yesterday... oh no, I heard you did a fantastic job at the sports center, even Engineer Zhao praised it!"

Another dark-skinned carpenter foreman quickly chimed in, rubbing his hands together.

"Going forward... if there's any more concrete or formwork work, you'd better think of the brothers. Our team is skilled and they're easy to get things done!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The leader of the plasterers chimed in, his face crinkling with laughter.

"Boss Gong, we're extremely meticulous with our plastering work. We guarantee a smooth, flawless finish, absolutely no shoddy work! Price is negotiable, everything is negotiable!"

"And there's the steel reinforcement," Mr. Li, wearing a hard hat, quickly added. "We're experts at cutting and tying it! We've even worked on those large foundation slabs for sports centers; we're experienced!"

The group chatted amongst themselves, each vying to express their loyalty and promote their limited manpower and technology, their eyes filled with anticipation.

They weren't there to wait for odd jobs; they were there to curry favor with influential figures.

His attitude was completely different from the flattery he had shown to Zhao Siyan and Liu Heita in the past; it now showed a genuine respect and... wariness.

After all, this guy was the kind of person who could subdue local bullies like Zhao Siyan and Liu Heita overnight and still get 30,000 yuan in compensation.

Working for him might involve strict rules, but at least your money is guaranteed. You won't have to worry about being exploited without any bottom line, or having your business ruined and having nowhere to seek justice.

More importantly, he looked like it.

Clean, composed, unassuming, keeps his word, and has the backing of a solid project like the Sports Center.

At this moment, a thin, middle-aged man squeezed out from the crowd.

"Boss Gong! My surname is Wang, and I have seven or eight fellow villagers working for me. They can do plastering and tiling!"

I know you may not need more people right now, but we... we're willing to work for you!

Wages... even if we have to hold back a bit! We're looking for long-term stability!

Upon hearing this, the nearby underlings were stunned for a moment, their expressions becoming somewhat complicated.

Price gouging? Even on credit? This is risking everything to prove their loyalty!

It seems that Old Wang was thoroughly terrified of being scammed by Zhao Siyan's gang, and he truly has high hopes for this newly rising Boss Gong.

Gong Yuelong's face remained largely expressionless as he spoke:

"Yes, I have a job. But the rules for my job need to be made clear first."

Timely, high-quality, and on-call. Payment will be made exactly as owed; once the work is completed and passes inspection, there will be no delays or outstanding debts.

He paused, then looked at the middle-aged man surnamed Wang who had said he was willing to do it even on credit:

"Old Wang, right? No need to haggle over prices, and no need to go on credit. If you work with me, we'll charge fair market rates. But if the job goes wrong, or if things fall apart..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but he conveyed the meaning.

The middle-aged man surnamed Wang, however, seemed reassured and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, Boss Gong! We understand the rules! We guarantee we won't let you down!"

The other leaders quickly echoed this sentiment.

Gong Yuelong nodded and said nothing more, only saying, "If there's any suitable work, I'll have someone contact you. Go ahead and get busy."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to walk towards his pickup truck.

He left behind a host of even more complex gazes.

The gang leaders were overjoyed, exchanging excited glances and whispering amongst themselves as they dispersed.

The buzzing in the market resumed, but the content had completely changed.

"See that? Li Tou and the others have all crowded around!"

"Old Wang is even more ruthless; he's willing to do anything, even at the expense of debt!"

"Of course! Working for a boss like that is reassuring!"

"Zhao Siyan, Liu Heita... Hey, it's true what they say, comparisons are odious."

"From now on, this film will probably really depend on this Boss Gong's whims..."

Gong Yuelong opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

The engine starts.

Status is something that you can't always ask for; it's something you have to fight for. It's about how you do things and what you offer that makes others have to reconsider.

As the car drove away from the labor market, Gong Yuelong gripped the steering wheel, but his thoughts drifted back.

They beat up Zhao Siyan and Liu Heita.

In the eyes of those in the labor market, this was ruthless, impressive, and a change in status.

What they saw was the result—two local bullies who used to be unruly were crippled, lost money, and cowered overnight.

Thus, Gong Yuelong transformed from a debtor into the formidable Boss Gong.

This position came quickly, but it's also empty.

It was earned by risking one's life, by fighting tooth and nail to get it.

It can intimidate those in the labor market who are also struggling in the mud, and temporarily remove the lowest stumbling blocks in their path.

But true status is established.

It's like building a house; it needs a solid foundation—a reliable team, excellent quality, a stable source of work, and the credibility and relationships to back it up.

Beating Zhao Siyan simply meant clearing away the overgrown weeds and garbage next to the foundation to make room.

How to build the building, how to lay the bricks, we have to do it ourselves, brick by brick.

He knew perfectly well that Jiang Yan's line was the steel framework that led upwards.

My phone vibrated. It was a text message from Jiang Yan, just an address, the name of a chain fast food restaurant, not far from here.

Gong Yuelong turned around and drove past.

The fast food restaurant was clean and bright, with the air conditioning on full blast.

There weren't many people, just a few scattered tables.

He soon saw Jiang Yan.

She sat at a four-person table at the back, with only a glass of lemonade in front of her, with a straw in it, and she didn't touch it.

She wore a light gray silk shirt today, and her hair was loosely tied up, giving her a rare relaxed look.

"Boss Jiang." Gong Yuelong sat down opposite her.

"Mm," Jiang Yan responded, turning her phone screen towards him and pushing it to the center of the table. "It's all settled."

The screen displays a text message record. The sender's name wasn't saved, only a phone number. The message was brief:

Thanks, Boss Jiang. We've met the people and delivered the message. We understand the rules; from now on, we'll keep to ourselves. Those two were clueless; we have nothing to say about that.

Gong Yuelong quickly glanced at it and nodded.

It went even more smoothly than he had expected.

"The other party is a minor leader under Qiu Laosan, in charge of maintaining order at several construction sites in the north of the city."

Jiang Yan put her phone away, her voice flat, "Zhao Siyan's little tricks barely count as him taking a cut under someone else's name, and Liu Heita is even more despicable."

If you try to do anything to them, Qiu Laosan won't even make a sound.

Having paid compensation and given them a way out, they were happy to have some peace and quiet, to avoid those two good-for-nothings causing any more trouble.

With just a few words, she placed last night's bloody conflict into the larger landscape of the martial arts world, making it instantly seem... insignificant.

Zhao Siyan and Liu Heita were nothing more than small fry clinging to the very edge.