My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

The tall man had already fallen to the ground, his body convulsing, and blood stained the ground red.

The people on the street were terrified, standing at a distance, no one daring to approach. Some secretly took out their phones to call the police, while others screamed and ran away.

Su Ming stood there, his body turning cold. This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a bloody scene—not in a movie, not in a story, but with living people, hacked to pieces in pools of blood, their fates unknown.

This place is fucking awful. I took a girl ice skating, said a few harsh words, and she got slashed to the ground. Just thinking about it makes me shudder!

About five minutes later, the sound of sirens grew louder as they approached. Two police cars and an ambulance arrived. Police cordoned off the area, and paramedics lifted the tall man onto a stretcher—he was still conscious, his lips were moving, but he could no longer speak.

Blood stained the white stretcher cloth.

The crowd gradually gathered, whispering among themselves.

"That's too cruel..."

"Is it someone from the Hunan gang again?"

"It must be him, that bald guy is Pegasus."

"This young man is really something, of all people to mess with, he had to mess with Brother Fei Ma..."

Pegasus.

Su Ming remembered the name. He recalled the vendor's warning from last night: "You've offended the Hunan gang...you're in for it."

It turns out that those people who set up chess games to scam money last night were also from the Hunan gang. And this "Brother Feima" sounds like an even more formidable character.

"Hey buddy, are you stunned?"

A voice sounded from the side.

Su Ming turned his head and saw a thin young man standing next to him, grinning and revealing a set of uneven buck teeth. He was probably in his early twenties, wearing a floral shirt and bell-bottoms, with curly hair, and had a nonchalant attitude.

"Is this the first time you've seen something like this?" the man with the bristly teeth asked.

"Hmm!" Su Ming nodded.

"It's normal. I was scared to death when I first arrived." Bao Ya Nan pulled a crumpled pack of Double Happiness cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and said, "But you get used to it after a while. This area is dominated by the Hunan gang. Whoever offends them is doomed."

He exhaled a smoke ring: "That young man was too reckless. He could have just taken a girl's hand, but he had to make a scene. Now look what happened, it's hard to say whether he'll even come back to life."

Su Ming looked at him: "You seem to know a lot?"

"Of course." Bao Ya-nan proudly raised his chin. "I've been in the Snake Hill Industrial Zone for three years. What haven't I seen? I'm not bragging, but there's nothing in this area that I don't know."

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat: "Then... who is Pegasus?"

The man with the bristly teeth squinted at him: "Want to know?"

"Um."

"Buy me a soda, and I'll have a serious talk with you." The man with the prominent teeth rubbed his fingers together. "I can't just talk for nothing, right?"

Su Ming thought for a moment, then took out a dollar from his pocket: "Okay, I'll treat you to a soda."

The two walked to the convenience store next door. Su Ming bought a bottle of Coke and handed it to Bao Ya Nan, then took one for himself as well.

Bao Ya Nan gulped down several large mouthfuls, let out a loud burp, and then spoke: "My name is Zhong Qiunan, but everyone calls me Bao Ya Zhong. The first shot in the Snake Mountain Industrial Zone."

"The first shot?" Su Ming asked, puzzled.

"Playing billiards!" Bao Yazhong's eyes widened. "In the entire industrial zone, no one can beat me at billiards. I earn my monthly cigarette money by playing billiards."

Su Ming asked skeptically, "Really?"

"Don't believe me?" Bao Yazhong got excited. "Want to try? No big bets, best two out of three, the loser pays for the billiards, just bet a bottle of Wanglaoji herbal tea."

Su Ming checked the time; there were still more than forty minutes until midnight. He thought for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, I'll give it a try."

The two entered a billiards hall next to the convenience store. The room was filled with smoke, and several billiard tables were occupied, with the sounds of banging, cheers, and curses rising and falling.

Bao Ya Zhong was clearly a regular customer; as soon as he walked in, someone greeted him: "Hey, Brother Zhong, here to rip off newbies again?"

"Go away, what do you mean by 'killing'? This is a friendly exchange!" Bao Yazhong laughed and scolded.

He greeted the owner, asked for an empty table, picked up a golf club, and twirled it in his hand: "Will you tee off first or should I?"

"You go first!" Su Ming said. He actually knew a little billiards, having played it at the arcade in his hometown, but his skill level was average.

Bao Yazhong didn't hold back either, bending down, setting up his cue, and striking the ball.

"Snapped!"

The cue ball accurately hits the red ball at the top of the triangle, scattering the red balls, with three of them going directly into the pocket.

Su Ming's heart sank—this guy is really capable.

The rest of the match was a foregone conclusion. Bao Yazhong's skills were indeed superb; his positioning was precise, and his cueing was masterful. Su Ming managed to pot a few balls, but was quickly cleared from the table.

Bao Yazhong won all three games.

"Fine, you admit defeat?" Bao Yazhong said smugly, swinging his cue stick.

"I'm convinced." Su Ming was completely convinced and went to the counter to buy a bottle of Wanglaoji herbal tea, which he then handed to him.

Bao Yazhong took it and patted him on the shoulder: "You're not bad either, at least your posture is standard, it's just that you lack experience. Practice more, and maybe you can become an expert."

The two walked out of the billiards room, and Su Ming glanced at the time—it was almost midnight.

"I have to go, I have an appointment," he said.

"What's the rush?" Bao Yazhong was clearly still chatting. "Dude, you're pretty much my type. Let's be friends. Where do you work?"

"I just found a job at an electronics factory. I'm reporting for duty tomorrow; I'll be working as a warehouse manager."

"Warehouse manager? Not bad, stable." Bao Yazhong took out a pen and paper from his pocket and wrote down a number. "This is my mobile number. Call me if you need anything. I'm fairly well-known in the Snake Hill Industrial Zone; having more friends means more opportunities."

Su Ming took the note, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Brother Zhong, are you from the Hunan gang?"

"The Hunan gang?" Bao Yazhong scoffed. "They're nothing. I don't join any gangs; it's much better to be free."

"So where do you work?"

"What's the point of going to work?" Bao Yazhong tossed his curly hair. "I just play billiards, play a few tricks, keep a couple of girls, and I'm living the good life!"

"Raise two girls?" Su Ming didn't understand.

Bao Yazhong leaned closer and lowered his voice: "I have two girlfriends who work at Golden Years. I introduced them to the company, and they give me a little something every month. Combined with the money I win from playing billiards, I easily make a thousand or two thousand a month. It's much better than working a regular job."

Golden years!

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't his cousin-in-law at Golden Years last night?

He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Golden Years... what exactly is that place?"

"A man's paradise!" Bao Yazhong's eyes lit up. "There are so many beautiful girls there, you can easily make tens of thousands of dollars a month. My two girlfriends earn more in a month than an average worker does in half a year."

Su Ming was even more confused: "Then...why would they be willing to give you money?"

"That's my charm!" Bao Yazhong proudly straightened his collar. "First, without my connections, they wouldn't have a chance to get into Golden Age. Second, when they take on side jobs and occasionally run into trouble they can't handle, they have to rely on me to sort it out."

He patted Su Ming on the shoulder: "A man should be able to shield a woman from the storms of life before others will respect him and let him sleep with him freely."

Su Ming finally understood—this guy was a pimp. He introduced girls to work in nightclubs, then took a cut of their earnings, and incidentally provided "protection."

He scrutinized Bao Ya Zhong: short and thin, with protruding teeth, his appearance was truly unappealing. Yet, this very man managed to thrive in the industrial zone, with two "girlfriends" supporting him.

"Brother Zhong!" Su Ming couldn't help but ask, "You don't join a gang, and you don't have a big brother protecting you, so how do you handle things?"

"It's all about using your brains," Bao Yazhong pointed to his head. "You navigate all sorts of people. If you encounter someone powerful, you soften up and say some nice things. If they're not powerful, you just subdue them. Although I'm not from the Hunan gang or the Chaozhou gang, I know a lot of people and can call over a dozen brothers anytime without any problem."

Su Ming thought to himself: This person may have questionable ways, but he does have some skills. In this chaotic place, having a friend like him might not be a bad thing.

At least, it's an "alternative solution".

"Brother Zhong, thank you for today." Su Ming checked the time; it really was time to go. "I have an appointment for dinner, so I'll be going now. I'll contact you if I need anything in the future."

"Alright, go ahead." Bao Yazhong waved his hand. "Remember, call me if you need anything. I still have some influence in the Snake Hill Industrial Zone."

Su Ming nodded, turned to leave, but then suddenly remembered something, went back to the convenience store, bought two cans of Red Bull, and handed one to Bao Ya Zhong: "Brother Zhong, this is for you. Thanks."

Bao Yazhong was taken aback for a moment, then took the Red Bull and laughed: "Kid, you're pretty good at handling things! Okay, I'm definitely making this friend of yours."

The two said goodbye. Su Ming hurriedly ran towards Yang Tian's factory.

When he arrived at the back gate of the factory, it was already 12:10. From afar, he saw Yang Tian standing at the gate, standing on tiptoe and looking around anxiously.

Sunlight shone on her, her pale yellow dress swaying gently in the breeze, her ponytail bobbing behind her head. She glanced at her watch every now and then, then at the intersection, her brow slightly furrowed.

Su Ming slowed his pace and watched her from a distance.

Unlike her cousin-in-law Qiu Tong's mature, charming, and alluring beauty, Yang Tian has a different kind of beauty—pure, clean, like a girl next door, with her eyes crinkling when she smiles, making people feel warm inside.

She seemed to sense something, turned her head, saw Su Ming, and instantly smiled, waving vigorously.

In that instant, Su Ming felt that the hot afternoon wasn't so unbearable after all.

It would be great to have Yang Tian as my girlfriend! With a girlfriend, I wouldn't have to fantasize about my cousin's wife anymore.

Su Ming felt a strange sense of anticipation and excitement.