Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

Huang Laosi was comfortably leaning against the door frame of the factory, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, when this sudden commotion left him completely bewildered.

He slowly straightened up, tilted his head, narrowed his eyes to slits, and stared at Huang Xu with a puzzled expression, as if scrutinizing a stranger. His gaze seemed to be questioning him.

"What are you doing here, making such a racket? What are you up to?"

Huang Xu, completely oblivious to the questioning gaze, was still basking in the warmth of his long-awaited reunion with his cousin, his mouth babbling incessantly like a floodgate opening.

He gestured animatedly as he spoke, going on and on:

"Fourth Brother, you have no idea, our university dorms were so funny. One of my roommates had all sorts of bizarre sleeping positions. In the middle of the night, he would often kick the blanket off onto the floor and spread it out in a 'big' shape, completely blocking the aisle. And last time I was passing by the playground, I happened to witness a romantic confession. The boy was holding a huge bouquet of roses, and he was so nervous that he could barely speak. It was hilarious..."

Standing to the side, Gao Jie was extremely anxious. His heart skipped a beat, and he instantly sensed something was wrong in the air.

He gritted his teeth inwardly, mentally berating Huang Xu: "What time is it? This idiot is still spouting this useless nonsense!"

Forget about polite formalities at that moment, he stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said to Old Huang with both respect and urgency:

"Boss Huang, there's something I want to talk to you about. It's extremely urgent and very confidential. You absolutely cannot let anyone else know, otherwise, it could cause you endless trouble."

As he spoke, Gao Jie stared intently at Huang Laosi, his eyes filled with earnestness and anxiety. A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead from the tension, slowly sliding down his cheeks, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

Upon hearing this, Huang Laosi remained noncommittal, simply waving his hand dismissively, his gaze still fixed on Huang Xu. He spoke with a half-smile, his words laced with a hint of mockery:

"Let's not talk about that for now. Let's talk about the kid next to you. What's he doing, making those faces like that? If you didn't know better, you'd think he was doing a comedy."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but grin and let out a low laugh, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet atmosphere.

Gao Jie then realized what was happening and turned around to see Huang Xu winking and raising his eyebrows at Huang Lao Si with a fawning expression, trying to get close to him in this clumsy way. He looked exactly like a street performer clown.

Gao Jie was both angry and anxious, his face flushed red. He couldn't help but reach out and shove him away harshly, hissing in a low voice:

"I'm sorry, this kid is used to it. He's always like this. Please don't take it to heart. He likes to get close to everyone and he's never serious."

Huang Xu stumbled from the push and was about to get angry, but when he met Gao Jie's warning gaze, he swallowed his words.

Huang Laosi smiled wryly, a hint of mockery playing on his lips, thinking to himself:

"When did Huang Xu become like this? He's having a bad time outside, so he's come here to cause trouble? And he even brought a lackey with him. Interesting."

He stood there with his arms crossed, watching Huang Xu perform, without intending to speak up first to help him out.

Huang Xu was initially overjoyed, but after being ignored by Huang Laosi's indifferent attitude and then being shoved by Gao Jie in public, his face instantly turned red, and the anger in his heart suddenly flared up.

He stared intently at Huang Laosi, his eyes practically spitting fire. His hands clenched into fists involuntarily, his nails digging deep into his flesh, the pain fueling a fierce resolve within him.

"I came to you with good intentions, and you treat me like a fool. What exactly do you mean by that?"

His chest heaved violently with rage, the veins on his neck bulging. He strode up to Huang Laosi, pointed his finger straight at Huang Laosi's chest, and roared hoarsely:

"Hey Huang, what do you mean? What are you up to? Just because I'm giving you face doesn't mean you can bully me, understand?"

He was so angry that he spat everywhere.

"Besides, I don't care how successful you are now, why waste so much time? You should explain things to my friend right here, and don't put on that gangster act. I haven't even told you about how you were starving and stole money from my piggy bank! Don't forget, if I hadn't covered for you back then, my dad would have beaten you to a pulp!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Laosi's expression instantly changed, a flash of panic and anger crossing his eyes. He rushed forward, reaching out to cover Huang Xu's mouth with his large hand, glancing nervously left and right as he did so, and whispering harshly:

"Are you crazy, kid! What are you yelling about in public?!"

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he was filled with unease.

"Why is this kid suddenly bringing up this old, trivial matter? Is someone behind it, deliberately trying to find something to use against me?"

Thinking it over, he looked at Gao Jie warily again, "You suddenly came to my door, could it be that someone sent you to test my strength? Tell me, who sent you?"

Seeing this, Gao Jie knew that hiding it any longer wouldn't solve anything, so he didn't hesitate, took a deep breath, and quickly said:

"Boss Huang, no one instructed us, please don't misunderstand. Here's what happened: my friend Xu Rourou was kidnapped. We investigated and found that the clues seemed to be related to your place. We had no other choice, so we rushed over here. We have no other thoughts than to rescue her safely."

Upon hearing that it was about that young girl, Huang Laosi frowned, a complex look flashing in his eyes—a mixture of surprise and impatience. He snorted coldly:

"How did that little girl get involved in this mess? What a nuisance. What does this have to do with me? Don't try to pin this on me."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie became extremely anxious and quickly added:

"Boss Huang, we're not making baseless accusations. You're the only one with leads right now. If you can help us this time, I'll do whatever you ask in the future without hesitation."

Taking the opportunity, Huang Xu broke free from Huang Laosi's hand and chimed in, "Fourth Brother, please help us out for the sake of our brotherhood."

"So it's because of that girl. I knew it! Why did you two come knocking on my door? Since you're so eager to know about her, I'll tell you."

"That girl's sister cheated someone, and now they've come knocking on our door. We were just helping out with the work; we don't know anything else. If you want to help, pay up and resolve the issue quickly. Otherwise, don't ask any questions and don't get involved."

Huang Laosi flicked his cigarette ash, his gaze sweeping over Gao Jie and Huang Xu's faces, his eyes revealing a hint of seriousness:

"The main thing I need to remind you is that this important person has a very unusual background. He has powerful connections. If you mess things up, he might not let you off the hook, understand?"

His voice was deep and carried an undeniable authority, each word striking heavily into their hearts.

Gao Jie's eyes widened in disbelief. His mouth opened and closed, and it took him a long time to find his voice:

"What important person? Could you tell me more about them?"

Old Huang smacked his lips, picked up the teacup beside him, slowly took a sip, and then spoke unhurriedly:

"It turns out it was a 50 yuan loan at exorbitant interest rates. That girl must have offended some powerful figure; she borrowed money and can't pay it back."

As he spoke, he poured himself some more tea, and amidst the rising steam, he continued, "Actually, it was originally only 20 Alliance Coins, but those shrewd people who lend money have compounded the interest, and it has risen to what it is now."

Old Huang put down his teacup, spread his hands slightly, and looked helpless:

"I don't know the specifics, but as you can see, this is a very troublesome problem. I'm powerless to help." He leaned back in his chair, his eyes revealing a hint of indifference.

Gao Jie hadn't expected the problem to escalate this far. His brows furrowed deeply, he crossed his arms and paced back and forth in the room, muttering to himself as he pondered the situation carefully.

"Things have come to this point, we can't just leave it like this. Are they really going to force us to pay 50?" He took each step quickly and heavily, as if he could find a way to solve the problem.

Huang Laosi waved his hand impatiently, interrupting him:

"That was yesterday's price. Today it's 55. If the money isn't delivered by the day after tomorrow, it'll keep going up. These loan sharks don't care about your feelings."

He lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and, amidst the swirling smoke, watched Gao Jie's increasingly grim expression without saying anything more.

Just as Gao Jie was filled with anxiety and deep thought, Huang Laosi's phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, immediately sat up straight, his face plastered with obsequiousness, and his voice instantly rose several octaves:

"Boss, just tell me what you're asking. Whatever the situation, I'll handle it accordingly and make sure the problem isn't too complicated."

As he spoke, he nodded and bowed repeatedly, as if the person on the other end of the phone could see him.

"Don't worry, I know the situation best, and I guarantee I won't let things get complicated."

He paused, glanced cautiously at Gao Jie and Huang Xu, before continuing,

"Also, someone suggested today that they wanted to ransom that girl. Should I tell them the truth?"

He nodded repeatedly as he listened to the instructions on the other end of the phone. "I understand, boss, don't worry."

After hanging up the phone, Huang Laosi cleared his throat, looked at the two men, and spoke the truth without expression:

"My boss has already said that the opportunity is lost. He's getting married to this girl next month. If you two don't have anything else to do, you should go back. These aren't places for you, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie and Huang Xu's expressions changed immediately. Gao Jie's face turned deathly pale, while Huang Xu's face flushed red.

They looked at each other, completely bewildered. Huang Xu rushed forward, grabbing Huang Lao Si's clothes tightly with both hands, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Fourth Brother, I beg you, can you please explain yourself clearly? That girl is our classmate, we're very close, we can't just let this happen. You can't just stand by and watch her die!"

His voice carried a hint of pleading, and a touch of despair.

Huang Laosi acted as if he hadn't heard, frowned, and gave a wink towards the door.

Immediately, several burly thugs surrounded them, grabbed their arms without a word, and dragged them out, kicking them both out.

After being thrown outside, Gao Jie frowned, filled with frustration and bewilderment. He hadn't expected that all his hard work would end like this. He kicked a pebble hard, his voice filled with resentment:

"This is terrible! We've been kicked out! What do we do now?"

He turned to look at Huang Xu, his eyes questioning, "Your cousin is really disrespectful. I've already revealed my identity, and you still won't help me."

Huang Xu scratched his head in frustration, pulling out clumps of hair until it was a mess, then plopped down on the ground, his eyes vacant, muttering, "I never expected it to turn out like this..."

"So, as you said, what should we do now? My cousin has already said everything he needed to say. Could there be other unresolved issues?"

"But judging from this, his boss must be very powerful."

As Gao Jie muttered to himself, he reached out and stroked his chin, his brows furrowing slightly, his eyes revealing a thoughtful glint.

He winked at Huang Xu, signaling him to keep quiet, while he paced back and forth, leaving shallow footprints in the dust beneath his feet.

Thoughts raced through his mind. Since the other party was determined to get married and completely disregarded the hundreds of thousands of yuan in debt, giving it up so easily, it was enough to show that this person must be either rich or noble. How could an ordinary family have such confidence?

"So, do you think if we secretly follow him, we could find his boss?"

Gao Jie suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed intently on Huang Xu, a flicker of excitement and anticipation in his eyes.

"Once we find his boss, it will definitely make negotiations easier for us. At that point, all the problems will be solved, right?"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his hands unconsciously gesturing in the air, as if he could already see the scene of successfully rescuing Xu Rourou.

The plan seemed perfect at first glance, but they had no idea whether it could be implemented or how many problems they would encounter in practice.

Huang Xu scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting around as he weighed the whole plan in his mind.

Although the risks were considerable, there was no better option at the moment. After much hesitation, he decided it was worth a try, so he nodded vigorously and immediately agreed.

"Okay, we'll do it your way!"

Without hesitation, Gao Jie acted swiftly and decisively, not wasting a moment. He immediately turned and walked outside, as if he were about to do something that could turn the tide of events.

Huang Xu wasn't about to fall behind, so he immediately followed closely like a shadow, muttering, "Wait for me, let's not mess things up."

They found a secluded corner and crouched down to wait. Several hours passed, each minute feeling like an eternity. Finally, Huang Laosi and his group set off, and the two of them quietly followed, barely daring to breathe.

An Zhilin's office is surprisingly large, covering over a hundred square meters, and decorated in an extremely luxurious style.

An imported Italian leather sofa lay languidly to one side, the gleaming marble floor reflected the dazzling crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and the wine cabinet on the wall was filled with fine wines from all over the world.

At this moment, he sat behind that huge solid wood desk, as if shrouded in dark clouds. His face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could be wrung out of it. His thick eyebrows were tightly furrowed together, and deep furrows were squeezed out between his brows. His irritability and impatience were almost overflowing.

He glared fiercely at Huang Laosi, and launched into a rapid-fire tirade:

"Listen up, you have to sort this out for me. I want to marry that girl in style, I don't want her to be unwilling and give me the cold shoulder. Besides, you've seen the mess right now, it's a real pain!"

As he spoke, his well-maintained fingers began to tap rapidly on the table, the "tap-tap-tap" sound particularly jarring in the quiet office.

"I don't want this to cause any trouble or sound bad if word gets out. She's a college student; if this becomes a public scandal, where will I put my face?"

Huang Laosi stood to one side, his back bent at a ninety-degree angle, his head nodding like he was pounding garlic, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, and he kept responding in unison:

"Don't worry, boss, I've memorized everything you told me. I'll definitely handle this matter flawlessly and perfectly."

An Zhilin snorted coldly, stopped wasting words, and suddenly stood up.

He first straightened his expensive silk tie, then skillfully smoothed out the wrinkles on his crisp suit with both hands, and strode out the door.

As soon as he stepped out of the building, before he even reached the gleaming black luxury car, An Zhilin's gaze was drawn to the two young men standing in front of it.

He paused, a hint of doubt rising in his mind, and subconsciously slowed his pace.

Almost simultaneously, the group of burly thugs behind them swarmed over, instantly surrounding them and forming an impenetrable encirclement.

An Zhilin glanced sideways, using his peripheral vision to scan the rather intimidating posture beside him, his mind racing.

He thought to himself, these two young punks, looking skinny and weak, if they really came looking for trouble, would be like throwing eggs against rocks when facing his well-trained gang of underlings.

He figured they must have something else on their minds, so he took a deep breath, calmed himself, and slowly walked toward Gao Jie and Huang Xu.

With each step he took, his gaze grew sharper, scrutinizing them from head to toe. His eyes were like X-rays, revealing a scrutinizing and probing look, finally settling on their faces before he slowly and deliberately asked:

What brings you here?