Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

The next morning, Fan Debiao called Gangzi to the security room.

Gangzi was yawning when he came in; he had been watching the place all night, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Brother Biao, what's up?"

Fan Debiao tossed him a Hongtashan cigarette: "Let's have a chat."

Gangzi took the cigarette and lit it for Fan Debiao: "Brother Biao, you go ahead, I'm listening."

Fan Debiao took a couple of puffs of his cigarette before speaking: "Gangzi, you're quite famous in the Fourth Road area."

Gangzi laughed: "That's all in the past. Now that I'm with Brother Biao, those empty titles don't put food on the table."

"You can't say that," Fan Debiao flicked his cigarette ash. "Sixth Road Gangzi, who in Kaiyuan doesn't know him? People are still talking about that fight you had with Old Scar two years ago."

Gangzi chuckled: "Brother Biao, you know about that too?"

"How could I not know?" Fan Debiao said, "Old Scar brought seven or eight men to ambush you, and you, carrying a steel pipe, fought them from one end of the street to the other, until they were all lying down. The story has spread throughout Kaiyuan."

Gangzi waved his hand: "That's all in the past, why bring it up?"

Fan Debiao continued, "Gangzi, I trust you to work for me. But we need to make this clear from the start—you're now the security captain at Victoria, not some thug from Fourth Road anymore. Avoid any fighting or violence if possible."

"Don't worry, Brother Biao." Gangzi stubbed out his cigarette. "I've been a gangster before, but I know what to do in any situation. Before, I was on the streets just to survive; now I'm working for you to make a living. It's different."

"Good, I understand." Fan Debiao took an envelope out of the drawer. "This is your salary for this month, five thousand. Count it."

Gangzi took the envelope and stuffed it into his pocket: "Why count it? How could Brother Biao's letter be wrong?"

"We still need to count it," Fan Debiao said. "By the way, your brother Xiao Wu did a good job this month too. Give him a raise of two hundred next month."

"Then I'll thank Brother Biao on his behalf." Gangzi stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll head out now. I need to go back and catch up on some sleep."

"Wait a minute," Fan Debiao called out to him, "There's something else."

"Brother Biao, you say it."

"My niece, Ma Xiaocui," Fan Debiao said, staring at Gangzi, "She stayed with me for a few days and may have seen you. If she comes to Victoria again, stay away from her."

Gangzi chuckled: "Brother Biao, are you afraid I'll talk nonsense with your niece?"

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I don't want her to be exposed to society at such a young age," Fan Debiao said. "She's only nineteen years old this year, and she's still in school. You two are not on the same wavelength."

Gangzi stopped laughing: "Brother Biao, I'll keep that in mind. Don't worry, even though I've been around the block, I know who I can and can't mess with. I'll definitely stay far away from your niece."

"That's fine then." Fan Debiao waved his hand. "Go ahead."

Just as Gangzi left, Awei knocked on the door and came in: "Brother Biao, the client information is ready. Here's the list, twenty-three people in total."

Fan Debiao took the list and looked at it. It contained the names and phone numbers of office directors and full-time drivers.

"Are the gifts ready?"

"It's all ready," Avi said. "Twenty portions, each containing two packs of cigarettes, two bottles of liquor, and a box of tea. As you said, they're all mid-range prices, neither flashy nor shabby."

"Okay, arrange for someone to put them in my car."

"Okay." Awei was about to leave when she remembered something. "Oh, right, Brother Biao, the room fee for Xiaocui's place is calculated. It's 240 yuan in total. Should we deduct it from your salary this month?"

"Deduct it," Fan Debiao said. "Deduct whatever amount is due."

"There's one more thing..." Avi hesitated before speaking.

"explain."

"I heard that Old Qian's side is trying to poach our people," Avi said in a low voice. "They say they're offering higher salaries than we are."

Fan Debiao frowned: "Whom do you want to poach?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard the focus is on waitresses, chefs, and middle management," Avi said, "especially the pretty female waitresses."

Fan Debiao's heart tightened: "Where's Xiaoyun? Has she made a move?"

"Xiaoyun probably won't," Awei said. "She was very grateful that you stood up for her last time. But it's hard to say about others."

"Understood," Fan Debiao said. "Keep an eye on things for me, and let me know in advance if anyone shows any signs of leaving."

At 10 a.m., Fan Debiao left home with the gift box. His first stop was the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

When he arrived at the office building, he didn't go directly to Director Wang, but instead made a phone call to the office.

"Hello, Director Wang? This is Xiao Fan, from Victoria. Yes, a friend gave me some good tea, but you know I'm a rough person and can't tell the difference between good and bad, so I just wasted it. I heard you're knowledgeable about tea, and I happened to be passing by your office downstairs, so I brought it over for you to taste."

Ten minutes later, Director Wang came down; he was chubby and had a big smile on his face.

"Manager Fan, you're too kind." Director Wang took the tea box, weighed it in his hand, and felt that the weight was not right.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation." Fan Debiao lowered his voice. "There's a gift card from our place in the box. It's anonymous. Director, please come over and visit when you have time."

Director Wang beamed with joy: "Manager Fan is so capable. Okay, next time our unit has a hospitality event, I'll definitely arrange it for you."

"Thank you very much, Director Wang."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Fan Debiao left. The gift card in the tea box was one he had applied for again from General Manager Wu that day; he understood the principle of "you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."

I visited four different offices this morning, and it was the same routine every time. The office managers and drivers were all beaming with joy.

I went back to Victoria for lunch, and as soon as I entered the lobby, I saw Xiaoyun wiping away tears at the front desk. Awei was comforting her.

"What's wrong?" Fan Debiao walked over.

Xiaoyun looked up, her eyes swollen from crying: "Brother Biao... Lao Qian is looking for me again."

"What did you say?"

"He said... he said if I didn't go, he would make it impossible for me to stay in Kaiyuan." Xiaoyun sobbed, "He also said I wouldn't last long at Victoria and would have to leave sooner or later."

Fan Debiao was furious: "Did he really say that?"

Awei nodded: "Brother Biao, Lao Qian is going against us. Not only Xiaoyun, but several waiters have also received calls saying they'll be going to Jinbihuihuang and their wages will be doubled."

"Double?" Fan Debiao sneered. "Does Old Qian own a bank? He can't just double salaries like that?"

"But some of them are actually interested," Avi whispered. "Chef Zhang's daughter from the kitchen quit her job yesterday to go there."

Fan Debiao thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I understand. Xiaoyun, don't be afraid. If Lao Qian dares to cause you trouble, just tell me."

"Brother Biao, I...I don't want to cause you any trouble," Xiaoyun said. "Maybe I should just leave and go work somewhere else."

"Why would you leave?" Fan Debiao said. "You stay here and do it. Let's see what he can do to you."

Just then, Gangzi came downstairs, saw the commotion, and asked, "What's wrong, Brother Biao?"

Fan Debiao recounted what had happened. Gangzi's face darkened after hearing it: "That old bastard, Lao Qian, he's playing dirty tricks!"

"Do you have any ideas?" Fan Debiao asked.

Gangzi thought for a moment: "Brother Biao, how about I find a few people to go to Jinbihuihuang and 'patronize' their business?"

"How do I take care of it?"

"Consumption."

That evening, Fan Debiao was chatting idly with Awei at the front desk when his phone rang. He glanced at it and saw it was another unknown number.

"Feed?"

"Fan Debiao, you're something else." It was Lao Qian's voice on the other end of the phone. "What's the meaning of letting your people sit here all afternoon?"

Fan Debiao feigned confusion: "Boss Qian, what are you saying? I don't understand."

"Stop playing dumb!" Old Qian snapped. "Ten people, just one bottle of beer, sitting here all afternoon. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"Oh, is that so?" Fan Debiao laughed. "I'll have to check if they're my men. If they are, I'll go back and give them a talking-to."

"Fan Debiao, don't give me that crap!" Old Qian said. "Let me tell you, if you want to play, I'll play with you. Let's see who comes out on top!"