Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

Gangdan had been working at Dexing Communications for about half a month, and his hands and feet were gradually becoming more nimble. It's just that this kid is quiet and doesn't like to talk much. Apart from working, he just eats in silence, and goes straight home after get off work.

It was Friday afternoon, around 4 p.m., when Gangdan told Xiaojuan he was going to the warehouse to check the goods. As soon as he stepped out of the store, the two of them stopped him.

"Gangdan, off work?" The speaker was a blond-haired guy whom Gangdan had seen twice at the arcade; his nickname was Erlv.

"No, I still have work to do." Gangdan lowered his head and tried to walk around.

"What's the rush?" Another bald guy grabbed him. "Come on, let's go get some skewers, we'll come back and work afterwards."

"No, my brother will scold me if he finds out."

"What are you cursing about? What's wrong with having a meal?" Erlv put his arm around his shoulder. "Come on, come on, that new barbecue place at the street corner smells amazing."

Gangdan couldn't withstand the two men's pulling and dragging, and was taken to the barbecue stall.

After a few beers, they started talking more. Erlv said he worked at a freight station and earned over a hundred a day. Guangtou said he worked as a bouncer at an arcade, which was easy and paid well.

"Gangdan, how much do you earn a month at Dexing Communications?" Erlv asked.

"Eight hundred."

"What can eight hundred do?" the bald man scoffed. "Look at your clothes, they're all faded from washing. How about I show you how to earn some extra money?"

Steel Egg shook his head: "I don't do anything illegal."

"Who said it's illegal?" Erlv pulled a small plastic bag out of his pocket. "This thing is called YTW, and it sells really well in nightclubs. Go stroll around Victoria at night, see some young people having a blast, and secretly sell them a couple. You'll make fifty yuan per piece."

Steel Egg's face turned pale: "I won't do this..."

"So timid?" The bald man stuffed the pills back into his pocket. "Never mind then. I was hoping to help you make some money."

After drinking two more bottles, Gangdan was a little tipsy. Erlv took out a pack of cigarettes from another pocket, pulled one out and gave it to Gangdan, "Brother, have a good one."

Steel Egg, feeling groggy, smoked a cigarette and drifted in and out of consciousness, several hours passed in a daze. By the time he got back, it was already dark.

"Gangdan, where have you been? Your brother has been looking for you for ages!" Xiaojuan said.

"I...I'm going to eat." Steel Egg's tongue was still a little stiff.

Xiao Juan smelled the alcohol on him: "You've been drinking?"

"I drank two bottles..."

"Go home quickly, your brother said you should go home and find him right away."

When Gangdan got home, Gangzi was sitting inside smoking.

"Where have you been?" Gangzi stared at him.

"Having dinner with friends."

"What friend?"

"It was...it used to be the auto repair shop."

Gangzi stood up, walked over to him, and sniffed him: "You've been smoking?"

"I smoked one..."

Gangzi grabbed his collar: "Who the hell taught you to smoke? And drink? I think you've got a hard time!"

"Brother, I was wrong..."

Gangzi loosened his grip and sighed, "Gangdan, you better work hard at Dexing Communications, save some money, and in a couple of years I'll find you a wife. Don't hang out with those shady people, understand?"

"I heard you."

Two days later, Gangdan ran into Erlv again.

This time it was on his way home from get off work. Erlv stopped his motorcycle in front of him: "Gangdan, get on, I'll take you to a fun place."

Steel Egg hesitated for a moment, but still went up.

The motorcycle made several turns before arriving at an abandoned factory. Inside were seven or eight people, men and women, blasting music. Baldy was there too, and he waved to Steel Egg as soon as he saw him: "Come on, Steel Egg, we've got something good today."

Steel Egg was pulled to a corner, and the bald man took out a foil packet containing white WJP.

"This is better than last time, want to give it a try?"

Gangdan was scared, but remembering the blissful feeling he had last time, he couldn't help himself.

"Just...just a little bit."

"That's right, that's more like a man." The bald man gave him some.

………………after,

"Then we'll have to pay for it from now on," Erlv said. "This small pack costs two hundred. You only make eight hundred a month, how many times can you afford that?"

Steel Egg fell silent.

The bald man chimed in, "Steel Egg, let me show you a way out. Victoria is short of waiters, 1200 a month, room and board included. If you go work there, you can sell some trinkets at night and easily earn 3000 or 4000 a month."

"But...but my brother won't let me go to Victoria."

"Why don't you just keep quiet?" Erlv said. "Just say you're unhappy at Dexing Communications and want to switch places. Once you've made some money, what can your brother say?"

Steel Egg lowered his head, struggling internally.

"Here's what we'll do, you go give it a try first," the bald man said. "Tomorrow I'll find someone to arrange for you to go to Victoria. Just say it's my cousin who's looking for work."

The following evening, Steel Egg went to Victoria with Baldy.

The supervisor, a woman in her thirties surnamed Wang, glanced at Gangdan and asked, "How old are you?"

"nineteen."

Have you ever worked as a waiter/waitress?

"No... I've never done it."

"You can learn if you haven't done it before," Supervisor Wang said. "The probation period is one month, with a salary of 800 yuan, and 1200 yuan after that. It's from 6 pm to 2 am. Can you handle that?"

"It can be done."

"Then come to work tomorrow."

When Gangdan got home, he told Gangzi that he was no longer working at Dexing Communications.

Gangzi was taken aback: "Why?"

"I...I think selling mobile phones is boring. I want to go to Victoria and work as a waiter to learn how to treat people."

"Are you fucking crazy?" Gangzi snapped. "What kind of place is Victoria? It's a complete mess! Can't we just work properly at Dexing Communications?"

"Brother, I'm nineteen now, and I want to try things out on my own."

Gangzi stared at him for a long time, then finally waved his hand: "Fine, do whatever you want. But let me tell you, stay away from shady characters in Victoria, understand?"

"I heard you."

On Gangdan's first day at work in Victoria, Erlv and Guangtou came looking for him.

"How is it? Not bad, right?" Erlv chuckled. "There are lots of customers at night, all of them wealthy folks."

The bald man dragged Steel Egg to the bathroom and shoved a small bag into his hand: "There are five ecstasy pills in here. Find a chance to sell them. Sell them for 150 each. Keep 50 for yourself and give me the rest."

Steel Egg's hands trembled slightly: "I...I dare not..."

"What's there to be afraid of?" The bald man's face darkened. "If you don't do it, you won't get a share of that stuff in the future."

Steel Egg recalled that blissful feeling and gritted his teeth: "I'll do it."

Fan Debiao has been feeling that something is off these past few days.

First, there's Gangzi, who always has a frown on his face, and he won't say what's wrong when you ask him. Then there's Gangdan, who said he's quitting Dexing Communications and is going to work as a waiter at Victoria.

That afternoon, Fan Debiao called Gangzi to his office.

"Gangzi, tell me the truth, why did Gangdan go to Victoria?"

Gangzi sighed: "He said he wanted to try things out on his own."

"You believe it?"

Gangzi shook his head: "I don't believe it. But he won't listen to me."

Fan Debiao lit a cigarette: "Has Gangdan been acting strangely lately?"

"Yes," Gangzi said. "He came home a couple of days ago reeking of alcohol and smoking. I asked him who he learned it from, but he wouldn't tell me."

Fan Debiao's heart skipped a beat: "Did your brother used to smoke and drink?"

"I don't smoke, and I don't drink much either."

"Then there's a problem." Fan Debiao stubbed out his cigarette. "Gangzi, I suspect your brother has been set up."

"A trap?"

"Old Scar has a grudge against you, right? If he can't touch you, he'll target your brother." Fan Debiao analyzed, "He'll drag your brother into this, making you anxious and upset. That's a dirty trick."

Gangzi's face turned pale: "Brother Biao, what do we do?"

"Don't rush," Fan Debiao said. "Here's what you'll do: when you go to Victoria tonight, keep an eye on him and have someone secretly follow him to see what Gangdan is doing. Don't let him find out, just watch secretly."

"OK."

Around 8 PM, Gangzi went to Victoria.

Around 9 o'clock, I saw Gangdan carrying a fruit platter into a private room. He came out about ten minutes later and was then called into another private room.

Gangzi watched for over an hour and noticed that Gangdan was busy going in and out, but he couldn't see anything unusual.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw Erlv and Guangtou come out of the back door, say a few words to Gangdan in the corner, and hand him a small item.

Gangzi's heart tightened. After the two people left, he went over to them.

"Steel Egg!"

Steel Egg was startled and dropped what he was holding. It was a small plastic bag containing colorful pills.

"What's this?" Gangzi picked it up.

"N-nothing..." Steel Egg's face turned pale.

Gangzi stared at him: "Tell me the truth, what exactly is this thing?"

"It's...it's candy..."

"You son of a bitch!" Gangzi slapped him across the face. "Tell me the truth! Isn't this YTW?"

Gangdan covered his face and cried, "Brother, I was wrong..."

"Who gave it to you? Was it those two from earlier?"

"What do they want you to do?"

"Let me...let me sell this in Victoria..."

Gangzi was so angry that he was trembling all over. He grabbed Gangdan and started walking back.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

"Go find Brother Biao!"

Dexing Communications had already closed for the day, but Fan Debiao was still in the office reconciling accounts.

The door was pushed open, and Gangzi dragged Gangdan in.

"Brother Biao, something's happened." Gangzi put the plastic bag on the table.

Fan Debiao picked it up and examined it, his face darkening: "Gangdan, where did this thing come from?"

Gangdan knelt down with a thud: "Brother Biao, I was wrong... It was Erlv and Guangtou who gave it to me..."

"What did they ask you to do?"

"Let me sell in Victoria...and give me a share of the profits after I've sold them all..."

"Have you taken any?"

Steel Egg lowered his head and remained silent.

Fan Debiao understood. He lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and said, "Gangzi, this matter must not be made public."

"Brother Biao, I have to go find those two bastards!"

"Would it do any good to go after them?" Fan Debiao said. "Backed by Old Scar, and behind Old Scar is Old Money. You might drive away two small fry, but there will be others."

"What should we do then?"

Fan Debiao thought for a moment: "Gangdan, listen to me. You continue to go to work at Victoria as usual. They'll give you the goods; take them for now, but don't sell them. Once you've accumulated enough, I'll need them."

"Brother Biao, what's wrong with you...?"

"Fishing." Fan Debiao stubbed out his cigarette. "Old Qian wants to use someone else to do his dirty work. Let's see who this knife ends up cutting."

Gangzi was still a little worried: "Brother Biao, what about my brother...?"

"Gangdan's going to have to suffer a bit," Fan Debiao said, looking at Gangdan. "Once you're hooked on this stuff, it's not easy to quit. But if you don't quit, your life will be ruined. You're your brother's only younger brother; can you bear to see him worry about you?"

Gangdan cried, "Brother Biao, I'll quit... I definitely will..."

"Talk is cheap." Fan Debiao took out five hundred yuan from the drawer. "Go to the hospital tomorrow, get an appointment, and tell the doctor the truth. Take your medicine and get the necessary treatment. Tell me if you don't have enough money."

Gangdan took the money and cried even harder.

Gangzi's eyes also reddened: "Brother Biao, this money..."

"Stop talking nonsense." Fan Debiao waved his hand. "Find out your brother's matter first. I'll handle Old Scar."

After seeing the Gangzi brothers off, Fan Debiao sat alone in his office.

Outside the window, the dazzling neon lights shone brightly.

Old Qian, oh Old Qian.

That's a really underhanded trick of yours.

In your past life, Gangzi turned people into big trees and made them perched on fences. And now you're doing the same thing again.

But you underestimate me, Fan Debiao.

In my previous life of 62 years, what kind of underhanded tricks and dirty tricks hadn't I seen?

Let's have a proper showdown in this lifetime.