Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

The day after the winning bid was announced, trouble came knocking.

At 10 a.m., Fan Debiao was in his office discussing personnel arrangements with Gangzi after the start of spring when the phone on his desk rang.

"Boss Fan, right?" A deep, husky male voice came from the other end, carrying a hint of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry). "I'm Chen Xin, the brothers all call me Chen Batian. Tomorrow at noon, in room 208 of the Gao Family Courtyard, let's meet. I have something to talk to you about."

Fan Debiao sneered, "Fine, it doesn't count if I don't see you!" and then hung up the phone.

Gangzi leaned closer: "Who is it, Brother Biao? Why the jerk?"

"Chen Batian," Fan Debiao lit a cigarette. "Have you heard of him?"

Gangzi's expression changed: "Chen Batian? That old thug from Kaiyuan, served ten years for a crime, just got out last year, and now he's covering for Hong Langman. What does he want with you?"

Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke: "I don't know. I have no dealings with him, and I guess there's nothing else going on. It must be that guy surnamed Gao from Northern Communications who contacted him. He wants us to withdraw from the bid."

"Damn it!" Gangzi slammed his hand on the table. "Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents! Brother Biao, we can't give up on this project! We made some money on the surface with the last base station, but the social obligations cost us a fortune, and the training center is still losing money. We're counting on these fifty base stations to recoup our losses!"

"I know." Fan Debiao stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "If we give up the bid, we might as well quit the Kaiyuan telecommunications business. Who will take us seriously then?"

"Then tomorrow..."

"Go away," Fan Debiao said. "So what if he's Chen Batian? Just because he's an old hoodlum doesn't mean he's all that. Does he really think he can take me, Fan Debiao, for a fool?"

Gangzi grinned: "Brother Biao, I'll go with you tomorrow. Let's also call Wuzi, that kid's ruthless."

"Okay." Fan Debiao thought for a moment, "What have the five been up to lately?"

"He's the one keeping an eye on things with Victoria when I'm not around."

Tell him to dress smartly tomorrow.

At 11:50 a.m. the next day, at the entrance of the Gao family compound.

Fan Debiao got out of the car, sporting his signature Chinese-style stand-up collar and large sunglasses. Gangzi and Wuzi followed behind, both wearing leather jackets and standing ramrod straight, clearly skilled in martial arts.

Room 208 was located at the very back on the second floor. Pushing open the door, I found two people already seated inside.

At the head of the table sat a man in his fifties, with a square face, a buzz cut, a gold chain as thick as a little finger around his neck, and a string of walnuts on his wrist—this was Chen Batian. Beside him sat a burly man in his early thirties, with a buzz cut, a scarred face, and eyes as sharp as knives.

When Chen Batian saw Fan Debiao enter, he slowly stood up and forced a smile: "Hey, Biaozi, just got here? I've been waiting for you for ages."

The two shook hands, both with considerable strength.

Fan Debiao said, "Let me introduce you. These are two brothers, Gangzi and Wuzi."

Gangzi and Wuzi nodded without saying a word. Wuzi placed the two bottles of Wuliangye liquor he was holding on the table.

Chen Batian glanced at the wine and smiled, "Biaozi, you're too kind. What's this all about?"

"It's just a small token," Fan Debiao said.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony." Chen Batian pointed to the burly man next to him, "This is my younger brother, Gao Meng. Mengzi, call him Brother Biao."

Gao Meng stood up, shook hands with Fan Debiao, and tightened his grip even more, completely disregarding the custom of curling his index finger and instead squeezing Fan Debiao's hand hard. Fan Debiao remained unfazed and tightened his grip as well.

The two let go of each other's hands and sat down.

Chen Batian poured two glasses of wine, picked one up, and said, "Biaozi, sit down, sit down. Let me raise a glass first—"

He took a sip of his drink and put down his glass. "Biaozi, I started playing around a bit earlier than you. But I, Chen Xin, know a little about your reputation, Biaozi. I've heard you're quite loyal and value relationships. Ah, if you ever need anything, just let me know."

Fan Debiao picked up his glass but didn't drink. "With your words, brother, I feel much more at ease. However..." He paused, "Brother Chen invited me here today, probably not just for drinks and a meal. There must be something else going on. Just tell me what's on your mind. If I, Debiao, can do it, I certainly will; if I can't, I hope you'll understand my predicament."

Chen Batian stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed: "That's great! I like your temper!"

He lit a cigarette and exhaled smoke. "Let me be frank, Northern Communications has contacted me. Their boss, Gao Qiang, is my little brother. He wants to do some construction work to make money. He has a bunch of guys working for him who depend on him for their livelihood. Just give me face and drop the bid, let them do it."

The room fell silent instantly.

Fan Debiao took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "Brother Chen has his brothers, and Debiao has his friends. My friends all rely on me for their livelihood."

He leaned forward slightly: "These projects were all won through real skill. I didn't expect him to come to you, Brother Chen."

Chen Batian's face darkened, and he slowly smoked a cigarette.

Fan Debiao continued, "It's not that we're being disrespectful, but look at how large their scale is, and how many projects they have..."

Gao Meng slammed his hand on the table: "Hey! Don't push your luck!"

He pointed at Fan Debiao: "Who the hell do you think you are? When my brother was in the underworld, you were still wearing open-crotch pants! What kind of attitude are you putting on here? Take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror, what kind of person are you!"

Fan Debiao looked up at him, scratched his head, pointed at him, and sneered, "Hey? Let me tell you something—"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word struck like a hammer: "A dragon must coil itself, a tiger must lie low. I, Fan Debiao, know who I am without needing to explain myself."

He turned to Chen Batian: "Brother Chen, you invited me here today, which is a great honor for me; my presence here is an even greater honor for you!"

He stood up: "Could you please pass on a message? I'm determined to do that project."

"Biaozi!" Chen Batian stood up as well, his face ashen. "Brother, let me give you a piece of advice—young man, don't be so arrogant!"

Fan Debiao looked at him and said, enunciating each word clearly, "If you're not ambitious, are you even a young man?"

Gao Meng roared and pounced on him: "Fan Debiao! You listen to me! If you walk out of this house like that today, I'm not finished with you!"

Fan Debiao glanced at him sideways. "So, according to you, how should I leave this room?"

Gao Meng shouted, "You have to agree today, whether you like it or not."

Fan Debiao snorted, "Damn it, no one has ever dared to talk to me like that in my entire life."

Gao Meng let out a howl and pounced on him, yelling, "I'll fucking kill you!"

When he was one step away from Fan Debiao, Wu Zi made his move.

A kick landed squarely on Gao Meng's stomach, and Gao Meng groaned as he fell backward. Wu Zi followed with a step, and a switchblade appeared in his hand without him noticing. With a "snap," the switchblade snapped open, and the blade was placed against Gao Meng's neck.

At the same time, Gangzi darted to Chen Batian's side, a switchblade in his hand, the blade pressed against the gold chain around Chen Batian's neck.

The movement was so fast it only took the blink of an eye.

The room was deathly quiet.

With a knife to his neck, Gao Meng dared not move, his eyes bulging bloodshot. Chen Batian's neck veins throbbed, but he remained silent.

Fan Debiao slowly straightened his jacket collar and walked up to Gao Meng: "Brother Chen, your brother has a terrible temper; he needs to change it."

He bent down and looked into Gao Meng's eyes: "Give him a good talking-to, or he'll suffer a great loss in the future."

He smiled, didn't say the rest of his sentence, and turned to walk towards the door.

Gangzi and Wuzi remained in their positions, retreating step by step. When they reached the doorway, Gangzi said, "Chen Batian, you still think this is your world? Let me tell you, remember this: I am Gangzi from Si Ma Lu."

Wu Zi added, "And me, Wu Zi."

The two men simultaneously sheathed their swords, turned around, and left.

The door closed.

Inside the private room, Gao Meng got up and was about to chase after them when Chen Batian grabbed him.

"Brother!" Gao roared.

"Shut up!" Chen Batian's face was ashen. He lit a cigarette, his hand trembling slightly.

He took out his phone and dialed a number halfway through his cigarette.

pass.

"Gao Qiang, what the hell kind of people did you find for me?" Chen Batian gritted his teeth. "Fan Debiao... Gangzi from Fourth Road is with him, why didn't you tell me sooner? You fucking screwed me over!"

Downstairs, Fan Debiao and his two companions quickly walked out of the Gao family compound.

Get in the car, close the door, and start the engine.

After driving two blocks, Gangzi joked, "Brother Biao, you're really intimidating right now..."

"Haha, we couldn't fool him and he got caught. How are we brothers supposed to get along now?" Fan Debiao looked at him in the rearview mirror.

"Brother Biao, you have to keep up this style!" Gangzi grinned. "Wuzi, you've been practicing your agility lately, your skills have improved."

Wu Zi sat in the back row, put away the switchblade, and chuckled: "When that kid pounced on me, his lower body was completely exposed. I could kick him two miles away with one kick."

Fan Debiao lit a cigarette: "This isn't over yet. Chen Batian lost face, we'll definitely get our revenge."

"What should we do then?" Gangzi asked.

"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will be used to dam it."