Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

Fan Debiao returned from Fourth Road and went straight upstairs to find Wu Derong. The door was ajar; he knocked twice and pushed it open. Wu Derong was looking at the account books when he looked up and saw Fan Debiao.

"De Biao, how's the matter going?"

Fan Debiao pulled up a chair and sat down: "The supplier deal is done. Old Liu's beer is forty-three and a half yuan a case."

Wu Derong put down the ledger: "Okay, it's four yuan and fifty cents cheaper than before. With two thousand pieces a month, that's nine thousand yuan saved."

"There's something else," Fan Debiao leaned forward. "When Lao Liu quoted the price, he quoted forty-six."

Wu Derong frowned: "Forty-six? So they didn't reach an agreement?"

"No," Fan Debiao said. "He reported 46, which was to give me a 3 yuan kickback. Three yuan per item, that's 6,000 yuan a month."

Wu Derong narrowed his eyes: "So what did you say?"

"I said I'd keep it," Fan Debiao said, "but I don't want the money. Mr. Wu, this three yuan rebate will be paid to you monthly in cash."

Wu Derong was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud: "Debiao, you've got this all figured out pretty well."

"Of course," Fan Debiao said. "I work for you, so I can't betray you."

Wu Derong stood up, patted Fan Debiao on the shoulder, and said, "Alright, I'll take the money. But Biaozi, you're so honest, I can't treat you unfairly." He walked back to his desk, opened a drawer, took out a wad of cash, counted it, and said, "This is ten thousand. The supplier handled this matter well; it's a reward for you."

Fan Debiao looked at the stack of money but didn't take it immediately: "Mr. Wu, this..."

"Here you go." Wu Derong pushed the money over. "You saved Victoria nine thousand a month, so I'll give you ten thousand as a bonus. It's not much. Keep up the good work."

Fan Debiao picked up the money, put it in his inner pocket, and clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Thank you, General Manager Wu."

"How's it going with finding the security guy?" Wu Derong sat back down in his chair.

"Two have been reserved," Fan Debiao said. "Liu Xiaolong, my cousin, is from a martial arts school. And the other one is Gangzi from Sima Road."

Wu Derong lit a cigarette: "Gangzi? Isn't that kid involved in organized crime?"

"That was true before," Fan Debiao said, "but now he wants to walk the right path. I talked to him, and he's willing to come."

"How much salary do you want?"

"Five thousand," Fan Debiao said. "He brought a brother named Xiao Wu, and the two of them earned five thousand each."

Wu Derong exhaled a puff of smoke: "Five thousand for two people? That's expensive, isn't it? Our security captain only gets eighteen thousand."

"Mr. Wu, listen to me." Fan Debiao moved forward a bit. "Gangzi's name carries weight in Kaiyuan. With him around, ordinary thugs don't dare to cause trouble. If those guys we fought with a few days ago knew Gangzi was here keeping watch, they wouldn't dare come back even if they had the guts."

Wu Derong didn't say anything, and took a few puffs of his cigarette.

Fan Debiao continued, "I'm getting old, and fighting isn't really my thing anymore. With Gangzi here, security is guaranteed. Five thousand yuan for two people isn't much; it's definitely worth every penny."

Wu Derong stared at Fan Debiao for a while, then laughed: "Debiao, you're really different in how you talk and act now than before."

"People always change," Fan Debiao said. "I used to like to pretend, but now I understand that doing things properly is better than anything else."

"Okay." Wu Derong stubbed out his cigarette. "It'll be as you said. Five thousand for Gangzi, and his brothers too. But Debiao, you're the one who hired him, so you have to keep an eye on him. Don't let him cause trouble here."

"Understood," Fan Debiao said. "I'll keep an eye on it."

Wu Derong added, "Work hard, and if you perform well in the future, I'll promote you to manager."

Fan Debiao clasped his hands in a fist salute again: "Thank you for your guidance, General Manager Wu. I will definitely keep a close eye on everything."

"Go ahead," Wu Derong waved his hand, "Hurry up and get to the children's play area, and grab your membership cards."

Stepping out of the office, Fan Debiao touched the wad of cash in his pocket, feeling a warmth in his heart. Ten thousand yuan, a substantial sum. He went straight downstairs to the security room.

Da Liu and his friends were smoking and chatting. When they saw Fan Debiao come in, they all stood up.

"Brother Biao".

"Sit down," Fan Debiao said. "Xiaolong, you're officially starting work tomorrow. Be on time at eight in the morning."

Liu Xiaolong nodded: "Don't worry, Brother Biao."

"Gangzi has already agreed to come over tomorrow," Fan Debiao said to Da Liu. "You take them around to familiarize themselves with the environment and explain the rules clearly tomorrow."

"Understood," said Da Liu. "Brother Biao, Gangzi's here. Who's in charge of our security team now?"

"I'm in charge." Fan Debiao looked at him. "Gangzi is here to look after the place. You're in charge of the daily management. Report to me if anything happens."

Da Liu breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright."

In the afternoon, Fan Debiao went to the bathing area, measured the empty space with a tape measure, and wrote it down in his notebook. Awei swayed over.

"Brother Biao, busy?"

"Let's look at the space," Fan Debiao said. "The children's area will be located here."

Avi glanced at it: "This place is fine. The membership card design is done, take a look." She took a piece of paper out of the folder.

Fan Debiao took it and looked at it. The front of the card featured a picture of the Victoria Building with gold lettering. The back had the recharge rules written on it.

"Okay, print it this way," Fan Debiao said. "Print five hundred copies first."

"Brother Biao," Awei whispered, "I heard you recruited Gangzi?"

"They're quite well-informed."

"This place is so small, everything gets spread around," Awei said. "Is Gangzi... reliable?"

"Whether he's reliable or not, we'll only know after using him," Fan Debiao said. "But right now, we need someone like him."

Avi nodded and didn't say anything more.

The next morning, when Fan Debiao arrived at Victoria, Gangzi was already there. He was wearing a black jacket and smoking at the entrance of the security room. Next to him was a young man in his early twenties, tall and thin, who was probably Xiao Wu.

"Brother Biao." Gangzi nodded when he saw Fan Debiao.

"You're here." Fan Debiao opened the door. "Come inside and talk."

Upon entering the security room, Da Liu and the others arrived. Fan Debiao introduced them: "This is Gangzi, and this is Xiao Wu. From now on, they'll be part of our security team."

Da Liu extended his hand: "Brother Gangzi, it's an honor to meet you."

Gangzi shook hands with him. Da Liu grimaced, indicating he had a strong grip.

"The rules are simple," Fan Debiao said. "No drinking or causing trouble during work hours. If anyone causes trouble, deal with it according to the rules, but don't kill them. Salaries are paid on the 15th of each month, without delay or arrears."

Gangzi nodded: "Understood."

"Da Liu, show them around and familiarize them with the place," Fan Debiao said. "Especially keep a close eye on the nightclubs and KTVs."

"Okay." Da Liu led Gangzi and Xiao Wu out.

Fan Debiao sat down and had just made some tea when his walkie-talkie crackled to life: "Brother Biao, someone at the front desk is looking for you."

Who is it?

"They said it was from the local police station."

Fan Debiao's heart tightened. The police station? What's the matter?

He put down his teacup and walked to the front desk. Two policemen were standing there, one old and one young. Fan Debiao recognized the older one; his surname was Chen, and he was the one who came after the last fight. He didn't recognize the younger one.

"Officer Chen," Fan Debiao said as he walked over, "what brings you here?"

Officer Chen's expression was quite serious: "Fan Debiao, I need to talk to you about something."

Seeing Officer Chen's expression, Fan Debiao knew this was no small matter. He nodded: "Officer Chen, shall we talk inside?"

Officer Chen glanced around the lobby: "This is fine. I need to ask you some questions."