Forge a path to success

"I didn't think deliverymen would kill people often."

"Boss, New York City is a little more chaotic than you think. An outsider living alone in the city has plenty of opportunities to make a scene."

His address surprised Wilbert: "What did you call me?"

"You hired me today, didn't you?" The boy took off his sunglasses and smiled at her. "You pay me, so you're the boss."

Despite the simple logic, Violet felt strangely happy. Their Hummer stopped in front of the hotel, and Chu Hengkong jumped out first to take her luggage and open the door, behaving like a considerate waiter.

Violet was convinced this guy was just making fun of her, but she took the boy's hand and got out of the car, acting as if she were his real boss. As they walked to their hotel room, the black receptionist scanned their overly young faces back and forth.

“I’m sorry, Miss Vilbert,” the black man said. “I know you made a reservation in advance, and you are the esteemed Virus, but… minors need a guardian to check in. This is basic common sense outside of the covenant.”

Chu Hengkong placed one hand on the stage: "Of course, I am her guardian."

"you?"

“You’re very dedicated to your work, I like that.” Chu Hengkong pulled out a one-dollar coin. “Of course I’m the guardian, I have proof.”

He folded the coin in half once, then in half a second time, letting the small piece of metal slide across the table and land in the black man's hand. The black man's eyes widened; he held the coin and examined it for a long time before handing over a room key.

“I absolutely believe that you are qualified to be anyone’s guardian,” he said sincerely.

Chapter 286 A Girl as Soft as Velvet (2)

Chu Hengkong stood on a high stool, examining the edge of the chandelier inch by inch. All the drawers in the room were open, the removed decorative paintings and mirrors were thrown in the corners, and the curtains were in such a mess that they looked like they had been scratched by a werewolf with its nails clipped.

Wilbert sat blankly on the bed, feeling as if her brain had stopped working for once.

"……What are you doing."

“Basic check, kid.” Chu Hengkong let go, and the chandelier creaked and spun. “There might be miniature cameras in every corner of the hotel. Checking in without a check is like taking off your clothes in front of hundreds of thousands of people.”

Vilbert suppressed the urge to take a deep breath: "This is a hotel under the jurisdiction of the Covenant. There will be no despicable behavior here."

“I really like your innocent look. Girls are more adorable when they're naive.” Chu Hengkong jumped off the chair. “I know a streetwalker who, despite her long and tumultuous life, still has this naiveté and a blind faith in high-end consumption and luxury goods. She always says that since she spends a lot of money to stay in upscale hotels, she'll never encounter any privacy breaches… until one day she opens her email and finds a videotape of herself soliciting clients at a hotel.”

"Would a woman like that care about being recorded?" Vilbert asked.

“The extortionist threatened to send the video to her hometown. No matter what business she does, she cares about her family,” Chu Hengkong said. “So she had no choice but to pay, $100, $500, $1000… Finally, one time she couldn’t afford it anymore, so she went to a pizza shop and had a big meal while eating and crying. I guess she was planning to jump off the building after she finished eating.”

"And after that."

"After that, I helped her get the money back, and that's where the story ends." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "This story teaches us that we can't rely on blind trust for security. Price and reputation are not worth trusting; only people are."

Vilbert nodded slowly: "My father never taught me these things."

"This isn't really a bedtime story," Chu Hengkong chuckled. "What did you buy?"

A knock sounded at the door, seemingly in time with the others. The room was well-insulated, but the incredibly perceptive boy could still detect every movement outside by his hearing. He opened the door, took a suit, and turned around with a half-smile.

"boss?"

"I'm going to talk business later. If you're willing to change your clothes, your chances of success will be higher."

Chu Hengkong scrutinized the suit, his eyes fixed on the colorful clown hat, even though he was still wearing his delivery vest.

When he went into the bathroom, Wilbert secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the guy hadn't taken off his clothes in front of her.

A minute later, Chu Hengkong walked out looking very smug. His suit jacket was draped over his shoulders like an overcoat, all the buttons on his shirt were undone, and the lower half of his belt jutted out diagonally from the side and back like a black monkey's tail.

"Am I handsome?" he said smugly.

Violet finally couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

"Stand still and don't move."

She completely ignored Chu Hengkong's reaction, went straight to help him button up his shirt, and smoothed out the wrinkles. She adjusted the length of his belt, tucked the unruly back half back in, and finally stood on tiptoe and forcefully stuffed Chu Hengkong's arm into the sleeve of his suit jacket.

"You bought this outfit just to torture me?" Chu Hengkong looked helpless, fiddling with the tight collar.

“If you’re willing to wear a suit, then please dress appropriately,” Vilbert told him. “If you find this unacceptable, then please change back into your usual clothes.”

Chu Hengkong stared at her for a few seconds, but Violet didn't back down at all, and in the end the boy gave in.

"Fine, fine, you're the boss today, you call the shots." He sighed loudly, "Do you know, Violet, if things continue like this, you'll become the kind of shrew that makes people frown, controlling your man all day long, even if he goes out for a smoke he has to look at your face."

"That sounds good."

"This is not good at all. I'm warning you not to go in this direction. Please be more cheerful and relaxed, and be a lively, pretty, and cute young girl, okay?"

Vilbert watched him silently, while Chu Hengkong exaggeratedly raised his hands: "Come on, come on, let's talk business."

He wasn't good at dealing with assertive yet friendly people. Vilbert silently noted this to herself; it was because he always had the confidence to control the situation, but lacked experience in negotiating on equal footing, and abhorred inefficient communication. Therefore, when disputes arose that had nothing to do with personal likes, dislikes, or bottom lines, he would habitually choose to compromise, as this resolved the problem most efficiently.

In other words, as long as he considers you to be "on his side," he will subconsciously give way to you.

Before leaving, Chu Hengkong asked, seemingly casually, "Didn't you say you were going to negotiate with the Russians? Did the old ministers know you were going to do business here?"

“I don’t know,” Vilbert replied, “that’s why it’s safe.”

Chu Hengkong stroked his chin and let out an "Ah." Vilbert was certain he was very perceptive, but she was too lazy to think about it further.

"Tell me the background."

"The head of the Rodrigo family will be dining at the hotel tonight. He is Spanish and one of Verus's few allies. He is cautious and therefore lacks drive. Rodrigo will soon need to fulfill his obligations as a member of the alliance, but unfortunately, they have declined even earlier than Verus."

“A rich guy experiencing a midlife crisis,” Chu Heng chuckled. “Interesting…”

The patriarch of the Rodrigo family, around sixty years old, with a slicked-back silver hairstyle, was the only customer at the restaurant. When the two men approached the table together, his old eyes held an undisguised surprise.

“Please sit down, Miss Verus,” the old man said in surprise. “My goodness, it has been so long… The last time I saw you, you were still in your mother’s arms.”

His bodyguard, a roguish redhead, pulled out chairs for the two of them to sit down. Chu Hengkong patted his arm familiarly to thank him, and the redhead withdrew his hand without saying a word.

“Time always passes faster than we think, Mr. Rodrigo,” Wilbert said. “Given the long-standing friendship between our two families, I have come to offer my assistance to Rodrigo.”

She spoke so naturally and confidently, like a city lady helping a poor relative in the countryside. Rodrigo laughed in surprise: "I'm sorry, but..."

The red-haired man sneered, "No offense intended, but what can Verus do for us now?"

"The Blood Alliance has given you two missions: to wipe out the cultists on the west coast and to exterminate the black wizards of Iceland." Velbert directly revealed the other party's family secret. "Rodriguez is no longer capable of fulfilling his responsibilities, and the cost of withdrawing from the alliance is even greater. I think you are staying here tonight to wait for tomorrow's trip south to ask the Japanese to handle the matter on your behalf."

Rodrigo put down his knife and fork, abandoned his elder's gaze, and stared at the young girl as if she were a witch.

"This is a somewhat risky guess."

"The Japanese are asking for a very high price."

"If you want to ask the Japanese for help, you always have to pay the corresponding price."

Violet uttered a number that astounded Chu Hengkong. Rodrigo's eyes narrowed, and the red-haired man's expression became anxious. For a moment, no one spoke at the table. The waiter served the four steaks and silently withdrew.

"It's quite reasonable to speculate," the old man said slowly.

"Velus only needs half."

"why?"

As Velbert began cutting her steak, she casually remarked, "The deal with the Russians is over. Now Velus wants a loud gunshot."

Rodrigo shook his head repeatedly: "Child, I'm an old man, bluffing won't work on me. Everyone knows you stopped here to prepare for tomorrow's negotiations with the Russians."

“Do you really think I’ll be the one to conduct the negotiations? A ten-year-old?” Wilbert chuckled. “That’s what the assassins think. They’ve been chasing my car all day. Meanwhile, Verus’s strategist has already made arrangements with the Russians, at an altitude of 12,000 meters.”

The old man's eyes were filled with suspicion and uncertainty. Suddenly, the red-haired man stood up, raised his hand, and said sternly, "Enough, little girl! What right does a family that can't even take care of itself have—"

His roar stopped halfway through, like a goose being choked. His outstretched hand was empty, whereas it should have held his folding knife.

The folding knife was beautiful, forged from Damascus steel, with black mother-of-pearl inlaid at the bottom. It lay in Chu Heng's empty hand as he sliced ​​steaming hot beef.

"You rich people are so particular, you even bring your own cutlery when you eat out." He put away his folding knife and slid it across the tablecloth. "Your knife is pretty good, it's great for cutting beef."

The red-haired man's face turned pale and then flushed, and before he could roar, Rodrigo gave him the most serious look he had given during the meeting. Then he sat back down at the table and remained silent.

“Please forgive me, my friend doesn’t like weapons,” Wilbert said inappropriately.

“I’m sorry, we were the ones who were rude first.” Rodrigo nodded. “Rodriguez will remember your kindness.”

"As it should be."

The dinner that followed was rather uninteresting, and afterwards they returned to their room. Chu Heng sat at the table, lost in thought for a while.

Why did the old man suddenly agree at the end?

“Because he saw you,” Vilbert replied. “I made him believe you were our ace, and he was convinced you were capable enough to complete the mission.”

Chu Hengkong understood: "So you have to take me with you."

"They're just riding on someone else's coattails," Vilbert confirmed.

"So you're saying you hired me to kill two birds with one stone? On the surface, it's to draw attention away from your real attack, and on the surface, it's to negotiate with the Spanish..." He tapped his temple, "But that's not right. The old ministers don't know anything about Spain. How did they make the plan?"

“We’ll negotiate with the Russians tomorrow,” Wilbert said. “The family probably doesn’t have enough money, and the Russians will take advantage of Vellus’s predicament to demand a high price. So we’ll get the Spanish money first and then show that Vellus is in a good position.”

Tomorrow I will tell the Russians that the deal with the Spanish has been finalized. Knowing that Verus has the confidence to complete the task, they will be hesitant to ask for an excessive price.

Chu Hengkong nodded repeatedly: "By then?"

“By then, we used Spanish money to buy Russian weapons,” Vilbert said. “After getting the Russian weapons, we carried out their mission for the Spanish.”

Chu Hengkong suddenly realized what was happening and collapsed onto the bed, laughing heartily. His smile was infectious, causing Violet to smile as well.

“I’m truly impressed this time, because you even managed to fool me,” he said. “But have you considered what you’ll do if the Russians still insist on making exorbitant demands?”

“I went to Ohio to negotiate,” Wilbert replied. “Negotiation is about finding ways to gradually bring things closer to your expectations and further away from your bottom line.”

“You’ll definitely close the deal, boss,” the boy told him. “You’re a natural at this.”

Chapter 287 A Girl as Soft as Velvet (3)

The following night, the weather was overcast, and it was expected to rain soon.

Chu Hengkong threw his suit jacket onto the bed, recalling the Russians who had fought a life-or-death battle with the old man, and cursed, "I told you, Russians all have some problems with their brains."

“I agree,” Wilbert said wearily.

The Russians—the Ivanenko family—practice secrecy, still playing the blindfolded guide trick in the 21st century. Their patriarch is arrogant, rude, and neurotic, completely unworthy of his Orthodox priest robes, a bald man who shouts at the negotiating table.

Chu Hengkong repeatedly gave the impression that he wanted to shove a pistol into the other man's mouth. To maintain basic order in the negotiations, Vilbert had to repeatedly step on his foot under the table to remind him to control his emotions. But even someone as patient as Vilbert could not bear it any longer at the very end of the negotiations: Ivanrenko brought in a blazing bronze pillar, demanding that both sides brand each other physically to "prove their burning friendship."

In front of everyone, Chu Hengkong smashed that multi-ton contraption into a pile of rubble, then picked up the largest piece and slapped the Russians across the face. Velbert jumped onto the negotiating table and said, "Okay, friendship is proof of strength." Velus stood there; whoever was qualified could come forward.

Only then did the Russians finally back down, and Velbert seized the opportunity to drastically reduce their demands, declaring after the negotiations that the friendship between the two sides would last forever. This farce had wasted most of their day, and they didn't return to Pittsburgh until late at night.

"A bunch of bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. They're just trying to take advantage of you because you're a little girl. They have no shame whatsoever." Chu Hengkong sneered. "Would your father have acted this way? Would they dare make such unreasonable demands of him?"

They certainly wouldn't dare; their father's snake would snap their necks.

“They didn’t do anything wrong; they were just trying to secure benefits for their family,” Wilbert said. “The world has always been a place where the strong prey on the weak. Without you, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to sit at the negotiating table; I would have died long ago at Lucas’s hands.”

Chu Hengkong was flipping through the hotel menu when he heard this and laughed, "Boss, that's no fun. Following this line of thought, you could also say, 'If your dad hadn't died, if your uncle were a good person...' What's the use of saying 'what if' all the time? Just focus on the present, isn't that enough?"

He called himself "boss" again; he seemed to enjoy this kind of flattery, but Violet didn't dislike the boy's tone. He thought he was amusing himself by talking to a child, unaware that this made him inherently inferior. With this connection, she could more subtly influence Chu Hengkong's thinking and slightly control his actions…

These naturally arising thoughts disgusted Wilbert and filled her with deep self-loathing.

“I was just too focused on the present,” she said. “I’m sorry. You saved my life, but all I could think about was how to take advantage of you.”

Chu Hengkong looked at her with great interest.

"You paid a high price to hire me to work, shouldn't you be thinking about how to make the best use of me?"

"People are not props."

“Vilbert, you can’t do this. You’re a wealthy head of the family now, how can you still be so kind?” Chu Hengkong urged her vigorously, “You should be like those Russians—greedy, ruthless, tyrannical, and shrewd, so that they tremble at the mere mention of your name, so that they fear and dread you!”

Wilbert waited quietly for his impromptu speech to end, then said, "Yesterday someone wanted me to be a lively, pretty, and lovely young girl."

Chu Hengkong was speechless.

"You can't take every word a man says seriously..." he tried to brush it off.

"So you're actually a frivolous man who just talks for show and doesn't take any of your words seriously," Wilbert pressed on.

"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill!" Chu Hengkong was a little angry, and his reaction was exactly as she expected.

Vilbert slowly added the second half of the sentence: "Or perhaps you always keep your word, but sometimes you just speak without thinking."

Chu Hengkong raised his hand as if to say something, but his fingertips hovered in mid-air for a long time without uttering a single word. He plopped down on the sofa: "Little girl, you're something else. You win this round."

Violet laughed triumphantly, completely unaware of how childish she seemed. She pressed her advantage: "So, what's the real opinion?"

"what?"