Chapter 72: Strategic Moves
After dealing with Li Yue Dong, Chen Xue Wen and his crew headed home.
On the way, Lai Hou voiced his concerns, “Brother Wen, don’t you think tonight’s incident might have caused too much of a stir? What if he reports this to the cops?”
Chen Xue Wen shook his head, “He wouldn’t dare.”
Lai Hou scratched his head, “How can you be so sure?”
Chen Xue Wen glanced at him and smirked, “Wu Li Hong used to work at his place. She knows him well. That guy is nothing but a coward who preys on the weak and fears the strong. He only got his hands on the management rights of Boss Hu’s entertainment club by sucking up to him.”
“But he himself has no real ability, and the lackeys around him are just a bunch of bootlickers who are useless in a real fight. Otherwise, why do you think they all sat down the moment I called them out?”
Lai Hou suddenly understood, “No wonder you dared to charge into their room like that. You knew they wouldn’t dare make a move after hearing your name!”
Chen Xue Wen chuckled and nodded.
Wang Zhen Dong spat in disgust, “Damn, that coward has some guts when it comes to women, though. Trying to take advantage of Sister Hong? He deserves a beating!”
Wu Li Hong laughed, “He didn’t actually harass me.”
Both Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong were stunned.
Wu Li Hong covered her mouth, chuckling, “I intentionally bumped into him and then accused him of trying to take advantage of me. Back when I worked at his place, I was scared of him. He thought I was an easy target and used to slap me around.”
Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong looked at each other, completely dumbfounded.
“Wait… so you started this whole thing?” Lai Hou asked in shock.
Wu Li Hong glanced at Chen Xue Wen and said, “To be exact, Wen told me to do it.”
Both of them looked at Chen Xue Wen in surprise.
With a calm expression, Chen Xue Wen explained, “Li Yue Dong works for Boss Hu. In my plan to take down Snake, I need Boss Hu’s help at a crucial stage. So, I needed a way to get his attention without making Snake suspicious.”
“This whole Li Yue Dong incident was orchestrated to show Boss Hu that I exist.”
Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong gasped in realization. Chen Xue Wen’s strategy was playing on a whole different level.
Lai Hou took a deep breath, “So, even choosing that place for dinner tonight was deliberate?”
Chen Xue Wen smirked, “Why else would I drag you guys so far just to eat?”
The two exchanged glances. Chen Xue Wen was indeed a master of careful planning. Step by step, he had sent Li Er Yong on a mission, then crushed Li Yue Dong, and now was setting up a connection with Boss Hu.
All of it was aimed at Snake.
But what exactly was Chen Xue Wen’s full plan?
Even though they couldn’t figure it out, their spirits were lifted. The more meticulously Chen Xue Wen schemed, the greater their confidence in him grew.
Maybe, just maybe, he really could take Snake down!
The Next Day
Bright and early, Li Yue Dong showed up at Brothers Game Arcade, obediently handing over forty grand with a sycophantic grin.
Chen Xue Wen didn’t even glance at the cash. He tossed the money box aside and gave Li Yue Dong a cold look.
“Li, you better watch yourself in the future. If something like this happens again, money won’t be enough to save you.”
Li Yue Dong quickly nodded, “Yes, yes, Brother Wen! I swear, I’ll turn over a new leaf!”
Then, turning to Wu Li Hong, he groveled, “Sister Hong, I sincerely apologize. Please forgive me!”
Wu Li Hong scoffed and looked away, unwilling to acknowledge him.
Chen Xue Wen waved a hand dismissively, “Get lost.”
As soon as Li Yue Dong left the arcade and rounded a corner, his face twisted with anger. He spat on the ground, cursing, “Damn bastard! Let’s see how long you can stay smug!”
Sharing the Spoils
After Li Yue Dong was gone, Chen Xue Wen cracked open the money box, pulled out a thick stack of bills, and handed it to Lai Hou.
“Take out eight grand and distribute it among the brothers. The rest, we’ll use to host a warm-up tournament today. Let’s make it the prize money.”
Lai Hou’s eyes lit up, “Hell yeah!” He eagerly grabbed the money and set aside eight grand.
He took four thousand and handed it to Wu Li Hong. “Sister Hong, this is yours. The rest, we’ll split among the four of us!”
Wu Li Hong blinked in surprise, “That much?”
Lai Hou grinned, “You always buy groceries and cook for us. Think of this as our way of covering food costs.”
Then he leaned in and grinned slyly, “By the way, Sister Hong, about that thing we discussed… Can you introduce some of your friends at the next gathering?”
Wu Li Hong burst out laughing and pointed at him, “Monkey, monkey, I knew you had ulterior motives! So, giving me extra cash was just a bribe to sell out my girls?”
Lai Hou feigned innocence, “Sister Hong, that’s so unfair! This money is from all of us. Right, Dong?”
Wang Zhen Dong nodded, “Absolutely. Sister Hong, you deserve it!”
Following Chen Xue Wen had been rewarding—new clothes, a new phone, and several payouts already. Wang Zhen Dong was completely loyal now.
Since Lai Hou gave Wu Li Hong a fair cut, he had no complaints. Plus, he was also looking forward to meeting her friends.
Wu Li Hong laughed and pocketed the money. “No cooking tonight! Let’s eat out, my treat!”
The group cheered.
After splitting the rest of the cash, Lai Hou took two grand and announced to the arcade crowd, “Listen up, everyone! The boss is in a good mood today. We’re hosting a warm-up tournament with a total prize pool of two grand! Call your friends! Street Fighter and King of Fighters each have a grand in prizes. First place gets five hundred, second place three hundred, and third place two hundred!”
The arcade erupted in excitement. Five hundred bucks was almost half a month’s salary!
Half the crowd rushed out to call their best players to join the competition.
That day, Brothers Game Arcade saw its busiest day ever. The place was packed, and the tournament machines were surrounded by three or four layers of spectators.
Meanwhile, the other arcades in Peaceful City, especially Electronic Dynasty, were eerily quiet.
Snake barely reacted, scoffing at Chen Xue Wen’s attempt to win over broke gamers.
What he didn’t realize was that he was walking right into Chen Xue Wen’s trap.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation