Li Hao's words carried unquestionable authority. He said this in silence, just standing there, looking at the two of them.Yuan Li was a smart man. With his sharp eyes, he quickly discerned Li Hao's seriousness. Straightening his back at once, he said, "Alright! Since Fourth Brother has spoken, my Qingshui Hall will never meddle in matters concerning this factory from now on!"
Clearly, Yuan Li knew well who had helped him get to where he was today.
Without Li Hao's support, his small Qingshui Hall would have long been swallowed up by Brother Bao. How could he still be standing here, chatting casually with Brother Bao? Now that Li Hao had spoken, he was naturally the first to step up in support.
Brother Bao also knew how formidable Li Hao was. Coupled with Yuan Li's withdrawal, he understood that if he persisted in holding on, he would only bring trouble upon himself.
Having figured this out, Brother Bao simply gave up on that piece of territory.
It wasn't that Brother Bao was magnanimous; rather, he knew exactly what was left in the factory. After his men had ransacked it thoroughly, there was barely any stock left.
Instead of clinging to that run-down factory, it would be better to find a new territory elsewhere.
"Fine. Since Yuan Li is pulling out, I, Baozi, will pull out too!" Brother Bao looked at Li Hao and nodded silently.
Li Hao didn't waste words. He immediately acted as an intermediary again on the spot, redrawing the territorial boundaries for both sides. With the earlier intimidation, Brother Bao naturally didn't dare to utter a single word of objection this time. No matter how much it pained him, he had to grit his teeth and endure it.
Having settled this matter, Li Hao didn't bother staying to celebrate with Yuan Li and the others. He staggered back to his rental house alone. He picked up a bottle of iced beer and some peanuts from the convenience store downstairs, hummed a tune, and headed home.
After downing a bottle of beer, Li Hao soon fell asleep.
Before he knew it, the night had passed.
Early the next morning, the sun rose high. A ray of sunlight filtered through the shoddy curtains in Li Hao's home and fell on his bed.
Stretching lazily, Li Hao glanced at the bright sun outside, frowned, fished out his phone, and saw that it was already past nine o'clock.
This made Li Hao shake his head with a smile: "Waking up naturally after a full night's sleep is truly the most wonderful thing in life."
After a quick wash, Li Hao tucked the business card Su Xiaorou had given him into his pocket and went out.
As soon as he stepped outside, Li Hao suddenly caught sight of a beautiful figure.
This girl was Zhang Xue, the youngest daughter of Uncle Wang Er next door. She was a standard beauty in the making—her skin was as delicate as snow, her long black and silky hair cascaded down, paired with exquisite features and two sweet dimples. Even from a distance, she was enough to stir one's heart.
"Xue'er, good morning." Li Hao smiled and waved.
"Fourth Brother, what time is it? It's not early anymore!" Zhang Xue smiled shyly, nodded slightly, glanced at Li Hao's attire, and asked curiously, "Are you going out, Fourth Brother?"
"Yeah, going to look for a job." Li Hao smiled.
"Go for it! With how motivated you are, Fourth Brother, you'll definitely make it!" Zhang Xue waved her small fist, looking especially cute.
"Thanks, Xue'er." Li Hao grinned and gently pinched Zhang Xue's cheek.
This girl had grown more and more charming with age. A year ago, she was still a little girl, but in just a year, she had become such a graceful and attractive young woman.
But Li Hao didn't linger. He got on the bus and headed straight for Jintang Phase II Garden.
Jintang Phase II Garden was one of the top residential areas in H City. Located near the river, it had an excellent ecological layout. To the west was H No.1 Middle School, a provincial key school, and to the east was the new urban district. Covering over 300 mu (about 20 hectares) with a total construction area of over 500,000 square meters, it housed more than 3,000 households—undoubtedly a first-class residential community.
In a small city like H, the price of Jintang Phase II reached over 6,000 yuan per square meter, definitely among the highest in the city. It could be said that those who could afford to live here were mostly local wealthy people.
"What are you loitering around here for?" Suddenly, a security guard spotted Li Hao and walked over with a vigilant look.
"I'm here for an interview!" Seeing his potential future colleague, Li Hao immediately smiled and said.
You don't hit someone who's smiling. Now that he saw Li Hao's attitude and heard he was here for an interview, the security guard couldn't help but smile and size him up: "Here to apply for a security guard position?"
Li Hao nodded.
With his attire, he obviously didn't look like he was here for another job.
"I'll take you to the management office." The security guard told his colleague nearby, then led Li Hao in.
As he walked in, Li Hao realized that high-end residential areas really had a world of their own.
There were pavilions, flowing water, small bridges, and houses, with trees providing dense shade.
Rockeries, ponds—everything a high-end residential area should have was here.
"Truly worthy of a high-end residential area." Li Hao, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time, looked around, checking things out left and right, his face filled with curiosity.
"After all, Jintang Group is one of the top groups in H City. It's bound to have some style." The security guard leading Li Hao was named Mo Changsheng, an old-timer in the community. Seeing Li Hao's curiosity, he explained, "There's not much work here; it's easy. Good luck with the interview. Maybe we'll be colleagues soon."
Li Hao smiled and nodded, then followed Mo Changsheng's directions to the property management office of Jintang Phase II for the interview.
The property manager was a chubby man with a potbelly, dressed in a suit and tie. Perhaps the tie was too tight, making it hard for him to breathe. He tugged at his tie, looked up at Li Hao, and his interest dwindled. He casually asked, "What do you want?"
"I'm here for an interview." Li Hao smiled faintly.
"When did we start recruiting?" Liang Moke, the chubby man, was stunned. He looked up at Li Hao with more curiosity.
Li Hao took out the gilded business card from his pocket and handed it over. "She told me to come. She said she'd get me a job here... Did she lie to me?"
Liang Moke couldn't help but snicker inwardly.
This was Jintang Phase II. Who had the ability to skip the interview and directly arrange a country bumpkin to work here?
But when he saw the name on the business card, Liang Moke froze, his eyes widening: "I-is it... Manager Su?"
Li Hao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The man's reaction was beyond his expectation. Clearly, this Manager Su held a high position in Jintang Phase II, and was no idle rich second-generation girl.
"Y-yes, Manager Su asked me to come for the job?" Liang Moke asked again, his voice filled with more respect, even caution.
Li Hao nodded: "That's right."
"Since it's arranged by Manager Su, you can be the vice captain." Liang Moke didn't hesitate and directly gave Li Hao the appointment as vice captain.
Although the vice captain position had no real power, it was still an official title, and didn't go against Manager Su's wishes.
"Thank you then." Li Hao nodded, maintaining a respectful attitude.
Manager Su's name was really useful. A business card had landed him a vice captain position. Even though it had no real power, it was still an official post.
Special matters required special handling. Since it was arranged by Manager Su, Liang Moke didn't delay. Soon, Li Hao received his security uniform. The light gray security uniform looked decent on him, and the plastic baton hanging on his body made him look somewhat imposing.
Despite Li Hao's respectful attitude, Liang Moke didn't dare to be negligent. He personally led Li Hao to the security department at the gate of Area A in Jintang Phase II to report for duty.
"Everyone, this is Li Hao, the new vice captain of the security department in Jintang Phase II. Let's give him a warm welcome!" Liang Moke pulled Li Hao, introduced him to everyone in the security office, then looked at Li Hao and smiled: "Li Hao, work hard under Captain Zhang Liang from now on! Don't let Manager Su down!"
Zhang Liang was the operation captain of Area A. He had always led over a dozen security guards in charge of security in Area A of Jintang Phase II. Most others just followed orders, but he was the one making plans—obviously a cut above the rest.
In the past, facing his subordinates, Zhang Liang had felt no unease. But now, Li Hao's arrival made him feel a twinge of alertness from the bottom of his heart.
No one had ever made Liang Moke personally bring them over. Li Hao had been brought by Liang Moke himself and given the title of vice captain. He must have some ability. It seemed he would have to be on guard from now on; otherwise, he might not be able to keep his position as captain.
Liang Moke didn't stay long. After explaining Li Hao's work to him, he left.
"Li Hao, nice to meet you." Zhang Liang smiled, looking sincere. He shook Li Hao's hand and said, "We'll be colleagues from now on. It's your first day at work. My treat today!"
"Great!" Li Hao was new here and didn't want to snub Zhang Liang, so he smiled and nodded.
It was just noon, so a few security guards who were off duty went with them to a food stall outside Jintang Phase II for a meal. They had to work in the afternoon, so they only drank a little beer, ordered some cooked dishes, and ate and chatted casually.
"Brother Li Hao, come, have a drink." Zhang Liang raised his bottle and clinked it with Li Hao's, ust call me Xiao Si." Zhang Liang was a full twelve years older than Li Hao and the team captain, so Li Hao naturally addressed him as "Brother".
"Xiao Si, work hard! Follow Captain Zhang, and I guarantee your life will be happier than a god's!" A security guard beside them said bluntly, while Zhang Liang wore a smile, took a sip from his bottle, said nothing, and just ate food on his own.
"Of course." Li Hao grinned. He wasn't a newbie fresh out of society; he knew the principle of speaking less and doing more. Now he raised his bottle and said, "I'll count on you brothers to take care of me in the future."
"Absolutely!"
They laughed, raised their bottles, clinked them together, and each finished their drinks.
In this way, Li Hao simply integrated into this team.
Li Hao's arrival didn't cause the slightest ripple in this comfortable working environment. Every day, he went to work and came home, living a very pleasant life. All day long, he wore his security uniform, carried a plastic baton, and patrolled the community, paying little attention to others' remarks.
But at this moment, Mo Changsheng, who was patrolling with him, suddenly leaned over and spoke.
"Li Hao, you have to be careful."
"Why?" Li Hao was curious.
Mo Changsheng rolled his eyes at Li Hao in annoyance, "Think about it. There are over a dozen people here. None of them dare or are capable of taking the captain's position. But that vice captain position—where you get paid without doing much work—everyone's eyeing it. Who would've thought you, an outsider, would take it? Do you think they'll be willing?"