At 7:30 PM, in a private room of a Chinese restaurant on the 16th floor of Ronghai Building in the southern district, Yu Mingyuan sat at the main seat, with Tang Baiqing sitting to his right. They were conversing while waiting for others to arrive.
After a short while, the door to the private room opened, and Xu Hu, a muscular and amiable man, walked in with two of his subordinates.
"Apologies for being late, Boss Yu," Xu Hu said. At around 37 or 38 years old, Xu Hu stood at nearly 6 feet tall, with a robust and muscular build. His skin was dark, but his facial expression was friendly, with a square face and regular features.
Yu Mingyuan immediately stood up, shook hands with him, and responded, "No problem, Xu Bro. You've been a great help these past few days."
"Small matters, small matters!" Xu Hu said, then casually added, "This business on the dock, it all depends on Brother Baiqing. He made the introduction, and we can't refuse."
"Come, come, let's all sit down," Tang Baiqing said, organizing the seating.
The five men sat down, and the banquet began.
Yu Mingyuan poured wine, looked at Xu Hu, and said, "Xu Bro, Baiqing has already told me your thoughts, but this business on the sea might seem simple, but in reality, it's quite complex. When I started this company, my intention was to bring together the brothers in the dirty business."
"Hehe, I see," Xu Hu responded with a smile.
Yu Mingyuan filled his glass and continued, keeping his eyes on Xu Hu, "Xu Bro, how about this? You help me get the people and goods back first, and we'll discuss the matter of you joining the business after we wrap this up. Of course, I won't ask you for help without compensating you. I'll give you a 300,000 yuan finder's fee as a token of my appreciation."
Hearing this, Tang Baiqing quickly kicked Yu Mingyuan under the table, signaling him that he was going in the wrong direction. But Yu Mingyuan did not respond.
After a brief moment of silence, Xu Hu, still with a smile, replied, "Boss Yu, if this was just for a finder's fee, I wouldn't even have come today. We're among friends here, so let's talk straight. When it comes to freeing people or retrieving goods, it's all the same for me. If I'm involved in this business, of course, I'll help out because it's our own affair. I can talk to Old Lei from outside the district and see if we can get the goods and people back. If that doesn't work, we can go to war until they return the goods. But if I'm not involved, then I can't just break the rules of the sea business. Old Lei worked hard to steal those goods, and it's legal on his end. What right do I have to just demand the people and goods back with one word? You offer me 300,000, but let me ask you: is the value of those goods and people really just worth 300,000?"
Yu Mingyuan, upon hearing this, furrowed his brows but didn't respond.
Xu Hu continued, still smiling, "Boss Yu, don't take it the wrong way. There are rules on the sea, and if we want to do business, we must follow the rules. Don't you agree?"
"So, what you're saying is, do we need to discuss the shares today?" Yu Mingyuan asked.
"Exactly," Xu Hu replied, relaxing in his chair as he looked at Yu Mingyuan, his words filled with confidence and authority. "Boss Yu, let me give you some unsolicited advice. The labor force you've been using from the dirty businesses at the docks, they're insignificant when it comes to the port or the sea. They have no connections, no structure. Giving them 30% of the shares is like charity. Hehe."
Yu Mingyuan didn't respond.
Xu Hu paused for a moment and then continued, "Boss Yu, are you hesitant to tell the three dirty families to exit the business?"
Yu Mingyuan looked at him and said, "The relationships in this circle are indeed complicated..."
"Haha!" Xu Hu laughed. "Things that are complicated, let's make them simple, right? If you're not willing to say it, then let me be the bad guy."
With that, Xu Hu picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, Xu Bro, what are you doing?" Yu Mingyuan was confused, trying to stop him with his words.
"Hehe, don't worry," Xu Hu waved him off as he heard the phone pick up. "Hello, Little Brother?"
"What's up, Big Brother?" Xu Er's voice came from the other end.
"I'm having dinner with Boss Yu here, and he said he's too embarrassed to tell the three dirty families to exit the business." Xu Hu spoke casually, giving instructions. "So, here's what I need you to do. Call Old Lei from outside the district and ask him to do me a favor—cut off a finger of the kid leading Su's family's team, then deliver it to Su's family."
"Got it!" Xu Er replied.
As soon as Yu Mingyuan heard this, he immediately stood up. "Xu Bro, what are you doing?"
"If you're too embarrassed, I'll handle it," Xu Hu replied, hanging up the phone. "I'm not afraid to offend them. Give him a lesson so he'll handle it himself."
"Old Xu, there's no need to go this far..." Tang Baiqing furrowed his brow, trying to persuade.
"Hey, Baiqing, I already said, there are rules on the sea," Xu Hu looked at Yu Mingyuan, saying each word slowly. "If you want us to join in, I'll handle the three dirty families for you, and you won't need to be the bad guy. How does that sound, Boss Yu?"
Yu Mingyuan looked down at Xu Hu, his fists clenched. He now fully understood what Xu Hu was doing. This wasn't just a threat to Su's family; Xu Hu was openly putting pressure on Yu Mingyuan. He was straightforwardly telling him that, around this port area, the three dirty families were nothing. If Yu Mingyuan wanted to do business, there was no way around the port gang. Xu Hu had the power to take whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
Yu Mingyuan stared at Xu Hu, clenched his fists again, and then slowly sat back down.
...
At Tianhong Minport, in the middle section of Tianhong Street, Xu Er entered a warehouse, carrying a knife and accompanied by three men.
Xu Er stood at nearly 6 feet tall but was extremely thin, looking like a walking stick from a distance. His features were small and pockmarked, giving him an extremely unattractive appearance, completely contrasting with his older brother Xu Hu's well-proportioned looks.
Xu Er walked over to Zhang Hao, crouched down, and gestured to his men, saying, "Hold him down."
Zhang Hao, who had been tortured for days, his thigh injury infected and his body feverish, suddenly sat up on the burlap sack. "What do you want from me?"
"Your boss doesn't understand, so I'm borrowing one of your fingers," Xu Er said coldly as he bent down. "The knife is fast. Hang in there."
"Fuck you!!" Zhang Hao cursed, his eyes red.
Three men held down Zhang Hao's right hand, while Xu Er aimed the knife at his pinky finger. "Just this one."
"Whoosh!"
"Thud!"
With a single slash, Zhang Hao's finger was severed. The pain was so intense that his entire body convulsed, and he immediately passed out.
"Send it to Su's family," Xu Er tossed the knife away and turned to leave. "I'm going to continue playing mahjong."
Half an hour later.
Two vans arrived at Tianhong Minport. Inside one of the vans, Kong Zhenghui glanced at his watch. "My friend will call me soon."
Meanwhile, at Su's family's estate, the sound of firecrackers erupted. Su Zhengcai and Su Tiannan rushed over, and on the ground, they found a crumpled piece of white cloth.
Unfolding it, they saw a severed finger, with a note attached.
"Don't exit the business, next time we'll cut your thigh!"
"Fuck!!" Su Zhengcai picked up the finger, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "Yu Mingyuan really can't handle this! If he doesn't do anything, I'll handle it personally!"