The Poor School Heartthrob Was Secretly a Financial Titan - Chapter 22

They had originally planned to gradually close the net, but the father’s actions disrupted everything—now that the money had been returned, the other party would definitely take action.

We can’t wait.

So this morning he went to see Brother Yao to get a card, and then rushed over to make arrangements for Liu Jun and Bao Da. He gave Bao Da his sister’s address in advance so that the guy could leave as soon as he finished his business, lest he get caught up in his gambling debts and get himself into trouble.

Before leaving, he thought for a moment and added a few more words:

“It’s hard to say what’s going on with your sister. After you’re done, you should go check on her as soon as possible… Don’t be careless! If you get caught up in this, you might never see her again in your life. Think it through carefully.”

After saying that, he turned and left.

Bao Da stood there, stunned, for a long while.

…

Liu Jun left Bao Da’s place and headed straight home.

Han Xuetao told him not to go home and to leave immediately, but he couldn’t bear to. All the gambling paraphernalia he had collected over the years was at home—special playing cards, invisibility potions, weighted dice… He had put a lot of effort into these things, and he felt heartbroken to lose them.

However, with Han Xuetao’s reminder, he became more cautious.

He sensed something was wrong when he was still half a street away from home.

Two young men were squatting at the alley entrance, smoking cigarettes and glancing at the road.

Liu Jun slowed down, stopped at a roadside cigarette stall, and took out some money: “Give me a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes.”

He took the cigarette, slowly unpacked it, pulled one out and put it in his mouth. While lighting it, he glanced over out of the corner of his eye—the two men were clearly looking for someone.

Liu Jun was startled.

He lit a cigarette and turned into his own alley from the other side.

I had only walked a dozen steps when someone came towards me.

He was in his forties, tall and thin, wearing a faded blue shirt. Most noticeably, he was missing three fingers on his left hand, leaving only his thumb and forefinger.

The ringleader in Qiao Laosi’s establishment, nicknamed “Crab Claw”.

Liu Jun’s heart skipped a beat; he had personally witnessed this man cheating.

When the crab claw saw him, it paused for a moment and stared at him, scrutinizing him.

Liu Jun showed no fear, took two more steps forward, and then turned into a book rental store.

Inside the shop, the owner was dozing off on the counter.

He hurried past the bookshelves, pushed open the back window, and climbed out. Outside was a narrow alleyway piled with junk. He dashed over, scaled a low wall, and ran.

He ran for two blocks before daring to stop, leaning against the wall and panting.

My back was soaked with sweat.

Thankfully, Han Xuetao reminded him, and he took it to heart. If he had acted as recklessly as before, he would probably be in the crab’s claws by now.

He dared not delay and took a shortcut to run out of the city.

An hour later, he stopped a passing truck on the national highway.

“Master, are we going to Ninghai?”

The driver glanced at him: “Fifteen.”

Liu Jun climbed into the passenger seat. The car started, and he glanced back in Donglin’s direction, letting out a long sigh.

…

Bao Da stood there stunned for seven or eight minutes.

Han Xuetao’s words frightened him.

He’s been searching for his sister all these years, asking around and running around everywhere, but without any news. Now that he finally has a lead, if he gets caught up in it because of greed for that little bit of money and never sees her again in this lifetime—that would be such a regret.

He gritted his teeth, grabbed his backpack, and began packing tools into it.

Locksmiths, window pickers, climbers—they were all stuffed inside.

After packing, he picked up the bag, weighed it in his hand, locked it from the outside, and left without looking back.

Of course, he had to take care of what Han Xuetao had asked him to do before leaving. This task wasn’t difficult for him; it was simply a matter of going to a house and delivering a small gift.

He didn’t know why Han Xuetao did this, but as a thief, he knew the rules—don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.

He made money and got a clue about his sister on this trip; he should be content.

As for Han Xuetao, Bao Daneng vaguely sensed that there would be many more opportunities to meet in the future.

Honestly, it’s pretty good to work for that kid.

…

Around noon, Han Xuetao arrived at Chunmei Hotel.

After changing into his work clothes and putting on a mask, he began clearing the table. After a while, he suddenly realized something was wrong—Li Man wasn’t there today.

He glanced at his watch; an hour had already passed since his workday began.

I asked Yinqin and found out that Li Man had taken the day off.

Han Xuetao was speechless for a while.

I needed to run some errands a couple of days ago, and this girl came every day. Now that the errands are done, she’s taken the day off. So she deliberately came to cause trouble for me?

Alright. It’s good to be free of worries.

He worked diligently as a waiter, serving dishes and wiping tables.

Around 2 p.m., the guests gradually left, and the restaurant became quiet.

Just then, a large group of people suddenly entered through the door.

The leader was a man in his thirties wearing a gray polo shirt. He was very strong, with arms a size larger than average. Behind him were five or six young men who, judging from their reckless manner, were no pushovers.

The group of people went straight to the puzzle area as soon as they came in, completely ignoring the staff.

The doors to the private rooms were pushed open one by one; each person glanced at one door and then turned to push open the next.

Han Xuetao’s eyes narrowed.

He pulled his mask tighter and whispered to Yin Qin beside him, “These people aren’t right. Don’t go up there, I’m going to find Manager Wang.”

After saying that, he turned and left.

Han Xuetao exited through the employee entrance and headed straight for the manager’s office on the fifth floor.

He had a feeling that those people might not be looking for him, but they might be looking for Liu Jun and Bao Da.

Manager Wang wasn’t in his office. Han Xuetao wasn’t in a hurry to go back either. He went into the staff rest area, opened the window, and looked down. After waiting for about ten minutes, the group of people came out of the hotel entrance, stood downstairs for a while, and then dispersed.

Only then did he go upstairs.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, I heard several female waitresses huddled together, cursing and swearing.

“What the hell! Just barging in like that, acting like it’s your own home?”

“If it weren’t for the fact that our Chunmei Hotel has connections and can accommodate foreigners, they would have already flipped the table, right?”

“Exactly! If you’re so capable, why don’t you go and act tough in the foreign guests’ room? They don’t dare utter a sound when they see foreigners!”

“Look at that guy in the gray undershirt, he looks so pale, like he just crawled out of a grave!”

“You’ll get your comeuppance for doing so many immoral things!”

“Exactly! People like that are bound to go to jail sooner or later, and spend their lives there!”

They didn’t dare to say a word before, but now that the person is gone, they’re hurling increasingly vile insults.

Yin Qin saw Han Xuetao and asked, “Xiao Han, have you found Manager Wang?”

Han Xuetao shook his head: “Manager Wang isn’t in his office. I looked around several floors but couldn’t find him, so I came up here.”

“Oh.” Yin Qin didn’t take it seriously and turned back to continue cursing.

Han Xuetao didn’t reply. He carried the tray to the window and slowly squinted his eyes.

The other party arrived faster than he expected. Fortunately, he had made arrangements for Liu Jun and Bao Da this morning. He wondered if Liu Jun had listened to him and run away. As for Bao Da, he wasn’t too worried. That guy was a thief; he’d run faster than a rabbit at the first sign of danger, and it wouldn’t be easy for an ordinary person to catch him.

However, the people who came up just now were clearly gangsters, which was a bit unexpected for him.

Logically speaking, it would be more in line with expectations for the other party to send someone from the legitimate path.

But yesterday they raided four houses in one go. If any of their kids slipped through, the family might have to send someone to cover it up. He wasn’t sure who had called this group.

However—if the other party wants to play dirty tricks on him, then Han Xuetao is not afraid.

Although he is no longer the gang leader he was in his previous life, with the information he has and the skills he possesses, he is not afraid of anyone.

…

On the other side, Li Man went out with her mother.

Today’s meeting is at Donglin Hotel, the most upscale Chinese restaurant in the area, which specializes in catering to government receptions.

Li Man was dressed quite fashionably today—high-elastic pants, a batwing top, white sneakers, and her ponytail was styled high, making her look youthful and energetic.

But his face clearly showed his displeasure.

“Mom, is it really necessary to travel this far just for a meal?”

“How could it not be?” Gu Aizhi pulled her into the Xiali taxi. “Hurry up, your Aunt Liu is treating, we can’t be late.”

Li Man pursed her lips and didn’t say anything more.

The car started and headed towards the Donglin Hotel.