"Advanced management?"
Ji Zhe and Chu Hai couldn't help but twitch their lips when they heard Ma Da utter those words.
But upon closer thought, it actually made sense.
Compared to the usual riffraff roaming the streets, the members of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society did seem more "advanced"!
Have you ever met gangsters who know the law? Well, this was their first time seeing such a thing.
Next, Ji Zhe and Chu Hai toured other departments of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society.
The gym, equipped like a martial arts training hall, once again shattered their expectations.
These people weren’t just legally savvy—they were also incredibly skilled fighters.
Truly, a gang with professionalized management was in a league of its own.
Right now, they were just relieved that the Ten Thousand Dragons Society wasn’t operating in their city—otherwise, it would’ve been a nightmare for everyone.
After visiting the law firm and the gym, the next part of their tour took them by surprise.
Who would’ve thought? These seemingly ruthless gangsters actually ran businesses that were surprisingly down-to-earth—nothing like the illegal activities they’d imagined.
Their ventures included chain supermarkets, logistics, and other labor-intensive, asset-heavy industries.
However, they quickly came up with a plausible explanation.
These kinds of businesses seemed perfect for money laundering.
Especially the supermarkets—those would make it even easier.
Of course, they had underestimated the Ten Thousand Dragons Society. With lawyers on their payroll, it made perfect sense that they’d come up with such a method to clean their money.
If they needed further proof, the supermarket manager proudly told them that their Ten Thousand Dragons Supermarket was the top enterprise in Bright Pearl City, dominating even well-known retail brands.
From what they knew, it was usually the big-name brands that crushed local businesses when they expanded into new markets. For the local brand to be the one doing the crushing? That was rare—extremely rare.
So, their suspicions were justified.
Sure, your revenue might be much higher than the competition, but was your money even clean?
Naturally, they kept these thoughts to themselves, instead showering the gangsters with praise about how impressive they were.
Even with their biased perspective, one newly established department in the Ten Thousand Dragons Society caught their attention—the group-buying division.
As seasoned investors, they could gauge a project’s potential at a glance.
After touring this department, an inexplicable urge rose in their hearts—they wanted to meet Liu Yutong immediately, to dive deeper into this project, even to invest in it proactively.
The moment this thought surfaced, both Ji Zhe and Chu Hai were startled.
While they understood the dominance of Ten Thousand Dragons Supermarket locally, their investor instincts told them its potential paled in comparison to this group-buying venture.
The reasoning was simple—because they were in this field, they could make such a judgment.
In this day and age, any project with ties to the internet naturally carried an aura of promise in their eyes, offering higher returns on investment.
As for traditional brick-and-mortar businesses? Well, those just didn’t excite them as much.
After visiting every department, Li Xiaohui suddenly asked with enthusiasm:
"Seniors, what do you think of my internet café investment?"
"The internet café industry still has potential for at least the next three to five years. Not bad."
"If you were to invest, would you?"
Seeing the eager look on the girl’s face, Ji Zhe hesitated but decided to be honest.
"Well, Miss Li, the thing is… I’ve already invested in an internet café project, so as a rule, I don’t invest in competing ventures."
He thought this would dash her hopes, but instead, Li Xiaohui immediately turned to Chu Hai.
"Director Chu, Director Ji said he’s already invested in a net café. What about you? Have you invested in one?"
Chu Hai shook his head. "I haven’t. But if Director Ji has already backed a small project like this, I usually wouldn’t—"
Li Xiaohui cut him off. "Perfect! Then you can invest with me! Let’s team up and crush Director Ji’s internet café!"
Ji Zhe: "…"
Chu Hai: "…"
Chu Hai coughed awkwardly. "Ahem, well, Miss Li, my main investment focus isn’t in this sector. Besides, Director Ji is the expert here—I wouldn’t dare challenge him."
Li Xiaohui pouted.
She might not be as sharp as Liu Yutong, but she could tell—these two investors didn’t believe in her internet café.
Still, she wanted to know the name of the café Ji Zhe had invested in. What made it so special?
"Director Ji, what’s the name of the internet café you invested in?"
"To be precise, it wasn’t me directly—one of my managers handled the deal. I just signed off on it. I think it’s called… Yan Net Café."
"The founder’s business model is quite innovative. Given time, it could expand nationwide—"
"What?!"
Li Xiaohui’s dark, bright eyes widened instantly. "Yan Net Café? The chain in Bright Pearl City?"
Ji Zhe was puzzled. "Yes, why?"
Li Xiaohui’s face flushed with anger. "Just you wait!"
With that, she stormed off toward the elevator.
No wonder! No wonder the internet café that had opened across from her Phoenix Reign Internet Café had been so aggressive, constantly trying to outdo them—it turned out Ji Zhe was their big backer!
Fine. Then she’d make her own café bigger and stronger, crush Yan Net Café, and prove to these two that she, Li Xiaohui, was the better investor—that they were blind to miss her potential!
Ji Zhe and Chu Hai watched Li Xiaohui stomp away, completely baffled.
Had they somehow offended her?
"You two are in trouble now. Xiaohui’s gone to find the boss," Ma Da gloated.
The color drained from Ji Zhe and Chu Hai’s faces.
No way. Seriously?
Was she really that petty?
Just because they didn’t want to invest in her internet café, she’d go tattle to Miss Liu?
"Brother Ma, Brother Ma, it’s a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!"
"We’re actually very interested in Miss Li’s internet café project! Brother Ma, could you put in a good word for us?"
Only now did Ji Zhe and Chu Hai realize—they were on the Ten Thousand Dragons Society’s turf. They had reflexively dismissed Li Xiaohui using their usual investor logic. That was practically suicide!
Today, they were here to hand over money anyway. What did it matter which project they invested in? Even if the project failed, they’d only lose money—as long as they made it out safely.
The thought made them want to slap themselves.
But what could they do now?
Ma Da continued teasing them. "Tsk tsk, too late, gentlemen. Our Xiaohui is stubborn, and most importantly—she and the boss are as close as sisters. Once she goes up there, it won’t just be about complaining anymore…"
"Oh, by the way, let me tell you something—Xiaohui's first internet café investment is right across the street from one of the branches of the Yanwang Internet Café you mentioned."
Ji Zhe and Chu Hai's hearts sank even further. Holy crap, they were truly screwed now!
"Brother Ma, we swear on our lives!"
"I had no idea! That project was handled by a junior manager under me. I only signed off on it in the end and didn’t even ask where the café was opening, let alone that it was right across from Miss Li’s place. If I’d known earlier, I’d have sold everything to invest in Miss Li’s project first!"
"Brother Ma, Brother Ma, please show us a way out. Whatever it takes to calm Miss Li and Miss Liu’s anger—we’ll agree to anything!"
"Yes, yes! Brother Ma, you’re well-connected. Help mediate for us—name your terms!"
Ma Da waved his hand. "Well, no need to rush. Now that you’ve seen everything, the young mistress is waiting upstairs. Let’s go."
"Let’s go! After you, Brother Ma…" Their postures grew even more submissive.
With hearts full of dread, the two followed Ma Da to the top floor.
Finally, in the sole office on the top floor, they saw Liu Yutong—and Li Xiaohui, who stood in front of her, waving her little fists with a fierce expression as she ranted about something.
The moment Li Xiaohui spotted them entering, she immediately turned and pointed at them. "Sister Yutong, it’s them! I’m going to destroy them!"
What she actually meant was that she wanted to issue a challenge, to prove that her internet café could outperform the competition and put them out of business.
But to Ji Zhe and Chu Hai’s ears, it sounded like she was threatening to wipe them off the face of the earth.
Terrified, they dropped to their knees with a thud.
"Miss Liu, Miss Li, we’re guilty! Please spare us!"
