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The bus made its stops one by one—Qianjiatang, Ma Jia Bang, Chen Family Corner—until it finally reached Fengjia Bridge, the destination. After walking a kilometer, he arrived at the company run by Ma Yubing: Kepingmen Vehicle Rental Company. This place offered comprehensive services for weddings, business, and travel. In Suzhou and Hangzhou, there were hundreds of such small rental companies.
Xiao Mu circled around the yard of the Car Rental Company several times, still unable to come up with a plan. Shen Lingchen had arranged for someone familiar with Suzhou and Hangzhou to introduce him to a job as an “unemployed drifter.” The potential workplaces were the logistics company Mourning Hair and Widow Ma's rental service. Xiao Mu had glanced at Mourning Hair and dismissed it; the logistics involved large cargo, and even if he managed to get in, he would be treated like a beast of burden. That left only Widow Ma's place.
However, this seemed to pose some difficulty. With a middleman involved, Xiao Mu felt distrustful; without one, it was likely no one would trust him either. In this country, personal relationships were crucial in business dealings. If there were any shady dealings involved, they would definitely rely on people with established trust. From a psychological perspective, this was the hardest part; the instinct to guard against strangers was innate, especially when it came to those who might engage in criminal activities.
Should he break a car window just to get familiar? No, those people would deal with disturbances directly and might end up beating him up.
Pretending to be a renter and trying to build rapport with the inside staff? That didn’t seem feasible either; he would become a customer and risk going down the wrong path.
Xiao Mu's mind raced as he considered various approaches, but all were rejected. He had meticulously studied ways to connect with people, mostly focusing on how to flirt with women of different backgrounds. Approaching rough men seemed much harder. Moreover, after several observations, he hadn’t spotted any targets; there were only three people at the Car Rental Company—one woman and two men—who appeared to be hired staff sitting idly while waiting for customers.
This was troublesome. He sat there aimlessly, repeatedly pondering ways to approach them. This could mean his next meal ticket was at stake; he had to take it seriously. Thinking about his livelihood made him feel frustrated as he recalled the iron rice bowl that had just been smashed. The thought of his heartless father filled him with an inexplicable anger and resentment akin to what he felt when he was abandoned overseas more than a decade ago.
“Damn it… I don’t care… Who are you trying to scare? I can survive without you…”
He repeated these useless complaints over and over again but found himself in a strange mindset; his bitterness and anger could not transform into venomous words against his father. When he claimed he could “survive,” there was a lack of conviction behind it. After all these years, he had grown accustomed to relying on money for food and entertainment from his father’s hands; he knew that money wasn’t easy to come by.
He sniffed deeply, refusing to think further about it. He tilted his head back, abruptly halting any thoughts that might bring him shame.
As the saying goes, even the best doctors struggle with their own ailments. Despite having studied psychology extensively, Xiao Mu could not accurately describe his contradictory mindset nor provide a correct approach or know what he should do. He understood what was right but faltered when it came time to act or face his father.
Ultimately, he found himself thinking about his grandmother’s house instead. He felt bored reminiscing about old times; at that moment, it felt like skipping school during middle school—squatting aimlessly on the street with nothing to do—a feeling so dull that one might want to bang their head against a wall just for some pain relief. Only someone who has reached an extreme level of boredom would understand this feeling. Yet there was a slight difference; each time he acted out was meant to provoke his father or that assistant of his into coming after him so that he could vent his frustrations while continuing a life he despised yet couldn’t escape.
Was this time truly going to be a permanent farewell to home and his father?
Xiao Mu thought this way as his mood continued to plummet.
Time slowly passed, from morning to noon, and from noon to afternoon. He was too lazy to even eat lunch. As dusk approached, Xiao Mu had become weak and sickly, finally experiencing a sense of existence once again.
He was well aware that he was starving. That damn Widow Ma had actually skipped work and didn’t come to the office.
Well, another day wasted. If Shen Lingchen asked, he would just say he hadn’t seen her. He lazily got up, preparing to head to the bus stop when unexpectedly, a white Mitsubishi Off-Road whizzed past him and turned sharply into the Car Rental Company. Three men got out of the vehicle one after another, and among them was a tall, thin man with a long face and a sickly pale complexion—wasn’t that the target?
It was precisely because of that long, pale face that he earned the nickname Widow Ma. It was quite fitting; that pale man with thin lips really did look like a widow destined for an early demise.
Xiao Mu rushed forward, shouting "Hey, hey!" as he chased after Widow Ma.
The three men were taken aback. One with a punk hairstyle and tattoos on his forearms stepped forward to block him, saying, “Hey, who the hell are you?”
“Ma Ye! Ma Ye! I’ve come to seek refuge with you!” Xiao Mu exclaimed excitedly, stopping in his tracks as he prepared to persuade these scoundrels in his own way.
However, it was clearly not going to be easy to convince them. Widow Ma looked confused as he sized up Xiao Mu, struggling to remember where he had seen him before. He curiously asked, “Do you know each other?”
The other two shook their heads. The punk-haired guy pointed threateningly at him and said, “Get lost! Who’s this little brat?”
“Ma Ye! A distant uncle of mine sent me to seek refuge with you. He said you’re generous and always help those in need; you would definitely take me in,” Xiao Mu hurriedly explained, starting to use the relationship-building tactics from Shaanxi Province.
Ma Yubing chuckled and pulled the punk-haired guy aside before leaning closer to scrutinize Xiao Mu. He smiled and asked, “Who’s your uncle? Do you know me?”
“Yes, I know you; we’ve worked together before,” Xiao Mu replied.
“What’s his name?” Ma Yubing asked.
"You Bisheng," Xiao Mu said, having dragged out the old rascal from Binhai, a fact that could not be verified, as Old Yau was waiting to die in prison.
"Did your uncle tell you that? That he is a man of great righteousness, helping those in need?" Ma Yubing asked curiously.
"Yes," Xiao Mu nodded.
Ma Yubing laughed heartily, then suddenly his expression changed as he waved his hand. "Bring him in."
A fake, a fraud, Ma Yubing thought. Helping those in need? He had certainly taken advantage of others before.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Xiao Mu protested as the two men forcefully grabbed him by the arms and dragged him up to the Second Floor. Once inside, Ma Yubing casually propped his legs on the table and laughed at Xiao Mu. "Kid, your uncle really is You Bisheng. You’re not his illegitimate child, are you? Doesn’t seem like it; Old Yau couldn’t possibly produce someone like you."
"Heh heh... well, Ma Ye, he’s a very distant relative," Xiao Mu said with a forced smile, which was almost an admission of the lie.
"Then he definitely wouldn’t have told you that. If he were to mention me, he’d want to stab me three times over... Haha, trying to fool me now. What do you want?" Ma Yubing said dismissively; the enemies on the road were already dead enemies and hardly worth his concern.
"Ma Ye... I really had no choice but to come to you. My brothers have either been caught or have fled. Even Lao Da is waiting to take a bullet. I had no other option but to come here; I can’t even dare go back to Binhai," Xiao Mu said with a pained expression, speaking in pure Binhai dialect.
"What did you do?" Ma Yubing asked.
"I didn’t do anything wrong, but I can’t stand going to the police station every day just to report in. If you’re fine, they make you explain things about others," Xiao Mu replied.
Ma Yubing chuckled; the pitiful sight of Xiao Mu seemed to strike a chord of sympathy within him. He beckoned Xiao Mu closer with a finger.
After looking him up and down for a moment and feeling disappointed, he casually asked, "What did you do before?"
"Anyone can do anything," Xiao Mu said grandly, causing his two subordinates to burst into laughter, immediately labeling him as someone who knew nothing.
Ma Yubing kicked his feet, stood up with his hands behind his back, and laughed as he pointed out, "Can't fight, can't collect debts, and you don't even have the strength to work. I really don't know what Old Yau was thinking to use someone like you. Look at your hands... they're more delicate than a woman's. Hey... you two, take a look at what this guy is capable of."
Xiao Mu felt embarrassed; the charm he had always prided himself on seemed utterly useless in the Underworld. He was astonished by Widow Ma's keen insight; it was infuriating how quickly she saw through him as a lightweight.
The two laughed again, one maliciously speculating, "Could he be Old Yau's boyfriend?" The three of them threw their heads back in laughter.
"You guys are too much... you really should give him some face," Xiao Mu said indignantly. The resentment of being abandoned and insulted was so vivid that it only made the three laugh harder. The two of them plopped down on the sofa, while Ma Yubing laughed so hard he clutched his stomach, thoroughly enjoying this unexpected amusement. He even waved off an employee who had come to report and turned back to look at Xiao Mu with renewed interest.
He couldn't have been very old; he looked barely in his twenties or even younger. Especially with that handsome face—he could easily pass for an idol—but his speech had a streetwise flavor that made him all the more amusing.
However, to Xiao Mu, this had a different interpretation: he had passed the psychological adjustment period.
As an old subordinate of You Bisheng, he posed no threat and wasn't part of any serious business. The message Xiao Mu intended to convey had successfully lowered their guard.
Now was the time to make his move. Xiao Mu looked directly at Ma Yubing, who was treating him as a joke, and said, "Ma Ye, you are Ma Ye, and I am also a young master. Don't underestimate me."
"Young master?" Ma Yubing paused for a moment.
"Yes, I used to work at Gentleman KTV that Boss You opened. I was the head waiter there—the most handsome young master," Xiao Mu replied.
The three were taken aback before bursting into laughter again. It was indeed a profession, albeit one dedicated to entertaining female guests and making them happy.
"Why are you all like this? Brothers have no distinction; the capable lead. In the world of Jianghu, there are no old or young; the victor is king. I came to seek refuge with you because I admire the great name of Ma Ye. Do I look like someone who can't make a living, whether selling skills or myself?" Xiao Mu said, patting his own face. He had completely relaxed, just like when he was joking around with his friends, the more natural he was, the more genuine it felt.
It was so genuine that the three of them were already laughing uncontrollably. Ma Yubing laughed heartily for a long while before he finally calmed down. When he looked at Xiao Mu again, he laughed even more, and Xiao Mu joined in. Then Ma Yubing pointed outside and said, "Go wait downstairs. You’ve come all this way; it would be too ungrateful not to help you out."
"Alright, thank you, Ma Ye." Xiao Mu bowed deeply and went down happily.
At that moment, the two attendants exchanged glances. The one with the punk hairstyle reminded him, "Ma Ge, we can't just take in someone whose background is unclear."
"Clearly there's something off here. Ma Ge, you and Old Yau are sworn enemies; why would Old Yau's people come here? Isn't that asking for trouble?" the other one added.
It was precisely this point that led them to view Xiao Mu as just a foolish character—someone from the underworld who would at most be cannon fodder, and a dispensable type at that.
However, Ma Yubing had other plans. He chuckled and said, "It's quite amusing; not many people dare to boast about being able to do anything... How about we make a bet? Let’s send him to Old Cripple and see how long he lasts without getting caught? I bet three days."
Old Cripple seemed to be a special name, and the two subordinates suddenly burst into laughter at whatever thoughts crossed their minds.
The efficiency of the underworld was quite high. After handling his affairs, Ma Yubing went downstairs and was surprised to find that business was booming that night. Vehicles were coming and going like they were on duty, bustling with activity. As for Ma Ye, he wouldn’t personally deal with small fry seeking refuge; it was left to Punk Hairstyle to take care of Xiao Mu. Without saying a word on the way, they drove close to Victory Bridge and headed straight for Cripple waiting on the bridge.
Cripple gestured for Xiao Mu to follow him. After looking him up and down several times, he nodded and muttered to himself, "Alright, Ma Ge has good eyes; this one is fit for this line of work. Come with me."
Cripple limped ahead as they reached the area around Desheng Road, which was quite prosperous. Xiao Mu followed closely behind but was about to ask something when two contacts arrived. These two were far more intimidating than Xiao Mu—big-bodied with tattoos on their arms and necks; just their fierce expressions could scare a child.
It seemed that in order to mix with Old Cripple's crew, one had to meet certain standards. Cripple pointed at Xiao Mu and said, "New guy! Teach him how it's done. There are plenty of people around Dunhuang Hotel; let him give it a try."
The two responded immediately, beckoning with their fingers as they led Xiao Mu along. They stopped at an intersection not far from Dunhuang Hotel. The one with jet-black hair and a dragon tattoo on his arm told Xiao Mu, "In our line of work, it’s all about skill. If you can handle it, stay; if not, get lost. Remember this address: go around into Cangji New Village from here; it's two kilometers to Rolling Stone Bar—that's our territory."
"Oh, I see," Xiao Mu nodded, though he didn't really understand what was going on.
"This hotel area has a lot of foot traffic. When people are just wandering around, bored out of their minds, they’ll come our way," another person, Incite, explained. "This job needs a handsome guy like you; someone like me would just scare them off."
"Oh, so it's about attracting customers," Xiao Mu nodded, as if it didn't sound too difficult.
"Exactly. You get fifteen for each one you bring in. Bring in twenty, and you'll earn yourself a bonus," Jet Black added with a smile.
The training at the post was over, and the two handed Xiao Mu the prepared materials, leaving him a phone number before getting back to their own tasks. Looking at the thick stack of cards in his hand, Xiao Mu couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. The cards were all printed with images of half-naked women, designed to be as seductive as possible. However, it was clear they were fake, featuring photos of Football Babes.
He finally understood everything—he was standing right at his workplace, and it was now working hours. The men passing by were all potential customers.
Indeed, for the first time, he relied on his own cleverness, wit, and courage to secure a job on this busy street corner:
Pimping.
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