Volume One, Chapter Fourteen: Sounding the Alarm

Yes! It was absolutely no coincidence!

After a moment of deep thought, I became certain that Max’s attempt to run away being discovered was not accidental.

Thinking carefully, I recalled that at the end of the workday, I stayed behind because I didn’t want to eat in the canteen, while Max left together with Shanji.

I wasn’t sure whether Max had told Shanji about his plan to escape.

However, from the fact that Aaron suddenly promoted Shanji to team leader, it was clear Shanji must have done something to earn this reward. Given his own abilities, he hardly deserved it.

Being a team leader wasn’t just about managing the group members. There was no daily task to recruit new people; it was simply sitting around chatting with the “piglets” already embedded in the platform, persuading them to invest more money. Life was extraordinarily easy.

I’m a person who sometimes takes things seriously.

Although my guess was probably close to the truth, I knew a guess was still just a guess—I needed to get to the bottom of it.

Remembering that Shanji said it was Hai who discovered Max’s plan to run, I immediately left my seat to find Hai.

When I reached Hai and his group, he greeted me warmly with a wave.

“Ah Dong, you’re here just in time. Help me check what’s wrong with this computer.”

I was wondering how to start the conversation and ask about the situation when I saw this and quickly stepped over. After a brief inspection, I fixed the computer swiftly.

“Haha, you really are a university student. These problems gave me a headache, but you handled it in no time. The group is lucky to have talent like you.”

“Here, have a smoke!”

Hai kindly offered me a pack of Lotus cigarettes. I didn’t refuse, accepted it, and sat down on the chair next to him, hesitating as I said, “Hai, I want to ask you something.”

Hai was momentarily stunned, then said, “Ah Dong, Aaron and I are close brothers. You’re also a good brother to Aaron, so that makes us brothers. Just speak your mind.”

I smiled and asked, “Hai, I heard that last night Max from our group planned to run away, and it was you who happened to catch him and then informed Aaron?”

Hai nodded. “Yes, I saw it, but…”

That “but” instantly tightened my chest.

“At first, I didn’t actually know that kid was planning to run. Some stranger suddenly came up to me and asked if the guy standing by the bridge was from our group. I recognized him a bit and said yes. The stranger then told me the guy was about to run and was waiting for a car to pick him up.”

“Since I wasn’t sure if he really belonged to our group, I took a photo of him with my phone and sent it to the group chat asking whose subordinate he was. Someone reported that he was running away, and Aaron quickly confirmed he was under him.”

“By the way, this is all in the past now. Why are you digging into this?”

Faced with Hai’s suspicion, I made up an excuse, “Nothing much, just wanted to clear my name because I’m on good terms with Max, and he thinks I reported him.”

Hai was surprised but then smiled and didn’t ask further, switching to other topics.

Back at my seat, I stared at Shanji, suspecting there was more to the story.

I figured it was no surprise that when Max and Shanji went downstairs, Max probably casually mentioned his plan to run. After all, they talked a lot on a daily basis, and thinking he was leaving, Max might have just let it slip.

If it had been me, I would have done the same.

When Shanji learned of Max’s plan to escape, he likely saw it as an opportunity to curry favor and reported it to Aaron.

He had Hai discover it to make it seem more legitimate and to avoid the disgrace of being seen as a betrayer. If others found out he was the informant, he would surely be alienated.

Or perhaps Shanji was worried Max would find out he was the one who reported him and might retaliate secretly.

With this reasoning, the situation became quite clear.

Shanji’s betrayal of Max was a way to pledge loyalty to Aaron, showing he was willing to be his subordinate and serve him diligently.

I remembered Aaron saying during dinner yesterday that in Northern Myanmar, if you want to thrive, especially to rise to a high position in a group, you can’t do it alone.

No matter how capable you are or how well you perform, without someone to guide you and vouch for you, you’ll always be seen as just a tool by the boss.

For example, the current group’s boss wants to expand the number of betting platforms to grow the scale, but not everyone who steps up and says they want to be a platform owner will be accepted.

You must have someone trusted by the boss speak for you to gain support.

Moreover, in Northern Myanmar, the lifestyle gap between different ranks is huge.

Employees eat in the canteen and live in dormitories. Late-night snacks and partying are rare treats.

On the other hand, platform owners like Aaron dine in restaurants, sleep in private rooms or even hotels, and enjoy late-night snacks and entertainment as a regular affair.

Only by clinging to a powerful patron can one gradually access the core of things and qualify to become a platform owner, a person above others, earning more money.

Shanji was just in his twenties—the age for playing around and wanting a good life.

He understood that to latch onto Aaron’s patronage, it wasn’t enough to buy him smokes and drinks; he had to do something significant to be recognized.

Betraying Max was clearly a perfect opportunity to pledge loyalty.

By taking a stand, Shanji forced Aaron to take care of him; otherwise, it would be embarrassing to ignore him.

The best care at present was the promotion to team leader.

“Brother Dong, what’s up?” Shanji suddenly asked me with a cheerful smile.

“Nothing, just spacing out!”

I averted my gaze, feeling sorrow for Max. He was fine once, but because he was too casual and didn’t guard against those around him, his fate turned miserable.

Though I understood the whole sequence of events, I knew there was nothing I could do.

To be honest, I was just an acquaintance of Max’s. I couldn’t possibly confront Shanji on his behalf.

But this incident was a wake-up call for me. It taught me not to trust others lightly in Northern Myanmar. Keep your own affairs to yourself; don’t broadcast everything you plan to do.

Looking back now, it was precisely this moment of seriousness that taught me valuable lessons, helping me avoid danger repeatedly afterward.

Otherwise, I might have ended up buried in Northern Myanmar as well.

Those are matters for later; for now, I will recount the story in chronological order.

At dinner after work, Aaron suddenly invited me to eat. After ordering at the restaurant, I thought it would be just the two of us, but Shanji unexpectedly showed up when the food arrived.

Perhaps knowing the complicated relationship between Aaron and me, he was very polite to me and even said I could ask him anything I didn’t understand in the future, promising no secrets.

For someone who stabbed others in the back, I smiled on the surface but hated him deeply in my heart, refusing to engage, only keeping my head down to eat.

After the meal, on the way back to the office, Aaron suddenly said, “Shanji, you can go ahead. I have something to discuss with Ah Dong.”

“Alright, Brother Long!” Shanji replied cheerfully as he left.

“What’s wrong?” Aaron suddenly stared at me, clearly noticing my unusual mood.

“Nothing!” I shook my head.

“Nothing? Your emotions are written all over your face. Do you think I can’t see it?”

“Tell me, what’s going on?”

Aaron looked at me fiercely, clearly angry.

I hesitated, unsure whether to speak or not.