Volume One, Chapter 20: Finally Understood

Different people have different pursuits.

Take Long, for example. His ambition is to become the next Tiger Brother and build his own empire.

As for me, ever since I set foot on this land in northern Myanmar, my only thought has been how to quietly make money. I never sought to attract attention.

Others might envy Long’s lavish lifestyle as a high-ranking member and wish to join their circle, but I have never desired that in the slightest.

Long has tried to persuade me more than once to work hard, to have someone else set up another company with me as the manager, because that would bring in more money. But I always rejected the idea.

A big tree attracts the wind.

Although what I’m currently doing is abroad, I have never ignored the lurking dangers.

Making money is important, but safety matters even more.

Money can always be earned again, but if freedom is lost, then everything is truly lost.

By not climbing into the upper echelons and remaining a low-level employee, even if trouble comes, the punishment won’t be as severe.

So, I have always avoided contact with the group’s senior members to prevent being entangled with them. Even when Long and the others invited me to their gathering, I found excuses not to go.

Yet the truth is, just because you don’t want trouble doesn’t mean trouble won’t come looking for you.

Helpless and out of control — this phrase best describes my state at this moment.

The heavily armed guards protecting the backend speak volumes about its importance.

If you’re not a core senior like Long, you wouldn’t even be allowed near the site, let alone know where the backend is hidden.

At this moment, not only do I know the location of the backend, but I’m also standing right there.

This shows that, in the eyes of Tiger Brother and the others, I must be regarded as being on the same level as Long and his fellow managers.

I have been guarding against and avoiding becoming a senior member, but reality always wins. Tiger Brother had already brought me onto his ship without me even realizing it.

Though we had never really interacted, he trusted me enough to pull me onto the boat. I know Long must have said something to Tiger Brother about me.

After helping Ah Ming fix his computer and returning downstairs, Tiger Brother and the chief had to step out for a moment. He told Long and me to hang out on our own and wait for dinner together later.

The room felt stifling. I called Long outside, and once we were somewhere deserted, I angrily asked him, “Long, have you forgotten what I told you at the very beginning?”

“What did you say?” Long looked at me puzzled.

“You suggested setting up a company with me as the manager, but didn’t I make it very clear that I don’t want to grow that big? I just want to make over two hundred thousand yuan to clear my debts and then leave this place.”

“Remember that night when you and the other managers had a gathering and invited me? Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want to be deeply involved with the group’s upper levels? I just want to quietly and calmly make money.”

Long nodded without denying it. “I remember all that. After you said it, I never invited you again, right?”

Though that was true, I couldn’t help but ask, “Then what’s this today? I’m just a low-level employee—why would Tiger Brother be so polite to me?”

“The group’s backend is obviously very important. If Tiger Brother thought I was just a regular employee, would he let me see it?”

Long chuckled and put his arm around my shoulder, explaining, “Dongzi, you act like a child who overthinks everything, but I’m telling you, you’re wrong.”

“The circle of senior members in the group is not something you can enter just because you want to.”

“Tiger Brother is polite to you because you hold skills the group needs, skills that bring them profits.”

“As for seeing where the backend is hidden—so what if you know? What good does that do?”

“He knows you’re my brother and trusts me unconditionally, so naturally he trusts you too.”

“You’re really overthinking this. Everyone here is complicated, each one craftier than a ghost. You might think you’re part of the senior group, but that’s just your illusion. When they don’t need you, they’ll kick you out in an instant.”

Thinking it over, I realized Long’s explanation wasn’t without reason.

Technical talent is scarce in the company. When problems arise, work grinds to a halt. Many of the computers we bought have unstable systems, and no one knows how to reinstall them. When a computer breaks down, it’s treated like scrap and discarded.

This not only disrupts work but also causes waste.

Tiger Brother, as the boss, only earns more when operations run smoothly and orders keep coming in.

I can solve these problems, which means I’m helping him a lot. His politeness toward me makes sense.

Knowing where the backend is hidden, as Long said, doesn’t really help me. Am I going to call the police?

Even if I wanted to report it, there’s no way the authorities back home would send anyone here to investigate.

“Dongzi, don’t be so sensitive. The boss treats you well, invites you to dinners, and so on, only because you’re useful to the company. That’s all.”

“If he didn’t treat you well, if he didn’t feed and entertain you, what would happen if you didn’t handle problems seriously?”

“Don’t be fooled by surface appearances, thinking that hanging out and eating with the managers means you’re part of the senior group.”

“Let me make it clear—the company discusses important matters behind closed doors in the office, with two guards posted outside the door. You won’t be invited.”

Relieved that the worst hadn’t happened, my mood brightened considerably.

After realizing that getting into the group’s senior ranks wasn’t so easy, I didn’t overthink things anymore.

“Dongzi, come on, I’ll take you shooting!”

Suddenly, Long grabbed me and headed toward where the perimeter guards were resting.

There were about thirty soldiers in the estate, all living in small bungalows.

The person in charge of them knew Long, and when he learned we wanted to shoot, he immediately went inside and brought out two AK-47 rifles, then led us to the shooting range behind the estate.

It was the first time in my life I had held a gun with my own hands. An indescribable thrill welled up inside me.

After explaining the safety instructions, one AK-47 was handed to me, and I began aiming and shooting at the targets, having the time of my life. Long fired a few shots casually and then stood to the side watching.

Before long, a hundred rounds were gone.

Because the guns were low quality, it was hard to shoot accurately, and once the novelty wore off, I handed the gun back to the officer, saying I was done.

“Are you sure you don’t want to shoot more? Play a little longer,” Long asked. I shook my head.

On the way back, he pulled a wad of cash from his bag, counted out half of it with a rustle, and handed it to the officer.

After the officer left, I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s this? We have to pay?”

“Of course,” Long rolled his eyes and muttered, “You think they’d let you shoot for free? Each bullet costs fifty yuan.”

I was speechless. Had I known bullets cost money, I wouldn’t have shot so many rounds just for fun.

Bang, bang, bang—a few shots and five thousand yuan was gone. It felt like a waste.

Thinking back, Long hadn’t said a word the whole time, and even when I said I was done, he encouraged me to keep going, not worrying at all that each trigger pull cost fifty yuan. I was deeply touched.

Tiger Brother returned just as dusk was falling.

At the dining hall, the table was already laden with dishes.

Listening to him describe each dish, I was both shocked and thrilled, unable to imagine how much such a spread would be worth back home.