Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Turning Point

Guo Yuhang had never suffered such humiliation in his life. Now, being beaten in front of so many people, he felt his disgrace couldn't be any greater. If he got up and fought Li Mu head-on, maybe he could salvage a shred of dignity, but Guo Yuhang simply didn't dare.

He smoked, drank, and chased women, his body much weaker than Li Mu’s, and he was half a head shorter. In a one-on-one fight, he was no match for Li Mu. What’s more, he was alone—no one around to help—while Li Mu had Zhao Kang by his side, who was even bigger and more intimidating than Li Mu himself.

Guo Yuhang seethed inwardly. To encounter something like this just as driving school had started—he knew he’d lost all face at Jin’an Driving School for the year. All he could do was leave for now and look for a chance to settle the score later.

So Guo Yuhang scrambled up from the ground, retreating as he pointed at Li Mu, his voice full of hatred as he shouted, “Li Mu, just you wait! This isn’t over between us!”

Li Mu fixed him with a cold stare and said, “Get lost, or I’ll hit you again.”

“Fine! Six o’clock this afternoon, if you’ve got guts, wait for me at the driving school gate! I’ll kill you!” Guo Yuhang shouted as he turned and fled, spitting threats as he ran until he was too far for Li Mu to even hear him.

Li Mu couldn’t be bothered to respond, turning to Zhao Kang and Su Yingxue. “I bet that idiot won’t be learning to drive with us anymore.”

Su Yingxue stared at Li Mu and asked, “Did he really get his dad to have your parents laid off?”

Li Mu nodded. “I actually wanted my parents to quit, but it should have been their decision. The fact that he pulled a stunt like this—I can’t accept it.”

Su Yingxue nodded, understanding. “To hold such a grudge over a petty disagreement and even drag your parents into it—he’s a total bastard.”

“A bastard son from a bastard father,” Zhao Kang spat on the ground, glaring. “He said six o’clock this afternoon. Want me to call some friends?”

Li Mu waved it off. “No need.”

Zhao Kang frowned. “What if he brings backup?”

“Let him,” Li Mu replied. From the moment he’d started the fight, he had no intention of reconciling with Guo Yuhang.

For three years of high school, Li Mu had been a good student; most people he knew were classmates, and he didn’t know any street thugs. If it came to a fight, they’d have no one to call. Zhao Kang was the same—no strong allies to speak of.

Li Mu had already decided: if Guo Yuhang brought people from outside, he would ask Song Liang for help.

If this had been the old Li Mu, the programmer, he would have been loath to owe anyone a favor. He believed a gentleman’s friendship should be as light as water, and he avoided troubling others whenever possible. But the more he acted this way, the thinner his relationships became.

After his rebirth, he lamented his former self. In this society, everything revolved around personal connections. Expanding and strengthening one’s social circle depended on the constant exchange of favors—those who could master this were the true masters of networking.

Though he and Song Liang were worlds apart in terms of status and ability, Ye Tianming was the link between them. If he couldn’t repay Song Liang, he’d find a way to repay Ye Tianming, who would, in turn, compensate Song Liang. In this way, their relationships would only grow stronger through these exchanges.

Since meeting Song Liang, Li Mu had been looking for an opportunity to deepen their connection—not for himself, but for his parents, who ran a business in Haizhou. Should anything happen after he left, having Song Liang as an ally would give him peace of mind.

Since he wanted to strengthen the relationship, given his age, status, and position, he couldn’t offer favors to Song Liang. The only way was to ask for help and owe a favor in return.

He’d been wondering how to find a breakthrough, and Guo Yuhang had delivered himself right to his door.

...

“What kind of person is this guy?”

Inside a billiard hall in Haizhou, a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a black tank top and black trousers, swung a cue and asked Guo Yuhang, who stood beside him.

This young man was Zou Hua—a somewhat notorious thug in Haizhou. He owned this billiard hall and had a crew of underlings who collected protection money and handled disputes. Guo Yuhang often played at his hall, and Zou Hua knew he was a rich kid, free with his money, so he kept close to him.

At this moment, Guo Yuhang pressed an ice pack to his swollen cheek, his voice choked as he gritted out, “That bastard is just a high school graduate.”

“Oh?” Zou Hua nodded slightly, saying nothing more as he lined up his next shot.

Guo Yuhang, anxious and impatient, blurted out, “Brother Hua, you can’t just leave your bro hanging!”

Zou Hua missed his shot, cursed, tossed his cue aside, and turned to glare at Guo Yuhang. “We’ve known each other a long time. How could I not help you? This afternoon, I’ll bring some guys and settle this for you. You want his arm or his leg? I’ll take care of it.”

“His arm!” Guo Yuhang shouted.

The memory of Li Mu slapping him twice burned in his mind—it was the first time in his life anyone had struck his face, and the humiliation was unbearable. He had to pay it back a hundredfold.

Zou Hua asked, “Which hand did he hit you with?”

“His right!”

Zou Hua nodded. “All right, I’ll break his right arm today.”

Hearing this, Guo Yuhang’s spirits soared. If Li Mu lost the use of his right arm for three to five months, the bastard wouldn’t even be able to hold chopsticks. With his parents laid off and his family in dire straits, an injury would make things even more interesting.

But Zou Hua shot Guo Yuhang a look, catching the excitement he couldn’t hide. He coughed and said, “Yuhang, since I’m helping you out so much, you’ve got to do me a favor, too.”

“Just say the word, Brother Hua.”

Instead of answering, Zou Hua pulled a set of car keys from his pocket—a Honda key.

Guo Yuhang knew Brother Hua had just bought a sixth-generation Accord for over two hundred thousand yuan.

Zou Hua said, “Look, this billiard hall doesn’t make much money each month, and the guys who help with disputes don’t earn much either. I have a lot of mouths to feed. All the money I’ve made these past two years went into that car, and now I’m strapped for cash.”

Guo Yuhang responded immediately, “Brother Hua, you help me with this, I’ll give you ten thousand.”

His family was wealthy, and he himself was generous with money. That was the main reason Brother Hua was willing to go the extra mile for him.

But Zou Hua shook his head with a look of concern. “You’re young and have expenses everywhere. How could I take your money? If word got out, what face would I have left on the street?”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

Zou Hua waved his hand, speaking earnestly. “Yuhang, I know your father is the director of Xiling Mine. A friend of mine tipped me off recently—lots of factories are desperate for refined coal right now. If your father can issue me a permit for five thousand tons, I’ll not only fix your problem, but once I get the permit, I’ll give you twenty thousand as well.”

Since the end of 2000, coal prices had been soaring, marking the beginning of several years of supply shortages. The actual market price for coal—raw or refined—was much higher than the factory price. Zou Hua didn’t have a way to resell coal himself, but he knew how hot it was. At a recent dinner, a well-connected coal dealer mentioned he’d pay an extra twenty per ton to anyone who could get him more refined coal.

He had buyers for the coal but couldn’t get much supply; coal was monopolized by those with real connections before it even left the mine. In today’s market, whoever could get their hands on coal could make money.

The situation at Xiling Coal Washing Plant was like most in the country: cash alone wasn’t enough to buy coal. You needed a permit from the leadership. Only with a permit for a certain tonnage could you buy that much coal; otherwise, even with unlimited funds, you’d get none.

After buying the car, Zou Hua was in a financial pinch and owed several tens of thousands in debts. He’d been looking for a way out, and with Guo Yuhang coming to him, he saw his chance in the coal permit.

If he could get his hands on a five-thousand-ton permit, he’d do nothing but hand it to the coal dealer and pocket a hundred thousand instantly.

Zou Hua had heard that all the coal from Xiling belonged to Guo Yuhang’s father, Guo Lin, who signed off on every permit. He couldn’t help but wonder how much Guo Lin must be making from all this.

As a spoiled rich kid, Guo Yuhang knew nothing about the profit margins involved, but he did know his father was the king of Xiling Mine. A few thousand tons of coal was nothing to him. Besides, if he agreed to Zou Hua’s request, not only would he have Li Mu dealt with, but he’d get a twenty-thousand kickback—enough for several nice girls to keep him entertained.

So, with barely a thought, Guo Yuhang nodded. “Deal. Brother Hua, you help me with Li Mu, and I’ll talk to my dad about the permit tonight.”

“Excellent!” Zou Hua’s eyes lit up. If he got that five-thousand-ton permit, his financial crisis would be solved, and maybe he could do more business with Guo Yuhang in the future. With that in mind, he was determined to handle Guo Yuhang’s problem perfectly.

“What time and place did you set?”

“Six o’clock tonight, at the gate of Jin’an Driving School!”

“Great! Tonight, I’ll take care of that kid for you!”

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A new week has begun. If you have some spare recommendation votes in your hands, please give a few to this book. The numbers are so dismal that even my motivation to write is flagging…