The next morning, I began to lay the groundwork for how to smoothly obtain the Qian Wang Ling.
However, before that, I still made time to deal with other matters.
First was settling the accounts.
Although the gambling boat trip ended without major incident, and most of the hired people were idle for those few days, I wouldn't lower the price because of that.
After all, when you're in this line of work, upholding your word is paramount.
Therefore, I still settled the remuneration for everyone at the highest market rate.
Of course, Xu Shiyu's team was paid double, as I had promised that in advance.
Even though Xu Shiyu insisted on refusing, I eventually persuaded her to accept, which was the highest labor payment I had ever given.
After all, I was her first man, and she was my first woman.
As for whether we would have any further relationship, or if she would become my only woman...
I dared not make any guarantees.
Xu Shiyu knew this very well.
As I was leaving after settling the accounts, Xu Shiyu whispered six words in my ear.
"Thank you, I hate you!"
Although there was no emotional foundation between Xu Shiyu and me before our accidental union, in the end... I was the first man to take her virginity.
Therefore, Xu Shiyu developed a complex emotion towards me that was difficult to articulate.
The words "I hate you" were the most genuine reaction.
However, I didn't give her any response.
Because I didn't know how to reply, nor did I want to reply.
The Qianmen Lan Dao is treacherous and cunning. Enemies will go to any lengths to target you, and showing mercy to women has severe consequences!
Therefore, the best solution is: to forget each other in the vastness of the world!
Some things are better left unsaid.
After dealing with all the previous matters, I began to dedicate myself entirely to the task of smoothly acquiring the Qian Wang Ling...
A direct confrontation was out of the question. Not to mention that I was short on people, and if any commotion were to arise, the element of surprise would be lost.
After much deliberation, I finally decided to revert to an old idea: theft!
As for the candidates, there were two.
First, Leng Meng.
To be blunt, after deciding on the tone of stealthily stealing the Qian Wang Ling, Leng Meng had always been my sole choice in my heart.
But there was one problem: I couldn't be sure if her relationship with Leng Shuang had eased at this point.
The previous two times I had her do a disguise for me, I was exposed suddenly and without any prior awareness.
I was somewhat suspicious of this.
But this was a sensitive personal topic, and I couldn't openly ask about it.
After all, they were twin sisters, and mutual assistance was natural. It's not like they would turn their backs on their own to help an outsider, right?
Therefore, the biggest issue with asking Leng Meng to help steal the Qian Wang Ling wasn't whether she could succeed, but the confidentiality of the information.
The second candidate was Ming Wen, who had previously stalked me at the night market but was caught red-handed by me, and whose ID and other documents were confiscated.
At the time, I had agreed to return his documents within a month.
Within that month, he would do something for me.
Once the task was completed, all the confiscated items would be returned in full.
Now, almost a month had passed since the agreed-upon deadline.
During this extended period, Ming Wen had called and texted me numerous times.
The last message Ming Wen sent me was filled with anger.
In the message, Ming Wen directly questioned if I intended to abscond with his documents so that he couldn't conduct any business when he was out.
Clearly, Ming Wen was already displeased with my procrastination.
However, I had never replied to him.
I thought that Ming Wen must be very angry with my consistent lack of response.
Unexpectedly, the situation had reversed, and now I was the one needing his help.
If I were to ask Ming Wen to handle this matter, I genuinely feared he might slack off or simply go through the motions without putting in any real effort!
If that were to happen, I would be in a passive position.
In an instant, a myriad of strange and wild ideas flooded my mind.
After careful consideration, it seemed that apart from Leng Meng and Ming Wen, I truly didn't know any other friends from the Rongmen...
As time ticked by, and with no other solutions coming to mind, I decided to make a phone call to test Ming Wen.
As soon as the call connected, without giving Ming Wen any chance to react, I asked, "Where are you now, and how far are you from Xingjia?"
Although unsure of my purpose, Ming Wen replied truthfully, "Not far! I've been working near the Xingjia bus station recently?"
Upon hearing this, I immediately frowned and asked, "Why did you go to Xingjia?"
"Isn't it obvious?!"
After a curse, Ming Wen said with a resentful tone, "It's all because you've confiscated most of my documents. I can't withdraw money or check into hotels, so I came back to Xingjia to stay with a friend!"
Without taking Ming Wen's complaints seriously, I chuckled and suddenly changed the subject, asking, "Oh right, how good are your lock-picking skills?"
If I remembered correctly, at the Yun Jin Club, besides some semi-public areas requiring access cards...
All the non-public private areas were locked.
Especially the office where Yun Luo was located, it was undoubtedly heavily fortified and secured.
I could handle the surveillance cameras for Ming Wen, but those locked doors... that would depend on him.
Although he didn't know what I was planning, the ever-shrewd Ming Wen had already guessed what I wanted him to do.
So, he immediately replied on the phone, "I'm not bragging, brother, I'm known as the 'Master of Holes'!"
"As long as there's a hole and a lock, brother can open it with just a few gentle nudges!"
"So, do you want me to steal something for you?"
Hearing this, I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I looked up at the time.
Nine fifteen.
There were about nine hours until dark, enough time to plan and strategize.
With this thought, I immediately told Ming Wen, "Text me your current location, and I'll bring your documents over to you right away!"
"As long as you can get something for me, I'll return all your documents once it's done!"
The reason I didn't sweeten the deal was that I knew most thieves in Rongmen were driven by profit.
If I suddenly offered an additional reward after the task was completed, Ming Wen would surely sense something unusual.
Upon hearing my words, Ming Wen didn't hesitate and directly said, "Deal?"
"Deal!"