After Jiang Xiaowan left, I decisively summoned Cheng Minglang and the other two to my room for a meeting.
Before I could even speak, Xu Peiyu, surprisingly impatient, asked first, "By the way, what exactly is this flirtatious woman all about?"
"A gambler, a top-tier gambler!" I replied.
"Is she someone from Ying Baolin's side?"
Xu Peiyu was very smart, hitting the nail on the head.
Upon hearing this, I nodded slightly and said, "Yes! You joined the industry the latest, so I'll give you a rundown on who this Ying Baolin is."
"Before I explain Ying Baolin's identity, let me first tell you how I got into a feud with this big shot."
"When I first resigned from the club and came to Ruichi, Shen Mengqing approached me one time..."
Midway through, I lit a cigarette, took a puff, and continued, "Do you remember that person named Kang Muru, the one I had you impersonate as a socialite mingling in the casino to set up a scam?"
"He works on Ying Baolin's gambling ship! Later on, due to competition and friction between different venues..."
An unknown amount of time passed.
After throwing the cigarette butt on the ground and stomping it out, I shook my head and sighed, "This is the whole story of how I indirectly and directly fell out with Ying Baolin."
"Although I'm not sure what exactly he wants me to do, judging by the scale of things, this matter must be extremely important and cannot afford any mistakes!"
"If nothing unexpected happens, from now on, you guys will be closely monitored by Ying Baolin, just like me."
"This situation is different from before! Ying Baolin is too powerful, and I'm basically defenseless at the moment, so..."
"Before he tells me what needs to be done, anyone who wants to leave can leave!"
"Later, I'll also call Xianyu to let him know."
"Those who want to leave can come to me for money after I'm done showering."
"Don't worry! I won't blame you, nor will I have any hard feelings."
"After all, if a man doesn't look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him!"
"When it comes to matters of life and death, I will absolutely not force any of you!"
"Alright! I've said all I need to say. Go back and ponder it over, consider your options."
"Tomorrow, before Jiang Xiaowan comes to see me, if none of you come to me, then I'll assume you're all willing to stay!"
With that, I got up and escorted Cheng Minglang and the other two out of the room.
The reason I suddenly chose to speak up tonight was the immense pressure I felt from Jiang Xiaowan's unexpected appearance.
I knew very well that if I couldn't unite everyone as one...
Facing an enemy as powerful as Ying Baolin, the inevitable outcome would be disintegration and being picked off one by one.
Therefore, I had to proactively seek change.
The next day, until Jiang Xiaowan reappeared, not one of Cheng Minglang and the others came to find me.
Clearly, these three had demonstrated their respective attitudes through their actions.
Even Xianyu, whom I had notified by phone, had earnestly told me that he was determined to see things through to the end with me!
Since they had all clearly stated their positions, I naturally had no more worries.
Proactive change starts now!
To break the predicament Ying Baolin had tailor-made for me, the key wasn't him, but me.
If I didn't plan to stay in Wenzhou, what could he do to me?
Even though Ying Baolin was an absolute landlord in his own territory in Wenzhou, as soon as I left Wenzhou, he was nothing!
Therefore, by leaving Wenzhou as soon as possible before Ying Baolin's task was assigned and before my surveillance became too close, this predicament would be resolved on its own.
However, I absolutely couldn't leave without getting my hands on the news of the Qian Wang Ling.
So, the next day, after returning to work at Ruichi as usual and using the opportunity to shake off Jiang Xiaowan's surveillance, I called Xianyu.
This time, apart from concealing my purpose for coming to Wenzhou, I told him almost everything about the Qian Wang Ling.
As the local know-it-all in Wenzhou, if I expected Xianyu to gather information and clues about the Qian Wang Ling from outside while deliberately concealing its purpose and origin...
It was possible that Xianyu might overhear something during his information gathering.
Wind moves, and news leaks!
So, rather than letting others leak it, it was better for me to be upfront and leak it myself.
At the same time, I also began to deliberately and inadvertently approach the undercover gamblers who had been hired at the venue.
And I started to subtly pry information about the Qian Wang Ling and any valuable clues from their mouths.
Although I could have asked Shen Mengqing directly, firstly, my relationship with her was currently very awkward, and secondly, she was an absolute loyalist of Yun Jin.
No matter how much I lowered my stance, I wouldn't get any results, and it might even directly alert her.
In addition to strategizing around the Qian Wang Ling, I also began to make corresponding adjustments and countermeasures against Ying Baolin.
As long as Ying Baolin didn't speak, it meant that I had to wait for him for another day, and also be monitored for an extra day.
This passive situation was something I did not want to see.
Therefore, I had to do something to try and turn the passive into active.
Among Ying Baolin's twelve undercover gamblers, I had only interacted with Xiang Tianhua, Luo Qiweng, Hao Qi, and Jiang Xiaowan. I was still unaware of the others.
Since Luo Qiweng and Jiang Xiaowan were both women, after careful consideration, I decided to focus my target on Xiang Tianhua and Hao Qi first.
The most effective method to deal with men was always the tried-and-true honey trap!
Before Ying Baolin had given his consent, Qin Manli, who had been trained by Yang Liuqing for over a month, could finally be put to use!
So, when I returned to my residence that evening, I made a phone call to Yang Liuqing.
On the phone, before I could even speak, Yang Liuqing preempted me by boasting, "Chen Xiang, Qin Manli has been trained by me to a considerable extent! When can we come and test my training results?"
I understood Yang Liuqing's implied meaning very well.
It was essentially saying: Boss, my work is almost done, when will you settle my wages!
Hearing Yang Liuqing's words, I unhesitatingly replied with two words: "Tomorrow!"
The next day.
To prevent Qin Manli from being exposed prematurely, after arriving at Ruichi for work as usual, I instructed Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun to stay at the venue. I, on the other hand, changed my entire outfit and slipped out through the secret door in the basement used to deal with gambling raids.
After arriving at a high-end coffee shop that I had pre-arranged with Yang Liuqing...
As soon as I entered, I saw a girl standing by the coffee shop's bar, wearing a light yellow long dress and a high ponytail.