Seeing that I remained unmoved, Ying Baolin snorted heavily in anger.
Then, he looked at me with cold eyes and said, "If I weren't short-handed right now, based on your attitude just now, I could have you sunk in Wenzhou Port!"
"..."
I remained silent.
Seeing this, Ying Baolin changed the subject and said in a deep voice, "Ying Baolin has never failed to get anyone he fancies!"
"Don't think I can't do anything to you just because you're staying silent!"
"Given how well you handled things last time, I'll give you another chance!"
"Three days. I'll give you three more days! After three days, you must give me a clear answer!"
"At that time, unless you explicitly refuse me, I'll assume you've agreed even if you remain silent!"
"Of course, you can choose to refuse me! But the consequences... you might not be able to bear them!"
"That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself."
With that, Ying Baolin turned and walked towards the stairs.
I, on the other hand, ignored him and walked straight towards the main entrance.
Although I appeared calm and composed, my slightly hurried footsteps betrayed my true inner state.
Fortunately, there was no sound from behind me until I opened the door and walked out.
I knew I had gambled correctly.
Ying Baolin was indeed short-handed, but he was not short of people who would easily make choices for the sake of wealth and other external possessions.
If I guessed correctly, Ying Baolin's words just now were meant to scare me.
He probably wanted to use this method to test whether I was someone who sought opportunistic gains or someone with principles, who understood self-affirmation and the importance of righteousness.
Here, righteousness refers to righteousness in the moral sense.
Ying Baolin's reason for testing me was likely because of the incident with Hao Qi, which served as a wake-up call.
He wanted to fill the vacant position in the Twelve Dark Lanterns, but he was worried that my character was not up to par and that I would become another Hao Qi, so he wanted to test me first.
If I had agreed under pressure just now, I would certainly not have been highly valued.
Moreover, if something went wrong, I would definitely be the first one he would sacrifice.
How many people who become powerful figures in the underworld are not shrewd individuals?
From the situation just now, it was not difficult to judge that Ying Baolin was a man of some skill, no wonder Luo Qiweng and Jiang Xiaowan spoke so highly of him.
Now, after passing this impromptu test set up due to Hao Qi's betrayal and escape, when Ying Baolin approaches me again...
I would only need to use a strategy of "retreating to advance," abandoning all those individual conditions, and even taking a step back to start as an ordinary Dark Lantern in the establishment. This would likely dispel his doubts.
...
After I walked out of the villa, Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun, who had accompanied me, immediately got out of the car and surrounded me to ask.
I didn't say much, just told them to get in the car first.
After the Enclave started and drove away from the villa area, I finally let out a long sigh of relief and then recounted everything that had just happened...
About ten minutes later.
After listening to my account, Han Jinlun's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Brother Xiang, you dared to play silent with Ying Baolin? Weren't you afraid he would just kill you?"
"Honestly, I was scared, but..."
After a pause, I replied with a light laugh, "Capable people are always in demand! It's not like you should accept whatever conditions others offer!"
"In that situation, if I had agreed to Ying Baolin's recruitment, it might have seemed like I was greatly valued by him on the surface, but in reality, it would have meant nothing!"
"Who among those who follow Ying Baolin is not a shrewd character?"
"If I had truly agreed, I would have become a mere tool in Ying Baolin's hands!"
"At that time, when there was work to be done, I would be the cannon fodder charging ahead, and when there was no work, I would be the target of everyone's scheming and backstabbing!"
"If I can't even take care of myself, how will I have the time and opportunity to approach Yu Shuang?"
Upon hearing my complete explanation, Han Jinlun and Cheng Minglang both showed expressions of relief.
Seeing this, I smiled calmly and said, "The best way to avoid being led by the nose by Ying Baolin is... a two-pronged approach!"
"A two-pronged approach!?"
Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun exclaimed in unison.
"Yes! A two-pronged approach!"
After nodding slightly, I lowered my voice and said, "Three days later, regardless of any considerations, accepting Ying Baolin's recruitment is inevitable!"
"But before the three days are up, we can secretly do other things behind the scenes!"
"For example, we can monitor Yu Shuang and her subordinates to see if we can find any clues related to Yun Jin and the Thousand King Token from their movements."
Earlier, when I was talking to Hao Qi, before hanging up, I had asked him for information about my new boss, Yu Shuang.
Although Hao Qi didn't know much, he was a pervert himself, and there was no reason he would overlook a beauty like Yu Shuang.
Even though she was his direct superior, the bold Hao Qi had given me a pleasant surprise.
According to Hao Qi, when Yu Shuang first appeared publicly in Tiandu as Ying Baolin's partner, many people had already secretly set their sights on her, including himself.
For this reason, Hao Qi had been very diligent during the trial operation of the establishment.
And after work every day, he would deliberately follow Yu Shuang to track her movements.
He wanted to get familiar with her routine and then create a cliché chance encounter on her daily commute, and then gradually proceed from there.
Unfortunately, Yu Shuang's movements were extremely erratic, and she seemed to have no fixed residence.
However, there was one place she went with high frequency.
Jin Chun Teahouse!
Doesn't that sound like a familiar name?
That's right! Jin Chun Teahouse was where Shen Mengqing took me to meet Yun Jin!
For a seasoned gambler, there are no such things as coincidences in the world. If there are... they are not coincidences or accidents, but inevitabilities!
It was precisely this unexpected clue that I learned from Hao Qi earlier that gave me the confidence to neither accept nor refuse Ying Baolin's recruitment just now.
Therefore, the extra three days of consideration time are very valuable!
If used well, it might yield some results.
Because I clearly remembered that Yun Jin had told me that Jin Chun Teahouse was a place she often went for morning tea.
Yu Shuang's ability to bewitch people was first-class.
Since she could make Yun Jin no longer trust me, she naturally had ways to gain her trust.
I have a premonition that the clue to the Thousand King Token is not far away from me this time...