An hour later.
The business sedan carrying Gao Qiqiang, Gao Qisheng, and Zhou Hu to Caesar Palace drove out of the parking lot, heading towards Beichang Street.
Besides the original crew, Guo Yue was also present.
The atmosphere inside the car was a little oppressive.
Zhou Hu trembled as he held a cigarette, looking at Gao Qisheng with deep fear in his eyes.
Gao Qiqiang, with a somber face, remained silent, casting a worried glance at his brother, then at Guo Yue, who was resting with his eyes closed, his gaze filled with resentment.
On the way back, no one in the car spoke, only soft music played from the car's stereo.
By the time they reached Beichang Street, it was already three in the morning.
"Zhou Hu, you can go back now!"
Guo Yue, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke.
Zhou Hu said nothing more and opened the door, getting out of the car.
As he was leaving, Guo Yue called him back again and asked, "Zhou Hu, if I let you take over the underworld business in Yuhe District, would you be willing?"
Xiao Hu stood still, his expression slightly conflicted.
He looked at Gao Qiqiang, unsure of how to respond.
Guo Yue, however, waved and smiled at him, handing over a business card. "If you figure it out, give me a call!"
"Understood, Mr. Guo!"
Zhou Hu took the business card and turned to walk towards his home.
After everyone had left, Guo Yue looked at the Gao brothers and said, "Old Gao, Xiao Sheng, now that there are no outsiders, let's speak frankly.
Do you want to keep running the cosmetics store and earn a little over a hundred thousand yuan each year? Or do you want to stand on the edge of a storm and make a fortune, becoming someone superior?"
When he finished speaking, Gao Qiqiang and Gao Qisheng exchanged glances but remained silent.
In their hearts, who wouldn't want to be superior, to be a highly respected boss?
It was like Gao Fei, whose casual words could decide some people's futures.
Noticing their complicated expressions, Guo Yue spoke again, "If you want to do honest business and earn clean money, then cut ties with Zhou Hu and the others.
But if you want to take another path and make big money, then Zhou Hu and the others will be your dirty gloves."
His words were direct and clear.
If they wanted to earn big money against the tide, they had to control Zhou Hu and make him their tool for accumulating wealth.
"The path has been laid out for you. If you choose to make big money, I can help you."
Guo Yue lit a cigarette, waiting for their answer.
Gao Qiqiang took a deep drag from his cigarette and asked with a frown, "Mr. Guo, I don't quite understand, why are you helping me?"
"Do you know who I was working for before I became the boss of Caesar Palace?"
The Gao brothers shook their heads in confusion, indicating they didn't know.
"Before that, I was the driver for the big boss of Feiteng Investment Company."
The moment he said it, Gao Qiqiang and Gao Qisheng were stunned in surprise.
Regarding Guo Yue's affairs, they only knew about the Six Brothers Incident.
They really didn't know that Guo Yue had been driving for Gao Fei before becoming the boss of Caesar Palace.
"Do you really think I stepped in to protect you today because of your sister's relationship?
If Mr. Gao hadn't told me to look after you, your sister alone wouldn't have been enough for me to step in and help you."
Guo Yue made it clear that he was helping them solely because of Gao Fei.
He looked at the stunned Gao brothers again and continued frankly, "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm helping you?
The reason is simple: to provide assistance to Mr. Gao, ensuring that Mr. Gao's various businesses are not affected by any underworld forces.
If you want to make big money, come to Caesar Palace tomorrow to discuss it in detail."
With that, Guo Yue directly asked them to leave.
Gao Qiqiang and Gao Qisheng stood on the street in Beichang, watching the business sedan drive away, lost in thought.
After finishing a cigarette, Gao Qiqiang finally asked, "Xiao Sheng, what do you think about what Guo Yue said?"
"In the end, it's all about becoming Gao Fei's pawn, protecting his businesses in society."
Gao Qisheng let out a dry laugh and looked at the closed cosmetics store. "Xiao Lan, you, and I are all making money by relying on Gao Fei now.
Since we can embrace the big tree of Gao Fei through another method, what's wrong with being a pawn?"
"But, brother, if we take the path Guo Yue mentioned, we will be completely unable to turn back!"
"Brother, from the moment we entered Caesar Palace, we were already completely unable to turn back."
"What do you mean?"
Gao Qiqiang frowned, looking at his brother who had suddenly become agitated.
"Do you know why Guo Yue wanted us to deal with Li Fan just now? He was choosing someone then, seeing who was more suitable to receive his support.
When the knife was thrown on the ground, that was our Gao family's chance to turn things around.
Xiao Hu has brains, but no courage, which is why Guo Yue let him off the car early, making him a dirty glove.
Big brother, you are mature and thoughtful, but you are still too hesitant."
Gao Qisheng, who didn't smoke, snatched the cigarette from his brother's hand, took a deep drag, coughed, and said, "So, brother, as long as we pick up the knife, it's our Gao family's chance to turn things around. I don't want to bow my head and live as a subordinate my whole life; I also want to become someone like Gao Fei."
His brother's words rendered Gao Qiqiang completely silent.
He recalled how he had used Gao Fei's identity before to intimidate the Zhou brothers and make them bow down.
That feeling of being respected was something he had never experienced in his more than thirty years.
"Brother, I know you want to do stable business and earn clean money. But in this era, earning money by being honest and rule-abiding will only lead to working for others your entire life.
If you don't want to do it, brother, let me."
Gao Qisheng said resolutely.
He didn't want to stay in Beichang Street his whole life, being suppressed by others.
He wanted to walk out of Beichang Street and establish himself in the entire Yuhe District.
Gao Qiqiang looked at his brother's determined eyes and sighed, "Let's go home first. Brother is a bit hungry; I'll make some noodles when we get back."
Seeing that his elder brother had not responded, Gao Qisheng no longer discussed the topic and followed him home in silence.
...
The next day.
Gao Qiqiang, who had not slept all night, chewed dry instant coffee.
Last night, his mind was filled with the image of his brother wielding the knife, and the choice Guo Yue had given him.
After a night of deep consideration, he also knew how to make a decision.
Seven o'clock.
Gao Qiqiang had just finished making breakfast, and Gao Qisheng, who had slept for little more than an hour, also woke up to the aroma.
"Eat quickly and open the shop. I'll bring Xiao Lan some breakfast."
Looking at his elder brother packing breakfast into a thermos, Gao Qisheng couldn't help but ask, "Brother, have you thought about that matter?"
Gao Qiqiang stopped in his tracks and looked at his brother seriously. "Let what happened last night be in the past. From today onwards, no one is allowed to mention it again."
Hearing this, Gao Qisheng said no more and sat down to eat his breakfast in silence.
After Gao Qiqiang left with the thermos, he let out a heavy sigh.
The black and gold business card on the table made Gao Qisheng fall into a dilemma.
Gaolan Cosmetics Factory.
As the direct stores had started selling cheap cosmetics and expanding into counties and cities, the current production capacity of the old factory could no longer meet the needs of each direct store.
Therefore, after discussing with Gao Fei, Ding Yao directly purchased Feng Kun's former cosmetics factory.
The new factory's operation required a large labor force.
As the HR manager, Gao Qilan was also transferred to the new factory to be responsible for recruitment.
After Gao Qiqiang met his sister with breakfast, he didn't say much. Instead, he asked his sister for Gao Fei's phone number.
With the number in hand, he didn't stay long. Carrying the thermos, he rode his scooter away from the new factory.
Feihe Film and Television.
Gao Qiqiang got Gao Fei's phone number and called him as soon as he left the factory.
He didn't state his specific intention on the phone but said he wanted to meet Gao Fei.
Gao Fei didn't know why Brother Qiang was looking for him, but the tone of his voice suggested it was important, so he asked Gao Qiqiang to come to Feihe Film and Television to find him.
However, due to a last-minute meeting, he forgot to instruct Jin Qiqi to inform the security guards downstairs.
So, when Gao Qiqiang arrived at the office building where Feihe Film and Television was located, he was stopped by the security guard before he could even enter because he didn't have an employee pass.
"You're the only one who knows Mr. Gao? Mr. Gao is now a popular celebrity, a navigation system engineer. Who in half of China doesn't know him?
I encounter more than ten people like you every day, each claiming Mr. Gao wants to meet them, but in the end, Mr. Gao doesn't know those people.
Because of these things, my salary is almost deducted clean."
The young security guard snorted and didn't let Gao Qiqiang pass.
Forced, Old Gao took out his phone and pointed to the number he had just called. "Brother, this is Mr. Gao's phone number. I called Mr. Gao before I came. He really asked me to come here."
Looking at the local Beijing number on the screen, the security guard felt a bit uncertain.
But duty called, so he said, half-believingly, "Call him right now in front of me. If it's really Mr. Gao, I'll apologize and let you up."
"Okay!"
Gao Qiqiang gritted his teeth and directly dialed the phone number.
But when he heard "temporarily unavailable" coming from the other end, his forehead immediately broke out in a sweat, and he became nervous.
The security guard, who was still blocking the entrance, also changed his expression, looking very displeased.
"Wait, I'll call again. Maybe Mr. Gao is busy with something."
Gao Qiqiang dialed again.
But after calling four or five times, it was still "temporarily unavailable."
Finally, he was driven away by the security guard and was not allowed to step within the scope of the office building again.
"Why isn't he answering? Is Mr. Gao playing a trick on me?"
Gao Qiqiang stood by the roadside, dazed.
He had come to see Gao Fei today to ask Gao Fei to intervene and reject Guo Yue's offer, to keep them out of the disputes of social forces.
But now, not only had he not seen the person, but he couldn't even get in the door.
Gao Qiqiang looked at the office building, watching the security guard fawning over the well-dressed successful people.
Then he thought of Guo Yue's strong connections, who had bailed them out with just one phone call last night.
He felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, and his mindset gradually began to change.
Finally, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He found Guo Yue's phone number and dialed it directly.
At the same time.
Gao Fei, who had just returned to his office after a meeting, saw four missed calls on his phone and immediately called back.
When he heard the prompt indicating the other party was on a call, he frowned slightly.
After calling twice more and still getting the "on a call" message, he stopped trying to call Gao Qiqiang back and began to arrange the movie's work.
Yesterday, Feihe Film and Television had submitted the sample print of "The Village Old Corpse" to the General Administration, but it was not approved.
The impromptu meeting just now was to discuss how to adapt and release the movie.
However, after a round of discussions, there was no solution.
If they deleted or modified the movie's content, it would completely become a bad film.
Just as Gao Fei was worrying about how to revise the movie, Ye Sucheng's call suddenly came to his phone.