“9 p.m., same place.”

When Bian Yiqiu received this text, he was in a meeting at the company’s headquarters on the 68th floor of the Ruìdé Center. Since he had set his phone to silent mode before the meeting began, the message arrived without a sound. But the moment the screen lit up, he couldn’t help but shift his focus away from the monthly financial report analysis he was supposed to be looking at.

The sender was Ke Mingxuan, concise and direct—four words, no extra fuss.

Bian Yiqiu only glanced at the message briefly, about three-quarters of a second, before refocusing on CFO Ye Zhen, who was presenting her report.

The professional financial analysis and the mix of Chinese and English terms left Bian Yiqiu feeling lost in a haze. In fact, he only cared about a few sets of data: revenue, net profit, debt-to-equity ratio, and the performance trend reflected in the fluctuating line graph on his laptop. As for controlling costs, cutting expenses, reducing risks, and increasing profits—that wasn’t his concern as the boss.

What he needed to do, as always, was just two things: understand people, and make the best use of them.

So, even though Bian Yiqiu had never been formally educated, anyone working for him had a resume that could send chills down anyone’s spine.

Take Director Ye, for example. She was brought over from PwC using Madam Mei’s connections. In just a few short years, she managed to transform a chaotic, corrupt financial mess of a gang organization into a legitimate, well-organized corporate group.

Yes, a gang organization. In fact, Bian Yiqiu was the leader of a gang.

Don’t be surprised that a gang leader has such an elegant name. He would tell you that when he was born, he had no right to object.

Of course, no matter how polished a gang can become, it can never completely go legit. So, Bian Yiqiu still sees himself as a gang leader, and he takes pride in it rather than feeling ashamed. What’s so shameful about it? Being in the gang was a legitimate, hardworking way to make money, far nobler than those lazy scoundrels who steal, cheat, and live off others..

Bian Yiqiu was quite content with his profession. Even though smuggling had become international trade, loan sharking had transformed into finance, and the brothels had turned into high-end entertainment clubs, he just had to wear a suit and tie at least once a month to attend meetings at the headquarters. But he still preferred hearing his subordinates call him “Qiu Ge” rather than Boss Bian.

Thus, every meeting was a rather painful process. But luckily, as a gang leader with no formal education but high intelligence, Bian Yiqiu knew very well the importance of these meetings. By the end of each session, he had mentally noted the current status and operational data of each department. 

Then, with a balanced approach of leniency and discipline, he would give a summary that almost had the flair of a business elite.

After the meeting, it was time for the usual senior management dinner. After a few rounds of drinks, before all the dishes were served, he left the venue.

His bodyguard, Zuo Cheng, drove ahead and asked if he was heading to the club or back to Yuelu Mountain Villa. He replied, “To Yuelong Bay.”

Zuo Cheng didn’t say anything more. He simply turned the steering wheel to the left, smoothly making a U-turn, and continued driving at a steady pace.

The Yuelong Bay Bian Yiqiu mentioned was a five-star hot spring resort under the Jiu’an Group, located in the northern outskirts of the resort area. It took about an hour to drive there from the city center. By the time they arrived, it was already past 9 p.m.

Bian Yiqiu removed his tie, tossing it aside, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, finally feeling like he could breathe fresh air.

He opened the door and got out, waving a hand over his shoulder without looking back at Zuo Cheng, signaling for him to find a place to park and pass the time.

Yuelong Bay was his territory, with tight security, and his subordinates all knew him well, so there wouldn’t be any trouble. With that, Zuo Cheng felt at ease, boldly letting his boss walk alone toward the exclusive villa at the far end of Area D.

Bian Yiqiu reached the entrance and, only then, belatedly realized something was a bit off. After thinking for a moment, he remembered that the person who had said they would meet at 9 p.m. seemed to have already left. The entire villa, from inside out, was pitch dark, not a single light to be seen.

He stood at the door, raising his wrist to check the expensive Patek Philippe watch by the faint moonlight of winter. The time displayed was 9:20. He was indeed a bit late. At the same time, he cursed that Young Master Ke, who had left without even informing him, all the way down to his eight generations of ancestors.

For Boss Bian, even if he came late, he was convinced it was Ke Mingxuan who had stood him up. Since he was already here, he didn’t want to just turn around and leave. After all, it was his own place. Was it that hard to find someone for a quick hook-up?

Probably due to decades of experience in the underworld, Bian Yiqiu’s instinctive reaction to danger was far sharper than most people’s. But for some reason, whether it was because he was too relaxed in his own territory or because he got distracted while looking down at his phone to call a handsome guy over to warm his bed, by the time he stepped into the house and felt the sudden punch wind by his ear, it was already too late.

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TN: This story is my favorite from the Nowhere to Hide series. There are extra chapters focused on a side couple, which I will post separately.