Ye Jingsheng nodded with a faint smile. “I’m just a gambler, crazy enough to risk it all. Let’s see if you, the banker, have the guts to play with me.”

Fang Yang studied him for a moment, then smirked. “Play?” Leaning closer, his tone turned teasing as his eyes narrowed. “What I want to play with you isn’t this.”

Ye Jingsheng’s expression remained unchanged, his persistent smile holding steady. “Whatever Yang ge wants to play, I’m game.”

“Really?” Fang Yang bit his earlobe lightly, his breath warm and suggestive. “Come with me.”

“To bed?” Ye Jingsheng raised an eyebrow.

Fang Yang raised a finger and gestured for him to follow. “You’re more useful than that.”

Moments later, Ye Jingsheng widened his eyes at the screen in front of him. “Shit, you’re something else, Fang Yang.”

The screen displayed a dense mass of data. Fang Yang pressed a button, and a soft beep sounded as the screen revealed an enlarged profile picture.

“They think they can plant undercover cops in my turf, but I can’t do the same? Getting access to classified files cost us a few brothers, but it was worth it in the end. This one,” he pointed casually, “Zachis Munez. The most powerful arms dealer in central Colombia. His revolutionary army is the only group among the rabble capable of holding its ground against the local government. Arms, drugs, organ trafficking—if it makes money, he’s in.”

Ye Jingsheng glanced at the photo of a man with a high nose, deep-set eyes, and a thick beard, then sneered. “The Americans are just letting him run wild in their backyard?”

“He’s got serious influence. He controls about half of the Panama Canal’s cargo traffic. Why wouldn’t the Americans let him? Using one gang to control another works in their favor.”

“And he’s in Central America. What’s his connection to Hong Kong?” Ye Jingsheng’s gaze shifted to Fang Yang as realization began to dawn. “He’s working with Zhong Qinglin?”

With an approving nod, Fang Yang continued, “Old Man Zhong is using Hong Kong as a transit hub for Zachis’s goods, reselling arms and drugs to others. Zhong’s survival depends on having Zachis as his backer.”

“Why doesn’t Zhong Qinglin work with Southeast Asia? Why go so far?”

“Southeast Asia?” Fang Yang laughed confidently. “That’s all under me and Chen ge’s control. Even if he wanted to step in, he wouldn’t have the power. Hongyun has gone through three generations of leadership. For those of us in the shadows, the end is near. Times have changed. This isn’t the ‘80s when loyalty and brotherhood ruled the underworld. Licking blood off the blade won’t get you anywhere anymore.”

“You want to go legit? To move into legitimate business?”

Fang Yang interlocked his fingers and spoke slowly. “We already have a few publicly listed companies, but it’s not enough. Flipping properties alone won’t cut it. We need joint financing. My goal is to transform Hongyun into a multinational corporation, and Zhong Qinglin is our biggest obstacle.”

“Give me a break,” Ye Jingsheng sneered. “Without tacit approval back then, would Zhong Qinglin have dared to trade with someone like that warlord? Hongyun wouldn’t have reached its current scale without riding on his coattails. And now that you want to go legit, you’re just going to toss him aside like trash?”

Fang Yang smirked, his expression unreadable. “True, back then it was Chen ge who gave the green light. But Zhong’s ambitions have grown out of control—he’s become a thorn that needs to be removed. During the financial crisis eight years ago, he laundered nearly a billion dollars in dirty money for Zachis. Since then, he’s gotten bolder. After the Southeast Asian crackdown on drugs, Zhong now controls 80 percent of Hong Kong’s drug trade. With Zachis backing him, he’s never had to worry about distribution. The government turns a blind eye because the truth is too messy. But if we keep him around, it’s only a matter of time before Hongyun gets dragged down with him.”

“You want to completely cut him out of Hongyun,” Ye Jingsheng said slowly, piecing it together.

“Exactly,” Fang Yang replied, his tone grave. “If we can’t take him down in one decisive strike, there’s no telling what a mad dog like him will do next. The reason so many people are after that PIAGET watch is because it contains a chip, a microcrystal chip that records all of his criminal activities.”

No wonder Zhong Qinglin was so desperate to destroy the watch—and him. Ye Jingsheng’s eyes flickered with understanding, but before he could speak, Fang Yang, as if reading his thoughts, leaned in and said softly, “If you’re thinking of using it to bargain, you should first ask yourself if you have what it takes to survive. Do you even know how many people want you dead? The moment you step out of Hongyun’s doors, you’ll learn exactly what hell feels like.”

Ye Jingsheng chuckled, rhythmically tapping his knuckles against the hard table. “This hot potato…I’d rather not die for it. But, you’ve told me all this. What exactly do you want me to do?”

“Tomorrow, 12 o’clock flight. To Tomar.”

What?

“Tomar Province in Colombia,” Fang Yang quickly clarified. “I want you to come with me to meet Zachis Munez.”

He couldn’t allow such a dangerous man to back his enemy. Now Ye Jingsheng fully understood that Fang Yang intended not only to expose Zhong Qinglin’s dirty secrets but also to completely eliminate the power behind him.

“Sounds good, but what’s in it for me?” Ye Jingsheng shrugged. “This is risking my life for you, after all.”

Fang Yang smiled. “What else do you want? Name your price.”

Ye Jingsheng shook his head. “I want 10% of Hongyun’s shares once it goes public.”

Fang Yang’s expression didn’t change as he raised an eyebrow. “That’s a bit greedy, don’t you think?”

“You could refuse, of course. But then, I doubt you’d ever get back that chip inside the watch.” Ye Jingsheng said casually, “I might not be able to escape with the watch under your watchful eye, but destroying it would be a piece of cake. Yang ge, you wouldn’t take that risk, would you?”

For the first time, Fang Yang glared at him, remaining silent for a long moment before finally saying, “I thought you only cared about money.”

“With Yang ge at the helm, aren’t pre-IPO shares even more lucrative?” Ye Jingsheng spread his arms theatrically. “I’m just following your lead, boss.”

“You..”

The ringing of the internal phone interrupted the tense atmosphere between them. Fang Yang picked it up, and his expression melted into something Ye Jingsheng had never seen before—a kind of gentle warmth, accompanied by a soft, almost imperceptible laugh. “When are you coming back?”

Ye Jingsheng raised an eyebrow slightly. If he wasn’t mistaken, the look on this man’s face right now… could only be called tenderness.

Unconsciously, he found it rather irritating. With a loud clunk, Ye Jingsheng slammed Fang Yang’s Desert Eagle onto the table, turning to leave as he spoke nonchalantly, “Yang ge, you think it over.”

“Ye Jingsheng.” Fang Yang suddenly called out to him. “I agree to your terms.”

Ye Jingsheng glanced at him with slight surprise, pausing lightly with a flippant tone: “You’ll find it worth the price.”

It wasn’t until his figure disappeared from sight that Fang Yang’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Chen ge, be careful this time. Zhong Qinglin is playing for keeps… Yes, I’ve already found it…”

After a moment, something was said on the other end of the line, and Fang Yang let out a brief laugh. “A scapegoat? …Chen ge, do you think I’m that kind of person?”

Hanging up the phone, Fang Yang stared quietly at the gun on the table, his lips curving slightly. Ye Jingsheng, huh…

He pressed the intercom button. “Bring Hua Xiao Jie to Hongyun. Don’t let anyone know.”

Liao Qiu hesitated for a moment. “Yang ge, you mean..as a hostage?”

Fang Yang said indifferently, “When navigating the underworld, it’s always wise to have a backup plan.”