Chapter 18: Bitterness Unspoken

“This way, the public will become more aware of you both—there are gains and losses.”

Chen Hao didn’t elaborate further, but Ruonan and Jiewen understood clearly, as if a mirror had been placed in their hearts.

Becoming the face of the convenience store meant publicly revealing their connection to Chen Hao. It would bring them more attention and support—but also possibly draw hostility from some people.

When they chose to follow Chen Hao, they had already anticipated this.

Every choice comes with pros and cons—the key is weighing which matters more.

At the moment, the benefits clearly outweighed the risks, especially since Chen Hao had already assigned them the promotional role for the store.

Seeing that it was getting late—and the girls’ arms were sore from the massage—

Chen Hao waved his hand lightly to dismiss them and said,

“That’s all for today. Go home and rest. Tomorrow, come see me at Jiashangban Human Resources Company.”

“When you leave, remember to grab some wine from Aliang at the bar.”

This time, Jiewen didn’t protest. She apologized to Ruonan and left Chen Hao’s office.

??

Ruonan, however, felt a tinge of disappointment—nothing had happened tonight that crossed the line of friendship. Even though Chen Hao had promised never to act against her will, she hadn’t even had the chance to voice her feelings.

Still, Ruonan thought to herself—opportunities will come. Let’s take it one step at a time.

They walked out of the office together and found the bartender, Aliang. He spoke to them about Chen Hao.

As a loyal employee of the new boss, it was his duty to understand his superior’s preferences—especially regarding the convenience store. He shared insider news: members of the Hongxing group would enjoy a 50% discount.

Hearing that, Ruonan and Jiewen were stunned. Such generosity was rare—Chen Hao truly seemed like someone who spent lavishly.

Ruonan clutched Jiewen with concern and whispered, “The boss is being way too extravagant. Let’s talk to him about it tomorrow!”

Jiewen agreed wholeheartedly.

Then, Aliang respectfully handed them two bottles of Château Lafite red wine, packed by Brother Hao himself, and addressed the two women warmly as “Sister-in-law.”

Jiewen blushed slightly but didn’t refute the title as she accepted the wine.

Ruonan, on the other hand, praised Aliang with a laugh, clearly enjoying the moment.

“Smart kid, you’ve got good eyes.”

She chuckled. Aliang bowed and said, “Take care, ladies.”

Other young men echoed the call—
“Sister-in-law!”

Surrounded by that title, the two women felt like they were floating in the clouds, their steps light as if they were fairies in flight.

Watching them leave with their wine, Aliang smiled with satisfaction.

To make this all happen and promote Chen Hao’s convenience store, he had intentionally spread the word about these two new women.

After all, when it came to the big brother’s women, it was only natural for the brothers to address them as sister-in-law.

And having the boss’s women help manage the business? That was killing two birds with one stone. No one wanted to see the boss’s money go to waste.

As they left the bar, Jiewen whispered,

“Isn’t this a bit too much? What if the boss gets mad?”

Ruonan rolled her eyes. “Back then they were calling us ‘sister-in-law,’ and you didn’t stop them, did you?”

Of course Jiewen wanted to stop it. How could Ruonan not know what she was thinking? It was an unspoken understanding between them.

Ruonan lightly patted Jiewen’s perky bottom, causing Jiewen to let out a startled cry:

“Hey! What are you doing? Don’t joke around like that here!”

Ruonan savored the moment with a grin, thinking to herself that her sister’s figure really wasn’t bad—almost comparable to her own.

Then she smiled and said:

“Alright, I know you’re into the boss too, so stop pretending.”

“No matter how we compete, we’re still sisters. Better to keep the fat water from flowing into outsiders’ fields.”
(A saying meaning: better to keep benefits within the group.)

“Let’s just figure out what to do tomorrow—how to get the boss to really notice us!”

Upon hearing this, Jiewen’s smiling face instantly turned gloomy.

---

Late at night, when all was quiet, Chen Hao returned home and heard the system notification in his ears.

Ding!
Today’s income: HK$1.3745 million with a tenfold critical hit bonus.
HK$13.745 million has been automatically deposited into your bank account.

Assets increased from HK$2.929 million to HK$16.674 million.

Hearing the system’s alert, Chen Hao froze in shock.

He had anticipated good income today, but not to this extent.

Upon reflection, it made sense: each time the convenience store restocked, the cost was about HK$100,000. But with Hongxing’s men selling everything at 50% off, that meant HK$50,000 in actual revenue.

After four major restocking events, the massive returns weren’t all that surprising.

Under normal circumstances, a convenience store pulling in HK$5,000 a day was already quite good.

But today’s massive sales were due to the store-wide 50% discount. Plus, Liangkun and Babi’s attempt to sabotage actually ended up helping Chen Hao earn more.

Chen Hao couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like the day Liangkun and Babi realized that instead of bankrupting him, they had actually helped him make even more money.

In his mind, Chen Hao could already picture the looks of frustration on their faces.

---

Sai Wan, West District.

Early in the morning, Bucky was still asleep when he was suddenly awakened by a frantic knock at the door and the sound of crying.

Half-asleep, he opened the door and saw his old flame, Cuilian, standing there with tears streaming down her face.

“Brother Ji… you… you have to help my brother!” she sobbed.

“He’s been badly beaten—he’s in the hospital and in critical condition.”

“If anything happens to him, I don’t want to live either…”

She choked on her words, her mind filled with the image of her younger brother Fei Biao’s broken limbs. Her voice was barely coherent.

Upon hearing this, a wave of helplessness swept over Bucky.

He knew Fei Biao all too well. The guy had been relying on his connection to Cuilian—his older sister—and flaunting Bucky’s name, doing whatever he wanted in Sai Wan and ruining Hongxing’s reputation.

Some people tolerated him out of respect for Bucky, but everyone knew that guy had nearly gotten himself killed multiple times.

Fei Biao had some street smarts too. He knew that outside of Sai Wan, his reputation carried no weight, so he only acted recklessly within his territory.

This time, someone had apparently “done justice for the people.”

But regardless, Fei Biao was Cuilian’s own younger brother.

Back then, Cuilian was Bucky’s “white moonlight”—the woman who made him feel like a real man.

Unfortunately, fate intervened. Cuilian’s father didn’t approve of him for being poor and forced her to marry a wealthy old man.

After the old man died, she and Bucky rekindled their relationship—but it didn’t last long.

Now older and losing her looks, Cuilian no longer held the same allure. Their reunion was more about making up for lost time. But who would’ve thought—Cuilian became like a shadow he couldn’t shake, always clinging to him and causing him great distress.

Annoyed, Bucky waved his hand:

“Fine. You go back first. Let me figure out what’s going on.”

Cuilian, unwilling to let go, pleaded:
“Brother Ji, he’s my own brother…”

“I know you’ve never liked him. But for the sake of what we used to have, can’t you help him? Can’t you at least get justice for him?”

Bucky was furious and shouted:

“If Fei Biao weren’t your brother, I would’ve beaten him up myself long ago!”

“He goes around flaunting my name, bullying people. He almost turned me into a joke!”

Seeing Bucky so enraged, Cuilian dared not say more. She silently turned and left.

In her heart, she knew Bucky had lost interest in her long ago—she was no longer young and pretty.

Once, she’d married a grumpy old man. After his death, his children had even tried to kick her out without a cent.

Fortunately, Bucky had already become a top figure in Hongxing by then. With his backing, Cuilian managed to secure part of the inheritance.

From that moment, she realized:
As a powerless woman in Hong Kong’s underworld, the only way to survive was to stay tightly connected to Bucky.

Even though Bucky’s attitude toward her had grown increasingly cold, she was unwilling to give up on that connection.

---

After seeing her out, Bucky returned to his base, frustrated. As he walked in, he saw Brother Qiang busy at work.

He waved him over:

“Ah Qiang, come here for a second.”

Qiang-ge smiled and walked over.

“Ah Qiang, help me look into what happened to Fei Biao last night.”

Bucky immediately inquired.

But Brother Qiang didn’t move right away. He looked hesitant.

Seeing this, Bucky grew puzzled and asked:

“What’s the holdup?”

After a brief hesitation, Qiang-ge replied,
“Brother Ji, I know what happened.”

Bucky’s eyes lit up. He leaned forward eagerly:
“Tell me—who was the one that did justice and took him down?”