Chapter 12: Not Up to Anything Good

“With this, the public will come to know you better—there will be gains, but also losses.”

Chen Hao didn’t say more, but both Ruonan and Jiewen understood clearly what he meant.

Becoming the face of the convenience store meant publicly associating themselves with Chen Hao, which would bring attention and support—but could also stir up envy and hostility.

They had already expected this when they chose to follow Chen Hao.

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

And right now, the benefits clearly outweighed the risks, especially since Chen Hao had already said they’d be in charge of advertising for the store.

Seeing that it was getting late and the two girls were sore from giving massages,

Chen Hao waved a hand to dismiss them and said:

“That’s enough for today. Go home and rest. Tomorrow, come find me at Jiashang HR Company.”

“And before you leave, make sure to find A-Liang at the bar and grab some wine.”

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

??

Ruonan felt a bit disappointed that nothing more intimate happened tonight. Even though Chen Hao had promised never to act against her will, she didn’t even get the chance to express her feelings.

But deep down, she told herself—opportunities will come. One step at a time.

The two of them walked out of the office together and found A-Liang, the bartender, who started chatting about Chen Hao.

As a loyal employee of the new boss, it was only natural for A-Liang to learn his preferences—especially details related to the convenience store, such as the news that Hongxing members would enjoy a 50% discount.

Ruonan and Jiewen were shocked into silence when they heard this. Such generosity was rare—it really seemed like Chen Hao had a big hand when it came to spending.

Worried, Ruonan hugged Jiewen and said, “Boss is being too extravagant. Let’s try to talk him out of it tomorrow!”

Jiewen agreed sincerely.

Then A-Liang respectfully handed them two bottles of Château Lafite wine, carefully packed by Brother Hao, and warmly addressed the two women as “sister-in-law.”

Jiewen blushed slightly at the title but didn’t argue—just quietly took the wine. Ruonan, on the other hand, laughed and praised A-Liang for his sharp eye.

“Smart kid, you’ve got good sense.”

She chuckled in agreement. A-Liang bowed and replied, “Take care, sister-in-laws.”

The younger guys around also echoed the title cheerfully.

Surrounded by the word “sister-in-law”, the two women felt like they were floating on clouds, walking with such lightness it was as if they were fairies gliding through the air.

When A-Liang saw them walking off with the wine, he revealed a satisfied smile.

To make this happen—and to spread the word about Chen Hao’s convenience store—he had deliberately leaked information about the two new “girlfriends.”

Calling the boss’s women sister-in-law was a natural part of gang culture.

And letting the boss’s women manage store operations? That was a win-win.

None of them wanted to see the boss’s money being wasted for no reason.

As they left the bar, Jiewen whispered,

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

Ruonan rolled her eyes. “They called us sister-in-law, and you didn’t stop them?”

Of course Jiewen had wanted to stop them—but how could Ruonan not know what she was really thinking? The two of them understood each other without words.

Ruonan gave Jiewen’s perky butt a light pat, making Jiewen let out a startled yelp.

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

Ruonan smiled with amusement, savoring the moment. She thought to herself that her sister’s figure really wasn’t bad—almost on par with her own.

Then she laughed and said:

“Alright, I know you’ve got feelings for the boss too, so stop pretending.”

“No matter how we fight, we’re still sisters. Better to keep the good stuff in the family than let some outsider take it.”

“Let’s think about tomorrow—how can we get the boss to truly notice us?”

Hearing Ruonan’s words, Jiewen’s cheerful smile instantly faded into a cloud of worry.

---

Late at night, when the world was quiet, Chen Hao returned home. A system prompt rang in his ears:

Ding!
Today’s income: HKD 1.3745 million
10x critical bonus received: HKD 13.745 million
Funds have been automatically deposited into your bank account.

Assets: Increased from HKD 2.929 million to HKD 16.674 million

Hearing the notification, Chen Hao froze.

He had expected a good income today—but this was beyond shocking.

Thinking it over, the number made sense. Each time the convenience store restocked, it cost around HKD 100,000. With Hongxing members receiving a 50% discount, that translated to HKD 50,000 in actual turnover.

After four large restocks, the accumulated return naturally became massive.

Normally, a convenience store with HKD 5,000 in daily revenue would already be considered excellent.

But today’s booming sales were driven by the storewide half-price event—and ironically, by Liangkun and Babi, who had originally tried to stir up trouble but ended up helping Chen Hao earn even more.

This made Chen Hao wonder: what would it be like when Liangkun and Babi one day realized they weren’t bankrupting him—but actually making him richer?

He could already picture the angry looks on their faces.

---

Western District

Early morning.

Baki was still asleep when he was awoken by urgent knocking and the sound of someone crying.

Groggily, he opened the door—only to find his former lover, Cuilian, standing there with tears streaming down her face.

“Brother Ji… please, you have to help my brother!”

She sobbed.

“He was badly beaten. He’s in the hospital now, barely hanging on.”

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

Her voice trembled as she thought of her brother Fei Biao’s broken limbs, struggling to form words.

Hearing this, Baki felt a wave of helpless frustration rise inside him.

He knew Fei Biao all too well. That guy had always relied on his connection with Baki—through his sister, Cuilian—to act with impunity in the Western District, dragging down Hongxing’s reputation.

People had only held back from retaliating because of Baki’s name, but they were all painfully aware that Fei Biao had narrowly escaped death many times.

Fei Biao wasn’t completely stupid, though. He knew that outside of the Western District, his name meant nothing—so he only acted outrageously on home turf.

Whoever cleaned him up this time had clearly done a public service.

But no matter what, Fei Biao was still Cuilian’s brother.

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

Unfortunately, fate played its tricks. Her father disapproved of Baki for being poor, so she married a wealthy old man.

After that old man died, she and Baki got back together, but the relationship didn’t last.

By then, Cuilian had aged and lost her former allure. Their reunion was more about settling past regrets. Who would’ve thought Cuilian would cling to him like a shadow, haunting him endlessly?

Baki irritably waved her off:

“Fine. You go back first. Let me figure out what really happened.”

Cuilian protested, unwilling to leave. “Brother Ji, he’s my own brother!”

“I know you’ve never liked him, but for the sake of what we had… can’t you help this one time? Teach them a lesson for me?”

Baki’s expression darkened, and he roared:

“If Fei Biao wasn’t your brother, I’d have taught him a lesson a long time ago!”

“He’s been going around flaunting my name, bullying others, making me a damn joke!”

Seeing Baki in a rage, Cuilian didn’t dare speak again. She turned and left silently.

She knew clearly—Baki no longer had interest in a woman like her, old and no longer attractive.

Once, she had married a stubborn old man, and after he died, his children had even tried to kick her out with nothing.

Fortunately, by then, Baki had already become a top boss in Hongxing. Thanks to his influence, she managed to secure part of the inheritance.

From that point on, Cuilian understood: as a powerless woman, the only way to survive in the underworld of Hong Kong was to cling tightly to Baki.

Even though his attitude toward her had grown increasingly cold, she still wasn’t willing to let go of their connection.

---

After sending Cuilian away, Baki returned to his own turf, feeling irritated. Just as he walked in, he spotted Brother Qiang busy working.

He waved him over.

“A-Qiang, come here.”

Brother Qiang responded with a smile and walked over.

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

Baki asked without hesitation.

But Qiang didn’t move, and his face showed signs of hesitation.

Seeing this, Baki frowned. “Why haven’t you moved?”

After a brief pause, Brother Qiang replied, “Brother Ji… I already know what happened.”

Baki’s eyes lit up with interest. “Then tell me—who cleaned him up and did us all a favor?”