Chapter 13: This Is Getting Serious

“By doing this, the public will get to know you better—it comes with both gains and losses.”

Chen Hao didn’t elaborate further, but Ruonan and Jiewen understood clearly.

Becoming the face of the convenience store meant publicly acknowledging their relationship with Chen Hao. This would bring them more attention and support, but also possibly attract resentment from others.

They had already anticipated this the moment they chose to follow Chen Hao.

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

As things stood, the benefits clearly outweighed the risks, especially now that Chen Hao had confirmed he wanted them to lead the convenience store’s advertising campaign.

Seeing that it was getting late—and both women were feeling sore from the long massage—Chen Hao gave a wave of his hand to end the meeting and said:

“Let’s call it a day. Go get some rest. Tomorrow, meet me at Jiashang HR Company.”

“Before you go, make sure to find A-Liang at the bar and get the wine.”

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

Ruonan felt a little disappointed that nothing had happened between them beyond friendship tonight. Though Chen Hao had promised never to force anything against her will, she hadn’t even had the chance to share her feelings.

Still, Ruonan quietly thought to herself: Opportunities always come—you just have to wait and see.

The two of them left the office together and found the bartender, A-Liang, who began chatting with them about Chen Hao.

As a loyal employee to the new boss, it was only natural for him to know his superior’s preferences—especially when it came to convenience store matters. He also revealed that all members of the Hung Hing gang would enjoy a 50% discount.

Hearing this, Ruonan and Jiewen were stunned. Such generosity was rare. It really did seem like Chen Hao was someone who spared no expense.

Ruonan clutched Jiewen with concern and said, “Boss is being way too extravagant. Let’s talk to him about it tomorrow, okay?”

Jiewen agreed wholeheartedly.

Then A-Liang respectfully handed them two bottles of Lafite red wine, packed by Brother Hao himself, and affectionately addressed the two as sister-in-law.

Jiewen blushed slightly but didn’t correct him and accepted the wine. Ruonan, on the other hand, laughed and praised A-Liang for his keen insight.

“Smart kid, you’ve got a good eye.”

She laughed in approval, and A-Liang bowed and nodded enthusiastically. “Safe travels, ladies.”

The little brothers nearby echoed in unison, calling them “Sao.”

Surrounded by the sound of that title, the two women felt like they were walking on air. Their steps became lighter—like they were spirits floating freely.

As he watched them leave with the Lafite in hand, A-Liang smiled in satisfaction.

To make this happen—and help spread word about Chen Hao’s convenience store—he had deliberately leaked news of this “new couple.” After all, if a woman was with the boss, calling her “Sao” was only natural among the brothers.

And wouldn’t it be ideal if the boss’s woman could help keep his spending in check?

As they left the bar, Jiewen murmured quietly:

“Is this really okay? What if the boss gets angry?”

Ruonan rolled her eyes and said, “When they were calling us ‘sister-in-law’ earlier, why didn’t you stop them?”

As if Jiewen didn’t want to stop them—but how could Ruonan not know what was really in her heart? The two shared an unspoken understanding.

Ruonan playfully gave Jiewen’s firm butt a light pat, making Jiewen yelp in surprise:

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

Ruonan chuckled to herself, savoring the feel. Wow, my sister really has a great figure—almost as good as mine, she thought.

Still smiling, she said teasingly,
“Come on, I know you’ve got a thing for the boss too—quit pretending.”

“No matter how we compete, we’re still sisters. Better to keep the good stuff within the family than hand it over to outsiders.”

“Let’s just focus on tomorrow—how we can get the boss to really notice us!”

Jiewen, who had been smiling, suddenly looked worried after hearing that.

---

Later that night…

It was late and quiet when Chen Hao returned home. Suddenly, he heard the system’s notification sound in his mind.

Ding!
Daily income: HK$1,374,500 (with a 10x critical bonus from base HK$137,450).
Funds have been automatically deposited into your bank account.
Total assets increased from HK$2.929 million to HK$16.674 million.

Chen Hao froze in place.

He had expected a good profit today—but this was beyond his wildest guesses.

Thinking it through, though, it did make sense. Each time the store restocked inventory, it cost around HK$100,000. But with the Hung Hing gang getting 50% discounts, each restock meant about HK$50,000 in actual revenue.

After four rounds of major restocking today, it was no surprise he ended up with such a windfall.

Normally, a convenience store pulling in even HK$5,000 per day would be considered impressive.

But thanks to the 50% off event—and ironically, because of Liang Kun and Babi’s attempts to stir up trouble—sales skyrocketed.

Chen Hao couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if Liang Kun and Babi found out they weren’t bankrupting him, but actually making him richer. The look on their faces would be priceless.

He already pictured their furious expressions in his mind.

---

Western District.

The next morning, Bucky was still fast asleep when a loud knocking and sobbing woke him.

Half-asleep, he opened the door and was surprised to see his former lover, Cuilian, standing there in tears.

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

She choked through sobs.

“He was beaten badly. He’s in the hospital, in critical condition…”

“If he dies… I don’t want to live either…”

Cuilian could barely form complete sentences as she cried, thinking about her younger brother Fei Biao lying in a hospital bed, his limbs broken and mangled.

Bucky sighed, filled with helpless frustration.

He knew Fei Biao far too well. That guy had always relied on Bucky’s past relationship with his sister, and used Bucky’s name to run amok in the Western District, ruining the Hung Hing reputation.

Out of respect for Bucky, no one had dared touch him—but everyone knew he’d narrowly escaped death many times.

Fei Biao, though, had a bit of street smarts—he knew his reputation didn’t carry weight outside the Western District, so he only acted like a tyrant within local turf.

This time, someone had finally done a public service by beating him down.

Still, Fei Biao was Cuilian’s brother after all.

Back then, Cuilian was the light of Bucky’s youth—the woman who made him into a man.

But fate was cruel. Her father didn’t approve of him for being poor and married her off to a wealthy old man.

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

Now older and no longer beautiful, Cuilian didn’t have the same allure. Their reunion was little more than an attempt to make peace with the past—but Cuilian had become a clingy shadow he couldn’t shake.

Bucky waved his hand in irritation.

“Alright, go home first. Let me figure out what really happened.”

Cuilian bit her lip, unwilling to leave.
“Brother Ji, he’s my blood brother!”

“I know you’ve never liked him, but please, for the sake of what we had, just help him out—teach those people a lesson.”

That made Bucky’s temper flare.

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

“He uses my name to throw his weight around and nearly turned me into a laughingstock!”

Seeing Bucky explode in anger, Cuilian didn’t dare speak further. She turned and left silently.

In her heart, she knew Bucky had long since lost interest in her aging self.

She had once married that stubborn old man. After his death, his children even tried to drive her out with nothing.

Thankfully, by then Bucky had risen to become a major player in Hung Hing. With his protection, she managed to secure part of the inheritance.

From that moment on, Cuilian realized:
As a powerless woman in the streets of Hong Kong, the only way to survive was by clinging to someone like Bucky.

Even if his attitude grew colder by the day, she refused to let go of him easily.

---

After sending Cuilian away, Bucky returned to his turf, irritated.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Brother Qiang  busy inside.

He waved him over.
“Ah Qiang, come here a sec.”

Brother Qiang smiled and walked over.

“Ah Qiang, look into what happened with Fei Biao last night.”

Bucky immediately asked.

But Brother Qiang didn’t move—his face showed hesitation.

Seeing that, Bucky frowned and pressed him:
“What are you waiting for?”

After a pause, Brother Qiang said:
“Boss Ji, I already know what happened.”

Bucky’s eyes lit up.
“Quick, tell me—who did society a favor and took care of that bastard?”