Chapter 5: Five Taels of Silver

“That way, the outside world will also come to know more about you. There will be gains, but also losses.”

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

Becoming the spokespersons for the convenience store meant publicly revealing their connection with Chen Hao. This would bring them more attention and support—but could also provoke some hostility from others.

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

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

As it stands, the benefits clearly outweighed the risks—after all, Chen Hao had just said he wanted them to handle the store’s promotional campaign.

Seeing it was getting late and the two girls’ arms were sore from giving massages,
Chen Hao waved his hand lightly to signal the end and said:

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

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

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

Ruonan, a little disappointed, thought to herself how nothing beyond a “friendship” happened tonight.
Although Chen Hao had promised never to do anything against her will, she didn’t even get the chance to express her feelings.

Still, she told herself silently: opportunities always come. Let’s take it one step at a time.

They then walked out of the office together and found the bartender, A-Liang, who told them a few things about Chen Hao.

As a loyal employee of the new boss, it was part of his job to understand his superior’s preferences—especially when it came to the convenience store. He mentioned that Hongxing members would get a 50% discount.

Hearing this, Ruonan and Jiewen were too stunned to speak. Such generosity was rare—it seemed Chen Hao really was a big spender.

Ruonan hugged Jiewen anxiously and said,
“Our boss is being way too extravagant. Tomorrow, let’s try and talk some sense into him!”

Jiewen agreed sincerely.

A-Liang then respectfully handed them two bottles of Lafite red wine, specially packed by Hao-ge, and affectionately referred to both women as “Sister-in-law.”

Jiewen blushed slightly but didn’t refute it—she simply accepted the wine.
Ruonan, on the other hand, laughed and praised A-Liang’s perceptiveness.

“You’re a clever one, you are,” she said with a smile.

A-Liang bowed and grinned, “Safe trip, sisters-in-law.”

Other little brothers chimed in, calling out the same term.

Surrounded by the title “sister-in-law,” the two women felt as if they were floating on clouds. Their steps became light and lively, like fairies fluttering freely.

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

To make this happen and to promote Chen Hao’s convenience store, he had deliberately spread the word about the newcomers—after all, calling the boss’s women “sister-in-law” was only natural in a brotherhood.

Having the boss’s women help manage his spending? That was killing two birds with one stone. No one wanted to see their boss’s money wasted for nothing.

As they left the bar, Jiewen whispered:

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

Ruonan rolled her eyes and said,
“They were calling us ‘sister-in-law’ back there—why didn’t you stop them?”

How could Jiewen not want to stop it? Of course Ruonan knew what was on her mind. They both tacitly understood each other.

Ruonan lightly patted Jiewen’s firm butt, causing Jiewen to yelp in surprise:

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

Ruonan laughed, savoring the moment, thinking to herself how nice her sister’s figure was—almost on par with her own.

Still grinning, she added:

“Alright, I know you’ve got a thing for the boss too, so drop the act.”

“No matter how we sisters compete, it’s better to keep it in the family than let some outsider take the prize.”

“Let’s focus on what matters—how do we make the boss notice us tomorrow?”

Jiewen’s smile vanished instantly, her face clouded with worry.

—

Later that night, when it was quiet and still, Chen Hao returned home. A system notification chimed in his ear:

[Ding! Today’s revenue: HK$1,374,500 (includes 10x critical hit bonus from base HK$137,450). Amount automatically deposited to bank account.]

[Total assets: increased from HK$2,929,000 to HK$16,674,000.]

Chen Hao was momentarily stunned.

He had expected decent income today—but not this much.

Thinking it through, the numbers added up:
Each time the convenience store restocked, it cost about HK$100,000. With the 50% discount for the Hongxing gang, that translated to roughly HK$50,000 in actual turnover per restock.

After four major restocks, the massive earnings were no surprise.

Under normal circumstances, a daily turnover of HK$5,000 would already be good for a convenience store.

But today’s sales boomed, not only because of the half-price deal, but also due to Liangkun and Babi, who came intending to stir trouble but ended up helping Chen Hao make even more money.

Chen Hao couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like when Liangkun and Babi realized that instead of ruining him, they were actually making him richer.

In his mind, he could already picture their frustrated faces.

—

Western District.

Early morning. Bucky was still asleep when he was jolted awake by loud knocking and the sound of sobbing.

Half-dazed, he opened the door—only to find his ex-lover Cuilian standing there, tears pouring down her face.

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

She sobbed bitterly.

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

“If he doesn’t make it… I don’t want to live either…”

Choking on her tears, she couldn’t even speak properly as she pictured her brother Fei Biao’s mangled limbs.

Bucky felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.

He knew Fei Biao all too well—the guy leaned on Bucky’s name and his sister Cuilian’s relationship with him, swaggering around Western District and tarnishing the name of Hongxing.

Although some people held back from attacking him out of respect for Bucky, they knew full well that this guy had nearly gotten them killed more than once.

Fei Biao was sly too—he knew his name didn’t carry weight outside the Western District, so he only dared act up on his own turf.

This time, no one knew who had finally rid the public of this menace.

But still… Fei Biao was Cuilian’s biological brother.

Back then, Cuilian had been the white moonlight in Bucky’s heart—the woman who had made him feel like a real man.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Her father looked down on Bucky’s lack of money and married her off to a rich old man.

After the old man died, they got back together—but it didn’t last long.

By then, the aging and less attractive Cuilian no longer stirred much interest in him. Rekindling their romance was more about closure.
But to his frustration, Cuilian clung to him like a shadow he couldn’t shake.

Waving his hand impatiently, Bucky said:

“Alright, go back for now. Let me find out what really happened.”

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

“I know you never liked him, but for the sake of what we used to have… can’t you help him this once? Get justice for him?”

Bucky flared with anger and shouted:

“If Fei Biao weren’t your brother, I would’ve taught him a lesson a long time ago!”

“He goes around using my name to bully others—he’s almost made me a laughingstock!”

Seeing Bucky fly into a rage, Cuilian dared not say another word. She turned and left silently.

In her heart, she knew: Bucky had long since lost interest in her—this woman who had passed her prime.

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

Luckily, by then, Barker had become the top dog in Hongxing. With his influence, Cuilian managed to get a share of the inheritance.

From that moment, she realized: as a powerless woman, her only way to survive in the underworld of Hong Kong Island was to cling tightly to Bucky.

Though Bucky was becoming increasingly cold to her, she still refused to give up on their relationship.

After sending Cuilian away, Bucky returned to his territory feeling frustrated. As he walked in, he saw Brother Qiang hard at work.

He motioned with his hand:

“Ah Qiang, come over here.”

Brother Qiang responded with a grin and approached.

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

Bucky asked directly.

But Qiang didn’t move right away—his expression showed hesitation.

Seeing this, Bucky grew puzzled and pressed him:

“What’s the holdup?”

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

Bucky’s eyes lit up and he asked eagerly:
“Tell me—who was it that rid the people of this pest?”