Chapter 33: The Yihe Association

The two looked at each other, agreeing that the fat man made sense and that six hundred thousand was a substantial sum.

"That’s fine, but we want cash."

"No problem at all. Let me show the goods to my client, and when the time comes, you bring the goods, and I’ll bring the cash for the trade."

"Leave a phone number, and I’ll send you the address for the transaction when the time is right."

Lei Yu left a number and a few chips before leaving with Cao Yang. After they departed, Fatty Qi bid farewell to the thin man and drove off as well. He arrived at a company and met with its boss in his office, presenting the chips for inspection. The boss was pleasantly surprised upon seeing them.

"Old Qi, where did you get these?"

Fatty Qi smiled. "Boss Li, don't worry about that. Just tell me how much you’re willing to pay."

"How many do you have?"

"Not many, just six thousand."

"How much are you asking for?"

"A fair price. One thousand per chip, six million for the whole lot."

Boss Li chuckled and shook his head.

"What? You think it’s too expensive? These items can't be produced domestically yet, and foreign countries restrict their export to China. This is a hot commodity. I only came to you first because we’re well-acquainted."

"Old Qi, it's not that I think the price is high. It's just that the source of these goods is illegitimate; they’re a bit too hot to handle."

"Boss Li, where can you find 'legitimate' goods of this kind? Don't they all get exported from abroad to Hong Kong, and then smuggled into the mainland?"

"That’s exactly the point. A few days ago, the Shenzhen maritime police caught two smugglers carrying these exact chips. Rumor has it one got away. I suspect the batch you have is from the one who escaped."

"So what? The source is illegitimate regardless; who cares whose they were!"

Boss Li lit a cigarette and smiled. "Old Qi, you don't realize the gravity of the situation. I don't know who the final buyer of this batch is, but the smugglers belong to the Yihe Society. Right now, the Yihe Society is hunting down that kid who escaped."

"You know what the Yihe Society is like. If you offend them, there’s only one road left for you, and it’s a dead end. No one can protect you."

Hearing the name Yihe Society, Fatty Qi’s expression turned grim. He didn't want to offend the organization, but he couldn't bear to let millions in profit slip away.

"Old Li, what do you suggest I do then?"

"Though the Yihe Society is powerful, if we handle this discreetly, they might not necessarily find out."

"How about this: sell me this batch for two million, and I’ll use the extra few million to pull some strings and buy some 'peace of mind'."

"Two million? Are you joking? Five million at the very least!"

Boss Li shook his head. "Two million. Just be happy with the profit." He didn't know how much Fatty Qi had paid to acquire them, but he guessed it wasn't much—some naive smuggler probably sold them for peanuts.

"Boss Li, you have no sincerity at all." Fatty Qi rose to leave. He walked to the door, and Boss Li made no move to stop him. He looked back to find Boss Li smiling at him.

"Boss Li, you aren't going to tip off the Yihe Society, are you?"

"Hahaha... Old Qi, how many years have we known each other? Even if this deal doesn't go through, our friendship remains. I wouldn't do something like that."

Fatty Qi nodded and opened the door to leave. Ten seconds later, he pushed the door back open, poking his large head inside to look at Boss Li.

"Old Qi, something else?" Boss Li was brewing tea.

Fatty Qi smiled. "I’m just worried that as soon as I leave, you’ll go and snitch."

"That won't happen. I have no connection with the Yihe Society anyway."

...

Fatty Qi fell into deep thought. He hadn't expected Boss Li to refuse, nor had he realized the goods were tied to the Yihe Society. He knew exactly what kind of organization they were—far more dangerous than local street gangs. Offending them rarely ended well.

However, he wasn't willing to let a million-dollar profit fly away like a cooked duck. If Boss Li wouldn't buy it, someone else surely would. He now had two choices: first, contact the Yihe Society’s Dongguan branch and hand over the information to curry favor. Second, continue with the sale, but change his approach—instead of paying the sixty thousand to those two smugglers, he would just hire someone to finish them off. It wasn't that he was stingy; he was afraid that if he paid them, they might get caught by the Yihe Society and spill the beans about him, causing unnecessary trouble.

With that, he dialed a number. Soon, a van arrived, and five or six tattooed men stepped out.

...

Cao Yang and Lei Yu were unaware of these developments and were in good spirits. Cao Yang had gone back to retrieve the chips and told Lei Yu to wait for his news. But Lei Yu, fearing Cao Yang might run off with the goods—after all, it was hundreds of thousands of dollars—insisted on going along.

Back at Cao Yang's small shop, they were at a loss as to what to do next. Fatty Qi had said he would send the time and location, but no message came. Lei Yu sat in the shop, while Li Yan glared at her, making snide remarks whenever she could. Lei Yu couldn't stand her either; if not for Cao Yang’s presence, the two women would have come to blows long ago.

"I’m leaving!" Unable to endure Li Yan any longer, Lei Yu said goodbye to Cao Yang, intending to go home.

"You can go, but don't think about taking those things with you!" Li Yan pointed at the package in her hand, which contained the chips.

"These are my brother's things; what does that have to do with you?"

"Don't make me laugh! Your brother agreed to split it half-and-half with mine. Now you want to take it all for yourself? No way!"

"Once they're sold, I’ll naturally give him his share!"

Lei Yu turned to leave, but Li Yan grabbed her, insisting she leave the goods behind. As the two women began to struggle and looked ready to fight, Cao Yang hurriedly stepped between them.

"Enough, we're all on the same side, stop it!"

Li Yan grabbed Cao Yang by the ear. "You silly boy, do you have any brains at all? These things are worth so much; once this woman takes them and runs, what happens to your share?"

Cao Yang glanced at Lei Yu. "Sister Yu isn't that kind of person."

"Damn you!" Li Yan was fuming. How could this idiot be so gullible? Hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, and he couldn't trust his own relatives, yet he trusted a total stranger—he was clearly bewitched by this vixen. "If she wants to leave, let her go, but the goods stay here until you get your share of the money!"

"I’m taking them with me!" Lei Yu stood her ground, neck stiff as she glared at Li Yan. She couldn't understand why this woman held such hostility toward her; it was their first meeting, yet she was targeted at every turn.

Just as the argument reached a stalemate, Fatty Qi’s call finally came through. He gave Lei Yu the transaction location and urged them to hurry, sounding very busy, as he had to leave for Hong Kong the next day.

Cao Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a polite farewell to Li Yan and hailed a taxi to head to the destination.