RMM -Chapter 174 Yanmen’s Compromise

“Cheng Yue, from now on, stay by my side. It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone who could cheer me up like this.”

Bai Xiong said cheerfully, picking up another chess piece and studying the board with care.

“Yes,” Xi Yuechen replied with a smile, turning his attention to the chessboard as well.

After dragging Xi Yuechen into three consecutive games, Bai Xiong finally stood up, saying he was tired.

Hearing this, Xi Yuechen rose to his feet. “Brother Bai, do you need to go back to your room to rest?”

“Mhm.” Bai Xiong nodded. After slowly straightening up, he took a step to leave.

“Oh, right—there’s one more thing.” When Bai Xiong reached the staircase, he suddenly turned back to look at Xi Yuechen. “Five days from now, come out with me. It’s an important matter. Go ask Liu Qi about it later.”

After giving these instructions, Bai Xiong went upstairs without another word.

An important matter? Xi Yuechen withdrew his gaze and thought silently, then turned and went straight to look for Liu Qi.

“Big Brother said that to you?” Liu Qi looked quite surprised.

“Yes. Brother Bai told me to ask you to get the details,” Xi Yuechen replied, wearing the same puzzled expression and completely ignoring Liu Qi’s surprise.

“Oh, that’s really rare,” Liu Qi muttered to himself. Then he looked up at Xi Yuechen and smiled in congratulations. “Congratulations, Cheng Yue. I never thought Big Brother would value you so highly.”

Hearing the emotion in Liu Qi’s words, Xi Yuechen’s heart stirred. He knew this upcoming event was anything but ordinary—otherwise Liu Qi wouldn’t be so astonished.

Though his thoughts were racing, his face remained calm. He smiled gratefully. “I’m fortunate that Brother Bai thinks highly of me.”

“Oh, stop being so formal,” Liu Qi waved his hand casually. “Since Big Brother values you, just perform well. Didn’t you want to make a name for yourself? Well, here it is—a golden opportunity delivered right to your door.”

He continued, “Do you know what Big Brother is going to do in five days?”

“How would I know?” Xi Yuechen shook his head blankly.

“Actually, this matter is related to you as well.” Liu Qi smiled mysteriously. “Do you remember the ambush you ran into last time?”

Xi Yuechen nodded with lingering fear. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

Liu Qi smiled noncommittally and went on. “Did Big Brother tell you who was behind that attack?”

“He said it was the Zhao family of L City,” Xi Yuechen answered solemnly.

“That’s right, the Zhao family. But do you know why they’re called the Zhao family of L City?”

“I really don’t. I’d appreciate it if you could enlighten me, Brother Liu.”

Xi Yuechen looked eager to learn, though in truth he already knew everything. He hadn’t come to D Province for a vacation—before arriving, he had already familiarized himself with the various powers in the region, and after coming here, he’d studied them even more carefully. These were all part of his objectives in D Province.

So of course he knew all about the famous Zhao family of L City. But in front of Liu Qi, he had to pretend ignorance to avoid arousing suspicion.

He hadn’t expected that the ones who moved against Bai Xiong would actually be the Zhao family.

“You know our Yanmen rose later,” Liu Qi said with a sigh. “Don’t be fooled by how prosperous we are now. Back then, even Big Brother was just a nobody. At that time, the real heavyweight in L City was the Zhao family. Tsk, they were at their peak—everyone knew the Zhao family of L City. That’s how they got their name.”

He shook his head nostalgically. “Later on, more people entered the underworld, more factions appeared, all wanting a slice of the pie in L City. Naturally, the Zhao family’s power weakened. Even now, though their reputation is still big, they’re clearly on the decline. Among the rising forces, Yanmen is the most eye-catching. The Zhao family’s territory has been carved up—how could they accept that? Of course they want a comeback. So they set their sights on Yanmen. Hmph, they really went all out. Luckily, you were there that day—otherwise…”

Liu Qi didn’t continue. Xi Yuechen knew what he meant and didn’t press further. After a moment of silence, he asked, “If they had succeeded that day, Yanmen would’ve fallen into chaos, and the Zhao family would’ve taken advantage of the leaderless situation to move in?”

Liu Qi looked at Xi Yuechen approvingly and nodded. “Exactly. Looking back, it’s obvious enough. But before that, who would’ve thought the Zhao family would take such a step? We really underestimated them.”

“But this time,” Liu Qi said with a sinister smile, “they spent a fortune—and even bribed someone close to Big Brother. They really put in the effort. Unfortunately for them, man proposes but heaven disposes. Big Brother was destined not to die. No matter how meticulously the Zhao family plotted, they were doomed to fail.”

“Yes,” Xi Yuechen nodded in agreement. “Brother Bai is blessed with great fortune.”

“Still, we really owe this one to you,” Liu Qi said with a smile.

Xi Yuechen said nothing. If he responded further, it would start to sound like bragging.

Liu Qi fell silent for a while, lit a cigarette, and spoke vaguely through the smoke. “So it makes sense that Big Brother is taking you along this time.”

He spoke at length without getting to the point. Xi Yuechen listened attentively on the surface, but his mind was rapidly analyzing the situation. Liu Qi wouldn’t say all this for no reason—unless it was connected to what would happen in five days.

Helplessly, Xi Yuechen smiled. “Brother Liu, don’t keep me in suspense. I really don’t dare to guess.”

Liu Qi squinted at him and snorted. “After all that, I don’t believe you haven’t guessed at least something.”

“Brother Liu, how could I dare to speculate on something like this? Please stop teasing me,” Xi Yuechen said, both troubled and helpless.

Seeing his expression, Liu Qi stopped playing games with him. “Fine, I’ll spell it out. Five days from now, Big Brother is attending an apology banquet.”

“An apology banquet?” Xi Yuechen exclaimed in surprise. “What apology banquet?”

“Are you pretending to be stupid, or are you really that slow?” Liu Qi scoffed. “Who else would it be? Of course the Zhao family apologizing to Yanmen. After pulling something like that, do they think they can just hide away like turtles?”

“But…” Xi Yuechen frowned in confusion. “Yanmen suffered such a huge loss. Is it really settled with just one meal? No revenge?”

“Hmph.” Liu Qi sneered. “Settled? How could it be? Do you think Yanmen is some benevolent bodhisattva? This is a deep grudge.”

“What apology banquet? It’s just something those old foxes cooked up. Talking about harmony and prosperity, sounding better than a song—bah! It’s all for their own interests!”

As he spoke, Liu Qi grew agitated. He took a deep drag from his cigarette and only continued after a moment.

“Logically, after this incident, not only would it be reasonable for us to fall out with the Zhao family—even blowing them to smithereens wouldn’t give anyone grounds to complain. But before we could act, some people couldn’t sit still. You know it too—right now, in L City and even all of D Province, the Zhao family and Yanmen carry equal weight. If we truly fall out, it’ll affect the entire underworld of D Province.”

He snorted. “We’re not afraid. It’d be perfect to wipe out the Zhao family this time. But the smaller factions don’t see it that way. For days now, they’ve been coming to Big Brother, saying that if Yanmen and the Zhao family start fighting, they little fish and shrimps will suffer. They begged Big Brother to take pity on them, not to hold a grudge against the Zhao family, to be magnanimous and let them off. They said they’d persuade the Zhao family to compensate Yanmen.”

“What a load of crap! At the end of the day, they’re just afraid Yanmen will swallow the Zhao family and become the sole dominant power in D Province. Disgusting bastards. Usually they don’t even breathe, but once their own interests are involved, they all band together like a single rope. They call it a request, but it’s really a damn threat—forcing Yanmen to be magnanimous. And Big Brother still has to give them face.”

Liu Qi flicked the cigarette butt to the ground and ground it hard under his foot, grinding it several times, his face full of disgust and hostility.

“You can swat a single fly, but when there’s a whole swarm, you have to think twice.”

Xi Yuechen listened in silence. When Liu Qi delivered that concluding remark, Xi Yuechen’s brows lifted slightly.

So it was pressure from other forces in D Province, forcing Yanmen to compromise. That made sense. Yanmen was powerful, but the old Zhao family still existed. Though the two were at odds, they restrained each other, maintaining a delicate balance. If that balance were broken, the first to suffer would be those scattered smaller factions.

If Yanmen swallowed the Zhao family, it would become the undisputed boss of D Province’s underworld. With one family dominating, a ruling posture would inevitably emerge—where would that leave the small factions?

The smartest move, then, was to unite and preserve the status quo when the balance was on the verge of breaking. Only then could they continue to exist and develop.

Those small factions in D Province were indeed sharp—well-informed, too. Yanmen hadn’t even made a move yet, and they’d already united, preserving the Zhao family, protecting their own interests, and earning the Zhao family a favor in the process.

No wonder Liu Qi was so furious. Such a golden opportunity had been forcibly cut off—like swallowing a fly whole.

Just when the Zhao family had practically delivered themselves to their doorstep, Yanmen still had to politely push the chance away.

After a while, Liu Qi’s anger subsided. Calming down, he turned to the silent Xi Yuechen and asked, “Don’t you think it’s disgusting?”

“It really is,” Xi Yuechen shook his head regretfully. “Such a great opportunity. But earlier, Big Brother seemed to be in a pretty good mood?”

Indeed, Yanmen had suffered such a blatant loss—yet the boss was all smiles. Wasn’t that strange?

“Sigh, at this point, what choice does Yanmen have?” Liu Qi said resentfully, though his eyes held a trace of satisfaction. “Are we supposed to make enemies of the entire underworld? Since we have to compromise, shouldn’t we at least secure the greatest possible benefit for ourselves? Do you think Yanmen has been around all these years for nothing?”