Chapter 90: Blame Yourself
At night, the wind blew across the rooftop, lifting Sister Sha Jiu’s short hair.
“Senior Sister, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.” Chen Wujun greeted her, and seeing that Sister Sha Jiu had nothing else to say, he turned and left.
Sister Sha Jiu turned her head to watch Chen Wujun leave, and after a moment, she turned her gaze back to the distance, her eyes hazy yet piercingly cold.
“Ji Xiang… don’t blame me! If you have to blame someone, blame yourself.”
Chen Wujun didn’t know that Sister Sha Jiu had been letting him deal with Ji Xiang all along.
Sister Sha Jiu had long been dissatisfied with Xin Ye.
And Ji Xiang had been secretly contacting Fei Nan, one of Xin Ye’s henchmen, for a long time.
Sister Sha Jiu didn’t know what they talked about, nor did she care.
Ji Xiang was a core figure under her, but his thoughts were too active; someone like that was a ticking time bomb at critical moments.
……
‘Ji Xiang can even endure this; is he a turtle or something?’
‘If he dares to make a move, I’ll have a reason to beat him to death, and no one else can say anything… that way, everyone wins.’
Chen Wujun had his hands in his pockets, pondering as he walked.
After all, he still had to consider Sister Sha Jiu’s face.
If there was no reason and he just beat Ji Xiang to death outright, what would others think?
So Chen Wujun held back and didn’t make a move.
If Ji Xiang actively sought his own death, that would be perfect.
‘When will that guy get a clue and give me an excuse to beat him to death.’
As he thought about dealing with Ji Xiang, someone else was thinking about dealing with him.
When Ji Xiang got home, he kicked over the stool next to him with one foot, his eyes full of rage.
Don’t think that just because he held back today, he had a good temper—after all, who in the gang has a good temper?
Those with good tempers all went to work regular jobs.
“Chen Wujun…”
“Sister Sha Jiu has always protected him… if not for Sister Sha Jiu backing him up, I would’ve slapped him to death long ago! How could it be that kid’s turn to strut around in front of me now?”
“Might as well take out that kid… anyway, he has so many enemies, just pin it on Wen Long!”
Ji Xiang picked up his mobile phone and dialed a number, but after a long time, he still didn’t press call.
Chen Wujun being able to beat Yu Wei to death showed he was very hard to kill; the person he was contacting might not be able to take him down.
If word got out, he’d be in trouble.
Getting someone to take out one of his own—if people found out, even Xin Ye wouldn’t tolerate him.
“Those Luoyue People are now fighting Gao Lao several times… not easy to contact them either…”
Ji Xiang hesitated for a long time but still didn’t dial.
After thinking for a moment, he dialed Fei Nan instead, and soon after, he got up and went out.
Half an hour later, Ji Xiang brought two trusted henchmen to a bar at Ferry Pier. After entering and scanning the room, he saw a man whose sturdy build was somewhat overweight dancing around a woman in the dance floor.
He waited nearby for a moment, and when he saw the woman heading back to the booth with Fei Nan still pestering her from the side, he walked over: “Brother Nan!”
“Ji Xiang, you came.” Seeing Ji Xiang arrive, Fei Nan straightened his suit and sat down with Ji Xiang in a booth off to the side.
“Why the long face?”
“Nothing, just here to drink with you.” Ji Xiang directly called a waiter to bring a bottle of whiskey.
“What, got bullied?” Fei Nan said with a grin.
“Don’t even mention it!” Ji Xiang drank while half-seriously saying: “That Brother Jun is totally lawless now, slapping me in the face in front of everyone.”
“You know he’s from the same sect as Sister Sha Jiu. With Sister Sha Jiu protecting him, what can I do?”
“This isn’t just getting bullied; you’re at the end of your rope. Sister Sha Jiu is clearly promoting a newcomer to take your place—how many more days can you hold out?” Fei Nan’s eyes flickered meaningfully.
“Better to have Xin Ye give the word; I’m short a money manager right now.”
Though he wasn’t one of the Four Heavenly Kings, he handled business for Xin Ye, so even the Four Heavenly Kings had to give him some face.
Ji Xiang was good at running loan shark operations, had decent strength, and had a group of henchmen under him…
He had a large batch of clients in hand; poaching him would mean poaching those clients too.
Ji Xiang hesitated: “Forget it; Sister Sha Jiu gave me my opportunity back then… I’m just a bit frustrated.”
“Trees die when moved, people thrive when they move. We’re all from the same sect; coming to work for Xin Ye isn’t like being outsiders… Sister Sha Jiu can’t say anything about it.” Fei Nan grinned; of course he knew Ji Xiang was looking for an escape route now.
If he truly had no other ideas, he wouldn’t have come to him.
He was waiting for him to make an offer, at least Xin Ye’s approval.
After all, Xin Ye poaching from Sister Sha Jiu’s corner wouldn’t sound good if word got out; for other hall masters’ henchmen, Xin Ye might not agree.
But Sister Sha Jiu was different.
Sister Sha Jiu was getting more and more disobedient lately—respectful on the surface, but full of her own ideas in private.
Not only did he know it; Xin Ye knew it even better.
Ji Xiang was a core figure under Sister Sha Jiu; someone like that jumping ship showed she couldn’t control or protect her own people—not even her core ones.
It would not only suppress Sister Sha Jiu but maybe Ji Xiang had some dirt on her too.
It was killing two birds with one stone.
……
After Chen Wujun got back, he temporarily put the matter aside.
In the following days, he still went to the warehouse every day to walk the stakes.
After half a month, even walking stakes and hitting the sandbag on wooden stakes slick with grease, Chen Wujun wouldn’t fall off.
It looked no different from before, just with occasional slight wobbles.
At the same time, his Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield was also making steady progress.
In the evenings, he went to Ah Qi’s for tutoring; back when he was in school, he never imagined he’d have to go back to studying this stuff after entering society.
If he’d known, he would’ve put more effort in back then.
“Brother Jun, the arcade opens tomorrow at nine-thirty in the morning; don’t forget to come.” Ah Fei said over the telephone.
“Got it.” Chen Wujun felt good hearing the news.
After all, this was his first real industry, his own, not the hall’s.
Once it started making money, he could give Sister Sha Jiu a red envelope.
Thinking about it, the two arcades together had only cost a bit over 500,000 in investment; no need to specially tell Sister Sha Jiu.
The next morning, Chen Wujun said to A Yue: “My arcade opens today; come with me in a bit.”
“Sure!” A Yue immediately beamed with joy, then suddenly thought: “Then I won’t be able to cook.”
“Your dad just lost one hand, not his ability to move. Would he starve? If not, buy some stuff and have a henchman deliver it.” Chen Wujun stood in front of the mirror combing his short hair.
Then he took out the shirt and suit he’d bought a few days ago from the wardrobe and put them on.
Black shirt inside, red suit outside, black pants below.
“How do I look?” Chen Wujun spun around after dressing, feeling pretty good.
“Handsome!” A Yue laughed until her eyes curved.
After A Yue changed into a light-colored dress, the two went downstairs to the arcade.
“These are my new shoes… expensive ones!” Chen Wujun frowned, stepping carefully deep and shallow in the alley, wary of stepping in something or splashing stains on his pants.
The Walled City was forever filthy, with sewage always flowing, and the ground forever covered in a layer of unidentified black stuff.
“Watch out for dog shit!” Chen Wujun pulled A Yue.
“Stepping in dog shit means good luck! Your arcade business is sure to boom.” A Yue immediately grinned.
A little after nine, they arrived at the arcade on Long Jin Street, where Ah Fei and Curry were already waiting with people.
“Brother Jun, Sister A Yue!”
“Dressed so sharp today; people who don’t know might think you’re going to get married!”
“It’s a joyous occasion; gotta dress spirited. How’s the red suit?” Chen Wujun showed off his red suit.
“Of course it’s handsome; it looks best on Brother Jun.” Ah Fei and the henchmen laughed.
“You guys have good taste.” Chen Wujun laughed.
At 9:38, with a crowd watching, Chen Wujun took the scissors and cut the red cloth at the door, then set off a string of firecrackers, and the arcade opened.
At noon, he called people together for a meal and had a henchman take a group photo with a camera.
In the evening, Chen Wujun changed clothes and went home for dinner.
“Saw someone today whose back looked just like you, wearing a red suit… with a pretty woman beside him. When are you finding a girlfriend?” Huang Meizhen suddenly recalled at the dinner table.
“When opportunity comes. I’m at the martial arts school every day; where would I find a girlfriend?” Chen Wujun looked natural, not guilty at all.
“Martial arts practice is just a hobby; you still need a job to eat, and a girlfriend is a big deal too.” Huang Meizhen kept nagging.
At that moment, the television news: “The Governor’s government issues administrative order, lowering the poverty line standard.”
“The spokesperson stated that, according to expert evaluation, a daily food expenditure of 10 Federal Currency is now sufficient for a person’s normal life, so the poverty line is being lowered to below 300 Federal Currency per person per month.”
“Under the new poverty line standard, the poverty rate in East District 9 will drop by 46%, and the impoverished population will decrease to 26 million…”
Chen Hanliang watched the news, jabbing at the television with his chopsticks in anger: “Everything’s rising now except income. If they can’t raise income, they lower the poverty line—gangs have more conscience than them!”
“Dad, you’re absolutely right.” Chen Wujun gave a thumbs up, deeply agreeing.
Looked at this way, he was still doing righteous work.
After dinner, Chen Wujun cracked sunflower seeds at home for a while before heading back, eating another meal at A Yue’s, then going to study.
“342 years ago, nuclear war broke out between nations… followed by fifty chaotic years known as the chaotic period…”
“291 years ago, the Federation was established, and the world began to develop again; at the time of establishment, the population was less than 2% of pre-war levels, and technology and culture had completely broken down…” Ah Qi held the history textbook, sitting on a stool lecturing.
Chen Wujun lay sideways on the sofa listening, various thoughts turning in his mind.
He hadn’t felt anything when studying before, but now the history seemed full of oddities.
Especially from the nuclear war to the Federation’s establishment, a full 51 years… after great nations fell, survivors formed small countries snatching resources, wars almost never stopping… weren’t they afraid of death?
And the process of the Federation’s establishment… said to be a consensus among the leaders of various countries…
He didn’t believe a single word of it.
