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After the guards had driven off the ruffians, Mi Bai was finally free. That night, he rushed to the old courtyard with two bags of grain.

The courtyard’s gate, which should have been closed, was wide open. Mi Bai’s heart tightened, and he sprinted into the courtyard.

In his intense panic, he paid no attention to whether anyone was following him and called out loudly, “Children, come out quickly.”

In the rustling sound, a young girl with pigtail crawled out from the thatch. As soon as she saw Mi Bai, her eyes reddened and she threw herself onto him.

“Wuu wuu wuu, Brother Mi Bai.” The young girl cried out, her eyes red, “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

A sour feeling welled up in Mi Bai’s heart, he crouched down and hugged the trembling young girl, patting her back gently and comforted her, “How could I abandon you, where is everyone else?”

The young girl buried her face into Mi Bai’s chest and replied in a muffled voice, “They all went out to find food.”

Mi Bai’s face fell, blaming himself for his powerlessness.

If it wasn’t for his pride that prevented him from talking to the shopkeeper a few days earlier, it wouldn’t have come to this.

The children had no means of obtaining food other than begging. The beggars in the West City were controlled by the Righteous Gang. Any unknown street children would be captured by them. Not to mention these homeless children, even kids from good families would also often go missing.

Of the eight children in the desolate courtyard, only the young girl remained. The rest had all gone out, Mi Bai was only hoping they would all return safely.

It wasn’t until dusk that the kids started returning one after another, some with a few copper coins, some with a bowl of cold rice, but many with empty bowls.

“One, two, three.” Seeing the sun setting in the west, Mi Bai’s heart pounded even more fiercely because Yang Fan was still not back.

Yang Fan was the leader of these children and the oldest among them. He had a maturity and kindness that far exceeded his age. However, such children were particularly liked by street thugs, because children of such quality, if sold to brothels, would earn a good amount of money.

So Mi Bai was especially worried about Yang Fan, constantly keeping an eye on the courtyard gate.

Not until the full moon was high in the sky did Yang Fan return, and only then did Mi Bai’s let out a sigh of relief.

“Brother Fan, you’re back!” The young girl was the first to greet him.

Yang Fan smiled at the young girl and lifted up a big juicy fish in his hand, saying, “Little sister, see what brother brought back for you.”

“Wow! Such a big fish!” The young girl excitedly looked at the item in Yang Fan’s hand and turned to Mi Bai, “Brother Bai, Brother Bai, look at what Brother Fan brought back.”

Mi Bai walked out of the room, his eyes full of guilt and relief.

He felt guilty because if he had brought the grain earlier, the children wouldn’t have had to go to Lingjiang to catch fish. The young girl only saw the big fish in Yang Fan’s hand, but she didn’t notice his red and swollen hands.

He felt relieved because Yang Fan indeed acted like an older brother, demonstrating first-class courage and insight.

“Brother Bai, you are here.” Yang Fan greeted Mi Bai with a smile and held up the juicy fish, saying, “Let me offer you some fish!”

Mi Bai took the juicy fish from Yang Fan with a smile and ruffled his hair. Fish rice porridge, with everyone’s efforts, this meal was even better than the New Year’s Eve feast.

Mi Bai’s annual leave was ten days long, and the tenth day was his first day back at work.

“Secretary Mi, please accompany me to WeiYa Cottage for a feast tomorrow,” Feng De said to Mi Bai as he approached his desk, and then left.

Mi Bai stood up and nodded in agreement, feeling a great sense of gratitude towards the shopkeeper because of what happened with the ruffians.

WeiYa Cottage was a high-end pub in West City, famous for its Bamboo Leaf Green wine. The taste was sweet and smooth, slightly bitter but with an aftertaste that was excellent. It was a rare health wine in Xiling’s wine industry. Therefore, the dishes in WeiYa Cottage were also very expensive. It was said that a meal would cost thirty to forty gold coins, almost equal to Mi Bai’s monthly salary.

Although he did not understand why the shopkeeper invited him, Mi Bai didn’t question it and readily accepted the invitation.

The following day, Mi Bai accompanied Feng De to the private room of WeiYa Cottage in his carriage.

Someone was already waiting at the gathering early, the man had very pronounced features, thick eyebrows and large eyes, his pair of sword brows made him look very heroic. He naturally gave off a good impression.

Feng Dezheng pointed at that person and introduced him to Mi Bai, “Meet him, this is the leader of the Righteous Gang, Gong Zheng.”

Mi Bai felt a jolt in his heart, wondering what Feng Dezheng was up to. Gong Zheng stood up, showing a warm smile, he bowed to Feng Dezheng and Mi Bai saying, “Owner Feng is too polite. Brother Bai, I am Gong Zheng, the leader of the Righteous Gang. I heard that you have some misunderstandings with my gang members. I hope you don’t take it to heart, this cup of wine, let it be my apology for their rashness.

While he was speaking, Gong Zheng raised his wine glass and finished it in one gulp.

Mi Bai saw Gong Zheng acting so reasonably, his heart thought perhaps it was just a misunderstanding, and raised his glass in return saying, “They are all small misunderstandings, Gang Leader need not to worry.”

With that, he also emptied his glass of Bamboo Leaf Green Wine in one gulp. The three of them sat down, the atmosphere was harmoniously relaxed.

“Gang Leader Gong is admirable for achieving so much at a young age.” Feng Dezheng was seeing Gong Zheng for the first time and praised him.

That he managed to amass a huge reputation for the Righteous Gang in his thirties, he refused to believe that he hadn’t been supported by influential people behind the scenes.

Gong Zheng read between the lines of Feng Dezheng’s words. He humbly replied, “What achievement? I just dared to risk my life and had some luck to make a bit of a name. It’s nothing compared to Owner Feng, who enjoys the backing of the powerful Feng family.”

He appeared modest, but his words had an underlying threat, showing a fearless attitude.

Feng Dezheng laughed it off saying, “Gang Leader Gong, you see things clearly.

Let’s drink.”

After three rounds of wine, Feng Dezheng squinted his drunk eyes and asked, “Does Gang Leader Gong have an interest in the business of calligraphy and paintings?”

Mi Bai was taken aback, suddenly realizing that things might not be as simple as he had imagined.

Gong Zheng, seemingly drunk, flushed, responded, “I’m not interested at all. Initially, the art business in West City was all in my hands, but a certain counterfeit Zhang died, and I can no longer find anyone suitable.” Saying this, with a regretful look in his eyes, he glanced at Mi Bai and continued, “I’m not as lucky as Owner Feng, sitting at home while golden opportunities fall into my lap.”

This remark made Feng Dezheng feel flattered and he asked, “I just learned about this. Would the gang leader be willing to partner with me?

“Oh?” Gong Zheng shook his head and with flushed face, he asked, “What kind of partnership are you suggesting?”

Feng Dezheng drained his glass and placed the empty cup on the table, laughing lightly before saying, “Of course, I provide the people and you sell the merchandise. The profits will be split as two plus one equals five.” Gong Zheng nodded, “I thought Owner Feng wanted to monopolize this business. Who would have thought you, like a true brother, would think of your younger brother? I will not disappoint you. Let’s split it sixty-forty, with you getting the larger share.”

“Good brother!” Feng Dezheng didn’t expect Gong Zheng to be so straightforward and he immediately changed his address, “From now on, you are my own younger brother. If there is anything you can’t solve, feel free to come to me.”

Although Feng Dezheng was appointed as the manager of Qingfeng Bank, it was a salaried job that didn’t give him the power to even make small personnel changes – positions like accountants and security chiefs were appointed by the Feng family.

A salary of 20,000 gold coins a year may not be a small sum for most people, but for someone like Feng Dezheng who had seen the extravagant lifestyle of clan heirs, it was hardly enough.

He had always wanted to find a source of income, but lacked resources. When he learned that Mi Bai had good calligraphy, he became interested.

Simply providing people and getting half the profits was already excessively generous; it was inconceivable that Gong Zheng would step back further. How could he not be excited? He promptly promised everything.

However, why would Gong Zheng believe promises made in such temporary excitement? He remained modest and said, “No trouble at all, brother. You just sit at home and collect money. I will take care of everything else.”

“Great! Great! Great! Let’s drink.” Feng Dezheng picked up his wine cup and drank it all, still excited.

The two were discussing a major business deal worth hundreds of thousands of gold per year, not taking into account the feelings of Mi Bai, who was sitting between them.

He initially thought asking the manager for help was a smart move, but now realized he was only pushing himself into even greater danger.

If Gong Zheng was a hungry wolf eating people without spitting out bones, then Feng Dezheng was undoubtedly a fierce tiger.

For a moment, Mi Bai felt a chill, like he was thrown into an ice cave, and his heart sank deeper and deeper..