“If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known you were worth so much,” Bruce said with a smile.
“Tempted, aren’t you? I’ll be going with you tomorrow night. Just arrange for someone to escort me there.”
“Mr. Guo, I don’t know what you’re relying on, but those people are not easy to deal with. I’m afraid they might harm you.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. The main goal is to get the bounty. Don’t inquire about anything else. Of course, if possible, I don’t want my relatives and friends to be harmed.”
“No problem. I’ll have them stay at the manor then.”
“They already have their travel plans sorted. As long as those people don’t bother them, I won’t let them off easily.”
“Alright, I’ll arrange for protection to see them off completely.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bruce. Cheers to our cooperation.” Guo Xuyang raised his glass and finished it in one gulp.
Bruce, of course, did the same. After finishing the red wine, he came over and sat on the floor. Guo Xuyang handed him a bottle of national liquor.
“Drink as much as you like today. As long as it doesn’t affect tomorrow’s business, I’ll match your consumption.”
“That’s great! I can finally drink to my heart’s content. You don’t know, when Mr. Lu first brought it over, I didn’t like it much. This liquor has a unique aroma that I wasn’t accustomed to. But after a few drinks with him, drinking other wines felt unsatisfying. It’s a pity he only left me two bottles, forcing me to only have a small sip each time to satisfy my craving. Most of the time, I still drank red wine.”
Bruce’s words made a few people chuckle.
“Mr. Bruce, I kindly gifted you two bottles of good wine, and yet you complain,” Lu Liang said from the side.
“Good things should be shared. You’ve put me in an awkward position, making me uncomfortable. I was expecting you to visit again, but you never did. If it weren’t for Mr. Guo, I probably wouldn’t have seen you.”
Bruce sounded like a neglected spouse, full of grievances.
“Mr. Bruce, you really can’t blame him. After he returned to his country, he found his other half. If he had delayed even a little, his beautiful bride would have run off with someone else.”
“Run off? If one runs off, you find another. Women are like clothes, friends are like limbs. You can’t forget your friend because of a woman.”
“Ahem, Mr. Bruce, where did you learn that? It sounds a bit ambiguous. We have a saying that goes, ‘when you have a lover, you lose all humanity.’ That’s why he forgot about you, his friend.” Guo Xuyang teased.
“I think Mr. Guo is absolutely right. Mr. Lu actually forgot our friendship because of a woman. He didn’t even think to tell me when he got married.”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t have the time. If you feel bad about it, you can prepare more red envelopes tomorrow.”
“I remember you told me during lunch. I have a poor memory, so I’ve already arranged for people to prepare them.”
Lu Liang blushed at this, fortunate that it was dark and he couldn’t be seen.
“I was just afraid you might forget, so I wanted to remind you. Tomorrow is Yangzi’s main event, we’re just supporting roles, so it’s fine.”
“Mr. Guo mentioned earlier that there would be many people. I’ve asked people to prepare fifty red envelopes. I wonder if that’s enough. If not, I can arrange for more to be prepared in time.”
“That’s plenty. You think too highly of me, Mr. Bruce.” Guo Xuyang quickly said.
“I feel so bad about making you spend the money.”
“It’s alright. After all, it was all dug up from the ground,” Bruce said.
“Dug up from the ground? What is it?” Lu Liang asked, startled.
“Diamonds. What else did you think it was?”
“Heh, I thought the red envelopes were in US dollars.”
“How could I possibly defile Mr. Guo’s and these beautiful ladies’ sacred love with such vulgar things? I remember a very classic advertisement from your country: ‘A diamond is forever.’ So, I’ve prepared a diamond for everyone. Due to the tight schedule, they are all natural, unprocessed ones.”
“Oh, how can I accept this? Thank you so much.” Guo Xuyang said hastily.
“My business is diamonds, and more importantly, Mr. Guo has brought me some extra income. I was wondering how to express my gratitude.”
“Let’s not talk about that matter anymore. You must receive the transfer before handing me over, otherwise, it’ll be like drawing water with a bamboo basket.” Guo Xuyang reiterated.
“They wouldn’t dare not to give it. Otherwise, I’ll make sure they can’t leave São Paulo.” Bruce said domineeringly.
“That’s good. Let’s join forces for this deal and teach that guy a lesson. I’ll specifically go find him when I get back to see who this person really is.” Guo Xuyang said deliberately.
“I haven’t met this person either. They are said to be very powerful and have connections with political figures from various countries.”
“There’s such a person? I’ve really never heard of it.” Guo Xuyang expressed surprise.
“Yes. There are those who specialize in dirty work, kidnapping and assassination; there’s no job they won’t take.”
“Are you talking about a hitman organization?”
“No. It’s not a hitman organization. Hitman organizations do not interfere in the disputes of various countries. They are very clear about what they do. To develop further, they must absolutely avoid getting involved with any nation,” Bruce stated.
“That’s impossible, isn’t it? How could a hitman organization develop without the support of some conglomerate behind them?” Lu Liang questioned.
“International hitman organizations have never relied on any single conglomerate. They have developed over generations. Moreover, there are only a few people within these organizations. The most famous assassins later disappeared, and many people still haven’t found them.”
“Then how do you know so much?” Guo Xuyang asked.
“When I was young, I was also involved with a hitman organization, though I wasn’t very well-known. Later, I left the organization, developed slowly here, and then started dealing in diamonds and crystals. Now that I’m older, I don’t think about those things anymore. Having this manor to accompany me is good enough,” Bruce said.
“Aren’t you afraid your enemies will come looking for revenge?”
“The advantage of being a hitman is that you take orders, do the job, earn money, and don’t get involved with anyone or form any attachments. The reason I was able to retire smoothly is that no one knows I was once a hitman.”
“Then aren’t you afraid we’ll talk about this outside?” Xu Dahai asked.
“You are friends of Mr. Guo and Mr. Liang, so you naturally wouldn’t spread rumors outside.”
“You trust Yangzi and Brother Liang that much?” Xu Dahai remained unconvinced.
“I have a good eye for people,” Bruce said.