Late at night, a little past ten o'clock.

A car stopped in front of a food stall in Tianhong Port. Xu Hu pushed the door open and got out, waving for the driver to leave.

Inside the food stall, Wei Xiangzuo was drinking, his face flushed.

Xu Hu walked over, looked up and called out, "Boss, give me an order of mixed offal and some radish."

"Coming right up," the boss shouted back.

Xu Hu bent down and sat next to Wei Xiangzuo, casually picking up a beer bottle and pouring himself a glass.

Wei Xiangzuo was peeling peanuts in brine, his gaze a little dull from drinking.

The two sat facing each other. Xu Hu raised his glass and said, "Come on, let's have a toast."

"I'm almost finished," Wei Xiangzuo said without raising his glass.

Xu Hu held his wine and was silent for a moment. "I know you're upset. If you hadn't run away back then, I might not be the gang leader."

Wei Xiangzuo waved his hand, staring blankly at Xu Hu. "That's not what I want to talk about, and you shouldn't be saying that to me either. I just want to ask you one thing: did you have anything to do with Master's death?!"

Xu Hu looked at him. "Why would you think I had anything to do with it?!"

"Because the facts are there. The gunman entered the port in advance."

"What facts? We've known each other for over a decade. You believe outsiders, but not me?" Xu Hu asked, holding up his glass.

Wei Xiangzuo stared into Xu Hu's eyes, silent for a long time before finally picking up his glass and taking a big gulp. "If you want to be the boss, fine, as long as it doesn't affect my brothers. But... you remember this: if I find out that you had anything to do with Master's death, we're not done."

Xu Hu paused for a moment, then threw back his head and finished his drink. "You don't trust me, and it's still because of the gang leader position. Fine, I won't explain. I'll find out the truth about Master's death and give the Dock Gang an explanation."

Wei Xiangzuo didn't reply.

"Old Wei, the old man is gone. We have to look forward, move forward," Xu Hu said softly, wiping the wine stains from his mouth. "I really don't want to use Lao Mo's goods anymore. There are no outsiders here today. Tell me the truth, what's your attitude on this?"

Wei Xiangzuo ate some peanuts, looking down as he replied, "Can the Jinzhuan (gold brick) trade in Zha Nan stop?"

Xu Hu frowned and looked at him. "Stop? What will the guys below eat and drink then?! We can only make so much money from ordinary goods. And the higher-ups won't agree if you stop! So many mouths are waiting for the Jinzhuan to print money, you know?"

Wei Xiangzuo raised his head and stared blankly at Xu Hu, then suddenly grinned. "Even if we continue, there's nothing to eat."

Xu Hu was stunned.

"Since you said that changing to a new channel is to make more money for the brothers below, then good, you take me along to contact the new channel. Apart from the higher-ups' cut, the remaining actual profits, we'll make them transparent. Your people, my people, each gets half. Is that okay?" Wei Xiangzuo looked at Xu Hu with a smile and asked again.

"Heh," Xu Hu chuckled, looking at Wei Xiangzuo.

The two looked at each other for a while, and Xu Hu poured another glass of wine. "Come on, enough talk, let's drink!"

Wei Xiangzuo poured wine, clinked glasses with him, and drank it all in one gulp.

In the sky, the silver moon hung high, the stars were bright, and a slight cool breeze blew through the streets of the port. All around were bustling night market stalls and the noise of people drinking.

Before Xu Hu was the gang leader and Wei Xiangzuo was the caretaker, after finishing work at sea, the two of them often came to these food stalls with a few brothers for a late-night snack and heavy drinking.

Everyone boasted and joked, and the night would pass in a flash.

Although everyone didn't have much money back then, they lived happily.

After Xu Hu and Wei Xiangzuo drank a few more glasses, their faces were slightly flushed. He turned his head to look around, gazing at the streets, and said with a light laugh, "Old Wei, do you remember? Right there, we fought with those dockworkers in the port because of a girl. You took a knife for me. Those were good times. One person full, the whole family not hungry. Sigh, now, I don't know how many people are hoping you can bring value. It's tiring."

Wei Xiangzuo looked at him and grinned. "There's no use talking about the past. Back then, you were always following behind me, calling me 'Old Wei, brother' one after another. Now, it's hard to even get you to have a drink. How can it be the same?"

Xu Hu was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Old Wei. "...This matter of the goods isn't something I can decide alone, Old Wei, brother! The new channel..."

"Find out how the old man died first," Wei Xiangzuo interrupted directly. "After you find out, we'll talk about the rest."

Xu Hu looked into Wei Xiangzuo's eyes and slowly nodded. "Okay, find out first."

Wei Xiangzuo took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and handed it to Xu Hu. "Now, the people in the Dock Gang's elders' council talk about loyalty, but they're thinking about their own interests. It's completely different from before. But they said one thing right today: if you want to rise to the top, you have to be convincing."

Xu Hu took the cigarette and slowly nodded. "I know what you mean."

Wei Xiangzuo didn't say anything more.

Xu Hu lit the cigarette, took a deep puff, got up, and said, "Okay, it's getting late, I'm leaving."

With that, Xu Hu walked towards the street entrance. Wei Xiangzuo watched him go, then also got up and called out, "Check, please!"

...

That night.

Xu Hu returned to his residence. After sitting on the sofa in a daze for a while, he suddenly picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Inform the finance department that starting tomorrow, the interest money will be settled for Old Wei's people as usual." Xu Hu said in a low voice, smoking his cigarette, "Explain to them that the reason it wasn't settled before was because the finance department didn't have any money."

"I understand, Boss."

"Yeah, that's it."

With that, the two ended the call.

Xu Hu sat on the sofa, carefully recalling his conversation with Wei Xiangzuo that night. After hesitating for a long time, he picked up his phone again and dialed a number.

After a series of busy tones, Li Hongze's voice rang out: "Hello, Old Xu?"

"Are you free?"

"You finished talking with Wei Xiangzuo?"

"Yeah," Xu Hu nodded.

"Okay, then I'll come find you in the port." Li Hongze paused for a moment and said, "See you later."

"Okay."

Xu Hu hung up the phone, feeling somewhat tired as he lay on the sofa. He inadvertently saw a group photo placed on the TV cabinet.

The photo included Xu Er, Xu Hu, Gu Tongshan sitting in the middle, and Wei Xiangzuo standing on the left.

Xu Hu stared at the photo, lost in thought.

...

Downtown, inside the Golden Emperor Entertainment City.

Da Bai held a glass of wine, sitting next to Old Dong with a smile on his face, and asked, "How is it, Brother Dong, is it alright?!"

Old Dong, sporting a hairstyle like Sha Monk, nodded repeatedly. "Very good, the music is catchy. Come on, little brother Bai, let's get up and dance."

"I... I can't dance."

"Come on, come on!" Old Dong patted Da Bai's butt and invited him with a grin.

Da Bai put down his wine glass and got up, and Old Dong put his arm around his waist, leading him to the center of the room.

"Shake it!" a young man in tight pants shouted in a sharp voice. "Get hyped!"

Su Tianyu sat on the sofa, taking out the approval documents from his bag and urgently making revisions.

"Good brother, let's have a drink together!" A glamorous youth sat next to Su Tianyu, reaching out to touch his thigh.

Su Tianyu glanced at the other person. "...Don't fucking touch me, it'll bounce up and kill you!"

"Then let's eat a peach." The young man used a toothpick to give Su Tianyu a piece of fruit.