Song Qiao placed thirty thousand yuan into a black leather bag and rode his bicycle to Duan Kun's establishment.
"Stop, what are you here for?"
Before he could enter, he was stopped by a thug guarding the door.
Song Qiao sized up the thug with dyed yellow hair and a rough demeanor, then calmly said, "Go in and tell Duan Kun that Song Qiao is here."
"Hmph, who do you think you are? You think you can just see Brother Kun whenever you want?" the yellow-haired thug sneered with disdain.
"I advise you to go in and announce me quickly, otherwise, if you delay your boss's business later, you'll know the consequences yourself."
Song Qiao gave him a sly smile and said indifferently.
It's easy to deal with the King of Hell, but hard to deal with his minions.
Song Qiao naturally wasn't inclined to bother with these street hoodlums.
"You." The yellow-haired thug, feeling threatened by Song Qiao, raised his fist to attack, but was restrained by another thug beside him.
"Hold on, this guy looks extraordinary. What if he's a tough character? I'll go report to Brother Kun myself."
The other thug said, then turned and entered the establishment.
The yellow-haired thug angrily retracted his fist and snarled, "Kid, you better be telling the truth, or I'll show you what happens later."
Song Qiao glanced at him expressionlessly, then turned away, ignoring him.
The yellow-haired thug was left there, seething with impotent rage.
A moment later, the other thug returned, looking at Song Qiao with surprise. "Our boss, Mr. Duan, is asking for you."
Song Qiao nodded, said nothing, and walked into the establishment.
"Well, well, Boss Song, it's not even the day we agreed upon yet, and you've come to visit me."
Entering the club, Duan Kun was lounging on a sofa with a scantily clad woman, and as soon as he saw Song Qiao, he began with sarcastic remarks.
He casually took out a cigarette, and the woman in his arms immediately produced a lighter to ignite it for him. Without waiting for Song Qiao's reply, he continued:
"Do you think thirty thousand yuan is too much and you've come to beg me?"
"Fine, knowing when to retreat is also a form of wisdom. However, I'll be keeping your house."
Song Qiao remained silent. He picked up the bag in his hand and threw it onto the coffee table in front of Duan Kun, saying coldly, "The thirty thousand yuan is all here. Give me back the property deed."
As he spoke, he raised his head and met Duan Kun's gaze, showing no sign of evasion.
Dealing with people like this requires toughness. The more timid you appear, the more they'll see you as easy to bully. Only by acting fearlessly can you make them afraid of you.
Duan Kun, with the cigarette still in his mouth, forgot to exhale. He stared for a moment before saying with disbelief, "You've already gathered thirty thousand? Kid, you didn't go and rob someone, did you?"
As he spoke, he gestured to the woman in his arms with his eyes.
The woman immediately understood, reached out, and opened the leather bag on the table.
Three neatly stacked bundles of red banknotes appeared before everyone's eyes. The woman quickly checked them before returning to Duan Kun's embrace.
She whispered, "Brother Kun, the thirty thousand yuan is all real."
Upon hearing this, Duan Kun's shock intensified. He looked up and smiled at Song Qiao, "I didn't expect you to have some skills, kid. Tell me, how did you manage to gather this money so quickly?"
Song Qiao had long anticipated that someone like Duan Kun wouldn't easily return the property deed.
He replied indifferently, "I opened a stinky tofu shop near the market. This money is the profit from the past few days."
Duan Kun's expression became skeptical.
"Are you kidding me? A stinky tofu shop can earn thirty thousand in half a month?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a thug standing beside him leaned over and whispered in his ear:
"Boss, I heard there's a new stinky tofu shop that opened in the city recently, and they say it's doing incredibly well. The shop is called 'Xiang Piaopiao.' Could it be this kid?"
"Oh?" Duan Kun raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and looked at Song Qiao again, asking, "Is it that Xiang Piaopiao Stinky Tofu?"
Song Qiao nodded, saying nothing, implicitly confirming Duan Kun's suspicion.
Seeing this, Duan Kun let out a sinister laugh. "Boss Song truly is someone who has changed immensely. You're doing such big business, do you need protection?"
"My fees are reasonable, only five thousand yuan a month."
Song Qiao couldn't help but sneer internally. This Duan Kun really dared to demand such a hefty sum, asking for five thousand upfront.
But he didn't say much more, as he already had his own plan for dealing with Duan Kun. He turned and took out another ten thousand yuan, throwing it onto the table.
"Brother Kun must be a bit short on cash lately, wouldn't you be interested in a partnership with me? I can help you get rich."
"You can send a few of your brothers over first. This ten thousand yuan is a token of my sincerity."
Duan Kun hadn't expected Song Qiao to agree so readily and was taken aback.
He hesitated for a moment and asked, "If I recall correctly, we have some animosity, don't we? Why would you want to cooperate with me?"
"And how do you propose we cooperate? Can you really help me make money?"
As a seasoned veteran of the streets, Duan Kun wasn't immediately blinded by the ten thousand yuan. Instead, he calmly questioned Song Qiao.
"Although we've had some past grievances, we're both out here for one thing: wealth. And as people of the martial world, we should be able to let go of the past."
"Besides, our past conflicts are now settled. I need Brother Kun's influence, so why would I look elsewhere?"
Song Qiao didn't fully reveal his intentions to Duan Kun, only answering the first question to gauge Duan Kun's attitude.
He knew that Duan Kun's greatest fear was that he harbored resentment and would use the guise of cooperation to harm him.
By saying this intentionally, he aimed to make Duan Kun lower his guard.
Upon hearing this, Duan Kun first burst into laughter and said to Song Qiao,
"I didn't expect Boss Song to have such a demeanor of a person of the martial world. I, Duan Kun, am impressed."
Then, he turned to his subordinates and ordered, "Someone, quickly fetch a seat for our god of wealth."
"I want to hear how exactly Boss Song proposes we cooperate."
As he spoke, he pushed the woman curled up on him aside and gave her a look.
The woman, understanding, quickly and discreetly left the room. As she departed, she cast a greedy glance at the banknotes on the table, her eyes filled with reluctance.
Song Qiao secretly noted this detail, contemplating whether he could use this woman later when dealing with Duan Kun.
"Before we discuss this matter, Brother Kun, could you please return my property deed to me first?"
Seeing that Duan Kun's attitude had shifted, and knowing he was now interested in cooperation, Song Qiao calmly stated his demand.