Mulan woke to find the sky outside was dark, and she realized her head was resting on Ethan Chen's shoulder.
The discovery made her bolt upright.
"You're awake. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to disturb you."
In the dim light of the car, Ethan didn't see the faint blush on Mulan's cheeks.
Seeing how dark it was outside, Mulan instinctively stuck out her tongue. "How long was I asleep?"
The cute, contrasting gesture made Ethan pause for a second. "About three hours."
"Did I… delay your business?"
"Not at all. What business do I have?" Ethan smiled.
Only after Mulan got out and walked away did Wade Qi speak up. "Mr. Chen, they've been going crazy on the other end. Ms. He's calls have been coming to my phone."
"Yeah, I figured." Ethan took out his own phone. There were over forty missed calls, mostly from Serena He, with the rest from various numbers associated with the casino.
"Let's go."
When Ethan returned to The Summit Lakeside Resort and got out of the car at the hotel entrance, he saw Serena He hurrying out towards him.
"Why didn't you answer your phone?"
"Wasn't convenient," Ethan shook his head. "What's the matter, so urgent?"
"Meeting!" Serena took a deep breath. "My father, The Boss, they're all here. Everyone who's anyone in the city's circles is present. Even Jack Zhao sent a representative. Right now, we're just waiting for you!"
Ethan feigned ignorance. "Related to today's incident?"
"Yes." Serena nodded emphatically. "The Boss is furious!"
Ethan followed Serena upstairs. They didn't go to the casino, but directly to the hotel's conference room.
The conference room was a spacious two hundred square meters, dominated by a heavy, solid wood table.
When Ethan entered, all eyes in the room turned to him.
Ethan's gaze swept across the room.
The Boss, Uncle Kun, Michael Langford, Autumn…
People he'd met and others he hadn't—over thirty individuals filled the room.
"Ethan, over here." The Boss waved and pulled out the chair immediately to his right. "We were waiting for you. Sit."
After Ethan took his seat, Uncle Kun leaned over and asked quietly, "That Ms. Mulan… she got back safely?"
Ethan nodded. "Took her home. Spent a little extra time parked outside her place."
"Good, that's good." Uncle Kun let out a sigh of relief.
Even The Boss's eyes showed a flicker of reassurance.
Observing their reactions, Ethan realized the influence of Mulan's Mu family was even more formidable than he'd imagined. Just a younger daughter, sent for a strategic marriage, could make Uncle Kun and The Boss this anxious.
"Alright, everyone." The Boss's voice rang out, commanding attention as he looked around the table.
"Only one matter today. The reason I called you all here is to make sure you understand the seriousness of this!"
"I know that among you, some have conflicts with Ethan!"
The Boss's gaze deliberately lingered on Michael Langford, then on the representative sent by Jack Zhao.
"But I don't care what grievances exist between you. Starting today, I will not tolerate infighting within our circle! You want to make money? Fine! Show your capability. Follow the rules. Pass the Thirteen Blades!"
"But if anyone continues to resort to underhanded tricks behind the scenes, don't blame me for turning my back on old acquaintances!"
As The Boss finished, Uncle Kun spoke up.
"I share The Boss's sentiment."
After speaking, Uncle Kun specifically glanced at Tyler He.
Ethan took a deep breath. At this moment, his mother's words echoed in his mind: You just need to prove your importance. Whether it's The Boss or Uncle Kun, they will find a way to protect you.
The Boss and Uncle Kun had gathered everyone for this meeting specifically to warn them against targeting Ethan. This made it clear to everyone that Ethan was now a favorite in The Boss's eyes!
"Meeting adjourned!" The Boss waved his hand, dismissing everyone.
"Ethan, you handled things very well today." Uncle Kun clapped Ethan on the shoulder. "Recovered the full hundred and twenty million. This is your reward."
Uncle Kun produced a check.
Ethan's eyes widened as he saw the amount.
A full one hundred thousand dollars!
"This… this is too much!"
"Not at all, not at all," Uncle Kun shook his head. "This is just a separate bonus from me. The Boss has one for you as well. And this doesn't conflict with your operational commissions. You have to understand, commission-based agents get one percent. You should earn considerably more than they do."
"He's right." The Boss also produced a check for one hundred thousand dollars. "This is what you've earned. You handled the situation perfectly today. If you'd chosen any other way to deal with it, we wouldn't have been able to secure that money so cleanly. That was the Mu family's money."
Ethan's heart jolted. The Mu family's money? Wasn't it supposed to be Caleb Yuan's assets?
The Boss sat down and offered Ethan a cigarette.
Ethan took it, lit it, and this time didn't cough like before.
"Ethan, how did you deduce the knife-men today were sent by Caleb Yuan? Calling the police was a masterstroke. When word reached the Mu family, they were furious. The Yuan family is falling in line now."
Hearing this, Ethan immediately understood that The Boss had misunderstood his original motive.
Ethan didn't correct him, instead going along with it. "The primary target was Mulan. It didn't feel like they were coming for me. Also, Mulan was very cautious when she approached me for the transaction, seemed worried about being discovered. She was using gold bars for the deal. So I guessed the pressure must have been coming from her side. Since she was compensating Caleb Yuan's money, it was most likely connected to him."
"Bold and meticulous." Uncle Kun gave a thumbs-up. "Boss, if this kid wasn't already your man, I'd be tempted to poach him. I like him more and more."
"You can still try," The Boss smirked. "You have such a beautiful daughter. Put in some effort, make Ethan your son-in-law, wouldn't that work?"
Uncle Kun laughed heartily. "Not a bad idea! I'm in a good mood today. Come to my place for a drink?"
"Sounds good." The Boss agreed.
The two men left. Before going, Uncle Kun patted Serena's shoulder.
Ethan stared at the two checks on the table, not immediately picking them up.
"First time I've seen someone disinterested in money." Serena sat down opposite Ethan.
"How could I not be interested?" Ethan shook his head. "I'm just a little…"
"Scared, right?" Serena finished for him. "I'll be honest with you. The first time I did a job for my father, he rewarded me with twenty thousand. I was shocked too. You and I both know... people like us, illegitimate children... we don't have easy lives. Twenty thousand was an unimaginable fortune to me back then."
"But then I thought, since I'm already in this line of work, there's no point being afraid. What's wrong with this money? I earned it! My conscience is clear!"
Serena picked up the checks and stuffed them into Ethan's pocket.
"Take them! Let me tell you, for what you did, taking this money, you owe nobody! On the contrary, if you were working a casino in Macau or Vegas, you'd get even more!"
"If anyone owes anyone, it's The Boss and my father who owe you!"