Wang Yibo returned to Yunshen, and his assistant, Xiao Chen, gestured toward the reception room.
"Mr. Wang, Uncle Li is here to see you."
Uncle Li was an old friend of Old Wang's. Wang Yibo hadn't seen him much, but had heard his father mention him occasionally. A few years ago, Uncle Li had become a grandfather and handed off his responsibilities to Old Wang. Aside from receiving regular business income, he rarely managed anything himself anymore. Wang Yibo vaguely remembered that Uncle Li had been one of the few in favour of legitimizing the business.
Wang Yibo nodded, took off his coat, and pushed open the door to the reception room.
As expected, Uncle Li was mainly there to express his support—support for Wang Yibo taking over the business his father left behind.
Along with his support, he also offered some heartfelt advice. "Yibo, your father handed all his affairs to you. Old Wang was passionate and loyal—we all respected him. You're his only son. Don't mind us old-timers; we'll help however we can. But you have to understand—when it comes to ideology, some people... may not see eye to eye with you."
Wang Yibo sighed and sipped his tea. "Uncle Li, I understand. You're talking about Uncle Zhang."
Uncle Zhang had also been a key figure in building Old Wang's empire. He had even taken hits—both knives and bullets—for him. But times change. The fact that they once ruled the underworld side by side didn't mean they could now bask in the sunlight together happily. In recent years, especially when Old Wang began pushing for legal reform of the business, he and Uncle Zhang had clashed many times. Uncle Zhang still wielded considerable power, particularly over underground casinos and illicit dealings—areas that were still being run by his people.
"I'll try to persuade him," Wang Yibo said.
He wasn't particularly skilled in matters like these, but could at least express his stance and continue sipping tea.
Uncle Li noticed that Wang Yibo had no further comment and set his cup down, ignoring the tea altogether. He didn't like this brand of West Lake Dragon Well anyway, and he was genuinely worried that this young man wouldn't be able to handle things properly, which might put him in danger. Old Wang had once told him that his precious son studied finance and had been thriving at an investment bank—he'd never had much interest in their line of work.
No interest and no experience—that was practically asking to be eaten alive.
"Uncle Zhang isn't someone you can just talk sense into. Even when your father was alive, he and Old Zhang were constantly at odds. Now that you've taken over, Zhang hasn't said anything openly, but I can tell—he's not convinced. Uncle Li has a pretty good guess about what you're trying to do. Zhang is the biggest obstacle in your path. He—"
Wang Yibo gently cut him off. "Uncle Li, if we keep talking, we'll end up with a Chinese version of The Godfather."
He looked up at Uncle Li, eyes filled with genuine gratitude, not a hint of impatience.
"I know you're looking out for me, worried I might not handle things well. Don't worry—I'm not reckless. And Uncle Zhang... no matter what I want to do, I can't forget that he once fought side by side with my father. I have to take it slow."
Uncle Li sighed heavily. "As long as you stay safe. Old Wang only has you."
Wang Yibo lowered his gaze. His tone remained calm. "Thank you for worrying about me, Uncle Li. I know what I'm doing."
Uncle Li didn't know Wang Yibo well, but he knew the boy was smart. That was enough—there was no need for more preaching. They chatted a bit more after that, catching up. Uncle Li mentioned his family was considering emigrating to the U.S. Knowing Wang Yibo had lived there for several years, he asked about study-abroad and immigration details.
After a while, Uncle Li left, eager to get home and see his grandson. Wang Yibo stood to walk him out.
Once Uncle Li was gone, Xiao Chen said to Wang Yibo, "Mr. Xiao called earlier. He was originally looking for Xiao Xue, but she's out collecting debts. Then he said he wanted to talk to you, but I told him you were in a meeting."
Wang Yibo stopped in front of his office door. "Did he say what it was about?"
Xiao Chen shook his head. "No, when he heard you weren't available, he just hung up."
Wang Yibo responded with a quiet "Mm," then told him, "Give me his number. I'll call him directly."
The phone rang only twice before Xiao Zhan picked up. He recognized Wang Yibo's voice and suspiciously asked how he got his number.
Wang Yibo raised an eyebrow. "You called my assistant to look for me, and you're surprised I have your number?"
Xiao Zhan went silent.
Wang Yibo paused for a moment. "What's up?"
Xiao Zhan immediately became aggressive. "You said last time that if I joined Yunshen Credit as a sales rep, I could slowly pay off my debt. Well, I've already quit my job. Industry practice says I'll report in two weeks."
Wang Yibo paused. "...That was fast."
Xiao Zhan kept up the bluster, not at all like a debt-ridden man who just quit a stable job.
"I'm calling just to let you know. Wang Yibo, I'm warning you—I already gave up my iron rice bowl for this. You better keep that sales position for me. If you forget and I end up jobless on both sides, I swear I'll beat you up! I don't care if I owe you money—I'll punch you first!"
This time, Wang Yibo was completely speechless. After a long moment, he finally managed, "...Just report on time. I won't forget."
Only then was Xiao Zhan satisfied. He tossed in a few more loud threats and hung up.
Wang Yibo stared at the number on his phone, replaying the conversation in his head, his mouth twitching as he struggled to hold in a laugh. Thankfully, he'd managed to keep a straight face—otherwise, his obvious schadenfreude would've come off as deeply insincere.
He pressed his lips together, glanced at his reflection in the distant glass window—and kept trying not to laugh.
***
Lost his once-proud iron rice bowl job and burdened with a mountain of debt—
Xiao Zhan felt like his luck couldn't possibly get any worse.
After that phone call with Wang Yibo, he kept mulling it over, and the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that Wang Yibo had been holding back laughter. Otherwise, why did it take him so long to say one simple sentence?
He must have been holding back laughter, right?
Unbelievable. So now Wang Yibo's basically the young master of the loan shark world, huh? And he couldn't even spare an ounce of sympathy for the weak? Then thinking back to that awkward encounter with Mo Ran in the break room—Mo Ran with that condescending attitude—he got even more pissed off.
Whatever. He wasn't working there anymore anyway. Xiao Zhan couldn't be bothered to keep up appearances. After lunch, he picked up a newspaper and flipped straight to the entertainment and leisure section. After quickly skimming the same boring headlines plaguing the entertainment industry, he found the horoscope column tucked in a corner.
Just then, a young female colleague came over after filling her cup. She leaned in. "Zhan Zhan, can I borrow that for a sec? I'm an Aquarius."
Xiao Zhan handed her half the paper. She started reading her four-star fortune out loud:
"Overall luck is pretty good. Even if you achieve some decent results, you'll still maintain a humble and low-key attitude. With help from benefactors, you'll be able to move forward with plans you've been wanting to implement. Good support is coming your way."
She finished reading with a big grin and didn't forget to return the favor. "What about you, Zhan Zhan? How's your luck?"
Xiao Zhan gave the Libra section a deadpan stare. Two and a half stars. He hadn't even answered yet when a bunch of his female coworkers, seemingly telepathic, all swarmed over.
"Let me see!"
"Me too!"
"Wait, I'm first! I've had the worst luck lately!"
With that whole group crowding around, whispering and giggling, the scene turned pretty noticeable in the tiny bank office.
Mo Ran walked by with a coffee in hand and raised a brow at the sight. He smiled, "What are you all looking at? Something interesting? Let me see too?"
The girls liked this newly appointed young and handsome manager, so they quickly made way for him.
"Zhan Zhan's reading the horoscopes," one of them explained. "We just joined in for fun."
Although Xiao Zhan had already quit, getting caught by Mo Ran reading horoscopes in the entertainment section still made him feel a little embarrassed. He forced a smile.
Mo Ran didn't seem to mind. He smiled pleasantly. "Check mine for me, would you? I just got back to China—curious if there's anything I need to watch out for."
A girl from the neighbouring team chimed in, "What's your sign, Manager Mo?"
Mo Ran replied, "Libra."
The girl from Xiao Zhan's team widened her eyes. "Same as Zhan Zhan."
Neither of them looked surprised. They both nodded at the same time.
Mo Ran stepped closer, set his coffee cup down nearby, and looked at Xiao Zhan with interest. One of the girls from the other team, eager to get on Mo Ran's good side, quickly read aloud:
"It says: 'Sometimes overthinking can become an obstacle on your path. You may find this especially true right now. When making decisions, you tend to overanalyse all the potential problems, which can hinder your actions. One way to ease this is to try drinking beer at the park.'"
While the girl was reading, Xiao Zhan snuck a look at the Libra financial forecast.
"Luck with money may not be so smooth. Watch out for financial traps and online scams. Avoid being greedy for small gains, or you may get swindled."
...Exactly what he expected. No wonder he'd been so unlucky lately.
Too bad the scam had already happened. The mountain of debt he owed felt like it stretched out endlessly into the horizon.
Mo Ran nodded thoughtfully, still smiling.
His smile lit up his eyes—charming, like the boy-next-door everyone liked.
"Thanks," he said.
Then he looked at Xiao Zhan again. "Can you check Leo for me too?"
Leo.
Xiao Zhan's thoughts froze. He looked back at Mo Ran's bright, smiling eyes. After a moment, he pushed the paper toward him.
"You can read it yourself. I'm done."
Mo Ran didn't insist. He took the paper and gave Xiao Zhan a small nod.
"Thanks."