Chapter 603 Secrets Veiled in Plain Sigh
While Lynn and Jin were busy discussing during the gathering by Si Fang, Qiu Yue and Yun sat down in a corner and enjoyed the mountains of good food in peace. Yun did not like to interact much mainly because she did not have much interest with other store owners.
She only came because Jin asked her to take a break from all the work she had been doing for him. Jin also hoped she will interact with the other store owners, but somehow after the revelation of the System's true identity, Yun had been rather 'docile'. It became even more apparent when Grandma Yuan revealed herself to Jin.
While she still communicates between the customers, the System and Jin's workers, the System-created 'relative' had always been putting up a preoccupied face. It was as if she was thinking non stop about a certain issue and when Jin prodded about it, all he got was a defiant silence.
"Why do you even bother to care? Don't you have other things to do?" That was her standard answer for now. Although Lynn and Zeru had more luck in making her exude other emotions other than a stoic facial expression, they had no luck in getting her to explain. Thus, Jin could only hope one day she would open up.
On the other hand for Qiu Yue, she got kind of bored sitting with the quiet Yun, so she subsequently interrupted Man Tang, the Karaoke Boss for the Meow Meow Karaoke Instance who was also in one corner of the cafe tower instance.
There was nothing much but pleasantries at first until Qiu Yue asked about Man Tang's expansion plans. At first, Qiu Yue did not know anything about the shady things that Man Tang did, but the latter assumed that Boss Jin used the Red Panda Cultivator as his lackey to learn more about her current predicament.
Thus, when Man Tang talked more about the reduction of the shady deals she had been conducting, Qiu Yue was slightly taken aback and surprised. Yet, the Empire Building Sub System User did not raise an eyebrow and even managed to reply back as the Sub System conveniently filled her with the information needed to continue on with the conversation.
"...That is why I might think of expanding doing more than just karaoke, seeing this might be the chance to break out of the circle. Your landlord is not charging much from rent other than maintenance and a meagre cut from my sales. That inadvertently increased my profit margin by a lot. If he maintained this but introduce other entertainment-oriented competitiors, I might have to think of things to increase my competitiveness instead of just karaoke." Man Tang said.
"But you lack the ideas on how to expand?" Qiu Yue asked, and Man Tang was in a slight dilemma whether to say it out.
"Since I am already in the karaoke business and with some of the triad members as regular customers, I was thinking of opening up a billiard instance, and at least separate the Triads and other normal customers away from them." Man Tang suggested a few other venues of profitable entertainment which Qiu Yue felt it was feasible.
"That could work. It does not take much to make an instance like that from Jin if I am not mistaken, but surely that would not drastically increase your revenue, right? Instead, you might potentially be losing more at the start."
"Erm yeah, but I do not know what else can I do. Besides, the Tiger Triads are holding this place secretly as their new turf, I might not be able to do much compared to last time." Man Tang shrugged her shoulders, thinking that the tigers will bring this 'triad neutral ground' setting to an end.
"I thought the Tigers were just giving protection and using the arcade to you know, 'wash' their money with that game which Jin had created. They aren't exactly taking this place for their own yet." Qiu Yue believed Jin would not give the Tigers reigned the site if they really asked for it despite the help he got from them.
"Exactly. I do not know whether Jin would be liaising with the Tigers in the future, considering the things that I heard from the other Triad members." Man Tang added that she knew Jin was now an honorary member of the Royal Zodiac Tiger Clan.
"There are many factors could happen, and it isn't like the days past where it is an ambiguous area for the various Triad members to mingle even though it is usually just the same with people." Man Tang explained, and it got Qiu Yue slightly curious about the workings of the underworld. It seemed like this current society had even more of its secrets veiled in plain sight.
"Still, I do not think Jin would want to be under the protection of the Tigers forever. He is more ambitious than what you think of him. That I can guarantee you." What Qiu Yue said suddenly struck an entertaining thought for Man Tang.
"Jin wants to create his own Triad?" Man Tang chuckled when she proposed that particular idea out which made Qiu Yue widened her eyes and laughed along.
"He CAN do that??" Qiu Yue questioned which Man Tang shrugged her shoulders but as a gesture of jest than an inability to answer.
"I saw a number of teenagers who create their very own gangs and later subverted into a larger group due to them encroaching on their territory. Eventually, those larger groups were subgroups of a Triad. As for now, this place is still a 'free area' if what you are saying is true, so the other Triads had no right to fault him if he ever creates something like that." Man Tang said as she chewed on a few snacks.
"That is assuming that the tigers continued to protect this place unofficially." Qiu Yue replied which the Karaoke Boss nodded her head.
"Yeap and Jin can grow his own 'security force' regardless of size since this is his place after all." Man Tang stated bluntly which got Qiu Yue thinking. "However, that is assuming he has the money and clout to do so. Currently, I believe he only has the latter."
"Because he killed the Rat Triad Boss? But I thought this piece of news was not shown in any headlines nor social media." Qiu Yue questioned as her body slowly gravitating towards Man Tang's direction, showing more interest in this particular topic.
"This is because you are looking at the wrong end of the social media. To those in the Triads, its big news. There are even Triad Bosses who are angry about the death of the Ruby Rat Boss although it seems to me there is a gag order going around. Not sure how, but it seems somebody had the influence to let Jin live some way or another." Man Tang added that she was initially wary of Jin's plans of the Tree Mall because she knew how the Chinese Triads worked.
She could have taken her insurance money from the destruction of her stall and run away. But when Jin called for everyone and announced that he wanted to help the previous tenants, she hesitated in calling him out a fraud.
But the moment she saw him in person, she somehow saw a glimmer of hope that everything could actually be okay. Man Tang did not know why or how, but he seem to be as promising as how Si Fang had depicted him.
Perhaps it was because of the stunt Jin pulled to create a gigantic tree had indicated that he might have friends that could potentially stop the revenge cycle in the Triads. Also, that unwavering stance when Man Tang saw Jin spoke with ambition made her feel slightly comforted.
Thus, she decided to gamble and worked with Jin with this Tree Mall project of his. In any case, she had accumulated enough 'black' money to run away if there was a need to.
Now with the current discussion between Qiu Yue and her as well as the additional information she learnt about her new landlord, she seemed slightly more confident about staying on.
"I see. But I am just wondering, and it might potentially be a tall order. Do you wish to aid me with recruiting members for Jin's potential Triad group?" Qiu Yue casually asked, and it nearly made Man Tang throw her drink out.