Mental Illness Evolution Manual - Chapter 71

Suspecting that the person was in a bad mood, Lu Mingqiu specially instructed the maid to make a cup of mango pomelo sago, which she brought to the dining table after breakfast.

“Eat it,” she said.

Yan Xianchuan diligently maintained her cold demeanor. Faced with the sudden dessert, her heart couldn’t help but jump with joy.

—Indeed, being cold was the right approach!

So she ate the bowl of mango pomelo sago clean, expressionless, meticulous, and serious.

The corner of her mouth secretly curled up by a millimeter.

After breakfast, it was time for business.

She was representing the Yan family to negotiate a deal. She couldn’t be completely ignorant of the person she was talking to. No matter what she was like before, the current Yan Xianchuan represented the Yan family’s face, she couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

So Xie Wu sent her all the information about the Black Tiger Gang, so she could learn about them.

The leader of the Black Tiger Gang was called Qian Hu, a very ordinary name, but his experience was anything but ordinary.

Qian Hu was originally a homeless man, a small-time thug, with a drunkard father and a mother who worked as a cheap prostitute. His father was a chronic alcoholic and drug addict, he squandered all the family’s money. When he was high, he would beat people.

But it wasn’t like he was completely unconscious. He knew that the family’s money came from his woman selling her body, so he never hit her face, he was often gentle with her. But how could he release this restlessness? In the end, the drunkard’s gaze fell on his son.

Qian Hu wasn’t a weak person. When he was young, he relied on his agility to run around and avoid his father’s grasp. When he grew older, he had the ability to fight back, and he started to fight back.

He was bold and meticulous, he made a few friends in the underworld, and he begged them to teach him some self-defense techniques.

How could a weak body, drained by alcohol and drugs, compare to a healthy young man in his prime?

Qian Hu easily beat his father to death, he dragged him into a sewer and pretended that he had drowned while drunk.

Everyone thought it was an accident.

He joined the Panshe Gang, he was a low-level thug. Because he was fearless in fights, he always charged ahead, and he had a ruthless streak, he quickly rose to the top, becoming a small captain, and slowly becoming the deputy leader of a branch.

The leader of the Panshe Gang admired him, seeing that he was illiterate, he specially told him to study, to gain knowledge. He saw the young man’s ambition and his unwillingness to lose.

A brawler and a strategist; the latter will undoubtedly achieve greater success.

The leader was once ambushed while away from the base. Qian Hu saved his life, but at great cost; Qian Hu nearly died, requiring several artificial ribs and the loss of a hand.

So the leader promoted him, he put the young man by his side, making him a close confidant.

The leader’s daughter fell in love with this handsome, naturally cheerful man, who was exceptionally ruthless in fights. She fell in love with his different aura.

Qian Hu eventually married the leader’s daughter, becoming family. His loyalty seemed unwavering, until his plot to kill his father-in-law and take his power

After taking control of the Panshe Gang, he changed the name of the gang. He replaced the managers of all the major branches with his own confidants. The original leader’s daughter, his first wife, and his father-in-law were buried together, he personally chose the burial site.

Every year on their anniversary, he would go and offer two bouquets of flowers.

The gang members all sighed: The leader is such a sentimental person!

Qian Hu was a very powerful figure. From an illiterate low-level thug, he became the leader of a gang. The effort and methods he had put in, the blood he had on his hands, were enough to make anyone look at him with respect.

He was a person who was born without compassion.

A natural machine of ambition.

After becoming the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, he wasn’t satisfied, he wanted to expand outwards, to strengthen the gang. He eventually developed the Black Tiger Gang into the largest gang in Dingyang City, but he wasn’t satisfied. He then extended his hand to surrounding areas.

His ambition, like his inflated desires, knew no bounds.

If his story were made into a movie, it would definitely be a thrilling and exciting masterpiece.

Jinxiu Night City was also a property of the Black Tiger Gang. It was originally a half-dead nightclub, but after Qian Hu took over, it slowly began to prosper. Now it had become the largest entertainment venue in Dingyang City, a pleasure palace, a den of vice.

There was nothing you couldn’t find here.

Countless people had become rich overnight and lost everything here. The blood and tears they had swallowed were melted into money, and they became the best commentary on sin and greed.

As soon as Yan Xianchuan got out of the car, she was blinded by the flashing neon lights.

The light pollution here was definitely ten times worse than other places. Those blue, purple, ambiguous red and pink, bright yellow, they were all vying for attention, they were determined to blind people’s eyes, they were determined to force people to take cover.

Bad news, her eyes were artificial, they were much better at receiving light than human eyes.

Good news, her eyes were artificial, no matter how much they flashed, they wouldn’t go blind.

The valet took the car keys and drove the car away to park it.

Yan Xianchuan and the Xie brothers, Xie Wu and Xie Qi, walked through the grand lobby and into the interior of the Night City.

The first and second floors were casinos, with large and small gambling tables with various different games.

Yan Xianchuan looked around as she walked. She didn’t know how to play, roulette, dice, cards, she only knew that this was called poker, she knew some folk games, but she didn’t know the rules of the gambling tables at all.

Gambling, drugs, prostitution, and alcohol, these were all bad things, her parents had warned her not to touch them.

Besides, she wasn’t interested in this kind of thing that corrupted the mind.

She could drink a little alcohol, but she had never been drunk. It was after she left her parents that she occasionally had a few drinks, but they were low-alcohol cocktails.

The third floor was the bar, there were many sex dolls who accompanied people and entertained them. They all wore the same silver bracelets on their wrists, with a tiger head printed on them, to identify them.

When there were no guests, they would either hang out in groups of three or four in front of the bar, or they would hold wine glasses and wander around aimlessly, looking for there next victim.

Either go down to the first floor to greet the guests who are obviously newbies, lead them to familiarize themselves with the environment, and earn tips.

The sex dolls who work here are backed by the Black Tiger Gang, they live a comfortable life, no one bothers them, and they even get a basic salary.

They earn more than ordinary third-class citizens.

After all, those who can afford to come here are all well-off, either rich or noble. A few tips that slip through their fingers are an astonishing amount.

After the dazzling third floor, you go up to the fourth floor, which is a beauty service center. The upper class has a morbid pursuit of beauty, of being born perfect.

The values ​​transmitted by the top-level gatekeepers guide them, shaping their character invisibly.

People’s appearance is innate, it can’t be changed, but the standards of beauty are not limited to that. A person’s skin condition, their eyes, lips, and posture, can all be changed later.

Even identical twins can differ drastically; one radiant, the other listless, the former far surpassing the latter in beauty.

So the beauty industry is extremely profitable, people of all genders fall into the trap of perfection. It doesn’t earn money from the poor, it only sucks the blood of the rich.

In the private room on the fifth floor, Yan Xianchuan met Qian Hu.

The agreed time was ten o’clock, but she arrived at nine thirty. She also wanted to see what the famous Night City was really like.

She arrived early, and she didn’t notify Qian Hu. When she was led there by his subordinates, the latter’s face was filled with undisguised surprise. He quickly put down the wine glass in his hand, stood up, and walked to the door to greet her.

“When did Miss Yan arrive? I didn’t even know, I’m so sorry, so sorry.”

His tone was sincere, but a performance nonetheless. He couldn’t have truly been surprised by her arrival.

This was Black Tiger Gang territory, and Xie Wu was a well-known figure in Dingyang City. It was unlikely that *none* of these subordinates recognized either Yan Xianchuan or him.

Yan Xianchuan could guarantee that as soon as the three of them arrived, someone had notified Qian Hu, but he didn’t come. It wasn’t that he wanted to put on airs, it was that he saw that Yan Xianchuan wanted to take a look around, and she hadn’t told him, she obviously wanted to see it herself.

If he had just gone downstairs to disturb her, wouldn’t that have ruined her mood?

So, when Yan Xianchuan arrived on the fifth floor for their meeting, he went to greet her, his attitude was enthusiastic, it was also to show his importance.

For an important meeting, arriving early or late, there are different considerations.

If you are the weaker party, you must arrive early, that’s polite and shows your importance.

If you are the stronger party, it doesn’t matter if you arrive early or late. Arriving early is called being tolerant, not fearful, arriving late is called showing your status, not being provocative. There’s always an explanation.

Yan Xianchuan herself wasn’t important, but she represented the Yan family, so she naturally became the stronger party.

Qian Hu greeted her back to the private room, his face was full of smiles.

He was wearing a silver-gray suit, his figure was well-proportioned, the lines of his muscles were faintly visible under his shirt. His black hair was neatly combed back, his eyes were large and bright, his chin was clean-shaven, he had no beard, his skin was a healthy tan, his smile was bright, a man in his thirties, he looked a little naive and straightforward, like a young man.

But anyone who looked at his face and believed he was a guileless person would be a big fool.

Yan Xianchuan smiled back, “It’s my fault for not saying anything, I don’t blame Boss Qian.”

Yes, Qian Hu had a special preference, he insisted that people call him Boss, not Gang Leader.

And Yan Xianchuan wasn’t here to cause trouble, there was no need to deliberately make a fuss about the title.

She sat back on the soft sofa, the two of them chatted for a while, making small talk.

Qian Hu observed the new person in charge, her attitude seemed to be quite peaceful, she seemed easy to talk to.

So he changed the subject and got to the point,

“The Lin family’s matter, it was so sudden.” He sighed, “They were fine, then an accident, it’s really unpredictable.”

Yan Xianchuan said calmly, “Who can say otherwise.”

“To be honest, we’ve always sourced supplies from your family’s business,” Qian Hu said, feigning distress. “But recently, Mr. Yan Wanzi transferred the orders to the Lin family. Now that the Lins are gone, everything else is fine, but the promised goods are several days overdue.”

“The loss isn’t that big, but what about the follow-up? You see, shouldn’t we have a plan?”

Yan Xianchuan said calmly, “The business that was originally allocated to the Lin family will naturally be re-collected, the losses over the past two days will also be compensated, as for the rest…”

She leaned back and gave the person beside her a look, “Xie Wu, you tell him.”

Xie Wu stepped forward and began to discuss the specific details.

The Yan family started out in the arms business, so their quality control was naturally impeccable, and they had a long-standing relationship with the Black Tiger Gang. When it was still the Panshe Gang, they bought their weapons from the Yan family.

As for the Lin family, they wanted to get involved in this lucrative industry, but they were unfortunately under the pressure of this big mountain, they couldn’t get ahead, they could only sell cheap goods and provide weapons to some small-time thugs.

They thought that by using their daughter, they could get on board the Yan family’s ship, but they didn’t expect to make a wrong step, and the whole family was wiped out.

They could only blame themselves for thinking Yan Wanzi was too important, and for thinking the Yan family was too sentimental.

Qian Hu had a strong desire to expand, and his demand for weapons was increasing day by day. He wanted to increase the order quantity and take advantage of this opportunity to get a discount.

After all, Yan Xianchuan seemed quite easy to talk to.

He didn’t expect that when he occasionally gave her a few winks, talked about his difficulties, and used their long-term business relationship as a favor, she wouldn’t respond at all.

When their eyes met by chance, she just smiled slightly, and let Xie Wu do all the talking.

Xie Wu, an old hand, he looked young, but his rhetoric and EQ were very mature, and Xie Qi was giving him signals from the side, he didn’t give up an inch of profit.

But business is business, harmony brings wealth. In the end, he said that he would give them a dozen guns for free, just as a gift to an old customer.

Something is better than nothing. Even if Qian Hu wanted to buy goods from someone else, he couldn’t find anyone better than the Yan family.

After the two sides reached an agreement, Xie Wu retreated to the back, hiding his merits and fame.

After talking about business, to build a closer relationship, you have to talk about something else. This is Jinxiu Night City, is there a better place to have fun?

Qian Hu was very confident in the pleasure palace he had created with his own hands, so he said, “Miss Yan, do you want to go downstairs and play a few rounds? I have everything here.”

Yan Xianchuan politely declined, she said tactfully, “I don’t want to touch those things, I don’t know how.”

Qian Hu laughed, “What’s the big deal, I’ll have a few people accompany you, they can introduce them to you.”

After saying that, he beckoned to the person behind him. A subordinate in a black suit received the signal and was about to push the door open to call someone.

Yan Xianchuan frowned, she was about to speak, but suddenly the door opened, a burly subordinate walked in, his expression was a little helpless, a little annoyed, he bent down and whispered something in Qian Hu’s ear.

Qian Hu raised an eyebrow, “Just get rid of him.”

He looked at Yan Xianchuan with a curious look, he took the initiative to explain, “There’s nothing to hide, someone came downstairs to cause trouble, he wants to pick a fight with me. He’s also a righteous person, I, Qian Hu, admire people who value loyalty and righteousness the most, so I told people not to hurt him, just to get rid of him. He’s not here for the first time.”

“His name is Tan Yiyuan,” Qian Hu said, a hint of grudging respect in his voice. “He’s a somewhat notorious bounty hunter who single-handedly wiped out the Black Claw Gang. They were a small gang under my command, but to be taken down by one man… I have to retaliate. Otherwise, the other gangs will think the Black Tiger Gang is weak, a pushover.”

Qian Hu said in a tone of voice as if he was talking about the weather, “So I sent people to kill his wife and children. Omegas, they’re just a stumbling block. He could have achieved something, but he was held back by his family. I’m helping him get rid of his weakness.”

“Tit for tat, that’s the end of it. But he wouldn’t give up, he would come here to cause trouble every now and then. I wanted to invite him to join the gang, but he wouldn’t accept it.”

Yan Xianchuan’s brow furrowed, “Is it Tan Yiyuan from Changqing City?”

Qian Hu’s eyes widened in surprise, “It’s him, does Miss Yan know him?”

Yan Xianchuan nodded, “I’m somewhat familiar with him.”

Qian Hu said excitedly, “What a coincidence, that’s perfect.” He nodded to his subordinates, “Go get Tan Yiyuan.”

“Since he’s an acquaintance of yours, I have a favor to ask today. Miss Yan, please help me mediate. I killed his family, it was to maintain the Black Tiger Gang’s face, I have no personal grudge against him. On the contrary, I admire him very much.”

“It’s better to resolve a feud than to let it fester. Every time he comes here to disrupt my business, he’s always let go unharmed, my subordinates are complaining. If this continues, it’ll be hard for me to do business.”

Yan Xianchuan glared at him. She always said that she had a thick skin, but compared to these people, her skin was actually thin.

His words were outrageous; it was as if he’d murdered someone’s family and expected gratitude.

When Tan Yiyuan was brought in by two people, he was still struggling. He looked completely different, he couldn’t recognize him at all, it startled Yan Xianchuan.

Tan Yiyuan, although he looked tired before, you could still tell that he was a good person. When he was with his wife and daughter, he was gentle.

After his revenge was avenged, he shook off his gloom, as if he had been reborn, his joy was uncontainable.

But now, he was as thin as a skeleton, his cheeks were sunken, like a layer of skin covering bones, his eyeballs were set in their sockets, and they were filled with flames of hatred and desperate resentment.

He was also dressed casually, his clothes had many scratches and dirt, his hair and beard were messy, he was even more disheveled than a homeless man sleeping on the street.

He rolled his eyes, he wanted to curse at Qian Hu, but he saw a familiar face, he exclaimed in shock, “You, you?”

His benefactor was the same as before, but he was no longer the same.

“I’m here to talk business with Boss Qian.” Yan Xianchuan said, “Let him go.”

Qian Hu gave a signal, the two thugs let go of his arms, Tan Yiyuan staggered a few steps.

“We are indeed old acquaintances.” Yan Xianchuan said, “Boss Qian, I’ll take him with me, I’ll talk to him.”

Since she had spoken up, Qian Hu readily agreed, “Then I’ll give Miss Yan some face.” He then looked at the person standing there, his expression complicated, “Tan Yiyuan, be reasonable. If I really wanted to deal with you, you would have been dead the first time you came here. I’m sparing you because I value you, that’s why I’ve always been tolerant of you. But you keep provoking me, there has to be a limit.”

“This is a gang, not a church. I can’t keep indulging you, even a bodhisattva has a temper, let alone me.”

Qian Hu said coldly, “I hope there won’t be a next time.”

“Boss Qian, calm down.” Yan Xianchuan said, “Getting angry is bad for your liver.”

“Just a quick catch-up with an old friend. No need to see me out, Boss Qian. I’ll go down myself.”

Qian Hu could only send her to the door of the private room, he said with a smile, “Miss Yan, take your time. If you want to come again, just let me know, I’ll accompany you and have some fun.”

Yan Xianchuan waved her hand behind her.

The valet who parked the car timely drove the car out and opened the door for her. Yan Xianchuan nodded her chin, she told Tan Yiyuan to go to the back seat, then she said, “Xie Wu, Xie Qi, you guys go back yourselves, okay?”

Although it was a question, it was actually a statement.

Xie Wu had no choice but to say, “Have a safe trip.”

Yan Xianchuan sat in the driver’s seat and started to search for the navigation route, “This is my first time driving on the road, fasten your seatbelt.”

As the car drove away from Jinxiu Night City, she said, “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

Tan Yiyuan sat in the back seat, he felt both absurd and confused.

He first asked the question that concerned him most, “Who are you, really?”

Seeing his former benefactor and current enemy sitting together, Tan Yiyuan was about to collapse. At that moment, his mind was filled with extreme emotions, and he even came up with countless guesses.

Every one of them was bad.

Yan Xianchuan didn’t hide anything, “I’m from the Yan family, a powerful family. When I met you, I didn’t intentionally hide my identity because I thought it wasn’t important.”

When she later left Changqing City, she didn’t say goodbye, she also thought it was unimportant. Helping Tan Yiyuan was out of goodwill, she wasn’t asking for anything in return. She just said she had left when he contacted her.

After that, the two of them didn’t communicate anymore.

Because of the variety show, Tan Yiyuan saw the show and knew that Yan Xianchuan’s identity was extraordinary, completely different from his. So he only kept his gratitude in his heart and didn’t bother her.

But after getting to know Lu Mingqiu, Yan Xianchuan had indeed changed a lot. Seeing Tan Yiyuan again, she had a strange feeling, and she was willing to help him.

Besides, if she helped him, Lu Mingqiu would probably be happy too.

She continued, “The Yan family sells weapons, Qian Hu is a customer. I just came to Dingyang City two days ago to take charge of the business here.”

She wasn’t working with the Black Tiger Gang… Tan Yiyuan’s tense heart settled, he relaxed, but he looked even more dejected.

He said in a hoarse voice, “Shuangshuang and Xiaoxiao, they’re dead. I just went out to buy lunch, and when I came back, I found them lying on the ground, blood all over the place, staining Xiaoxiao’s favorite dress…”

Tan Yiyuan’s eyes were blank, as if he was about to cry, but his eyes were dry, he didn’t shed a single tear. Perhaps he had already cried all the tears he had.

“They were gunshot wounds, who could they have provoked? It must have been for me.”

His voice was lighter than a morning mist, “I looked for a long time, I asked many people, they either didn’t know, or they knew but wouldn’t tell me. Later, the boss’s wife couldn’t bear to see it, she secretly told me that it was the Black Tiger Gang.”

“She meant well, she wanted me to give up. After all, that’s the Black Tiger Gang, heh…” Tan Yiyuan chuckled, sneered, and mumbled softly, “Would I be afraid of death? Without them, what’s the difference between me and being dead?”

“Qian Hu, that hypocritical beast, even wanted to recruit me into his disgusting gang. To put me in the midst of my enemies, to make me work for him. It’s hilarious.”

As he spoke, he started laughing uncontrollably, as if he was half-mad.

Yan Xianchuan didn’t say anything like, “May they rest in peace.” She wasn’t Tan Yiyuan, she couldn’t understand even one ten-thousandth of his pain. Any words of comfort would be like self-righteous platitudes, a formality.

It’s like when someone talks about something sad, the listener has to comfort them, and the sad person has to let it go immediately after hearing this.

Isn’t this another kind of moral kidnapping?

“You can’t kill Qian Hu like this,” Yan Xianchuan said bluntly, “You’re just looking for death.”

He didn’t even have a gun on him.