"No, I'm telling you, he's definitely going to take the bait."
Su Chen, unfazed, wore a sly smile.
He had a long-standing grudge with Gao Qiqiang.
Now, Gao had the nerve to round up hundreds of people just to threaten him.Time and time again, he sought Su Chen out for trouble.
At this point, Su Chen was done playing games—he wanted him dead.
The reason Su Chen had agreed to Gao's terms in the first place was simple:To lull him into a false sense of security.He needed time to sow discord among the survivor factions and take Gao Qiqiang out once and for all.
After Lin Yingying briefed Su Chen on the various survivor leaders, he settled on one man: Gao Xiangjun.
Cunning, calculating, selfish to the core—Exactly the kind of man who'd sell his own brother for the right price.
And sure enough, Su Chen's hunch was spot-on.
He had barely sat down for a chat with He Wang and Sun Yuan when the walkie-talkie on the table crackled to life.
"Hello? Boss Su?"
Gao Xiangjun's voice came through.
"So, has Commander Gao agreed to my proposal?"Su Chen asked casually.
"Ai, your offer's a bit much, honestly... Gao is the man I respect the most, you know. I just can't... unless you sweeten the deal a little!"
Hearing that, Su Chen's smile turned mocking.
"Oh yeah? What kind of sweetening are we talking about?"
"I've got a lot of guys under me. From now on, every time we work together, you've gotta cough up ten cartons of cigarettes and ten bottles of booze."
Gao Xiangjun wasn't shy—he went straight for the kill, jacking the price up tenfold.
Su Chen didn't get angry. He just responded flatly,"You're dreaming. I don't have that much to spare."
"Two cartons and two bottles—take it or leave it.If that doesn't work for you, I'll just find someone else."
His tone was so firm it caught Gao Xiangjun off guard.
"...Alright. You drive a hard bargain. Deal."
"Now then, shall we talk about how to get rid of Gao Qiqiang?"
"My plan is as follows..."
Gao Xiangjun lived up to his reputation—crafty and conniving. He had already mapped out a detailed plan.
Su Chen nodded in approval as he listened.As the saying goes: Heavy rewards bring forth bold men.
"Then let's go with your plan. Here's to a successful partnership."
After wrapping up his chat with Gao Xiangjun, Su Chen stretched and yawned.
"I'll leave the rest to you guys. Let's pick this up tomorrow."
He got up and left the meeting room, heading back to the Normadisen.
"Master, you're back!"
Hearing the door, both Liu Ling'er and Lin Yingying stood up to greet him.
Noticing the two women holding hands, Su Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Well, well, when did you two get so close?"
Liu Ling'er glanced at Lin Yingying, blushing slightly."Master, now that we both belong to you, it only makes sense we get along as sisters."
"Yes," Lin Yingying added with a nod. "That's how we both feel."
Both women had received modern educations. Before the apocalypse, they were beautiful, independent, and had their fair share of admirers.
Back then, sharing a man would've been unthinkable.But now, in the post-apocalyptic world, they knew the truth—With Su Chen's caliber, he could have ten women, easy.
If they didn't want to be cast aside, they had to stay on his good side.
Step one? Accept each other's existence.
Lin Yingying, with her background in sales and naturally outgoing personality, took the initiative.
While Su Chen was away negotiating with Gao Xiangjun, she sought Liu Ling'er out and laid her thoughts on the table.
Liu Ling'er hadn't completely lost herself like Xiao Mei had,But her mindset had shifted significantly.
One heartfelt conversation later, they decided to get along and stay by Su Chen's side—no drama, no jealousy.
Hearing the full story from Lin Yingying, Su Chen was rather pleased.
He laughed heartily and gave both of them a playful pat on the head.
"As long as you two behave, no matter how many women I have, you'll always have a place beside me."
The two beauties let out a breath of relief.
Su Chen glanced at the darkening sky and grinned.
"Getting late, isn't it? Let's grab some dinner."
The twinkle in his eye gave away his real intentions.Lin Yingying and Liu Ling'er looked at each other and flushed.
The next morning.
Despite a wild night, Su Chen was up bright and early.
Rather than feeling drained, he felt more energized than ever.
After a quick bite, he got dressed and headed to the conference room.
He had just sat down when He Wang walked in, yawning and sporting dark circles under his eyes.
"Morning, Brother He. You look rough."
"Morning, Brother Su… Don't even ask."
He Wang hesitated, as if struggling to speak. Finally, he blurted out,
"Brother Su, about those two women of yours… how do you even keep up?"
Su Chen burst out laughing."You think I can't handle it?"
"No, I mean… I've got this friend, and he was wondering if there's a way to, you know… be as energetic as you."
Su Chen stared at him for a moment, then grinned.
"Brother He, this 'friend' wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
He Wang blushed and stayed silent.
He and Wu Li were both pushing forty.And as the saying goes: At thirty, she's a wolf; at forty, she's a tiger.
Wu Li had gone without for far too long.Once she got together with He Wang, it was like a match dropped in gasoline.
Even with He Wang's military background and solid build, he was struggling to keep up with her demands.In just a few days, he was already burning out.
"Brother He, remember this: there's no such thing as an overused field—just exhausted bulls. You've gotta take care of yourself."
Su Chen clapped him on the shoulder, speaking seriously.
"I've got a few bottles of sildenafil. I'll give you some later."
"Thank you, Brother Su!"He Wang looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Just as they wrapped up their chat, Sun Yuan came walking in from outside.
After a brief greeting, the walkie-talkie buzzed with Zhou Xinhong's voice:
"Boss Su, Gao Xiangjun's crew is on the move!"
The three of them quickly threw on their heavy winter gear and headed up to the hotel rooftop.
Using binoculars, they looked toward the guesthouse where Gao Xiangjun and his men were based.
Sure enough, bundled up in thick coats and down jackets, Gao Xiangjun's team was trudging through the snow toward Gao Qiqiang's camp.
"You're inviting me to dinner?"
Gao Qiqiang stared blankly at Gao Xiangjun in disbelief.
Under normal circumstances, sure, maybe.But this was the apocalypse.
Why would Gao Xiangjun suddenly want to treat him to a hot meal?
"You bet I am," Gao Xiangjun said with a chuckle. "Got hotpot set up, a bottle of Maotai, and a few packs of Huazi cigarettes. Just waiting for you, Boss Gao."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice.
"Besides, I figured it's a good chance for us to talk… about how we're splitting up the supplies."