Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 824: Chapter 68: Sheng Men (Part 2)

Luo Qiu followed Song Haoran’s footsteps, and soon arrived in front of a commercial building.

This building wasn’t very tall, only six stories, and the entrance had the name of a certain joint chamber of commerce.

Song Haoran didn’t go up immediately but instead circled around the chamber of commerce building, a whole circle.

“The new spokesperson of the chamber of commerce, is she your niece?” Luo Qiu suddenly asked.

Song Haoran shook his head, “It’s not Song Ying, but her uncle, my brother-in-law’s younger brother. Nepotism, do you have a feeling of that?”

Luo Qiu just smiled and didn’t speak.

However, Song Haoran said, “Speaking of which, you’re really remarkable. I don’t know why, but every time I’m with you, I feel as if I don’t have any worries, like there’s no restraint on what I want to say, it’s really quite relaxing.”

Luo Qiu looked up at the layers of this commercial building, “Maybe it’s because I’m not good at giving others advice. Without giving advice, I don’t influence others’ thoughts either.”

Song Haoran was unconvinced… because he understood that it’s due to the reassuring quality this blood relative, estranged, possesses.

In the bustling Zhonghua Street, just by standing beside Luo Qiu, he felt as if he was in a vast open field. You wouldn’t particularly notice his existence, but neither would you ignore it.

Thinking it over, Song Haoran could only come up with one word to describe this big nephew: just right.

“Are we going to go in now?” Luo Qiu looked at the chamber of commerce’s main entrance.

Through the glass door, they could see that the office worker at the reception was curiously observing them standing outside the door.

“No, we’ll still go to the back door.” Song Haoran shook his head, then once more led Luo Qiu to the alley behind the commercial building.

What intrigued Luo Qiu was that Song Haoran didn’t go directly to the back door but stopped at a distance of five or six meters away.

There was also a plain iron door here, the kind that was very ordinary. Song Haoran reached out and knocked on the iron door in a curious pattern.

Moreover, he only knocked once, after which he stood still, while looking at his watch. He then spoke, “This door is called the ‘Gate of Life,’ do you know why?”

Luo Qiu shook his head.

Song Haoran said calmly, “This building was originally constructed according to the positions of the Bagua. Dad specially left this door and named it the ‘Gate of Life.ʼ”

“The Gate of Life, the Door of Life.” Luo Qiu reached out to touch the iron door and said slowly, “Life represents living. Living symbolizes hope. So the Gate of Life is the Door of Hope, a door that gives people hope.”

Song Haoran’s lips moved slightly, then after looking Luo Qiu up and down, he nodded, “I didn’t expect you to grasp Dad’s intention on the first try… Indeed, naming it the Gate of Life was meant to signify hope. Dad left this door to give those truly in need on Zhonghua Street a path to life.”

Song Haoran paused, then continued, “One thing Dad often said was that good people are bullied but heaven will not bully them. Although we engage in some bloody business, we speak of righteousness when it should be spoken.”

“Blessing.” Luo Qiu nodded with a smile, “Old Master Song is cultivating a field of blessings.”

Song Haoran was taken aback, “How do you know Dad believes in Buddhism?”

Luo Qiu smiled and said, “There is a Buddha statue offering by the door. Since Old Master Song is the founder here, I suppose there is some connection.”

“Your observation is quite sharp.” Song Haoran’s gaze towards Luo Qiu grew increasingly appreciative.

At this moment, Luo Qiu said, “Since this is a door that needs to be opened to give hope, why are you knocking now?”

Song Haoran sneered, “If I don’t knock now, I’m afraid it will never open again… Here it comes.”

The door hinge made a squeaking noise.

Song Haoran put down his watch, and the iron door in front swung open suddenly. A slightly breathless middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses appeared in front of them.

He seemed somewhat nervous but used a handkerchief to wipe his face to cover it, “Haoran Young Master, why have you come! You could have informed me beforehand so I could pick you up!”

“Three minutes and eighteen seconds.” Song Haoran smiled.

The middle-aged man was taken aback, “What three minutes and eighteen seconds?”

Song Haoran said, “From when I started knocking on the door until it finally opened, it took three minutes and eighteen seconds. And the person opening it was you, the spokesperson of the chamber of commerce, should I be pleased or disappointed?”

“Haoran Young Master… There is a reason for this, I can explain.” The middle-aged man hurriedly said.

“Okay, then explain it to me right now.” Song Haoran nodded.

The middle-aged man instinctively said, “This… how about we go inside to discuss? It’s inconvenient here.”

“I think it’s quite convenient here. The wind is cool, the water is cold, people are few, and it’s quiet enough.” Song Haoran smiled and even made a gesture of invitation, “President Bai Shui Tang, please speak.”

President Bai Shui Tang quickly said, “It’s like this, the chamber’s people noticed your arrival but you seemed to have something and didn’t come in. They reported it to me, so I hurried down to receive you. Meanwhile, you had already walked away, then the ‘Gate of Life’ was knocked on. I figured it might be you, so I ran over to open the door for you, that’s how the time was wasted.”

“Oh… So you’re saying it’s my fault for not alerting you beforehand?” Song Haoran smiled.

“I dare not… It’s because I’m too slow.” President Bai Shui Tang repeatedly bowed his head, “I was too slow, I should exercise more.”

Song Haoran let out a relieved laugh, then casually patted President Bai Shui Tang’s belly, “Hmm, you should exercise more.”

With that, he walked past Bai Shui Tang and went inside.

The destination was the chamber’s president’s office. Without a word, Song Haoran directly sat in President Bai Shui Tang’s chair, leaving the current president standing uneasily before the desk.

President Bai Shui Tang knew very well to whom Zhonghua Street belonged. If he were to describe Dad as the Emperor, then naturally the young man before him was the Crown Prince, and he, Bai Shui Tang, could only be an outsider attached to the family.

“Young Master, who is this?” President Bai Shui Tang took this moment to glance at Luo Qiu sitting on the sofa beside.

Haoran waved his hand, “Don’t mind him. I came by today without any particular reason. Just happened to be around, so I dropped by on a whim to take a look.”

“Of course, of course.” President Bai Shui Tang quickly said, “It’s an honor for us that the young master has come to take a look!”

“How’s the recent development on Zhonghua Street?” Song Haoran casually picked up a file on the desk to look through.

President Bai Shui Tang appeared very natural, “Not bad, we’ve recently attracted investment and built a supermarket, the business is good.”

“Supermarket?” Song Haoran asked curiously, “Building a supermarket here won’t affect other businesses?”

“Certainly not.” President Bai Shui Tang replied, “This supermarket has many shops inside, we plan to consolidate the individual retailers from outside, making management easier and raising efficiency. Young Master, you see, Zhonghua Street used to be thriving, but the retail shops were too dispersed. Whether tourists or locals, shopping was inconvenient, but if it could be consolidated… Oh, here’s a report of the supermarket’s performance in the past two months, you can take a look.”

President Bai Shui Tang took out several files and reports.

“You’ve prepared quite well?” Song Haoran smiled, then looked at them seriously.

President Bai Shui Tang said, “It just happened to be a coincidence, Miss Ying reviewed the accounts today. These were originally prepared for her, coincidentally it’s also available for you to see.”

“Oh, Song Ying already saw it?” Song Haoran nodded, then casually tossed the files aside, “Since she has seen them, I won’t bother.”

“Miss Ying also said there were no issues.” President Bai Shui Tang hurriedly added.

Suddenly, Song Haoran stood up, “There isn’t anything else, I’m in a rush, no need to see me off, I’ll leave by myself.”

“Hmm, okay.” President of Bai Shuitang hurriedly opened the office door for Song Haoran.

Before stepping out, Song Haoran suddenly paused and said, “By the way, the hinges of the ‘Gate of Life’ are a bit rusty, get someone to oil them when you have time. Otherwise, imagine those who come knocking on the ‘Gate of Life’ hearing a creaking sound every time they open it, it would be a bit terrifying.”

“I understand, I’ll immediately call the workers to repair it!”

President of Bai Shuitang watched Song Haoran and Luo Qiu enter the elevator, then quickly closed the office door and made a phone call, “Get someone to oil the hinges of the ‘Gate of Life’.”

After finishing the call, President Bai Shuitang frowned, then quickly opened a drawer in the desk where another phone was placed. He picked it up, thought for a while, and then made another phone call.

“There’s something… Song Haoran suddenly came…”

…

The receptionist was curious about who these two people coming out of the president’s office were.

Song Haoran was the charismatic type, always had a charming and pretty smile on his face, so the receptionist couldn’t help but glance a few more times — as for the person next to him, he seemed much more ordinary.

Always unintentionally overlooked, yet persistently unforgettable, like… like a distinctive ornamental decor placed in a room.

Song Haoran sincerely added incense in front of the Buddha statue in the chamber hall, then lit a few more sticks and handed them to Luo Qiu, “Whether you believe or not, it doesn’t hurt to pray, just for peace of mind.”

A sudden breeze blew through the hall, and the swirling incense smoke in front of the Buddha statue suddenly got disturbed.

Luo Qiu asked while holding the incense, “Has this Buddha statue been consecrated by someone?”

“Yes, it was a master from Thailand, my father spent a lot to invite him for the ceremony back then.” Song Haoran nodded, “How did you know?”

Luo Qiu said, “Some consecrated Buddha statues tend to have extra items, there’s an additional magic artifact here.”

“You really know quite a lot.” Song Haoran didn’t seem to mind.

Luo Qiu calmly said, “Recently, I’ve had someone knowledgeable around me, she’s taught me a lot.”

“That’s good.” Song Haoran nodded.

However, Luo Qiu extinguished the incense in his hand and returned it, calmly saying, “Since it’s already consecrated, I won’t add incense. The statue has a soul, better leave it for those in need.”

“Is there a significance to this?” Song Haoran paused for a moment, then said with a smile, “What a peculiar person… Alright, we should probably head back; my father might be getting anxious. If we don’t return soon, he’ll explode… I’m telling you, when my father explodes, it’s quite terrifying.”

Luo Qiu nodded, “Let’s buy some apples on the way back.”

…

Oni and Lluvia were still waiting by the car at the street corner, seeing Song Haoran and Luo Qiu approaching with a bag of apples, Lluvia promptly opened the rear door of the car.

Song Haoran let Luo Qiu sit first, then walked to the other side, at which point he whispered in Lluvia’s ear, “Check into Bai Shuitang.”

Lluvia nodded, then got in the car as if nothing happened.

…

…

Caroline took advantage of the restaurant’s busy morning opening to slip away quietly.

As for the expressions on the staff’s faces at the restaurant upon discovering something had been eaten in the kitchen, Caroline no longer wanted to think about it.

A night’s rest had restored quite a bit of her spirits.

But she suddenly didn’t know where she should go—she didn’t dare return home, fearing the police and the Boss of Boston’s people might be lurking there.

As for the hospital, she didn’t dare go there either; ‘Big Cousin and Second Cousin’ knew about her and Lawyer Carlo, going to the hospital would probably be walking into a trap.

Her wallet and her papers were not on her. She didn’t even have a coin to her name—for a moment, she contemplated breaking into the restaurant’s cash register to grab some money, but the register evidently had an alarm system, she couldn’t escape the restaurant, she had to wait for the police to catch her.

Yet born in a slum, surrounded by sights and sounds from an early age, Caroline had some survival skills—besides selling her body.

A target appeared ahead, an office worker engrossed in the newspaper while walking, a worthy choice—Caroline’s target was the man’s wallet.

However, she wasn’t a professional; she had only learned some thieving techniques from a female pickpocket she once knew, Caroline hadn’t really practiced these skills.

Stealing wasn’t as quick for her to earn money as lying on a bed—especially since she was still youthful and men liked her body.

Caroline deliberately bumped into this newspaper-reading office worker, intending to silently snatch his wallet from the bag from his kangaroo pouch while his attention was distracted, but was stricken with sudden dizziness.

She thus missed her best opportunity.

She fell to the ground, and the office worker reached out to help Caroline up, but she seemed lost, sitting there dazedly.

She sat there staring ahead.

A woman pushing a stroller was crossing the road… it was a green light, the woman was on the phone. At this moment, a red car seemingly unable to stop, perhaps due to some other reasons, directly crashed into the woman.

The woman’s body was hit far onto the road, and the stroller was crushed into a mess under the wheels, blood…

“Miss, miss, are you alright?”

A calling voice.

Caroline suddenly jolted, shivered all over, and jumped up, looking ahead, involuntarily blurting out, “Save…”

Only then did she realize, ahead it was a red light, there was no woman pushing a stroller. Caroline rubbed her forehead, “I… I’m fine, thank you.”

The office worker looked puzzled for a couple of seconds, then said, “Alright, be careful.” It seemed he was in a hurry to get to work—Caroline watched him walk away, a wave of annoyance in her heart, the wallet still not taken from his bag, missing a good chance.

Caroline shook her head, sighed, and decided to look for a new target.

She was suddenly gently bumped by someone.

“Oh, sorry.”

It was a woman, on a phone call, pushing a stroller, walking past her.

After unintentionally brushing against Caroline, the woman quickly apologized and continued her phone conversation, pushing the stroller and walking past.

“Oh… it’s nothing, just accidentally bumping into someone, where were we just now? Hair styling, right? Let me think, know a newly opened shop? Looks interesting…”

Moving away.

Up ahead at the crossroad.

Caroline watched in horror, her gaze wide open, wide open.