Hoodlum 07

Xie Xiaoli finally got herself a luxury car. The loan company had kindly offered a "rent-to-own" scheme, which meant she only had to pay a few dozen yuan a day to drive it. The car not only made her feel superior in front of her business partner but also made her husband seem unworthy of her.

Ads from Xing'an Loans kept popping up on her feed every few days—rent-to-own for bags, watches, even vacations. Xie Xiaoli was completely swept up in the fantasy. Dressed in designer clothes and cruising in her luxury car, she looked at her nail salon and thought, How could someone of my status still be stuck here? It was ridiculous that she was still painting nails for "poor girls." She grew increasingly convinced her partner was just jealous of her. Eventually, she handed the salon over to that friend.

"Tired? Life shouldn’t just be about work. You need poetry and adventure—run free!" The toxic positivity of Xing'an’s slogans filled her mind, though unfortunately, the woman who drove the sports car never returned.

Xie Xiaoli was determined to live the high life. She remembered hearing that woman mention a friend who, just by being fashionable and pretty, had caught the eye of a wealthy man and climbed the social ladder. Glancing at her husband, absorbed in his phone, she felt another surge of dissatisfaction. I want a divorce!

Luo Chenghui had secretly taken out a loan too. He’d done the math—his income could handle it, and the interest rates weren’t bad. Seeing Xie Xiaoli’s new car, he couldn’t resist and got one himself. But when he learned she’d quit her job, he started calculating. He didn’t want to end up paying her debts. He was still young, had a nice car now—maybe divorcing her would land him someone better.

They both filed for divorce at the same time, but the process stalled over "assets"—though all they had was debt, they still couldn’t agree on how to split it. The two fell into a cold war.

Fang Zhiyi walked into the office, and everyone stood to greet him. They admired their young boss—in just a short time, he’d untangled the chaotic accounts and even improved their pay.

"Brother Fang, that student we rejected before is back. Maybe we should take the deal? If we don’t, another company will," a bare-faced girl said, handing him a file.

Fang Zhiyi took it and tossed it straight into the trash. "No. How many times do I have to say it? To stay compliant, we have to let go of some business. You all want to end up in jail?"

The girl forced an awkward laugh. "Also… that couple’s case—you handed it to Xing'an. Won’t the higher-ups have a problem with that?"

Fang Zhiyi raised an eyebrow. "If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up. Just focus on your work."

She nodded. Dressed in a plain white T-shirt and jeans, no one would guess she was the one who drove a sports car to get her nails done.

"Little Liu, must be nice being rich, huh?" a young man teased.

Little Liu shook her head. "Exhausting. You have to act a certain way all the time. My hair alone takes hours. Nah, I’m just meant to be poor."

"Come on, you got bonuses, right?"

"Don’t spread rumors. Those came from Brother Fang’s own pocket."

The young man sighed, staring at the ceiling. "Weirdly, before, doing business always felt like someone was watching. Now, after Brother Fang’s changes, I feel way more confident."

A bespectacled man glanced at Fang Zhiyi, who was focused on his computer, and chimed in, "After Dong got locked up, I almost quit. This line of work is too risky. But now… maybe it’s worth sticking around."

Fang Zhiyi ignored their chatter. Right now, he was crafting an ad for Xing'an Loans—and targeting Xie Xiaoli and her husband. (Xing'an Loans: Thanks for the referral, kind stranger!)

It was Fang Zhiyi’s first time attending a management meeting organized by Eldest Son. In the conference room of a high-end hotel, seven or eight people sat around the table, each looking like a hardened veteran.

When Fang Zhiyi reported his numbers, the other managers scoffed.

Eldest Son frowned. "Zhiyi, your predecessor, A Dong, used to bring in triple what you’re delivering. Care to explain?"

Fang Zhiyi remained calm. "Risk management." He laid out his philosophy—lending wasn’t sustainable, especially after A Dong’s arrest. He’d pivoted to strictly legal operations.

"I heard you’re even sending business to rival companies?" a bald man mocked.

Fang Zhiyi met his gaze. "Ever heard of ‘killing with a borrowed knife’?"

The bald man’s face darkened, but before he could retort, Eldest Son cut in. "Good. Very good." He studied Fang Zhiyi with approval. Who knew A Dong had such a sharp subordinate? The real problem was the old-timers resisting change.

Fang Zhiyi stayed silent. He knew exactly what Eldest Son was thinking—though the original story barely mentioned him, it was clear he wanted to launder his operations under a legal facade. Fang Zhiyi’s approach played right into that.

Sure enough, when the police raided their loan company, every record was clean. Of course, Fang Zhiyi had been tipped off beforehand.

At the next meeting, Fang Zhiyi slammed the table, accusing someone of snitching. All eyes turned to the bald man—A Dong’s sworn brother.

The bald man stormed out, ignoring even Eldest Son. Watching the boss’s expression, Fang Zhiyi knew the trap was set.

But before he could twist the knife further, Little Hei urgently called him back—Wang Xiaoqiang had been eyeing Li Tiantian with ill intent.

Fang Zhiyi rushed home just in time to see a horrifying scene: Wang Xiaoqiang half-dragging, half-carrying Tiantian toward the sixth-floor stairwell window of their old apartment building—a large, glassless opening.

"You little bastard! Don’t you dare!" Fang Zhiyi roared, pulling out his phone to record.

Wang Xiaoqiang froze at the sound. When he spotted Fang Zhiyi, fear flooded him. As a hyper-aggressive type, he shouldn’t have been scared—yet his limbs turned to jelly under Fang Zhiyi’s glare.

The commotion drew neighbors, who gasped at the sight of Wang Xiaoqiang hesitating with Tiantian at the window’s edge.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Fang Zhiyi shouted, spotting Father Li sprinting upstairs.

Wang Xiaoqiang panted. "She’s just a worthless girl—what’s the big deal?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Fang Zhiyi saw Wang Xiaoqiang's parents step out as well, but they only looked up in terror without making a move. Enraged, he strode forward and kicked Wang Xiaoqiang's father in the back of the knee, sending him crashing to the ground.