Chapter 59: Cost
In the afternoon, Yan Wenhan began his work. As expected by Xia Yu, Yan was highly competent and quickly adapted to various tasks without requiring a transition period. This made Xia Yu's workload lighter, giving him time to address other matters, such as stock trading.
Returning to the Kowloon Exchange, Xia Yu headed straight to HSBC's trading desk. As anticipated, Liu Tianci was there on Friday afternoon.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Liu!" Xia Yu greeted Liu Tianci.
"Hello, Mr. Xia!" Liu Tianci responded with a smile, setting aside his work to greet Xia Yu warmly.
"Mr. Liu, thank you for your help. I bought the car yesterday. I had something on this morning, so I couldn't come by. I'm here now to express my gratitude. You've been a great help!" Xia Yu said with a smile.
"Haha, it was nothing. We're friends, after all. It's only natural," Liu Tianci said, waving his hand dismissively.
Noticing Liu Tianci's slightly displeased expression, Xia Yu smiled but didn't comment further. Instead, he moved on to discuss his funds: "Mr. Liu, I'd like to check on my stock situation."
"Mr. Xia, you've made a profit. Your funds have reached eight million now. Impressive!" Liu Tianci said as he led Xia Yu to a designated area.
Xia Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise at the eight million figure, though upon reflection, it seemed reasonable.
Xia Yu had spent one million on real estate and another 220,000 on a car. He also gave 60,000 to Xia Jun and Xia Lei and withdrew an additional 20,000 as spare cash, totaling 1,300,000. Originally, his total funds were seven million, so after these expenditures, he should have had 5.7 million remaining, not eight million, indicating a discrepancy of 2.3 million.
However, Xia Yu had recently invested additional funds from the company's advertising revenue. After setting aside 220,000 for emergencies, the remaining 800,000 was invested in the stock market. Additionally, nearly 400,000 was returned by Liu Tianci as an apology. Combining these amounts resulted in 1.2 million. The remaining 1.1 million was earned from recent stock trades, making the total funds of eight million understandable.
Since it was Friday and the market would be closed for the next two days, Xia Yu planned to withdraw the funds and reorganize his capital for future trading.
"Mr. Liu, please assist me in withdrawing the funds today," Xia Yu requested.
"Sure, it's a small matter," Liu Tianci agreed.
After a brief conversation, Xia Yu left the Kowloon Exchange, citing company matters as the reason.
As Xia Yu was about to drive home at the end of the day, he found Xia Lei at the office looking for him. Xia Yu quickly approached.
"Lei, what's up? Is there something you need?" Xia Yu asked.
"Xia Yu, I've caught the person. He's locked up now," Xia Lei whispered, glancing around.
Xia Yu was taken aback, then his face lit up with joy. He clapped Xia Lei on the shoulder and said, "Lei, you did great!"
"Hehe!" Xia Lei scratched his head and chuckled. He hadn't expected to capture the person so quickly, attributing it to Xia Yu's 20,000 reward. The person was apprehended and handed over to him shortly after the reward was announced.
"Where is the person now? Is there a risk of being discovered by others?" Xia Yu inquired again.
"Don't worry, Xia Yu. I've already moved him to another location. My men are guarding him, so he won't escape," Xia Lei reassured.
"Alright, no need to rush. It's dinner time, and my parents are probably waiting for me. Let's go to dinner first, and we can deal with this in the evening," Xia Yu suggested.
"Sure, I'll follow your lead."
Xia Yu drove home with Xia Lei.
After dinner, Xia Yu excused himself, claiming company matters, and took Xia Lei to the location where the person was hidden.
The car wound through narrow roads to a remote area. After parking, Xia Yu followed Xia Lei to an abandoned house.
"Boss!" As soon as they entered, Xia Yu saw four people guarding two blindfolded and gagged individuals. The four men immediately bowed upon seeing Xia Lei.
Xia Lei nodded to them and intended to introduce Xia Yu, but Xia Yu shook his head slightly. Although Xia Lei was unsure why, he respected Xia Yu's wishes and led him straight to the captives.
"Are these the two?" Xia Yu asked, surveying the obviously beaten individuals.
"Yes!" Xia Lei nodded and instructed his men, "Remove their blindfolds and tape."
At Xia Lei's command, the two henchmen quickly removed the blindfolds. The sudden light made the two captives blink rapidly as they adjusted.
"Ah!" The captives cried out as the tape was forcibly removed.
"Boss, please spare us! We're sorry, have mercy, have mercy…" The captives, realizing their dire situation, begged.
"Stop shouting. If you're told not to speak, then don't!" one of Xia Lei's subordinates kicked the begging captives and shouted angrily.
"Understood, understood." The captives moaned in pain, refraining from speaking any further. They gazed at Xia Yu and Xia Lei with pleading eyes, but neither Xia Yu nor Xia Lei showed any sympathy.
"Who ordered you to steal the money?" Xia Yu demanded, looking down at them.
"Our boss did. We've already given the money to him. It's not with us. Boss, I'm sorry, please spare me…" one of them hastily answered.
Xia Yu frowned and exchanged a glance with Xia Lei. Xia Lei nodded and continued, "Who is your boss? Which gang are you from?"
"Our boss is Scarface Qiang. We're from the Black Shark Club."
"Scarface Qiang?" Xia Lei's face darkened as he recognized the name. Seeing Xia Yu's puzzled look, Xia Lei explained, "The Black Shark Club is a rival of our Tiger Club, and I've had a previous conflict with Scarface Qiang."
Xia Yu nodded slightly, saying nothing further.
At that moment, one of the captives recognized Xia Lei and exclaimed, "You're Lei Laohu from the Tiger Club?"
"That's right!" Xia Lei sneered.
Upon hearing Xia Lei's acknowledgment, the captives' faces turned pale, and they began pleading once more.
With this revelation, Xia Yu understood the situation. The two culprits were not only involved but were also enemies of Xia Lei, so there was no need for further consideration. Xia Yu instructed Xia Lei, "Lei, cripple their hands. Stealing from me comes with a price."
"Understood!"
"Li Zi, Fat Cat, break their hands," Xia Lei ordered his subordinates coldly.
"Got it, boss!" The two subordinates nodded, revealing cruel smiles as they drew out sharp implements.
"Don't, boss! Spare us, spare us, we won't do it again…"
"Spare us, boss… ah… ah…"
"Ah…"
As Xia Yu watched the brutal scene unfold, he remained emotionless. Though he had been a model citizen in his past life, that was a different era. In this chaotic Hong Kong, he had witnessed far more brutal acts. Moreover, from the memories of the big shots he had, Xia Yu knew many dark secrets. The current situation paled in comparison to those.
"Let's go, Lei. Hand them over to Brother Jun tomorrow," Xia Yu said as he saw the captives curled up on the ground, convulsing.
Xia Yu had no interest in wasting time with the small-time crooks. Having exacted the necessary punishment, he planned to send them to prison the next day. The matter would have the desired effect once it was publicized.
With the objective achieved, Xia Yu saw no reason to stay longer.
Xia Lei nodded and told his men, "Keep an eye on them tonight. Someone will come to take over tomorrow."
"Boss, don't worry. We'll guard them."
"Alright, boss, don't worry!"
...
Nodding to his men, Xia Lei left with Xia Yu. Given the remoteness of the location and the late hour, Xia Lei's presence was essential for Xia Yu to find his way out.