Chapter 223: I Only Care About What’s Keeping You Up at Night
Su Tao sighed. “Stop pressing me about it. Anyway, it’s not like he was talking bad about you.”
Lei Xing insisted, “I don’t care if he badmouthed me. That’s not what I’m worried about. I only care about what’s bothering you so much that you can’t even sleep.”
Su Tao held back and held back—until she finally spat out four words: “Ask again, I’ll die.”
Lei Xing immediately shut up, looking at her with a wounded expression.
Su Tao gestured toward the rooftop, where the group was still partying.
“Go tell everyone to check their rooms now. If there’s anything that needs to be fixed or adjusted, report it to me by 10 PM tonight. I’ll take care of it, then get some sleep and catch up on rest. Don’t mess with my sleep schedule.”
Lei Xing waved a hand dismissively. “I already checked—everything’s fine. No need to ask them. They’re definitely satisfied.”
Then, he let out a loud whistle. “Brothers, get moving! Set up camp—we’re staying here tonight!”
The men cheered and got to work organizing their new base. The first thing they did was plant the Leopard Path team flag on the rooftop, letting it wave boldly in the wind.
Then, one by one, they all grabbed their personal belongings from Big Mouth and ran upstairs to claim their rooms.
Of course, they automatically left the best room on the second floor—the one facing south—for Lei Xing and even helped tidy it up for him.
Lei Xing laughed and called them bootlickers, but he still happily accepted it and asked, “Do you guys like the new place?”
Fire Snake let out an excited cheer.
“If we didn’t like this, what do you think we want, a crystal palace? Boss, let’s be honest, even if it weren’t for Boss Su, we’d still have to say—this place is way too comfortable and well-planned. Just the rooftop alone, you really get us.”
Big Mouth, who had spat out a lot of stuff today, let out a burp. “Agreed.”
The others also eagerly discussed their new base.
Not only did Lei Xing feel pleased hearing them, but Su Tao’s mood also improved quite a bit.
Seeing her smile, Lei Xing felt relieved, but he still couldn’t help but ask again, “Are you sure you don’t need my help? I can tell you’re dealing with something tough.”
Su Tao just shook her head. “Thank you, Lei Xing.”
Lei Xing clicked his tongue.
“Keeping things distant, huh? Fine, if you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask anymore. Every time I bring it up, your smile fades a little.”
Su Tao gave him a grateful smile.
Lei Xing sighed.
“I have a mission at the beginning of next month. Might be gone with the guys for half a month. Seeing you like this, I’m a little worried.”
Su Tao replied seriously, “Don’t let it get in the way of making money.”
The rent for this place was tied to the commissions Leopard Path earned from their missions.
The less they made, the less rent she could collect.
She very much wanted Leopard Path to get rich.
Lei Xing understood instantly. “Damn, you’re really all about the money. Don’t worry, you won’t lose out. But listen, the most important thing in life is freedom and happiness. Money’s just an external thing.”
Broke girl Su Tao refused to continue this topic.
*
Eastern District
“Boss… we found Leopard Path’s new base…”
Gu Mingchi lifted his eyes slightly to glance at his lieutenant. “Where?”
The lieutenant swallowed nervously and didn’t dare to speak.
Gu Mingchi frowned. “What, can’t say it?”
The lieutenant braced himself and blurted it out.
“Boss—they actually moved into the Old Station! Our people reported seeing them build a new base there—it’s amazing. A small building, a training ground, even a swimming pool! They’re so damn proud of it. That flag of theirs is flying so high, like they’re afraid people won’t know they’ve moved!”
Hearing this, Hui Suo, who was nearby, shrank back, avoiding their boss’s expression.
The lieutenant continued. “We investigated—Tan Yong was captured alive by Lei Xing, his status unknown. After Tan Yong went missing, the Old Station fell into chaos. Then, it looks like someone took over. It’s probably Lei Xing. But here’s the weird part—from the time Tan Yong disappeared to when Lei Xing took over, it was barely a month, maybe even less. And somehow, their new base is already fully built—like it appeared overnight.”
Gu Mingchi sat up straight. “Appeared overnight?”
The lieutenant frowned, trying to phrase it carefully.
“Maybe ‘overnight’ is an exaggeration, but it definitely popped up in an unbelievably short time. No normal construction could be that fast.”
Gu Mingchi seemed to realize something. His expression darkened so much it could hit the floor.
The people around him held their breath.
He narrowed his eyes, tapped his fingers on the table a few times, and then called his grandfather’s caretaker.
After casually asking about the old man’s health, he finally asked, “Xiao Lu, I heard there’s land in Taoyang available for rent?”
Xiao Lü thought for a moment. “I think so. I heard it was rented out to a mercenary group.”
Gu Mingchi’s face darkened even more. “Which mercenary group?”
Xiao Lü scratched his head. “I’m not sure. I’ve seen those people around but haven’t interacted much. All I know is that Manager Zhuang’s kid calls their captain ‘Brother Lei.’”
Gu Mingchi took a deep breath. “Got it. Take care of the old man.”
After hanging up, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
On one hand, he was furious that Leopard Path somehow got involved with Su Tao and snatched this opportunity first.
On the other hand, he was pissed that Zhong Gaoyi—this ungrateful bastard—knew about it but deliberately kept it from him!
His lieutenant waited until his anger had slightly subsided before cautiously asking, “Boss… are we still going to take their territory?”
Gu Mingchi, who had just started to cool down, immediately flared up again. He held back, but in the end, he still punched the guy.
“Take my ass! If you can snatch that land from Su Tao’s hands, you can take my place as the Eastern District’s boss!”
The lieutenant scrambled away.
Hui Suo, ever the smooth talker, quickly stepped in to put out the fire.
“Boss, I’ll find out exactly how much land Leopard Path rented. Then, we’ll rent double the amount, build something even better—maybe a dozen-story high-rise—and plant our Eastern District flag right on top so they have to look up to us!”
That successfully put out half the fire.
Gu Mingchi’s expression finally eased a bit, and he assigned him a task.
“For the next few days, keep in touch with Su Tao. You know what to say, right?”
Hui Suo responded smartly, “Boss Su says there’s no land for rent, but with a little persistence and encouragement, there might be.”
Then, he added, “Also, if Boss Su ever needs anything, she can always call you for help.”
The subordinates around them were stunned.
For the first time, they saw flattery delivered with such precision.
Sure enough, Gu Mingchi gave Hui Suo a deep look and said approvingly, “Very good. From now on, stay by my side.”
Hui Suo beamed with joy.
The others were full of envy.
Before this, only Doctor Zhong had stayed by the boss’s side for years, trusted above all.
Now, this kid had directly taken Zhong’s place and become a trusted aide.
Turns out, sucking up to Boss Su really worked!
