Chapter 85 Offering Amnesty
"This..." Li Shan thought for a moment and said, "We'll know if we try."
"What if he doesn't want to join us?" Liu Si frowned and said, "We can't force him to join us, can we?"
"This..." Li Shan narrowed his eyes and said, "If he really doesn't want to join us, then we will have to kill the chicken to scare the monkey."
"Good!" Liu Si nodded and said, "No problem!"
"So, do we need to think of a way to recruit this kid?" Li Shan asked.
"Who will go?" Liu Si asked.
"I'll go!" Li Shan spoke up, "Fourth Master, let me personally visit and persuade him. I will do my utmost to recruit him. Grant Fourth Master another capable arm."
"Okay, you go then." Liu Si laughed.
............
The new curriculum for the third year of high school had already ended, and now the students were just doing review exercises day after day.
The daytime events had disturbed Xiao Han, making him restless. He wasn't afraid of revenge from Liu Si's side for himself; he was scared for his mother and that Li Dapang might get involved because of this. Therefore, during the evening, Xiao Han could not settle down to review his lessons.
Just as Xiao Han lay on his bed quietly thinking, his phone suddenly rang.
An unfamiliar number.
Xiao Han quickly answered the call, "Hello?"
"Is this Xiao Han?" The voice on the other side was rather amiable.
"Who is this?" Xiao Han asked, puzzled.
"I'm Liu Si's assistant. My name is Li Shan." Li Shan had gotten Xiao Han's number from someone and had called him, planning to ask Xiao Han out for a good talk. Li Shan was Xiao Han's tactician and quite a smooth talker, so when Li Shan volunteered to persuade Xiao Han, Liu Si agreed without hesitation. With Li Shan involved, Liu Si felt there would be no problem.
"Li Shan?" Xiao Han was stunned and asked, "What do you want with me?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Let's meet for a chat!" Li Shan smiled and then said, "You caused some trouble today, so it's time to sort it out, right? Do you dare to meet up?"
"Where?" Xiao Han asked coldly.
"At Blue Mountain Coffee in the city center!" Li Shan replied, "I'll be waiting for you there!"
"Okay!" Xiao Han nodded.
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Han immediately got up from his bed, took his jacket, and headed out the door. The incident had already occurred, and it was time to bring it to a close. Since it had happened, he had to face it. Even if he could evade it in the short term, he wouldn't be able to dodge it forever.
No matter what was coming next, whether it was a violent storm or calm seas, he knew he had to face it head-on.
"Xiao Han, where are you going?" Mother Xiao asked anxiously.
"Oh, I have some business to attend to; I'll be right back," Xiao Han replied, giving his mother a sunny smile.
Seeing her son's smiling face, Mother Xiao felt quite relieved. She didn't know what had happened earlier in the day.
After Xiao Han left, he quickly hailed a taxi and headed straight for the city center.
Blue Mountain Coffee was a well-known café in LJ City and a quiet one too, with a nice ambiance, suitable for urban men and women to chat and get together. It was also a place for literati and artistic youths to sit and seek inspiration for their creations during their leisure time.
By the time Xiao Han arrived at Blue Mountain Coffee, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.
The café was quiet and warm. There weren't many people inside. After looking around, Xiao Han saw a middle-aged man sitting by the window on the left. He was wearing a black coat, with a black hat placed on the table. Seeing that he was alone, Xiao Han felt a tremor inside. Was he really on his own?
What were his intentions today? Xiao Han had expected many people, but this was beyond his expectations.
"Are you Li Shan?" Xiao Han approached him.
"Yes!" Li Shan nodded and said, "What do you think? Surprised?"
"Yes, I didn't expect you to be alone," Xiao Han replied candidly and then sat down opposite Li Shan.
"What would you like to drink?" Li Shan asked.
"Just a cup of Blue Mountain Coffee, please," Xiao Han replied. Blue Mountain Coffee was the café's specialty, using genuine Blue Mountain beans, a reason that the shop had thrived for so many years.
Soon, the waiter brought over a cup of coffee.
Xiao Han took a light sip and said, "Sigh, no matter what, I can never get used to coffee."
"You'll get used to it over time!" Li Shan replied.
Xiao Han's mouth curled into a smile and he said, "Mr. Li didn't specifically come to invite me for coffee today, did he?"
"Quite frankly!" Li Shan put down his cup and said, "Today, I am here under orders from Fourth Master to find you." Continue reading on empire
"Is it because of what happened during the day?" Xiao Han asked.
"Exactly!" Li Shan nodded and said, "Our place was smashed, and our people were injured. As the boss, Fourth Master definitely cannot turn a blind eye. Otherwise, others might think Fourth Master is easy to bully. However, Fourth Master is kind-hearted and doesn't want to hurt anyone. So, he sent me to find you!"
"Spill it, what's your purpose?" Xiao Han asked.
"Young brother, it's clear to see that you're a man who dares to act and take responsibility," Li Shan said with a slight smile. "Today, I came to discuss something with you, hoping that you could join us!"
The reason Li Shan had set the meeting at Blue Mountain Coffee and called Xiao Han out through a phone call was to test Xiao Han's courage. If Xiao Han dared to come alone, it would show he was indeed a tough character. If he didn't dare to come, then it would mean Li Shan had misjudged him.
Actually, Li Shan had never expected Xiao Han to truly dare to come. After all, Xiao Han was just a high school student, and Liu Si's reputation in LJ city was terrifying, not just to students, but even those in the underworld hardly dared to challenge Liu Si.
Not only had Xiao Han offended Liu Si, but he had also come alone to the meeting. This commanded respect.
"Join you guys?" Xiao Han seemed to not quite understand the other party's meaning.
"It's simple!" Li Shan looked at him and leisurely lit a cigarette as he said, "Fourth Master is short of men and hopes you can join us. Following Fourth Master, you'd live the good life. What do you think?"
"Fourth Master's reputation is well-known; how could he be short of men?" Xiao Han said with a disdainful smile.
"Of course, Fourth Master isn't short of people." Li Shan smiled and said, "However, Fourth Master lacks someone like you who is both brave and wise. He always cherishes such talents, so he sent me to persuade you to join us. Just join us, and you can choose which place you want to manage, with seventy to eighty people under your command. How about it?"
"I didn't expect Fourth Master to think so highly of me," Xiao Han laughed.
"That's for sure!" Li Shan nodded.
Xiao Han's lips lifted slightly in a smile and then he said, "However, I'm flattered that Fourth Master thinks highly of me, but I have no intention of joining any gangs."
"Xiao Han, today I didn't come to pull you into the gang but to bring you a message," Li Shan laughed and said, "I've delivered the message. As for your decision, you just need to tell me, and I'll report back to Fourth Master. The matter with Chen Ming definitely needs resolution, right? We are both from the underworld, and we can't just ignore it when our brothers are bullied.
This issue must be settled, whether for the police or the other brothers in the underworld."
"So, if I don't agree to your recruitment demands, you're going to give me trouble?" Xiao Han looked at him.
"Correct!" Li Shan nodded solemnly and calmly.
He took a deep drag from his cigarette, his gaze profound, and he gently flicked the cigarette, letting the ash fall into the ashtray. His eyes were fixed on Xiao Han's pupils, as if trying to read something in them. However, he was disappointed.
Xiao Han's eyes remained calm as still water, impossible to read his thoughts through them. All that could be seen were those clear eyes, as if impossible to fathom, let alone discern his inner thoughts and ideas.
Li Shan immediately realized that this young man before him was not simple. A person who could so easily conceal their thoughts and mask their mind through their eyes undoubtedly possessed exceptional ability. At least, Li Shan himself couldn't do it.
Xiao Han smiled lightly and said, "Is this what Fourth Master means?"
"Yes!" Li Shan nodded slightly. He decided to probe Xiao Han further, but before he could speak, Xiao Han suddenly stood up from his chair. With a small smile, he said, "Then you can go back and tell Fourth Master that although I, Xiao Han, come from humble beginnings, I am definitely not someone who gets scared easily. So, don't think I'm easy to bully. Got it?"
After speaking, Xiao Han turned and walked away.
Li Shan watched Xiao Han's retreating figure in astonishment; he hadn't expected such an intense reaction from Xiao Han. Logically, Xiao Han was in a weak negotiating position and should have been more humble. Yet, unexpectedly, the young man was even more assertive and arrogant. Although it was unclear where his confidence and audacity came from, it made Li Shan desire even more to conquer Xiao Han.
"Wait!" Li Shan quickly stood up and chased after him.
"What is it?" Xiao Han turned to look at Li Shan.
"Young brother, perhaps my tone was not quite right just now." Li Shan showed a sincere smile and then said, "I apologize for my attitude earlier. I hope you can sit down and have a proper talk with me, okay?"
Li Shan was a strategist who had been providing Liu Si with advice and strategies for many years. With broad experience and having met a wide array of people, he had been involved overseas and had visited the Golden Triangle. He had seen people struggling in their last moments and had seen those indulging in luxury and debauchery. However, he had never encountered someone as tough as Xiao Han.
To deal with a tough nut, one must use a soft approach.
Only then did Xiao Han turn around and sit back down. Seeing Xiao Han sit down, Li Shan felt immediately more confident. To handle someone like Xiao Han, one needs to take a softer approach; such people respond better to gentleness than to force.