Chapter 1703: Sun Kun’s Troubles

“Driving a taxi is not bad. Didn’t our city undergo massive road repairs earlier this year? Many people take the taxi when they are going somewhere, right?” Yang Ming laughed.

“It’s true, but… ai. Maybe, I am unlucky. I am hooked up with such a rental company with high costs. I can’t manage it!” Sun Kun smiled bitterly. “My son will soon start going to primary school. I still have not saved up enough for the school fees which are due in the second half of this year. ”

“High cost? Haven’t you fully paid for your car?” Yang Ming was a little startled.

“I have fully paid for it. My company charges high fees. My contract expires this year but the rental company still won’t let me go. I want to transfer to another company. But, they did not give me a release certificate… They forced me to renew my contract.” Sun Kun smiled bitterly. “There are a lot of unreasonable collateral terms in this contract. However, for people belonging to a disadvantaged group like us, there really is no other way…The boss of the rental company is someone with wealth and power. I can’t afford to offend him…”

“You cannot leave despite your contract expiring?” Yang Ming frowned. “Which rental company do you work for?”

“The Dade Elegant company…” Sun Kun said.

“I haven’t heard of it…” Yang Ming shook his head.

“You’re not in this industry. Of course, you won’t know,” Sun Kun laughed. ” No big deal. I can scrape together enough money. It’s just that the money for my child’s preferred school is still insufficient. I will enroll him in a primary school within the school district first. I will then transfer him to another school when I save enough money in the future.”

“Why didn’t your company release you? Did you breach the contract before?” Yang Ming nodded and asked.

“That’s not the case. The rental company just unilaterally refused to let anyone go. If everyone leaves, how is the owner going to make enough money to pay off his debts?” Sun Kun said. “There are a lot of workers with a similar predicament in the company. However, those with relationships and networks managed to leave the company once they were able to request influential people to speak to the boss.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll accompany you to have a look this afternoon.” Yang Ming said after he thought about it for a while. This was Sun Kun’s matter. Had it been someone else’s, Yang Ming definitely would not care about it. Every industry had its own unspoken rules. Yang Ming was not a hero. He would not interfere unless there were great interests at stake. It was just like how some of Bao Sanli’s industries were in the gray area in the past. Yang Ming just let him gradually end the business and did not force him to do otherwise.

“You?” Sun Kun hesitated, then immediately realized that the present Yang Ming was different from the past. Maybe, he could solve the problem. So, he said, “That’s great! If I can transfer to another company, I am more than willing to pay a small fee!”

“Let’s head over there first.” Yang Ming waved his hand.

Sun Kun nodded his head and thought in his heart that Yang Ming was still inexperienced in the taxi industry even though he was to how he was in the past. It was uncertain whether Yang Ming would be able to help out. However, Sun Kun was touched by Yang Ming’s enthusiasm.

Yang Ming and Sun Kun ordered the dishes first and waited for Zhang Bing to arrive. Not long after, Zhang Bing, Zhao Sisi, Chen Mengyan, and Lin Zhiyun entered the open-air stall.

Sun Kun saw Chen Mengyan and Lin Zhiyun laughing and walking together into the open-air stall. Suddenly, he was amazed. If he remembered correctly, these two women were in a relationship with Yang Ming and yet they actually came together at the same time. Furthermore, they were talking and laughing together. Sun Kun was surprised. Could it be that one of them has given up and so the two of them reconciled and became friends?

“Boss, what did you do to your car? How did you crash it to the point of ripping off a large section of paint?” Zhang Bing blurted as soon as he entered the door and saw Yang Ming. “There is a taxi next to your car, which also has paint ripped off. Did you both crash into each other?”

“Brother Kun,” Chen Mengyan and Lin Zhiyun greeted. They had both met Sun Kun with Yang Ming in the past and they were somewhat surprised to see him here.

“Chen Mengyan… Lin…” Sun Kun knew Chen Mengyan but couldn’t call out Lin Zhiyun’s name. Yang Ming had just ridden Sun Kun’s car with Lin Zhiyun once and they didn’t interact with each other much. Lin Zhiyun’s name was not even mentioned in the main storyline of “So Pure So Flirtatious”. It was not unusual that Sun Kun could not call out Lin Zhiyun’s name.

“Lin Zhiyun, my girlfriend,” Yang Ming introduced her to Sun Kun.

“Girlfriend?!” Sun Kun’s eyes widened and he gazed at Chen Mengyan, baffled. He felt peculiar deep down his heart when he saw that Chen Mengyan did not show any strange expression on her face. Could it be that this Yang Ming has two girlfriends? Are both girlfriends at peace with each other? This is too unbelievable, right?

” Brother Kun,” Lin Zhiyun also gave a friendly nod to Sun Kun.

“Oh… Hello, Lin Zhiyun.” Although Sun Kun still had doubts in his heart, he did not feel that it was appropriate to ask too many questions. He could only keep his questions to himself and nod to Lin Zhiyun.

“Zhang Bing, my dear brother,” Yang Ming said to Sun Kun as he pulled Zhang Bing over and patted him on the shoulder. “I mentioned him to you before. It’s just that we didn’t have the chance for all of us to get together.”

“Brother Kun, I heard my boss talk about you. When he didn’t have his own car, he would always ride in your car to come to my house,” Zhang Bing said with a smile. “This is my girlfriend, Zhao Sisi!”

“Brother Kun,” Zhao Sisi smiled and nodded to Sun Kun.

The dishes were served when everyone was seated, the dishes were served. Yang Ming skipped the pleasantries and started to nibble on a crab. Everyone then began to help themselves to the food. Unwittingly, Yang Ming had slowly become the head of the lunch table with everyone following how he acted.

This made Yang Ming a little helpless, but it could not be helped. His status had changed, and it was no longer possible to be the same way as before. Although Sun Kun had already adapted to the current situation, he was not as open and relaxed as before.

Because there were matters to attend to in the afternoon, nobody drank any alcohol. After lunch, Yang Ming asked Zhang Bing to take Chen Mengyan and the others back to school. He then accompanied Sun Kun to his rental company to see if he could solve the problem.

“Let’s go, Brother Kun. You lead the way, I will follow,” Yang Ming said to Sun Kun when they stepped outside the open-air stall.

“Let’s go!” Sun Kun would never go to the company alone because he knew very well that the boss had hired some suspicious people. He had clearly seen a car supervisor beaten up and thrown out by these suspicious people the last time he was there.

Obviously, these people were no different from punks. They were rude and unreasonable. Sun Kun was afraid of them. If Yang Ming was not there, he would not dare to mention anything about transferring to another company.

Sun Kun led the way with Yang Ming following behind. They soon came to a three-story building that was located in a cheaper neighborhood. There was a sign on the three-story building that read “Song Jiang City Dade Elegant Taxi Company”.

Sun Kun parked his car in front of the building. Yang Ming parked his car next to him.

“Yang Ming, here we are…” Sun Kun said to Yang Ming after he got off. “Don’t be impulsive after you enter. The people here are not good people. It’s scary. These people are like the underworld criminals. There are many thugs. We better not have a direct confrontation with them.”

“Thugs, you say?” Yang Ming looked at the three-story building and sneered in his heart. If Yang Ming was still the past little hooligan, he might have been frightened. However, Yang Ming now was a person who had annihilated the Goldenhawk Gang headquarters. Why would he be bothered by such petty nobodies?

“Yes, you can have a look in a moment. It’s okay if you can not find a solution. I can still get by driving for this company. I just need to pay more expenses and earn less, but I can still survive,” said Sun Kun.

Yang Ming understood the situation of Sun Kun’s family. His wife had divorced him, leaving him to raise the children alone. It really was not easy. This was the main reason why Yang Ming wanted to help him.

“Let’s go in and take a look.” Yang Ming nodded, motioning Sun Kun to lead the way.

Sun Kun was familiar and entered the company with ease. The guard on duty at the reception room door glanced at him and recognized that it was Sun Kun. He then lowered his head and ignored Sun Kun.

Yang Ming followed Sun Kun to the second floor and came to a room with a “business consultation” sign. Sun Kun knocked on the door.

“The door is unlocked! Come in yourself!” An impatient male voice yelled from the inside.

Sun Kun was not bothered. Apparently, he was accustomed to it. But Yang Ming frowned. This attitude was too nasty. From what he knew, the original purpose of the taxi companies was to serve the taxi drivers. Now, it seemed that there were some black sheep among them.

Chapter 1704: I Have Stopped Being a Boss For Many Years

Sun Kun opened the door and walked in with Yang Ming.

In the office, a bald man sat with his two legs on the desk, and a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He was playing the “Dou dizhu [1]” game on the computer. He heard someone coming in and asked without raising his head, “Who is there? Do you have any matters?”

“Brother Zhao, it’s me, Sun Kun,” Sun Kun replied quickly and respectfully.

“Sun Kun?” The bald man looked up at Sun Kun and said impatiently, “What are you here for? Renewing the contract?”

“No… I just want to ask about transferring companies…” Sun Kun said quickly.

“What did you say?” The bald man raised his eyebrows, let go off the computer mouse and raised his head with a vicious expression. “You tell me again. What are you here for?”

“I… I said that I wanted to transfer to another company… My contract here has expired…” Sun Kun said carefully. If he did not come with Yang Ming, he would have backed down at this time.

“Transfer to another company? Transfer your head. Didn’t I tell you that you can’t transfer to another company? Do you even want to survive in the taxi industry?” The bald man yelled in anger as he hit the table and wiped his nose with his hand.

“Big Snot Zhao?” Yang Ming had a feeling of familiarity when he first saw this bald man surnamed Zhao. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember where he had met him. But, when Yang Ming saw his habitual action of wiping his snot a moment ago, Yang Ming suddenly remembered who this person was! Isn’t this man Zhao Dabao, nicknamed, Big Snot Zhao? He used to mingle with me when I was in junior high school.

Zhao Dabao was roaring and suddenly heard someone call his nickname. He was startled for a moment. Since he became someone important and became the manager of a rental company, very few people would address him as “Big Snot Zhao”. Instead, they would address him as “Brother Zhao” or “Manager Zhao”.

Zhao Dabao was a little surprised when someone suddenly called him by his nickname. Before this, he did not pay attention to the person beside Sun Kun. Only then did he turn his attention to Yang Ming and carefully size him up.

“Huh?” Zhao Dabao cried out in astonishment. He put his legs down from the table and stood up. He walked in front of Yang Ming, looked at him carefully and recognized him instantly. He pointed his hand at Yang Ming, “Brother Yang?”

“Big Snot Zhao, do you still recognize me? Looks like you are not doing too bad.” Yang Ming looked at Zhao Dabao with a faint smile. If it was not because he and Zhao Dabao were acquaintances, how could Yang Ming tolerate Zhao Dabao when he was babbling like a child? He would have already slapped him on the face!

“I am doing okay!” Zhao Dabao felt somewhat proud in front of his former gang boss and puffed out his chest. He felt satisfied and his vanity reached an unprecedented high. “Brother Yang, you are not coming here to enquire about the taxi business, right? Don’t worry, if you come to our company, I will surely take care of you!”

Sun Kun was overjoyed when he saw that Yang Ming and Zhao Dabao knew each other. He first thought that today’s matter would have gone down the drain, but he did not expect things to take a new turn! Seeing that Yang Ming and Zhao Dabao were acquainted with each other, Sun Kun felt that the matter might be resolved today!

Yang Ming smiled and shook his head, “I’m not in the taxi business. I’m accompanying him.”

Yang Ming pointed his finger at Sun Kun while saying so.

“Accompanying him? Sun Kun?” Zhao Dabao glanced at Sun Kun and his face became gloomy, “Brother Yang, what are you accompanying him here for?”

Seeing Zhao Dabao’s face, Yang Ming knew that there was an eighty-percent probability that Zhao Dabao was already used to being bossy and overbearing. Zhao Dabao had also forgotten that Yang Ming was his gang boss in the past.

“Since we are acquaintances, it’s easy to handle. Big Snot Zhao, please give him a certificate and let him transfer to another company,” Yang Ming glanced at Sun Kun and said to Zhao Dabao.

“Transfer to another company? That’s impossible,” Zhao Dabao flatly rejected Yang Ming’s proposal.

Yang Ming was astonished that Zhao Dabao was so firm and merciless! Yang Ming thought that Zhao Dabao would be tactful and speak diplomatically. He never thought that this little kid would be so straightforward.

Sun Kun was also surprised. Before this, he had witnessed how Yang Ming and Zhao Dabao were familiar with each other. Why didn’t Zhao Dabao give face to Yang Ming at all?

“Big Snot Zhao, what is the meaning of this?” Yang Ming looked coldly at Zhao Dabao, “You don’t even bother to give me face? Don’t forget. When you were beaten in the past, who was the one that helped you?”

“Hehe, Yang Ming, you said it too. It was in the past!” Zhao Dabao sneered and said. ” It was because I gave you face that I answered to you when you called me ” Zhao Big Snot”. Who dares to even address me with this nickname? I addressed you as “Brother Yang” also because I gave you face! If I didn’t give you any face, you are nothing! Do you think that it is still like our school days? Do you still think that you are the “boss” ?”

“Really? Do you really think so?” Yang Ming looked at Zhao Dabao with a faint smile and asked him in return.

“I haven’t been a boss for many years… I don’t like being at the cold bedside…” Zhao Dabao sang with a nasally voice. He winked at Yang Ming with a mocking expression, “Yang Ming, Boss Yang, do you know my current identity? Do you know who I mingled with?”

As soon as he heard Zhao Dabao mockYang Ming with a parody, Sun Kun knew that things were not good. Now, it seemed that he no longer had the chance to transfer companies. This Zhao Dabao didn’t give Yang Ming any face at all. He even mocked Yang Ming.

However, Yang Ming was not angry when he heard Zhao Dabao singing. He started laughing instead. Why is this scene so familiar? It seems like a long time ago. Where have I seen this before?

Since Zhao Dabao did not cherish old friendships, Yang Ming did not feel the need to give Zhao Dabao any face. He also did not feel the need to consider old feelings and sentiments. This Zhao Dabao was so ignorant of current affairs. Yang Ming had no choice but to let him suffer for a while.

Yang Ming reached out and lifted up Zhao Dabao by his neck. “Your voice isn’t really good. Your voice is unbearable when you sing.”

“Cough, cough… put me down …” Zhao Dabao did not expect Yang Ming to be so strong. In fact, Zhao Dabao was also very strong. But unexpectedly, he was lifted up by Yang Ming with just one arm, “Put me down first…”

“Are you going to let him transfer or not?” Yang Ming asked coldly.

“I… Put me down first. Then, we can discuss this…” Zhao Dabao replied with an increasingly red face. Yang Ming’s grip was choking him.

“Yang Ming, don’t be reckless…” Sun Kun saw Zhao Dabao’s face turning purple as he was being suffocated. Suddenly, he was shocked. He was afraid that Yang Ming would cause an accident. It would not be good if any human life was lost. So, he quickly dissuaded him, “Yang Ming, please let him go first.”

“Bang”, Yang Ming threw Zhao Dabao to the ground. ” Since Brother Kun asked so, I will spare you this time. I may not be your boss now, but I can still teach you a lesson.”

At first, Zhao Dabao was still a little afraid of Yang Ming, but when he heard Yang Ming call Sun Kun as “Brother Kun”, he was relieved instantly! Zhao Dabao knew the ins and outs of Sun Kun. Since Yang Ming addressed Sun Kun as “Brother Kun”, he was just an ordinary person, and not someone powerful. Sun Kun could certainly not call over someone powerful.

“Yang Ming, you’re something. You dare to lay a finger on me. Do you know the consequences?” Zhao Dabao suddenly stood up again, pressed the intercom system on the table and started shouting into it, “Brother Liang, someone is making trouble and wrecking the place. Bring someone over immediately!”

After speaking, Zhao Dabao looked at Yang Ming with a wicked look, “Yang Ming, you better kneel on the floor and kowtow to me three times. If you do so, I will spare you this time. Otherwise, you will see whose territory you are on. I will break both of your legs!”

“It seems that you are still unwilling to give up!” Yang Ming sighed. “I took into account our past acquaintance and did not ruthlessly beat you up. But, now it seems that you still do not realize and even dared to call someone. Fine then. If that’s the case, it’s up to you.”

If Yang Ming wanted to prevent Zhao Dabao from calling his people, he would stop him from using the intercom system. However, Yang Ming was not afraid of Zhao Dabao calling for backup.

“Hey… Boss Yang, Crazy Yang. Do you still think that you are the king of fighters? Can you deal with a group of armed men alone?” Zhao Dabao said sarcastically when he saw Yang Ming being so calm.

Yang Ming shrugged his shoulders and did not take Zhao Dabao’s words to heart at all.