Maple Street, 3rd house, second floor.

In the living room with giant cube chandelier, Naruto leaned against the white-colored wall beside the entry point, north from him, Xu Zhihong sat on blue Naomi chair, pouring a Romanee Conti red wine into two translucent gla.s.s.

"We should celebrate our union, after all, it's a start toward our succession," he put down the wine, placed one of the gla.s.s away from him, then grabbed one for himself.

"I follow you here not for some gay reunion, show me the evident and tell me what you want," Naruto closed his eyes while his arms crossed over his chest.

"Suit yourself," Xu Zhihong shrugged, he took a sip of the wine before stood from his chair, "it's in my study room."

He strolled to his right as Naruto followed in tail.

The house interior mixed between Italian and Oriental design, the marking on the wall and several statues inspired by various Italian country, while the furniture and other ornaments hailed from Asia.

They entered a rather-not-so big room, 3 shelves with silver color lined up on the left side of the room while one desk with unique lamp on the right side, placed in diagonal position. Xu Zhihong took out his shoes and slipped his feet in the available slipper on the grey carpet that covered the entire floor.

Naruto wrinkled his eyebrow, without a care he stepped inside the room, leaving behind several distinguishable brown colors on the ground surface.

Xu Zhihong eyes twitched as he cursed Naruto uncultivated behavior inside his heart. He needed to change the carpet, ASAP.

He went into the middle shelf and pulled out a blue colored book, it halted midway then the set of book besides it trembled before they slowly sank into the rack.

"It seems you're over-cautious," Naruto chuckled.

"Men have to protect their secret, don't you agree?"

Naruto shrugged, neither acknowledged or denied it.

A golden colored safe appeared on the wall behind the previous set of books, it had a rounded lock number, and two scanners on its side. Xu Zhihong raised his hand and twisted around the lock, the scanners lighted up the moment 'click' sound came from the lock, he pushed out his thumb, forefinger, and ring finger on the left scanner then leaned his right eyes toward the right scanner.

*Clack!*

After a few seconds, the safe swayed open, Xu Zhihong grabbed the edge and pulled it, revealing a lot of things, including gold bars, jewels, and stacked of doc.u.ments. He grabbed few of them before took back his hand and didn't bother closing it back.

He walked toward the desk and placed the doc.u.ments there.

"Go on, sate yourself for Lin Ruoxi true nature," he sneered and sip his wine, conducting evil deed perhaps made him thirsty.

Naruto stayed a while before he walked closer and grabbed one of the files, there were several reports and pictures within it. He widened his eyes for a brief before returned them back to normal. Xu Zhihong lips twitched in disappointment, he expects to see a pale face or immeasurable shock but Naruto's calm temperament really beyond his expectation, he even started admiring this blondie person.

Naruto put down one and grabbed another, three in total but none of them brought out any great expression from the man aside widened or squinted his eyes.

He put down the last file then glanced at Xu Zhihong, "Then what do you want me to do?"

"You know about our cooperation in the upcoming exhibition, right?" No response from him, Xu Zhihong continued, "I wanted you to check and report me what's her plan in regarding this."

"Why do you think she has sort of plan to trick you?" Naruto wrinkled his forehead.

"Don't tell me after what you read, you still think she's naive and straight businesswomen?" He shook his head.

"..." Naruto curled his underlips, "if it was before our fight, it will be easy for me to get close to her, but now..."

"Well, that seems the problem you have to solve isn't it?"

Naruto turned silent, he glanced at the safe before backed to Xu Zhihong, "I know a way, give me your diamond."

"What?!" Xu Zhihong almost choke on his own wine, this diamond he bought with a great price, it's a heart of eternity diamond, excavated from the deepest earth, only three of them existed and lucky for him to be able to require the last one, "absolutely not, are you trying to rob me?!"

"Why do you so aggravated, don't you plan to marry her? In the future that diamond fell into your hand again."

"Eh?" Xu Zhihong startled, he rubbed his chin as he pondered, he found the truth behind Naruto's word.

"Besides, I need something to win back her trust, imagined if I come back with that, I gained her trust almost in the second," Naruto shrugged.

"But you need to explain to her how you got it," Xu Zhihong squinted his monolid eyes.

"Eh, not a big deal, I'll tell her that I found the diamond in a dumpster," he waved his hand without care.

*Splut!*

Xu Zhihong held his mouth as he almost spewed blood from inside his guts, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Saying it to her, you found it in a dumpster? Who will believe that?! Also isn't that mean you consider my house as the center of trash?!

If not for their collaboration or Naruto's strength, he swore he'll choke this b.a.s.t.a.r.d to death.

"Of course in order to make her believe me, I'll say I have fought against a thirty... no, a hundred hobos in order to gain it," he said with a deadpan expression.

This time Xu Zhihong really cannot bear it, he glared fiercely, "Are you a moron?! You think someone like her will believe such a bulls.h.i.+t?!"

"Hey, if I say I fought a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, she kicked me out in the instant, besides, hobos were dangerous, they have scabies," Naruto grasped his body in s.h.i.+vered, then he stared in bored at him, "if you have a better way, then please, I'll listen."

Xu Zhihong frowned deeply, for a woman like Lin Ruoxi, it was definitely hard to please, after all, few things she couldn't buy in this world with her current wealth, and a rare diamond like the heart of eternity included as one of them. Besides, if they later arrived at the wedding table, that diamond will return into his hand again.

Gritting his teeth, he faced Naruto with unwillingness, "Fine! I give you the diamond, just make sure she didn't lose it!"

"Don't worry, I help her take care of it," Naruto nodded, then he scratched his cheek, "you know, if you want to really attract her attention, you also should give her something you know..."

"You think I didn't try that?!" Xu Zhihong snorted, he sat on his desk, "I give her tons of present already, from an expensive bag into a luxury car but she rejected them, humph, pretending hard to get or she just a too high requirement."

Naruto sighed, "You just don't know her, I live with her, she has the stuff you wanted to give, that's the reason why she denied them..."

Xu Zhihong pondered, "So what do you think she want?"

Heavy line appeared on Naruto's forehead, it seemed he thought deeply, then as if a bulb lightened beside his head, he faced Xu Zhihong brightly, "I know!"

He jumped from his desk, and excitedly stared at Naruto, "what?"

"Give her your company share, that she definitely will not reject!"

*Boom!*

"f.u.c.k!" Xu Zhihong stomped his foot, "you think company share as peanuts that you can just give to people?!"

"What? Did you usually give out peanuts to people?"

"That's not my point!"

Shares represent fractional owners.h.i.+p of a company. Imagined if you created a hot dog stand, you and a partner, each invest 15 dollars, thus there will be two shares of the stand, each worth 15 dollars, and the company worth 30 dollars. Now, let's make an a.s.sumption that the hot dog stand made 20 dollars after expenses, the stand worth rose into 50 dollars, and each of them shared a worth 25 dollars.

Of course, it just a small comparison and a hotdog stand wouldn't compare to a corporation.

But this was still not something you could just give to people, because that person would have the right to say a word or submit a vote regardless the size of their share except the influence would be different.

People who owned the majority of share could affect the entire company direction since they have the power to point out a board of directors, people who responsible for overseeing the company and had several special rights such as firing a CEO or other executive officer.

"Well, how much you got?" Naruto wrinkled his eyebrows.

"... twenty percent."

"Is that big or small in your company?"

"Most of the rest shareholders only had under the twenties, except several people."

"Eh, turn out you not that awesome as people think," Naruto sneered, which gained a twitch on Xu Zhihong lips.

"Well, whatever, if you truly want to smooth your process, give her a part of your share, even only 5%, don't you know that every wife of successful CEO always had a piece of share from their husband?"

"But she's not my wife yet..." Xu Zhihong face darkened.

"She soon to be, right?" Naruto looked at the man with a bored expression.

Xu Zhihong frowned as he sat back on the desk, after several minutes pa.s.s, he stood up and sighed, "Fine..."

"Good boy... I mean man!" Naruto yawned, "now chop chop, give me the diamond, it's getting late."

Xu Zhihong snorted before he rose from his desk, gathered up all the files and strolled toward the safe. He placed them inside and fished out the Heart of Eternal, he faced Naruto with still reluctance in his eyes.

"Come on, remember, it will return into your hand," Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Take care of it, or I swear..." He clenched his free hand.

"You chop my arms, cut my tongue, and gouge my eyes? Yeah, whatever." Naruto leaned closer and picked up the diamond.

He stared at the gemstone for a while, it glistening with a vivid blue colored, resembled a very deep and dark ocean. Naruto smirked before he unb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt and placed the gemstone inside.

Xu Zhihong's heart bleed in distressed, seeing such a precious and world treasure item carelessly held in such unruly place.

"Well, now everything's done, time for me to go, you may continue your 'activity' from before," Naruto turned around and waved his hand toward behind him. Leaving the spiritless Xu Zhihong, sinking in his own vexation.

(***)

Jiang Wei stared intently at the gun on her table, her hand reached out to it before halted in the air, her body s.h.i.+vered as she took back her hand and returned staring again. Her situation made her remembered pa.s.sages from a famous poetry:

So many roads to take

Which one shall I choose?

Even though she did agree with the deal, but must she has really to do this? Was there no other path? She could launch an a.s.sault toward the crocodile man and forced him to join her side, but he definitely not going to surrender without a fight, this will cost the army she needed to fulfill the requirement to attack her father bases.

Underworld Organization Summit was Zhong Hai city special event that held once every year primarily to summarize what happened in that current year, and what about to come in the next. This event will be attend by the smallest force till the largest one in the city.

An underworld organization could be cla.s.sified into four rank:

1. The lowest would be a community, consisted of many gangs that spread out throughout the region, they still have a different from one to another, thus their bond based on the agreement to not disturb or attack each other. Their influence ranged very limitedly.

2. Once two gangs abandoned their own idea and agreed to merge into one, the society would be born, and after that, they could force other gangs to join the society or submit under their control. The largest influence they could have was an entire city.

3. The third would be a mafia, a transformation from a society where they managed to spread their influence toward the neighbor city, town, or village.

4. The fourth would be a Familia, where their influence reached out into other country and nation, and have their own base there.

In order to become a mafia, a society must able to seize the entire city first and take control other influence, they don't have to change their name, so long they willing to submit to the said society. So... even though they have influence outside the city but other still rebelled against them, they still cannot fully transform into a mafia.

This event would formally graduate and acknowledge their status based on the fact they received. Each first-rate society influence nominated one person acted as the leading board of the event, her father was one of them.

Jiang Wei took a deep breath and stood from her seat, she walked around her room, while her mind still occupied with her problem. She didn't mind using people, let them do things useful for her, of course, she always make sure the thing they did will not cost their life.

She sat on the ground, leaning her right shoulder against the full-sized window, she hugged her knees and tilted her face toward her open-air backyard. The peacefulness of scenery outside made a smile out of her lips.

*Thud!*

She glanced toward her door and smiled brighter as she saw the person who entered her room.

"What are you doing?" A gentle smile crept on the person as he strolled toward her.

Jiang Wei shook her head, she stood up and leaped toward the man's embrace.

His bosom always warm... always...

"I missed you..." The young lady smiled faintly as she closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't spend much time with you..." The man held her close and buried his nose on her hair, smelling the fragrant it leaked.

"Hehe, I don't mind, even though you only met me once a week, it will be enough..."

"Rose..." He left her hair, grabbed her chin before leaning in and held her attractive lips.

"Um..."

The kiss only lasts for a while before he raised his head, "Don't say it like that, you make me love you dearly..."

"Hehe, do you love me?" She playfully looked up, pressing her chin against his chest.

He pondered a while before grinningly faced her, "maybe~"

"Humph, hateful!" She pinched his waist.

"But you know what?" He nudged his nose against hers, "my Rose is the most fragrant woman in the entire world, so it's impossible for me not to treasure you with all I had."

"...Smart-a.s.s..." Jiang Wei blushed as kept her face against his chest.

They stayed in the position for quite a while, before Naruto patted her plump b.u.t.t, "You ate dinner yet?"

"No, you know I don't eat at night, my diet program," she honked her mouth cutely.

"What's the need for you to diet anyway, your already like a thin paper like this."

"Hey, I'm not skinny!"

"Yeah? Well, you don't have meat at all..."

"What are you saying, I have meat in me!"

"Where?"

"He-"

Jiang Wei halted her speech as she pointed at her chest, looking at the smirk on that hateful face, her face suddenly flushed red.

"Hateful you pervert!" She grasped his arm and bit on it.

"Yeow! You really have a dog as an ancestor..." He bitterly said.

"Hmph, serve you right!" She crinkled her dainty nose and pouted.

He laughed a bit and brushed her head, "Come on, make an exception and dress pretty today, let's have a dinner."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up and glee groomed in her face.

"Yeah," he chuckled and lightly pinched her nose.

"Where are we going to eat?" Her heart beat in excitement as her mind picturing a single candle, with a little fire danced on the top of it, a bottle of expensive wine stood proudly between two grail gla.s.s, a good cook black bone chicken served in front of her and slow rhythm of music played in the background.

He pondered and nodded his head to her, "Let's look for a stall."

(***)

Jiang Wei walked along the path with her left cheek puffed out as Naruto guided her body by holding her hand. She wore a red mantle with a pants reach out to her knee.

Naruto chuckled as he saw her appearance, "You look adorable, like a child denied to go to the amus.e.m.e.nt park."

"Thanks for the compliment," she said with a deadpan expression.

They only managed to reach slightly outside the wine street before Naruto caught a stall selling a mutton skewer, he dragged the half-hearted Jiang Wei toward the direction.

"Good evening!" The seller greeted with cheerful voice, he's a middle-aged man with a small figure.

"Good evening!" Naruto showed his pearl-white teeth while Jiang Wei just gave a small nodded.

"Eat here or takeout?" The stall came in a square wheel cart, with an extended table and a small wooden bench, the middle-aged man kept fanning the charcoal under the grill.

"1 portion, takeout..."

"Coming right away!"

Jiang Wei a bit startled as she heard Naruto ordered a takeout, but nevertheless her heart remained irritated, not that she hated eating something from a stall but whenever someone talked about taking dinner outside, everyone always expected a romantic setting, especially when it comes to a couple, what made her more irritated was that as if he didn't take notice, not even try to cheer her at all. When she thought things couldn't be more annoying, three punk looking men approached the stall, they looked extremely messy with rings on their nose and ears.

"Pop, give us the usual, quick!" One of them with a red streak mohawk hair spoke.

"Do you have money now?" The middle-aged man wrinkled his thick eyebrows.

"Put in our tabs, we pay it later!" The red-streak man waved his hand.

"No! You guys haven't paid for a month and don't tell you don't have money, because I know you actually have them but you spent all in booze and smokes," he glared at the bunch of misfit dudes.

*Bang!*

The man with a skull mark on his tanned shoulder kicked out the stall, "d.a.m.n you pop, you tired putting your stall here? If not for our protection, other already told you to scram!"

"There is no such a thing as protection, no one ever bother me aside from you!"

"This f.u.c.ker getting on my nerve, gave us what we want or we screw your stall!"

"I'm not fear of you, come and try!" The middle-aged man raised his pale yellow sleeves, "today you can only pay if you want to eat my mutton!"

"Brother on! Let's show who's in charge here!" The four of them readied to fight when Naruto suddenly appeared between them.

"Gentlemen, please calm down, there is no need for violent," Naruto glanced at the middle-aged man, he smiled, "Sir, how about letting me pay for their debt, sounds good to you?"

"Customer?" The middle-aged man all startled before his face turned fierce, "you don't have to s.h.i.+eld for them, these people just a bunch of waste who s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g people's lives!"

"G.o.ddammnit, you want to die?!" The three of them clenched their teeth like a bunch of hyenas readied to pounce.

"Sir, I just want my order ready so I and my girlfriend can eat, we starving..." Naruto bitterly looked at him.

The middle-aged widened his eyes before turning red in embarra.s.sment, he glared at the three dudes before sighed, "Fine, you guys can have it for free but in the next time please bring out money, it's not easy to sell these days."

"Sir, I'm truly can pay for them..." Naruto wrinkled his eyebrows.

He shook his head, "No customer, please just forget it, I get your food ready." He ran back toward the grill and started busy.

"Haha! If you just obedient since the beginning, we don't have to start such a feud!" The red streak man laughed, earning a snort from the middle-aged man. He glanced his eyes toward Naruto and lit his eyes as soon he saw Jiang Wei.

Even though she's not showing much skin or wore super tight fitting clothes, but her making, and appearance enough to make this man's blood br.i.m.m.i.n.g heatedly. Living around the wine street, they tended to play with many hookers and they all had only so-so in the face, they knew about the exotic Mei Mei but her price was so high that men with a shallow pocket like them can only dream.

They never went into the rose bar since they didn't have a hooker and not dazzling like other, so they thought such bar must be quite boring.

As for Jiang Wei herself, although she lived in the area, she rarely went out in person, her exercise always done inside the bar and she used cars if she wanted to go somewhere.

"Brothers look, pretty chick there," he leaned backward, placing his palm beside his lips, and whispered.

"You just noticed? f.u.c.k, you slow dude! I have been checking her out since our first entry," the dude with a blue vest showed his disdain.

"f.u.c.k! Why you didn't tell us?!" The skull-mark man snapped his face toward him.

"You guys were to focus with the middle-aged man, I thought you... you know, no longer interest in women?" He sneered.

"Screw you, we not gay!" They both glared at the blue-vest man, causing him to s.h.i.+ver.

"Alright, alright, what should we do?"

"What else, let's bring her home and have fun!" The skull-mark man nodded excitedly

*Pa!*

"Are you moron?! You think she will just say yes and come with us?" The red-streak hair man slapped the person behind him.

"Eeh, what should we do? We couldn't just possible let her go, right?" A pair of unwilling eyes looked at Jiang Wei, her enticing natural lips, a pair of alluring onyx eyes, and her smooth cheek that dying to be kissed.

"I know, give me your phone..." The red-streak hair man said after a brief pause.

"Why?"

"Just give me!" The guy with blue vest gave his blackberry to him, the red-streak man held both his hand on the phone and pressed his thumb on the touchscreen, after some time, a crack appeared on its surface.

"My-!"

"Shush, watch me!"

The red-streak man strolled toward Naruto, he hit his shoulder, pretend stumbled and smacked the phone on the stall, he raised the phone and looked horrified, "Holy c.r.a.p, the surface crack!"

He glanced toward the blue vest man, his eyes blinked several times, "I'm sorry man, I didn't mean it!"

"No!" The blue vest jumped in fright, almost looked realistic, or maybe it was.

Naruto and Jiang Wei looked at them with bored eyes.

He ran closer and s.n.a.t.c.hed his phone, "Huuum, I save a lot of money for buying this phone..."

Looking at his friend crying with real tears, the red-streak hair man felt bad, but as what they said 'in order to gain something, you must ready to sacrifice something', he glared fiercely at Naruto, pointing his hand, "It was his fault! He hit me with his shoulder thus making me stumble, he must pay for your loss! And my medical expenses!"

The skull-mark man finally understood his intention, he jumped in and excitedly nodded, "Yes! I see it my own eyes!"

The blue-vest man still crying on the ground, didn't even give them any response, their eyes twitched, the skull-mark man silently kick his back, this startled the man, with snot, saliva, and tears, he said: "Huuum, yesss, hic, hic, take responsibility..."

"You heard him, take out your money! If you can't, you must let your girlfriend accompany our friend here for tonight, she needs to heal his hurtful soul!"

'Wow, you guys not even try to be subtle, eh?' Naruto sighed, it's already a fortune for them he not just beat them all into a pulp before, he even willingly pay for their debt, 'it seemed violence cannot be avoided.'

When Naruto ready to teach them a lesson, a figure dashed from his side and appeared in front of the red-streak hair man.

"Ok," Jiang Wei glanced at the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d on the ground, "I'll accompany him for tonight."