Chapter 117Of course, he had to eat his meal one bite at a time. But judging by the current pace, he had taken one bite and already become a fat man.

  In less than a week, Yoren had nearly completed his transformation from a sparrow to a phoenix in the eyes of ordinary people. At least within the underground ecosystem of this city, there was no one left who hadn’t heard his name.

  By the time he returned to the East District from Richie’s vil, the afternoon sun was already hanging low.

  As soon as he stepped into the bar set up as a temporary base, Yoren received a call.

  "Hey, is this Yoren?"

  "I am. Who's this?"

  "I'm Aijie, one of the people in charge of the East District. We met st time at Mr. Rich’s pce."

  "Oh, right, I remember now. Brother Aijie, what’s up?"

  Of course, he knew who Aijie was. Theoretically, they shared control over the East District. But Yoren didn’t expect Aijie to be this polite. A man of his status introducing himself so modestly—he must've really thought Yoren had forgotten him.

  Aijie continued on the other end.

  "Nothing urgent. I just wanted to see if you’re free tonight?"

  "Tonight? Yeah, I should be."

  "Great. I’ll treat you to dinner. I’ll send you the address. It’s not far, just here in the East District."

  "You don’t have to be so formal. We’re brothers. Let me treat you next time."

  But Aijie was firm.

  "No, no. It’s really nothing. Let’s meet at 7. That’s settled."

  He hung up quickly, almost as if he was afraid Yoren would refuse.

  To be honest, Yoren didn’t know much about Aijie. They had exchanged just a few words back at Richie's pce. What he remembered was that Aijie came from the Lupo tribe and wasn’t too old—maybe 27 or 28. He struck Yoren as a bit too serious.

  Soon, the dinner location was texted to his phone.

  Yoren tossed the phone onto the table and turned to A Guang beside him.

  "Do you know this pce?"

  A Guang leaned over and gnced at the screen.

  "Yeah, I know it. Not far from here. Brother Yoren, you pnning to go?"

  "Aijie invited me to dinner."

  "Aijie?"

  A Guang frowned and rubbed his chin, looking serious.

  "Brother Yoren, this might be a trap. You’re too hot right now. That kid could be jealous or holding a grudge."

  "You’re overthinking it."

  "Still, better safe than sorry."

  "Rex. You and ACE are coming with me tonight. Even if he had ten times the guts, he wouldn’t dare y a hand on me."

  In the early days of taking over the East District, Yoren had promoted a few people to help with management, but too many decisions still fell on him. That meant the bar, his base, turned into a nonstop stream of people asking him gang-reted questions.

  One of A Guang’s former underlings walked up.

  "Brother Yoren, if we injure someone in a fight, do we have to go to jail?"

  Yoren answered patiently.

  "Depends. I’ll talk to the Security Bureau and try to cover you. But still, be cautious. Don’t use too much force without my say-so."

  "Got it."

  Another one came over.

  "Brother Yoren, can we take leave if we have something to do at home?"

  "Sure."

  "Can I bring my cousin into the gang?"

  "Ask A Guang to vet new recruits."

  "Do we get accident insurance?"

  "I don’t know. There used to be. Maybe not anymore. But I promise you, our benefits now are better than before."

  "Alright."

  And so it went all afternoon. Yoren handled one trivial matter after another. There was no way around it. This was how the rules were made. As the saying goes, no rules, no success.

  Even if everyone followed his word, the principles had to be clear. He didn’t want anyone making a big mistake ter and brushing it off with a smile saying, "Hey, Brother Yoren, I didn’t know. I’ll pay attention next time."

  If something was wrong, it was wrong. Rewards and punishments had to be fair and by the book. That’s how a gang should operate.

  After finally sending off the st group, Yoren rubbed his temples. His body might be strong, but all the mental work was exhausting. Just three words: brain on fire.

  "Dee-dee-dee. Dee-dee-dee. Dee-dee-dee!"

  His phone rang again.

  He gnced at it, annoyed—until he saw who it was. The annoyance vanished instantly.

  "Hello."

  "Hey, Windmill, it’s me."

  "Snowsant, what’s up?"

  Her voice on the other end was gentle and a little mencholy.

  "Nothing. I'm fine. Everything at headquarters is good. Ifrit’s been making good money selling pastries tely. My second uncle brings fruit often. Everyone's happy."

  "I’m gd to hear that."

  "Windmill, it’s been days since we st met. When are you coming back? I... I miss you."

  Yoren paused. He realized it really had been a while. To others, it may have seemed just a few days, but for him and Snowsant, this was their longest time apart since they met.

  "Sorry. I’ve been swamped."

  "I heard from Ifrit and ACE that our pn is finished."

  "It is. But there's still a lot to follow up on."

  Her voice grew quieter.

  "Could you come back for dinner at my second uncle’s house tonight?"

  "I might not be able to... but I promise, I’ll come back when I can."

  A long pause, then a soft voice.

  "Sorry. I guess I'm just too useless to help you."

  "No."

  "Don’t worry about me. I’ll hold down our Bck Feather headquarters. I’ll wait for you."

  Her words carried hidden emotion.

  And in that moment, Yoren realized he had overlooked something.

  He was growing too fast. Like a sprout desperately drinking in the light and nutrients around it, racing to become a towering tree. But growth always comes with loss.

  He had once risked his life for others without hesitation. But things had changed. His life was no longer his alone.

  Snowsant saw the world in simple terms. She didn’t care about grand ideals. She worked hard because she believed in effort.

  Maybe, deep inside, she feared being left behind. The massive, stormy world of Victoria would draw in all sorts of people. In the whirlwind, Snowsant stayed by his side, clinging to his hand, afraid he’d outpace her.

  She never said it, but Yoren understood now: all she wanted was to stay within reach.

  His voice softened.

  "Snowsant, you’ve helped me so much. You’re my most important partner."

  "But—"

  "No buts."

  Yoren would never forget the moment in Mandel City when disaster loomed, and everyone was ordered to evacuate. He looked back and saw her, backpack slung on her shoulders, standing on the empty street.

  Maybe that was when he was truly reborn.

  "Snowsant, would you ever leave your backpack behind?"

  Her voice strengthened.

  "Never."

  "That’s how I feel about you. You’re more important than the backpack. You're my companion to the ends of the earth."

  Tears fell silently.

  Her voice, choked with emotion, still carried relief.

  "Okay..."