Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Prodigy

Yan Donglou was an extraordinary man. Like Xu Wei, he too came from a family of officials. In his youth, Yan Donglou was heavyset with a broad face, thick features, and an intimidating, almost ferocious appearance. Coupled with his domineering and unruly personality, few people wished to associate with him.

The teachers at school had no way to deal with this wayward child; they neither dared nor cared to control him. Yet the saying "you can't judge a book by its cover" suited Yan Donglou. Despite his unremarkable looks, he was exceptionally intelligent. Even though he often fought and skipped classes, his grades remained at the top of his class. Thus, the teachers merely turned a blind eye to his antics.

As a model student, Yan Donglou should have been worlds apart from the mediocre Xu Wei. Yet, thanks to their fathers' relationship, the two were close and often played together. Teachers, worried Xu Wei would be led astray, privately urged him to stay away from Yan Donglou. In their eyes, Yan Donglou was too much of an oddball—excellent academically, but the undisputed leader of the school’s troublemakers. They believed Xu Wei should befriend other outstanding students, not Yan Donglou. After all, proximity to the virtuous makes one virtuous, and proximity to the wicked makes one wicked. Yan Donglou’s record convinced the teachers that distancing from him was the right choice.

Yan Donglou, however, cared nothing for others’ opinions and continued to act as he pleased. In truth, he contributed much to the school. His academic achievements brought honor, and his presence deterred other troublemakers and petty criminals from approaching the institution.

Once, a minor thug in Mingcheng took a liking to a schoolgirl at Yan Donglou’s school and harassed her repeatedly, causing her much distress. Her peers, all well-behaved students like herself, dared not confront the "big brother" from the outside. After several failed attempts to make her his girlfriend, the thug grew angry and tried to forcibly abduct her at the school gate. It happened during the morning rush, with crowds milling about the entrance, yet no one dared intervene. Everyone watched from afar, unwilling to stop the thug.

The girl, desperate, could only struggle. The thug, emboldened, ignored the stares and steadily dragged her away from the school gate. Xu Wei witnessed this scene. He liked the girl and felt the urge to play the hero, but in reality, he acted like everyone else—watching from a safe distance, afraid to help.

That day, Yan Donglou, who hadn’t attended school for over a week, happened to be in a good mood and decided on a whim to show up. As he approached the gate, he saw the incident unfold. His face darkened. Yan Donglou was not overflowing with righteousness, nor did he have any heroic ambitions, but he could not tolerate trouble on his own turf. To him, the school was his domain.

He strode over and casually grabbed the thug by the collar, effortlessly lifting him off the ground and then tossing him aside. The thug, just about to succeed, found himself inexplicably airborne and then slammed onto the ground. Confused, he struggled to comprehend what had happened. The pain from his fall soon made things clear. Seeing the broad-faced Yan Donglou before him, he grew furious and jumped up to attack.

But Yan Donglou easily deflected his blow and kicked him down again. Twice humiliated before the crowd, the thug felt his pride shattered. He stood up and tried again, only to be knocked down once more. Though still resentful, he dared not attack further. Pointing at Yan Donglou, he threatened viciously, "You’ve got guts. Just wait, I'll make you pay!" With that, he slunk away, dragging his lackeys along.

The students cheered for Yan Donglou, and the girl’s eyes shone with gratitude, but Yan Donglou acted as if nothing had happened, whistling as he swaggered back to his classroom.

Not long after, while Yan Donglou was in class, the door was kicked open. The thug appeared, flanked by several cronies wielding machetes, and shouted, "Fatso, get out here!"

Yan Donglou, listening to the lesson, was annoyed by the interruption, and being called "fatso" made him furious. Seeing his old adversary, his eyes filled with disdain—how dare this defeated foe challenge him again?

Yan Donglou drew a wooden club from his desk, stood up, and walked straight toward the thug. The teacher was frozen, unsure what was happening. The good students were terrified by the thugs with knives, while the school’s troublemakers stood up behind Yan Donglou, grabbing whatever weapons they could—clubs, stools—ready for battle.

The thug, angered by Yan Donglou’s nonchalance, prepared to charge at him. One of his cronies whispered, "Boss, it’s too cramped in here. Let’s fight outside." The thug agreed and turned to Yan Donglou, "Fatso, don’t chicken out. Let’s fight outside!"

He led his gang to the open space outside the building to await Yan Donglou. Yan Donglou did not disappoint, appearing before them soon enough.

The thug saw only three or four people behind Yan Donglou and was delighted. In his mind, he had the advantage in both numbers and weapons and planned to teach Yan Donglou a lesson—to intimidate the school once and for all.

But as he watched, more and more students emerged behind Yan Donglou, dressed in uniforms and wielding clubs and stools. The building was abuzz, with streams of students running downstairs. Soon, the crowd swelled to over a hundred, while the thug’s group numbered less than twenty. He grew uneasy, relying only on their machetes to avoid fleeing.

Yan Donglou broke into a run, charging toward the thugs. Someone in the crowd shouted, "Charge!" Without hesitation, the thug decided: run! He knew fists could not beat so many feet. Though the students had only clubs and not guns, their numbers could overwhelm him in an instant. If they all threw stools, he’d be buried. If he didn’t flee now, he never would.

His cronies followed suit, running toward the school gate with the mass of students in pursuit. The students, seeing them try to escape, chased and hurled their weapons. When clubs ran out, they grabbed bricks and stones.

The thugs ran desperately, Yan Donglou’s group pursued with relentless fury. Any cronies caught were swallowed up by the crowd and beaten without resistance.

The lead thug reached the gate, only to find it locked and chained. He felt utterly desolate, too desperate to confront the gatekeeper, scrambling to climb over before Yan Donglou’s group arrived.

Idealism proved hollow. In the end, not one thug escaped. The lead thug was beaten into the intensive care unit, nearly killed, and left mentally diminished. The others spent days in hospital, and no one ever wanted to be a gangster again.

The school principal faced the hardest dilemma. How to punish his own students? The incident began with a girl being harassed. So many students participated that several were injured in the crush. Not punishing them meant explaining to the police why the thugs were so badly hurt.

Fortunately, Yan Donglou’s parents intervened and resolved the matter, sparing the principal much trouble. Even ten years after Yan Donglou graduated, the school remained off-limits to troublemakers. Everyone knew a predecessor had been beaten into madness there, so no matter how well they did in society, they steered clear—preserving the school’s tranquil sanctity.

Yan Donglou once confided his ambitions to Xu Wei: he believed one should live lavishly and command with authority. Xu Wei thought, if anyone could achieve that, it was Yan Donglou, and as an ordinary man, he could only envy him.

After high school, Xu Wei, aided by his father, entered Mingcheng College, while Yan Donglou was admitted to a prestigious university elsewhere. The two lost contact for over twenty years.

When Xu Wei met Yan Donglou again, the latter was already chief of the Mingtan District Bureau. Receiving Yan Donglou’s call, Xu Wei was thrilled—he never expected to see his old idol again. He wanted to show off his own achievements, so he immediately proposed a meeting.

Upon seeing Yan Donglou, Xu Wei barely recognized him. Yan Donglou was now fit, with no trace of his former obesity, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking much gentler, no longer fierce. Though a few strands of gray hair showed, they were neatly styled, giving him the air of a social elite, though his eyes betrayed some weariness.

Xu Wei said, "So many years have passed, you’ve changed a lot. If your voice hadn’t stayed the same, I wouldn’t have recognized you!"

Yan Donglou smiled, "Even my voice has changed—grown old. Age will do that."

Xu Wei asked, "Where are you making your fortune now? I remember your old dream: ‘to live lavishly and command with authority.’ Have you achieved it?"

Yan Donglou gave a bitter smile, "I did achieve it, but now it's gone. It was all a dream, and now the dream has ended—everything I had vanished."

Xu Wei saw Yan Donglou’s expression and sensed he had suffered a major setback, but couldn’t guess what it was and dared not ask. He thought, after all, thirty years of fortune can change hands; perhaps he had surpassed his old idol, who was no longer the hero he once admired.

Yan Donglou, seeing Xu Wei’s silence, took the initiative to share his story.

After graduating, Yan Donglou, with his excellent grades, went to the land of Eagles—a place he once believed was full of dreams and gold. He majored in finance and pursued further studies there, joining an investment bank after leaving campus.

Yan Donglou excelled at work, earning the company a fortune soon after joining, and quickly rose up the ranks—becoming the only non-native in a company where only locals made it to the top.

There, he realized his childhood dream of living lavishly and commanding with authority. He also acquired countless lovers—from subordinates to young partners, from models to flight attendants, of every background. It was Yan Donglou’s most glorious time, coinciding with the country’s economic boom.

But flowers don’t bloom forever, and people don’t prosper for a thousand days. While Yan Donglou enjoyed his life, the country was struck by its greatest financial crisis. At the forefront of the storm, Yan Donglou was not spared. The company’s market value plummeted overnight, suffering huge losses. Despite government efforts, the company couldn’t survive and eventually declared bankruptcy.

Yan Donglou lost his job, and with the whole industry in turmoil, he had no chance of finding a suitable new position. Misfortune rarely comes alone. Not only was he unemployed, but several former female subordinates simultaneously accused him of sexual harassment.

To Yan Donglou, these were nameless, insignificant figures in his harem, but now they brought him disaster. Evidence of his misconduct was easy to find, and he paid a heavy price, losing much of his fortune.

Yan Donglou no longer saw the country as paradise, but as a devouring hell. After resolving his legal troubles, he resolutely chose to return to the land that birthed and raised him.

Xu Wei was deeply moved by Yan Donglou’s story. He too had longed for the land of Eagles and felt dissatisfaction with his homeland, but Yan Donglou made him realize that, in critical moments, one’s country is best.

His homeland had not only avoided the global financial crisis but continued to thrive, enabling Xu Wei’s own achievements. Despite Yan Donglou’s exceptional abilities, he couldn’t keep a single stone or inch of land abroad, while Xu Wei now owned four properties in Mingcheng and at least ten elsewhere.

Xu Wei suddenly understood: ability is important, but choice is more so. If you choose wisely, you advance smoothly; if you choose poorly, you struggle endlessly.

Looking at Yan Donglou, Xu Wei knew he had failed utterly, but also recognized his talent. Xu Wei needed someone to help him accumulate wealth, so he extended an olive branch.

Xu Wei asked, "So, what are your plans now? Would you consider working with me?"

Yan Donglou replied, "I contacted you precisely to join you. I’ll never return to the land of Eagles; making something of myself here is just as good."

Xu Wei said, "That’s the right attitude. I welcome you! I have some achievements now, but I don’t want to stagnate; I want to keep advancing. But I lack the capital, so I’m looking for projects—ones that can earn big money without exposing my identity. You’ve seen more of the world than I have—any recommendations?"

Yan Donglou shook his head with a smile, "There’s no project that can earn big money without exposure—unless it’s money laundering, but that’s illegal!"

Xu Wei listened and felt as if Yan Donglou had awakened him. He had never considered making money through laundering, though he’d handled such cases and knew how lucrative they were—the true king of black gold, with no faster way to earn. Xu Wei believed this business could conceal his identity, and he could help introduce clients; it was perfect for him. He nodded, "Yes, let’s do money laundering! You help me, what do you say?"

Yan Donglou was surprised. He had spoken casually, but seeing Xu Wei’s determination, he realized Xu Wei took his words seriously. Yan Donglou had sought out Xu Wei to find a patron and make a comeback, but now Xu Wei wanted to turn his joke into reality, prompting Yan Donglou to seriously consider it.

Yan Donglou was not a man with reverence for the law; to him, breaking the law meant getting caught, and not getting caught meant it was legal. He was confident he would never be caught. So he nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll do it, but I need to find some helpers first, so I’ll need some time."

Xu Wei replied, "No problem, I trust you. Build the team; I’ll help find clients, but you’ll have to handle the contacts. I can’t show my face easily."

Yan Donglou nodded, "I understand."

Xu Wei continued, "I’ll help with everything I can. We’re brothers—sharing fortune and hardship, united in heart and strength. I believe we’ll build something great!"

Yan Donglou laughed, "Alright, I’ll start building the team right away—let’s get to work!"

Xu Wei rose, shook Yan Donglou’s hand, and said, "Good, I’ll wait here for your triumphant return!"

Thus, the first key figure entered Xu Wei’s black gold empire. As Xu Wei’s strategist, Yan Donglou proved invaluable, smoothing Xu Wei’s path and laying the foundation for his rise. In the near future, two more would join, forming the trio of Xu Wei’s black gold empire. Of course, at this moment, Xu Wei could not foresee any of this.

For now, Xu Wei’s task was to build his new enterprise together with Yan Donglou.