Chapter 57

Chapter 57

【LOL, did Lu Chen just compliment himself?!】

【This guy really split himself into two!】

【Never seen someone flex like this—respect!】The chat exploded with laughter.

At this moment, in the live broadcast room, the atmosphere was intense. The audience was deeply immersed in the conversation between Lu Chen and Gao Qiqiang.

Every sentence.

Every response.

Every psychological shift.

They were witnessing, in real-time, how an ordinary fish vendor walked step by step into the world of crime.

[Gao Qiqiang: “As soon as I got back to my fish stall, the Tang brothers came looking for trouble.

An Xin saw it and rushed over to stop them.

But the Tang brothers?

They looked down on him—he was just a district officer in their eyes.

You know how these street punks are—They think they run the world, never afraid until they see the coffin.”

Lu Chen: “So An Xin couldn’t control them, and they just played the ‘we’re untouchable’ game?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Exactly.”

Lu Chen: “Then how was it resolved?”

Gao Qiqiang: “An Xin’s colleague… what was his name again…

Right! Li Xiang! This guy was different.

Not a ruthless person but definitely fit the image of a real cop. He had authority, a presence.

An Xin? Still too green.

Li Xiang came over and warned the Tang brothers, right in front of the whole market. He even told them out loud that An Xin had a relative in the municipal police headquarters… a deputy chief.

That scared the sh*t out of the Tang brothers. They instantly started groveling.”

Lu Chen: “So An Xin actually had that kind of connection.”

Gao Qiqiang: “Tell me about it! Even I didn’t expect it.”

Lu Chen: “Let me guess—at that moment, you felt like you’d found a powerful backer, right?”

Gao Qiqiang burst into laughter.

“You brat!”

Lu Chen: “Come on, the Tang brothers had been bullying you for years, and no one ever helped you.

Then suddenly, a cop steps in, and BAM—just like that, he crushes them. That must have felt so damn satisfying.

And in your eyes, An Xin became someone who could help you, right?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Not exactly!

It wasn’t An Xin who was powerful—it was his deputy chief relative.

Tang Xiaolong and Tang Xiaohu were afraid of that guy, not An Xin himself. Of course, having a powerful relative did mean An Xin held some weight, but the real fear wasn’t directed at him.”

Lu Chen: “Fair point. What happened next? Did the Tang brothers keep bothering you?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Would they dare?

From that day forward, their attitude toward me completely changed.

I won’t say they started sucking up to me, but at the very least, they were polite. They stopped trying to kick me out of my stall. Hell, they even waived my ‘sanitation fees’.”

Lu Chen: “Looks like An Xin unknowingly helped you out a lot.”

Gao Qiqiang nodded.

“To be honest, I actually started name-dropping An Xin’s relatives after that.”

Lu Chen: “You leveraged the connection?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Yeah.

Since Li Xiang had announced it in front of the entire market, everyone thought I’d somehow gotten lucky—like I had powerful connections now.

So before long, whenever people in the market had troubles, they started coming to me for help. Not really for me—but because they thought I could get An Xin to help them.”

Lu Chen: “But you weren’t actually that close to An Xin.”

Gao Qiqiang: “Of course not!

An Xin helped me once because he pitied me, not because we were best buddies. If I had gone to him every time someone had a problem, I’d be digging my own grave. He’d see right through me, and that relationship would be over.”

Lu Chen: “So you refused to help?”

Gao Qiqiang: “At first, yes. But the more I refused, the more people started doubting me. They thought my connection to An Xin wasn’t as strong as rumored.

And when people no longer see value in you…

They stop respecting you. Why should they?”

Lu Chen: “That makes sense. So you eventually agreed to help?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Yeah. I’d been selling fish in the Old Factory Street market for over a decade. But those few months? Those were the best months of my life.

Everywhere I went, vendors treated me with respect. One day, a butcher would give me free meat. The next day, a vegetable seller would hand me extra produce.

Even if they didn’t give me anything, they’d pause their business just to greet me with a smile. That feeling… can you understand?”

Lu Chen: “The feeling of being respected. Of being valued. Of even being admired.”

Gao Qiqiang: “Exactly!

That feeling was intoxicating! Better than smoking, drinking, or gambling!

You can call it craving respect, or even greedy for status. But either way—I didn’t want to lose that feeling.”

Lu Chen: “So when a butcher asked for your help again, you couldn’t refuse.”

Gao Qiqiang: “Exactly. And I could feel it—The entire market was watching to see how I’d respond.

If I refused again, I wouldn’t just lose face. I’d crash and burn. First, the Tang brothers would see their chance to take revenge on me.

Second, everyone else would stop respecting me. So I had no choice.”

Lu Chen: “What was the issue?”

Gao Qiqiang: “The butcher’s cousin owned a CD shop.

You know, the kind that sold CDs and DVDs?”

Lu Chen: “Yeah. In 2000, those were huge.

And pirated CDs were everywhere.”

Gao Qiqiang: “Exactly. Big money in bootleg DVDs.”

Lu Chen: “That’s illegal.”

Gao Qiqiang: “A lot of things are illegal. People do them anyway. If it makes money, that’s all that matters.”

Lu Chen: “Fair point…”]

_____

【HAHAHAHA! That line is PEAK Gao Qiqiang!】

【Lu Chen is dancing on the edge of that censorship line again!】

【These dialogues are TOO real!】

_____

[Gao Qiqiang: “His cousin’s shop was doing well. So, naturally, some thugs took over the place.

Forced him out.

The butcher came to me, hoping I could ask An Xin to step in.”

Lu Chen: “And you knew this was your last chance to prove your value.”

Gao Qiqiang: “Exactly. So I agreed. I tried to meet An Xin—four or five times. But he was always busy with cases. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to solve it myself.”

Lu Chen: “You went to face them alone? You weren’t afraid of getting beaten?”

Gao Qiqiang: “Afraid? Of course! But if I didn’t go, I would definitely lose. If I went, at least I had a chance.”

Lu Chen: “I see it now. You’ve got a gambler’s mindset.

And more than that—You’re willing to risk everything for status, for respect.”

Gao Qiqiang: “I’ve always said—to gain, you must lose. But here’s an even bigger truth—If you want to gain, you must be willing to lose everything.”

Lu Chen nodded.

“It sounds reasonable. It also sounds incredibly dangerous. But either way, I think I’m finally starting to understand you.”

Gao Qiqiang smirked.

“Understand me? Kid, we’re just getting started.”

Lu Chen: “Then please—continue.”