Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1243: What Cannot Be Obtained

Hong Kong, Wang Pavilion, a private lounge.

Several young men in black suits stood guard around an elderly man. They kept a respectful distance, knowing that the old man disliked anyone overhearing him while he was on the phone.

The lounge had three floors, and this was the top one. At that moment, a man with a three-inch scar on his face came up the stairs, frowning. Seeing that the old man was still on the phone, he glanced toward the young men.

The group immediately greeted him respectfully. “Brother Jian!”

The middle-aged man—Brother Jian—nodded. “Uncle Seven isn’t done with his call yet?”

The young men shook their heads. Brother Jian frowned slightly but stayed patient, waiting by the stairs.

After a while, the man called Uncle Seven finally turned around.

“Alright, just send the info to me later…”

Seeing that Uncle Seven had hung up, Brother Jian quickly stepped forward. Uncle Seven said directly, “Ah Jian, I need you to look for someone for me. I’ll send you the details later.”

Brother Jian froze for a second and asked cautiously, “Uncle Seven, did something happen?”Uncle Seven shook his head. “Nothing like that. My goddaughter on the mainland asked me to help her find someone.”

“Goddaughter?” Brother Jian was surprised. He had followed Uncle Seven for some time and knew the old man had children, but he had never heard about a goddaughter—especially one from the mainland.

Uncle Seven chuckled. “It’s been almost twenty years now. Back then, a Thai master told my fortune and said I’d face a great calamity in twenty years. To ward it off, I went to the mainland and sponsored a few young girls’ education. And you know what? It actually worked. After that, I had a full decade of good luck.”

“So magical?”

“Who can say what’s true in this world? Believe it or don’t—just treat it as doing good deeds and earning karma. Look at me now; haven’t I been doing well?” Uncle Seven lit a cigar and took a slow puff. “Those girls brought me good fortune—especially that goddaughter of mine… Alright, enough about that. What’s the situation below?”

Brother Jian sneered. “The Six Nations Council of Elders meeting—if it weren’t for the dozen cops watching the place, that Dutch guy would’ve been hacked to death.”

“The Dutchman’s the hottest one around lately,” Uncle Seven said with a faint smile. “He’s doing well for himself, and he knows how to show respect to us old-timers. But this time, that bastard Whitehead Kun crossed the line—went after the Dutchman’s wife, no less. That’s going too far.”

Brother Jian said coldly, “The Dutchman and Whitehead Kun are both fighting to be the new ‘boss.’ With seven factions in chaos outside, several of the elders won’t be able to sit still. Uncle Seven, Whitehead Kun came up under you. Now that the Dutchman has the guts to come straight to you, he’s clearly treating you like you don’t matter. Want me to…”

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

“Killing the Dutchman won’t do us any good,” Uncle Seven said, shaking his head. “Business has been getting harder these past few years. If it weren’t for him having connections in Europe and helping us launder money through the foreigners, what do you expect me to do at my age—sell durians at the market?”

“But still—”

“I know what you’re thinking. But this time, the Dutchman’s definitely taking the lead.” Uncle Seven sighed. “What happens in the underworld stays in the underworld. Since Whitehead Kun betrayed his brothers, even if he started under me, I can’t protect him. Go tell the Dutchman that I won’t interfere between him and Whitehead Kun. As long as he cleans it up neatly and doesn’t leave loose ends, that’s fine.”

“Got it.” Brother Jian nodded, then glanced toward the staircase. After a moment, he sat down beside Uncle Seven and lowered his voice. “And… about Macau?”

Uncle Seven’s eyes narrowed. “What did Mr. Ho say?”

Brother Jian whispered, “Mr. Ho said he already has his own candidate and doesn’t plan to use Young King this time.”

“That old fox,” Uncle Seven snorted. “Does he think I’m useless without him?”

Brother Jian said helplessly, “But without Mr. Ho’s support, it’ll be hard for us to even get a qualification slot.”

Uncle Seven said coolly, “Don’t worry. I’ve already made backup arrangements. Next month, take Ah King to Malaysia. I’ve talked with a casino over there—Ah King will represent them in this year’s Gambling Arts Tournament. I heard it’s being held in the U.K. this time. If you’re running late, don’t come back—go straight there.”

“Understood,” Brother Jian said, nodding.

Uncle Seven squinted slightly. “Whether we eat plain rice or feast—it all depends on this round.”

…

…

In his office, Zhong Luochen was reading a report on recent developments within the family.

Ever since encountering the supernatural, his focus had long since shifted away from the vortex of family power struggles… but that vortex wasn’t something he could escape from just yet.

Especially since the old patriarch’s miraculous recovery last year—and the huge fund he allocated to Zhong Luochen—the voices within the family had grown louder. Most of them came from people close to his elder brother, Zhong Luoyun.

But no matter how much noise they made, the Old Master wouldn’t act for a few years yet—and only three people knew the reason: Zhong Luochen, the Old Master, and Grandpa Luo.

“Still, Third Sister’s recent behavior has been… strange.”

Zhong Luochen carefully reviewed the materials. Since the Lunar New Year, Zhong Luoyue’s Four Seasons Group had gone through several personnel changes—some even among senior management.

Many of those people had been reassigned, while new ones were promoted in their place. Even Zhong Luochen could tell that most of these new executives were either his elder brother Zhong Luoyun’s men—or his own.

That puzzled him.

The family’s business and power networks were deeply intertwined. Though Four Seasons Group was dominated by Zhong Luoyue, both she and their brother held shares in it—just as they did in Zhong Luochen’s companies.

So why was Zhong Luoyue doing something that weakened her control? Instead of tightening her grip, she was promoting people from her rivals’ sides. What kind of move was that?

“The pharmaceutical company…”

Among the reports was also a note about Zhong Luoyue planning to invest in a new medical project in the U.K. Zhong Luochen couldn’t understand why his sister suddenly developed an interest in pharmaceuticals.

Her unusual behavior made him uneasy.

Since stepping halfway into the world of the extraordinary, Zhong Luochen had already lost interest in family power struggles. Defeating his brother and sister to become the new head of the Zhong family no longer meant anything to him.

He knew it was connected to the deal he had once made—but he had to admit, compared to wielding power over life and death, the games of wealth and influence were utterly insignificant.

Especially now that the research lab had made progress and discovered children with supernatural abilities, Zhong Luochen felt he had finally found direction again. His long-stilled heart began to beat with purpose.

He only sought a sense of accomplishment.

But surrounded by wealth, privilege, and influence as the Zhong family’s Second Young Master, he realized that even the feeling of accomplishment had become a luxury. Everything came too easily—nothing could give him true satisfaction anymore.

As he was lost in thought, a knock came at the door. Cheng Yun hurried in, his expression uneasy.

Zhong Luochen calmly closed the folder in his hand.

Cheng Yun stepped forward, hesitated, and sighed. “Second Young Master, the gift you asked me to send—Miss Mo returned it. She also said…”

“What did she say?” Zhong Luochen’s face remained impassive.

Cheng Yun glanced at him carefully. He had never seen his boss lose composure; Zhong Luochen was always calm, polite, and in control.

“She said your lessons are finished.” Cheng Yun paused, then added, “She doesn’t intend to teach you anymore. She said you don’t need to come again.”

“I understand.” Zhong Luochen nodded.

Cheng Yun frowned indignantly. “Second Young Master, that Miss Mo really doesn’t know what’s good for her! Think about it—so many women in the capital would kill for your attention, and she won’t even give you a glance!”

“So what?” Zhong Luochen gave him a faint smile. “What exactly do you plan to do about it?”

“N-nothing.” Cheng Yun flinched, knowing his boss never used underhanded means with women. “I just think it’s unfair to you, that’s all.”

Zhong Luochen said calmly, “Since she returned the gift, then so be it. Go talk to the landlord of Miss Mo’s classroom. See if we can buy the property. Next month, find an excuse to lower her rent by thirty percent.”

Cheng Yun opened his mouth but said nothing. As a gold-ranked subordinate, it wasn’t his place to question orders—only to carry them out.

“Go check downstairs. Tell Master 24 I’ll be down shortly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Cheng Yun left, Zhong Luochen leaned back slightly in his chair, opened a drawer, and took out a small box.

Inside lay a sapphire necklace.

—— Mr. Zhong, you’re a good man… but I don’t like you.

Not long before, Zhong Luochen had just confessed, only to receive a very cold reply… The Zhong Family’s Second Young Master wasn’t too badly hurt—because he had realized something else.

He had treated his love as an asset, trading it to buy the Old Master five more years of life. That didn’t mean he had stopped feeling love or liking someone; it meant he could no longer get a reciprocal response.

He could love someone, but he would never receive that person’s love in return—he could not obtain love.

Zhong Luochen sighed. He had sold so many things of himself that even this pain, in the small remaining realm where he still felt anything, was deeply buried and hidden.

He shook his head, put the box with the necklace back in the drawer, tidied his clothes, rode the elevator down, and soon met with Number 24.

…

Zhong Luochen no longer doubted 24’s ability. Just 24’s strange crow on his shoulder had already given several so-called martial masters working for Zhong Luochen a hard time.

Within the superpower research lab these past days, only Zhong Luochen didn’t feel intimidated or uneasy around 24.

Surprisingly, 24—despite his power—wasn’t hard to get along with and had little temper. His only obvious flaw was—laziness.

And it was contagious laziness.

Every time Zhong Luochen met 24, he felt like he himself was starting to rot.

“Your scent is weaker today,” 24 said as Zhong Luochen entered, an odd remark with no explanation.

Zhong Luochen frowned. 24 often said strange things and never bothered to explain. He glanced at the crow on 24’s shoulder, then sat down. “I’ve found the sixty-six eighteen-year-old virgins’ blood you asked for. When should I bring it?”

“In a few days.” 24 yawned. “I’ve been studying the rules of this world lately—my energy’s a bit low.”

“World… rules.” Zhong Luochen picked up the mysterious hint but pushed his curiosity down and sat quietly, keeping 24 company while he stared into space.

24 sat hunched, eyes unfocused, like an empty shell. Time passed. After about an hour, 24 suddenly shook his head and murmured, “It’s really difficult—getting a proper identity is this hard?”

“You idiot, 24! You idiot 24!” 24 grabbed the crow, tossed it against the wall, and the bird flattened into a lump before slowly sliding down. Zhong Luochen had seen this several times and always felt it was uncanny.

24 yawned, then looked at Zhong Luochen. “Boss, you’ve fed me for days and helped me find things… So tell me, how many people do you want me to kill?”

Zhong Luochen smiled. “Is killing the only thing you know, sir?”

24 sounded lethargic. “Making someone unlucky works too.”

Zhong Luochen suddenly asked, “What if you taught me?”

24 looked up and, after a long moment, said, “You can’t learn it. My sorcery is a soul-gift—so I can barely use it here. Your world doesn’t have that line.”

“Our world?” Zhong Luochen frowned, thought briefly, then his eyes flashed. “Sir… you’re from another world?”

“0179.”

“What does that mean?” Zhong Luochen frowned again.

24 boredly shook his head. “You haven’t earned the right for me to tell you yet.”

“When will I be worthy?”

24 grinned strangely. “I once served as the national adviser of a country… Are you a king?”

Zhong Luochen lowered his head, lost in thought.

Then 24’s grin returned. “Just because you can’t learn it now doesn’t mean you never will. But it will take risks.”

Zhong Luochen listened closely.

24 narrowed his eyes. “I can alter your soul. But if the modification fails, you will die instantly… Boss, do you dare?”

Zhong Luochen fell silent.