Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 823: The Gate of Life (2)

Luo Qiu followed Song Haoran’s footsteps, and before long, they arrived at a commercial building.

The building wasn’t particularly tall, only six stories, with a sign at the entrance indicating it was the headquarters of some kind of joint business association. Instead of heading straight inside, Song Haoran circled around the building once, a full loop. “The new head of the chamber... is it your niece?” Luo Qiu suddenly asked. Song Haoran shook his head, “No, it’s not Song Ying(Sakura), it’s her uncle, my sister’s brother-in-law. Nepotism at its finest, don’t you think?” Luo Qiu simply smiled without replying. Song Haoran continued, “You know, you're quite extraordinary. For some reason, whenever I’m with you, I feel as if all my worries disappear. I can say whatever I want without restraint, completely relaxed.” Luo Qiu looked up at the building’s floors and said, “Maybe it’s because I don’t offer much advice. Without giving opinions, I don’t influence anyone’s thoughts.” Song Haoran didn’t quite agree. He understood that his distant cousin had an unusual ability to put people at ease. In the bustling “Chinese Street,” just standing next to Luo Qiu made him feel as if he were standing in an open field. Luo Qiu’s presence wasn’t particularly noticeable, but it was impossible to ignore either. After some thought, Song Haoran could only come up with one phrase to describe his nephew: “Just right.” “Shall we go in now?” Luo Qiu asked, looking at the entrance to the chamber. Through the glass doors, they could see the receptionist inside curiously observing them from the front desk. “No, let’s head to the back,” Song Haoran shook his head, leading Luo Qiu down a side alley to the back of the building. What piqued Luo Qiu’s curiosity was that Song Haoran didn’t approach the back entrance directly. Instead, he stopped a few meters away from it. There was an ordinary-looking iron door, a typical back door. Song Haoran knocked on it in a peculiar rhythm, tapping it just once before standing still and checking his watch. Then, he spoke, “This door is called the ‘Gate of Life.’ Do you know why?” Luo Qiu shook his head. Song Haoran calmly explained, “This building was constructed according to the eight trigrams. My father specifically had this door installed and named it the ‘Gate of Life.’” “The Gate of Life...” Luo Qiu reached out to touch the iron door and said softly, “Life represents vitality. Vitality signifies hope. So, the Gate of Life is the door of hope, a gateway offering hope to those who need it.” Song Haoran’s lips moved slightly as he sized Luo Qiu up, then he nodded, “I didn’t expect you to understand my father’s intention so quickly on your first encounter... Yes, naming it the Gate of Life was indeed meant to symbolize hope. My father left this door as a way out for those in real need on Chinese Street.” Song Haoran paused and continued, “My father always said that while people might take advantage of good-heartedness, the heavens won’t. Though we deal in some bloody business, we stand by our principles when it’s time to do so.” "Blessings." Luo Qiu nodded and smiled, "It seems Mr. Song is cultivating fields of merit." Song Haoran was surprised, "How do you know my father is a Buddhist?" Luo Qiu smiled, "There was a Buddha statue at the entrance. Since Mr. Song is the founder here, I figured there might be a connection." "Your observation skills are impressive." Song Haoran looked at Luo Qiu with growing admiration. Luo Qiu then asked, "Since this door is meant to be opened for those in need of hope, why are you knocking on it now?" Song Haoran sneered, "If I don't knock now, it might never open again… It's here." The hinges of the door creaked. Song Haoran glanced at his watch as the iron door swung open. Standing before them was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and slightly out of breath. His expression was tense, but he used a handkerchief to wipe his face and mask it. "Young Master Haoran, what brings you here? You should've informed me beforehand so I could greet you!" "Three minutes and eighteen seconds." Song Haoran smiled. The middle-aged man was taken aback, "Three minutes and eighteen seconds?" Song Haoran replied, "From the moment I knocked, it took three minutes and eighteen seconds for this door to open. And it wasn't just anyone who opened it—it was you, the head of this association. So, should I be pleased or disappointed?" "Young Master Haoran... there's an explanation for this, I can explain," the middle-aged man quickly responded. "Alright, go ahead and explain." Song Haoran nodded. The man instinctively replied, "Um... how about we go inside and talk? It's not convenient here." "I find it very convenient here—it's cool, quiet, and there aren't many people around." Song Haoran chuckled and made a gesture, "Chairman Bai, please proceed." Chairman Bai quickly said, "Here's what happened: the people at the association noticed your arrival, but it seemed like you had something on your mind since you didn't come in right away. They reported this to me, so I hurried down to greet you. But then you walked away again, and right after that, someone knocked on the 'Gate Of Life.' I figured it might be you, so I rushed over to open the door, which is why time was wasted." "Oh… so what you're saying is that it's my fault for not informing you in advance?" Song Haoran smiled. "I wouldn't dare... it's my fault for being too slow," Chairman Bai quickly bowed his head repeatedly, "I was too slow, I need to exercise more." Song Haoran smiled as if he was relieved, then casually patted Chairman Bai's belly, "Yes, you should exercise more." With that, he walked past Chairman Bai and entered. Their destination was the chairman's office. Without a word, Song Haoran sat directly in the chairman's seat, while the current chairman, Bai Shuitang, could only stand uneasily in front of the desk. Bai Shuitang knew very well who really owned Chinatown. If the old man could be likened to an emperor, then the man in front of him was undoubtedly the crown prince, and Bai himself was merely a relative by marriage. "Young Master, who is this?" Bai Shuitang glanced at Luo Qiu, who was sitting on the nearby sofa. Song Haoran waved his hand, "Don't mind him. I didn't come here for anything special today. I was just passing by on my way back, and I felt like dropping in to take a look." “It’s only right, it’s only right.” President Bai Shuitang quickly said, “It’s our honor that the young master can come to see this place!” “Is Chinatown developing well recently?” Song Haoran casually picked up some documents from the desk and started to glance through them. President Bai Shuitang replied naturally, “Not bad. Recently, we’ve been attracting investments and have built a new supermarket, and the business is doing well.” “A supermarket?” Song Haoran asked curiously. “Building a supermarket here won’t affect the business of other merchants, will it?” “Of course not.” President Bai Shuitang said, “This supermarket has many shops inside. We plan to gather the individual retailers from the outside together, which will not only make management easier but also improve efficiency. Young master, you see, although Chinatown was bustling in the past, the retail shops were too scattered. Whether for tourists or locals, shopping was often inconvenient. But if we can gather them in one place... oh, here’s a performance report for the supermarket over the past two months; you can take a look.” President Bai Shuitang took out a few documents and reports. “You're quite prepared, aren’t you?” Song Haoran smiled and started to look at them seriously. President Bai Shuitang said, “Actually, it was just a coincidence. Miss Ying only looked at the accounts today; these were prepared for her. I didn’t expect you’d get to see them as well.” “Oh, has Song Ying seen them?” Song Haoran nodded, then casually tossed the documents aside. “Since she’s seen them, I won’t look at them.” “In fact, Miss Ying said there were no problems,” President Bai Shuitang hurriedly added. Suddenly, Song Haoran stood up. “Actually, there’s nothing more to discuss. I’m in a hurry, so there’s no need to see me off. I’ll just leave by myself.” “Okay, sure.” President Bai Shuitang quickly opened the office door for Song Haoran. Before leaving, Song Haoran suddenly paused and said, “By the way, the hinges on the ‘Gate Of Life’ door are a bit rusty. Have someone put some oil on it when you have time. Otherwise, think about it; every time someone comes to knock on the ‘Gate Of Life’, they’ll hear a creaking sound when opening the door, which is a bit frightening.” “I understand. I’ll call someone to fix it right away!” After watching Song Haoran and Luo Qiu enter the elevator, President Bai Shuitang hurriedly closed the office door and then made a phone call. “Have someone put some oil on the hinges of the ‘Gate Of Life’ door.” Just as he finished the call, President Bai Shuitang furrowed his brow and quickly pulled open a drawer in his desk, where a mobile phone was placed. He picked it up, thought for a moment, and then made another call. “There’s something... Song Haoran suddenly came...” --- The receptionist at the front desk was very curious about who the two people coming out of the president’s office were. Song Haoran had a charming and handsome demeanor, always wearing a captivating and beautiful smile, causing the receptionist to sneak a few extra glances. As for the person beside him, he seemed much more ordinary. One might unintentionally overlook him, yet he remained impossible to ignore, just like... a unique decorative craft displayed in the living room. Song Haoran sincerely offered incense before the Buddha statue in the lobby, lit a few more sticks, and handed them to Luo Qiu. “Whether you believe it or not, it doesn’t hurt to bow and seek a bit of peace of mind.” A sudden breeze blew through the lobby, causing the curling incense smoke before the Buddha statue to sway unexpectedly. Luo Qiu held the incense and asked, "Has this Buddha statue been consecrated?" "Yeah, it was by a master from Thailand. Dad spent a lot of money to invite him to consecrate it back then," Song Haoran nodded. "How did you know?" Luo Qiu replied, "Some Buddha statues that have been consecrated will have additional items; there’s an extra ritual tool here." "You actually know quite a bit," Song Haoran noted without much concern. Luo Qiu calmly said, "Because I've recently had a very knowledgeable person around me who has taught me a lot." "That's good," Song Haoran nodded. However, Luo Qiu extinguished the incense in her hand and placed it back, saying, "Since it has already been consecrated, I won't light the incense. The Buddha statue has spirit, so it should be left for those in need." "There's a lot to consider?" Song Haoran was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "You're a strange one... Alright, we should head back. Dad is probably getting anxious. If we don’t go back soon, he’s going to blow up... I’m telling you, Dad can be really terrifying when he’s angry." Luo Qiu nodded, "Let's buy some apples on the way back." --- O'Neil and Lluvia were still waiting at the car on the street. When they saw Song Haoran and Luo Qiu walking over with a bag of apples, Lluvia quickly opened the back seat of the car. Song Haoran let Luo Qiu sit in first, and then he walked to the other side. At that moment, he whispered to Lluvia, "Check on Bai Shuitang." Lluvia nodded and got into the car as if nothing happened. --- Caroline had quietly slipped away from the restaurant as it opened in the morning while the staff was busy. As for the expressions of the restaurant employees after discovering something had been stolen from the kitchen, Caroline no longer wanted to think about it. A night's rest had rejuvenated her a bit. But suddenly, she didn't know where to go next—she didn't dare return to her place, fearing the police and Boston's men might be waiting for her there. As for the hospital, she didn't dare go either; her 'older cousin and second cousin' knew about her relationship with Lawyer Carlo, so going to the hospital would probably be walking into a trap. Her wallet and identification were not with her. She didn’t even have a single coin on her—originally, she planned to smash the cash register at the restaurant she was hiding in to grab some cash, but the cash register clearly had an alarm system. She couldn't leave the restaurant and could only wait for the police to come and arrest her. However, having been born in the slums and influenced by her environment from a young age, Caroline still had some skills for survival—besides selling herself. Her target was right ahead, a working-class person walking while reading a newspaper, a worthy target—Caroline's goal was the person's wallet. But she was not a professional; she had only learned a few theft techniques from a female thief she knew, and Caroline herself had never practiced in this area. Stealing was not as quick as lying down for money—especially since she was still young, and men liked her body. Caroline intentionally bumped into the working-class person who was looking down at his newspaper, planning to stealthily pull the wallet from his bag while his attention was distracted. However, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and blurred vision. As a result, she missed the best opportunity. She fell to the ground, and the working-class man, seeing her fall, reached out to help her up. But Caroline sat there as if she had lost her soul, staring blankly ahead. She gazed into the distance. A woman was pushing a stroller across the street… it was a green light, and the woman was on the phone. At that moment, a red car seemed unable to stop, possibly for another reason, and crashed into the woman. The woman’s body was thrown several meters onto the road, while the stroller was completely crushed into a pile of wreckage, blood splattered… “Miss, miss, are you okay?” A voice called out. Caroline jolted back to reality, shivering all over. She stood up abruptly and looked at the sidewalk ahead, blurting out, “Help…” It was only then that she realized it was a red light, and there was no woman pushing a stroller. Caroline rubbed her forehead and said, “I… I’m fine, thank you.” The working-class man looked at her with confusion for a moment and then said, “Alright then, be careful.” He seemed to be in a hurry to get to work—Caroline watched him walk away, feeling a wave of regret wash over her. She still hadn’t managed to steal the wallet, missing a great opportunity. Shaking her head and sighing, she decided to look for a new target. Suddenly, someone lightly bumped into her. “Oh, sorry.” It was a woman, talking on the phone and pushing a stroller as she walked past her. After accidentally bumping into Caroline, the woman quickly apologized and continued her conversation on the phone, pushing the stroller away. “Oh… it’s nothing, just an accidental bump. Where were we? Getting our hair done? Let me think, I know a new place that just opened. Are you interested…?” She walked off into the distance. At the intersection ahead. Caroline watched in horror, her eyes widening in fear.