I went to Brother Chong’s office without knowing what this was about.
“Ah Jin, sit.”
He lit a cigarette, dismissed the men around him, then opened a drawer and tossed a stack of cash onto the desk.
“Brother Chong… what is this?”
“Old Master Rong is in Guangdong. I’ll give you the address. Go find him,” Brother Chong said, his voice flat.
“What?”
I didn’t quite understand.
“Didn’t you say the whole gang is out hunting Old Master Rong? So you knew where he was all along?”
“Yes.”
Brother Chong nodded.
“The manhunt was a smokescreen I put out.”
“But why?”
“Ah Jin, I know Master Tong’s intentions. Rather than the two million, he wants you as a man. You can earn him another two million. But if I told Master Tong, the underworld rules would force him to kill Old Master Rong, and then how would he take you in?”
I frowned slightly, still not getting it.
“So this information stops with me. As for what comes next, you’ll have to wait until you see Master Tong before deciding.”
“Brother Chong, you say Master Tong wants to recruit me, but I’m Old Master Rong’s man after all…”
“Ah Jin, the feud is between the two bosses. You were just following orders—Master Tong can’t possibly fail to see that.”
Brother Chong exhaled smoke, his expression pained.
“But you’ve disappointed him.”