Chapter 141 - LuXin Fraternity (2)

"You are LuXin?" Sofia casually asked the man who was still grinning at her.

"Yes! Wow! My friends were actually watching the tournament in the gym. Your squad was too cool! Can we take a picture?" LuXin expressed without any reserve.

"Ohh thank you! We gave our best during the tournament! Anyway, your group is the fraternity that is creating problems in this street?" Sofia probed further. Her tone was direct to the point making the group felt a slight discomfort.

Now that she had a better view of the LuXin Fraternity, she could tell that they were far from scary looking. The men were all wearing casual outfits. At most, they just looked like ordinary locals who happened to pass by in the area.

If the tech club members did not have the official logo of their school, she would be more scared to approach them than the LuXin's group.

"Ohh, its us... yes. I wonder why the two of you have come in this street?" LuXin inquired.

"It is because I have a plan in that building," Sofia paused. She then raised her hand and pointed her index finger to the establishment.

"What about that building?" LuXin asked as he followed the direction that Sofia was pointing.

"The owner of that building is selling the property. I want to buy it. However, I have heard about the fraternity fights and gangsters in this street, so I came to investigate," Sofia answered.

Upon hearing her response, LuXin's face looked conflicted... and embarrassed? She was not certain but there a slight expression of shyness flashed in LuXin's face. However, it was just too quick and vanished right away.

LuXin scratched the back of his neck and avoid eye contact with Sofia. He was guilty but Sofia sensed that the man was hiding something. It could be more than just creating trouble.

Then, understanding finally came upon Sofia's mind as all members of the fraternity turned quiet.

If this man was just acting all arrogant, he would not even spare any minute of his time just to speak with Sofia. Since he was communicating with them, this meant that the group had their own agenda behind their unruly actions.

"Ohh... I think I understand. Do you have a business too?" Sofia asked.

She understood the probability of competition.

There is a high possibility that these men lead by LuXin were causing trouble for the owner of the building so that they would be able to reduce a competitor.

It was an underhanded scheme that was not new to Sofia. Creating trouble to the competitors were very common in the corporate world. It could exist in different form of trouble. But, LuXin's way was also effective. The group utilized fear towards the business owner and its customers.

"I don't have a business. But," LuXin was reluctant to speak. He gazed at his members and they only nodded their heads.

"But what?" Sofia asked when she sensed that the man was unwilling to finish his sentence.

"Uhhm... I have no business but we are paid by the owner of that green building over there to create trouble for the business in this street," LuXin answered. 

Sofia was partially right. This group was deliberately creating trouble for the business in the area to remove the potential competitors of other business owners.

She just did not expect that the group were hired. She thought that these men were acting for the benefit of their business. It turned out, they were paid!

"Well, that's too bad. Because my squad will purchase that building and start our business here. We plan to convert that building into a hostel. The first floor is the dining area. The second floor is the room accommodations. The third is our office." Sofia stated without blinking her eyes.

LuXin was too surprised after listening to her. His eyes went wide and his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"Y-your squad is doing business here?" he clarified in disbelief. These Chronos squad members were even younger than him or his members. Yet, their plans were beyond their age!

"Yes, we will use the money that we had won during the championship to run the business. So, we won't allow your group to cause us a bankruptcy," Sofia's tone became deadly serious.

"Uhm, we are already paid to drive out the businesses in this area. Hehehe...  Is it possible that you'll just find a different location for your business?"  LuXin awkwardly bargained.

"No, it's not possible. This place is already a good location. But, I'll tell you what's possible," Sofia said and clasped her hands. She then glanced at the first group that they saw upon their arrival earlier.

"What is?" LuXin asked curiously.

"The thing that you are doing right now is harassment. Perhaps, malicious harassment resulted in damage to private and public properties. I'm not a lawyer but I know that these actions are against the law and those responsible are punishable," Sofia relayed. "You, stop this madness and I will hire all of you for my business plans. We have not interviewed personnel in our business, so, this is a good opportunity for all of you to have a regular income!"

Sofia's proposal was too sudden that even Stephen was stiffened on the spot. How could she hire these thugs without checking their backgrounds? It was a recruitment that he had never witnessed before.

"Y-you are offering regular work for us?" LuXin inquired.

"Yes. Tell me, how much was your group was paid to create trouble here?" Sofia asked him.

"Just ten thousand. We have nothing better to do, so we took the offer of that man who owned the green building," LuXin replied.

"I see. I have nothing to do with your previous and dirty arrangement but I don't want to employ people with no loyalty. So, if you can return that money and tell whoever paid you that you'll be working for me, then I'll hire your group right away. You can reach me in chat. I'll give you up until tomorrow to think about this good opportunity," Sofia offered.

"What if we don't want to accept your offer?" one of the members asked.

Sofia glared sharply at him and an evil smile appeared on her face. "It's not up to you to decide. It's for your leader to give me a decision tomorrow," she said before walking away from them.

Her words were too simple for the other people who overheard it but these words were actually meant to test LuXin's ability to lead his group. Since they claimed as a fraternity, their brotherhood should have a solid bond.  If one of the members won't follow LuXin's decision, it only meant that his leadership skill was questionable.

Stephen followed Sofia from behind. He made sure that she was safely walking in front of him instead of just walking side by side.

As he gazed at Sofia's back, he could not help but wonder how Sofia's tone could drive a great authority. 

Those men were older than them by several years, yet, no one laughed at Sofia when she mentioned business plans to them. 

No one mocked her when she declared that she would employ those frat members as long as they were willing to show loyalty to them. 

For some reason, they were all listening to her proposal as if Sofia's tone of voice was demanding those listeners to pay attention and show respect to her.

"That was amazing, Sof! If it would be me who was talking to them, they had probably treated me like a clown and laugh at my ideas instead," Stephen stated with full of sincerity.