He Chusan felt that this was nothing short of a miracle of life—riding in the car of a drunken Xia Liuyi, he had actually made it back to Jiaolong Walled City alive. Alive! Still! Alive!
—In the end, it all came down to the late hour: few people, few cars. That was the only reason he had survived such incredible luck.
Xia Liuyi slammed on the brakes by the roadside, then smacked the steering wheel, waiting for He Chusan to get out.
He Chusan released his tight grip on the overhead handle, unbuckled his seatbelt, and opened the door with trembling legs. Then, thinking it over, he felt uneasy again. “Brother Liuyi, how are you getting back?”
“None of your business. Get lost,” Xia Liuyi said.
The moment He Chusan recalled the terrifying sight of him spinning the steering wheel wildly at intersections and circling in place, his vision went dark. After a moment’s hesitation, he braced himself and climbed back into the car. “Brother Liuyi, I’ll go with you. I’m not comfortable letting you drive alone.”
“I’m not going home!” Xia Liuyi squinted, shoved him out haphazardly, then tossed his schoolbag after him. “Get lost!”
“Not going home? Then where are you going?” He Chusan asked, puzzled, hugging his bag as he staggered upright. Xia Liuyi had already leaned over and slammed the door shut.
He Chusan tugged at the door a couple of times without success, only to realize that Xia Liuyi had locked it from the inside. A bad feeling rose in his chest. “Brother Liuyi? Open the door! Where are you going alone?”
From inside, Xia Liuyi sneered and raised his middle finger at him—clear proof that this usually pretentious underworld boss was thoroughly drunk this time. His lips formed four words: “None of your damn business!”
He Chusan pounded on the window twice, to no effect. Seeing Xia Liuyi shift gears and prepare to hit the accelerator, panic surged—he spun around and threw himself directly in front of the car!
He landed awkwardly on the ground before the vehicle, tossed his bag onto the hood, then straightened up and raised both arms—a perfect imitation of a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Xia Liuyi failed to notice this “little mantis” in time. Instinctively pressing the accelerator—
Bang!
He Chusan’s figure vanished!
Xia Liuyi’s mind exploded with a boom. He slammed on the brakes and hastily rolled down the window to look—
He Chusan lay sprawled several steps ahead, covered in dust, scrambling to get up. Fortunately, he didn’t seem seriously hurt.
Xia Liuyi stuck his head out and cursed, “You damn bastard! Got a death wish?! What the hell are you doing blocking the car?!”
He Chusan staggered back to his feet, not even bothering to pick up his bag, stubbornly standing in front of the car again. “Brother Liuyi, you can’t drive like this!”
“None of your damn business! Get lost!”
“How is it not my business?! I don’t want to see you get hurt! Stop messing around, Brother Liuyi—get out!” This reckless brat actually shouted at him with a stern expression.
Blood rushed to Xia Liuyi’s head. He slammed the horn—BEEEEEP!
He Chusan responded in kind, smacking the hood with both hands—PA! Then he lifted his head and glared back fiercely—without giving an inch.
This damned brat has eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard! Xia Liuyi ground his teeth, determined to press the accelerator again…
—but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Irritated, he slammed the horn once more, frowning. “Why are you making trouble with me? I’ve got something to do—stop blocking me!”
“What do you have to do that can’t wait until now? It’s this late already! And you’re drunk like this—what exactly are you trying to do?!”
Xia Liuyi glared at him for a long while. The alcohol surged with his blood, and his head began to grow heavy and muddled. He leaned back against the car seat and said irritably, “Don’t worry about me. You’re really annoying—I get a headache every time I see you…”
He Chusan softened his voice. “Brother Liuyi, I really can’t feel at ease leaving you alone. Where exactly are you going? Let me go with you, okay?”
Xia Liuyi lifted an arm to cover his face, muttering irritably as if to himself, “None of you fucking come. All of you, get lost…”
He Chusan stepped to the driver’s side, bent down, and grasped his limp right arm, speaking gently, “I won’t bother you. Just let me keep you company while you drive, okay? I don’t feel safe letting you drive alone. Once we get there, you can go wherever you want, do whatever you want—I’ll stay in the car and won’t get out. Alright?”
Xia Liuyi said nothing, still covering his face as if he had fallen asleep.
He Chusan could only shake his arm lightly and continue pleading in a soft voice, “Brother Liuyi…”
“……”
In the end, He Chusan climbed back into the passenger seat, clutching his equally dust-covered schoolbag. Xia Liuyi pressed the accelerator expressionlessly.
Silence filled the car. One drove, the other stared wide-eyed at the road. Occasionally, He Chusan would speak up to remind him:
“There’s a railing on the left.”
“……”
“You’re heading up the mountain? Turn right here.”
“……”
“Slow down on the curve—you’ll fly off the cliff.”
“……”
“Don’t go so fast! Brother Liuyi!”
“The hell are you yelling for?! Are you the boss or am I the boss?!”
“……”
You’re exactly the kind who needs a boss to discipline you—reckless, willful gangster! He Chusan fumed inwardly, not daring to say it aloud.
The winding mountain road stretched on endlessly, empty of all life—no one ahead, no one behind. The Mercedes swerved and staggered along, stopping and starting, until at last it came to a halt before a seaside villa shrouded in eerie winds.
Xia Liuyi shifted the gear, pulled out the key, and instantly even the headlights went dark. Darkness engulfed everything.
The moon was dim, the stars sparse. The sea wind howled against the windows. Tattered yellow paper remnants fluttered along the iron gate of the villa, as if beckoning them closer.
“Don’t get out,” Xia Liuyi said, opening the door and stumbling out.
He Chusan climbed up and leaned against the window, watching as Xia Liuyi staggered toward the villa’s ominous gate, then leaned against the iron bars and sat down.
After sitting there blankly for a while, he lowered his head, took out a lighter, and lit a cigarette, placing it between the bars of the gate. Then he lit another and held it in his own mouth.
It was too dark, and Xia Liuyi had parked far away. He Chusan couldn’t clearly make out his expression—only the flickering glow of cigarette tips in the dark. Against the looming, sinister backdrop of the villa, Xia Liuyi’s figure appeared thin and indistinct, sitting there in silence, as though he might be swallowed whole by the cold, monstrous darkness behind him.
He Chusan had never been here before, but with his sharp mind, it didn’t take much to guess. Considering that Xia Liuyi would come here drunk on his “birthday,” and seeing both the luxury and desolation of the villa—
he could more or less figure out what this place was.
No wonder Xia Liuyi had insisted on personally driving him back. It was really just an excuse to come here along the way.
He Chusan sighed silently to himself, leaned his head against the seat, and stared at Xia Liuyi in a daze.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before drowsiness overtook him. His head dropped sharply, hitting the car window and jolting him awake. Startled, he quickly looked outside—the glow of cigarettes was gone. Xia Liuyi remained a dark silhouette sitting in the same spot, utterly motionless.
After a moment’s hesitation, He Chusan quietly pushed open the car door and stepped out, moving softly toward him.
Facing the howling sea wind, he walked up to the iron gate. Xia Liuyi leaned there with his head lowered, as if asleep. His suit jacket hung open, revealing the thin shirt underneath.
He Chusan crouched down gently and tentatively patted his arm.
Xia Liuyi didn’t react at all—only steady, long breaths could be heard.
He Chusan tried to pull him up, but couldn’t move him. Afraid of waking him, he had no choice but to stop.
He Chusan sat down close beside Xia Liuyi, tucking his coat in around him. Only then did he notice that in Xia Liuyi’s hand, besides the extinguished cigarette butt, there was also a crumpled object.
Carefully prying open his fingers, He Chusan retrieved the greeting card he had given him.
In the dim light, he could vaguely see that the words “Happy Liuyi” on the crooked, ugly birthday cake drawing had been blurred by some kind of moisture.
—That day was June 1st. It was the first time in my life I ate cake. I felt that was my first real birthday. I told him I would follow him for the rest of my life—because with him, there was cake to eat.
He Chusan’s heart trembled violently! His hand loosened, and the sea wind whooshed, snatching the card away. In the blink of an eye, it vanished from sight.
There was no way to chase after it. Uneasy, he turned his head back—just in time to see Xia Liuyi’s lowered face. His profile was cold and gaunt, the corners of his lips slightly drooping in a trace of loneliness.
This man—this underworld boss who, in front of others, loved to act aloof, ruthless, and cold-blooded—before him was always irritable, willful, domineering, reckless, endlessly tolerant of him, seemingly fierce yet actually caring… and now, like this, inadvertently fragile.
The birthday party, the excuse of rewarding his subordinates, the singing and dancing, the indulgence in wine and flesh, the laughter and chaos—those were all just a façade he put on for his brothers. The real him would only, in the dead of night, drive up the mountain alone, sit before an abandoned villa, silently smoke a cigarette, shed tears over a greeting card… and then fall asleep without a sound.
He Chusan didn’t know what he counted as in Xia Liuyi’s heart. But this lawless gangster had barged into his life, rampaging wildly through his heart, staking territory, conquering ground—until he had seized an entire kingdom. Otherwise, why would simply seeing him like this make his chest tighten with unbearable panic and pain?
Unable to stop himself, he raised his hand and gently brushed his knuckles against the cool, slightly damp corner of Xia Liuyi’s eye.
This man said he wanted to build the Xiaoqi Hall into the number one gang in the underworld. He was making up for another underworld boss’s life, and at the same time searching for an outlet for his own guilt and pain. But expanding territory, scheming against rivals, fighting and killing—was that truly the life this man wanted? This man who liked spearing fish balls while watching movies, drinking beer with chicken casserole, dragging a university student along to play billiards?
If not for that… then what exactly was he living for?
He Chusan let out a long sigh. Spreading his arms, he pulled Xia Liuyi entirely into his embrace, letting his lowered head rest against his chest.
Then he lowered his own head and gently pressed his face against Xia Liuyi’s messy, alcohol-scented hair.
……
At dawn, Xia Liuyi was roused by the faint cries of seagulls. Frowning irritably, he struggled for quite some time before managing to pry open his stuck-together eyelids.
What met his eyes was a stretch of azure sea beyond a row of palm trees. The first trembling rays of sunrise spread faintly across the horizon, while several silver-white seagulls circled lazily in the warm red glow as they soared skyward.
Such a dreamlike waking scene left his hungover mind completely muddled. He stared blankly for a long while before realizing something felt off—
Not only did his head throb and his whole body ache, but more importantly, somewhere on his chest felt itchy and numb—distinctly uncomfortable.
Lowering his head, Boss Xia saw his wrinkled suit jacket hanging open, revealing the thin shirt beneath. A certain dog paw was pressed there—this time using two fingers, the middle and ring finger—pinching precisely at a certain point through the fabric.
Xia Liuyi flew into a rage and flung his hand, forcefully knocking away He Chusan’s paw once again!
Meanwhile, He Chusan had his other arm wrapped around Xia Liuyi’s waist, half his face squished against his shoulder. At that moment, he murmured groggily, instinctively nuzzled against his shoulder, and continued breathing evenly.
After being tormented all night by a gangster hooligan, the university student was exhausted, sleepy, depressed, and aching inside—he didn’t even have the strength to deal with the fury of his “human pillow.”
Xia Liuyi shook him twice without waking him. He half-considered slapping him awake—his palm hovering right beside his face—but ultimately didn’t bring it down.
The brat’s got eye gunk all over his face—filthy, it’ll dirty my hand!
He pushed He Chusan away and used the iron railing to steady himself as he stood. By now, the morning sunlight had reached the villa rooftop, the snow-white surface reflecting a dazzling golden glow.
Squinting up at that light, Xia Liuyi stared for a long time. A faint heat gathered in his eyes…
But when he lowered his head again, he had already returned to that expressionless, calm, and composed boss.
Bending down, he grabbed He Chusan by one arm and hauled the brat—sleeping like a dead pig—up onto his shoulder. Dragging him along, he shoved him back into the car and dumped him into the rear seat. Then he got into the driver’s seat himself, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette.
Casually exhaling smoke, he leaned back and watched He Chusan’s peaceful, innocent sleeping face through the rearview mirror.
Last night, he had truly been drunk out of his mind—that was the only reason he had brought the brat here. But every word He Chusan said, every thing he did, every look he gave him—
he remembered all of it.
Even that final, fleeting embrace left a vague impression in his mind.
It wasn’t that he was overly sensitive—He Chusan had indeed crossed the line, gone beyond the bounds of brotherhood.
Fatigued, Xia Liuyi draped an arm over his forehead and slowly exhaled a long strand of pale, drifting smoke.
……
Boss Xia, aged twenty-five, had just lost the first love he had secretly cherished for over a decade. Now fully devoted to his career, he had no interest in romance. As for that green, milk-scented brat—he was nothing but trash among trash.
Feelings like this—dangerous ones—were best strangled in the cradle as early as possible.
But “strangling” didn’t mean avoiding him, fearing him, or disappearing from each other’s lives. In Xia Liuyi’s view, the more one avoided something, the more it proved one cared. And as far as he was concerned, he absolutely did not care about a kid like this harboring a crush on him.
So he carried on as usual—eating with him when he pleased, playing billiards with him, continuing to try and force him into managing accounts… only now, he harbored an extra thought:
to properly “initiate” him.
He was convinced that this audacious brat had studied himself stupid, lacked social experience, and—after finally having a boss to “look after” him (even if the brat refused to acknowledge him as such)—had mistaken brotherly loyalty for attraction. Having never even tasted the pleasures of women, he had somehow wandered onto a path of being interested in men.
—Boss Xia, hold on a second. Are you sure you’re not describing yourself?
Well then, putting aside Boss Xia’s outrageous act of beating up the narrator, ever since forming this firm conclusion, he became increasingly concerned about He Chusan’s “development.” Whenever he had the chance, he schemed to arrange opportunities for his little Ah-San to experience the joys of flesh and desire.
Manager Ma eagerly called to report to his chairman, “Boss, that brat surnamed He has eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard—he says he’s not coming to play billiards with you this Sunday afternoon.”
“What, studying for exams again? Didn’t he start an internship at a bank?” Xia Liuyi asked, spearing a sausage on the other end of the line.
“He says last week you arranged for a pretty girl to give him ‘hands-on instruction,’ and he accidentally sprained his hand—it still hasn’t healed! I say he’s definitely faking it, Boss! He’s making excuses to avoid you! Just give the word and I’ll drag him out and beat him up!”
“Beat what? If you damage him, can you afford to compensate? Drag him over to watch a movie with me.”
And so, that Sunday afternoon, He Chusan was pitifully “dragged” into the gang’s private luxury cinema. He was still wearing a faded old shirt, though his schoolbag had been replaced with a worn leather briefcase clearly picked up secondhand. A pair of glasses now perched on his nose.
“Finally read yourself blind, have you?” Xia Liuyi asked from his Hawaiian recliner.
“The manager said I look too young and need glasses to bluff people,” He Chusan replied. “They’re just plain lenses.”
Xia Liuyi snorted and pushed the bowl of fish balls toward him. He Chusan obediently speared one. “Brother Liuyi, you enjoy the movie. I’ll read my research materials on the side—I won’t disturb you.”
Xia Liuyi had long grown accustomed to his ability to read even while standing on a crowded bus with his arms raised, so he couldn’t be bothered to beat him anymore. He merely glanced at the bandaged index finger on his left hand. “Damn! You really know how to act—this is a ‘sprain’?”
“No. I cut it while working yesterday.”
“Cut it? Aren’t you just serving dishes at a tea restaurant?”
“I started learning to prep ingredients last month. Uncle Ah Hua’s shop moved outside the Walled City, business is good, and they’re short on staff.”
Xia Liuyi snorted dismissively and turned back to the movie.
It was the winter of 1990. The relocation of Jiaolong Walled City had entered its middle phase. Most residents had been assigned government-compensated housing and payments. Mr. He, once an undocumented drifter who had taken refuge in the Walled City decades ago, had finally obtained permanent residency after living in Hong Kong for over seven years, officially becoming part of this coastal city. Based on the size of their two shabby rooms, the family was allocated a unit in a tenement building near the Kowloon City pier.
However, Mr. He was still an unlicensed dentist and could not legally open a clinic, forcing him into early retirement. Fortunately, He Chusan had secured an internship, earning one to two thousand a month to support the household. Meanwhile, Uncle Ah Hua’s newly reopened “Ah Hua’s Ice Room”was located right below their building, so aside from his four days a week at the bank, He Chusan continued working there during his spare time.
Originally, he should have been serving dishes despite his injury today. But just after noon, amid Uncle Ah Hua’s shouting, he grabbed his old briefcase and slipped away, voluntarily arriving at the billiards hall—only to be dragged off to accompany the boss.
Xia Liuyi lounged in his chair, watching that year’s blockbuster “A Moment of Romance”. Andy Lau sped through a racetrack amid deafening screams—reckless, fearless, impossibly handsome. Boss Xia scoffed. “Hah, what’s so impressive about that? I got bored of that ages ago.”
“You’ve raced motorcycles?” He Chusan asked.
Xia Liuyi sneered, showing off. “At sixteen, I was already king of Kowloon City—never lost a race!”
He Chusan frowned slightly, concern in his voice. “You never got into an accident?”
“……Of course not!”
—said Xia Liuyi, who had later broken his leg, been locked up by Qinglong for two months, and banned from touching motorcycles ever since.
That damn little fox stared at him with an unreadable, almost uncanny gaze for a long while—so long that Xia Liuyi was about to become embarrassed and angry—before sighing like an old man. “As long as nothing happened.”
Boss Xia slapped the armrest heavily. He Chusan immediately fell silent and lowered his head to continue reading.
By the light of the small lamp Xia Liuyi had specially placed on the table for him, he quietly finished reviewing his materials, neatly folded two full pages of notes, and packed everything back into his briefcase. Looking up, he saw that Xia Liuyi had already fallen asleep.
The night before, Xia Liuyi had been drinking with several newly appointed inspectors, socializing until late. Halfway through the movie, he had begun to doze off. Fortunately—or unfortunately—he had only seen the romantic beginning between the protagonist and the wealthy young lady, and had missed the tragic ending where the hero, gravely wounded, perished together with his enemy.
The graceful girl ran barefoot in her wedding dress through the wind, while the gangster struggled in a pool of blood, giving his final convulsions. A young singer softly sang “Fleeting Tenderness”:
Sweet words can’t explain it—this is no happy ending.
The yearning of life is never clear… why must one stay awake…
He Chusan quietly straightened, leaned closer to Xia Liuyi’s chair, and slowly bent down in the darkness…
—but only picked up the coat Xia Liuyi had casually tossed aside, and gently draped it over him.
Futile Devices Scans 
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