He Chusan shrank into his seat, refusing to get out of the car, but Xia Liuyi seized him by the collar and dragged him out—using his bandaged left hand to do so. He Chusan did not dare struggle too forcefully.
Clutching his backpack, collar askew, he stumbled as he was dragged forward. “Brother Liuyi, Brother Liuyi! Why have we come here?”
“Your Brother Liuyi is in high spirits today—I’ll let you have a taste of the world,” Xia Liuyi said lightly, though he did not spare him a glance, striding forward and hauling him into the resplendent, lavishly adorned hall.
“I don’t need—”
“Shut up.” A chill crept into Xia Liuyi’s tone.
“Brother Liuyi, I really don’t—”
“Shut up!” Xia Liuyi barked coldly.
“I’m not going in!” He Chusan shouted even louder in defiance.
He dared not touch Xia Liuyi’s injured hand, so he raised his arms awkwardly, clutching at Xia Liuyi’s arm instead and planting his feet firmly, refusing to budge.
His small backpack fell onto the polished floor with a resounding bang!
At that moment, the manager had already approached with several girls. From afar, he recognized the boss and was about to greet him enthusiastically—but sensing the strange tension between the two, he quickly stopped the chattering girls and lingered a few paces away, watching.
Xia Liuyi turned his head, his face expressionless as he looked at He Chusan. He Chusan twisted his neck to meet his gaze, his stance rooted like a mountain, unmoving.
Their gazes clashed silently in the air, as if one could hear the very atmosphere freezing with a faint creak.
All the unspoken tension between them—the silent probing, the restrained contest, the wordless struggle—collapsed in that instant. With one look, everything was laid bare.
Your hidden thoughts, my feigned indifference—all exposed, nothing left concealed beneath heaven.
Only moments ago, He Chusan had still harbored a faint, uneasy hope. Yet in the blink of an eye, he was treated thus. That fleeting indulgence and ambiguity shattered faster than foam.
Struck as if by a bolt from the blue, he realized Xia Liuyi’s move was not merely to sever his feelings, but to reduce him to nothing more than an inexperienced youth who had mistaken his affections for a man.
Bitterness welled within him; his gaze grew increasingly aggrieved and angry. Xia Liuyi, who had endured all his subtle touches and closeness along the way, was already restless and irritated. Now, seeing him dare to openly defy him, his expression grew colder still.
“He A-San, are you even a man? Don’t you have any normal urges?” Xia Liuyi sneered.
“I don’t do this sort of thing!” He Chusan replied. “I won’t come to such low, filthy places!”
“Hah! Too beneath you? Afraid it’ll tarnish your precious college-boy image? I’m the owner of this place! I spend my days fooling around here! If you look down on it so much, why the hell do you keep following me?!”
He Chusan clenched his teeth for a long moment. “You don’t… You’re not that kind of person.”
Xia Liuyi let out a cold laugh and turned to the manager. “Bring Xiao He out.”
The manager hurried off personally, grabbing a waiter along the way to whisper urgently, sending him to fetch General Manager Cui for emergency assistance—the boss has brought a student here to wreck his own establishment!
Xiao He, who usually maintained a pure and innocent persona, had not received any notice of the boss’s arrival today. She was dressed in a Japanese-style school uniform skirt, accompanying a few wealthy businessmen with drinks. Suddenly summoned, she came in haste, light makeup on her face, her lipstick smudged into a red streak—making her, from afar, resemble a ghostly vampire from some Japanese school legend.
Up close, however, her features were delicate, her appearance gentle and demure.
The moment she approached, Xia Liuyi grabbed her roughly into his arms, pinching her chin and forcing her to raise her head.
“See this? I’ve had this one before. Looks decent enough, but too stiff in bed—no matter how you push, she only knows how to moan the same few lines! I prefer someone wilder. Not interested in her type—but she’s just right for a chaste boy like you! Tonight, she’ll teach you how to be a man. Xiao He—take him inside!”
Xiao He stepped forward to take He Chusan’s arm, but he shook her off violently. “Don’t touch me!”
She was delicate and unsteady, immediately stumbling from the shove. Xia Liuyi caught her by the waist. He Chusan bent to pick up his backpack. “I’m leaving.”
He turned and walked away, only to hear Xia Liuyi’s furious roar from behind.
“Stop!”
He Chusan halted.
“You throwing a tantrum with me? You come when you want, leave when you want—what, you think this is a public latrine?!”
“You’re the one who dragged me in,” He Chusan replied without turning back.
“Did I say you could leave?!” Xia Liuyi snapped. “I’m telling you, He Chusan! If you refuse her tonight, I’ll have her stripped naked and thrown out into the street to feed the dogs!”
Xiao He lifted her head in surprise, glanced at Xia Liuyi, then instantly caught on—turning toward He Chusan with a pitiful, pleading expression.
“You wouldn’t do that,” He Chusan said, clutching his backpack tighter as he continued walking.
“Strip her and give her ten slaps before throwing her out!” Xia Liuyi ordered.
Two bodyguards stepped forward at once, truly beginning to tear off Xiao He’s clothes in public. She burst into loud sobs as they ripped her skirt, then her undergarments. Kneeling on the ground, she struggled desperately, clinging to Xia Liuyi’s shoes as tears streamed like pear blossoms in rain. Then she crawled toward He Chusan, clutching his leg.
“Wuwu… little brother! Save me! Please—save me…!”
While crying, Xiao He shot a subtle glance at a familiar bodyguard. He had meant to merely go through the motions, but seeing her signal, he had no choice—he raised his hand for real, swinging it down with force!
From the corner of his eye, He Chusan caught the shadow on the wall. He immediately turned, rushed forward, and shielded Xiao He—
—only to take the slap squarely across his forehead!
A loud crack! rang through the corridor.
Watching from a distance, Xia Liuyi’s eye twitched, his chest tightening. That blow carried far more force than the mock slaps he usually gave He Chusan!
Seeing him knocked flying, Xia Liuyi instinctively stepped forward to catch him—
His long leg had already taken a stride—
—but Xiao He, ever perceptive, reached him first, grabbing him tightly!
Clinging to him like a lifeline, she shielded Xia Liuyi’s near slip, smearing her ruined makeup across He Chusan’s clothes. “Wuwu… I’m so scared…”
Xia Liuyi quietly withdrew his step, mentally awarding Xiao He the title of “best employee,” while cursing inwardly—damn it, everyone around me is either a film emperor or a film queen!
It took He Chusan a long moment to recover from the dizziness. Supporting himself against the wall, he awkwardly tried to extricate himself from Xiao He’s soft embrace.
“What are you standing around for? Keep hitting!” Xia Liuyi barked when he saw he was fine.
The bodyguards surged forward again. Xiao He, closest to him, heard a faint sigh escape his lips.
Then He Chusan extended his arm, gently supporting her.
“Let’s go, Xiao He. To your room.”
Without sparing Xia Liuyi another glance, he led her away, expression blank.
Ahead, the corridor glowed with dazzling neon lights—chaotic, multicolored—mirroring the turmoil within his heart.
That single slap had shattered all his passion and impulse.
And it forced him to clearly recognize his mistake.
He had pushed too far, acted too rashly, been too naïve.
The man before him—beneath his fierce and unyielding exterior—harbored an innate fragility and avoidance when it came to emotion. This was someone who could even give up the man he had loved for ten years.
What, then, was He Chusan in comparison?
He had begun wrongly.
But he did not mind starting over.
……
Cui Dongdong arrived with a face full of gossip and excitement. Before she even stepped into the office, her voice rang out:
“Boss! I heard you forced a decent girl into prostitution tonight!”
“……” Xia Liuyi sat in her boss’s chair, drinking her private stash of wine, long legs propped on the desk, his expression dark as iron, silent.
Cui Dongdong gleefully tossed him a cigarette, continuing to tease him. “You didn’t visit Xiao He all year, and the moment you show up, you nearly strip her naked and throw her out—and even find her a little virgin boyfriend. That’s ruthless.”
“I’ve never treated her badly,” Xia Liuyi said impatiently. “Besides, she seemed to be enjoying the performance.”
“I meant—you were too cruel to that kid,” Cui Dongdong replied.
Xia Liuyi, cigarette in his mouth, suddenly looked up and glared at her. She shrugged, wearing a knowing expression.
Xia Liuyi flicked ash irritably. “The hell do you know?”
“I know that kid likes you,” Cui Dongdong said plainly.
“Fuck off! Don’t spout nonsense!”
“Hey, Xiao Liuzi!” Cui Dongdong squeezed beside him, slinging an arm over his shoulder and patting him earnestly. “Your Sister Dongdong is still a woman, you know. Ever heard of a woman’s intuition? I’ve known what that kid’s thinking for a long time!”
“……”
Xia Liuyi fell silent.
“That year, he risked his head to hide you, braved gunfire to deliver messages for you. If you say it’s because you once saved him, that barely makes sense. But what about this past year? A dignified university student from a top school, with a bright future ahead—yet he spends every day running with the underworld. If it’s not because he’s taken a liking to you, then the only other explanation is that he’s an undercover agent.”
“Bullshit!” Xia Liuyi snapped. “That’s because I was in a good mood and took him in as my lackey! He’s just here to keep his boss happy!”
Cui Dongdong shrugged helplessly again, as if beyond saving, and finally unleashed her trump card. “Fine then. That day we were watching The Godfather, I went to the restroom and came back. Everyone else was staring at the screen—only he was staring at you. That look in his eyes… downright tender.”
“……” This was something Xia Liuyi had not noticed in the slightest!
Left speechless, he clawed at the armrest of his chair, grinding his teeth for a long while. “You damn woman—you already knew he was acting all sneaky, and you didn’t tell me?!”
“You should’ve figured out he was interested in you yourself!” Cui Dongdong shrugged. “He’s been that obvious all along—don’t tell me you didn’t notice?”
“……” Xia Liuyi, who had indeed noticed.
At a loss for words, Xia Liuyi leaned back irritably in the boss’s chair, smoking in silence. Cui Dongdong casually perched on the edge of the desk, leisurely asking, “So what? You’ve got no interest in him?”
“Aren’t you supposed to have some all-seeing eye? And you can’t tell this?!” Xia Liuyi shot back.
“That, I really can’t see,” Cui Dongdong said. “From my experience, the more you like someone, the more you avoid them. But from what I see, not only do you not avoid him—you even happily go out with him all the time.”
“Go out my ass!” Boss Xia slammed the chair!
“Alright, alright—not ‘dates,’ just ‘brotherly outings,’” Cui Dongdong corrected lazily. “Who are you even trying to fool?”
“……” Boss Xia, face turning green, scratched at the armrest, seriously contemplating whether to replace his deputy hall master.
“So what exactly do you mean?” Cui Dongdong pressed.
“I’m not interested in him! Not in that way!” Xia Liuyi said. “He’s just my lackey!”
Cui Dongdong raised a brow, nodding with a sigh. “You’re truly cruel.”
Ignoring her provocation, Xia Liuyi said irritably, “He’s just read too many books—his brain’s gone wrong. Let him ‘open his horizons’, that’ll fix it!”
Cui Dongdong let out a long sigh. “Boss Xia, if ‘opening one’s horizons’ actually worked, where would all the heartbroken lovers in this world come from? Back then, didn’t you ‘open yours’? Did it work?”
Xia Liuyi’s face darkened abruptly. “Enough.”
Cui Dongdong shrugged, tactfully changing the subject. “What happened to your hand?”
“Someone’s been impersonating Xiao Ma’s people on Xiaoqi Hall’s turf—robbing and stirring trouble.”
“Fat Seven?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. This person wants to make a big scene—get the cops involved to come after me. Fat Seven’s brains, he wouldn’t come up with something like that.”
“Could be Sha Jiajun feeding him ideas.”
Xia Liuyi shook his head. “Matters of the jianghu are settled within the jianghu—we never involve the cops. Sha Jiajun may be no saint, but he’s still straightforward enough to follow that rule. Besides, once the cops start watching us, they’ll inevitably watch Fat Seven and Sha Jiajun too. They wouldn’t smash their own feet with a rock. Whoever this is has gone through a lot of trouble, taken a long detour—the goal doesn’t seem to be fighting over territory.”
Cui Dongdong pondered for a moment. “I’ll have people look into it.”
“And another thing—the messengers side can’t always be filled with Uncle Yuan’s people. Keep an eye out and plant a few of our own.”
“OK,” Cui Dongdong said, stretching her shoulders as she stood. “If there’s nothing else, I’m off. A spring night is worth a thousand gold!”
“Get lost,” Xia Liuyi said.
Cui Dongdong spun lightly on her heel, facing the door as she strode out. “Oh, right—since you’ve given Xiao He away and don’t fancy the others, I suggest you sleep alone on the sofa tonight. Your ‘spring night’ will be strictly solo!”
Xia Liuyi flicked his cigarette butt at her retreating figure, but it was blocked by the closing door.
With killing intent practically overflowing, Boss Xia threw himself into year-end affairs, working himself into a daze, thoroughly irritated. He had originally planned to relax today—drag that brat along for a proper game of pool, a good meal, and a movie. He had to admit, most of the time spent with that kid had been easy and enjoyable. Who would’ve thought the night would end like this—ruining his rare good mood entirely!
He slammed the table hard, then leaned back into his chair in frustration, stewing for a long while before glancing at his left hand, where blood had begun to seep through the bandages.
“Fuck!” he cursed at the carefully wrapped gauze.
That damned He Chusan! I’m already worked to death, and he still has to stir up trouble! Wouldn’t it be fine if he just obediently kowtowed and pledged allegiance, behaving properly as a little lackey?! Damn it—got the guts of a bear and a leopard, thinking he can become the boss’s wife? Who the hell does he think he is?!
The more Xia Liuyi thought about it, the more resentment filled his chest. And when he imagined He Chusan now tangled up with Xiao He in bed, tasting the pleasures of Mount Wu (Poetic euphemism for sex) for the first time, his anger flared even hotter—
At his young age, barely in his twenties, he had to painstakingly manage such a troublesome brat—not only educating him properly about sex, but even forcing him into bed!
The bitterness of it all—simply unbearable to recall!
He kicked the desk viciously! Then, covering his forehead with his injured hand, he sat there in a daze for a long time. Finally, he reached into his pocket and pulled out that old black leather wallet.
He took out the photo of himself with Xiaoman from the front and placed it on the desk, then held up the wallet, staring through the slightly dirty plastic sleeve at the single portrait inside.
That man’s silent profile, half-veiled in faint smoke, was still carved deep into his heart—etched into every dream that jolted him awake in the cold of night.
He did not know how to forget. Nor did he know how to begin again. Not knowing what to do, he simply chose not to think about it.
But that reckless, audacious brat insisted on forcing him.
His injured right hand soon began to ache faintly from holding the wallet. He let out a low sigh, closed his eyes, and loosened his grip. The open wallet fell—
Smack!—landing squarely on his face.
……
Tormented by love, Boss Xia tossed and turned on the large sofa, smoking the entire night through. By morning, his shirt was riddled with burn holes.
He went downstairs to shower, had an employee buy him a fresh set of clothes, and forced himself into a spirited, imposing demeanor before heading into Xiao He’s room for inspection.
Xiao He was neatly dressed, quietly seated by the bed organizing records. She seemed to have been up for quite some time.
“Where is he?” Xia Liuyi asked, scanning the room with a frown.
“He left. Said he had to go home to work on his thesis,” Xiao He replied.
“Tch!” Xia Liuyi clicked his tongue. “How was he last night?”
Xiao He said, “He also likes listening to Audrey Hepburn’s songs.”
Xia Liuyi’s expression stiffened. “Wasn’t I telling you to sleep with him?”
Xiao He shook her head. “He listened to music for an hour, then fell asleep.”
Xia Liuyi’s face turned from stiff to cold. In a low voice, he asked sharply, “He found out?”—about him and Xiao He.
Xiao He hurriedly shook her head. “No! I didn’t tell anyone! It’s just that he… um… he said…”
“What did he say?!”
“He said premarital relations are wrong…”
“Relations my ass!” Xia Liuyi roared, nearly tearing his throat! “What’s with that chastity act?! You didn’t just take him by force?!”
Xiao He looked aggrieved. “He’s tall and strong—I couldn’t overpower him. I stripped naked in front of him, and he didn’t even look. He even said, ‘A relationship should start with dates’…”
—Date your damn mother!
Bang! Xia Liuyi’s bandaged fist slammed into the wall, sending dust scattering everywhere!
A sharp pain shot through his wound, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.
Seeing the boss enraged, Xiao He quickly softened her tone to comfort him. “He said he has a good impression of me, and wants to take me shopping this weekend.”
“……”
Good impression my ass! Shopping my ass! Dating my ass!!!—Boss Xia roared inwardly—
That damned He Chusan! Keep acting! Damn Oscar-winning performance!
“Anyway, I don’t care what you do—make sure you keep him tied down! If he wants a relationship, you give him one! If he wants to shop, you go with him! I want to see what kind of tricks he can pull!” Xia Liuyi barked.
Xiao He nodded obediently. “Yes, I understand.”
Boss Xia stormed out, face dark as iron, slamming the door behind him!
Xiao He calmly rubbed her ears, then quietly returned to sit by the bed, lowering her head to continue organizing the records.
This steady, tight-lipped young woman had not lied to Xia Liuyi. Those were indeed He Chusan’s exact words—she simply left out the rest.
Are you Hu Qinghe? I’m your elementary school classmate, He Chusan. Do you remember me? We used to live in Jiaolong Walled City. You dropped out in fifth grade. Do you remember A-Wei from the class next door? He works at the same tea restaurant as me now—he often mentions you…
Futile Devices Scans 
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