Late at night, inside the Deputy Superintendent’s office at O Division headquarters in Wan Chai.
The venetian blinds were tightly shut. Xie Jia Hua stood before the desk holding a stack of documents, his expression icy. Behind the desk sat his superior, Deputy Superintendent Liu, who looked equally stern and severe. Both men stared at the disheveled young man sitting cross-legged on the sofa and smoking—Xia Liu Yi’s bodyguard, A’Biao.
“You followed Xia Liu Yi for a year and a half, yet you failed to uncover any significant evidence?!” Deputy Superintendent Liu slammed the desk furiously.
A’Biao spread his hands with the cigarette between his lips. “It isn’t that I didn’t try. Xia Liu Yi is far too vigilant! Don’t be fooled by his age. He started accompanying Azure Dragon to the Golden Triangle when he was twenty and has connections with the drug lords there. After Azure Dragon died, he became the only person in Xiao Qi Hall who knew the drug-trafficking network. I only know that he has several distributors beneath him, who usually communicate with Cui Dong Dong. As for his suppliers, he personally collects the ‘goods’ and brings only his most senior confidants. He would never take a minor bodyguard like me. Until the final moment before a transaction, even his closest men don’t know where the car is supposed to stop.”
“If you uncovered nothing, why did you expose your identity so quickly?!”
“Boss, I didn’t want to!” A’Biao protested. “I’m willing to sacrifice myself for the public, but I can’t die without even knowing why! As long as I survived what happened tonight, Xia Liu Yi was guaranteed to suspect me. I would either be one of Fat Seven’s men or a police officer. Going back to him would be suicide. Besides, if I hadn’t realized Fat Seven was planning something underhanded and withdrawn early to report it, how would you have arrested so many people tonight?”
Deputy Superintendent Liu grabbed the files from the desk and hurled them at his head one by one, punctuating every curse with another folder. “You still dare argue?! You spent two years pretending to be a gangster! You accomplished nothing important and picked up every filthy habit they have! And now you’re throwing a tantrum at me?! Huh?!”
A’Biao covered his head and dodged repeatedly, complaining, “I fucking risked my life undercover for two years! Was that easy? Deputy Superintendent Liu, treating a meritorious officer this way is repaying kindness with betrayal!”
“A meritorious officer?! Hero my ass!” Hearing that only made Deputy Superintendent Liu angrier, and he hurled another three folders at him.
“Ow! Inspector Xie, stop standing there and save me!”
Xie Jia Hua did not even furrow his brows, behaving as though he could not see the two men fighting. He pondered coldly for a moment, then said to Deputy Superintendent Liu, “The crime scene was burned, and every member of the Hua household is dead. There are no surveillance cameras on the nearby roads. Fat Seven’s men had conflicting interests with Xia Liu Yi, so their testimony can easily be challenged. With the evidence currently available, convicting him will be extremely difficult. We must arrest Xia Liu Yi and his closest subordinates as soon as possible. Ideally, one of his men will confess.”
“That’ll be extremely difficult,” A’Biao interrupted. “Xia Liu Yi is generous, straightforward, and fiercely loyal. He’s exceptionally skilled at winning people over. If I weren’t an undercover officer, even I would be devoted to him. His men would sell their own fathers before betraying him.”
“Keep praising him! He sounds like your own father! Go join him and become a triad member! Don’t fucking come back!” Deputy Superintendent Liu raised another folder as though preparing to throw it.
A’Biao lifted an arm defensively, then shrank back resentfully and smoked.
“Write a detailed report on Xia Liu Yi and submit it to me in three days,” Xie Jia Hua instructed A’Biao. “His personality, preferences, associates, and the places he frequents—everything, no matter how minor. Include anything you can remember. At least ten thousand words.”
“What?!” A’Biao shrieked. “Inspector Xie, I haven’t written ten thousand words in my entire twenty years of life!”
Xie Jia Hua ignored him. He nodded to Deputy Superintendent Liu and turned to leave. A’Biao remained behind, staring miserably and pleadingly at his superior.
Deputy Superintendent Liu sighed. “Start writing as soon as possible. You’ve worked hard these past few years. I’ll arrange a safe house with round-the-clock protection. Once this matter is over, you’ll be sent abroad for further training.”
…
After surviving a night of bloodshed, Xia Liu Yi felt no physical discomfort apart from having eaten too much. Stretching his limbs across He Chu San’s bed, he scratched his hair, sorted through his thoughts, switched off the light, and went to sleep.
He had drunk too much congee and woke in the night needing to urinate. Wearing slippers, he felt his way through the darkness to the bathroom. On his way back, he passed the sofa and saw the little bum He curled awkwardly upon it, his head resting on his briefcase and his long legs nearly dragging across the floor.
A coat had originally covered him, but it had slipped down.
Xia Liu Yi walked over, bent down to pick it up, and placed it over him again.
After Xia Liu Yi’s footsteps disappeared, He Chu San opened his eyes in the darkness and secretly stroked the coat twice.
Best Actor He concealed himself in the darkness, biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity. A long while later, he heard faint snores coming from Xia Liu Yi’s room. He quietly climbed off the sofa and crept furtively into the bedroom.
Xia Liu Yi had not locked the door. He Chu San placed his fingers against its edge and carefully pushed it open little by little.
Xia Liu Yi slept on his side, breathing slowly and evenly. The room was dark, with only a sliver of light entering through the gap in the curtains, barely illuminating the outline of his profile. The thin blanket dipped elegantly at his waist like a beautiful valley before rising again over the proud slope of his backside…
Holding the doorframe, He Chu San silently swallowed and did not dare take another step. He knew that Xia Liu Yi was exceptionally alert in his sleep. At the slightest disturbance, he could roll over and kick an intruder straight into the wall.
Like a ghost in the dead of night, He Chu San stood in the doorway, filled with both the devotion of a secret admirer and the sleaziness of a voyeur, silently watching for a long time. Finally, he sighed inwardly, temporarily satisfied, gently closed the door, and crawled back onto the sofa to sleep.
The secondhand sofa gave a low creak beneath his weight. Inside the bedroom, Xia Liu Yi, whose eyes had remained tightly shut the entire time, frowned in the darkness.
Little bastard, he cursed inwardly.
Both men spent the night harboring their own schemes and awoke with bloodshot eyes. He Chu San yawned as he fried an egg for a sandwich. Xia Liu Yi got up to use the bathroom again, looked disdainfully at the sandwich, and returned to bed to catch up on sleep.
He Chu San did not dare provoke Boss Xia when he had not slept enough. Leaving the sandwich on the table, he took a cloth bag and went out to buy groceries. His handsome, fair appearance and polite, gentle temperament made him particularly beloved by the female shopkeepers, who repeatedly asked when he had moved into the neighborhood and where he worked. Half an hour later, he returned with a full bag, including two enormous scallions he had received for free.
He also bought a small cooking pot and several refined seasonings. Closing the kitchen door, he began clattering around inside. At noon, Boss Xia emerged sleepily to wash his face. He Chu San poked his head out of the kitchen. “You’re awake, Brother Liu Yi?”
“Mm.”
“Remember to brush your teeth. There’s a new toothbrush on the cup.”
“Shut up.”
He Chu San brought out a steaming plate of braised beef offal, a whole steamed fish that Boss Xia had favored during Chinese New Year, and a vegetable dish, arranging everything on the coffee table. There was not even a spare stool in the apartment, so the two sat side by side on the sofa and bent forward together to reach the food.
The space was already cramped, yet He Chu San still bent his elbow to place food in Xia Liu Yi’s bowl. Boss Xia blocked his chopsticks. “Eat your own.”
“Does the wound still hurt?” He Chu San asked.
“It’s fine.”
“Did you sleep well last night? Did you sweat? If you did, I should change the dressing again.”
Expressionless, Xia Liu Yi tore at the fish with his chopsticks. The shameless bastard already knew the answer! He had spied on Xia Liu Yi in the middle of the night and still dared ask whether he had slept well?!
Xia Liu Yi ignored the question. He placed the tenderest piece of fish belly in his mouth and bit down viciously before suddenly asking, “It’s Sunday. Why didn’t you take Xiao He out?”
With a calm expression, He Chu San picked up a piece of leafy vegetable. “She hasn’t been feeling well these past few days. It isn’t convenient for her to go out.”
“What illness?”
“She didn’t explain in detail. She told me it was nothing serious. From the sound of it, she probably has a cold.”
“Ha. Aren’t the two of you deeply in love? Why aren’t you visiting her when she’s sick?”
He Chu San lowered his eyes and turned the fish over. When he looked up at Xia Liu Yi again, he still wore an honest and upright expression, now accompanied by sincere concern for his lover. “I was already planning to visit her this afternoon.”
“Where is she living now?”
“Still in Kowloon City. She rents a place with several of her sisters.”
“Why don’t you let her live here?”
He Chu San lowered his eyes somewhat bashfully. “Our relationship hasn’t reached the point of living together.”
Pretend! Go on, keep fucking pretending!
Boss Xia’s every sentence carried barbs as he probed and pressed closer. Best Actor He calmly countered every attack and adapted to every tactic without revealing a flaw. The two sparred throughout the entire meal without determining a victor.
After clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, He Chu San solemnly changed into a suit and carefully groomed himself. Then he genuinely said goodbye to Xia Liu Yi. “Brother Liu Yi, rest properly. I’m going to visit Xiao He. I’ll bring dinner back for you tonight.”
Leaning against the sofa and flipping through the gossip magazines He Chu San had bought that morning, Xia Liu Yi grunted.
“Is there anything you want me to take to Sister Dong Dong? Or anything she needs to give you?”
“Don’t go to my ‘company.’ Plainclothes officers are everywhere nearby,” Xia Liu Yi said. “Buy me a brick phone and put a new SIM card in it.”
He Chu San agreed and left dressed like a respectable professional to visit his lover. Xia Liu Yi stood beside the window and lifted one corner of the curtain. He watched He Chu San cross the street with steady steps and a perfectly calm expression, unable to detect the slightest flaw.
Little bastard!
Xia Liu Yi spent the afternoon reading gossip magazines on the sofa and filling his head with the feuds of prominent families. He later went to bed for another nap. Half asleep, he heard the door open and sprang upright, tugging painfully at the wound on his waist.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he supported his waist and stood. Outside, He Chu San called, “Brother Liu Yi, I’m back.”
“I put the new brick phone here.” Seeing Xia Liu Yi walking strangely, he asked, “What happened? Does your wound hurt?”
Xia Liu Yi waved casually. Wearing the little-bear dressing gown, he pretended nothing was wrong and dropped grandly onto the sofa, spreading his legs in an imposing Boss posture.
“Hainanese chicken and stir-fried luffa,” He Chu San said, arranging the containers he had brought across the coffee table. “Red-rice rice, and some preserved vegetables Dad made. I prepared shark-bone and crucian-carp soup to help Xiao He recover, and there was some left over. Try it and see whether you like it.”
“You cooked at Xiao He’s home?”
“Mm.”
Xia Liu Yi said nothing more and began drinking the crucian-carp soup. Hainanese chicken was one of his favorite dishes, but he did not particularly like stir-fried luffa. Had the brat genuinely eaten with Xiao He, or had he merely returned to Dad’s home, cooked a meal, and come back? This smokescreen mixed truth and deception so effectively that Xia Liu Yi could not see through it.
Boss Xia considered approaching the matter from another direction. When he had time, he would summon Xiao He to the company and stage a trick in which a dead pig was replaced with a living person. If He Chu San could not be frightened into confessing, scaring her should be easy enough. She would undoubtedly tell the truth.
While Xia Liu Yi ate, He Chu San went out again. When he returned, he had somehow acquired a small secondhand television and installed the antenna himself. “Brother Liu Yi, watch television. I still have some business at the office.”
It was Mid-Autumn night, when ordinary families gathered with their relatives and admired the bright moon together. Yet He Chu San did not treasure their time alone whatsoever. He genuinely abandoned Boss Xia without the slightest reluctance, tucked his briefcase beneath his arm, and left.
Abandoned inside the apartment, Xia Liu Yi thought and thought. One moment, he wondered whether he had been too sleepy the previous night and imagined everything. The next, he decided that the little bastard was an excellent actor with sinister intentions who would eventually become a serious threat and ought to be strangled immediately.
He used the new mobile phone to call Xiao Ma. As usual, Xiao Ma fussed over his health and showered him with flattery. Xia Liu Yi impatiently cut off his chatter. “Inspector Hua was the one behind Fat Seven persuading Xu Ying to kill Azure Dragon.”
Xiao Ma inhaled sharply. “What? Inspector Hua? Boss Azure Dragon had no grievances with him. Why would he—why would he do that?!”
Xia Liu Yi could not determine the reason either. That only convinced him further that there was something suspicious about Azure Dragon’s death. Frowning, he pondered for a moment. “Investigate further. Investigate Inspector Hua’s people!”
“Yes!”
After giving several additional instructions, he called Uncle Yuan.
Several elders were currently holding a meeting at Uncle Yuan’s home and switched on the speakerphone so they could all listen. Uncle Yuan did not speak. Instead, Elder Ge, who had always disagreed with Xia Liu Yi, attacked first. “Xiao Liu, He Sheng Society is now claiming that you pretended to negotiate and deliberately murdered Fat Seven and Inspector Hua. They are demanding that the respected underworld bosses judge the matter. Fat Seven’s sworn elder brother—Master Qiao of He Yi Society—has come to demand an explanation from us. You have also provoked the police! Have you decided how we are supposed to handle what comes next?”
Xia Liu Yi’s tone turned cold. “Elder Ge, judging from your words, you believe I can’t be relied upon?”
“How could that be? I’m merely concerned about you. You’re the Boss. If something happens to you, what will the brothers in the Society do? What will become of old men like us?”
“That’s right, Xiao Liu,” Uncle Qiu said. “Where are you now? Do you need us to send men to support you?”
“I’m somewhere safe. I’ll handle the matter myself. None of you need to worry.”
After he said this, Elder Ge and Uncle Qiu had nothing further to add. Prince Duan then spoke. “Since you say so, we can rest assured. Brother Yuan, do you have anything to add?”
Uncle Yuan’s aged, deep voice came through the phone. “Xiao Liu, did you kill Inspector Hua?”
“No. Fat Seven killed him,” Xia Liu Yi replied calmly.
“That’s good. This matter will certainly attract the Old Shopkeeper’s attention. You must handle it properly.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Yuan.”
Xia Liu Yi ended the call. Sitting on the sofa, he considered the elders’ words and attitudes and could not help releasing a cold laugh.
No matter how they phrased it, those old men simply did not trust him.
However, he paid no attention to elders who found it easy to criticize from the sidelines. Although he acted arrogantly, he always knew his limits. If he dared challenge Fat Seven, he naturally had a contingency plan.
After sprawling on the sofa and watching television for a while, he stared up at the harsh, dim fluorescent light. Remembering Fat Seven’s final words and the elders’ obstructive attitudes, he grew increasingly irritated. His mouth felt unbearably bland, and he urgently needed a cigarette.
Little bastard, you refused to buy cigarettes for your Boss. If I ever come running back here again, I’ll take your surname! …No, fuck that! There won’t be another time!
…
Late that night, He Chu San returned beneath a sky filled with stars and unlocked the door in the darkness. The television in the sitting room remained on, but Xia Liu Yi was already asleep in the bedroom.
He Chu San quietly switched off the television, changed clothes, and bathed. Clutching his coat, he was about to squeeze onto the sofa when he saw Xia Liu Yi emerge from the bedroom with a displeased frown.
“Did I wake you?”
Xia Liu Yi grunted, went to the bathroom to urinate, and returned to find He Chu San curled awkwardly on the sofa with dark circles beneath his eyes. He had worked throughout the week and had not rested properly over the weekend. In the end, Xia Liu Yi’s heart softened slightly.
“Go sleep in the bed.”
He Chu San made a surprised sound. “Where will you sleep?”
“What do you think?” Did the brat imagine Xia Liu Yi would lower himself enough to sleep on the sofa?
He Chu San could scarcely believe such fortune had fallen from the sky. Carrying his coat, he walked into the bedroom. Within those few short steps, however, he understood exactly what Boss Xia was planning. Best Actor He lowered his gaze obediently, climbed onto the bed, moved to the innermost side, and lay on his side with impeccable propriety.
Xia Liu Yi switched off the light and lay down behind him, also on his side—mainly to avoid putting pressure on his injury.
He Chu San’s bed was actually reasonably wide, at least compared with the broken iron frame in Kau Lung Walled City. As long as neither grown man stretched out his arms or kicked his legs, they were unlikely to bump against each other. Moreover, a bundled quilt lay between them.
In the darkness, Xia Liu Yi stared at the smooth skin on the back of He Chu San’s neck and heightened his vigilance to the utmost. He waited for the brat to succumb to the temptation of sharing a bed and reveal himself. The moment He Chu San attempted anything improper, Xia Liu Yi would kick him out of bed and stomp him into paste.
Instead, the brat behaved himself throughout the entire night. Whether Xia Liu Yi pretended to sleep, deliberately snored, or rolled over and tugged at the quilt, He Chu San remained unmoving, sleeping with such honest sincerity that even the sky collapsing would not disturb him.
Near dawn, Boss Xia finally surrendered completely and closed his eyes to sleep. Listening to the disappointed snores behind him, He Chu San gently raised the corner of his mouth.
…
Xia Liu Yi slept peacefully until almost noon. With his hair disheveled, he climbed out of bed and shuffled into the sitting room in slippers. He Chu San had left a plate of sandwiches on the coffee table for breakfast, along with a note.
Brother Liu Yi, lunch is in the pot. Steam it before eating. I’ll be back tonight.
Xia Liu Yi tossed the note aside, picked up a sandwich, took two bites, and dropped onto the sofa to watch television.
He had not been watching for long when familiar footsteps sounded outside. He Chu San unlocked the door and entered.
“Did you forget something?” Xia Liu Yi asked.
“No. I forgot that you don’t know how to use the stove,” He Chu San replied resignedly.
Boss Xia snorted coldly.
He Chu San placed a metal lunch box on the coffee table. “Xiao He made this lunch for me. Eat it first. I’ll heat the other dishes.”
Suspicious, Xia Liu Yi stared at the lovingly prepared lunch box. He picked up the chopsticks and cautiously sampled it. It genuinely was not He Chu San’s cooking.
Apparently, Xiao He had drunk He Chu San’s crucian-carp soup the previous day and personally prepared lunch in return. Their relationship was so affectionate that no one would believe they were not deeply in love.
Xia Liu Yi watched He Chu San move excitedly in and out of the kitchen. He was clearly in an excellent mood. Looking down again at the delicately arranged lunch box, the scales in Xia Liu Yi’s heart finally shifted reluctantly from suspicion toward tentative belief.
Then, without warning, he lost his appetite.
He Chu San emerged carrying the eggplant-and-diced-pork rice he had prepared before leaving that morning. Seeing Boss Xia leaning sideways against the sofa and watching television while the “lunch Xiao He made” remained almost untouched, he asked, “Brother Liu Yi, why aren’t you eating?”
“It’s cold.”
“Then eat mine instead.”
“Mm.”
He Chu San hurriedly finished the lunch box, tucked his briefcase beneath his arm, and rushed back to the office. Xia Liu Yi sat before the coffee table covered in leftovers and watched television with an unchanged expression. Then he abruptly raised his leg and kicked the lunch box—which He Chu San had emptied until only a few grains of rice remained—onto the floor.
The container struck the floor with a clatter, bounced once, and overturned, spilling several drops of oil. Xia Liu Yi narrowed his eyes at the brown stains and wondered, Are they truly together now?
The brat only knew how to read and study. He was dull and uninteresting. What could Xiao He possibly like about him? That he was an elite professional? Ha! He still worked for someone else. How much could he possibly earn?
Wasn’t the little bastard supposed to like men? Had his preferences changed that quickly? Had sleeping with a woman taught him how wonderful women were? Fucking hell—hadn’t he acted like some chaste saint and thrown a tantrum at Xia Liu Yi only last year?
Hidden currents surged inside Boss Xia. Expressionless, he supported his elbows on his knees and sat on the sofa for a while. Then he threw down the television remote and returned to the bedroom.
He tossed and turned on the bed. One moment, he felt that the brat had finally returned to the proper path and was being obedient, so Boss Xia’s concern had not been wasted. The next, he thought the little bastard had declared his love one moment and transferred his affection in the blink of an eye. He was fucking fickle and frivolous. While turning restlessly, Xia Liu Yi accidentally pressed against his wound and sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
“Fuck!” He grabbed the pillow and hurled it away to vent his frustration.
Resting his head on his arm again, he stared irritably at the fluorescent light overhead, which was filled with dead insects. He was about to throw the shameless brat out of his thoughts and consider serious Society business when he suddenly felt something unusual beneath his arm.
He pushed himself upright and saw several photographs stacked where the pillow had been.
Suspiciously, he picked one up and looked at it. The corner of his eye twitched.
His expression contorted. With trembling fingers, he gathered all the photographs and examined them one by one. Then, holding his waist, he jumped from the bed, opened the wardrobe, and retrieved the black leather case.
He threw aside the camera, pulled out the small canister of film, unrolled it, and held it up beneath the fluorescent light.
“He—Chu—San—!”
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