Inside a high-rise overlooking the sea in Central, the main office was packed with people and filled with the incessant ringing of telephones. He Chu San, fully absorbed in typing at a bulky computer, suddenly let out an enormous sneeze.
The sneeze was followed by an inexplicable shiver. Sniffling, he raised his head. In the distance, the central air-conditioning unit in the ceiling was blasting cold air.
That evening, He Chu San left work precisely on time, shocking many of his colleagues. He bought some fresh meat and vegetables at the market, then hurried home. The moment he pushed open the door, he sensed that something was wrong.
It was dusk, and the sky was already dim. With the curtains drawn, no light could enter the apartment. Xia Liu Yi had switched on neither the lights nor the television. He sat crookedly on the sofa with his long legs propped on the coffee table, supporting his head with one hand while twirling a roll of film with the other. A cold, ominous aura rolled off him.
The bowls, plates, and lunch boxes on the coffee table had been violently swept aside. Greasy scraps of food and fragments of grey-white crockery covered the floor. In the center of the table lay a camera smashed cleanly in half, with several photographs scattered nearby.
No matter how one looked at it, the scene resembled a furious wife who had hired a private investigator to catch her husband cheating and was now waiting at home with the incriminating photographs.
Best Actor He swallowed nervously and hurriedly banished the inappropriate thought from his mind. Acting as though nothing were amiss, he closed the door, switched on the light, set down his things, and removed his glasses. Only then did he calmly take several steps toward the murderous Boss Xia.
“Brother Liu Yi,” he said, wearing the same open and sincere expression as always. Completely innocent. Completely honest.
Xia Liu Yi kicked him in the knee and sent him crashing to his knees.
He Chu San fell amid the greasy shards, and fragments of broken crockery immediately embedded themselves below both knees. Enduring the pain in silence, he braced his hands against the floor, straightened himself on his knees, and looked up at Xia Liu Yi with the same calm expression.
“Brother Liu Yi,” he called again.
Xia Liu Yi’s face was dark, and his voice was glacial. “Who took them? When were they taken? How did you take them?”
The photographs on the table, together with the undeveloped film, all showed Xia Liu Yi after he had just left the company. Some showed him standing at the entrance. Others showed him bending to enter his car. Most infuriating of all was one perfectly clear close-up: Xia Liu Yi sitting in the car with the window open, calmly smoking.
How damn close had the photographer been standing? How well had he hidden himself?
He Chu San honestly answered each question in turn. “I took them. On weekends when I didn’t have to work overtime. I wore a disguise.”
Xia Liu Yi gritted his teeth and laughed coldly. “Impressive, He A’San. You’ve really learned some skills, haven’t you?! Now you spend your free time stalking people?! No wonder you looked so delighted whenever the police were mentioned. You’re a fucking cop too, aren’t you?!”
He Chu San looked up at him and offered an extremely sincere defense. “No, Brother Liu Yi. I would definitely fail the physical fitness test, and I studied finance, so I’m not suited to being a police officer. At most, I could join the ICAC.”
Xia Liu Yi leaped up and kicked him again. “You’re still fucking talking back to me! Shut up!”
He Chu San sprawled across the floor, then crookedly pushed himself upright. This time, he obediently kept silent.
Xia Liu Yi dropped back onto the sofa and slapped the armrest. “Very good, A’San. I really shouldn’t have underestimated you. For the past six months, you’ve pretended to be some chaste gentleman, dating Xiao He, giving her gifts, taking her out for meals, and even going to ‘visit her while she was sick’ yesterday. All of that was just a performance for me, wasn’t it?”
He Chu San nodded honestly. “Yes.”
A hiss escaped Xia Liu Yi’s throat. He suddenly sprang up, grabbed He Chu San by the hair, and slammed his entire head onto the coffee table. Picking up a greasy, bloodstained shard from the floor, he pressed it against He Chu San’s throat and smiled savagely. “You even have the guts to admit it? Are you tired of living?”
With one cheek flattened against the table, He Chu San struggled to turn his eyes toward him. His lips moved. “Brother Liu Yi, wait a moment.”
Confused, Xia Liu Yi loosened his grip slightly. He Chu San carefully turned around, found a cloth handkerchief beneath the coffee table, and removed the sharp piece of broken plate from Xia Liu Yi’s palm. He meticulously wiped Boss Xia’s hand, brushed away a tiny fragment clinging to his finger, wrapped the shard in the handkerchief, and placed it back in his hand.
Then he resignedly pressed his face against the coffee table again. “You can continue. Be careful not to cut your hand.”
“…” Xia Liu Yi stared at him.
Xia Liu Yi threw away the shard, stripped off He Chu San’s suit jacket, twisted it into a rope, and whipped him mercilessly from head to toe. As he struck him, he cursed furiously. “Fuck! You think putting on this little performance will make me unable to hit you?! Little bastard! Shameless prick! You dare play games with your Boss?! I’ll beat you to death today!”
Wearing only a thin shirt, He Chu San shielded his head and face while dodging and laughing into his arms. Seeing his bowed head and trembling shoulders only made Xia Liu Yi angrier. He cursed, struck, whipped, and kicked him for more than ten minutes before finally stopping.
Boss Xia had thoroughly vented his rage. Afterward, he sat on the sofa with his legs spread wide, panting from exhaustion. When he saw the little punk He furtively attempting to straighten his back, Xia Liu Yi kicked him down again.
“Brother Liu Yi, stop hitting me,” He Chu San hurriedly said, hugging Xia Liu Yi’s calf with a bitter smile. “I still have to meet clients tomorrow.”
“Meet clients, my ass…” Xia Liu Yi was about to kick him again when he saw He Chu San staggering upright. His suit trousers below the knees were covered with broken fragments and blood. With a dark expression, Xia Liu Yi drew his leg back.
Supporting himself against the coffee table, He Chu San stood upright and looked down at his miserable condition. He bent over and gently pulled a blood-soaked fragment from his knee. A thin stream of blood immediately began flowing from the wound.
Xia Liu Yi’s heart jumped. He endured it for a moment, then another, but ultimately could not restrain himself. “Go change your trousers, then come out and put medicine on it.”
He Chu San’s hand paused while removing another fragment. He raised his eyes and looked at him.
This ruthless underworld boss could cut down dozens of men by himself with two blades. He could smash the head of an eight-foot-tall brute into the ground with one punch. He had threatened to whip He Chu San to death, yet had merely exhausted himself instead. He had witnessed endless brutality and bloodshed, but could not bear the sight of a small wound on He Chu San’s knee.
He Chu San stepped unsteadily across the broken fragments. His knee buckled, and he abruptly collapsed onto Xia Liu Yi.
Xia Liu Yi was startled, thinking he had beaten the brat unconscious. He hurriedly lifted the head buried against his shoulder, only to discover that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him.
He Chu San’s face was covered in cold sweat from suppressing the pain. Meeting the concern Xia Liu Yi had not withdrawn quickly enough, he wrapped both arms around Xia Liu Yi’s waist.
“What are you doing? Get off!” Xia Liu Yi thought the brat had been beaten senseless and weakly slapped his forehead with his injured right hand.
“Brother Liu Yi,” He Chu San murmured while lying against him. His eyes resembled two dark pools filled entirely with Xia Liu Yi’s reflection.
A sly smile suddenly appeared on the face that had always seemed so honest and sincere.
“Brother Liu Yi, you should understand. Someone like me, once you find yourself unable to strike the final blow… you’ll never be able to push me away again.”
He suddenly lowered his head and covered Xia Liu Yi’s lips with his own.
Boss Xia had anticipated countless possibilities, but it had never occurred to him that the shameless bastard would dare be this bold. Caught completely off guard, his mind short-circuited, and he froze like a block of wood.
The little punk He even pushed his tongue into Xia Liu Yi’s mouth, gently and lingeringly licking his lips and teeth before lightly rubbing against the tip of his tongue.
The last time Xia Liu Yi had kissed anyone was more than ten years ago, inside a damp, mouldy, dark-red room with an unknown woman wearing heavy makeup. The suffocating smell of powder, mixed with alcohol and lipstick on her mouth, had made him shove her away, leap from the bed, and vomit uncontrollably. Now, suddenly subjected to such a clean and gentle kiss from He Chu San, even his breathing began trembling instinctively.
In truth, Virgin He possessed no actual skill. Everything he knew came from books and existed only in theory. The moment he touched Xia Liu Yi’s soft, warm lips, his entire spine weakened. His heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys seemed ready to melt into a puddle of blood inside his body. Brother Liu Yi’s mouth, which I’ve fantasized about for so long, really is so soft, so warm, so sweet…
The bookworm’s mind dissolved into mush. With his eyes closed, he surrendered himself completely to the kiss and relied entirely on willpower to maintain his composure. Fortunately, Boss Xia also neglected to resist. He Chu San explored the entirety of Xia Liu Yi’s mouth before finally running out of breath and reluctantly withdrawing. After lightly licking Xia Liu Yi’s lips once more, he finally caused the still-frozen man to recover his senses and throw a punch.
He Chu San had planned this for a long time and was thoroughly prepared. Tilting his head, he dodged the blow. Facing Xia Liu Yi’s wide, furious eyes, he fearlessly leaned closer and kissed the corner of his mouth again.
“Brother Liu Yi, remember to brush your teeth after lunch next time,” he murmured stickily while rubbing the tip of his nose against Xia Liu Yi’s, offering his final assessment of their first kiss.
Boss Xia immediately drove a knee into his vital abdomen and hurled him onto the floor, embedding another layer of broken fragments across his back.
His combat ability remained heartbreakingly weak, Elite He.
He Chu San floundered twice on the floor, grabbed the coffee table, and struggled upright. Xia Liu Yi sat on the sofa with his fists clenched, breathing heavily. His face, neck, and ears were completely red, whether from embarrassment or fury was unclear. His eyes, however, were also bloodshot, and that was unquestionably fury.
Practically steaming from the top of his head, he glared murderously at He Chu San for a long time. His left fist tightened until the joints cracked, but his mind was likewise a complete mess, and he could not determine what he should do next.
Kill him! Cut off his head, tear out his tendons, skin him, slice all the meat from his bones, and feed it to the dogs!
Before he could carry out this furious plan, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Both men instantly tensed. They collected themselves and exchanged a glance. Xia Liu Yi sprang upright and silently slipped into the bedroom. He Chu San grabbed the photographs and camera from the table and shoved them beneath the sofa. While hurriedly removing his torn and disheveled clothes, he raised his voice and asked, “Who is it?”
“Hello, I’m your neighbor,” replied a refined female voice. “Could I borrow some soy sauce?”
He Chu San had lived there for only one or two months. He left early and returned late, and had never interacted with the neighbors. Although suspicious, he looked through the peephole and saw an ordinarily dressed young woman in her twenties, appearing completely at ease.
He glanced at Xia Liu Yi standing in the bedroom doorway. Frowning, Xia Liu Yi threw him a pair of trousers and a shirt.
While changing into clean clothes, He Chu San said, “Please wait a moment.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Before opening the door, He Chu San’s eyelid twitched. He looked carefully through the peephole again and found something inexplicably strange about the woman. She stood directly in the center, as though deliberately concealing something nearby. Moreover, this was a cheap tong lau apartment with tenants from all walks of life. Why would a young woman living alone casually knock on the door of a new male tenant?
His heart darkened. He took a step backward and was about to warn Xia Liu Yi when the flimsy door was rammed open from outside.
BANG–!
With a deafening crash, three police officers charged through the smoke and dust. The plainclothes policewoman leading them twisted He Chu San’s arms behind his back and forced him to the floor. Just as she reached for the handcuffs, He Chu San sprang upward like a carp, kicking backward toward her shoulder.
The policewoman was thrown onto the floor. The other two officers hurried forward to assist her. He Chu San swept out a foot in another impressive-looking Tai Chi move, but he was vastly outnumbered. In the blink of an eye, the three officers forced him back onto the floor, once again proving the old verdict that his combat ability was pitifully weak.
“Don’t touch him,” Xia Liu Yi’s cold voice suddenly sounded nearby.
He Chu San raised his head in alarm. Xia Liu Yi had removed the dressing gown, changed into a set of clothes, and walked out of the bedroom of his own accord.
He Chu San struggled several more times, but the three people behind him held him firmly against the floor. He strained to raise his head and stared at Xia Liu Yi while breathing heavily.
Xia Liu Yi glanced at him and frowned slightly, signaling for him to remain calm.
A fourth person entered through the door, dressed immaculately in a suit and leather shoes. It was the expressionless Xie Jia Hua. He turned toward Xia Liu Yi. “You really are here.”
“This has nothing to do with him,” Xia Liu Yi said. “He doesn’t know anything. Release him, and I’ll go with you.”
“Brother Liu Yi!” He Chu San cried anxiously.
“Shut up!” Xia Liu Yi shouted.
He Chu San clenched his teeth and silently tightened his fists.
Xie Jia Hua looked at He Chu San lying face-down on the floor. After a brief silence, he ordered his subordinates, “Release him.”
“Inspector Xie, he harbored a suspect…” one of the newer officers began.
Xie Jia Hua looked at him, and the subordinate wisely fell silent.
“Xia Liu Yi, you are under arrest on suspicion of murder. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say may be used as evidence in court,” an officer said while placing handcuffs on him. The officer tried to push Xia Liu Yi forward, but Xia Liu Yi twisted his shoulder and avoided his hand.
Xia Liu Yi walked out by himself. He Chu San followed behind in panic and urgently called again, “Brother Liu Yi!”
“Let me say something to him,” Xia Liu Yi told Xie Jia Hua.
Xie Jia Hua paused. Wearing handcuffs, Xia Liu Yi walked back toward He Chu San, who stood nervously beside the doorway.
Then Xia Liu Yi raised his knee and kicked him straight back into the apartment. “Little bastard! I’ll deal with you when I come back!”
……
He Chu San understood that Xia Liu Yi’s final kick had been intended to reassure him. But even after taking the full force of that kick to the chest, not the slightest trace of his anxiety disappeared. After the police took Xia Liu Yi away, he hailed a taxi and rushed directly to Kowloon Tong. Once he got out, he carefully circled the area twice to make sure no one was following him, then hurried to Cui Dong Dong’s home.
He arrived in a panic to deliver the news, but Cui Dong Dong appeared far more relaxed than he was. “What? He was arrested that quickly? It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll send a lawyer over immediately. Don’t worry, Sammy-boy! Go home and sleep!”
Since even the ever-reliable Cui Dong Dong said so, He Chu San could only leave anxiously. He did not return to Hong Kong Island, instead going to Dad’s home nearby.
It was already evening. Father He had closed his stall and eaten dinner. He was sitting downstairs enjoying the evening breeze and chatting with several neighbors. Seeing He Chu San approach with a dazed expression, he hurriedly called out, “A’San? Why are you back? Have you eaten?”
He Chu San shook his head blankly.
Seeing that something was clearly wrong with his mood, Father He hurriedly brought him home. “What happened? Good heavens! Why is there blood all over your trousers?”
Father He fussed around him in distress, quickly found the medicine kit, and rolled up He Chu San’s trouser legs to treat his wounds. As he applied the medicine, he anxiously demanded, “What on earth happened to you? What happened? Say something!”
He Chu San lowered his head and quietly asked, “Dad, did the police come here? Did you tell them where I live?”
“Yes. They came this afternoon and said they were investigating the relocation status of former Kau Lung Walled City residents. They asked where you live now, so I told them. Why? Did the police do this to you? What crime did you commit?”
“It’s nothing, Dad. From now on, don’t tell anyone anything about me. Just say I moved away and you don’t know where I went. I’ll buy another SIM card. If you can’t reach me on the old number, call the new one. Don’t give it to anyone else.”
Hearing his voice grow quieter and quieter, Father He became increasingly uneasy. “A’San, tell me honestly what happened! What could possibly happen that you can’t tell Dad?”
He Chu San inhaled deeply. After a long while, he finally answered, “Brother Liu Yi was arrested.”
With both knees bare and his legs covered in bloody cuts, he bent forward and held his head. His shoulders trembled slightly as he repeated quietly, “Brother Liu Yi was arrested.”
“Toothache Boy?” Father He immediately sighed with emotion. “What happened? Did they finally catch him selling heroin?”
“No,” He Chu San said, shaking his head and refusing to explain further.
“Ah!” Father He sighed. “A person has to repay every sin he commits in his lifetime! People who choose that kind of life have to pay sooner or later! You’re a university graduate. Why are you always worrying about a gangster? Leave him to his fate!”
He Chu San silently shook his head, digging his fingers tightly into his temples.
He could not say it aloud. No. Impossible. How could he possibly leave Xia Liu Yi to his fate? How could he let go? He had only just kissed those lips before watching helplessly as police officers broke through the door and took the man away. While pinned to the floor, He Chu San had been driven almost insane. He had even been willing to obstruct the police for Xia Liu Yi and recklessly urge him to escape. Justice, conscience, morality: after more than ten years of education and over twenty years of listening to Dad’s teachings, he had actually wanted to protect a villain whose hands were covered in blood.
He had clearly been filled with hope and ambition, dreaming that one day he could guide this gangster who had strayed onto the wrong path back toward the right path. Yet the road ahead was long, and before he could take even a few great strides forward, he had already trapped himself within it.
He had been too naive and too optimistic. He had spent more than half a year playing a little game of retreating in order to advance, completely unaware of the violent currents surging beneath the calm surface. He had believed they still had plenty of time. He could wait until he matured, until his wings were fully grown, until his plans were arranged, until he could persuade and guide Xia Liu Yi… But only today had he abruptly understood that Xia Liu Yi could fall in a single instant, and He Chu San possessed no power whatsoever to save him.
Cui Dong Dong had told him not to worry, but how could he possibly stop worrying? Xia Liu Yi acted without restraint. He ran gambling dens and brothels, sold heroin, and fought bloody battles against rival gangs. There was nothing he would not do. Even if he escaped this time, how could he escape the next? Perhaps one day he would be arrested again. Perhaps one day he would die violently in the street… Those who lived this life had to pay sooner or later…
The more He Chu San imagined Xia Liu Yi’s corpse lying beside the road, the more violently he trembled with fear. He drew several deep breaths and removed his damp hands from his face, thinking he had been crying, only to find his palms covered entirely in cold sweat.
“Dad, I’m fine. Let me be alone for a while,” he murmured while looking at the sweat on his hands.
Father He sighed deeply and patted his lowered head. His son had always appeared obedient and well-behaved, but he had possessed his own ideas since childhood. Father He could neither control him nor interfere. Fortunately, He Chu San was sensible, intelligent, and knew his limits. Surely, he would not cause any serious trouble.
That night, He Chu San slept in the small bedroom that Father He had already converted into a storage room. Miscellaneous items were piled beneath the bed and all around it.
His eyes remained wide open amid the cramped shadows. He extended his right hand toward the dark ceiling.
He opened his palm and studied the shape of his five slender fingers. Slowly and forcefully, he clenched them into a fist, then opened his hand again.
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