Futile Devices Scans

After much dawdling, once he had finally finished washing He Chusan, Xia Liuyi wrapped him up in a bathrobe, hoisted him over his shoulder like a sack of goods, and carried him back. He tossed him onto his own bed first, then called someone over to ask—only to find that the guest room still hadn’t been cleaned up even after an entire afternoon!

“Reporting to the Boss! The bed’s broken!” A-Nan said.

“Is your brain broken or what?! Want me to split it open and take a look?! Don’t you know how to buy a new one?!”

Remembering Brother Sen’s teachings, A-Nan carefully tried to gauge the boss’s intentions. “Reporting to the Boss, the furniture shops… uh, they’re all closed at this hour?”

“Closed your mother!” Xia Liuyi hurled a pillow straight at him, knocking him out the door. “All you spout is bullshit! Go clean up the sofa! Move this brat over there for me!”

“Yes, sir!”

Clutching the pillow, A-Nan fled in a sorry state, slipping downstairs to consult Brother Sen. “What do we do? Really move him?”

Having already heard the commotion upstairs, A-Sen replied calmly, “Tell the boss someone accidentally spilled beer on the sofa just now.”

“Huh? Who’d be that careless?!”

A-Sen stuffed an empty beer can into his hand. “You.”

The moment the empty can was brought upstairs, Xia Liuyi enforced his night patrol house rules, grabbed a stick, and gave the two self-righteous idiots a sound beating.

He Chusan lay on Xia Liuyi’s bed with his plastered leg propped on a pillow, listening to the crisp smack smack of sticks hitting flesh downstairs and the ghostly wails of the two “heroes.” Silently, he raised a hand and drew a cross in blessing for these two strangers who had lent him aid, then closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Still simmering with anger, Xia Liuyi pushed the door open and entered. He Chusan immediately let out long, even breaths.

“Quit playing dead. Get up and drink your milk.” Xia Liuyi kicked the bed.

He Chusan obediently sat up and took the cup from his hand.

After he finished drinking, Xia Liuyi shifted him slightly inward, grabbed another quilt, stripped off his outer clothes and shoes without even bathing, wrapped himself up, and collapsed into sleep. After worrying through the entire night yesterday and engaging in multiple rounds of scheming and confrontation today, he was utterly exhausted.

He lay on his side with his back to He Chusan.

He Chusan, sneaky as a thief, struggled to inch closer. But Xia Liuyi shifted his hips and moved far away.

“Get lost,” he muttered with his eyes closed.

He Chusan’s face was as thick as a city wall. Banking on his injury lowering the chances of getting beaten, he persisted in trying to snuggle closer. Xia Liuyi, irritated, shoved him with an elbow and murmured half-asleep, “Scram. If I turn over in the middle of the night, I’ll press on your injury…” Before he could finish, he was already snoring.

He Chusan froze behind him—so that was the reason Xia Liuyi didn’t want to share a bed with him.

He stared at Xia Liuyi’s back for a long while, suddenly feeling his eyes sting and swell.

He didn’t know what Xia Liuyi had gone through in this past day and night. But from that fierce, rough kiss in the hospital, he had sensed uncontrollable trembling, fear, and wild joy. Those surging emotions had far exceeded his expectations. He truly hadn’t realized that he had already reached such a place in Xia Liuyi’s heart.

He was like a little rabbit squatting at the door of the Big Bad Wolf, singing “Little Bunny, Be Good” while sneakily poking his head around, looking for a chance to slip inside—only to find that the wolf had long since grown impatient, dragging him into the house and locking him in chains within its own heart.

He had always longed for this moment, but never expected it to come so quickly, so fiercely. Yet now that he had truly arrived here, he felt far more fear and unease than Xia Liuyi—because what he had gambled with was not merely his own safety.

If he hadn’t found a chance to escape… if he hadn’t received help from that policeman… if he had suffered worse injuries, or even died… if anything had truly happened to him—how cruel would that be to Xia Liuyi? This man might have sealed himself shut like a clam for the rest of his life, never again opening his heart to a third person.

Now, he felt not the slightest bit of relief at having survived the ordeal. Instead, he only felt foolish and impulsive—weak, unable to protect himself. He should be the one pulling Xia Liuyi out of this bottomless mire, not becoming a burden and dragging him deeper.

While this Elite He lay restless, consumed by worry, Boss Xia had no such idle thoughts. Unlike someone with nothing better to do after a full meal, he slept soundly, even letting out soft snores. In the middle of his sleep, he really did roll over—smacking He Chusan square in the chest with a palm, nearly knocking the breath out of him.

He Chusan experienced, in both pain and strange delight, the legendary “midnight turn.” To stabilize his sleeping posture and ensure a peaceful rest, he simply took the opportunity to pull Xia Liuyi into his arms, wrapping him in an embrace.

The result—Xia Liuyi, uncomfortable, drove an elbow straight into his stomach, bending him into a shrimp and almost choking him. That completely killed any chance of sleep.

…

Xia Liuyi slept deeply until late morning, feeling thoroughly refreshed—except for a strange heaviness in his chest. He opened his eyes and looked down. He Chusan’s plastered leg was still propped at the foot of the bed, but his entire upper body was nestled into Xia Liuyi’s arms, both hands wrapped around his waist, face pressed against his chest—utterly small-bird-like dependence.

“…”

Boss Xia shuddered and slapped him away.

He Chusan had only fallen asleep near dawn, with dark circles under his eyes. Even after being roughly shoved aside, he didn’t wake. With eyes closed, he drowsily scooted back, maintaining his lower body’s position while burying his head against Xia Liuyi’s shoulder. His hand slid across Xia Liuyi’s chest—accurately pinching a certain sensitive spot.

Xia Liuyi shuddered for the second time.

…

By noon, He Chusan, still groggy, stood at the sink brushing his teeth in a golden rooster standing on one leg pose. As he brushed, he felt pain in his cheekbones; half his face was slightly red, as if he’d been slapped in his sleep.

He couldn’t help but feel that he hadn’t been beaten as badly when he was captured as he had been last night. While sighing over this realization, he heard the roar of an engine downstairs—Xia Liuyi’s car sped off into the distance.

After smashing another’s turf and burning their lackeys, Xia Liuyi openly invited Master Qiao to the bathhouse the very next day. Master Qiao, being a figure of stature himself, had seen what happened to Fat Seven, yet still dared to meet Xia Liuyi alone.

The two bosses, wrapped in towels, sat boldly in the bath pool, waved away their attendants, and began discussing serious matters amidst the rising steam.

In terms of seniority, status, and position, Master Qiao far surpassed Fat Seven. Even when Qinglong was alive, he would respectfully address him as ‘Second Master’. This time, having tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, his reputation had turned into paste. He very much wanted to employ some vicious method to make Xia Liuyi disappear without a trace.

However, Xia Liuyi had come prepared. With a single sentence over the phone, he had already piqued Master Qiao’s interest. Upon meeting, Xia Liuyi calmly laid out the stakes. Though Master Qiao’s expression darkened, he had to admit—Xia Liuyi was right.

Though this incident stemmed from old grudges, the spark that ignited it was highly suspicious—someone wanted to use the hostage to set them against each other like a snipe and a clam, only to reap the fisherman’s profit. They could not act on impulse, fighting endlessly like fools and falling straight into someone else’s trap.

In his eyes, Fat Seven had been a complete idiot—utterly incompetent, good only for bluster and troublemaking. Seeing Boss Sha imprisoned, he remained oblivious, even picking a fight with Xia Liuyi and attempting to eliminate Inspector Hua after crossing the river and tearing down the bridge. After that, what new inspector would ever dare associate with the He clan?

Fortunately, Fat Seven had been dealt with by Xia Liuyi. Not only did it save Master Qiao the trouble of dirtying his hands, it also allowed him to shift all blame and enmity onto Xia Liuyi.

He felt no sorrow over Fat Seven’s death. What truly angered him was that Xia Liuyi—a once unknown nobody—had openly challenged the He clan, slapping him in the face.

Originally, he had intended to use revenge as a pretext to dismantle and absorb the Xiaoqi Hall. But after yesterday’s farce and today’s discussion, he realized that this seemingly green young man was not to be underestimated.

To wipe out Xiaoqi Hall would not be nearly as easy as he had imagined.

This man, though young, possessed a meticulous mind and acted with decisive ruthlessness. Yet at the same time, he could bend and endure, restrain himself with composure—even amidst such fierce conflict, he could calmly lay out the stakes before him, attempting to turn blades into jade silk. It was no wonder that within merely two or three years, he had led Xiaoqi Hall out of Jiaolong Walled City, expanding its influence to its current scale.

With a hint of amusement, Master Qiao studied Xia Liuyi across from him—the man’s upper body flushed red from soaking in the misty steam, his solid, well-defined muscles crisscrossed with layered scars. He wanted to see clearly just how great the ambition of this newborn calf unafraid of tigers truly was—whether he possessed the ability to bite a tiger to death.

Xia Liuyi met his gaze calmly. On the surface, he seemed to be patiently waiting for a reply, but in truth, his thoughts had already wandered elsewhere—calculating how, once He Chusan’s injuries healed, he would drag him into a bath pool for a proper soak.

—Soak him soft first, then steam him a bit more, find a masseur to knead him until he cries for his father and mother, soften his skin and loosen his bones, then chop him up and feed him to the dogs! Damn brat! Always stirring up trouble for his boss!

“Thirty percent,” Master Qiao finally said.

Xia Liuyi raised a brow slightly. “You?”

“You.”

“That’s enough,” Xia Liuyi said irritably. He casually removed his bathrobe and slipped back into the water. “Call a scrubbing master.”

Xia Liuyi chuckled. “Master Qiao, in recent years Jiaolong Walled City has been demolished, and the government has intensified its anti-drug crackdown. Many supply routes have been cut off. I hear that after Sha Jiajun was arrested, you turned to that ‘Monk’ for goods. As for the quality of his product—you should know it well. My goods are of high purity; in all of Hong Kong, few can match them. I sincerely wish to cooperate with you—please show some leniency and leave a bit of benefit for my brothers.”

Master Qiao narrowed his eyes at him. “How much do you want?”

Xia Liuyi smiled again, his tone respectful. “Forty-five percent. That extra half is a token of respect from a junior to you. I hope we can cooperate happily in the future.”

“Deal.”

“Master Qiao is indeed forthright.”

“Young men are to be feared—you’re not bad yourself.”

With the negotiation concluded, the two bosses rose from the water together. Their bodyguards, who had been waiting outside, immediately entered to drape bathrobes over them. Master Qiao glanced at Xia Liuyi with narrowed eyes. Xia Liuyi respectfully gestured, “Master Qiao, after you.”

He watched as Master Qiao, surrounded by his subordinates, left the bathhouse. The slight smile at his lips dropped, and his expression darkened. Xiao Ma slipped in from outside, spat in the direction Master Qiao had gone, and cursed, “That dog-born bastard! Only fit to lick our boss’s boots!”

“That’s enough,” Xia Liuyi said irritably. He casually removed his bathrobe and slipped back into the water. “Call a scrubbing master.”

“Heh, boss, I can scrub you—”

“Get the hell back and watch the turf for me! Also, assign two nightclubs to Big Scarhead. You focus on the headquarters’ business. At the end of the year, come with me to Thailand.”

“Yes, sir!”

What had seemed like a deadly feud between Xiaoqi Hall and He Yi Society dissolved into laughter and reconciliation the very next day, leaving many Jianghu onlookers utterly dumbfounded.

Yet when this news reached Xie Jiahua, he merely paused for a moment before expressionlessly finishing the plain water in his cup.

“Master Qiao and Twin-Blade Xia made peace—you’re not surprised at all?” his informant asked, a small-time thug whose ears, nose, and eyebrows were studded with silver piercings. They were currently inside a disco under the He Yi Society, the music pounding so hard the ground seemed to tremble, the dance floor packed with frenzied bodies—no one could hear what they were saying.

Xie Jiahua, dressed in a black leather jacket and ripped jeans, his hair slicked with pungent oil, looked every bit the part of a street punk. He calmly shook his head. “Qiao Er and Xia Liuyi are both deeply calculating men. A conflict at this time benefits neither side—they wouldn’t act so rashly.”

“True enough! I think Master Qiao must’ve been confused before—actually believing that kid was Twin-Blade Xia’s lover, even kidnapping him to threaten Twin-Blade Xia! Hahaha! How could Twin-Blade Xia possibly like men? Who knows who made up such a stupid story to fool Master Qiao!”

Xie Jiahua placed a roll of cash beneath his cup and stood. “Thank you for finding out where the hostage was hidden. You didn’t just save an innocent civilian—you also prevented a Jianghu war that could have dragged countless people into it. I’m leaving. We’ll meet again next time—take care of yourself.”

“Hah! What could happen to a small fry like me!”

That night, demons danced wildly, revelry lasting deep into the night. Beneath the hazy moonlight, the drunken thug staggered along, humming as he leaned against the wall. As he passed an alley, several dark figures suddenly sprang out and dragged him inside!

In the dim light, only the dull thuds of fists and kicks striking flesh could be heard, along with muffled screams. Before long, all that remained was the sound of a heavy sack being dragged across the ground.

…

After shaking hands and making peace with Master Qiao, eliminating the immediate threat, Xia Liuyi sent someone to He Chusan’s rented apartment to bring over his daily necessities. He Chusan specifically requested the stack of books by his bedside—and a camera hidden in the cabinet.

When the bodyguard reported every detail of this to Xia Liuyi, the mere mention of the camera made Boss Xia furious. That very night, he summoned a dit da bonesetter and had He Chusan thoroughly “worked over.”

The brat stubbornly refused to cry out for mercy, but judging by the cold sweat soaking his body, the suffering was surely immense. After the brutal session, however, He Chusan did feel as though some of his Ren and Du meridians had been opened—his senses sharpened, his mind no longer as foggy as in the previous days.

The moment his spirits improved, he began planning work matters. Xia Liuyi, however, kept deflecting him with evasive Tai Chi, never agreeing to let him handle the company’s accounts. So He Chusan began probing the people around him, trying to glean more information indirectly.

Sitting in a wheelchair, he personally cooked two simple meals for A-Nan, the bodyguard assigned to care for him, and managed to extract quite a bit about the boss’s habits. However, A-Nan didn’t know much—Xia Liuyi might appear carefree and easygoing, mingling with his subordinates, but when it came to confidential matters, he was watertight, with strict discipline.

Left with no choice, He Chusan could only aim his inquiries higher up the chain.

One day, Cui Dongdong was chatting casually with the boss in the office and mentioned, “What’s up with Xiao Sanzi lately? He keeps asking me about the company. Are you planning to use him?”

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Xia Liuyi snorted coldly. “Ignore him.”

“I do need people under me,” Cui Dongdong said. “There aren’t many educated brothers in the gang—we lack an assistant for accounting.”

“If you need people, find them yourself,” Xia Liuyi flicked ash from his cigarette. “That damn brat—tell him to get as far away as possible!”

“I know you want to protect him,” Cui Dongdong said, “but with how close he is to you, sooner or later people will notice. Today Master Qiao grabbed him; tomorrow it could be someone else. Letting him work outside isn’t safe—better to keep him where you can see him. Besides, he’s capable—you could let him handle our legitimate business…”

“Enough!” Xia Liuyi cut her off impatiently. “What would they even notice?! I have nothing to do with him! Don’t bring this up again!”

Cui Dongdong, utterly disdainful of his blatant denial, could not argue with the boss and left in frustration. Later, she relayed everything frankly to He Chusan, who showed no surprise at all.

“Mm, I understand, Sister Dongdong,” he said meekly. “It’s nothing—I’ll just find another job.”

“He’s just a dead chicken propping up the rice pot lid!” Cui Dongdong scoffed. “Always hiding and hesitating when it comes to feelings! What’s wrong with liking men? I’ve been picking up girls for over ten years—who dares say a word against me?!”

He Chusan soothed her gently. “Not many people can live as openly and freely as you do, Sister Dongdong.”

Even he himself—though he had mustered reckless courage to pursue Xia Liuyi—didn’t have the guts to go home and come out to his father just yet.

Cui Dongdong lifted her chin proudly, letting out a satisfied hum. Being praised so sincerely, she found He Chusan increasingly pleasing to the eye. “You’re a bold yet careful kid. Let me tell you—some things mustn’t be dragged out. Don’t hesitate. Have you and the Boss… done that yet?”

“That what?” He Chusan looked blank.

“Oh, that!” Cui Dongdong gave him a gossip-filled look of ‘who are you fooling?’, poking one finger into the circle formed by her other hand.

He Chusan lowered his head shyly. “Mm… no. I’m not fully healed yet.”

Cui Dongdong smiled knowingly, her fox-like eyes narrowing. “Big Sister Dongdong has some good stuff for you—keep it and study it first. Once you’ve recovered… heh heh.”

Actor He played along, smiling shyly and bashfully. “Thank you, Sister Dongdong… heh heh.”

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