He Chu San tossed and turned on the narrow iron-framed bed. Every creak of the springs beneath him made him imagine he could hear his brick phone buzzing.
The sudden wail of sirens rose from the street below. He sprang out of bed and rushed to the window, only to see a fire engine heading downtown with an ambulance close behind. Someone had probably set their home on fire while lighting fireworks. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when a sharp pain shot through his injured leg. Grimacing, he sat back down, hissed through his teeth as he stretched the leg straight, and gently massaged it.
The brick phone beside his pillow finally rang. He hurriedly leaned forward over his outstretched leg to grab it, only to suck in another painful breath. “Hiss… Brother Liu Yi?”
“What happened to you?”
“Nothing.” As he answered, He Chu San hopped out of bed again and peered through the window. “Where are you?”
“Almost there. Come downstairs.”
“Huh?”
“I’m taking you to see the fireworks. Come down.”
He Chu San hung up, threw on a coat, and picked up his crutch. He cautiously opened his bedroom door, poked his head out to check the hall, and then began creeping through the darkness one careful step at a time.
Just as he reached for the lock on the front door, Father He suddenly roared from his room, “He A’San!”
He Chu San’s legs instantly went weak. His crutch slipped sideways and struck the door. He turned around trembling and stammered, “D-Dad, I—I’m taking out the rubbish…”
“Snore… rrr…” came Father He’s response.
“…” He had only been talking in his sleep.
Guilty as a thief, Elite He quickly eased open the door and escaped. Clinging to the wall, he hopped down the stairs on one foot, then limped, skipped, and half-ran until he slipped into the alley behind the building.
Boss Xia’s car had not arrived yet. He Chu San leaned against the wall, panting and covered in cold sweat. As he bent down to rub his aching leg, he thought gloomily, How can I possibly be this afraid of Dad? When will I ever be able to bring Brother Liu Yi home? I can’t keep hiding him and lying to Dad for the rest of my life.
Xia Liu Yi’s car stopped at the mouth of the alley. The moment he saw He Chu San bent over like some decrepit old man and sighing miserably, he could not help snapping, “You’re still young! Why do you keep acting like an old geezer? Get in!”
He stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in his hand and asked suspiciously, “Where’s your crutch?”
He Chu San, who had been pulling open the car door, froze. He looked down—and realized he had actually left it beside the front door.
“…” Well, apparently Father He had frightened his leg back into working order.
He Chu San coughed. “I forgot it. I can manage without it.”
Xia Liu Yi looked him up and down suspiciously, already planning to drag him back to the hospital for another examination the next day. When He Chu San absentmindedly tried to climb into the front passenger seat, Xia Liu Yi barked, “Sit in the back!”
“Oh.”
Xia Liu Yi was not wearing a suit and had brought no bodyguards. He was driving an old secondhand Volkswagen Santana, with sunglasses perched on his nose in the middle of the night. His hair was slicked back with oil, and he wore a cheap black leather jacket and ripped jeans, making him look like a small-time street punk. Finding the sight novel, He Chu San could not resist leaning forward and looking him over several times.
“What are you staring at?” Xia Liu Yi glanced into the rearview mirror and frowned.
“You look really young dressed like this.” Barely over twenty, in fact.
Xia Liu Yi snorted.
He Chu San understood that Xia Liu Yi had dressed this way to avoid attracting attention, so he did not ask any more questions. Nevertheless, he could not stop wondering what kind of “business” Xia Liu Yi had been handling that night. Xia Liu Yi drove with a perfectly ordinary expression and gave nothing away—but that very normality only made He Chu San find him more suspicious.
Xia Liu Yi drove in circles through the night for nearly forty minutes before stopping at a small plaza near Victoria Peak. Warmed into drowsiness by the car’s heater, He Chu San had begun snoring softly and had to be shaken awake.
Xia Liu Yi removed his leather jacket and tossed it over He Chu San’s head. “It’s cold outside. Put that on before you get out.”
“You’ll catch a cold if you give it to me…”
“Shut up. Hurry up and put it on, then come help me carry everything!”
Bundled up like a bear, He Chu San limped out to help him. Together, they removed two cardboard boxes from the boot. It was already past one in the morning. The tourists who had come to ring in the New Year had long since dispersed, leaving the plaza beneath the weak moonlight. Scraps of paper, plastic bags, old newspapers, takeaway boxes, and disposable cutlery littered the ground. Wearing only a shirt and jumper, Xia Liu Yi casually kicked the rubbish into a pile. He then grabbed the limping He Chu San, who was only getting in his way, and hauled him aside before pulling several large cylinders of fireworks from the boxes and spacing them a few meters apart across the plaza.
After all that energetic work, an excited, smug grin spread across his face, which had turned red from the cold. He surveyed the surroundings, pointed toward a viewing platform at the top of a flight of steps, and ordered, “Cripple He! Go wait up there! Hurry!”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be right there. Go! Move faster!”
He Chu San dragged his injured leg up the stone steps one at a time. His hand had only just reached the railing of the viewing platform when a sudden whoosh exploded behind him. He hurriedly hopped onto the platform on one foot and turned around. Xia Liu Yi was running toward him with both hands clapped over his ears, laughing wildly. Behind him, a dazzling beam shot straight into the sky and burst among the stars in a magnificent blaze of light.
Whoosh—boom!
Xia Liu Yi reached him with a broad smile. His icy palms slapped against both sides of He Chu San’s face, squashing his cheeks together like a sandwich. Holding his head in place, he tilted it upward. “Hey! What are you standing there looking stupid for? Watch the fireworks! Stop staring at me!”
“You’re prettier than the fireworks.”
“Enough with the sappy nonsense! Shh—look!”
Whoosh—boom!
Another golden beam pierced the night and burst into a flower-shaped ball of light. Then came red, green, and more. Brilliant colors scattered and drifted downward like rain falling through the darkness, washing the entire sky until it gleamed like crystal-clear water.
He Chu San had never seen such dazzling fireworks from so close. His heart pounded like thunder. As though he could no longer bear the overwhelming colors, he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before turning toward Xia Liu Yi beside him. This Dragon Head, who commanded countless men and could summon wind and rain with a word, was staring up at their private fireworks display like a child seeing an exciting new toy for the first time. His eyes never blinked, his mouth hung wide open, and his face shone with pure delight.
He Chu San raised his head toward the brilliantly illuminated sky again, but his hand reached toward the person beside him. He found Xia Liu Yi’s palm and threaded their fingers together.
Whoosh—boom!
When the final firework burned out, Elite He gathered all the tenderness in his heart, gently lifted Boss Xia’s hand, and prepared to pull him close for a romantic kiss. Xia Liu Yi casually flung his hand aside instead, his face still glowing with excitement. “Wait here! I’ve got another one!” Then he turned and dashed away.
“…” He Chu San stared after him.
Before long, Xia Liu Yi came striding back amid a succession of whoosh—whoosh sounds and enthusiastically explained, “This one’s called ‘Twin Swallows.’ It fires two at once! There’s another one called ‘Higher and Higher’ coming later. After it explodes, another shot rises out of it!”
“…” He Chu San discovered that the mighty Boss Xia was surprisingly knowledgeable about fireworks.
Without even looking at him, Xia Liu Yi continued watching the sky and grinning to himself. “Fuck, I’ve wanted to play with these for years! Xiao Man was too timid. She always grabbed me and refused to let me go near them!”
Seizing the opportunity, He Chu San asked tenderly, “Then shall I come play with you every year from now on?”
Xia Liu Yi clapped a hand over his mouth and pulled him into his arms. “Shut up! That fucking mouth of yours is the most annoying thing about you. Look at the sky!”
He Chu San stuck out his tongue and licked Xia Liu Yi’s palm. Boss Xia responded by knocking his knee against He Chu San’s injured leg. He Chu San groaned and no longer dared to move.
The two grown men in their twenties held hands and watched fireworks on the mountaintop for an entire hour, behaving like children far too old for such things. Boss Xia had apparently bought ten years’ worth in one go, and He Chu San’s neck ached by the end. Of course, somewhere in the middle of it all, he finally managed to share a grand, romantic kiss with Xia Liu Yi beneath the exploding fireworks—only to be shoved aside halfway through because Boss Xia was eager to light the next one.
Are you on a date with me or with the fireworks? He Chu San felt slightly wounded.
The final firework was a dud. After lighting the fuse and waiting ages without any response, Xia Liu Yi dashed back to relight it. The moment he approached, it suddenly went whoosh directly into his face. Fortunately, he dodged quickly. It only blackened part of his face and singed several strands of hair along his forehead.
He Chu San hurried down on his injured leg to examine him, then laughed uncontrollably at his soot-blackened face. Humiliated and furious, Boss Xia pinned him to the ground and pretended he was going to spank him. He Chu San wrapped both arms around his neck and dragged him down, and the two rolled together in a laughing heap.
In the chaos, neither knew whose foot kicked the fallen dud lying crookedly on the ground. It went whoosh again, then began spinning wildly like a machine gun, firing in every direction. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The two sprang to their feet and fled across the plaza with both hands protecting their backsides.
“Fuck!” “Watch behind you!” “What the hell is this thing?!” “My trousers! My fucking trousers!”
…
At four in the morning, they drove down the mountain covered in soot and smelling of smoke. Their faces were filthy, and the cold had left both of them sneezing constantly. The car stopped at a traffic light at the foot of a slope in Lan Kwai Fong. Beneath the streetlamp outside, they took the opportunity to examine each other and immediately burst into helpless laughter.
“Dad is going to curse me to death when I get home. Hahaha!” He Chu San, who was now sitting in the passenger seat, wiped tears from his eyes. A large hole had been burned through one leg of his trousers.
“You think you have it worse than me?” Xia Liu Yi’s face was pitch-black, and a tuft of hair on the crown of his head and several strands along his forehead had been scorched.
“Hahaha! Sister Xiao Man was right. You really shouldn’t be allowed to play with these.”
“…” Xia Liu Yi did not answer.
He Chu San abruptly realized what he had said. Thinking Xia Liu Yi had been reminded of painful memories, he immediately fell silent and looked at him nervously.
But Xia Liu Yi was not looking at him. His gaze had fixed on several people at the corner of the street.
Beneath the dim yellow light, three street thugs stood in a circle, punching and kicking someone curled up on the ground.
The victim endured the beating without making a sound, protecting his head and stomach without fighting back. Suddenly, a necklace bearing a small wooden tablet slipped from inside his clothes. One of the thugs stepped on the chain and snapped it, then kicked the tablet aside. The man reached out to retrieve it, only to be stamped back down by the others.
Before He Chu San could see the man’s face clearly, Xia Liu Yi pulled the car over, opened the door, and strode out.
With both hands tucked into his trouser pockets, he approached the thugs and said casually, “Get lost.”
“Who the fuck are you, charcoal-face? You dare interfere in my business?” “The bastard’s crazy! Beat him to death!”
Fully aware of his own pathetic fighting ability, He Chu San remained hidden inside the car. He watched as Xia Liu Yi kept both hands in his pockets and used nothing but his two long legs to kick all three men into fleeing. As they ran, they shouted the same unimaginative threats about finding Brother So-and-so and coming back to kill them.
Hands still in his pockets, Xia Liu Yi looked down at the person curled on the ground.
The man’s hair was filthy and disheveled. His open suit jacket was damp and wrinkled, and he reeked of alcohol. Still lying on the ground, he slowly reached for the nearby wooden tablet, picked it up, and slipped it into his trouser pocket. He did not raise his head or even glance at Xia Liu Yi, evidently too indifferent to care who the black-faced stranger who had rescued him might be.
Xia Liu Yi sneered. “This is Master Qiao’s territory. What do you think he’d do if he found out you were lying here drunk?”
Recognizing Xia Liu Yi’s voice, the man abruptly twisted around to look at him. Rage instantly flooded his face. “Xia Liu Yi?!”
“Inspector Xie,” Xia Liu Yi said. “I thought you were somebody impressive. We’ve only played a few rounds, and you’ve already given up? Coming here to drink yourself senseless and wait for death is beneath you.”
By then, He Chu San had also walked over. To his surprise, he recognized the man as the police officer who had driven into the mountains to rescue him—the same officer who had once arrested Xia Liu Yi.
Xie Jia Hua did not seem completely drunk. Almost instantly, the anger and impulsiveness vanished from his face, replaced by his usual cold, impassive expression. Supporting himself against the wall, he swayed to his feet. “This isn’t a best-of-three game, Xia Liu Yi. If you continue committing evil like this, one day you’ll meet a terrible end, with nowhere even to bury your body…”
Xia Liu Yi gave a vicious grin. “Inspector Xie should worry about standing upright before making threats! What do you think would happen if I killed you here, dumped you in a rubbish bin, and walked away? Who would ever know?”
“Brother Liu Yi.” He Chu San grabbed the hand Xia Liu Yi was about to pull from his pocket. “This man saved me.”
Xia Liu Yi frowned at He Chu San.
He Chu San continued, “He was the one who rescued me from Master Qiao.”
Xie Jia Hua’s gaze shifted toward him, his eyes filled with contempt. “You’re still following this gangster? You’re a university graduate from a respectable family. What exactly has he given you? Do you know how many families he’s destroyed by selling heroin? Do you know he runs gambling dens, lends money at extortionate interest, and forces women into prostitution—”
“Watch your fucking mouth!” Xia Liu Yi interrupted. “Every woman working for me chose to do it! They earn tens of thousands a month without breaking a sweat—more than the female officers working under you!”
Xie Jia Hua sneered and continued speaking to He Chu San. “The day you took him in last year, he killed more than a dozen people and torched a villa in the Mid-Levels. None of the survivors dared identify him. The time I rescued you, he burned nine people to death at the North Point pier…”
Before he could finish, Xia Liu Yi shoved He Chu San aside and punched Xie Jia Hua across the face. “Stop making false accusations, you bastard! Didn’t your superiors teach you anything? You need evidence before you speak, Inspector Xie!”
Xie Jia Hua fell to the ground and drew a long, heavy breath. Then he suddenly sprang up and drove his fist into Xia Liu Yi’s jaw.
Caught off guard, Xia Liu Yi staggered several steps backward. He Chu San hurried forward to steady him as Xie Jia Hua continued between gasping breaths, “…A handgun suspected of being connected to him was found at the crime scene, and that same night, it disappeared! The informant who told me where you were being held was murdered a week later to silence him! Tonight, he completed another major deal with a Thai drug lord and made fools of both O Division and the Narcotics Bureau. Do you truly have no idea how vicious the man beside you is or how many crimes he has committed?!”
Xia Liu Yi wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at the red smear it left behind. He spat to one side. “Inspector Xie really is an educated man. Even lawyers would be ashamed of themselves beside your talent for inventing stories! Why don’t you mention how you lied to Master Qiao about his relationship with me, got him captured, and then appeared afterward pretending to be his savior? What a fucking performance!”
“Both of you, shut up!”
The cursing Senior Inspector and Dragon Head froze. They turned together toward the person bold enough to scold them. He Chu San was bent over, bracing himself on the knee of his uninjured leg as he stared up at them with a deep frown.
“It’s already four-thirty in the morning. Are you planning to argue until sunrise? Inspector Xie, don’t you have work tomorrow? Brother Liu Yi, aren’t you going to the company? As for me, if I don’t get home soon, Dad will discover I’m missing. When my dad loses his temper, even Lion Rock trembles three times.”
He limped forward and grabbed the scowling Xia Liu Yi. “I don’t have a car, so I’ll have to trouble Brother Liu Yi to drive me home. Inspector Xie, find yourself a taxi. If you can’t get one, walk home. It might help you sober up.”
He Chu San pushed Xia Liu Yi into the driver’s seat and shut the door for him, then limped around to the passenger side and climbed in. The car remained silent for a long moment before the engine finally roared to life. Tooting its horn, it drove away.
Only Xie Jia Hua remained on the dimly lit street before dawn, supporting himself against the wall as he vomited. He bent over and coughed several times until even the last of the bitter fluid in his stomach had come up, then staggered backward and sank down against the wall.
He wiped the filth from his face and gently drew the small wooden tablet from his trouser pocket. He stared at the inscription for a long time before letting out a hoarse, bitter laugh.
“I really do need to sober up…”
The tablet, only two fingers wide, was a miniature memorial plaque. A person’s name was carved on the front, while the back bore the dates 1958.8.13–1983.2.4.
The man had been only twenty-five when he died, still at such a young and vibrant age. Nine years had passed since the tragedy. The dead were long gone, and time had flowed relentlessly onward, yet Xie Jia Hua had still failed to uncover even the slightest clue about the murder. He remained completely ignorant of the truth. His faith in upholding justice and his refusal to sink into corruption with everyone else were nothing but naïve jokes in the eyes of those around him. As the years slipped away, those convictions collided with reality again and again, producing only bitter sparks.
Today—Chinese New Year’s Eve—fell on February 4 by the Gregorian calendar. It was the anniversary of his friend Tang Jia Qi’s death, and he remained utterly defeated.
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