Xiao Ma had fought a bitter “battle” all night and nearly perished from sheer depletion. He only woke at noon the next day, his steps unsteady, head spinning, vision blurred. Splashing his face hard twice at the bathroom sink, he stared at his reflection—clearly the look of a man who had indulged to excess, drained and hollow—and let out a long sigh. Even heroes run short of breath.
Jade Guanyin was squatting on the sofa in the outer room, wearing his shirt, holding a kitchen cleaver and looking down, fiddling with something. Xiao Ma stuck his toothbrush in his mouth and leaned out to take a look, then roared, “Bastart! That’s for chopping vegetables! You’re using it to trim your toenails?!”
Jade Guanyin raised the knife to examine it, unconcerned. “I thought you used it to hack people. What’s the problem? I don’t even have athlete’s foot.”
“Damn it, you freak—everything about you screams ‘disgusting’!” Xiao Ma rushed out, snatched the cleaver away, rummaged through drawers, and finally threw her a nail clipper. “What the hell, you got some kind of exhibitionist streak?! Put your damn pants on!”
“I don’t have any clean underwear,” Jade Guanyin pouted.
“I’ll go out and buy you some later, alright?!” Xiao Ma tossed her a pair of his jeans. “Put these on first!”
“I want women’s ones. With lace.”
“You think you can even wear women’s?! Cut off that disgusting thing of yours first!”
“Why?” Jade Guanyin sounded aggrieved. “You were touching me so happily last night.”
“That’s because you grabbed my hand and made me touch you! Freak, shut up!”
“When Brother Ma gets angry, he’s so handsome. Be a little meaner to me.”
“Ahhh, you damn freak! Once you’re healed, get the hell out of here!”
Jade Guanyin looked thrilled by the scolding, reclining on the sofa with all her seductive charm, watching Xiao Ma dress and put on his shoes. Seeing that he was about to leave, she added, “I want steak today.”
“Eat your mother!” Xiao Ma snapped viciously. “Stay put! …I’ll bring you out to eat when I get back.”
“Hehe, got it.”
He slammed the door hard, locking it twice with meticulous care, then drove off toward the private hospital, yawning the whole way.
He stumbled out of the elevator in a daze, nodded to the bodyguards stationed outside Xia Liu Yi’s ward, and the moment he pushed the door open, the fierce argument inside jolted him fully awake.
“I told you to cooperate with his ‘transition’—I didn’t tell you to drag him into the mud!”
“I dragged him? Did he only meet you yesterday?! Doesn’t he know what line of work we’re in?! If he dared set his sights on you, then he chose to jump into this filthy water himself! He wants to come clean and leave clean? Hah—what a fucking joke!”
Xiao Ma carefully shut the door behind him, then crept forward with a fawning grin to mediate. “Boss, Boss Dong Dong, why get so worked up? If the boys outside hear, it won’t look good…”
“Shut up—!” the big boss and the lady boss barked in unison, each hurling a pillow straight at him!
Xia Liu Yi continued, “If he wants to play at ‘going legit,’ just give him a few proper businesses to toy with. Why did you bring him to meet the other brothers? Why did you let him get involved in the headquarters’ affairs?”
“If he wants to stir muddy waters, he has to pay the price! This is his initiation pledge!”
“Initiation my ass! Don’t you fucking make decisions on your own! From today on, pull everything out of his hands!”
Cui Dong Dong let out a cold laugh. “Too late. Didn’t your little brat tell you? He’s not just the ‘investment consultant’ on the surface—one month ago, he already burned incense and swore the oath. From that moment on, he became one of Xiao Qi Hall brothers. Once you enter the brotherhood, you don’t leave. Everyone knows that rule.”
With a sharp motion, Xia Liu Yi sprang up from the bed and grabbed Cui Dong Dong by the collar.
Xiao Ma hurried forward to break it up. “Boss, your leg is still injured—lie back down! Boss Dong Dong, say less too, the boss isn’t well right now—”
“Shut up—!” the two roared again in unison, sending him flying aside with a shove.
“Cui Dong Dong, you’ve got some nerve,” Xia Liu Yi said through gritted teeth, suppressing his anger. “You knew this was the one thing I hated most.”
“You should say your little brat has nerve,” Cui Dong Dong sneered. “The moment I proposed he join, he agreed immediately. For the sake of helping you ‘go legit,’ he’s willing to do anything.”
Xia Liu Yi’s anger shifted into suspicion. He frowned, thinking for a moment, then released her collar and sat back on the bed. “You still don’t trust him? You’re testing him?”
“I believe he doesn’t harbor ‘malice,’ but I don’t believe he lacks ‘other intentions,’” Cui Dong Dong said. “If he wants to change Xiao Qi Hall, then he must first board this pirate ship. I won’t allow someone meddling in gang affairs to stand outside it.”
This time, Xia Liu Yi let out a cold laugh. “Deputy Hall Master Cui, you’re smart all your life, but foolish this once. He never intended to stay out of it. When I went to prison, he didn’t help me because he knew stepping forward then would be useless. Now he agreed to your oath because it suits him perfectly! He must have sensed something—knows I’m not truly going legit—and wants to sneak in and find out the truth. You think he really cares about that superficial ‘clean record’? What he wants is for me, you, Xiao Ma, everyone in Xiao Qi Hall—all of us—to turn back and wash our hands clean!”
He lit a cigarette, exhaled a weary ring of smoke, and sighed. “By letting him in, you’ve exposed all of us right under his nose. This brat is best at boiling frogs in warm water—winning people over before you even realize it. Didn’t you see those idiots in the hall yesterday calling him brother like fools? Go check—they’ve definitely bought a bunch of investment products under this ‘consultant.’ Just waiting for year-end returns. If I’d stayed locked up two more months, the entire Xiao Qi Hall would’ve taken his surname!”
He pointed his cigarette at Xiao Ma, who was crouched nearby, rubbing his face miserably. “Don’t believe me? Ask him—what did he buy?”
Cui Dong Dong turned sharply to glare at Xiao Ma. Xiao Ma shivered. “N-no, I, uh…”
“What. Did. You. Buy?” she asked coldly.
Xiao Ma shrank into the corner, clutching his head. “Two hundred thousand… in stocks.”
“Ma! Ru! Long!” Cui Dong Dong lunged at him, grabbing his ear and beating him soundly. “You useless thing! Didn’t you always hate him?!”
“Ow ow ow! I hate him, not money! And didn’t you bring him to the company and say he was our investment consultant? Of course we went to him for ‘investment’—ahhh! It hurts! Boss Dong Dong, I was wrong, stop hitting! I have important matters to report! If you beat me to death I can’t say anything—!”
In the end, it was Xia Liu Yi who stopped her just before Xiao Ma got beaten into a swollen mess. “Enough. Even you got fooled by that brat—how could they not?” He flicked a cigarette toward her, finally saving Xiao Ma.
Xiao Ma nursed his head miserably, hiding behind Xia Liu Yi. Damn it—he’d just started to feel the slightest bit of goodwill toward that brat surnamed He because of the money, and now it had all been beaten out of him!
The boss personally lit Cui Dong Dong’s cigarette, soothing her. “That brat can’t uncover anything yet. Besides, we really are planning to transition most of the business. Just be careful when dealing with him.”
Still fuming, Cui Dong Dong redirected her anger at him. “Of all the pretty boys you could’ve kept, you had to pick this troublesome one.”
“Wasn’t it you who kept pushing me to keep him back then?!” Xia Liu Yi snapped. “Now you’re talking after the fact!”
Cui Dong Dong snorted, deciding not to press further given his injuries.
“Fine, my fault,” she conceded. “Didn’t see through Sammy boy’s intentions—ended up being used by him instead. Forget that for now. What did you get out of Shrimp Skin?”
Xia Liu Yi glanced at the tightly shut ward door, stubbed out his cigarette, and lowered his voice.
“Killing Azure Dragon… wasn’t Xu Ying’s order. It was Inspector Hua’s.”
“What?!”
The three of them stayed shut inside the room for quite a while, whispering in low voices. Xia Liu Yi laid out the entire chain of events clearly, yet after hearing it, Cui Dong Dong only grew more troubled.
“Azure Dragon has always had a good relationship with Inspector Hua. Why would Inspector Hua want him dead?” she asked.
Xia Liu Yi shook his head. “I think this has something to do with the Old Shopkeeper. Inspector Hua told Fat Seven that ‘as long as Azure Dragon dies, it doesn’t matter who takes the throne’—manipulating the chaos, controlling both the underworld and the law from the shadows… that’s the Old Shopkeeper’s handiwork.”
“The Old Shopkeeper?!” Cui Dong Dong was even more puzzled. “We’ve never had direct contact with him. Every year we pay our dues through Inspector Hua in full. What reason would he have to kill Azure Dragon?!”
Xia Liu Yi pondered. “Maybe Azure Dragon was blocking his profits. Or maybe Azure Dragon discovered something. Either way, this must be investigated thoroughly. I want to meet the Old Shopkeeper face-to-face.”
He turned to Cui Dong Dong. “On the surface, you cooperate with A’San—shift every business that can be ‘legitimized.’ But in secret, our cooperation with Master Qiao must not stop—we still need to route ‘goods’ to him from Thailand. Word on the streets says the He faction has prospered all these years because the Old Shopkeeper backs them. Rumor has it Master Qiao has direct contact with him—I want him to introduce me. The O Bureau is watching me closely now. At the end of the year, you go to Thailand in my place and settle the next deal with Golden Maitreya. Once the goods are in hand, transfer everything to Master Qiao. Our own venues won’t sell anymore.”
Cui Dong Dong nodded.
“And another thing—don’t just keep up the red envelopes for the inspectors, double them. Ever since Inspector Hua died, no new ‘spokesperson’ has stepped forward to speak for the Old Shopkeeper. The political climate’s unstable lately—he’s being more cautious. Get closer to the inspectors, see if any of them know his true identity.”
“Alright.”
Xia Liu Yi sighed. “Be careful when you act. Avoid A’San.”
Cui Dong Dong sighed as well—what a troublesome lamp in the boss’s house. “Got it.”
“You had something to report?” Xia Liu Yi asked Xiao Ma.
Xiao Ma was still digesting the flood of information from today. After hesitating for quite a while, he said, “Boss, there is something I need to tell you… but don’t hit me, alright? When you were in prison, and Boss Dong Dong was busy, I thought it’d be better not to trouble you…”
“Enough!” Xia Liu Yi snapped impatiently. “No one’s hitting you. Spit it out.”
“Ahem… about a month ago, near the company, I picked up… ahem… Jade Guanyin.”
“Jade Guanyin? The one from Thailand?” Cui Dong Dong asked.
“Xiao Yu?” Xia Liu Yi also frowned.
“That’s her. She offended Golden Maitreya somehow and got hunted all the way here. She said she has something important to tell you—wanted to wait until you got out of prison to speak face-to-face. Yesterday I told her you were out, and she said she’d wait until you’re discharged…”
“You believe whatever she says?!” Xia Liu Yi cursed. “That one’s a fox spirit in human skin—no one can predict what she’s plotting! What has she been doing lately?”
“Nothing. She was injured when she came. Said Golden Maitreya sent assassins after her, so I hid her in my place. She just sleeps there every day, doesn’t go anywhere…” Xiao Ma paused, then added sheepishly, “docile as a cat.”
“A cat?” Xia Liu Yi sneered. “Have you ever seen a cat that can bite your throat clean off? You’re lucky to still be alive!”
Xiao Ma shrank his neck. Since he’d never seen Jade Guanyin show her fangs, he muttered defensively, “She didn’t seem that scary to me…”
“What the hell do you know!” Xia Liu Yi snapped. “What business could she possibly have with me? Most likely she’s using my influence to hide from Golden Maitreya. If you’ve got a death wish, keep raising her. We’ll talk when I’m discharged. Keep a close eye on her!”
“Yes, Boss!”
…
After sending Cui Dong Dong and Xiao Ma away, Xia Liu Yi lay alone on the hospital bed, smoking as he pondered. Suddenly glancing up at the wall clock, he choked on the smoke, quickly stubbing out the cigarette while coughing. He opened his mouth and exhaled hard, then sniffed around, even hobbling to the window with his IV stand to push it open and let the wind carry away the smell.
Right then, He Chu San—taking advantage of his company’s lunch break—walked in carrying a thermos of food. Xia Liu Yi hurriedly flicked the half-smoked cigarette butt out the window and struck a pose as if admiring the scenery.
“Brother Liu Yi, why are you out of bed?” He Chu San quickly came over to support him. “If you need anything, press the call button. Or ask the bodyguards outside.”
“Enough nagging!” Xia Liu Yi waved his hand with authority. “I’m not made of paper. What’s wrong with getting up for some air?”
“Alright, alright, I know you’re bored. After you eat, I’ll take you downstairs for a walk in the garden, okay? Just don’t get out of bed on your own again.”
“Less talk!”
The ever-nagging He Chu San sighed, helped him back onto the bed, set up the tray table, and laid out the dishes one by one, serving Xia Liu Yi.
“Have you eaten?” Xia Liu Yi asked after taking a couple of sips of soup.
“I’ll eat when I get back to the company.”
Xia Liu Yi scooped a lidful of rice for him and added a large piece of ribs.
“No need, this is only one portion—”
“Shut up! Eat!”
He Chu San obediently fell silent, took the lid, and quietly began eating. Xia Liu Yi added two chopsticks of greens to his portion.
“What are you smiling at?”
“Nothing.”
“Damn brat!” Xia Liu Yi cursed, then drank more soup before adding, “Don’t come at noon anymore. Someone brings me food here.”
“Didn’t you say hospital food tastes bad?”
“Can’t I have the bodyguards buy from nearby restaurants?”
“Too much seasoning outside—it’s not good for your health.”
“Can’t I live without you? Stop the nonsense. Finish eating and get back to the company. Don’t come at noon anymore.”
He Chu San softened his voice. “Brother Liu Yi, don’t chase me away. I’m really not busy. The company only looks at performance, not hours. It’s fine if I go back later. I’ll bring two portions tomorrow so we can eat together, alright?”
“Hmph.”
Xia Liu Yi gave a noncommittal snort and lowered his head to drink soup. After a while, he couldn’t hold back. “What are you smiling at now?”
“Nothing.”
They finished the meal in that clingy, affectionate way. He Chu San cleaned up and set up the wheelchair, preparing to take Xia Liu Yi downstairs for some sun. Xia Liu Yi watched him tidying up, his expression suddenly stiffening—before he could stop him, He Chu San had already fished out a lighter from beneath a pile of fruit on the bedside table.
Xia Liu Yi coughed. “Xiao Ma was here earlier—he left it behind… What the hell are you staring at me for?! So what if I smoked one?!”
He Chu San sighed, slipping the lighter into his pocket. “No more next time, Brother Liu Yi.”
“You trying to control me?!” Xia Liu Yi snapped.
“Yes, I am,” He Chu San answered matter-of-factly. He leaned in to straighten Xia Liu Yi’s hospital gown, then placed a pair of sunglasses on him. “You’re exactly the kind who needs someone to keep you in line.”
With that, he tilted his head nimbly, dodging the slap Xia Liu Yi swung at him, and pushed the wheelchair forward with a smile. “Let’s go—downstairs for some fresh air, Boss.”
The two bodyguards at the door straightened up the moment they saw them.
“Brother Nan, hello,” He Chu San greeted warmly.
A’Nan puffed out his chest even more. “Hello, Mr. He!”
“And this brother?” He Chu San asked the other.
“Hello, Mr. He! I’m A’Mao!”
“Brother Mao.” He Chu San nodded with a faint smile. “Gentlemen, I’ll have to trouble you—your cigarettes and lighters, please.”
The two bodyguards froze. “Huh?” They instinctively glanced at the boss in the wheelchair—whose face was dark as ink, pretending not to hear.
A’Nan and A’Mao obediently handed over their cigarettes and lighters. He Chu San nodded in satisfaction, still smiling as he instructed them, “The Boss needs to recover. Please remind the brothers—not to smoke in his room, and no alcohol either. Much appreciated.”
“No trouble at all! Not at all!” the two hurriedly shook their heads, fawning eagerly. “Mr. He, I’ll press the elevator!” “Mr. He, I’ll carry the bag!”
Sitting in the wheelchair, Xia Liu Yi’s face grew darker and darker, utterly resigned to his fate, as he was pushed away by his “sister-in-law.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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