Qin Hao’s fight lasted about twenty minutes. The first three opponents were easy enough; the last two gave him some trouble. Even so, amid the crowd’s deafening cheers and roars, he kicked them down one after the other. The surging spectators made the ring itself shake, their shouts rumbling like thunder. Seven or eight bodyguards forced open a path through the crowd and escorted Qin Hao back to the changing room.
The changing room was empty. Qin Hao trudged over to the ice bucket by the wall, pulled the towel off his head, wrapped several ice cubes in it, and staggered onto the nearest bench. He pressed the ice against the side of his head, where his ears were still ringing. Before the third man went down, he had landed a heavy punch on Qin Hao’s temple. Qin Hao had immediately become dizzy and disoriented, yet forced himself to subdue the last two men. The moment he stepped out of the ring, his vision went black and he nearly collapsed, only for a bodyguard to haul him upright.
He sat there clutching the ice and panting heavily for a while. Then he suddenly heard footsteps. He looked up, and through his still-blurred vision, Xia Liu Yi came into view.
“You held back in prison,” Xia Liu Yi said lazily from the doorway. He could tell from Qin Hao’s kicking that he had trained under a genuine master and was nothing like an ordinary street thug. Back when Shrimp Skin, Limping Sha, and the others had surrounded Qin Hao, Xia Liu Yi had charged through the crowd and subdued Qin Hao first, apparently rescuing him. In truth, if Qin Hao had used his full strength then, Xia Liu Yi probably would not have been able to restrain him with one hand.
Qin Hao lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his face. Calmly, he said, “I was alone in prison. I needed someone powerful to rely on.”
He had read the three-way balance of power and deliberately lost to Xia Liu Yi. Thinking back to the way Qin Hao had put on airs and said, “I don’t need you to step in,” acting all aloof and noble, Xia Liu Yi silently cursed.
“Why didn’t you come to me after you got out?” Xia Liu Yi continued. Qin Hao had once saved the boss of Xiao Qi Hall, so naturally Xiao Qi Hall would not have treated him poorly. Xia Liu Yi had even saved a management position for him. Instead, Qin Hao vanished without a trace after his release, wasting all of Boss Xia’s thoughtful arrangements.
Qin Hao remained calm. “You saved me once. I repaid you once. We’re even.”
In other words, either he thought Xiao Qi Hall was too shady or he disliked the lack of freedom that came with joining a society. Either way, he wanted nothing to do with Boss Xia.
Xia Liu Yi gave a cold laugh through his nose. “Working for Master Qiao is better than working for me?”
“I’m not with the He Yi Society. Master Qiao and I have a business relationship. I risk my life, and he pays me. That’s all.”
Xia Liu Yi gave another cold laugh and said nothing more before turning out of the changing room. Xiao Ma and the bodyguards were waiting outside. Xiao Ma could not resist craning his neck for another look at Qin Hao. He really did bear an eerie resemblance to Boss Azure Dragon. Xiao Ma shuddered and hurriedly turned to catch up with Xia Liu Yi.
“Dig into his background. Find out why he’s fighting in death matches like these,” Xia Liu Yi instructed Xiao Ma as they walked.
“Yes!” Xiao Ma answered with dutiful enthusiasm. He also keenly sensed that Qin Hao’s relationship with the Boss was anything but simple! He had not gone so far as to direct those filthy suspicions toward Boss Azure Dragon, but he still instinctively felt that the brat surnamed He was about to fall out of favor. Master Ma is so happy today, hahaha!
—In truth, Master Ma was imagining far too much. Boss Xia did not have the slightest improper thought about Qin Hao. The only thing he wanted to do to that face was peel it off with a knife so he would not have to feel miserable every time he saw it. It was simply that Xia Liu Yi currently had too much to do and too few people under him. He needed a capable subordinate who was intelligent, calm, skilled, and not greedy for favors.
By the time they left the fighting ring, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. After bidding Master Qiao farewell, Xia Liu Yi had the bodyguards speed all the way home. When he opened the apartment door, warm light filled the living room, and damp air from a recent shower still drifted out of the bathroom. Yet after taking off his coat, slipping into his slippers, and calling “A’San” several times, he still saw no one.
Xia Liu Yi searched every room, then lifted the lid of the steamer in the kitchen. Inside sat a plate with half a fish left and a bowl of rice. Only the head and tail had been eaten; the tenderest part of the belly remained. Xia Liu Yi touched the rice. It was already cold.
He dialed He Chu San’s brick phone, only for its ringtone to sound from the coffee table in the living room. He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly understood. He left the apartment and climbed the stairs to the rooftop.
He Chu San was indeed on the private rooftop. When they had first moved in, he had delightedly shown the rooftop to Xia Liu Yi, who had thought it shabby, old, and rust-streaked. At some point, however, He Chu San had redone the place. He had repainted it, put up wooden fencing and small flower beds, and bought a bar table, chairs, an awning, and all sorts of little decorations. Lush green plants had begun sprouting everywhere. Several tasteful decorative lamps sat on the bar, their small bulbs casting warm yellow light through fabric shades. He Chu San sat at the bar in a plain white shirt, his back straight and slender, his profile handsome and serene. The scene was beautiful.
The sight filled Xia Liu Yi with tenderness he could hardly contain. His weathered face reddened slightly as he walked over, about to embrace He Chu San, whom he had been neglecting and who was sitting there alone beneath the moon—only to discover that He Chu San was comparing a stack of data sheets by the lamplight.
He Chu San was utterly serious and focused, flipping through pages, calculating figures, and muttering to himself as he drew trend charts. Xia Liu Yi stared at him for five minutes. He Chu San kept his head down, working hard and oblivious to everything around him, completely unaware that someone was standing beside him.
If this had been the old Boss Xia, he would have grabbed that stack of papers and thrown it straight off the roof. The brat gets possessed the second he sees paperwork. Your Boss has put up with you for years! But tonight, Boss Xia’s heart was full of springtime feelings, and even the brat working so earnestly looked pleasing to the eye. He dragged over another tall stool, sat beside He Chu San, and watched Elite He strive for success with great interest.
He Chu San worked hard for more than half an hour before finally reaching an encouraging conclusion. He flicked the papers and smiled with satisfaction, then turned and hopped off the stool to go downstairs and call his colleagues—only to be startled half to death by a dark figure slumped beside him!
After forcing himself to calm down, he realized it was Brother Liu Yi, dressed entirely in black. Xia Liu Yi was sprawled against the bar in the same position he had been in while watching He Chu San, his face crooked, his brows furrowed in sleep, and a thin line of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.
The pose was far too damaging to the Boss’s dignity. He Chu San instinctively glanced around, confirmed that none of the bodyguards were there, and only then used the corner of his sleeve to wipe away Xia Liu Yi’s drool. He called softly, “Brother Liu Yi? Brother Liu Yi.”
Xia Liu Yi had been sleeping soundly and opened his eyes with great reluctance. He vaguely made out He Chu San, but before he could say a word, his stomach let out a tremendous grrrrgle—!
The two stared at each other for a moment. He Chu San could not hold it in and turned his head away. “Pfft.”
“What are you laughing at?! Damn it, what are you laughing at?!”
“Ow, ow, that hurts! I’m not laughing, I’m not—hahaha! Stop hitting me, stop! I’ll go downstairs and heat up your dinner.”
He Chu San steamed the fish and rice for Xia Liu Yi and stir-fried another small dish. Xia Liu Yi had barely eaten at dinner and was ravenous, so he immediately wolfed everything down. He Chu San sat beside him, chin propped in his hands, smiling as he watched.
“Brother Liu Yi, shall I make dinner for you every day from now on?”
Xia Liu Yi paused with his mouth full of food, then swallowed with some effort and scoffed. “Cut the damn act. I know you’re busy with work. Take care of your work first!”
He quickly stuffed another two chopstickfuls of food into his mouth and added indistinctly, “If you’re free this weekend, come watch a movie with me.”
He Chu San’s eyes narrowed into crescents with his smile. “Sure.”
After dinner, He Chu San stood to clear the dishes, but Xia Liu Yi stopped him. For once, Boss Xia insisted on washing them himself. He Chu San leaned against the kitchen doorway and watched, surprised to discover that although the Boss could burn down the apartment trying to cook, he actually washed dishes quite competently.
“What are you looking at?” Xia Liu Yi asked, deftly turning a plate in his hands. “When I was little, that worthless father of mine did nothing but take drugs, drink, and beat people. He didn’t care whether we lived or died. Sometimes the neighbors gave us leftovers, and Xiao Man and I would go to the market and pick up rotten vegetable leaves. Xiao Man cooked, and I washed the dishes. You know how expensive water was in Kau Lung Walled City. Sometimes we went a whole month without bathing, but the bowls had to be washed. If we didn’t wash them, we’d get diarrhea. I could get them clean with barely any water at all.”
He Chu San hugged him around the waist from behind. He had grown up poor in the Walled City too, dirt poor, yet even his childhood had been far better than Xia Liu Yi’s. He rubbed his cheek against Xia Liu Yi’s shoulder and said softly, “My record was three bowls with one dipper of water.”
Xia Liu Yi scoffed and showed him the shallow bit of water at the bottom of the bowl in his hands. Proudly, he said, “I could wash two with just this much. There wasn’t any more. Our family only had two bowls. When that bastard ate, Xiao Man and I had to share one.”
He Chu San buried his face in the hollow of Xia Liu Yi’s neck. “I wish I’d known you twenty years ago.”
“Hah. Back then you were a tiny little kid who’d only just learned to run errands. You probably still wobbled when you walked. What damn use could you have been?”
“We couldn’t afford pork when I was little. During New Year, my dad would mince salted fish and use it to make wontons. If I’d known you, I would’ve carried a bowl over, wobbling all the way, and shared them with you.”
A picture appeared in Xia Liu Yi’s mind of a tiny child carrying a bowl of wontons and tottering crookedly toward him. He could not help laughing several times. Turning around, he cupped He Chu San’s face in his wet hands.
Water kept rushing from the tap. Holding each other beside the sink, they kissed until an entire sinkful of water had run down the drain.
When the long kiss ended, Xia Liu Yi was still tenderly stroking the hair beside He Chu San’s ears, his chest almost overflowing with affection. Then He Chu San frowned slightly. “Why does your mouth taste like cigars?”
“Damn it! I only took a few puffs to keep up appearances while talking business! You know I don’t even like cigars!”
“Cigars are still tobacco. And you’ve smoked seven cigarettes at home these past few days. I counted the butts.”
“Damn it! So what if I smoked them? Why the hell were you counting those?”
“Did you forget? One cigarette means we do ‘that’ once. That makes eight, Brother Liu Yi.”
“…”
Boss Xia glared at him fiercely, his face darkening and reddening by turns. After a long silence, he suddenly looked away, even the back of his neck turning red. “I… need to shower first.”
“Pfft.”
“Damn it, what are you laughing at again? What’s so funny?!”
“Pfft—hahaha! You’re so cute… Stop hitting me, stop. The spring night is short. I’ll wait for you in bed…”
Xia Liu Yi took a shower with his weathered face bright red. Afterward, he paced awkwardly around the living room twice. Finally, he gritted his teeth, put on an open and fearless expression, and marched into the bedroom—only to find that He Chu San, that little bastard, had gotten the Boss all hot and bothered for nothing and was already asleep hugging the Boss’s pillow!
He Chu San had been chronically sleep-deprived. Although he was officially taking the day off, he had still spent the entire day working at home and had done a great deal of housework as well. He was simply too exhausted to stay awake. Lying in bed with the Boss’s pillow in his arms, sexually frustrated, he breathed in the Boss’s scent until he drifted off. His complexion was not good, and dark shadows still lay beneath his eyes, yet he looked peaceful and content, as though he had spent three hundred rounds fooling around with the Boss in his dreams.
Looking at He Chu San’s peaceful sleeping face, Xia Liu Yi felt another wave of gentle tenderness. He Chu San had always seemed young and full of life in front of him. Though he was a little lacking in martial prowess, he seemed to possess endless energy, spinning tirelessly like a top. Xia Liu Yi was the older one, yet he had always been the one enjoying He Chu San’s care. When had he ever stopped, turned around, and cared for the person who had been tirelessly following behind him?
Boss Xia’s tenderness turned into a painful ache of guilt. He climbed quietly into bed, gently pulled the pillow from He Chu San’s arms, and drew him into his embrace.
Though the movement was gentle, He Chu San still woke. He opened his eyes groggily and tried with all his might to rouse enough energy for their “spring night.” Xia Liu Yi covered his eyes with one hand and said softly, “If you’re tired, sleep. We can do it tomorrow. I’m not going anywhere.”
He Chu San’s eyelashes trembled against his palm before slowly relaxing. He wrapped his arms around Xia Liu Yi’s waist and spoke softly with his eyes closed.
“Brother Liu Yi, I really like you.”
“Mm. I know. Go to sleep.” Xia Liu Yi kissed his forehead.
“Let’s not argue anymore. And let’s not sulk at each other either.”
“All right.”
“I want to sleep holding you like this every day.”
“All right.”
“I…”
“Go to sleep already! Save the mushy stuff for tomorrow. Keep talking and I’ll hit you!”
Holding each other, the two slept wrapped up in one another all night. It was a rare, restful sleep.
…
The next morning, Xia Liu Yi woke to birdsong. Turning his head, he saw He Chu San’s clear, handsome face, its contours gilded by the morning light, warm and beautiful. Xia Liu Yi gently rubbed his soft earlobe. He Chu San, who had been pretending to sleep, opened his eyes with a smile, brilliant stars seeming to sparkle in his dark eyes.
Smiling, he moved closer, pecked Xia Liu Yi on the lips, and asked softly, “Brother Liu Yi, want a ‘cigarette’?”
Xia Liu Yi thought for a moment, realized what he meant, and felt his face heat up again. “Mm.”
He Chu San’s eyes curved with another smile before he lowered his head beneath the blanket. Xia Liu Yi waited with his entire face flushed red. After a moment, he suddenly closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly, his Adam’s apple trembling as his first hoarse moan escaped him.
…
The autumn wind grew colder by the day. The low-ranking gangsters stationed at Xiao Qi Hall headquarters traded their thin summer jackets for long black trench coats that made them look almost respectable. Each wore a pair of sunglasses, and they stood ramrod-straight in a row outside the company entrance, looking remarkably like a blind men’s song-and-dance club.
Mr. Ma Ru Long, general manager of a subsidiary company, had recently bought himself a leopard-print vest with a mink-fur collar and a pair of diamond-studded sunglasses. Head held high and chest puffed out, he strutted proudly into the head office to report to his Boss.
For the past few days, his Boss had been getting one “cigarette” every morning and evening—just enough release to hit the spot while still leaving him wanting more. He currently had both legs propped on his desk, humming a tune as he ate a lollipop. The moment Xiao Ma walked in, he was hit by the sour stench of romance again and recoiled two steps. Standing amid that cloying sweetness, he called out miserably, “Boss, I’m here.”
Xia Liu Yi lifted his chin toward the sofa, clearly in an excellent mood. “Sit.”
“Boss, eating candy again?”
“You want one?”
“No, no, no.” Xiao Ma hurriedly waved his hands. He had heard all about it—the Boss’s lollipops were not to be coveted.
Xiao Ma chattered through his routine report and duly received the Boss’s orders. At the end, he added one more matter. “Boss, there’s also that fighter you asked me to investigate last time. I found everything.”
“What fighter?” Xia Liu Yi was half-dazed from all the sweetness and could not remember for a moment.
“The one called Qin Hao.”
“Oh. Him. Go on.”
“He’s twenty-three, a Thai Chinese. His parents divorced when he was little. His father came to Hong Kong for work, while he stayed in Thailand with his mother. He learned martial arts from an old Thai master. His mother died of illness seven years ago, and he came to Hong Kong to find his father. His father had already taken a younger wife more than ten years earlier and had a daughter with her. Qin Hao didn’t get along well with his father or stepmother. At twenty, he entered the underworld and followed ‘Old Five’ of Temple Street. Later, the cops wiped out Old Five’s whole organization, so Qin Hao fled back to Thailand. Last year, his father and the younger wife were killed in a traffic accident, leaving behind a mountain of debt that all fell on Qin Hao’s teenage half sister. When he heard, he returned from Thailand and paid off all her debts. But not long ago, his sister was diagnosed with congenital heart disease and needs surgery immediately…”
Xiao Ma spread his hands and sighed. “That kid is one hell of a jinx! He jinxed his mother, his boss, his father, his stepmother, and now even his little sister.”
Xia Liu Yi grew impatient. “And then? He’s fighting death matches for Master Qiao because he needs money for his sister’s operation?”
“Yep.”
“Why was he imprisoned?”
“He used to do odd jobs at a factory in Tuen Mun. He refused to pay protection money and offended a manager under Fat Monk. The manager brought men to confront him, and Qin Hao stabbed him. Didn’t kill him. Normally, underworld business gets settled within the underworld, but then Qin Hao’s luck suddenly took a turn—a cop happened to pass by and arrested him.”
“Fat Monk could let that go?”
“Of course not. But first Qin Hao put himself under you in prison. Then, after he got out and found out his sister was sick, he immediately signed with Master Qiao. First Xiao Qi Hall, then the He Yi Society—which one of them could Fat Monk afford to offend?”
Xia Liu Yi chewed his lollipop thoughtfully. Just as he had expected, Qin Hao might look quiet, but he was shrewd. Shrimp Skin and Limping Sha had only been able to throw their weight around inside prison; the societies backing them outside had long since fallen apart, and once they were released, they were nothing. Of the three prison tyrants in that old three-way balance, only Xia Liu Yi was still powerful on the outside. By attaching himself to Xia Liu Yi, Qin Hao made Fat Monk think twice. There was no way Fat Monk could send people into prison to play dirty.
Xia Liu Yi slowly finished the entire lollipop, pulled out a tissue, wiped his mouth, and finally said, “Go find him. Whatever Master Qiao pays, I’ll pay double. He won’t need to fight death matches. Give him an operation to manage. On top of double pay, I’ll cover every cent of his sister’s medical and rehabilitation expenses. If he agrees, go to Master Qiao and buy out his contract.”
Xiao Ma smacked his lips, thinking the offer was extremely generous. But just in case, his troublesome mouth still had to ask, “Uh… what if he refuses?”
“If he refuses, I’ll twist your head off! Damn it, you can’t even handle something this simple?!” Xia Liu Yi hurled an ashtray and drove him straight out of the office.
Manager Ma fled the president’s office with both hands over his head, trudged miserably down the corridor, and finally figured it out in the elevator—Big Scarhead was in prison, Pao-zai had been dumped into the sea, and Cui Dong Dong had dealt with several other junior leaders harboring crooked ambitions during the great purge. The Boss was short-handed and looking for talent. This Qin kid was not here to compete with Sister-in-law He for the Boss’s favor at all. He was here to compete with Red Pole Ma!
Xiao Ma was not much of a schemer. He had no interest in intrigue, power struggles, or scrambling for authority. He simply hated the idea of anyone sharing the Boss’s affection with him—the Boss might hit and curse him every day, but as the saying went, hitting meant affection and cursing meant love. Whenever something good came along, the Boss never forgot him. He cared about him, treated him loyally, trusted him completely, and had even saved his worthless life once. Everyone knew Xiao Ma was the Boss’s number-one Red Pole, practically wearing a red crown and a golden saddle. But first came that queer surnamed He, and now this knockoff surnamed Qin. The Boss’s affection was almost completely divided between them. The thought made his heart ache.
The elevator descended heavily to the ground floor. Xiao Ma stepped out onto the street with a miserable face and let the autumn wind blow over him as he comforted himself: lately things really had been insanely, insanely, insanely busy, and all the men under him were still useless trash who had not amounted to much. Having another dependable brother around to help would be a good thing. He could hand all the hard, exhausting, filthy jobs to Qin Hao, and Master Ma would finally have time for eating, drinking, and having fun.
That thought immediately cheered him up. He personally drove to Lin Heung Tea House, bought takeaway sticky rice chicken, durian pastries, and wife cakes, then brought them home to feed Jade Guanyin.
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