The little wooden sticks of the bobblehead dolls swayed more and more slowly, gradually coming to rest—then suddenly trembled again a few times. That was when He Chu San, having steadied his breathing, rolled off Xia Liu Yi.
The two lay facing each other, arms wrapped together, lazily brushing kisses against each other’s noses, lips, and the faint stubble along their chins. For a long while, neither spoke.
After rehearsing his words over and over in his heart, He Chu San finally gathered his courage, speaking with a hint of bashfulness. “Brother Liu Yi.”
Already drowsy, Xia Liu Yi replied lazily, “Mm?”
“I…” The palm resting at Xia Liu Yi’s waist began to grow damp with sweat.
“What?”
“You asked earlier… what special day today is.”
“What day?”
He Chu San took several deep breaths, secretly reaching toward the small box hidden within the bedding. He was more nervous than he had ever been for the Advanced Level Examinations. “I…”
“Rrring—!”
The sudden shrill ringing of the brick phone from the living room cut him off. In the silent depth of night, it sounded especially harsh. It was Xia Liu Yi’s phone.
Without even glancing outside, Xia Liu Yi continued to look at him. “What is it to you?”
“…Shouldn’t you take the call first?” He Chu San hesitated.
“What call could be more important than you?” Xia Liu Yi frowned.
“……”
At those words, paired with his languid, sensual expression, He Chu San nearly felt his nose bleed.
Yet for such a momentous matter in life, to speak it out amidst a phone ringing like a death knell felt inauspicious. He hesitated again and again—there was no rush for this instant.
“You should answer it. I’ll go get it for you?”
Xia Liu Yi pressed him back onto the bed just as he was about to rise. Anyone who dared to call at such an hour to disturb the Dragon Head Boss could not be bringing ordinary news. In such a critical time, he did not wish for He Chu San to see the caller ID.
Frowning, he rose from the bed, stepping down himself, walking out naked with slightly parted legs to answer the call.
He Chu San quietly retrieved the small box into his palm, his heart pounding like thunder, his whole body chilled with nervousness as he lay waiting.
Yet in less than twenty seconds, Xia Liu Yi returned, expressionless, striding swiftly to the wardrobe and pulling out clothes. “I have something to attend to. You—”
At that moment, he suddenly realized his lapse and how irresponsible he was being toward He Chu San. Taking a deep breath toward the wardrobe, he cursed himself inwardly. Turning back, he forced a faintly apologetic smile, stepped to the bedside, and bent to kiss him.
“I’ve got something urgent. I must go. You sleep first, hm?”
He Chu San lifted his head to return the kiss. “Mm. Be careful.”
Xia Liu Yi did not even have time to bathe. He went into the bathroom, hastily wiped himself down with a towel, pulled on his trousers, threw on a thin shirt, and was about to leave when He Chu San chased after him and added another coat over his shoulders.
With slightly stiff, awkward movements, Xia Liu Yi walked next door and knocked, summoning two guards on duty. Gripping the coat draped over his shoulders, he turned back to glance at He Chu San, who still stood at the doorway watching him.
“Go back inside. Don’t wait up for me,” he said, nodding once before turning to walk toward the elevator with his guards. As he walked, he lowered his voice and instructed them, “Send more men to protect Mr. He.”
“Yes.”
He Chu San stood motionless at the doorway, watching the backs of Xia Liu Yi and the guards at the end of the corridor as they waited for the elevator. In his pocket, his hand still tightly held the small box.
The night wind was cool. It was impossible not to feel dejected. Tonight, it had clearly been Boss Xia who had “smoked” his “cigarette”—yet somehow, he himself now felt like a virtuous woman abandoned by a man of the underworld, left standing at the doorway, nearly turning into a stone of longing.
The arriving elevator gave a heavy clang, breaking his thoughts. Watching Xia Liu Yi’s back disappear inside, he let out a long sigh and turned to go back in and close the door.
The hurried sound of footsteps stopped him.
Startled and bewildered, he looked up—only to be pressed against the door by Xia Liu Yi, who had rushed back out from the elevator!
The two were of similar height. Following the force of his return, Xia Liu Yi leaned in and, for the countless time that night, captured his lips.
They kissed deeply for several long seconds before Xia Liu Yi reluctantly pulled away, apology still filling his gaze. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to come back early.”
“Alright.”
“What you wanted to say just now—when I return, you must tell me.”
“Alright.”
“I’m going.”
“Alright. Come back soon.”
This time, He Chu San walked him all the way to the elevator. Xia Liu Yi curled his lips slightly and waved, signaling for him to go back quickly, then reached out and pressed the button to close the elevator doors.
……
The elevator descended slowly to the ground floor. The faint curve at Xia Liu Yi’s lips faded, his expression turning cold and grim.
Suppressing the lingering discomfort between his legs, he strode swiftly through the corridor and out onto the street. The frigid sea wind of the late night crashed against him, rushing into his lungs—yet in his chest, a dark fire suddenly erupted!
Twisted killing intent spread through his gaze, threads of bloodshot fury surfacing in his eyes.
—Boss, Jade Guanyin was stabbed by an assassin this afternoon. She only just regained consciousness. She says she has something to tell you… about the death of Azure Dragon Boss.
The car sped like lightning, racing toward Xiao Ma’s residence near the Hung Hom docks.
It was a secluded seaside village house—two stories high, shabby in appearance and utterly unremarkable. The living room on the first floor was in complete disarray, furniture overturned chaotically. Two of Xiao Ma’s underlings were scrubbing bloodstains from the floor. Seeing the boss stride in, they hastily greeted him and tactfully withdrew.
Xia Liu Yi went upstairs alone.
A dim lamp burned in Xiao Ma’s bedroom. An IV drip hung beside the bed, and the air was thick with the sharp, mingled stench of disinfectant and blood. With a cold expression, Xia Liu Yi strode into the room and seized Jade Guanyin from the bed in one motion—this time, Xiao Ma rushed forward to stop him.
“Boss! The private doctor just left—he said her injuries are… quite serious…”
“Get out,” Xia Liu Yi said expressionlessly.
Afraid that the boss might lose control and beat Jade Guanyin to death with a single punch, Xiao Ma hesitated, not daring to move. Xia Liu Yi lifted his gaze and shot him a glance. Xiao Ma shuddered, bolting out as if his backside were on fire, shutting the door and pressing himself against it to listen.
Having driven Xiao Ma away with a killing look, Xia Liu Yi shoved the pale-faced Jade Guanyin heavily back onto the pillow. She looked back at him weakly, her muddled vision slowly focusing on his icy expression.
Then—she curled her lips into a smug smile.
Xia Liu Yi struck her across the face without hesitation! Jade Guanyin collapsed into the pillow, coughing up a mouthful of blood! Outside, Xiao Ma’s eyelids twitched anxiously as he listened.
“What do you know? How long have you known? Why only speak now?” Xia Liu Yi’s voice was cold and steady, laced with killing intent.
Face buried in the pillow, Jade Guanyin laughed weakly, her mouth full of blood, her words slurred.
“To see… the look on your face now… truly… adorable…”
Xia Liu Yi grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head up, raising his hand to strike again. She spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, wiped her lips, and the madness in her eyes suddenly cleared for a fleeting instant, her tone turning vicious.
“I used to belong to godfather. Why should I betray him… to help you?”
Seeing that she was finally speaking seriously, Xia Liu Yi threw her back onto the pillow with a cold laugh. “Too bad you’re no longer his precious darling. He wants you dead across the world. Without my protection, you’d be nothing more than a dead dog in the streets.”
Jade Guanyin let out another strained laugh, clutching her wounded abdomen with the hand still pierced by the IV needle. “Xiao Liu… little darling… do you think I came to Hong Kong to beg for your protection? Hahaha… The people godfather wants dead—how could you possibly protect them? You couldn’t even protect your own Boss! Heh…!”
Xia Liu Yi’s hand shot out again, clamping tightly around her throat, cutting off her eerie laughter. “What are you implying? About Azure Dragon—how much do you actually know?”
Jade Guanyin coughed weakly in his grip. He loosened his hold slightly, and she spoke:
“In these past years, godfather only sent assassins to Hong Kong twice. Once… was to kill me. The other… was three years ago…”
“Utter nonsense!” Xia Liu Yi snapped coldly. “Azure Dragon died at Xu Ying’s hands! Jade Guanyin, I know what game you’re playing—you’ve offended godfather and have nowhere left to go, so you want to drive a wedge between me and him, so you can fish in troubled waters?”
Jade Guanyin coughed again before continuing, “Do you remember—back then, godfather sent people to Hong Kong to investigate you? Later, you personally went to Thailand to explain, saying you hadn’t killed your brother to seize power. Only then did he continue cooperating with you…”
“In truth, those two had already arrived in Hong Kong before Azure Dragon’s death. After he died, they remained—not for anything else, but to see how much you, the new Dragon Head, knew… and whether you needed to be eliminated as well.”
“When you went to Thailand to meet godfather, besides me and him, there were others lying in ambush in that room. With just a single glance from him, we would have attacked you. After you left, godfather said to me…”
She mimicked Golden Maitreya’s ever-smiling, yet chilling expression, repeating in Thai:
“He’s foolishly adorable.”
Xia Liu Yi’s breathing grew ragged and uneven.
It wasn’t that he had never suspected Golden Maitreya. Xu Ying’s cryptic dying words had made him doubt many people. Yet all previous clues pointed toward Xu Ying, Fat Seven, and Inspector Hua—and none of them had any connection to Golden Maitreya, who was far away in Thailand.
If Xu Ying wanted Azure Dragon dead, he could have done it himself—why involve outside forces? Moreover, Azure Dragon’s father had once shared a life-and-death bond with Golden Maitreya. For ten years, Azure Dragon’s cooperation had brought him immense profit. What reason would Golden Maitreya have to eliminate such a “good nephew”?
A storm raged within Xia Liu Yi’s heart, a freezing wind cutting deep into his bones.
“Why would godfather want Azure Dragon dead?”
“I don’t know the reason,” Jade Guanyin said. “I only know that back then, he received a call from Hong Kong—and then he sent the assassins. Just like you, I’m curious what leverage Azure Dragon had on him… and why he had to be eliminated.”
“I don’t believe you,” Xia Liu Yi said coldly. “A few wild words from you prove nothing.”
Jade Guanyin turned her head aside, coughing up another mouthful of blood. Swallowing, she turned back, her face pale and weak—but her eyes gleamed with cunning.
“Believe it or not. As for ‘proof’… you’ll have to come with me to find it. I told you—I didn’t come to Hong Kong to beg for protection. Heh…”
She smiled triumphantly.
“I came… so you could capture me and take credit.”
Xia Liu Yi remained at Xiao Ma’s seaside house for another half an hour. The night was deep as he left Hung Hom docks by car. After about ten minutes on the road, the driver-bodyguard, A’Mao, spoke up.
“Boss, there’s a car following us.”
Lost in thought, Xia Liu Yi paid little mind. “Police? Shake them off.”
“Doesn’t look like police. Just one car, staying very close.”
Xia Liu Yi snapped out of his thoughts and glanced back. In the trailing vehicle, both the driver and passenger wore black, their features resembling Southeast Asians. The car maintained a steady distance—not moving to attack, not quite tailing either—more like a warning.
Golden Maitreya’s people.
Xia Liu Yi frowned slightly and turned back. “Turn around. We’ll stay in Kowloon City tonight. A’Nan—send more guards to Mr. He and Xiao Ma.”
“Yes.”
After giving his orders, he had a bodyguard retrieve a brand-new brick phone from the car compartment. Lowering his head, expressionless, he keyed in an international number. The moment the call connected, his demeanor shifted into one of humble respect.
In Thai, he said:
“Hello? I have urgent business with godfather. Has he already retired for the night?”
Futile Devices Scans 
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