Futile Devices Scans

A solitary moon hung beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, pouring a streak of gold across the dark blue sky and sea that nearly blended into one. Like a bright stroke of oil paint across a dark backdrop, the moonlight outlined two bodies rising and falling as they intertwined.

They clung tightly together and moved fiercely across the broad bed. Their scorching breaths gathered into mist before dissolving into the air, while sweat slid slowly from brows and temples rubbing against one another.

The forceful rhythm continued for a long time. Xia Liu Yi had not yet fully recovered his strength, and the repeated thrusts gradually drove him backward until his upper body sank into the soft bedding washed in moonlight. His hips remained seated over He Chu San’s thighs, his lower back taut and lifted, held firmly in place by the burning length buried inside him. His long legs trembled around He Chu San’s waist, and his sun-browned skin gleamed like satin, scattered with damp traces of sweat.

“Ah… mm… ah…”

He buried his face in the bedding and released broken moans, the drawn-out sounds low and hoarse, like the song of a male siren upon the sea. He Chu San fell deeper under the spell, his expression growing increasingly intoxicated and fierce. His hands kneaded Xia Liu Yi’s sweat-damp waist and hips, spreading the firm curves of his backside apart as he drove himself deeper.

Xia Liu Yi tossed helplessly with each thrust like a solitary boat caught in heavy waves. The sensation of an approaching climax flushed his cheeks and quickened his breathing. He could clearly hear the wet slapping sounds where their bodies joined and closed his eyes in embarrassment, yet his lonely, empty body unconsciously demanded more. He heard He Chu San’s quiet laugh and only then realized that he himself had grabbed He Chu San’s hand and pressed it against his chest. “No…” he quickly protested, but He Chu San had already obediently bent down and taken one nipple into his mouth, licking and nibbling at it as though soothing the poor, lonely little thing. The hot, ticklish sensation sent shudders through Xia Liu Yi’s entire body.

“Get off…” Xia Liu Yi pushed at him without meaning it. The final syllable rose into a high, trembling note when He Chu San drove hard into him again, sounding so wanton that even Xia Liu Yi could barely stand hearing himself. He Chu San bit lightly at his nipple and laughed wickedly, his warm breath washing across the sensitive skin and making Xia Liu Yi shudder again. He Chu San laughed once more, and even A’Si buried inside him seemed to twitch along with it.

Humiliated into anger, Xia Liu Yi slapped He Chu San on the forehead. He Chu San caught both his hands and pinned them above his head, then began thrusting harder and faster. Fireworks seemed to explode one layer after another inside Xia Liu Yi, waves of climax rising over him in quick succession. He gasped until he could barely breathe. Suddenly, his breath caught in his throat and his inner muscles convulsed tightly around He Chu San. Milky fluid spurted intermittently from his front as he reached climax on his own.

He Chu San stopped moving and forcibly restrained himself, kissing Xia Liu Yi’s sweat-damp brows and eyes while soothing him until the lingering waves of pleasure passed.

He was always like this in bed, endlessly gentle and patient, almost completely disregarding his own desire as he devoted himself to observing and understanding Xia Liu Yi’s feelings, unwilling to let Xia Liu Yi experience even the slightest pain or discomfort. Xia Liu Yi, meanwhile, knew almost nothing about sex. He believed that if he actively asked for more and opened his body to He Chu San without reservation, almost as an act of compensation and sacrifice, he could give He Chu San the greatest possible pleasure.

The imbalance in how they gave themselves to each other in bed mirrored the imbalance in how they expressed their love, although neither of them noticed or cared. They loved each other deeply—there was no question of that. Both believed that once this one truth was certain, they could ignore the currents moving beneath the calm surface and overlook the faint wounds and barriers between them.

Because they had not used a condom, He Chu San forced himself to pull out at the final moment and came between Xia Liu Yi’s thighs. He then stroked Xia Liu Yi until he reached another climax.

After resting for a while, they did it again while standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows. Xia Liu Yi braced both hands against the smooth glass as He Chu San buried himself deeply inside him. The roar of the waves outside and the fullness within his body stirred a tide of abandon through him. Facing the dark sea as the night tide surged, he cried out without restraint, rocking his rounded hips backward to meet every thrust. The mist from his panting lips clouded a broad patch of glass.

Standing behind him, He Chu San continued moving while panting and could not resist stroking the tabby cat painted across Xia Liu Yi’s back. His warm fingers followed the damp, slightly cool skin and the taut, smooth lines of muscle, tracing from the cat’s spine down to its tail and lingering over the two small, enticing hollows at Xia Liu Yi’s lower back.

He Chu San had found a wild and lonely big cat in a dark alley, coaxed it home, fed it, kept it company, soothed it, and cherished it. The cat loved him too and could not bear to leave him. It showed its softest belly only to him and allowed only him to see its most vulnerable wounds, yet even now, it still could not give itself to him completely.

What occupied its heart? What was it willing to risk its life for? How many more times would He Chu San have to see it half dead, grievously injured, and weak?

An unbearable bitterness filled He Chu San’s heart. He could not stop himself from moving closer, pressing his chest against Xia Liu Yi’s back until there was no space between them. He did not know whether Xia Liu Yi could feel how painfully his heart was beating.

Xia Liu Yi turned his head and rubbed his cheek against He Chu San’s, breathlessly kissing the corner of his brow and the bridge of his nose.

He Chu San looked into his eyes and said silently, I love you.

Xia Liu Yi caught his lower lip between his own. His eyes were wet as he approached climax, and in his heart he answered, All of me is yours.

…

It was late at night. They sat facing each other in the double bathtub, lazily splashing water back and forth while chatting. Xia Liu Yi had called A’Nan that afternoon and learned that Qin Hao’s condition had improved considerably. Cui Dong Dong, meanwhile, had been complaining endlessly about exhaustion and urging the Boss to stop eloping and return to take charge. They agreed to spend several more days traveling, then go back to Nakhon Pathom, meet up with everyone, and return to Hong Kong together. Before leaving, Xia Liu Yi still wanted to take He Chu San to Phuket. They decided to set out first thing the following morning and hurry there for one final round of fun.

When He Chu San heard that they would leave early, he simply rose from the bathtub to pack. He tossed the softened mango soap to Xia Liu Yi and repeatedly warned him not to soak the tattoo on his back for too long. The artist had specifically told them that it needed to dry and form its surface layer fully before getting wet the following morning.

Xia Liu Yi could not wait to soak the humiliating cat right off his back. He answered perfunctorily several times and hurried He Chu San away.

Dripping wet, He Chu San climbed out of the bathtub, wrapped himself in a large bath towel, and wandered around the room with A’Si hanging freely beneath it as he gathered Xia Liu Yi’s clothes, half-eaten snacks, and various local specialties they planned to bring home as gifts, packing everything into the suitcase.

One of Xia Liu Yi’s jackets lay rumpled at the bottom of the suitcase after their earlier rummaging. He Chu San pulled it out, intending to refold it neatly, when his fingers unexpectedly touched something hard inside.

Puzzled, he searched the pockets and found a photograph hidden within an inner compartment.

The black-and-white photograph had yellowed with age. Judging by the background decorations and the men’s clothing, it appeared to have been taken nearly twenty years earlier in an old-fashioned photography studio. Three men in their early thirties stood together with their arms around each other’s shoulders. One was completely unfamiliar and had features resembling those of a local Thai man. Another looked strikingly similar to Azure Dragon. The third was difficult to identify, though his face also seemed vaguely familiar.

He turned the photograph over and froze. On the back was handwriting he recognized immediately, identical to the writing in the earliest pages of Xiao Qi Hall’s ledger. In Chinese, someone had written:

K, Wei, Jie

Sworn brothers, loyalty forever.

18.12.1973

He immediately remembered the first entry in the ledger, the point from which all of Xiao Qi Hall’s dark dealings seemed to originate:

7.3.1974

K, Wei, Jie

1,587,000

They were the same three codes. The three men in the photograph had to be the three people listed in that first entry. The man who resembled Azure Dragon was very likely Azure Dragon’s father, while the other two were his associates. They had taken the photograph in December 1973 to commemorate their sworn brotherhood, then three months later completed a major transaction worth 1.58 million. That enormous sum, particularly for the time, became the capital from which Xiao Qi Hall built its fortune.

Why did Xia Liu Yi carry this photograph with him? Why had he kept it on his person even while traveling? What did it have to do with his journey to Thailand, his serious injuries, and Xiao Ma’s death? Who was the Thai man? Who was the other Hong Kong man?

…

Xia Liu Yi soaked in the large bathtub, humming as he played with the dick-shaped soap. Suddenly, He Chu San opened the bathroom door and walked in. He was now wearing a robe. Without saying anything, he went to the sink and washed his hands.

Without looking up, Xia Liu Yi casually asked, “Finished packing?”

He Chu San did not answer. He carefully washed his hands clean, walked to the bathtub, took a large towel from the rack, and said calmly, “You’ve been soaking too long. Come out.”

He helped Xia Liu Yi rinse away the foam, dried his hair and body, wrapped him in the towel, brought him back to the bed, and found a pair of underwear for him.

Xia Liu Yi stretched his long arms and legs across the soft bedding, so comfortable that he felt almost weightless. He could still hear He Chu San packing outside.

He asked again, “Still not done?”

He Chu San did not reply. A while later, he switched off the lights outside, walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, drew the curtains, and climbed into bed in the dark. Xia Liu Yi lazily rolled over with his eyes closed, threw one long leg across him, kissed his cool cheek, and asked drowsily, “Did you lose your voice? Why aren’t you talking?”

He Chu San wrapped an arm around Xia Liu Yi’s shoulders and back, his fingers gently stroking his hair. Then he suddenly spoke in a calm voice.

“Brother Liu Yi, didn’t you say you were going to Guangzhou?”

“Mm.” Xia Liu Yi answered sleepily.

“Then why did you come to Thailand? Why were you injured?”

Xia Liu Yi felt as though he had been floating comfortably among the clouds only to plunge suddenly from three thousand meters in the air. He opened his eyes and remained silent for a moment before asking, “Do you really have to ask me tonight?”

He had long since prepared a complete explanation. Xiao Ma had offended a local Thai gang and been kidnapped. Xia Liu Yi had hurried to Thailand with Qin Hao to rescue him, but Xiao Ma had unfortunately died during the fighting. Yet now, after enjoying the pleasure and exhaustion He Chu San had given him, and while still yearning for the warmth of He Chu San’s arms and embrace, Xia Liu Yi could not bring himself to tell such an elaborate lie straight to his face.

He Chu San did not answer. His hand continued gently stroking Xia Liu Yi’s hair. He turned his head and kissed his forehead.

“Sleep,” he said calmly.

…

Xia Liu Yi dreamed that He Chu San did not believe his explanation. They argued fiercely aboard the ship returning to Hong Kong, and in the heat of the argument, He Chu San accidentally fell overboard and disappeared beneath the waves in an instant.

Xia Liu Yi awoke drenched in cold sweat. The sound of the morning tide rose and fell beyond the window, while the bedroom remained dark. Unable to distinguish dream from reality, he instinctively thought He Chu San was gone and anxiously turned his head. He saw He Chu San’s peaceful sleeping face.

Relief washed through him. He rubbed the sweat from his forehead against the pillow, then moved closer and gently gathered He Chu San into his arms. He Chu San was sleeping deeply and did not wake.

Xia Liu Yi lay there staring blankly for a while. Remembering He Chu San’s subtle behavior before they went to sleep, a faint uneasiness stirred in his heart.

Carefully releasing He Chu San, he quietly climbed out of bed and went into the living room. He opened the suitcase and rummaged inside. The jacket was still buried firmly at the bottom, and the photograph remained inside the hidden inner pocket. He relaxed again.

He decided that he had been overthinking things. Even if He Chu San happened to find the photograph, he would not recognize the people in it or understand the events behind it. Xia Liu Yi could simply explain that it was an old picture of several Thai friends.

He glanced at the clock in the living room and saw that it was still very early. Quietly returning to bed, he gathered He Chu San back into his arms, rested his head against He Chu San’s shoulder, and peacefully went back to sleep.

…

Xia Liu Yi slept until noon. Stretching as he sat up, he noticed that the curtains were still closed, probably because He Chu San had been afraid the sunlight would wake him. He climbed unsteadily from bed, shuffled toward the window, and swept the curtains open. Dazzling sunlight filled his vision. Leaning against the glass, he narrowed his eyes and admired the beautiful line where sea and sky met and birds wheeled through the air. Then he turned contentedly and put on the clothes He Chu San had folded neatly beside the bed.

He left the bedroom. The villa was spotless. A Western-style breakfast sat waiting on the table outside. He headed straight toward the bathroom, planning to wash first, calling as he went, “A’San?”

There was no answer.

Only one toothbrush remained beside the sink. All of He Chu San’s toiletries had disappeared, presumably packed into the luggage. Xia Liu Yi did not think much of it. He squeezed toothpaste onto his brush and wandered around the villa while brushing his teeth.

“A’San? A’San?”

After searching the entire second floor without seeing He Chu San, he stepped onto the balcony and looked down. The private pool was empty, and the rental car was gone from the backyard.

A tremendous sense of dread suddenly engulfed him. His heart turned cold. He threw aside the toothbrush, spat the foam from his mouth onto the ground, and ran downstairs. After racing around the front and back of the villa without finding any trace of He Chu San, he sprinted back upstairs, yanked open the suitcase, and found only his own clothing and the local specialties they had bought. All of He Chu San’s clothes were gone.

He tore things from the suitcase and threw them across the floor until he reached the jacket at the bottom. He shoved a hand into the inner pocket. The photograph was gone too.

…

Early that morning, He Chu San had quietly put everything in order, settled the bill for the villa, and driven from Pattaya back to Bangkok. After returning the rental car, he boarded the nearest flight to Hong Kong.

After leaving the airport, he first took a taxi to a storage company in Hung Hom, entered the code to open a small locker, and retrieved a compact camera stored inside. He took several photographs of the picture he had brought back from Thailand, then returned the camera to the locker. Afterward, he took another taxi to the Central Library in Causeway Bay, obtained a library card, entered the archive of old newspapers and periodicals, and worked backward through the years and months until he finally removed a large stack of Chinese newspapers from the first half of 1974, bound together in brown paper. They were issues of Sing Pao.

He spread the bound newspapers across the table and turned through the yellowed pages one by one. Finally, he reached March 8, 1974, where he found a story occupying more than half a page in the local news section: SHOCKING MAJOR CASE! ARMED BANDITS ROB BANK, KILL POLICE OFFICER, ESCAPE

He Chu San followed the report word by word. It described a serious bank robbery that had occurred the previous day, March 7, 1974, at a branch bank on Hong Kong Island. Two masked robbers had entered the bank with guns and stolen more than HK$1.5 million. They then became involved in a fierce shootout with two police officers who happened to be patrolling nearby. One officer was shot dead at the scene, while the other was also wounded. The robbers escaped with the money.

The newspaper also printed a photograph of the officer killed in the line of duty. His name was Lu Yong. In the photograph, he looked extremely young, perhaps only in his twenties or early thirties, with slender, gently curved eyes filled with a smile. The other officer remained hospitalized, and because his family had requested that his privacy be protected, neither his name nor photograph was published.

He Chu San’s expression grew more solemn the longer he read. He searched through several more months of newspapers but found no further reports on the case. Placing the photograph of the three men on the newspaper, he repeatedly studied both as the scattered pieces in his mind gradually began falling into place.

Twenty years earlier, Azure Dragon’s father had become sworn brothers with two other men. They later planned and carried out a bank robbery that remained unsolved to this day, killing a police officer and stealing HK$1.58 million in cash. Azure Dragon’s father used that money to establish Xiao Qi Hall, which gradually grew wealthy and powerful. Leadership passed first to Azure Dragon and then to Xia Liu Yi, eventually producing the organization that existed today.

Yet several questions continued troubling him.

There had been only two masked robbers. What role had the third man in the photograph played? What did this old case have to do with Azure Dragon? What did it have to do with Xia Liu Yi nearly losing his life? Xia Liu Yi had kept this photograph hidden close to him, clearly because it concealed something he could not discuss. Did that mean he still intended to do something dangerous?