No sunlight reached the basement, and the dim yellow bulb in the corner remained lit at all times. Seconds and minutes passed, and Xia Liu Yi had no idea how long it had been before he finally heard the lock turning.
He lay motionless on the bed, his bloodshot eyes staring straight at the ceiling, while the faint stubble beginning to grow along his jaw made him appear even more haggard and grim.
The basement door opened and a young man Xia Liu Yi barely recognized came inside. He wore an immaculate suit and looked neither like a servant nor a bodyguard; if anything, he carried some of He Chu San’s air of a businessman.
Without speaking, the young man walked to his bedside, placed two pillows behind Xia Liu Yi’s back, set a plate of breakfast over the blanket, and unlocked the cuff around his right wrist.
Xia Liu Yi’s right arm had only enough strength left to hold chopsticks, nowhere near enough to attack or overpower the other man. He lowered his eyes toward the breakfast, which had obviously been bought outside, and remained completely still.
“Tell He Chu San to come here,” he said coldly.
The young man behaved as though he had heard nothing and merely placed a bottle of milk on the tray.
Xia Liu Yi raised his hand and swept the entire tray onto the floor. The milk bottle shattered with a piercing crash.
The young man silently cleaned the food from his clothes and the bedding, cuffed Xia Liu Yi’s right hand again, picked up the tray, and left.
He Chu San did not come. Half an hour later, the young man returned again, this time unlocking Xia Liu Yi’s right hand and placing a urinal beside the bed before leaving.
“…”
Xia Liu Yi could refuse food and water, but he could not refuse bodily functions. Trembling with rage, he endured the humiliation and relieved himself.
Ten minutes later, the young man returned, carried away the urinal, cuffed Xia Liu Yi’s right hand again, and switched on the television.
…
An entire day passed. Xia Liu Yi did not touch lunch or dinner. The television replayed the previous day’s news twice, showed the same shampoo commercial six times, and aired the same television episode three times. Xia Liu Yi stared motionlessly at the screen from morning until night, his mind completely empty. He could understand nothing. Unless he saw He Chu San, nothing would make sense.
At dusk, He Chu San finally appeared in the basement.
He had just returned from outside and carried the chill of the evening with him. He wore a sharply tailored long coat that made him look even taller and more imposing than before. His once-soft, fluffy bangs had all been combed back with hair gel, exposing a mature, cool, and incisive face.
The moment he entered, he had the bodyguard outside lock the door, then walked directly to Xia Liu Yi’s bedside and unlocked every handcuff and ankle cuff one by one.
“Get up and move around,” he said flatly.
Xia Liu Yi had been lying down all day and his entire body was stiff and numb, but he still kicked fiercely at He Chu San’s chest. He Chu San reacted instantly, grabbed his ankle, and yanked hard to the side.
Xia Liu Yi crashed heavily onto the cold, hard floor. He Chu San immediately came down on top of him, twisted both of his arms behind his back, and pinned him underneath. Xia Liu Yi struggled fiercely, but He Chu San held him down firmly. Looking down at Xia Liu Yi’s useless resistance, He Chu San laughed softly.
“Brother Liu Yi, you never imagined there would come a day when you couldn’t beat me, did you?”
“Let go!” Xia Liu Yi roared furiously.
“What do you want to do? I caused Cui Dong Dong’s death. Do you want to kill me and avenge her?”
Xia Liu Yi let out a furious roar and began thrashing wildly like an animal driven insane. He Chu San covered his mouth with one hand and forced his jaws slightly apart so that, in his frenzy, Xia Liu Yi would not bite through his own tongue. Saliva spilled over the edge of He Chu San’s hand, while Xia Liu Yi continued producing muffled growls and struggling so violently that his arms were nearly wrenched from their sockets.
Seeing that Xia Liu Yi was about to injure himself, He Chu San suddenly released him and slapped him across the face.
Xia Liu Yi’s head snapped sideways, and he froze. The sharp pain slowly awakened his numb body, while a convulsive breath emerged from his throat. At last, that slap ignited every shred of murderous intent inside him. He suddenly flipped He Chu San onto the floor and raised his left fist, bringing it down viciously—only for a needle-like electric pain to tear through his entire body before the blow could land. Xia Liu Yi convulsed and collapsed.
He Chu San pushed his heavy body aside and climbed to his feet, slipped the small stun baton back into his pocket, calmly straightened his clothes and hair, then opened the bedside drawer and pulled out a tissue.
He wiped his hand and said evenly, “Wake up, Brother Liu Yi. If fighting and killing could solve everything, how did you end up where you are now?”
He turned off the television, changed the sheets and bedding dirtied by the food Xia Liu Yi had thrown earlier, then lifted Xia Liu Yi back onto the bed and tucked him beneath the blanket. After that, he cuffed Xia Liu Yi’s wrists together instead of fastening them to the bedposts, then attached a long iron chain to one ankle, allowing him to move freely within a limited area.
Xia Liu Yi was still weak from the electric shock and could do nothing except glare at him.
Once he finished arranging the room, He Chu San went upstairs. Before long, he returned carrying a glass of fresh water and two sandwiches, which he placed on the bedside table.
He stood beside the bed looking down at Xia Liu Yi, then reached over and smoothed the sweat-damp hair from his forehead. “Eat properly and sleep. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you never see Sister Dong Dong again.”
Xia Liu Yi’s eyes shifted, revealing suspicion. He Chu San, however, clearly had no intention of saying anything more and simply turned around and left.
…
Two days later, all the major and minor bosses of Xiao Qi Hall gathered in the headquarters conference room around a long table for a solemn society meeting—or rather, a “shareholders’ meeting.”
The so-called shareholders in attendance actually held only portions of nominee shares in the branch companies they managed and were entitled only to dividends, not authority. Legally speaking, nobody present had the right to call the shots. Under underworld rules, however, the situation was even more complicated.
Xia Liu Yi had led Xiao Qi Hall for almost four years. Beneath him were two great lieutenants, Cui Dong Dong and Ma Ru Long; below them were four middle-ranking cadres known as the Four Guardian Beasts—Tiger Head, Black Chicken, Big Crab, and Snake Girl; and beneath those four were more than a dozen junior bosses. The hierarchy had originally been orderly enough, with seniority respected and rewards distributed according to merit, but ever since He Chu San and Qin Hao entered the society, everything had become somewhat chaotic. Qin Hao had leapt directly to the same level as the Four Guardian Beasts after repeatedly saving the Boss’s life, while He Chu San had appeared out of nowhere in the role of Consultant. Not only did he answer to nobody, he could even supervise all the other bosses, large and small, and his position had gradually risen beyond Ma Ru Long’s until he could faintly make decisions at the same level as Xia Liu Yi and Cui Dong Dong.
Now Xiao Qi Hall’s Red Pole and Deputy Hall Master were both supposedly dead, the Boss had disappeared, and the newly promoted Red Pole, Qin Hao, had been exposed as an undercover officer. Only the four middle-ranking cadres remained seated around the long table, with more than a dozen junior bosses standing behind them—important enough to enter the room but not important enough to sit at the table. Across from them, He Chu San sat alone, with Kevin standing behind him.
The two opposing camps could not have been clearer.
Tiger Head, who had always opposed He Chu San’s reforms, was the first to demand an explanation. “Consultant He, nobody knows where the Boss is! Boss Dong Dong is gone too! The whole society is in chaos, and at a time like this you’re holding onto the company seal and refusing to hand it over. What are you trying to do?!”
“The Boss has only gone away to lie low and could return at any time. While he’s gone, Consultant He is temporarily holding the seal on his behalf to prevent anyone with bad intentions from causing trouble. What’s wrong with that?” Kevin said.
“Ho!” Tiger Head stared directly at He Chu San and shouted, “Who let this stray dog in here to bark? Has its owner got no mouth of his own?”
Kevin’s face turned iron-gray and he stepped forward, only for He Chu San to raise a hand and stop him.
He Chu San finally spoke calmly. “Brother Tiger, and everyone here—we all know what’s going on, so there’s no need to talk around it. The company seal is in my hands, and I will not hand it over…”
Before he even finished speaking, the room erupted into chaos. Questions, accusations, and vulgar curses rang out all around the table, while Tiger Head slammed the table and stood up, looking ready to climb straight over it and attack He Chu San.
He Chu San ignored everything. He took two pieces of cotton from Kevin, plugged his ears, then reached out and switched on the table microphone.
A deafening electronic shriek instantly filled the room.
SCREEEEEECH—!
Every large man in the room grimaced and clapped both hands over his ears as the world seemed to spin around them.
He Chu San switched it off and calmly regarded the miserable Tiger Head across from him.
“Damn you, you—” Tiger Head began to curse again.
He Chu San moved one hand toward the switch.
“Stop, stop, stop!” Tiger Head hurriedly shouted with both hands still covering his ears. “Don’t mess around! Can’t you just talk normally?!”
Snake Girl, who was watching the spectacle while covering her own ears, could not help bursting into laughter and received an embarrassed glare from Tiger Head.
Tiger Head sat back down with a dark expression. “Consultant He, what exactly are you trying to do?”
He Chu San removed the cotton from his ears. “Nothing. While the Boss is gone, everything continues as usual and the company operates normally.”
“Who calls the shots? If the brothers have problems, who do they go to?”
“Me.”
Everyone looked at one another.
Tiger Head frowned. “You’re saying that while the Boss is gone, you’re the Acting Hall Master?”
“Yes.”
Before Tiger Head could answer, one of the junior bosses standing behind him shouted angrily, “What gives you the right to be Acting Hall Master?! You haven’t even been in the society for a full year! If we’re talking seniority, you’re nothing!”
He Chu San reached toward the table. Everyone instinctively covered their ears and leaned backward, only to see him pick up the cigar box beside the microphone switch and remove one thick, imposing cigar. Kevin stepped forward and lit it for him.
For the sake of looking convincing at this exact moment, He Chu San and Kevin had spent more than half the previous night practicing in front of a mirror. They had gone through two full boxes of cigars before He Chu San finally overcame the awkwardness of coughing and repeatedly failing to light them properly and mastered the elegant, imposing smoking posture he now displayed.
He removed the cigar from his lips, examined the glowing tip, put it back into his mouth, took a deep drag, slowly exhaled, and pretended to savor the lingering aroma before speaking unhurriedly. “I’m Boss Dong Dong’s protégé, and she learned under Boss Azure Dragon. Brother Tiger learned under Brother Xiao Ma, Brother Xiao Ma learned under Boss Xia, and Boss Xia learned under Boss Azure Dragon. According to this brother’s logic, if seniority is what matters, then Brother Tiger is one generation below me and may not have any more right to sit at the table than you do.”
The junior boss stared and sputtered “You—you—you…” for a long time before Tiger Head glared him back against the wall.
“Even if your seniority qualifies you,” Tiger Head said, “you don’t understand underworld rules at all! You’ve never even been a za fit yan! How are you supposed to command everyone? How can you be Acting Hall Master?”
“I have always been the one managing and supervising the society’s reforms, and I have always assisted the Big Boss and Boss Dong Dong in operating headquarters and handling its current businesses. Other than me, who here dares claim they can keep the entire society functioning?” He Chu San looked toward Tiger Head. “Brother Tiger, can you?”
Tiger Head gave a contemptuous snort. “Consultant He, you really think the Boss told you everything? There are plenty of things you know nothing about!”
“Oh?” He Chu San put on an expression of intense curiosity. “Then why doesn’t Brother Tiger tell us right now exactly what those things are?”
“You…” Tiger Head had an entire stomach full of things he could say, but in a crisis like this, there was no way he dared openly mention those illegal affairs in front of everyone.
He Chu San continued firmly, “The Boss put me in charge of the society’s reforms because he wanted everyone to be able to hold their heads up in daylight. This time Qin Hao, that mole, brought the police in and searched the entire company. Did they find a single problem they could use against us? No. That is because everyone listened carefully to the Boss’s arrangements and seriously cooperated with the reforms, leaving him nothing to seize. But from the way Brother Tiger is talking, it sounds as though you still want to turn back.”
“So what if I do?!” Tiger Head snapped angrily. “I know you look down on gangsters like us! You look down on the things we do! Stop deliberately mixing up the company and the society. You’re only a company consultant. Inside the society, in the jianghu, you’re nothing! I don’t care about your damn reforms. Something has happened to the society, the Boss is missing, and according to underworld rules, we should hold a Dragon Head Assembly and choose a new Dragon Head!”
He Chu San answered boldly, “Fine. We’ll follow underworld rules. Then where is the Dragon Head Staff? The Boss has been missing for four days. Why hasn’t the staff-holder appeared? ‘No Dragon Head Staff, no new leader’—isn’t that an underworld rule?”
“Everyone knows Boss Dong Dong was the most likely person to be the Boss’s staff-holder! How is she supposed to appear when she’s dead?!”
“A staff-holder also names a designated proxy. If something happens to the staff-holder, that person can hold the staff on their behalf. Boss Dong Dong was clever enough that surely she would have prepared even that much.”
“Maybe Fang Xiao Luo was her proxy! Didn’t they die together?”
“Maybe this, maybe that. Choosing a Dragon Head is one of the most important decisions a society can make, Brother Tiger. Isn’t it a little careless to base everything on ‘maybe’?”
“You!” Tiger Head slammed the table and stood again.
Black Chicken stepped in to smooth things over. “Brother Tiger, calm down and sit first. Consultant He, don’t blame Brother Tiger for being anxious either. He’s only thinking about the brothers. Xiao Qi Hall has a big name and considerable power in the underworld. If even something small happens to us, the other societies will laugh. With things this chaotic, it really doesn’t make sense for nobody to be calling the shots.”
The junior bosses standing behind him immediately chimed in. “That’s right!” “Exactly!” “Brother Chicken is right!”
He Chu San tilted his head, signaling Kevin to open the briefcase and place an old notebook on the table.
“The Dragon Head ledger is in my hands,” He Chu San said calmly. “The Boss designated me as his successor.”
It was an unwritten rule within Xiao Qi Hall that its Dragon Head not only needed recognition through the Dragon Head Staff, but also had to possess the Dragon Head ledger. For generations, each Dragon Head had also followed the custom of telling his chosen successor where the ledger was hidden in case anything happened. Azure Dragon had once told Xia Liu Yi where the ledger was kept and had also named Xia Liu Yi in his will as the person he recommended to succeed him.
Black Chicken stared in shock and immediately picked up the old notebook. Tiger Head, Big Crab, and Snake Girl all crowded closer, while several junior bosses behind them craned their necks curiously and tried to sneak a look, only to retreat when He Chu San shot them a sharp glare.
Black Chicken turned to the later pages containing entries personally written by Xia Liu Yi, and Big Crab pointed at them. “This really is the Boss’s handwriting.”
“These delivery dates also match the times we distributed shipments before,” Snake Girl said, pointing at several transaction records.
“This is the Dragon Head ledger,” Black Chicken confirmed, closing the notebook to block the curious gazes behind him before glancing toward Tiger Head.
Tiger Head leaned closer to him and muttered suspiciously, “The Boss hid all those things from him before. Why would he give him the ledger?”
“Maybe the Boss changed his mind later,” Black Chicken replied.
He Chu San motioned for Kevin to retrieve the ledger, then pressed his advantage further and declared righteously, “Although the Boss designated me as his successor, I will wait for him to return. As long as the Dragon Head Staff does not appear, I will not allow a new Dragon Head to be elected, nor will I allow anyone to replace him!”
The room fell into turmoil as everyone’s loyalties began shifting. Over the past several days, many of them had been privately persuaded and rallied by Tiger Head to oppose He Chu San, but now the scales in their hearts began tilting toward the other side. Everyone had seen how strongly the Boss had trusted and supported Consultant He over the past half year. If the Boss had genuinely designated him as successor and yet he still insisted on waiting for the Boss’s return, then perhaps he really did not harbor the usurping ambitions Tiger Head had accused him of. Besides, over the past year, most of them had personally benefited from He Chu San and had made a fair amount of money following him in small investments. Except for conservative men like Tiger Head, most of them had no real objection to He Chu San’s reforms and even admired the way he led everyone toward legitimate wealth…
At that moment, exaggerated applause suddenly rang out from beyond the conference-room door.
“Good! Good! Very good!”
BANG! The wooden door flew open under a violent kick, and the broken lock crashed to the floor. The newcomer strode inside while clapping loudly.
“Very well said!” he boomed. “As long as nobody elects a new Dragon Head, you remain Xiao Qi Hall’s Acting Hall Master! After all those twists and turns, the Dragon Head position is still in your hands! He A’San, I haven’t seen you for a few months, and you’ve grown quite capable!”
The entire room erupted. Even He Chu San lowered the cigar in surprise and delight. “Brother Xiao Ma?!”
The newcomer was tall and powerfully built, wearing a black shirt, a leopard-print vest, and enormous sunglasses studded with glittering stones, carrying exactly the same nouveau-riche gangster aura as always. He strode to the table, casually shoved Kevin aside, pulled out the chair beside He Chu San, and dropped heavily into it. Then he ripped off the sunglasses and tossed them onto the conference table with a clatter, revealing a weather-beaten face that had been tanned nearly black, almost unrecognizable. Yet that unmistakable old scar, those fierce brows, that threatening face, and those sharp, brilliant eyes—who else could it possibly be but Xiao Ma?
The deeply tanned Xiao Ma grinned at everyone across the table and revealed a newly installed, glittering gold tooth. “Brothers! Sisters! How’s everyone doing?!”
“Boss Xiao Ma is back!”
“I knew Boss Xiao Ma couldn’t die!”
“Long live Boss Xiao Ma!” The room erupted in ecstatic shouts.
“Too quiet! I can’t hear you!” Xiao Ma cupped one hand behind his ear. “What did you say?”
“LONG LIVE BOSS XIAO MA!” Everyone roared so loudly it seemed capable of shaking the ceiling.
“Ah! Beautiful! Come on, come on. Now use Master Ma’s favorite title?”
“LONG LIVE GENERAL MANAGER MA!”
“Good, good, good! Thank you, everyone! Thank you for missing me and caring about me! I’m deeply moved! Thank you!”
After directing his grand entrance to his satisfaction, Xiao Ma turned around and studied He Chu San with amusement, then suddenly snatched the cigar from between his fingers. “Sammy Boy, why are you holding this thing and pretending to be impressive? Cigars are for adults. Children shouldn’t touch them.”
He put the thick cigar between his own teeth, leaned lazily against the chair, and threw both legs grandly onto the table. He rolled his neck lazily, then exhaled a stylish cloud of smoke—the very picture of a true Boss.
He Chu San’s aura was thoroughly suppressed, but he did not lose his composure. He smiled calmly. “Brother Xiao Ma, welcome back.”
Xiao Ma lazily looked toward the ceiling. “If I stayed away any longer, the whole society might change hands. You really hid yourself well, kid.”
“Brother Xiao Ma, what are you talking about? Everything I’ve done has been for the good of the company.” He Chu San looked perfectly righteous.
Xiao Ma abruptly leaned forward until his face was inches from He Chu San’s. His mouth was still smiling, but his eyes had gone terrifyingly cold. He blew smoke directly into He Chu San’s face and asked in a low voice, “Where’s the Boss?”
He Chu San’s expression did not change. “The Boss is missing.”
Xiao Ma growled through clenched teeth, “Stop pretending to be stupid. Other people may not know what kind of little fox you are, but your Brother Xiao Ma does. If the Boss had really disappeared without a trace, you wouldn’t be sitting here fighting over the Dragon Head position. You’d be tearing Hong Kong apart looking for him! The Boss spoiled you rotten and wouldn’t let you touch a single thing from the underworld. You expect me to believe he gave you the ledger? That he designated you as Dragon Head? And Qin Hao? That kid doesn’t have the ability to bring down the entire company by himself. You’re behind this whole thing! You’re still sitting here making up stories to fool everyone? Talk. Where did you lock up the Boss?”
“Brother Xiao Ma, what are you talking about? I wouldn’t dare do anything like that.”
Xiao Ma had expected him to refuse to admit it and sneered. “Boss Dong Dong is really dead?”
“She really is.”
“Good. Good.” Xiao Ma’s mouth trembled. “I knew from the beginning that you were trouble. I just never imagined you could be this ruthless. We’ll settle Boss Dong Dong’s matter slowly. I’m warning you: if you harm even one hair on the Boss’s head, I’ll tear out your tendons and skin you alive!”
He leaned toward He Chu San’s ear and spoke through clenched teeth. “Boss Dong Dong may be gone, but I remember every single word of the oath she once made to you, and I’ll fulfill every word for her. If you betray the Boss and break his heart, one day I’ll cut your heart out, chop it to pieces one slice at a time, and feed it to the dogs!”
After ending that private exchange, Xiao Ma straightened, reached inside his clothes, pulled out a long object wrapped in coarse cloth, and slammed it heavily onto the table.
“I am the Boss’s staff-holder. The Dragon Head Staff has been in my hands all along! The Boss is in trouble and temporarily unable to manage the society. Today, the Dragon Head Staff has appeared. We will hold a Dragon Head Assembly right here and elect a new Dragon Head!”
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