Futile Devices Scans

Qin Hao, age twenty-four, had only ever experienced heartbreak once in this lifetime.

He was a Hong Kong Chinese born in Thailand. His parents divorced when he was young—his father returned to Hong Kong for work, while he remained in Thailand with his mother, learning martial arts from a Thai master from an early age. At sixteen, after his mother passed away, he went to Hong Kong to seek refuge with his father, but his relationship with his biological father and stepmother was poor. He eventually ran away from home and drifted into life as a thug.

On one occasion, he was deceived into transporting white powder, and was caught red-handed by Xie Jia Hua. Xie Jia Hua believed his testimony and found evidence proving that he had been unaware of the crime, thus sparing him from imprisonment. Later, with Xie Jia Hua’s support, he fulfilled his personal wish of entering the Police Academy and was selected to become an undercover officer.

His first undercover mission was highly successful—young as he was, he assisted his superiors in dismantling the Temple Street Syndicate of Old Five. However, his second undercover mission was a complete failure. Not only was his identity exposed, but he was also manipulated by the male “sister-in-law” of Xiao Qi Hall, He Chu San. Trusting the false intelligence anonymously provided by He Chu San, he ultimately became embroiled in a massive fiasco: the “sister-in-law” inexplicably destroyed his own lover’s Hall, the Hall Master vanished, the Deputy Hall Master blew up a villa and committed suicide, and Qin Hao himself became the biggest laughingstock in the entire debacle.

To make matters worse, not long after the mission failed, his senior—Xie Jia Hua, whom he secretly loved—gave him a “little brother card”:

“A’Hao, you are the younger brother I cherish the most. That will never change.”

Romance.

Though heartbroken, there was nothing he could do. Life was like this—there was an old saying abroad: Shit happens.

He had always thought himself emotionally detached, believing that aside from Xie Jia Hua, he would never fall for anyone else. Yet on the very day he received the “little brother card,” he lost control after drinking and ended up sleeping with a masked man who was also heartbroken. No—he was slept with by that masked man.

The masked man spoke openly and politely, was gentle and attentive in bed, had a good physique, strong stamina, and was just a little clingy—just a little cute. But none of that was enough for Qin Hao to develop real interest. So the next morning, he deeply regretted it, and while outwardly cold, inwardly flustered, he abandoned the masked man and fled.

He remembered the slight downturn of the masked man’s lips at that moment. He felt that the masked man’s interest in him went beyond a one-night stand—he might have hurt him. Though he felt guilty, there was nothing he could do. Shit happens. To that unfortunate masked man, perhaps he himself was just that piece of shit.

Not long after receiving the “little brother card,” the police department issued internal disciplinary action against him: due to serious negligence during the mission, he was transferred out of the Major Crime Unit and demoted to an ordinary uniformed officer in Hong Kong Island. This not only struck a blow to his career ambitions but also widened the distance between him and Xie Jia Hua—not only emotionally, but physically as well. Though disheartened, there was nothing he could do. Shit happens.

One night not long after, he intended to deliver some information regarding Xiao Qi Hall to Xie Jia Hua. Carrying the documents, he took an hour-long journey by subway and bus before finally arriving at Xie Jia Hua’s door. Just as he was about to press the doorbell, the door opened from within.

Xie Jia Hua held a bag of trash in his left hand, while his right arm was entangled with another person. As he opened the door, he scolded, “Are you done being annoying? Let go! I’m going out to throw the trash!”

“While you’re at it, buy some condoms too, Brother Jia Hua, I’m sore…” the other person deliberately dragged out his tone in a coquettish manner.

“Don’t call me that!” Xie Jia Hua was nearly furious.

“Bro—” Qin Hao swallowed the word before it left his mouth. He recognized the man clinging to Xie Jia Hua—it was Lu Guang Ming, a senior investigator from the ICAC, whom he had met before. He had already suspected that the two of them had slept together.

Qin Hao glanced at the shirt Lu Guang Ming was wearing—it belonged to Xie Jia Hua. He also noticed the new slippers on his feet. His instincts as a police officer told him that Lu Guang Ming hadn’t just slept there—he was living there. And he called him “Brother Jia Hua.” In the past, only Qin Hao had called him that.

Calmly, Qin Hao stuffed the documents into Xie Jia Hua’s awkwardly smiling hands, nodded as a greeting, and turned to leave.

Inside the elevator, he quietly wiped his face. This time, he could no longer console himself with ‘Shit happens’. Why was he forever just the “little brother,” while someone else could enter Xie Jia Hua’s heart?

After exiting the elevator, he couldn’t help but go drink again. He chose a Phantom of the Opera mask—one destined never to obtain love—and sat alone at the bar, drinking while silently crying behind the mask. The damn DJ even played Waiting Until My Heart Breaks:

“Thinking of you, thinking of you in pain,

Waiting for you until my heart aches,

The merciless north wind blows me away,

Lonely and alone, I feel a little cold.”

Romance.

It hurt too much.

So miserable that he slumped over the bar, unwilling to get up. Just then, someone beside him slammed the counter hard. He instinctively turned to look.

It was the masked man from before.

That night, they got a room together again.

The masked man kissed him gently, and he returned the kiss earnestly. The masked man kissed the tear marks at the corner of his lips and said he wanted to see his face.

While the masked man went to shower, Qin Hao truly hesitated. He seriously considered removing his mask. He thought the masked man was a little cute—no, very cute. He remembered their embrace from last time, how warm it had been when they slept together through the night. He didn’t know whether he had begun to feel something, but he wanted to experience that warmth again.

But soon, he answered a phone call on the masked man’s behalf—and saw his face.

It was Kevin.

Kevin—who had once been his subordinate during his undercover days in Xiao Qi Hall, who later became He Chu San’s assistant, and who had played an unknown role in that disastrous scheme against him.

Shit happens. But this was too much of a shit situation.

He removed his mask and revealed his identity to Kevin, then left again without looking back, not daring to see the disappointment and pain on Kevin’s face.

Returning to his small dorm room at the police quarters, he sat alone in the darkness for the entire night.

He was furious, and he was disappointed. He didn’t know whether his heartbreak stemmed more from seeing Xie Jia Hua living with someone else, or from realizing that the person he had spent the night embracing was Kevin. All he knew was that he and Kevin were impossible—one was a police officer, the other a thug. Impossible meant impossible.

All night long, that damned song Waiting Until My Heart Breaks echoed endlessly in his mind, as if he could still hear Kevin’s soft, whimpering cries—No crying! No acting cute! Impossible means impossible!

The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, he went on duty, determined to forget both his foolish love for Xie Jia Hua and his accidental stirrings of feeling for Kevin. Especially Kevin—he would never see him again.

…

That resolution collapsed far too quickly. Within a few days, two major incidents occurred in Hong Kong Island, resulting in multiple casualties. As a uniformed officer, he was temporarily assigned to guard an “important party.” Not long after his shift began, the unfamiliar colleague assigned to guard with him suddenly drew a knife and attacked him.

Having trained in martial arts since childhood, excelling in combat during his time at the Police Academy, and even fighting as a boxer in underground rings during his undercover work—once taking on ten men alone—and having sparred with the so-called top fighter of the underworld, Blood Asura Xia Liu Yi—handling a mere assassin was effortless. After a brief but fierce struggle, he used the attacker’s own blade to kill him.

No sooner had he finished than Xia Liu Yi arrived with his men.

They stared at each other in shock, almost simultaneously drawing their guns.

“You’re here to kill Kevin?!” Xia Liu Yi roared.

“What Kevin?!” Qin Hao was first confused, then startled. “The one inside is Kevin?!”

Which Kevin could it be? Naturally, it was Kevin—the assistant from Xia Liu Yi’s wife’s side—lying unconscious in the hospital room behind him, the unfortunate “important party” severely injured in the incident.

Shit just—

Xia Liu Yi claimed there was a mole within the police who intended to silence Kevin, and he wanted to take Kevin away. Qin Hao, bound by duty, refused. After a brief argument, he agreed to let Xia Liu Yi take him—on the condition that he go along. Xia Liu Yi stripped him of his belongings, handcuffed him to Kevin’s hospital bed, and, perhaps due to the urgency of the situation, did not settle accounts with him over his undercover identity.

Later, Xia Liu Yi arranged for both of them to be transferred to a private hospital, placing them in a hidden ward. Qin Hao diligently remained at Kevin’s side, guarding him. All the storms and turmoil of the outside world had nothing to do with them. In this quiet isolation, two peaceful days passed.

On the morning of the third day, Qin Hao saw everything that had happened in recent days through the hospital television news: a great fire, massive explosions, a large-scale murder scene, the ICAC striking hard yet suffering total losses, Inspector Xie upholding justice over personal ties, Xia Liu Yi surrendering and testifying, the long-entrenched crime boss “Old Shopkeeper” falling from power, his true identity shocking the public… and more.

He exchanged glances with the few gang underlings also guarding the room.

“Any news from your boss and sister-in-law?” he asked.

The underlings shook their heads honestly. “Boss only told us to stay here and protect Kevin.”

“…”

Qin Hao continued accompanying the unconscious Kevin for another two days, until it became clear—Xia Liu Yi had surrendered, He Chu San and Lu Guang Ming had been hospitalized, Xie Jia Hua was also hospitalized while tirelessly assisting with the case—

And the two of them had been completely forgotten.

Such was the sorrow of being a side character.

…

On the morning of the fifth day, Xie Jia Hua—busy caring for Lu Guang Ming—finally learned of their whereabouts from Xia Liu Yi, who had been occupied with breaking up with He Chu San. He immediately sent people to the private hospital to bring them back.

“I’m sorry, A’Hao,” Xie Jia Hua said apologetically in the hospital corridor. “Xia Liu Yi only told me today where he had hidden you and Kevin. I didn’t even know you had been dragged into this.”

Qin Hao glanced at the ward behind him. “Is he inside?”

“Who? Xia Liu Yi?”

“The one you’re living with.”

“No, he… he isn’t,” Xie Jia Hua said awkwardly. “We’re not living together. He just stayed at my place for a few days while handling a case.”

“That’s still living together,” Qin Hao said bluntly.

Xie Jia Hua looked embarrassed, but did not deny it further.

“Brother Jia Hua, have you chosen him?” Qin Hao asked.

Xie Jia Hua sighed. “If he’s willing.”

“Then… can I still call you Brother Jia Hua in the future?”

“Of course.” Xie Jia Hua patted his head gently and smiled. “I’ve said it before—you will always be the younger brother I cherish the most.”

Romance.

Qin Hao smiled. Like Xie Jia Hua, he rarely smiled. “Alright. Thank you, Brother Jia Hua. I accept this ‘little brother card’. I wish you both happiness.”

Before Xie Jia Hua could ask what a “little brother card” meant, Qin Hao turned away, waved his hand, and left with what he considered a dashing exit.

Passing by He Chu San’s ward, he glanced through the glass. Xia Liu Yi was still sitting beside the unconscious He Chu San, holding his hand.

He walked on calmly and returned to Kevin’s ward. Kevin lay just as he had for the past few days—motionless, quiet, unaware of everything. Qin Hao recalled Kevin saying he liked He Chu San. Closing the door, he sighed and sat down beside the bed.

Another scene of double heartbreak.

Unable to resist, he reached out and touched Kevin’s cool cheek. “Why are you so miserable?”

As if responding to the gentle touch, Kevin frowned, his expression pained as he murmured in his sleep, “Mom… I don’t want any more cards… if I get more, I can start playing poker… wuwu…”

“Pfft!” Qin Hao couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Swallowing the sound, he stroked Kevin’s miserable face again, held it in for a while—then finally burst out:

“Hahahahaha—! Hahahaha—!”

Kevin, who had been unconscious for days, was startled awake by the laughter. In a daze, he opened his eyes and looked at him blankly. Qin Hao was laughing so hard he started coughing, pressing the nurse call button while still laughing.

“You… cough… you’re awake…”

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