The two young girls, both looking to be in their early twenties, lit up the moment they saw him. They nudged each other, giggling together. In the end, the one with long hair spoke first. “We’ll pick a durian—please help us open it.”
Xia Liu Yi rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, not forgetting to glance back warily. “You bunch of old foxes—don’t peek at my cards!”
The old friends all agreed readily, but the moment he had walked three steps away, they immediately reached out to touch his cards.
At the stall, Xia Liu Yi selected a large durian for them. With a swift motion of his left hand—shrrk!—he drew out an Azure Dragon Blade from beneath the stall, startling the girls.
“Wow, Boss, your knife for cutting durian is that big?”
With a clean motion, he split open the durian shell, peeling it apart as he said, “It’s handy.”
“Handy? W-what did you used to do?”
“I played with big blades.” Xia Liu Yi looked up and gave them a faint smile. “Want to pick a pineapple too? Fresh Thai pineapples just arrived this morning—sweet.”
Clutching their chests, the girls giggled and nudged each other again, eventually choosing a large pineapple. As Xia Liu Yi lifted his knife to peel it, they quickly raised their phones. “W-wait, Boss—can we take a photo? You look so handsome cutting fruit!”
Xia Liu Yi didn’t think much of it. “Sure, go ahead.”
The two girls happily filmed him, watching as he skillfully peeled the pineapple clean and cut it into neat slices. Afterward, blushing slightly, they asked, “Boss, can we take a photo together with you?”
“Of course.”
They posed with him and their fruit, snapping several pictures before leaving with their purchases, chatting and laughing softly.
Xia Liu Yi wiped down his blade and cleaned his hands. When he returned and looked at his cards, he frowned. “Hey! Why have they changed positions?! Did you peek at them?”
“No!” one of the old friends quickly changed the subject. “Hey, have you noticed? Whenever Xiao Liu is here, business is especially good—so many girls come to buy fruit. Are you using your looks to boost sales?”
“You don’t know,” Limping Sha laughed. “Our Xiao Liu is now famous in Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market—the ‘Durian Prince’! Hahaha! Durian Prince Twin-Blade Xia!”
Xia Liu Yi jumped up to hit him again, and the whole place erupted in laughter.
……
That evening, He Chu San had a meeting with a partner company overseas. He called to say there was no need to save him dinner—he would be back late. Xia Liu Yi simply took the night shift at the stall and let the old fellows head home early.
Most stalls at the fruit market closed around eight or nine at night, and after nine the area would fall quiet for a while. But around midnight or one in the morning, trucks from the port would arrive in roaring waves, lining the entire street. Lights would blaze like daylight, and workers bustled about unloading fresh fruit from all over the world—it became even livelier than daytime.
Xia Liu Yi watched the stall until after eight. Seeing a couple pass by holding bowls of curry fish balls, he suddenly felt a craving. Noticing there were few customers, he pulled down the stall shutter, grabbed a bunch of keys, and strolled toward Temple Street to get some late-night food.
Passing through an alley, he suddenly heard shouting and blows—a familiar scene of coercion.
He turned in and called out to the young man beating a woman in the darkness. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“What are you doing?!” the young man snapped. “I’m hitting my girlfriend—what’s it to you, old man?”
Recently, perhaps because He Chu San was so well-maintained and youthful, Xia Liu Yi had grown a bit sensitive about his own appearance. Hearing that, he instinctively glanced around—in this dim lighting, how do I look like an old man?
He didn’t realize it was his cheap plastic slippers from Temple Street that gave him away. Too lazy to argue, he stepped forward to help the girl up.
“Don’t help me, don’t help me!” the girl cried in fear, slapping his hand away. Meanwhile, the young man swung a punch at him. “None of your business!”
Xia Liu Yi turned and threw a punch of his own—though he moved later, his fist landed first. Bang! The blow sent the man flying into the wall!
The young man clutched his face, screaming miserably. Looking at his hands, they were covered in blood from his nose. “Ah—! You! You just wait!” He scrambled up and ran.
Seeing him flee, Xia Liu Yi went back to help the girl. Supporting her out of the alley into the streetlight, he saw her clearly—her face bruised and swollen, one leg injured.
“You shouldn’t have saved me… sob…” she cried. “He’s a triad thug, he has many brothers—he’ll definitely come back for revenge.”
“There’s nothing to fear from triad thugs,” Xia Liu Yi said gently. “I’ll take you to the hospital—get a medical report. With that, you can apply for a restraining order. If he comes near you again, you can call the police.”
“It’s useless…” she cried harder. “He knows where I live, knows my parents… he said if I break up with him, he’ll kill my whole family…”
Hearing footsteps, Xia Liu Yi looked up. “Maybe… there’s a simpler solution.”
The girl wiped her tears and looked up—only to collapse in fright. The young man had already returned with four others, all shouting curses, each holding iron rods or spiked bicycle chains.
“Help—!” she began to scream, but Xia Liu Yi covered her mouth.
“Shh. Don’t shout—don’t attract attention,” he said gently. Patting her shoulder, he stood up and glanced around. The ground had been swept clean—not even a brick in sight. So he simply slipped off his plastic slipper.
“If you’re scared, close your eyes. It’ll be over soon.”
As he spoke, one of the youths rushed forward, swinging his spiked chain wildly. Xia Liu Yi swept his leg out, knocking him to the ground, then raised the slipper and smack! brought it down across his face.
“Argh—!” The youth’s face twisted from the blow!
The girl was so stunned she forgot to close her eyes, staring wide-eyed at this handsome “uncle”. That handsome uncle moved with effortless flair, wielding two slippers and slapping the five youths until they howled in pain and scattered in panic. The young man who had first beaten his girlfriend, seeing he was no match for this “slipper-wielding beast,” turned and tried to run again. Xia Liu Yi grabbed a steel chain from the ground, bent low, and flung it—spinning through the air, it wrapped around the youth’s ankle and tripped him to the ground with a scream.
Xia Liu Yi leisurely picked up his two slippers, wiped the blood off them against the ground, and slipped them back on. Then he walked over to the young man. “Does it hurt?”
The youth cried in terror. “Ah… ah…”
Smack! Xia Liu Yi planted his foot squarely on his face. “Answer your uncle. Does it hurt?”
“It hurts, it hurts! Please spare me…” The youth, face covered in blood, sobbed aloud.
Xia Liu Yi pulled out the Nokia slide phone his husband had bought him and snapped a photo of the youth’s miserable face. Holding it beside him, he showed it to him. “If you ever appear in front of that girl again, this will be the last photo of you looking human.”
The youth shook his head frantically. “I won’t, I won’t—I was wrong!”
“Which hall do you belong to?”
“Huh? Wh-what?”
“Aren’t you a triad? Which hall do you pledge to?”
“N-no, we don’t belong to any—we were just messing around.”
“Good that you don’t,” Xia Liu Yi said, patting his face kindly. “The Deputy Superintendent in this district—his wife is close friends with my wife. If you ever feel like joining a boss, I can arrange for him to invite your boss for tea.”
“No boss, no boss, never!” The youth shook like a sieve.
“Get lost.”
……
Watching the youths flee in panic, Xia Liu Yi turned back to the girl, intending to take her to the hospital—only to find she had disappeared without a trace.
“……”
He didn’t blame her for being afraid. He simply dusted himself off and wiped the blood from his hands onto his pants. Well, looking like this, there was no point in getting late-night snacks—might as well go back and cut a pineapple.
……
He could only head back along the same road, pulling open the stall shutter with a creak.
“Hey!” someone called from behind.
Xia Liu Yi turned and saw the red Ferrari from earlier. The rear door opened, and a young man with flaming red hair stepped out.
The youth had striking, almost celebrity-like features—long legs, taller than Xia Liu Yi, fair skin, a sharp nose, and eyes as blue as the sea, suggesting mixed heritage. His outfit was equally eye-catching—yellow suit, red tie, blue platform shoes, and large diamond feather earrings sparkling at his ears. Bold, fashionable, unmistakably stylish.
“Hey—you’re Xia Liu Yi, right?” the youth asked, frowning.
Xia Liu Yi lowered his hand from the shutter. “And you are?”
“Who I am is none of your business. I just came to see you.” His Chinese was slightly awkward. “You’re nothing special—old, uneducated, selling durians, even been to prison. Why would Samuel choose you over me?”
“Who’s Samuel?” Xia Liu Yi asked, baffled.
“Country bumpkin—do you even understand English? Samuel Ho, He Chu San.”
“……” Xia Liu Yi. Sam, Samuel, Sammy… how many English names did that brat have?
He suddenly felt like he had stepped out of a triad movie straight into a melodramatic soap opera—like an aging “main wife” being confronted by a young, beautiful rival demanding a breakup.
Dealing with Actor He every day was tiring enough—where did this kid come from to add more drama? He didn’t even bother responding and turned to lift the shutter.
The youth refused to let it go, stepping forward. “You’re a man, already this old, being kept like a mistress—don’t you have any shame? You should leave him. He deserves someone better!”
Xia Liu Yi paused, ducked inside slightly, then turned to close the shutter. But the youth suddenly grabbed his right wrist.
Recently, Xia Liu Yi had undergone treatment recommended by a foreign medical team—his right arm had a neural stimulation chip implanted, and he was still in recovery, with little strength. He disliked being touched. He tried to pull free but couldn’t, his expression turning cold. “Let go.”
“Heh, finally talking?” The youth glanced at the blood on his fingers. “You just fought, didn’t you? Injured someone? You’re still on parole—if I call the police, do you think you’ll be sent back inside?”
That sentence struck a nerve.
Xia Liu Yi lifted his gaze sharply, his eyes turning icy, killing intent flaring instantly.
“Let go,” he said coldly.
The youth loosened his grip slightly. Xia Liu Yi pulled his hand back, wiping the spot where he had been touched against his pants in disgust. Then he took out his phone and, right in front of him, dialed a contact labeled “bastard,” putting it on speaker.
The call connected quickly.
“Brother Liu Yi, finished closing up?” He Chu San’s voice came through warmly. “If you’re done, rest at home—don’t get too absorbed in games.”
Xia Liu Yi glanced at the red-haired youth. “He Chu San, there’s a kid dressed like a flaming turkey here telling me to leave you. He’s listening.”
There was a brief silence on the other end. “Phoenix?”
The youth froze, caught off guard, unable to say a word.
He Chu San sighed. “Phoenix, why are you over there? If you keep causing trouble, I’ll tell your father to send you back to Australia.”
The youth shot Xia Liu Yi a resentful glare, jaw clenched, still silent.
Xia Liu Yi smirked slightly. “He’s still listening. He said you’re keeping me, that I’m your mistress. Now tell him—what am I to you?”
……
He Chu San was still in a video conference. Sitting at the head of a long table, with subordinates on both sides and foreign partners on the screen, the room gradually quieted as he spoke on the phone.
Holding the phone, he smiled calmly and said clearly enough for everyone to hear:
“Phoenix, the person next to you is Xia Liu Yi. He is my husband, and I am his primary wife. If you don’t stay away from him, I won’t even need to come over—he’ll handle it himself and beat you until you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair back in Australia.”
Before hanging up, he added, “Oh, and if he hits you later, don’t threaten him with parole. Otherwise, I’ll have to threaten your father with being permanently banned from Hong Kong.”
……
With a flick of his finger, Xia Liu Yi snapped his phone shut in a cool motion, then looked at Phoenix with a crooked smile.
“He doesn’t deserve someone better—because he’s mine for life. Jealous? Then get lost.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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