Fate was truly unfair.
Both of them had injured their heads, yet He Chusan had to walk around with his head wrapped like Indian Ah San, while Xia Liuyi needed only a single adhesive bandage.
When he came to inspect the set the next day, someone had even crookedly written the character “Xia” on the bandage.
He Chusan thought it looked unbelievably stupid.
The underlings, however, praised it in unison.
“Brother Liuyi! So stylish!”
Xia Liuyi sat cross-legged on the table, skillfully spearing fish-paste siu mai with his left hand and eating them.
Unable to restrain himself, he rolled his eyes at He Chusan.
“What are you looking at?!”
He Chusan stared at Xia Liuyi’s right hand, wrapped up like a rice dumpling, then at his own mummy-like right arm.
He swallowed and gathered the courage to ask, “Does it hurt?”
“What do you think?! Want me to chop off your hand so you can find out for yourself?! All you ever say is bullshit!”
“Is your sister all right?”
Xia Liuyi’s movements stopped, and his expression cooled slightly.
“Is Sister-in-law all right?” He Chusan immediately corrected himself.
Xia Liuyi speared another siu mai but still did not answer.
He Chusan swallowed again.
After carefully reading Xia Liuyi’s expression, he judged that although Xia Liuyi was displeased, the chances of him suddenly exploding and beating him were not particularly high.
He therefore continued with cautious boldness.
“Thank you for yesterday.”
“Kid,” Xia Liuyi finally said, looking extremely impatient.
He Chusan opened his eyes wide and waited for him to continue.
“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re doing work for me, which makes you one of my underlings. Looking after my brothers is what I’m supposed to do.”
“Once you finish this script, we won’t have a damn thing to do with each other. Even if you drop dead by the roadside, I won’t spare you a glance.”
“So shut the fuck up. Say one more useless word, and I’ll rip out your tongue!”
“…”
He Chusan’s sincere gratitude had gone straight down the drain.
A villain was still a villain.
Saving your life once did not magically turn him into a good person.
He Chusan had only now understood such a simple, obvious truth.
He stopped talking and gloomily lowered his head, continuing to scratch out dialogue with his pen.
The beautiful heroine had been tied to a platform high above the ground. Weeping, she cried down to the male lead fighting a blood-soaked battle below.
“Stop fighting! Is doing all this for me truly worth it?”
The male lead coughed up blood and answered, “For you, anything is worth it.”
Bullshit. You think he likes you? He just likes fighting!
In his heart, He Chusan silently uttered the first curse of his life.
Forgive him.
He had once been a pure, untouched sheet of white paper, but after spending the past several weeks immersed in this filthy, chaotic hellhole, he had inevitably been corrupted by everything he had seen and heard.
…
After Xia Xiaoman caused a scene on the film set that day, she stayed away for an entire week.
She sounded as though nothing was wrong when they spoke over the telephone, but Xia Liuyi still could not stop worrying.
One day, he freed up half the afternoon, left Jiaolong Walled City, and made a special trip to Boss Qinglong’s seaside villa to visit her.
Xia Xiaoman had not expected him to come.
She wore no makeup and was dressed in a sheer nightgown. With her melancholy, fragile appearance, she looked as though the sea breeze might carry her away at any moment.
“Where’s Ah Da?” Xia Liuyi asked.
“He went out.”
Xia Xiaoman leaned weakly against her younger brother’s back, her eyes vacant.
“He never comes home.”
“Ah Da is very busy.”
Xia Liuyi patted her arm.
“And you? You’re busy too. You never come to see me.”
He patted her again.
“But I’m here now, aren’t I? Whenever you want to see me, call me. I’ll come immediately.”
Using the bathroom as an excuse, he stepped outside and secretly stopped the housekeeper.
“Has Madam been taking her medicine lately?”
“She has, Brother Liuyi.”
“She really took it? She didn’t throw it away?”
“No. Madam has been very obedient about taking her medicine recently.”
When Xia Liuyi returned, Xia Xiaoman was draped over the windowsill like a wandering spirit.
Standing on the tips of her toes, she stretched her arms out to either side like a frail white swan.
“You went to ask them whether I’ve been taking my medicine?” she said. “I’ve been taking it obediently.”
Xia Liuyi wrapped his arms around her.
“I really have been taking it obediently.”
Xia Xiaoman leaned against his chest and tilted her head back, idly playing with his eyelashes.
“There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just upset.”
“I’m upset that all of you are always trying to make me take medicine. I’m upset that you all treat me as though I’m insane. I’m upset that you never come. I’m upset that he…”
Her expression suddenly changed.
She burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs.
“Waaah! Ah Liu! Tell me the truth! Does he have another woman outside?!”
“Waaah… What’s wrong with me? What did I do wrong? Why does he love someone else…?”
Xia Brother Liuyintly patted her back.
“He doesn’t have anyone else. He really is busy.”
“You’re lying to me.”
Xia Xiaoman choked harder on her tears.
“I don’t blame you. I know you don’t want me to be hurt. You’re helping him lie to me…”
“If he doesn’t have another woman, then why doesn’t he love me…?”
“Do you know, Ah Liu?”
She abruptly raised her head.
Her expression was secretive, while her eyes remained hollow and dull.
Clutching Xia Liuyi’s arm tightly, she whispered, “He hardly ever holds me.”
“When he does hold me, I watch him very carefully. He’s thinking about someone else!”
“That look on his face means he must be thinking about someone else!”
“He has to imagine someone else before he can bear to hold me!”
“Tell me who that bitch is! Who is that vixen?! What does she have that I don’t? What did I do wrong…?”
“Sis…”
Xia Liuyi stopped her frenzied outburst and pressed her face against his chest.
He sighed and stroked her hair.
“Sis, you really are imagining too much. You’re tired. Sleep for a while.”
“I’ll stay here with you. I won’t go anywhere before Ah Da comes back. All right?”
…
Deep in the night, Xia Xiaoman lay curled into a ball beneath the blankets, sleeping heavily.
Xia Liuyi felt his way out of the darkened room and gently pulled the door shut.
He went downstairs and sat smoking in the living room.
The roar of a car engine sounded outside.
Not long afterward, Qinglong entered with several bodyguards following behind him.
When he saw Xia Liuyi there, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Without showing any other reaction, he waved a hand, and the bodyguards dispersed.
“Why are you here?” he asked. “I heard you were injured?”
Xia Liuyi looked up at him.
Using his bandaged hand, he scratched his hair without answering.
Qinglong did not mind.
With a gentle expression, he removed his suit jacket and draped it around Xia Liuyi’s shoulders.
“It’s late. Don’t go back tonight. Sleep in the guest room.”
Wrapped in the jacket, which still held Qinglong’s warmth and scent, Xia Liuyi silently took another two drags from his cigarette.
“Ah Da, can’t you treat her a little better?”
Qinglong’s movements paused.
“I’ve done my best.”
“You haven’t.”
Irritated, Xia Liuyi slammed the cigarette butt onto the coffee table.
“Look at what she’s become!”
Two bodyguards rushed in from the entrance, staring vigilantly at Xia Liuyi.
Qinglong calmly waved them back, and they withdrew again.
He sat beside Xia Liuyi.
“I’ve already given her the best possible life. Whatever she wants, I give her. She has everything a woman needs.”
“These aren’t the things a woman needs! You know that perfectly well! Can’t you genuinely…?”
“I can’t,” Qinglong said.
“You…”
Xia Liuyi abruptly clenched his fist.
Qinglong merely watched him in silence.
Xia Liuyi’s heart felt hollow and uneasy.
Unable to meet Qinglong’s eyes, he lowered his head and took a fierce drag from his cigarette.
“…Could you spend a little more time with her?”
Qinglong stood.
“It’s late. Go to sleep. Ah Hao, prepare the guest room.”
Xia Liuyi chased after him and seized his arm.
“This is the only thing I’m asking of you! Spend more time with her! Can you do that?!”
Qinglong stopped, his face expressionless.
After a long silence, he sighed.
His expression returned to its former mild calmness as he turned and ruffled Xia Liuyi’s hair.
“As long as it’s something Ah Da can do, when have I ever refused you?”
“I’ll spend more time with her. All right, go to sleep.”
He pried Xia Liuyi’s hand from his arm.
…
He Chusan held his pen and sat properly at the table, his head lowered as he wrote.
Not far from the edge of his notebook was Xia Liuyi’s backside, tightly wrapped in denim.
If He Chusan raised his eyes slightly higher, he could also see Xia Liuyi’s lean, powerful waist.
Xia Liuyi did not notice He Chusan’s gaze moving up and down.
He was looking at Xia Xiaoman with a smile at the corners of his mouth, listening to her speak.
Xia Xiaoman had returned to the film set.
Her scene that day involved going on a rooftop date with the male lead to look at the stars, so she had dressed herself up like a flower.
She smiled like a flower as well, hanging softly from Xia Liuyi’s arm.
“He took me to Repulse Bay for Western food yesterday.”
“Was it fun?”
“Yes.”
“What did you eat?”
“Steak.”
He Chusan listened speechlessly to this utterly meaningless conversation.
He felt that the siblings were far too intimate with one another.
Ordinary siblings did not cling to each other like this.
If anything, Xia Liuyi behaved more like an indulgent older brother doting on a younger sister.
He lowered his head and wrote several lines.
Before long, however, his thoughts began wandering again.
His gaze drifted to the side of the notebook.
To Xia Liuyi’s backside.
So small. So firm. So round…
I really want to haul him up and smack it twice!
He Chusan was deeply horrified by the violent thought that had suddenly arisen in his mind.
He hastily shook his head and resumed moving his pen.
…
Half a month later, the film was finally completed.
He Chusan at last regained his freedom and was bundled up by several burly men, then delivered to a dark alley near his home.
Before he left, one of the men called him back in a vicious tone and handed him a thick paper packet.
“Your payment from Brother Liuyi.”
He Chusan ran home, panting for breath.
He spread the packet open on his bed and counted the money by the dim light of a candle.
A full twenty thousand dollars.
It was enough to cover an entire year of living expenses for him and his father.
He Chusan could hardly believe it.
He put the money back into the packet, hugged his schoolbag, and rolled across the bed twice.
Then he abruptly stopped.
This money had come from the triads.
Selling “white powder,” running gambling houses, operating nightclubs, killing people, setting fires…
He had worked for the triads and accepted so much money from them.
How was he any different from the workers in those “powder dens” along Guangming Street in the Walled City?
Ever since he was young, his father had taught him never to become involved with the underworld.
His mother…
His father had said that she died because of the triads.
He Chusan’s fiercely beating heart immediately turned cold.
He curled into a ball on the bed and stared blankly for a while.
Then he climbed down and rummaged through drawers and cupboards until he found the small metal box in which he had kept his awards and certificates as a child.
He folded the packet of money until it became wrinkled, then stuffed it inside.
He had missed an entire month of classes and had even been absent for several small tests, nearly causing him to repeat the year.
However, when he removed his shirt in the school office and revealed the scattered scars across his chest and arms, even the principal could not help sighing.
He told He Chusan to recover properly and make up his missed schoolwork as soon as possible.
The principal knew that this exemplary student came from Jiaolong Walled City.
He assumed the boy must have encountered some injustice and was carrying hardships he could not speak aloud.
Jiaolong Walled City was a notoriously lawless black zone.
Reporting the matter to the police would be useless.
The corrupt policemen outside the Walled City had long maintained connections with the various gang bosses inside. Some inspectors were even sworn brothers to those bosses.
Moreover, He Chusan’s name was prominently displayed on the promotional poster for Xiaoqi Film Company’s new movie.
Screenwriter: He Chusan!
Fortunately, his dentist father usually preferred listening to Cantonese opera and reading newspapers. He had no interest in such newfangled entertainment.
Otherwise, the sight might have sent so much blood rushing to his head that he would have died from rage.
He Chusan resumed his quiet, uneventful life.
Every day, he left home with his little schoolbag, attended classes and evening self-study, then scurried home through the darkness at dusk to sleep.
The only difference was that three evenings each week, as well as on weekends, he worked at Ah Hua’s cha chaan teng on the neighboring street to earn money for tuition and school expenses.
He also began learning tai chi from Uncle Ah Hua.
Uncle Ah Hua had drifted over from the mainland during the 1960s and claimed to be a fourth-generation inheritor of Yang-style tai chi.
He Chusan had loose joints and weak bones. His natural constitution was poor, and the way he had been raised had done little to improve it.
Even after studying for a month or two, he still could not smoothly perform half a complete sequence.
Nevertheless, spending an hour each morning in horse stance, then slowly pushing his arms and stretching his legs, genuinely strengthened his body and calmed his mind.
Life on He Chusan’s side remained tranquil.
On Xia Liuyi’s side, however, things were flourishing.
After sweeping through several Sha Family Gang establishments, he opened a high-end nightclub in Mong Kok.
Every night, music and dancing continued without pause as all manner of snakes, rats, and disreputable characters gathered under the same roof.
Once the business had secured its footing, and with Qinglong’s approval, Xia Liuyi began planning several large discos that would serve as retail outlets for their own “white powder.”
He was determined to make the entertainment industry, already choked with filth and corruption, even filthier.
…
That day, Xia Liuyi was treating several police inspectors to dinner in a private room at his nightclub.
The table was surrounded by charming women. Wine cups passed back and forth, and the room was filled with celebration.
In the midst of the festivities, Xiao Ma came rolling in at top speed.
Xia Liuyi made an apologetic gesture to the inspectors, then followed Xiao Ma into the corridor.
“Brother Liuyi, Brother Xu brought men here.”
Expressionless, Xia Liuyi stubbed out his cigarette.
Before he could answer, a large, noisy group came pushing down the corridor.
Several of Xia Liuyi’s security guards blocked their path.
After only a few shouted words, one guard suddenly flew through the air and landed heavily at Xia Liuyi’s feet.
“Brother Xu.”
Xia Liuyi looked at the suited man at the front of the group, the one who had delivered the kick.
The man possessed a pair of sharp, hawklike eyes.
At first glance, he appeared distinguished and respectable, but his entire body exuded a dark, sinister air, like a jackal.
“Xiao Liu, this is where you’ve done wrong,” Xu Ying said.
He took out a cigarette, and one of the underlings beside him immediately moved to light it.
“You invited Inspector Hua to dinner. How could you not invite me?”
Xia Liuyi pushed the underling’s hand aside and personally lit Xu Ying’s cigarette.
His attitude as he admitted fault was perfectly respectful.
“Brother Xu, I thought you were too busy. Besides, Inspector Hua only came to sit at our nightclub for a while and have a casual meal along the way.”
Xu Ying smiled.
“A casual meal.”
He pushed past Xia Liuyi and entered the private room.
Laughing loudly, he called out in greeting.
“Long time no see, Inspector Hua!”
“Oh, Inspector Liu is here too!”
“And this gentleman is… Ah! Newly promoted Inspector Xu! Hahaha! A pleasure, a pleasure!”
The inspectors inside were all old acquaintances of his.
They showed no displeasure at his sudden entrance.
After several drinks had been poured and a few polite remarks exchanged, Xu Ying said, “Inspector Hua, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself. Why haven’t you visited my place recently?”
“Xu Ying.”
Inspector Hua was an old fox himself.
He accepted the cigar Xu Ying offered, tilted his head to let Xu Ying light it, and smiled.
“That makes us sound like strangers. All of this is Boss Qinglong’s territory. Does it matter where I sit?”
Xu Ying laughed heartily.
“Well said, Inspector Hua! It’s all Xiaoqi Hall’s territory. Inspector Hua can sit wherever he pleases!”
“Come, Inspector Hua. Let me toast you! Hahaha!”
The men inside drank and laughed together.
Xia Liuyi was in no hurry to return.
He silently finished an entire cigarette in the corridor, then called Xiao Ma over.
“How did Xu Ying know I was inviting Inspector Hua to dinner? How many people did you notify when you delivered the invitations?”
“Well…” Xiao Ma hesitated. “Could it have been one of the brothers here today? Everyone saw Inspector Hua arrive.”
“No. Xu Ying came too quickly. He must have prepared in advance.”
“One of the people involved yesterday was Xu Ying’s plant. Investigate it.”
“Yes.”
After warmly socializing with the inspectors, Xu Ying transformed Xia Liuyi’s private invitation into a dinner supposedly arranged under the Deputy Hall Master’s authority by his junior, Xiao Xia Liu.
In a single stroke, he firmly reinforced his position as Xiaoqi Hall’s second-in-command.
After asserting his authority, he claimed to have other matters to attend to, toasted each inspector, and departed triumphantly.
Xia Liuyi saw him off with an unchanged expression.
Then, as though nothing had happened, he returned to the room and filled the vacancy Xu Ying had left behind.
“Inspectors, tonight we shouldn’t merely drink happily. We should enjoy ourselves as well.”
“I’ve booked a private room for everyone at Sandalwood Pavilion. Shall we go have some fun after dinner?”
…
Sandalwood Pavilion was a high-end private business club in Kowloon Tong operated by Xiaoqi Hall.
It was not open to the general public and served members only.
Gold membership cards were personally issued by General Manager Cui Dongdong.
Most members entered by presenting their cards.
A select few needed only to show their faces.
Xia Liuyi did not even need to do that.
Cui Dongdong had already arranged for people to wait for him at the club entrance.
The group escorted the inspectors inside.
The madam approached in dazzling attire, and more than a dozen of the club’s most popular hostesses stood in a seductive row, posing for the guests to choose from freely.
Xia Liuyi respectfully escorted the inspectors into their private room.
Then he turned to Cui Dongdong.
“Xu Ying came to challenge me on my own turf today.”
Cui Dongdong made a questioning sound.
“Oh?”
She accepted the cigarette he offered.
The two tilted their heads separately and lit their cigarettes before walking side by side toward the office.
An underling opened the door for them and closed it again from outside.
They sat facing each other on opposite sofas and tapped cigarette ash toward the coffee table.
“I suspect one of my men belongs to him,” Xia Liuyi said. “Since you and I are close, you should watch out for him too.”
“I can’t tolerate him much longer. I want to find an opportunity to openly break with him.”
Cui Dongdong was in her twenties.
She wore sunglasses, had a high, straight nose, and styled her hair in the same slicked-back manner as Xiao Ma.
At first glance, she appeared every bit the shrewd and capable gang boss.
Only her unusually red lips introduced a faint note of disharmony.
She exhaled smoke and removed her sunglasses, revealing a handsome face that was nevertheless slightly delicate.
Then she leaned back against the sofa, folded both hands behind her head, and allowed her partly open shirt to reveal the binding wrapped around her chest.
She was, in fact, a woman.
“What is Qinglong’s position?” she asked.
Her voice was naturally husky and low, neither clearly masculine nor feminine.
Xia Liuyi exhaled a stream of smoke.
“Ah Da wants to suppress him as well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have put me in charge of the nightclub.”
“That isn’t necessarily true,” Cui Dongdong said. “Qinglong is willing to give you anything. Perhaps he’s merely indulging you.”
Xia Liuyi abruptly raised his head and stared at her.
Coldness filled his eyes.
Cui Dongdong innocently shrugged.
“It was a joke.”
“You need to be cautious about this,” she continued.
“Xu Ying and Qinglong have been brothers since childhood. He has followed Qinglong for twenty years and rendered great service when Qinglong rose to power.”
“He also possesses considerable prestige within the gang.”
“Until Qinglong clearly states otherwise, Xu Ying remains the Deputy Hall Master. You cannot openly oppose him.”
“If I break with Xu Ying, whose side will Cheng Dazui take?” Xia Liuyi asked.
Cheng Dazui’s full name was Cheng Siquan.
He currently served as Xiaoqi Hall’s “Straw Sandal.”
Among the younger generation of Xiaoqi Hall, his ability, status, and reputation were all slightly inferior to those of Xia Liuyi and Cui Dongdong.
Even so, he still represented a considerable force.
“Cheng Dazui?”
Cui Dongdong shrugged again.
“No one has heard from him in days. Who knows where he’s gone off to die? Perhaps he really is dead.”
Xia Liuyi smoked in silence.
“All right,” Cui Dongdong said. “I’ll find Dazui and sound him out for you.”
“You shouldn’t rush either. As long as Qinglong is there, Xu Ying won’t dare touch you, no matter what else he does.”
“I’m not worried about myself. I’m afraid he’ll grow too powerful and turn against Ah Da.”
“Where would he find the courage?” Cui Dongdong said.
Xia Liuyi shook his head.
“Xu Ying is too selfish. We have no choice but to guard against him.”
“Oh, right. How has Xiaoman been lately?”
Xia Liuyi glanced at her.
“She’s all right. More stable than before.”
“One of my people brought back some calming incense from Thailand. Take it to her for me,” Cui Dongdong said.
Xia Liuyi did not tell her that Xia Xiaoman had never even opened the last things she sent.
They had been left in a cupboard until they rotted away.
He merely raised his chin slightly.
“Mm.”
“Xiao He is waiting for you. Going?”
“Mm.”
…
Xiao He stood quietly outside the private room.
When she saw Xia Liuyi approaching with several underlings, she lowered her head and bent slightly in greeting.
Xia Liuyi waved the others away, placed an arm around her, and entered the room with her.
Xia Liuyi was her regular customer.
More precisely, hers was the only room he ever entered.
He usually came once or twice a month.
It was not particularly frequent, but he never failed to visit at least once each month.
Cui Dongdong had once encouraged him simply to keep Xiao He exclusively.
Xia Liuyi refused, saying that he had made too many enemies and that openly keeping her would only bring her harm.
They bathed one after the other, changed clothes, and entered the bedroom.
Xiao He switched on the record player on the bedside cabinet.
Then the two climbed onto the bed.
They lay flat on their backs, one on the left and one on the right, and listened to music.
Yes.
Her only task was to lie there and accompany Xia Liuyi while he listened to music for two hours.
The records ranged from Audrey Hepburn’s “Moon River” to Dan Fogelberg’s “Longer.”
They could not understand a single line of the lyrics.
That did not matter.
The melodies were beautiful, and that was enough.
Xiao He had come from Jiaolong Walled City.
When several hooligans beat her severely, Xia Liuyi had saved her.
She was completely loyal to him, sensible and quiet, with no curiosity whatsoever.
She never asked why Xia Liuyi did not touch her.
Perhaps he suffered from some hidden condition.
Perhaps he simply had no interest in women.
Every month, they lay together in this room and each received what they needed.
Xia Liuyi needed her as a cover.
She needed Xia Liuyi as protection.
Because of her connection to Xia Liuyi, Cui Dongdong treated her generously and gave her twice the usual monthly share.
Even so, Xiao He never told Cui Dongdong the truth.
She told no one.
She intended to carry the secret into her grave.
The gentle, melodious woman’s voice flowing from the record player washed the exhaustion from Xia Liuyi’s body.
He stretched out his long legs, placed both arms behind his head, and released a long breath.
Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Four or five kilometers away, on the other side of the city, He Chusan also slept fully clothed in Jiaolong Walled City, utterly peaceful.
That day, he had received his wages for the previous month.
At this rate, he should be able to save half of his tuition before the next semester began.
For the remainder, he would have no choice but to ask his father and borrow a little from the neighbors.
His father would not blame him.
He would use the money to study hard.
He believed he had chosen the best possible field of study.
Once he graduated, he would earn a great deal of money and repay his father.
His dreams were completely different from Xia Liuyi’s.
There were no open conflicts or hidden struggles.
No tangled love and hatred.
No dark past or chaotic present.
No love that could not be spoken aloud, and no calamity that could not be escaped.
There was only a beautiful dream of the future.
A future that was exceptionally peaceful, tranquil, and clean.