"Who forced you?"
Looking at Ma Shuai's old face, as soon as I spoke, I knew it wasn't anyone else—it was Ma Shuai himself.
"Why?"
Once I realized, I asked directly.
"Why?"
Ma Shuai smiled, patted my shoulder, and said, "Little Feng, you should ask Yingzi about that. She's the one who insisted on joining my circle, recognizing me as her big brother, and wanting me to protect her!"
At this point, Ma Shuai paused and said, "Little Feng, you know, I have my current status thanks to the big boss's support!"
"I lost a son to gain the big boss's support, and your grandpa almost cut ties with me because of it. You tell me, after paying such a heavy price to get the big boss's backing, can she just call me big brother and use the power behind me to act arrogantly everywhere?"
"There's no such easy thing in this world!"
Ma Shuai chuckled and said, "Even Lin Chong in 'Water Margin' had to present a pledge to join the mountain, let alone Ye Yingzi, a mere singer!"
"So being with Gao Shan was the pledge?" I asked.
"Exactly!"
Ma Shuai nodded and said, "Being with Gao Shan was both a pledge and a test!"
"She passed, so I allowed her to call me big brother!"
I was speechless for a moment.
The media had reported a lot about Ye Yingzi and Gao Shan.
According to the reports, Ye Yingzi and Gao Shan met at a gathering organized by Ma Shuai, and it was love at first sight for them.
But this was no love at first sight; in a way, it was an ordained affection.
Ye Yingzi was ruthless.
"Little Feng, you see, Yingzi and Little Shan were together for nearly ten years. If I hadn't agreed to their separation, she would still be with Little Shan. This is what it means to be in the world of Jianghu, where one is not in control of their own fate!"
As Ma Shuai said this, he squeezed my shoulder.
"And having a child? Was that your idea too?" I asked.
"After being together for ten years, Yingzi had enough and wanted to separate from Little Shan. She came to ask me how to do it, and I said having a child would allow her to separate. So she had a child!" Ma Shuai said with a smile.
"Little Feng, you see, you understand now, don't you? As they say, people can't teach people, but events can teach people in one go!" Ma Shuai said with some emotion.
"And what about you?" I asked coldly.
"Me?"
Ma Shuai pointed at himself and said, "Haven't you seen? I lost a son, and my health isn't good. That's the price I paid, my lack of control over my own fate!"
"As for you, don't overthink it. Whether you join the group or not is up to you. If you don't want to join, I won't force you. I only have one request: remember the bond between our two families!"
After saying this, Ma Shuai patted my arm, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked back inside.
Watching the swaying door curtain, I slowly exhaled, understanding Ma Shuai's intentions.
Today's performance was directed for my sake.
He used Ye Yingzi to give me a warning.
The purpose was clear: to make me serve him obediently, not to disappear again. Even if I don't join his group or return to Chen City, I must be available whenever called to help with his health.
"Did my brother-in-law finish talking with you?"
Before I could gather my thoughts, the door curtain moved, and Ma Dong came out.
"Finished!" I nodded.
"Little Feng, don't mind him. My brother-in-law is used to being domineering!"
Ma Dong took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out for me, and lit one for himself, saying, "Don't be fooled by how my brother-in-law can summon Ye Yingzi from anywhere with a single call. She gets plenty of benefits from it!"
"If it weren't for my brother-in-law backing her, could she have become a big sister in the circle?"
"Without my brother-in-law's protection, with her arrogant and domineering nature, someone would have taken her down long ago!"
"So, Little Feng, as long as you stick with my brother-in-law, you'll get plenty of benefits!"
After saying this, Ma Dong didn't persuade me further and turned to leave.
In the following days, I continued to give Ma Shuai acupuncture and prescribe medicine as usual.
Ma Shuai didn't mention joining the group again, but Ma Dong, when he had free time, often tried to persuade me.
His way of persuasion was simple: using Ye Yingzi as an example.
For instance, another woman from the Northeast, Sister Yue, also wanted to join Ma Shuai's circle. To accommodate Ye Yingzi, Ma Shuai didn't accept her, and Ye Yingzi retaliated against Sister Yue in various ways. If Sister Yue hadn't seen the situation and acknowledged a Korean godfather, she would have disappeared without a trace.
When it came to the second matter, I specifically asked about it.
Ma Dong didn't hide it, saying that Ye Yingzi particularly disliked women who spoke coquettishly and looked good. She thought such women were fox spirits, seductive.
Once, during a rehearsal for a gala, an assistant to a singer saw Ye Yingzi and, intimidated by her presence, greeted her. This assistant happened to meet all of Ye Yingzi's criteria for a fox spirit.
Ye Yingzi believed this assistant's greeting was flirtatious, meant to attract the attention of the men around her.
After the gala, Ye Yingzi called this assistant to a dinner party, forced her to drink, and eventually handed her over to someone.
Afterward, Ye Yingzi acted as if nothing had happened. Not only that, she asked the assistant if she had enjoyed herself yesterday and if she was satisfied with the match Yingzi had found for her.
The assistant broke down, crying and questioning why Ye Yingzi did this.
Seeing the assistant like this, Ye Yingzi nonchalantly said, "You're so flirtatious, isn't this what you like?"
She even said the assistant was crying to play the victim and extort her.
There were many staff members present at the time, and no one spoke up for the assistant. Instead of helping, they joined Ye Yingzi in mocking the assistant.
In the end, the assistant committed suicide due to depression.
Ye Yingzi faced no consequences, and Ma Shuai helped cover up the incident. Even the compensation to the assistant's family was paid by Ma Shuai.
After telling this story, Ma Dong patted my shoulder and said, "Little Feng, my brother-in-law may be domineering, but he's very good to his own people!"
"The key is, you have to become one of his own!"
After saying this, Ma Dong, as he had done in the past few days, left me alone to think.
The more he said this, the more determined I was not to join the Ma Family Group.
After staying in the little courtyard for half a month, Ma Shuai's health had mostly recovered, and I took my leave.
"Little Feng, you won't change cities again this time, will you?"
Before I left, Ma Shuai asked jokingly.
"Uncle Ma, I definitely won't change this time. Even if I do, I'll let you know. I'm counting on you to introduce clients to me!"
I replied with a polite smile.
"Don't worry, there'll be no shortage of clients!" Ma Shuai patted my shoulder and said with a smile.