Chapter 41
Chapter 41
“You want to treat me to stuffed vegetables?” Zhao Xiuming had barely stepped outside for a stroll when Dahu and his boys, who had been lying in wait, caught him.
They deliberately blocked the mouth of the crowded alley, earning curses from passing residents who told the damn hooligans to get out of the way.
Covered in bandages, Dahu tried to smile pleasantly. But the guilt showed through the bruises and swelling on his face.
He couldn’t quite meet Zhao Xiuming’s eyes. His gaze kept darting away, the red veins in his eyes painfully obvious.
Even the insults failed to rouse his usual temper. For once, he didn’t swear back.
He quickly got himself under control and tried to sling an arm around Zhao Xiuming’s shoulders, only to give up when it hurt.
Instead, he patted Zhao Xiuming’s arm. “Come on. I know a place that makes them really well. You’ll love it.”
“Some guys from the gang were hassling my little brother yesterday. We had a fight and sorted it out.”
“I’m in a good mood today, so I’m treating you and the boys. Don’t turn me down.”
A threat crept into his last words. The other boys’ expressions were off too, though they were being especially friendly. A little too friendly.
“We said we’d take you to the café for something sweet yesterday, then we all ran off and left you to pay. We feel bad about that.”
“Dahu thinks you’re a decent guy. That’s why he wants to be friends. This food isn’t cheap, you know.”
“You get fried stuffed eggplant, green peppers, and bitter melon. You can have red sausage too. Anyway, it’s something you’ve got to try when you come to Zimu City.”
While Zhao Xiuming hesitated, Dahu took the chance to look him over. For the first time, he was assessing a boy’s looks the way he would a girl’s.
Zhao Xiuming had changed his clothes today. He wore a French-style shirt, cinched at the waist, unlike his usual basic tops.
The turned-out collar fell in decorative folds. Add a suit and a hat, and he would have looked distinctly old-fashioned.
But he had paired it with nothing except black trousers and men’s ankle boots.
The shirt’s design was decidedly androgynous. With the waist cincher added, the effect was stunning. Only someone with exceptionally good proportions would wear something so fitted.
A slender waist, long legs, a beautiful face, and moderately long hair tied back.
Yet one glance was enough to tell he was a boy. The curiosity and gentleness in his eyes filled Dahu with shame. He looked away as though burned.
But for his brother’s sake, he had to do it. His thoughts returned to his conversation with Liu Wenhe.
When Liu Wenhe first made the suggestion, Dahu had fallen into a long silence.
It was a monstrous thing to do. Saving his own brother by throwing someone else into hell.
Liu Wenhe found his hesitation amusing. “How long have you even known him? Are you really that close?”
“One’s a stranger. The other’s your own little brother. Isn’t your brother worth it?”
“The day you joined the gang, you put your life on the line. If you can’t be ruthless and do dirty things, what the hell are you doing in a gang? Go home and sell fish balls.”
“Besides, you can tell that student comes from money.”
“A rich young master like him isn’t the same as us insects crawling around at the bottom. His family has money. Won’t it be easier for them to ransom him than for you to save your brother?”
“You’re just some lousy punk from Zimu City. You really think a rich kid like that is your friend?”
Everyone had a selfish side. And Liu Wenhe understood people well enough to deliberately offer Dahu an excuse to hide behind: Zhao Xiuming had money, so perhaps he wouldn’t get hurt.
Dahu had made himself believe it, almost as if hypnotized. Now, facing Zhao Xiuming, his smile became more sincere.
“You’re acting strange.” Zhao Xiuming looked mildly inquisitive, a knowing hint of amusement entering his eyes.
The boys’ hearts lurched. They thought he had grown wary and noticed something was wrong.
They froze, faces stiff, calculating whether they could simply tie him up and carry him off.
Instead, Zhao Xiuming asked, “Aren’t you even curious…”
He smiled, and there was something indescribably false about it. “…where I spent the night after you left yesterday?”
All five immediately relaxed. It wasn’t as if Zimu City had nowhere to sleep.
Massage parlors, hair salons, unlicensed inns, even dog-meat restaurants open late at night: he could have caught some sleep at any of them.
At worst, he could have left Zimu City, gone home for a good night’s sleep, and come back to play today.
Whether they simply didn’t think that deeply or had too much else on their minds, none of them took his words seriously.
Grinning and joking, they led him toward the designated place. The streets grew less crowded until they entered a dark apartment building.
The walls did little to muffle the noise. Cards slapped and mahjong tiles clattered. People shouted and laughed as the games grew exciting, while losers swore over their money.
Nothing about it looked like a place to eat. The five boys deliberately hemmed Zhao Xiuming in, front and back, afraid he would notice something was wrong and run.
But he clearly had more money than sense. Apparently oblivious, he kept looking around with curiosity.
They climbed to the fifth floor and knocked on a narrow iron door. Beyond it was a living room converted into a smoke-filled gambling parlor.
A blond-dyed lackey opened the door. At the sight of Dahu, he raised his eyebrows meaningfully and glanced at Zhao Xiuming.
Then he pointed toward the bedroom, which served as a private gambling room.
Liu Wenhe was drawing playing cards with a woman in his lap. A cigarette hung from his mouth, and now and then he flicked falling ash onto her exposed cleavage.
The woman kept smiling, not daring to struggle. The other two players were young men: Ah Hao and Shuai Zai, newly rising names in the Tianding Society.
All three had brought their own followers, who stood by without speaking.
The woman in Ah Hao’s lap was chewing gum. Shuai Zai had no woman in his lap, but one sat beside him.
All three women had good figures. From time to time, they lit cigarettes or passed drinks to the men beside them.
Liu Wenhe slapped his cards onto the table in delight. “Pay up, pay up! I win again.”
Ah Hao and Shuai Zai signaled for their boys to push the chips over. Ah Hao looked annoyed. “I’ve lost several thousand to you already. Can we talk business now?”
Liu Wenhe played dumb as he collected the money. “What business?”
Ah Hao’s irritation grew. “Dahu’s little brother.”
Liu Wenhe gestured for the woman beside him to light his cigarette, then took a leisurely drag. “I know nothing about that. Don’t go making accusations.”
Shuai Zai slapped the table. “Are you fucking with us?”
Several of Liu Wenhe’s men immediately stepped forward, but he stopped them. “You two have the nerve to come here and throw a fit? Lili, Xiaomei, pour Ah Hao and Shuai Zai some tea. Help them cool down.”
Ah Hao struggled to keep his temper. “You can’t be this unreasonable, Liu Wenhe. We’ve given you several thousand–”
“Hold it, hold it.” Liu Wenhe spread his hands. “Didn’t you lose that money to me? You gamble, you pay. Ever heard of that?”
“Pah!” Shuai Zai spat. “These two women keep touching their ears or their necklaces. They’re signaling our cards to you. You think we don’t know you’re cheating?”
The two young women hurried to protest in sweet voices. “It’s not like that, Ah Hao.”
Ah Hao had completely run out of patience. “You told Dahu to kidnap a student from outside Zimu City. Aren’t you afraid the gang will find out?”
Liu Wenhe’s face darkened too. He laughed. “So you’re a pair of heroes now, rushing to the rescue? What the fuck does it have to do with you? Can’t mind your own business?”
Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Dahu’s voice came from the doorway. “Uncle Wenhe.”
Another voice followed, a voice Ah Hao and Shuai Zai knew all too well, burned into their memories, making them shudder from head to toe. “It’s lively in here.”