CH 14

Big Boss Xia led hundreds of people under Xiao Qi Tong and suppressed those like Fat Qi everywhere. Their new shops sprouted all around Hong Kong and passed a prosperous year. At the end of the year, their manager Cui Dongdong calculated the revenue: from the Big Boss to the 49ers, they all had their accounts fill with money. At Christmas, Xia Liuyi reserved their nightclub to hold a party. The elders and dozens of brothers who were well known were invited. A huge amount of red packets were given, along with a nightlong cheer.

He was a smart, ruthless, and cruel Big Boss. To others, he had bold actions and merciless attacks; to people in Xiao Qi Tong, he acted amiably, generously, and was always accessible. With money and poles, who wasn’t obedient under this Dragon Head. The elders all favored his work and couldn’t stop praising him as soon as they received the thick red packets.

Only Uncle Qiu, who was the youngest and had relatively less experience, secretly said something to him while he toasted, “Little Liu, you have too many enemies and should be more careful. After all, Fat Qi has been a triad man for decades and he went to such a place today. He can’t be that simple.”

Xia Liuyi laughed. Raising the glass, he thanked loudly, “With Uncle Qiu’s words, our company must do better and amaze everyone in the coming year!”

He drank the entire glass and said quietly, “Thank you, Uncle Qiu. Little Liu is not mature enough and still needs your help in the future.”

He toasted the elders one after another, and then he was instantly encircled by a group of underlings, like the moon being surrounded by stars. The stars praised him endlessly. Little Ma served as a presenter and talked wildly, “Thank you to the company, thank you to the Big Boss, thank you to the elders, thank you to my brothers and sisters for this opportunity for me to clean up and be a new man, no! To be the manager and make our branch office well-known…All the glory that I have, can’t leave out the Big Boss who educated and promoted me! Our Big Boss is generous and doesn’t like those pretending things! And we shall not pretend – may I suggest! That each and everyone of us here toasts to the Big Boss respectively!”

Xia Liuyi, who was blocked by the crowd below the stage, felt his face turn blue. Throwing the glass away, he was going to go up and beat Little Ma, a glass per person?! Do you as*hole want me to die from alcohol?!

Little Ma threw the microphone away and escaped fast. He didn’t forget to yell the loudest he could, “Brothers! Our Big Boss is here! Grab the chance and go!”

Xia Liuyi couldn’t even catch his clothes and was drowned by the swarm of people and alcohol! “Big Boss, Big Boss! Let me toast to you!” “May I fill the glass for Big Boss. No worries, our Big Boss could never be drunk!” “Big Boss’s fortune is unstoppable! Long live Big Boss!” “Big Boss, you’re my hero!” “Big Boss, my wife wants a photo of you with your signature! She won’t allow me to go home without it! Mercy, Big Boss…”

“F*ck! Don’t pull my clothes! Don’t touch around! Did you come for toasting or harassment! All of you f*ck off now --!”

On this side, Big Boss Xia fought with dozens of tough men by himself, messy and crowded, a miserable sight; at the table of the elders, it was peaceful and cheerful. The people with important positions in the gang all came forward to toast. Cui Dongdong held her glass with handsome slicked-back hair and chill eyes, talking with Uncle Yuan easily.

“Girl, you’ve done a lot this year.”

“That’s too much honor for me. It’s what I should do.”

“How’s Little Pao working under you?”

“Smart and clever, very promising.”

……

The celebration party rose to the climax with music and cheering. The stripper kept swaying her hips on the stage along with the lilting music; once she stripped a layer of clothes, she asked the Big Boss to drink a glass. The men down the stage agreed ecstatically, lifting the alcohol bottles and looking for their Big Boss all around. Wait, where’s Big Boss! Where’s Big Boss! He was just carried by you guys and thrown upward! Where did you throw him to!

Cui Dongdong said farewell to the brothers with a decent smile and slipped away from the hall with her toilet excuse. As soon as she entered the room, she found a brother who worked under her puking unceasingly on the toilet.

“Hey, this is the women’s room! Go next door if you wanna puke!” Cui Dongdong kicked him with disgust.

This brother stared at her dizzily and looked around, thinking hard for a long time with confusion, “That’s it. This is the men’s room. Isn’t Brother Dongdong also here……Ah-ahh! I’m sorry Sister Dongdong! I’m sorry! Please forgive me ah-ahh!”

“Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!”

Five minutes later, Cui Dongdong put down the broken rubber plunger calmly. Grabbing this boy who was beaten into a pig head, she threw him out from the toilets.

Another five minutes later, she walked out with an elegant face, shiny hair, and a handsome suit. She didn’t even cast a glance at the hall, which had become hell, but went straight to the office of the general manager on the first floor, through the employees’ stairs.

Xia Liuyi had his upper body bare, lying on her sofa with his body exposed to the ceiling. Under his feet, there was a blazer and a shirt, almost torn into shreds. A wet towel was on his face, wrinkled.

“F*ck, a group of as*holes……Close the gate and set a fire……Burn them all……” Hearing Cui Dongdong coming in, he cursed exhaustedly, “A glass of water for me……”

Cui Dongdong opened the cabinet and poured him a glass of wine. Xia Liuyi sat up slowly. His face turned blue as soon as he saw it, “F*ck, I’m almost vomiting! You want to give me more?!”

“That’s all I have. Go downstairs yourself if you want anything else.”

Xia Liuyi covered his face with the towel and fell straight back down, “Just watch me die! No friendship, no conscience……”

“Come on, stop playing cute at your age,” Cui Dongdong said and called the internal line, “Two glasses of iced lemon water and two bowls of wonton noodles.”

Waiting until the waiter had sent them food and drink, Xia Liuyi got up and swallowed half glass of lemon water and finally had the energy to cuss back, “F*ck your mom. What part was me playing cute?”

Cui Dongdong smoked the cigar and stirred the noodles with chopsticks. Casually she said, “My mom died a long time ago, about ten years before, tonight, because she had no money to cure her syphilis.”

Xia Liuyi, who also didn’t have positive images for his parents like her, consoled her seriously, “She deserved this! F*ck the b*tch who gave birth but didn’t give care, selling you to a perv when you were eight.”

“I just wanna remind you to not f*ck her. You’ll get syphilis.”

“……”

These two unfortunate big bosses with no childhoods sat together on the sofa. Sucking and puffing, they ate a big bowls of noodles respectively and eventually filled their stomach – drinking for business downstairs had made them famished. Being satiated, they toothpicked their teeth and began talking about serious stuff.

“What did Uncle Yuan talk to you about?” Xia Liuyi leaned against the sofa lazily.

“He wanted to promote Little Pao for the ‘White Paper Fan’,” said Cui Dongdong, “I think he is still worried about our business and wants to infiltrate more people.”

Xia Liuyi sneered, “Worried? Do it himself if he’s worried! Being f*cking bossy at such an old age!”

“I don’t think he has any threatening thoughts but merely worries that you’ll make the company bankrupt and hurt the elders’ benefits. After all, your conflict with Fat Qi has gotten big recently, and he’s heard of Fat Qi and Sha Jiajun inviting other Big Bosses for meals. We don’t know the thoughts of other gangs yet and it would actually be troublesome if they united against us.”

Xia Liuyi, with ruthless strength, pinched the cigarette into ashes, but looked calm, “I must kill Fat Qi, sooner or later. For other things, I have a ruler in mind. Those old men have shallow sights and no courage. Hiding like turtles never brings great work.”

Cui Dongdong laughed, “Great job. I can’t stand Fat Qi either. I’ll soothe the elders, but what do you think about the Red Pole infiltrated by Elder Ge? That kid has been involved in too many things recently. I guess he wanted to show some contribution.”

“Let him go,” said Xia Liuyi, “he can be the vanguard next time we attack Fat Qi.”

Cui Dongdong chuckled again with her cigarette, receiving his undertone.

“Fat Qi and the elders don’t really matter,” said Xia Liuyi, “but the police make me annoyed.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Last month, a new detective refused to accept our red packet.”

“Force him to do so then, by throwing a gasoline bomb into their yard. Didn’t we do this before?” Said Cui Dongdong.

“We can’t go too far for this one,” said Xia Liuyi, “the nephew of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, great background, great pride. Even Detective Hua couldn’t move him.”

“Oh? What’s his position?”

“Probationary Inspector of Police (IP), not a big deal, but Detective Hua is retiring next year and we can’t tell yet who his successor is. I’m worried if there will be any change.”

The name of Detective Hua was simply a title among the triads. The person this name truly referred to was a Chief Inspector in Kowloon East. For many years, he accepted a wide range of red packets and cared for the triad brothers warmly, guaranteeing everyone’s unceasing income. Once he leaves, countless Big Bosses would miss him every night like Penelope.

Xia Liuyi and Cui Dong, a cruel one and a cunning one, sat on the two sides of the sofa, facing two leftover bowls, and thought silently for a while. At the end, they communicated secretly and decided their plan, finishing their conspiracy.

A few days later, the chubby-cheek sing-song girl, Cui Dongdong’s mistress, changed her outfit and turned into Cui Dongdong’s “cousin” who immigrated to the US and came to Hong Kong to see her family. Arriving in Hong Kong with little knowledge about this place, she was assaulted by a gangster at the door of a bar. Fortunately, an IP who passed by on his way home, saw this unjust action. The hero saved the heroine. A sweet story. After the sweet story came true, the young inspector and the “cousin” fell in love with each other and spent a hot night together, before he was caught by the “cousin’s” “husband” who came over from America to see such adultery and was beaten, tortured, and then had inappropriate photos shot to blackmail him……That’s an after-story that the author is too lazy to tell in detail.

Let’s put our focus back on one of our protagonists, He Chusan, who had temporarily disappeared from the thousands of words of plot above. Early next morning, this man needed not to work for the internship or part-time job because of the Christmas holiday. Carrying his little backpack, he arrived at school early and put the books that he had to return into the holiday book box of the library. Then, holding two bowls of fishballs, he squatted and waited at the door of the billiard room, which was closed on holiday.

When it was almost noon, Xia Liuyi drove there alone. He yawned and lifted the roller shutters open, letting He Chusan in, “When did you come?”

Gloomy He Chusan who had finished the two bowls of fishballs by himself, “This morning. I’ve waited for you for three hours.”

“Did I ask you to come so early?” Said Xia Liuyi. He opened the fridge and threw He Chusan a coke.

He Chusan lowered his head, digging at the ring of coke. He sounded hurt, “You said morning.”

“It‘s the morning for your Boss Liuyi as long as he hasn’t had lunch.” Xia Liuyi poked his dull forehead with a pole. How did you expect your Big Boss to get up early!

“Put down your backpack. Let’s go to eat first,” Xia Liuyi waved the pole and hit his long-time-no-see little backpack, “and I’ll teach you how to play sidespin when we’re back.”

They closed the roller shutters*1, walking together to the nearby tea restaurant and chatting, “Are you so dumb that you waited this way for three hours? Couldn’t you give me a call? Tsk, you don’t have a phone. Boss Liuyi will give you a cellphone. Pick it up yourself tomorrow.”

“I……”

“If you dare say you won’t spend the mafia’s money again, you’ll stand aside and watch me eat later!”

“I mean the company will give me one next month.”

“Your boss adores you so much? Wants to make you a boy toy?”

“Everyone in my position will have one so that we can contact the customers easier.”

“Big achievement, He A-San! An elite huh? A phone per person? Who’re you kidding with?”

“……” He Chusan sighed, portraying “I have nothing to say if you won’t believe it” in his demeanor.

Xia Liuyi couldn’t stand his old-man look and slapped him lightly on his head. He changed the topic, “How was your Christmas Eve? Did you celebrate with your dad?”

“Dad said it was a holiday of occidental devils and that he wouldn’t celebrate it.”

“……”

“Boss Liuyi, can you come to my home for the New Years? Dad has also agreed with it. I’ll make you char siu dumplings.”

“F*ck, why would I go to your home when I have my own home? And I need your dad’s agreement?!”

“I’ve asked Boss Little Ma. He said he was going back to his family in Guangzhou for the New Year, and Boss Dongdong is going to Thailand with her girlfriend. They both asked me to take care of you.”

“……” Take care of your f*cking people! As*holes with no awareness about friendship!

“Come, Boss Liuyi?”

“……Huh.”

They had an easy meal and went out with a bag of egg waffles, eating and walking back slowly. Once the roller shutter was opened, He Chusan cleaned the table and set the balls up proficiently. Then, he asked to prevent accidents, “You won’t call a pretty girl here again, right?”

Xia Liuyi opened his legs wide, with the egg waffles on an office chair, “Who the f*ck would I call! The high-level pretty girl at Cui Dongdong’s place costs two thousand to be called outdoors, and even the Big Boss can’t have a discount! You wasted me two thousand and I haven’t asked you to pay back yet!”

This brat who was tidying the table, back to Xia Liuyi, began shaking his shoulders and trying to keep himself from laughing again. Xia Liuyi was enraged and kicked his butt!

With the footprint on his butt, He Chusan fell onto the table, putting up his hip and looking at Xia Liuyi almost charmingly, “Boss Liuyi, you said you’d teach me sidespin, come on.”

He’s f*cking looking for f*ck! No! Dammit!

I don’t wanna f*ck him at all! Xia Liuyi was disgusted by his idea and threw the egg-waffle bag away. Walking to the table without realizing how charming he also was, he put up his hip, “Watch this!”

He Chusan couldn’t help moving his sight along the curve of his waist. He reached the end at the nice butt and swallowed secretly.

“Aye, I’m watching well.”

On such a holiday, the white-bearded old men were found all over the streets; restaurants and malls were crowded with eating and shopping people; loving couples queued in long lines at attractions and amusement parks; everywhere was lively and bustling. However, these two people closed the roller shutter and put on the cokes. Hiding peacefully in a little shop, they played billiards for the entire afternoon.

He Chusan was tortured by Xia Liuyi for over a year and was much more skilled. Xia Liuyi didn’t have strength in his right hand so his cool skills would fail to work from time to time. They fought brutally for a long time, and in the end, Xia Liuyi unexpectedly lost by dozens of points.

Big Boss Xia threw the pole away and tried to cheat with no shame, “It’s time for dinner. Let’s go. I’ll take you for western food.”

“We’ve already decided the loser would cook,” said He Chusan, “and there won’t be any seats left in western restaurants at this point.”

“I can only cook noodles! We’ve played for an entire afternoon and we’re only eating noodles for dinner?”

“You’ll cook the noodles, and I’ll cook salt baked chicken and turnip cake, can we?”

“You can make salt baked chicken?”

“Aunt A-Hua taught me a few times.”

Big Boss Xia continued trying to cheat, “Rice fits salt baked chicken better.”

He Chusan blinked, “Boss Liuyi, are you going back on what you said?”

Xia Liuyi’s face became colorful for a while, “Carry your backpack!”

They went into the car one after the other. He Chusan was pretty confused, “Why are you afraid of cooking this much, Boss Liuyi?”

“……” Xia Liuyi said something indistinctly.

“What?”

“I’ve burned……ahem, a stove, when I cooked.” Xia Liuyi.

“……” This f*cking little fox stared at him with a complex and queer look again, and Xia Liuyi almost couldn’t hold the wheel under it.

“I burned a house down when I last cooked! Burned three floors! The butler and the servants all jumped into the pool! Is that enough?!” Xia Liuyi was angry with embarrassment and punched the horn.

“……” He Chusan.

“What the he*l are you shaking for! Laugh out loud if you have any courage!”

“Hm……Hahahahahahahahaha!”

In the roars of Xia Liuyi, He Chusan buried his face into the backpack and kept wiping his tears. Even his abs twitched and were painful from laughing.