EM 54. Chaos

Fu Shanming was the kind of man who would seize even the slightest opportunity and never let go. Song Feng had known that about him for a long time, so the moment Fu Shanming mentioned a so-called “good thing,” he knew it was anything but. And since this man was never going to explain himself, asking would be pointless. He curled his lip and stood up. “Go to sleep.”

Fu Shanming looked at them. “You’re leaving already? At least leave one person behind. Baby, your boss told you to give me a shoulder rub.”

Song Feng didn’t even turn around. “My hand’s sore. Not in the mood.”

“Then we can try something else. Let Xiao Cheng stay too. The three of us can have a real good time, huh?” Fu Shanming got up and grabbed Song Feng’s wrist, then paused deliberately. “Oh, now that I think of it, I just remembered something.”

Song Feng turned his head, barely holding back his temper. “What?”

“A good thing,” Fu Shanming said as he pulled out his phone and sat down on the rug, tugging Song Feng with him.

Song Feng squatted down beside him. They were close to the door now. Xiao Mingxuan already had his hand on the doorknob, but when he saw what was happening, he turned back with a darkened expression.

Fu Shanming tapped a few keys on his phone, then set it beside him and gave Song Feng a raised-brow smile that oozed mischief. “Baby, did you know Shao Xiujie’s always had that kind of thing for you? Hmm?”

Song Feng froze for a split second. Fu Shanming seized the moment and lunged, pinning him to the floor. He had already locked down one of Song Feng’s arms, and anticipating resistance from the other, caught that too. With both wrists pinned above his head, Fu Shanming pressed down hard, straddling him

Xiao Mingxuan spun around. His motion was so sharp it pushed the door open a crack. Outside, two figures who had been fighting off bodyguards and eavesdropping at the corner had no time to react and stumbled straight in, crashing to the floor with a thud. The bodyguards behind them, who had been trying to drag them away, charged forward the moment they saw what was happening inside. One of them reached for his waistband, going for his gun.

Bai Xuyao and Wei Xiaoyan instantly took in the situation and snapped back into action. They pushed off the floor with their hands, twisting their bodies mid-air, and landed near the guards in the blink of an eye. Their long training had honed their ability to instantly adjust their posture and strike. In the space of a heartbeat, the fight was over.

Before the two bodyguards could even charge in, they had been pinned against the wall. These men wouldn’t have been brought here by Fu Shanming if they weren’t formidable, but after getting tossed aside several times during the eavesdropping fiasco, they had begun to underestimate the two. That miscalculation cost them. With the upper hand lost, the outcome was decided in an instant.

Duan Qing had been standing not far outside the room, keeping watch to prevent a certain someone from getting beat up by bodyguards or Song Feng while trying to eavesdrop. Now, he rushed inside and shut the door firmly behind him, completely blocking the view from outside.

All of this had happened in just a few seconds. The people outside hadn’t even had time to look through the door before it slammed shut. They had no idea what had just gone down.

Xiao Mingxuan hooked an arm around Fu Shanming’s neck and locked it. “Let go.”

Song Feng had barely fought back the whole time. First, because Xiao Mingxuan was here and he knew he wouldn’t actually be at a disadvantage. Second, because he hadn’t sensed any real aggression from Fu Shanming. So he just lay there on the rug and looked up at him. “Sweetheart, if you don’t let go, he’s going to choke you out, you know.”

Fu Shanming licked his lips, not caring in the least that his neck was about to be snapped. One hand stayed clamped on Song Feng, while the other reached back and groped around the floor until he found his phone. Amid the thick, threatening atmosphere, there was a crisp click as he snapped a photo. He grinned. “Don’t move. Let me take another.”

Everyone froze.

Song Feng sneered. “You switched your phone to camera mode and then did all that just to take pictures of me?”

“What else?”

“I remember when you were hunting us down, you had a photo of me. That was pulled from surveillance footage, wasn’t it? Later, when I worked as your bodyguard, you must’ve collected plenty more.”

“I want a new one.”

Song Feng was speechless. He motioned for Xiao Mingxuan to let go, and the latter withdrew, stepping aside. The rest slowly backed off as well.

Fu Shanming looked down at him and smiled. “Give me a little expression. Best if it looks like you’ve just been ravaged.”

“…No.”

Fu Shanming narrowed his eyes, then set the phone down again. He grabbed Song Feng’s collar and yanked hard. The fabric tore instantly, exposing half of his delicate collarbone. Fu Shanming’s eyes lit up. “Beautiful.”

Xiao Mingxuan’s expression darkened and he stepped forward, ready to drag him out, but Song Feng sighed. “Forget it. Let him take the photo. Who knows what kind of bullshit he’ll pull if we don’t.”

Xiao Mingxuan reluctantly stopped.

Fu Shanming picked up his phone again, found a satisfying angle, and snapped a shot. He smiled and tapped a few more buttons.

Song Feng raised an eyebrow. “Who are you sending that to?”

“Shao Xiujie.” Fu Shanming glanced at him. “Baby, you thought I was joking earlier? You really don’t know he’s got a thing for you?”

Song Feng blinked and instinctively turned to Xiao Mingxuan. “Really? Did you know?”

Xiao Mingxuan replied flatly, “Then what do you think all the gifts and sweet check-ins were for?”

“He was just being nice.”

“Why would he care about you?”

“Because we’re friends. And he’s a good person,” Song Feng said, sounding more guilty than confident. “Isn’t he?”

Xiao Mingxuan said nothing.

Song Feng turned to Fu Shanming. “Alright, fine. I didn’t know. I just knew he kept sending me stuff.”

Fu Shanming casually tossed the phone aside, still not letting go of him. “Oh, I’ve sent you things too.”

Song Feng looked surprised. “I don’t remember that. What did you send?”

“A time bomb.”

Xiao Mingxuan didn’t even blink. Song Feng’s mouth twitched.

The others: “…”

Fu Shanming thought for a moment. “But after the bomb went off, I stopped sending those. I started sending white chrysanthemums instead.”

Everyone: “…”

Just then, the phone lying on the ground suddenly rang violently. After a brief pause, it rang again. Fu Shanming stared at it the whole time. Only after the fourth round of ringing finally stopped did he look away, smiling even wider. “He definitely smashed his phone. You believe me?”

“You took the photo just to piss him off?”

“Yeah, I can’t stand his face.” Fu Shanming answered offhandedly, then glanced at their current posture and lowered his gaze for a moment. He inched closer. Song Feng immediately picked up on the shift in his expression and had a bad feeling. Before he could break free, Fu Shanming leaned in and asked, “Baby, how about a quick fuck?”

“Absolutely not,” Song Feng snapped.

“Don’t be so resistant. I’ll make sure you enjoy it,” Fu Shanming said, pressing down harder. As he leaned in, his crotch brushed against the bend of Song Feng’s raised thigh, and he let out a low, satisfied hum. Song Feng stayed silent. He was absolutely certain that this man was already hard.

Xiao Mingxuan had had enough. He stepped forward, grabbed Fu Shanming by the shoulder, and flung him aside, then pulled Song Feng up and into his arms. Surrounded by the warmth and familiarity of Xiao Mingxuan’s embrace, Song Feng instantly felt grounded. He reached out and gave him a hug back. Xiao Mingxuan used one hand to straighten his clothes. “Let’s go.”

Song Feng figured Fu Shanming understood the situation well enough not to try anything here. When he glanced back, Fu Shanming was sitting obediently where he’d landed, though his face showed clear irritation.

They left quickly. Song Feng glanced at the bodyguard walking beside him and realized it was someone he knew. He asked in a low voice, “He and Shao Xiujie don’t get along? When did that start?”

The bodyguard nodded. “After your last contract ended and you left the boss’s side, all contact was cut. The boss thought Shao Xiujie had hidden you away. Shao Xiujie thought the boss had buried you. So one day, Shao Xiujie invited the boss out to sea for some fishing, then sent people to sneak into the Fu family estate to dig up the grave. While the boss was still on the boat, he got a call from home and finally realized Shao Xiujie had no idea where you were either. He smiled and said he knew where you were, which made Shao Xiujie lean in to listen,” he paused, let out an awkward cough, “and then the boss took the chance to kick him off the deck. I swear, Shao Xiujie has never had it worse.”

Song Feng: “…”

Xiao Mingxuan asked, “And then?”

“That’s it. They haven’t gotten along since.”

Suddenly, Song Feng remembered the explosion he had heard during that phone call with Shao Xiujie. “How long have they been fighting?”

“They’ve been at it nonstop, openly and behind the scenes.”

“Alright. Got it.” Song Feng patted the bodyguard on the shoulder and turned to leave. Bai Xuyao and Wei Xiaoyan finally got the chance to come closer, both wearing the same nosy expression.

“So, Fu Shanming’s basically your love rival, right? Then why does it feel like he’s the one who’s in love with you?” Bai Xuyao asked.

“In love with me? No way. That guy—” Song Feng paused, recalling the look in Fu Shanming’s eyes when they first met, right before he detonated a bomb, and shook his head. “He doesn’t love anyone. He doesn’t even love himself. He’s just a lunatic. Stay away from him, got it?”

The two nodded immediately. They trusted his judgment.

Song Feng glanced at Xiao Mingxuan. “What do you think he meant by that ‘good thing’?”

Xiao Mingxuan shook his head. Song Feng sighed. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be anything too troublesome.

They stayed for four more days. On the fifth day, the boss’s shipment of weapons finally arrived. Everyone stood at the edge of the camp, looking at the small truck in front of them. Most of the firearms were Chinese-made, with a smaller number sourced from Russia. There were all sorts of models and calibers, but the most common was the cheap, durable AK.

The leader looked pleased and ordered his men to start inspecting the goods.

Boss Kang stood nearby, waiting for the money to be transferred. Bai Xuyao looked at the guns, then at him, eyes wide with innocence.

Boss Kang tilted his head. “What is it, little merc?”

“Nothing, just looking. I’ve never seen a real arms dealer before.”

“…”

Once the inspection was done, the leader smiled and nodded, then brought them into the house. Boss Kang slowed his pace, leaned toward Song Feng, and said quietly, “Kill everyone. Don’t make a scene.”

Song Feng’s expression didn’t change. He took a few steps back and relayed the order. He knew this was the “good thing” Fu Shanming had been talking about.

Boss Kang entered the house and took a seat. He glanced at the subordinate who had made the delivery. The man was holding a laptop and quickly looked up to give him a nod, signaling that the payment had gone through. Boss Kang smiled and started chatting with the leader, preparing to take his leave. But before they could exchange more than a few words, a sudden barrage of gunfire erupted outside the camp. Moments later, a grenade broke through the perimeter and exploded five meters from the compound, the blast powerful enough to make the ground tremble.

Chaos broke out immediately. The entire compound was in disarray. The leader jumped to his feet and ran out to assess the situation. Song Feng and the others instantly moved into a defensive formation, standing guard around Boss Kang. Out of the corner of his eye, Song Feng spotted Fu Shanming giving a few instructions to his men before sitting back calmly on the sofa, all smiles.

Song Feng stepped closer and asked in a low voice, “Was this you?”

“Their asking price was too high. Made me really want to take it all by force,” Fu Shanming said with a pleasant smile. “But I didn’t have enough people for that.”

He looked at Song Feng. “Then I ran into you. Baby.”

Song Feng’s head throbbed. “I get it. The power dynamics in Golden Crescent are a mess. Armed clashes are common. You visited a few other factions recently, and over the past few days, you’ve been contacting them, offering to coordinate from the inside and swallow this whole organization. You help them out now, and you’ll get better prices for future deals. And while you’re at it, you can walk off with most of the drugs. Am I right?”

Fu Shanming’s eyes gleamed. “Baby, you really are clever.” He glanced outside, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and slipped out the back door.

Song Feng paid him no mind. He turned to glance at Boss Kang, then shifted his gaze to the mafia boss who had come along with them. That man clearly had no idea what was happening. Song Feng narrowed his eyes. If this shipment was what Fu Shanming was after, then what had Boss Kang come for?