EWH 17

Xu Wanhe stepped up and slapped the lead punk hard across the face.

Loud and crisp.

He didn’t hold back at all. The guy went straight to the ground, one side of his face burning red, ears ringing like crazy.

The others saw how hard Xu Wanhe hit and instantly realized he wasn’t someone to mess with. None of them recognized him, but with their leader getting knocked down without even a fight, no one dared move. They let go of Yang Moshou and rushed over to help the guy up.

“Boss, you okay? Can you still hear?”

Xu Wanhe reached over and yanked Yang Moshou back to his side.

“Look at you, useless. Can’t even buy a pack of cigarettes without getting into trouble.”

Yang Moshou dangled in his grip like a rabbit. “It’s because your wallet’s stuffed with cash! If it only had small bills, I wouldn’t have been a target. Why the hell do you carry that much? Trying to buy a shopping mall in cash, you damn coal boss?”

The kid was being pulled up by his buddies, still cursing and swearing.

Xu Wanhe shoved Yang Moshou behind him and walked forward. One solid kick sent the guy sprawling again.

“Take a good fucking look. Do you even know who I am?”

The guy went flying forward and landed face-first on the wallet.

Yang Moshou suddenly remembered. “Hey, your wallet.”

The young punk took one look at the ID photo and immediately went pale.

He looked up at Xu Wanhe again, then scrambled to his feet and wiped the wallet off with the front of his shirt.

“I’m sorry, bro. I didn’t know this was Xu-ge’s. Please don’t tell him when you get back…”

Yang Moshou caught on quickly. He glanced at Xu Wanhe.

“Honestly, neither of them look good, but still… there’s a huge difference.”

“What were you thinking with the long hair back then? Kind of rock-and-roll, but definitely not in a good way…”

Xu Wanhe’s face darkened as he snatched the wallet back.

“Fuck off.”

He turned and walked away, got in the car, and slammed the door.

Yang Moshou slipped into the passenger seat just before he could drive off.

Xu Wanhe shoved the ID back into the wallet, flipped it shut, and pulled out onto the street with a pissed-off face, answering a few calls along the way.

Yang Moshou got a call too, this one from the old guy at the complex gate. Apparently his parcel had arrived around noon and the old man had signed for it but forgot to tell him until just now.

On the other side of the car, Xu Wanhe’s voice was low.

“So you’re saying he wants to poach Zhou Wu, but Zhou Wu’s not interested?”

Yang Moshou was beaming.

“Yeah… I’ve been waiting for days. Thanks, Uncle. I’ll come grab it in a bit…”

Xu Wanhe frowned slightly. “Alright. Tell Zhou Wu I’ve got a murder case on my hands. He’s gonna have to take the fall and hide up north for a couple of years. Just say it’s my decision.”

Yang Moshou smacked his thigh. “Seriously? That Hangzhou package arrived too? My friend sent me zongzi and cut cake! What a surprise!”

Xu Wanhe’s brows knitted deeper. “Say that again? I didn’t catch it…”

Yang Moshou raised his voice. “Thank you, Uncle! Can you hear me now? I get it, your hearing’s not great at your age..”

Xu Wanhe freed a hand and smacked him on the back of the head.

“Shut your damn mouth before I shut it for you.”

Then he went back to the call. “Zhou Wu’s in charge of Jinhui’s turf. That guy Yang’s been eyeing it for a while. I need to kill that thought. If Zhou Wu disappears for a couple of years, we’ll keep things under control for now. I’ll handle the rest later.”

Yang Moshou, still thinking about his parcel, started giving directions from the passenger seat. “Turn left here. Light’s green for ten more seconds.”

Xu Wanhe turned the wheel and floored the gas. “Let Tian Bao take Zhou Wu’s place.”

Yang Moshou kept on. “You can drive against traffic here for a bit… wait, stop, red light.”

Xu Wanhe stepped on the brake. “I know Zhou Wu. The kid’s got talent, but he’s too soft. This might be a good way to test him.”

Yang Moshou glanced around. “No cameras. Just run the red.”

Xu Wanhe looked ahead, then pressed the gas and drove straight through.

About fifteen minutes later, his calls were done, and they were just about back at Yang Moshou’s place.

Once he hung up, Xu Wanhe suddenly realized, “Where the hell are we…”

Yang Moshou unbuckled his seatbelt. “Pull over. I’ll be right back.”

Xu Wanhe was already on edge. “You think I’m your damn taxi driver?”

Yang Moshou shook his head. “No. Just wait here a minute. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Xu Wanhe parked the car, and Yang Moshou jumped out, ran over to the gatehouse, and picked up his parcel. After tearing it open, he picked something out and ran back to the car.

He had chosen a pair of bright yellow toe socks.

The reason he picked those was because everything else in the package was in his size, which Xu Wanhe couldn’t wear. The socks were one-size-fits-all, a freebie from the store.

Yang Moshou handed them to Xu Wanhe. “Here, for you. Thanks for the ride.”

Xu Wanhe glanced down at the item in his hand.

The color was honestly kind of nice.

People had given him gifts before, but no one had ever given him something this cheap that still somehow suited his taste.

He took it. “What is this?”

Yang Moshou thought for a second, then grinned with a sly look. “Gloves. You can wear them when you drive.”

Xu Wanhe gave him a sideways glare and cursed out loud.

“You trying to die, you filthy mutt-fucker?!”

After he said it, they both went quiet for a moment.