RTCBM 49

Everyone was enjoying themselves when the private room door suddenly burst open with a loud bang. The atmosphere froze at once as all heads turned toward the entrance.

“It’s bad! A fight broke out!” Yusaku Toshie from the Ushijima-gumi rushed in with a panicked look.

Ji Fu stubbed out his cigarette and tilted his chin at his subordinate. “What happened? Speak clearly.”

The subordinate gave a concise report. He and another member, Odagiri, had gone to the restroom. On the way, they accidentally bumped into a nightclub guest. A quarrel erupted, and now they were fighting.

The group immediately rushed out of the room. In the corridor, the two were already locked in a violent scuffle. One was Xingzai, a member of Yuanshun, and the other was Odagiri from the Ushijima-gumi.

At the far end of the hallway, another group came running. Mu Yuan recognized them as members of Yuanshun.

Seeing one of their own caught in a brawl, the Yuanshun members didn’t bother asking questions. They charged forward to help. The Ushijima-gumi members, not backing down, surged forward too, ready to throw punches and show that these outsiders weren’t to be taken lightly.

Tensions flared as both sides shouted insults in their own languages. Judging by the way things were escalating, an all-out fight was inevitable.

Mu Yuan tried to step in and separate them. He turned to the Yuanshun group and tried to talk them down. “Everyone, calm down. These are my friends. If there’s any misunderstanding, we can settle it clearly and properly.”

A man from Yuanshun stepped forward. “Boss Mu, it’s not that we’re disrespecting you, but your Japanese friend provoked our brother first. He bumped into him, then acted all arrogant. The one in the wrong is him, not Xingzai.”

Boss Mu turned to Yusaku Toshie and Odagiri, asked a few questions, then said, “They told me Xingzai was the one who bumped into them first. He also started the fight.”

“You just believe whatever those two Japanese bastards say? Look at them, drunk out of their minds. Since when does a drunk’s word count for anything?”

“They’re not the only ones who’ve been drinking.” Boss Mu glanced at Xingzai. His face was flushed red all the way to his neck. “That guy’s had just as much booze. Can’t any of you see that? Everyone here’s been drinking. No one really knows who started what.”

“Boss Mu, if you’re hell-bent on siding with those Japanese bastards, we’ve got nothing more to say. Just don’t blame us if we stop being polite.”

No one could say for sure who started it, but the Ushijima-gumi were guests of Sheng Yi. Mu Yuan had to stand by Ji Fu no matter what. Since there was no chance of resolving things peacefully, the quarrel quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl.

The scene turned into complete chaos. Other customers in the club were caught in the mess and fled in panic. When Hifi got word of what happened, he immediately pulled up the security footage. Only then did he find out it was Yuanshun’s people who started it. Hifi, burning with anger, brought a group of security staff with him and marched straight over to the Yuanshun gang, yelling at them without holding back.

“Starting shit in my place? You fuckers got a death wish or what?”

Hifi charged forward, grabbed Xingzai by the collar, slammed him against the wall, then drove his knee hard into the man’s stomach. He followed up with a few solid punches, scolding him while swearing nonstop.

“Your mother’s a bitch. You started this shit, then had the nerve to flip the blame? If I hadn’t checked the security footage, our guests would’ve been wrongly accused. Would’ve been impossible to clear their name.”

For some reason, Mu Yuan noticed that while Hifi was roughing up Xingzai, none of the other Yuanshun members stepped in. Not only did they hold back, they didn’t even say a word. It was as if every one of them was deliberately keeping their distance from him.

Xingzai kept begging for mercy, but Hifi didn’t even flinch. He grabbed him by the hair, dragged him over to Odagiri, and forced him to kneel down and apologize. Xingzai didn’t dare resist. The arrogance from earlier had vanished without a trace, and he obeyed without a sound, lowering his head and muttering an apology.

One of the Yuanshun guys nearby couldn’t watch anymore and tried to speak up for him. “Yao-ge, Xingzai already apologized. Just let him off this time.”

That only added fuel to the fire. Hifi roared, “Shut the fuck up. One more word and you’re next.”

The man instantly fell silent and didn’t say another thing.

The chaos finally settled down. If Hifi hadn’t stepped in at that critical moment, Mu Yuan honestly couldn’t say how far things might’ve gone. Later that night, after sending the guests back to the villa to rest, Mu Yuan returned to the club. He wanted to thank Hifi properly.

Hifi wasn’t in the office. One of the staff told him he’d gone up to the rooftop for some air, so Mu Yuan headed up to look for him.

There was someone else on the rooftop with Hifi. Mu Yuan recognized him. It was Chen Hao, the personal aide to Sun Hai, the boss of Yuanshun.

Mu Yuan hesitated, unsure if he should walk over and greet Hifi. Just then, he heard the man call out, “Young Master.” He quickly pulled his foot back. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he stayed hidden and listened in on their conversation.

“Boss Hai’s birthday is next Wednesday. He’s hosting a banquet and inviting guests from all sides. He asked me to let you know and hopes you’ll attend on time.”

Hifi sounded completely indifferent, replying coolly, “What does that old man’s party have to do with me? Like hell I’m going.”

“You’re his son. How can your father’s birthday have nothing to do with you?”

Mu Yuan was stunned. “Boss Hai” was what people called the head of Yuanshun. His full name was Sun Hai. Hifi’s surname was also Sun. His full name was Sun Yao.

This was a serious piece of gossip.

“I’m not close with him,” Hifi shot back. “He fathered me, but he didn’t raise me. He doesn’t have the right to be called my dad.”

“Anything else?” he added. “If not, then go back. Thanks to your Yuanshun boys, business at my place tonight went to shit.”

“Don’t worry about that. Boss Hai will make up for the loss.”

“Like he has a choice,” Hifi sneered. “His men trashed my place. It’s only right that he pays up.”

“Alright. I’ll send the bill when the time comes. As for the banquet, I hope you’ll think it over. Don’t rush to refuse. I’ll be heading out now.”

After Chen Hao left, Mu Yuan finally stepped out from where he had been hiding. He gave up on the idea of speaking to Hifi and tried to sneak off. But the moment he turned around, Hifi called out to him.

“You really think you can walk off after eavesdropping? Get back here.”

Mu Yuan gave an awkward grin. “Yao-ge, sorry. I wasn’t trying to listen in. They just told me you were on the rooftop, so I came up. Total coincidence, I swear.”

“So what if you heard? It’s not like I’m blaming you,” Hifi said as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He handed one to Mu Yuan and lit one for himself. “What did you come up here for?”

“Just to thank you. If you hadn’t stepped in earlier, I might not have been able to handle those Yuanshun guys.” Mu Yuan pulled out his lighter and helped him light up. “No wonder they’re all scared of you. Turns out your old man’s Boss Hai.”

Hifi didn’t think having a gang boss for a father was anything to be proud of. He scoffed. “Sure, he fathered me, but he never raised me. That guy isn’t fit to be anyone’s dad.”

Mu Yuan, being a guy himself, couldn’t help his nosy side. He grinned and nudged Hifi, his curiosity written all over his face. “Can I ask about your family? If you’d rather not talk about it, just pretend I never asked.”

“Nothing to hide.” Hifi shrugged. “That bastard chased after my mom, knocked her up, and even though he knew she was pregnant, he kept messing around outside. Then he ditched her just to avoid responsibility. Her family cut ties with her because she got pregnant out of wedlock. All these years, she’s had it rough raising me on her own. A few years ago, out of nowhere, that piece of shit sent someone to find me, said he wanted to acknowledge me as his son. Screw that. I’ve only ever had a mom. Never had a dad.”

“I’m guessing he wants to make up for his past mistakes.”

“Make up my ass.” Hifi spat. “That old bastard went and found himself a boytoy, a model twenty years younger than him. Fine, whatever. But now he’s talking about marrying the guy. Fuck him.”

On the way back, Mu Yuan kept thinking about the mess between Hifi and Sun Hai. Then his thoughts drifted to himself. He had never felt what it was like to be loved by a father. He didn’t even know what a mother’s love was supposed to feel like. He remembered when he was a kid, and the teacher assigned them to draw pictures of their parents or write essays about their mom and dad. Mu Yuan always turned in a blank page. Some of the troublemakers at school mocked him, calling him a loveless orphan with no parents. One time, he beat one of them so badly the kid was crying on the floor. The boy’s parents stormed over to confront him. But once Mu Huafeng learned what had happened, he didn’t scold Mu Yuan at all. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and gave that parent a beating right there at the door.

That night, Mu Yuan threw himself into Mu Huafeng’s arms and cried his heart out. Mu Huafeng gently wiped his tears while softly comforting him. “Silly boy, do you know what the word ‘orphan’ really means? It means there’s no one left in this world except you. But that’s not true for you. You still have your second uncle. And your second uncle loves you.”

He might not have had parents, but all these years, he had never lacked love. What he should have been given, what he should have been spoiled with, his second uncle never missed a thing. Just like Hifi said, bringing a child into the world was nothing compared to raising one. That was the real bond.

A sudden ringtone snapped Mu Yuan out of his thoughts. On the other end of the line, Wen Shang asked softly, “Where are you? I sent you messages earlier and you didn’t reply.”

“The gang had guests over. I was with them from afternoon until night and didn’t have time to check my phone.” After a short pause, Mu Yuan called out, “Wen Shang.”

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking about a lot of things with my second uncle. I suddenly miss him a lot.”

Wen Shang quietly listened to him speak.

“He could be strict. He used to hit me sometimes. But he really did care about me. I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. I just… really wanted you to know.”

“Then let me tell you something too,” Wen Shang said quietly. “From now on, I’ll take care of you.”