RTCBM 32

To confirm that tattoo once and for all, Mu Yuan made a trip back to the old district that afternoon.

This was the place he’d lived with his second uncle before turning sixteen. After the man left, the house had been sealed up. Over the years, Mu Yuan hadn’t come back more than ten times. He was afraid of the memories tied to it, afraid of digging up feelings better left buried.

The place was thick with dust. Every step he took left a clear shoeprint on the floor behind him.

His second uncle’s room was on the left side of the hallway. Not a single item inside had been moved, not even the layout. Mu Yuan walked up to the bookshelf, opened the cabinet door, and pulled out a photo album. He flipped through the pages until he found a photo of the tattoo on his uncle’s back. He took it out, stared at it over and over, examining every line.

Now he was sure of it. Absolutely sure. The tiger tattoo on Wen Shang’s back was an exact copy of his uncle’s. No doubt about it.

When Mu Yuan told He Dongying about it, the man’s attention went somewhere else entirely. He raised a hand to stop him.

“Wait. Why the hell were you in his room, seeing him with his shirt off?”

After what Mu Yuan had said at that gay party the night before, He Dongying started sensing something wasn’t right.

Mu Yuan didn’t think much of it. “It was just a hookup.” He shrugged like it was nothing.

He Dongying froze. The cigarette hanging from his lips dropped straight onto his pants, burning a tiny hole.

“Hey! Your pants are gonna catch fire! Get the damn cigarette off!” Mu Yuan pointed at the smoldering butt on his thigh and barked at him.

He Dongying snapped out of it, swiped the cigarette off his pants, and crushed it underfoot. He thought he must have misheard and asked again, “Who the hell did you say you hooked up with?”

Mu Yuan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Look at your face. You can’t even shut your mouth. What’s so shocking about two men hooking up? And you call yourself a returning student? What did you learn in all those years abroad? Sure as hell wasn’t open-mindedness.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He Dongying waved it off. “You and that Wen guy have always been at each other’s throats. What the fuck is this now? Shit…”

“Well…” Mu Yuan thought for a second and then briefly filled He Dongying in on what had happened. He spread his hands. “So I figured, instead of wasting time searching high and low, why not pick someone nearby? We know each other, background and all. Besides, this was a good opportunity. My gut says there’s something between that guy and my second uncle. Might as well use it to get to the bottom of that tattoo. Kill two birds with one stone.”

“Don’t make it sound so noble. You were just thinking with your dick,” He Dongying sneered. Then another thought hit him. Wasn’t Wen Shang always the one who hated Mu Yuan the most? Sure, things had gotten a little better lately because of certain events, but still. Friends with benefits? That didn’t add up. If the first time Wen Shang fucked him was out of revenge, then what was this… thing between them now? Mutually agreed? No strings?

Sounded ridiculous, but he asked anyway. “Mu Yu, does that guy like you? Or have feelings for you?”

Mu Yuan was drinking water and almost choked. He coughed for a while before catching his breath. “No fucking way. We’re just fuck buddies. You’re reading way too much into this.”

Mu Yuan had a big heart, but He Dongying didn’t. He just couldn’t believe that someone like Wen Shang would engage in a deal that offered him no benefit. Whether it was IQ or EQ, He Dongying clearly had the upper hand over this childhood friend of his. Though he didn’t know what had happened to Wen Shang that made him act differently, based on what Mu Yuan described, He Dongying was sure of one thing. Wen Shang definitely had some kind of feelings for Mu Yuan.

He Dongying looked seriously at Mu Yuan and asked, “If… and I mean if… that guy really does like you, what would you do about it?”

“I already told you, that’s not possible.” Mu Yuan waved his hand impatiently and cut off the conversation entirely. “Anyway, Dongzi, there’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

He pulled open a drawer, took out a brown envelope, opened it, and removed a property deed along with a ring of keys. “I found this earlier today when I went back to the old house. It was in one of Second Uncle’s jackets.”

After his uncle passed away, Mu Yuan had searched through his belongings looking for clues, but he had never touched the old clothes. Today, on a whim, he opened the wardrobe and found the folder wrapped inside a grey sweater.

“Your old house’s property deed?” He Dongying asked.

“No.” Mu Yuan opened the document and handed it to He Dongying. “It says another address. It’s in Nathan Road, a small town under Kowloon. And the property owner’s name is mine.”

“You’ve got a house there?” He Dongying raised an eyebrow.

“No.” Mu Yuan shook his head right away. “I’ve never been there, never even heard of it. I’m guessing it belonged to my second uncle, and he transferred it to me at some point. I’m thinking of going to check it out.”

“You going now? Want me to come with you?”

“Tomorrow. Today’s Jiaxin’s birthday. I promised my juniors we’d go out together this afternoon to celebrate. And then I’ve got dinner with my godfather tonight.”

“You really have a fucking packed schedule.”

Mu Yuan nodded at him and grinned. “Wanna come hang out?”

He Dongying had to go back to the office that afternoon to handle some work. Before Mu Yuan left, he asked him for advice on what kind of gift to get a girl. Following his suggestion, Mu Yuan went to the mall and picked out the latest model of a selfie camera.

When he got to the register, he said to the salesgirl, “Can you wrap it up for me with gift paper?”

“Is it for your girlfriend?” she asked curiously.

Mu Yuan smiled and replied, “It’s for my younger sister.”

Right after he said that, his phone started ringing in his pocket. It was his junior, Zhuo Fei.

Mu Yuan lifted the phone to his ear. “Ah Fei, stop rushing me. I’m on my way, just give me a little longer.”

“No, Senior Mu, something’s happened. Jiaxin, she…” Zhuo Fei hadn’t even finished when a sudden crash rang out from his side of the call, followed by a series of things being smashed and a bunch of people shouting curses. It sounded like a full-on fight had broken out.

Zhuo Fei quickly explained the situation to Boss Mu. After lunch, their group had happily gone to a newly opened billiards hall in the Qing District to hang out while waiting for him. Everything was going well until a few unfamiliar men showed up and started harassing the girls from their troupe, throwing out crude lines and acting like scumbags. One of the guys crossed the line and grabbed Liu Jiaxin’s ass. Not only that, he even reached toward her chest. Liu Jiaxin had had enough. She grabbed a beer bottle from the table and smashed it over his head, splitting his scalp open and sending blood flying. Then she raised her knee and kicked him right in the crotch.

Everyone in the troupe had always said Liu Jiaxin’s personality was exactly like Boss Mu’s. Boss Mu never understood what they meant, but today, he finally got it.

That kind of scumbag who disrespected women deserved to be beaten. Liu Jiaxin had done nothing wrong. Unfortunately, the billiards hall in the Qing District happened to be Da K’s turf. The guy she beat up was one of Da K’s lackeys. Because of that, everyone from the troupe got dragged into the mess. The thugs who ran the place locked them all inside and refused to let them leave. Several juniors were beaten up, and they were being forced to pay a huge compensation fee for damages. Zhuo Fei was afraid things would escalate and, with no other choice, called his senior for help.

Boss Mu’s face immediately darkened. His expression turned cold.

“Wait there. I’m coming right now.”

Boss Mu rushed to the scene. When he arrived, Da K was lounging on a sofa with one leg crossed over the other, smoking a cigarette without a care in the world.

“Well, look who it is. Isn’t this Boss Mu?”

As soon as Boss Mu showed up, the juniors and girls from the troupe looked like they wanted to call out to him. Zhuo Fei quickly gave them a look, signaling for everyone to stay quiet and not reveal their connection to him.

Boss Mu didn’t waste time. He walked straight up and demanded that Da K hand the people over. He pointed in Zhuo Fei’s direction.

“They’re my people. Da K, let them go.”

Da K stood up, walked right up to Boss Mu, and stared at him through narrowed eyes for a long moment. Then he parted his lips and blew a cloud of smoke in his face.

“So they’re Boss Mu’s people. I was wondering which little bastard had the balls to stir shit up in my place. Must have a death wish. Now your girl here beat up my man, and I can’t just let that slide. If word gets out, people are going to laugh at me for calling myself the man in charge of Qing District.”

Liu Jiaxin could not hold back any longer. She pointed at Da K and shouted angrily.

“What kind of twisted bullshit is that? It was your sleazy dogs who groped me first.”

Boss Mu’s junior sister was just like him. Hot-tempered and fierce. If someone tried to bully her, she would never just sit back and take it.

The guy who got his head busted by Liu Jiaxin stood up and shoved her.

“You crazy bitch. Say that again if you’ve got the guts.”

He raised his hand to hit her. Boss Mu’s voice rang out, sharp and angry.

“Touch her and I swear I’ll cut you down right here.”

“Boss Mu, don’t forget whose turf you’re standing on. Show a little respect,” Da K said. “Unless you want me to stop playing nice.”

“This is how you manage your people?” Boss Mu’s face was ice-cold as he stepped toward him. “Your guys harassed my girl first. She fought back. That’s self-defense.”

Da K chuckled.

“Fine. Street rules, then. My guy did something he shouldn’t have. As the boss, I’ll make sure he gets handled properly.”

Once he finished speaking, Da K grabbed the underling by the collar and yanked him forward hard. He threw a heavy punch right into the man’s stomach. The guy doubled over from the pain, unable to even straighten up. Then Da K raised his leg and drove his knee into the man’s lower abdomen. The underling dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.

Da K still wasn’t done. He kicked the guy over and over again, stomping him while yelling loudly with each strike.

“Wanna try that again? You fucking dare to try that shit again?”

The man bawled and begged for mercy.

“I won’t. Boss, I swear I won’t ever do it again. Please, I’m begging you. Forgive me.”

Da K only stopped after landing dozens of brutal kicks, panting from the effort.

He turned and smiled at Mu Yuan.

“Boss Mu, I’ve punished him. The bastard already swore to me he’ll never make that kind of mistake again. What do you think? Satisfied?”

Mu Yuan frowned and didn’t say a word.

Da K went on.

“But rules are rules. Your girl hit my guy. I still have to settle that score. Even if you’re one of the Seven of Sheng Yi, you have to play by street rules.”

“What do you want?” Mu Yuan’s tone went cold.

Da K snapped his fingers and called out to his men.

“Bring the stuff over.”

A few moments later, several underlings came forward and lined up ten bottles of high-proof liquor on the table.

“No need for physical punishment,” Da K said as he pointed at Liu Jiaxin. He turned to Mu Yuan and added, “Just have that girl toast me. She drinks all ten bottles clean, and we call it even.”

Liu Jiaxin was a girl. No matter how strong she was, there was no way she could handle ten bottles of hard liquor all at once. Whether or not she got drunk was one thing. Whether or not her body could handle it was another. Everyone there knew damn well that Da K wasn’t really trying to punish her. The one he wanted to hit was Mu Yuan.

And sure enough, the moment Mu Yuan heard Da K’s words, he stepped out and offered to drink in her place.

“Boss Mu, you really know how to show guts. Just make sure you finish every drop. Not a single sip left behind,” Da K said, grinning with barely concealed glee.

Liu Jiaxin couldn’t stay quiet any longer. She shot up, frantic, and tried to rush over. Zhuo Fei quickly blocked her path.

“What are you doing? That’s ten bottles. He could die from that!” Liu Jiaxin shouted.

Zhuo Fei glared at her.

“Keep your mouth shut and sit still. Don’t make things harder for your senior.”

Liu Jiaxin pressed her lips together until they formed a thin, tight line. She didn’t say another word.

The first three bottles went down fast. Mu Yuan managed them without much struggle. By the fourth and fifth, it was getting harder.

By the eighth, his body was starting to scream. His stomach and throat were burning. His tongue felt hot and numb, with no taste left at all.

The last two bottles, he forced down purely on willpower, clinging to consciousness and pushing through to the end.

After downing all ten bottles, Mu Yuan let out a loud belch. He smashed the empty bottle in his hand against the floor, shattering it into pieces, then looked up at Da K with a scornful expression.

“If we’re done here, I’m taking my people and leaving.”

“Boss Mu, your drinking game is something else. I gotta say, I’m impressed,” Da K said with a fake smile, his tone full of mockery. He waved at his underlings.

“What are you standing around for? Hurry up and show Boss Mu the door.”

Mu Yuan didn’t appreciate the gesture. He replied coldly.

“No need to send us off. We’ve got our own legs. We can walk out ourselves.”

“Then please, suit yourself,” Da K said with a grin.

That smug face made Zhuo Fei and Liu Jiaxin itch to punch something, but they held it in. There was nothing they could do except behave and avoid making things worse for Mu Yuan.

After they left the billiards hall, Mu Yuan immediately rushed to the side of the road, crouched down, and shoved his fingers deep into his throat. He forced himself to vomit everything he had just drunk, emptying his stomach onto the pavement. He kept heaving for over ten minutes before he finally stopped.

When he stood up again, he was a little unsteady on his feet. Liu Jiaxin and Zhuo Fei hurried to support him on either side.

“Senior, you drank so much just now. To be safe, you should go to the hospital and get checked out,” Zhuo Fei said, looking worried.

“What for? I’m fine. I’m used to drinking. This is nothing.”

Liu Jiaxin was equally anxious about his condition. She joined Zhuo Fei in trying to convince him.

“Senior, don’t push yourself. Let us take you to the hospital.”

“I said I’m fine, so stop worrying.” Mu Yuan handed her the gift he had been holding. “Here. Your birthday present. One year older, so you’d better be a bit more well-behaved from now on. But next time something like this happens, try not to act on impulse. Think it through. I won’t always be there in time to protect you.”

Liu Jiaxin looked down, guilt twisting in her chest. Her reckless reaction had dragged everyone into trouble and put Mu Yuan through hell.

“I’m sorry, Senior…”

“It’s fine. I’m your senior. If something happens to you, of course I’ll be the one to step in,” Mu Yuan said, smiling as he gave her a light pat on the head. He didn’t seem to mind it at all.

The incident at the billiards hall ruined everyone’s plans for the day. No one felt like celebrating anymore. After the group split up, Mu Yuan went home and lay down to rest for a while. Around six in the evening, he forced himself out of bed, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and left the house again.

Tonight was the Wen family’s dinner with Luo Yi.

The meal was being held at one of the hotels owned by the Wen family. Mu Yuan and Wen Shang sat across from each other at the table.

Wen Shang noticed that Mu Yuan seemed more quiet than usual. His complexion didn’t look good either. That guy was usually a glutton, and he always had a big appetite. But tonight, strangely enough, he barely touched his food.

Luo Yi, who sat beside Mu Yuan, kept picking out dishes for him. Each time, Mu Yuan would force down a few polite bites, then push the rest aside in his bowl.

Wen Shang noticed everything. He didn’t know why, but watching Mu Yuan like that made him more and more irritated. A frown slowly formed between his brows.

While everyone at the table was chatting and laughing, Mu Yuan was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. He put down his chopsticks and bowl, covered his mouth, and rushed into the restroom attached to the private dining room. Dropping to his knees in front of the toilet, he began vomiting violently.

A server who had just finished delivering the latest round of dishes was preparing to leave the room. On the way out, he glanced toward the bathroom and froze. Panic flashed across his face.

“Sir, are you alright?”

He turned back toward the table and shouted.

“This gentleman is vomiting blood! Someone come help!”

Wen Shang was the first to leap up from his seat and rushed into the restroom. What he saw made his blood run cold. The toilet and the bathroom floor were splattered with bright red blood. Mu Yuan was sitting on the cold bathroom floor, his back resting weakly against the wall. Traces of blood still clung to the corners of his lips.

Wen Shang’s chest tightened. The feeling hit him so fast it was hard to describe. He crouched down and gently patted Mu Yuan’s face.

“What happened?”

“Just had a little to drink,” Mu Yuan said weakly. His face was pale, and his voice was barely audible.

What kind of “little” could make someone vomit blood like this?

Watching him act so casually, so indifferent to his own condition, Wen Shang’s heart burned with frustration and worry all at once.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

“Talk about what?”

“Shut up.”

Wen Shang snapped at him, his firm eyebrows furrowed so tightly they refused to relax. He bent down, picked Mu Yuan up, and carried him out of the room.

“Call the car,” he said. “We’re going to the hospital.”