RTCBM 56

When Mu Yuan and Wen Shang exited Ibaraki Airport, the driver arranged by Chris was already waiting at the entrance. As soon as he picked them up, he drove them straight to Tsuchiura to meet up with Chris.

Chris had only booked a room for Wen Shang, not expecting Mu Yuan to tag along. When she went back to the front desk to check, she found out that the hotel was fully booked.

“Sorry about this,” Chris said awkwardly to Mu Yuan. “How about this, I’ll try to get you a room at another hotel nearby.”

“No need,” Wen Shang interrupted before Mu Yuan could speak. “He’ll stay with me.”

“But Boss, yours is a single room with only one bed.”

“It’s fine, we can squeeze in,” Mu Yuan said with a grin, completely unfazed.

Back in the room, after dropping off their luggage, Mu Yuan told Wen Shang to head down to the lobby first and meet with Chris. He’d catch up in a bit. Once Wen Shang left, Mu Yuan dug through his suitcase and pulled out his usual flashy ensemble. He changed clothes, slicked his hair back into a shiny pompadour with gel, and posed in front of the mirror several times until he was perfectly satisfied with the result.

Meanwhile, Wen Shang was getting updated on the situation from Chris.

“Hua You flew back to China earlier this morning. As for the other injured crew members, they’re still in the hospital.”

“He left already?” Wen Shang frowned. “Didn’t he just get stitches?”

“The doctor did advise him to stay,” Chris explained. “They wanted to wait until the stitches were removed to assess how well his face was healing before deciding on further treatment. But he insisted on leaving, and none of us could stop him. In the end, we had no choice but to let him go.”

Wen Shang lowered his gaze, lost in thought, then asked, “Has there been any response from the local police?”

“No.” Chris shook her head, then hesitated for a second before asking, “By the way, Boss, didn’t you tell me to contact the embassy? Why the sudden change of plan?”

Wen Shang had indeed told her to reach out to the embassy, but later changed his mind because of Mu Yuan. Mu Yuan said he had a contact in the area and there was no need to involve the embassy. His friend would step in and help sort things out. Wen Shang was curious about who this friend of his might be, but since Mu Yuan seemed confident, he chose to trust him.

When the elevator reached the lobby and Mu Yuan showed up again, he had transformed from a clean-cut young man into a tacky nouveau riche.

Wen Shang couldn’t make sense of this sudden shift. He pulled Mu Yuan aside and asked in a hushed voice, “Why did you change again?”

“I’m meeting an old friend later. I can’t show up looking sloppy, right? Gotta dress up properly.” Mu Yuan blinked playfully, then turned and walked toward Chris. He borrowed her phone and made a call. Once the line connected, he began chatting and laughing fluently in Japanese, then hung up shortly after.

About ten minutes later, a black Mercedes S-Class pulled up in front of the hotel. Several black Lexus LS sedans followed behind. The car doors opened slowly, and the men who stepped out were all dressed in black suits. None of them smiled, and their expressions were harsh and stern. Judging by appearances alone, they were clearly not the friendly type.

Leading the group was a man in his mid-thirties. He was tall and broad-shouldered. The way he carried himself, along with his naturally imposing aura, made it obvious he wasn’t someone ordinary.

He led his men confidently into the hotel, striding straight toward Mu Yuan and calling out warmly, “Xiao Mu!”

“Longze-ge! It’s been so long!”

This was Mu Yuan’s first reunion with Nikaidou Longze since leaving Japan four years ago. Despite the time apart, his sworn brother hadn’t changed much in appearance, but the aura of a true gang leader had grown even stronger.

Aside from Nikaidou Longze, the other members of the Ushijima Group all nodded and smiled politely at Mu Yuan. It seemed he was well-regarded among them.

“Boss, who are these people?” Chris whispered to Wen Shang.

Wen Shang didn’t respond. He had only just learned today that Mu Yuan had such close ties with this kind of crowd in Japan. Watching Mu Yuan and Nikaidou Longze interact so closely stirred something unpleasant in his heart. It wasn’t just that he realized how little he knew about Mu Yuan. He also found Longze hard to stomach. The guy kept putting his arm around Mu Yuan’s shoulders and he could clearly sense the emotional undertones in their interactions.

He disliked the man from the moment they met.

Perhaps sensing Wen Shang’s gaze, Nikaidou Longze turned to look at him and asked Mu Yuan, “Is that your friend?”

Mu Yuan nodded. “Yes.”

He had his own plan. Regarding the confiscated filming equipment, he intended to discuss the matter with Longze privately. He had no intention of letting Wen Shang get involved, mainly because he didn’t want to drag him into trouble.

Thankfully, Wen Shang didn’t understand Japanese. If he had heard what Mu Yuan just said, they would have ended up in a heated argument on the spot.

Nikaidou Longze said something to Mu Yuan, then left the hotel with his men.

Once they were out of sight, Mu Yuan turned to Wen Shang. “I’m heading out with my friend for a bit. Let me take care of this. You and Chris should go back and rest for now.”

Just as he was about to leave with the Ushijima group, Wen Shang grabbed his wrist. “When will you be back?”

Mu Yuan gave it a quick thought. “Probably after dinner, maybe a little later. Don’t worry, it’s all under control.”

“Alright,” Wen Shang nodded. He didn’t ask further. He trusted Mu Yuan. “I’ll wait for you.”

Longze remembered Mu Yuan’s taste in food and picked sukiyaki for dinner, choosing the same restaurant they used to frequent. Since he didn’t like having people watching him eat, he told his men to wait outside. The private room now only had the two of them. They spoke in a relaxed tone, catching up like old friends.

“Four years without tasting this place’s food… Still exactly the same as I remember. The flavor, damn… absolutely top-notch.” Mu Yuan stuffed his mouth with juicy slices of beef, clearly enjoying himself.

Longze laughed. “Right? You won’t find sukiyaki like this back in your country. I’ll have the kitchen bring a few more servings later. Eat as much as you want.” He hadn’t touched much of his own food and had been mostly drinking. He poured Mu Yuan a drink too. “It’s been ages since we had a drink together. Come on, let’s go all in tonight.”

“No thanks. I can’t drink anymore,” Mu Yuan said, waving his hand. Not many people could turn Longze down to his face, but Mu Yuan did so without hesitation.

“Oh? Why not?”

“Drank too much not long ago, ended up in the hospital with gastric bleeding. I’ve been careful ever since.”

“No problem,” Longze said with a grin as he took the drink from Mu Yuan’s hand. “If you can’t drink, I’ll take care of it for you.”

“Don’t drink too much yourself either,” Mu Yuan warned. “You know your alcohol tolerance is awful. You really should take better care of yourself.”

Longze leaned over with a smile and slung his arm around Mu Yuan’s shoulders. “I’d love to, but I’m too used to living loose with no one keeping me in check. Maybe you should take on the job. What do you say?”

Mu Yuan was in the middle of chewing beef and almost choked. He coughed for a while before catching his breath, then shot Longze a sideways glare and smacked his arm away. “Damn it, not this again!”

The leader of the Ushijima group casually spread his hands and shrugged, shedding the stern and dignified image he maintained in front of others. In its place was a lazy, laid-back demeanor. This was the Nikaidou Longze Mu Yuan knew, unserious and just a little bit of a creep.

Longze’s feelings for Mu Yuan weren’t anything new. He had always been drawn to that wild energy and untamed spirit. Back then, he’d pursued Mu Yuan more than once, both openly and subtly, but every time, Mu Yuan had turned him down. He just wasn’t interested.

Mu Yuan had experienced firsthand how relentless Longze could be when chasing someone, and it was exactly that persistence that kept him from returning to Japan for so long. After all these years, it seemed Longze hadn’t changed one bit. Mu Yuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Still, annoying as he was, Longze had never forced himself on anyone. If he were that type, Mu Yuan would have dealt with him long ago.

“Can you give it a rest, old man? I should let your subordinates come in and see what kind of person their so-called revered leader really is.” Mu Yuan rolled his eyes. He never held back around Longze.

Longze didn’t take offense. He simply reached over with his chopsticks, took the half-eaten tofu from Mu Yuan’s bowl, and popped it into his mouth with a grin. Even Mu Yuan had to admit this man’s shamelessness was unmatched.

There was no point getting worked up, so Mu Yuan decided to get to the point.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Longze nodded. “Go ahead.”

Mu Yuan took a moment to organize his thoughts, then explained what had happened at the club with the film crew.

“All of their work is stored in that equipment. My friend is willing to cover any losses your people suffered and offer a personal apology. So I was wondering if you’d be willing to return the gear?”

He looked Longze in the eye as he spoke, sincerity in his tone. Deep down, he was a little uneasy, not sure what kind of answer he would get.

Longze stroked his chin, pretending to think seriously about it. After a pause, he asked, “Is this the same friend who was waiting with you in the hotel lobby?”

“Yeah.”

There had been both Wen Shang and Chris in the lobby, but Mu Yuan knew Longze was referring to Wen Shang.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Mu Yuan hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Yes.” His voice was steady.

Longze glanced at the ring on Mu Yuan’s finger and smiled. “I figured as much. In that case, I’m not accepting his offer.”

Mu Yuan stared at him, caught off guard. Just as he was about to speak, Longze continued, “I have another proposal. Want to hear it?”

Noticing the sly little smirk playing at the corner of Longze’s lips, Mu Yuan had a bad feeling. This was probably going to be something ridiculous, but he still waited for him to finish.

“I don’t want money. I don’t need an apology. If you’re willing to kiss me in front of him, then the whole thing is settled.”

Mu Yuan slammed the table and rejected him on the spot. “No way.”

“Oh? You won’t even go for such a cheap and easy deal?” Longze raised an eyebrow, feigning disbelief.

“Not even a kiss on the cheek. My partner wouldn’t be okay with it. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t want to see the person I love go and do something like that with someone else, no matter how much money is involved. If you don’t want to help, then fine. We’ll figure out another solution.”

Just as Mu Yuan stood up to leave, Longze stopped him, smiling gently. “Come on, little brother. I was just joking.”

“You didn’t sound like you were joking.” Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes and stared at him with suspicion.

“I do like you, that’s true. But I’ve never been the type to force anyone. Really, it was just a joke.” Longze emphasized again, then added, “As for what happened that night, our guy on site shares part of the blame too. Our clubs don’t usually serve foreigners. I still don’t know who let them in. But since you’ve come to ask me personally, I’ll let this one slide. No compensation needed. I’ll have someone return the equipment soon.”

With that verbal promise, a weight lifted off Mu Yuan’s shoulders. At least now, he could go back and give Wen Shang a proper answer.

“By the way, Mu,” Longze suddenly remembered something. “Jifu told me you’ve been thinking of leaving Sheng Yi. Is that true?”

“Yeah.” Mu Yuan had nothing left to hide. He told Longze everything, including how his second uncle was killed back then and how that incident had pushed him into joining the society in the first place. “I only ever got involved because of my second uncle. Now that the truth has come out, there’s no reason to stay. I doubt he would’ve wanted me stuck in this world forever either.”

“What will you do after you leave?” Longze downed the last drop of sake in his flask, rested his chin in his palm, and stared directly at Mu Yuan.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Right now, I have to deal with Qin Hong first. After I return, it’s time to lay everything out. The sooner I sort it out, the sooner I can move on.”

Longze paused for a moment, then said, “If you run into trouble, just come to me. Whatever I can do, I’ll do everything in my power to help.”

Mu Yuan didn’t return to the hotel until after two in the morning. The lights in the room were still on, and Wen Shang was sitting on the bed watching TV.

“Why are you still up?”

Wen Shang pulled him onto the bed and kissed him. “I told you I’d wait. No matter how late, I was going to wait for you.”

“Wifey, I’ve got good news.” Mu Yuan grinned and wrapped his arms around Wen Shang’s neck. “It’s all sorted! Longze agreed not to pursue the matter. He’ll have the filming equipment returned tomorrow. Pretty efficient, right?”

Wen Shang finally asked the question that had been on his mind. “Who are those people, really? And how do you know them?”

“You wouldn’t know this, but let me tell you a story.” Mu Yuan gave him a cheeky wink and climbed onto the bed, sitting beside Wen Shang. He took his hand and began to share everything that had happened during his years in Japan.

“Wifey, there’s something else. Actually, Longze used to have a thing for me.” Mu Yuan looked at Wen Shang with a mischievous smile, curious to see his reaction.

Even when he was jealous, Wen Shang rarely showed it on his face. On the surface, he looked composed, but inside, he was already fuming. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Were you ever together?”

“Nope. I turned him down.”

Good. That eased Wen Shang’s heart a little.

“But we did watch porn together once. And jerked off side by side.”

The jealousy that had just settled suddenly exploded again. This time, Wen Shang couldn’t hold it in. His face flushed with emotion. He pointed at Mu Yuan, wanting to yell but unable to get the words out. He swallowed his anger, but it was still burning in his chest.

Mu Yuan hadn’t expected this kind of reaction. He had wanted to tease Wen Shang a little, just to see him get jealous. Now that he’d achieved that, he felt a bit regretful and quickly tried to calm him down.

“Don’t be mad… I didn’t even know you back then. And honestly, that’s the only outrageous thing I’ve ever done. I promise.”

Wen Shang still looked angry and didn’t respond.

“Wifey, don’t be mad, okay? I have you now. I don’t love anyone else. Just you, all right?”

Wen Shang froze. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. “You… love me?”

Mu Yuan tapped his forehead. “Isn’t that obvious?” Then he pushed him down on the bed, climbed on top of him, lowered his head, and brought their noses together. His eyes curved into little crescents as he smiled and said clearly, “I really do love you.”