RTCBM 6

There was no need to even think about it. He Dongying’s suggestion was decisively rejected by Mu Yuan.

That secretly filmed video had become a thorn in Mu Yuan’s heart. If he just let it be, who knew what other twisted tricks that sick pervert Wen Shang would pull next. So even though he was furious, until he got that video back, Mu Yuan still had to watch that bastard’s mood and act accordingly.

After that, Mu Yuan once again swallowed his pride and took the initiative to call Wen Shang, hoping there was still room to negotiate. However, Wen Shang’s phone could not be reached, and the automated message always said the number was out of service.

“Where the hell did that scumbag go?” Mu Yuan cursed harshly, his thick eyebrows furrowing so tightly that they almost could not relax. His anxious gaze could practically burn a hole through the phone screen.

Just as he tossed the phone onto the bed, it suddenly rang. It was a call from Luo Yi.

Mu Yuan immediately switched to a cheerful tone and called out sweetly, “Godfather,” his voice dripping with affection.

“Godfather, a couple of days ago I asked someone to bring you some Biluochun tea from Dongting Mountain in Suzhou. Have you tried it yet? How do you like it? Do you enjoy it?”

“I love it, of course I love it. I brewed it as soon as I received it. The fragrance was so rich and the flavor was fresh and mellow. It really is top-quality tea. My little Yuan knows exactly how to make me happy.”

“I am glad you like it. This tea has a lot of benefits too. It helps with cardiovascular health, promotes urination, prevents tooth decay, and even fights cancer. It is much better than all those random health supplements sold on the market. You should drink it often, and if you run out, I will have someone bring you more.”

“Good, good.” Luo Yi’s hearty laughter could be heard even over the phone.

“By the way, Xiao Yuan, tomorrow is the weekend. Are you free?”

“Of course I am, Godfather. What is the occasion?”

“Nothing much. I just wanted you to join me for some morning tea.”

“Of course, no problem.” Mu Yuan agreed readily, then casually added, “Why not invite Wen Shang too?”

“Xiao Shang has been quite busy lately. He is on a business trip abroad.”

“Oh, I see…” Mu Yuan pretended to sigh. “I was actually planning to invite him out for a meal.”

He quickly followed up, “Do you know when he will be back?”

“I am not sure about that. Do you not have his phone number?”

“I tried calling, but I could not get through.”

Luo Yi chuckled to himself, thinking how quickly these two young men had gotten close. Not bad at all. He then offered, “Why do I not try to get in touch with him for you?”

Mu Yuan quickly shook his head. “No, no need. Since he is away on business, I will not disturb him. I will just wait until he comes back.”

Time passed, and a month and a half went by. It was as if Wen Shang had disappeared from the face of the earth. There was not a single sign of him, and he never came looking for trouble with Mu Yuan again.

It should have been a good thing. However, knowing Wen Shang’s perverse and ruthless nature, Mu Yuan did not believe he would just let things go so easily. Besides, as long as that secretly filmed video still existed, Mu Yuan could not be at ease.

He would definitely get his revenge, but for now, until that sick bastard came back, it would have to wait.

Mu Yuan’s right hand had finally healed enough to have the cast taken off. The doctor said he was recovering very well and reminded him not to engage in any intense activities for the time being.

When he returned to Liu House, the underlings had already prepared a welcome-back banquet for their boss. The moment Mu Yuan stepped across the threshold, everyone immediately stood up and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, shouting in unison, “Wishing Boss a safe recovery!”

Mu Yuan could not help but laugh. “What safe recovery? I just broke a bone. No need to make such a big deal out of it.”

A Zhi, full of excitement, rushed over to Mu Yuan and made a show of trying to help him. “Boss, you just got your cast removed. Be careful when you walk.”

Mu Yuan kicked him on the butt and raised his right hand that had just gotten free from the cast, waving it forcefully in front of him. “It was my hand that got hurt, not my legs. Are you seriously worried about how I walk?”

A Zhi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “We were all worried about you.”

“Alright, alright.” Mu Yuan waved his hand dismissively. “I am fine. No need to make a fuss. Eat and drink as you like.”

With the boss’s permission, everyone dove into the feast, rolling up their sleeves and digging in with full enthusiasm, but Mu Yuan alone stood there, not moving.

Seeing this, A Zhi quickly spoke up, “Boss, we saved a good seat for you over here. Come sit.”

“No need. You guys take your time. Just remember to clean up after you finish.” With that, Mu Yuan turned and walked out.

“Boss, where are you going?”

“Boss! Boss!”

Mu Yuan ignored them and drove himself to a tattoo studio. He pushed open the door and walked in. Inside, a blond man wearing a mask lifted his head slightly and glanced at him.

“Here to remove a tattoo?” the blond man asked casually.

Mu Yuan nodded.

The man jerked his chin toward a chair nearby and said, “Sit over there. I have something to finish up first. You will have to wait a bit.”

“Take your time. Do not mind me,” Mu Yuan said as he picked up a magazine from the shelf and casually flipped through it.

“Are you going to sweep the graves tomorrow?” the blond man asked casually.

There was a few seconds of silence before Mu Yuan finally answered, “Yeah.”

Mu Yuan set an alarm the night before and got up early to wash up and get dressed. After everything was done, he hummed a cheerful little tune as he went downstairs for breakfast.

“A Zhi-ge! A Zhi-ge!”

The newcomer Xiao Xing came rushing over as if he had discovered some breaking news. He pointed at Mu Yuan, who was sitting at the dining table drinking soybean milk, and whispered, “Who is that?”

“What are you talking about?” A Zhi did not seem to understand the question.

“That guy sitting there. Who is he? He looks kind of unfamiliar. Is he one of the new underlings?”

A Zhi smacked him on the forehead. “You are the new one. Where did you grow those eyes? That is our boss. You seriously cannot tell?”

Xiao Xing was completely stunned. It was not that he was blind, but no matter how he looked at it, he just could not recognize Mu Yuan.

The exaggerated gelled hairstyle was gone, replaced by soft, smooth hair that fell naturally around his face. The thick gold chains around his neck and hands were nowhere to be seen. The flashy gold rings had disappeared too. Instead of a gaudy open-collared suit, Mu Yuan was now dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans. With the change in appearance, he looked like a completely different person, turning from a vulgar nouveau riche into a clean, refined boy-next-door. He looked at least seven or eight years younger.

It was almost too much of a transformation…

“I do not believe it.” Xiao Xing insisted stubbornly. “Did you see his arms? Boss had tattoos on both arms. That guy does not.”

“Do you not know tattoos can also be drawn on?” A Zhi said.

“Huh?”

Seeing his dumbfounded face, A Zhi laughed and gave him another knock on the head. “That is exactly what happened.”

It was not surprising that the new underling was so shocked at seeing Mu Yuan’s “bare face.” When A Zhi had seen Mu Yuan without his usual style for the first time, his reaction had been pretty much the same as Xiao Xing’s. It really was not anyone’s fault for getting confused.

“A Zhi-ge.”

“What now?” A Zhi sounded a little impatient.

“Why would Boss suddenly change his style?”

“Because he has something important to do today.”

Xiao Xing’s curiosity only grew stronger. He poked A Zhi and pressed on, “What important thing?”

“Visiting a grave!” A Zhi grabbed a bun and stuffed it roughly into his mouth, glaring fiercely. “Eat. If you keep asking, I will use a toilet plunger to shut your mouth!”

Every year, on the fourth day of the eighth lunar month, it was the death anniversary of Mu Yuan’s second uncle.

Mu Yuan had lost both of his parents at birth. It was his second uncle, Mu Huafeng, who raised him.

Mu Huafeng had been tall, handsome, and easygoing. He was skilled in martial arts and fighting. To Mu Yuan, his second uncle was a hero he worshipped since childhood.
Although Mu Huafeng had been part of the underworld, he had never allowed his nephew to get involved with any gangs. Not even a little.

Once, Mu Yuan had enthusiastically told his second uncle about his dreams of joining a gang one day, determined to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.

The moment Mu Huafeng heard it, he pulled out his belt and gave Mu Yuan a brutal beating, whipping him while shouting, “You little bastard, if you dare, I will break every bone in your body!”

Mu Yuan never understood why his second uncle had been so furious, but after that, he never dared mention it again in front of him.

Nine years ago, Mu Huafeng got caught up in a gang conflict and was shot dead. The murderer vanished without a trace.
In order to find the real killer and avenge his second uncle, Mu Yuan made a decision that completely changed the course of his life. He broke the promise he once made to his second uncle and dropped out of school to join the “Sheng Yi” gang, the group his second uncle had belonged to when he was alive.

At that time, he was sixteen years old.

After nine years of roaming the underworld, Mu Yuan had tasted all the bitterness and warmth life could offer. Fueled by sheer determination and strength, he kept climbing higher. He finally earned recognition and carved out a place for himself within the gang.

Apart from the boss, Sheng Yi had seven proxies. Mu Yuan was the youngest among them and also the one with the worst taste in fashion.

His greasy, heavily gelled hair was a permanent disaster. His open-collared suits gave off a roguish vibe, with the top three buttons of his shirt always left undone, as if afraid no one would notice the blindingly thick gold chain dangling around his neck. When he spread his hands out, there were four or five chunky gold rings, making him look even more vulgar.

He did not look like a gangster at all.
He looked exactly like a nouveau riche thug.
As He Dongying once said, this guy had the fashion sense of a fifty-two-year-old uncle trapped in a twenty-five-year-old’s body.
Completely hopeless.

The only day of the year when anyone could expect Mu Yuan to dress normally was probably his second uncle’s death anniversary.

After paying his respects at Mu Huafeng’s grave, Mu Yuan began driving back.
Halfway home, for some reason, his car broke down. Just as he was about to call a tow truck, his phone rang. It was a call from He Dongying.

“I pulled an all-nighter yesterday and overslept. Where are you now? Have you left for the cemetery yet? Wait for me, I will head over right away.”

“I already went. I am driving back now.”

“Why the hell did you wake up so early?”

“You woke up late. Anyway, good timing. My car broke down. Can you come pick me up?”

“Alright, where exactly are you?” He Dongying asked.

Mu Yuan looked around and spotted a sign for a dessert shop called Chao Ji Desserts.

“I am right outside Chao Ji Desserts. I will wait for you there.”

It would take at least twenty minutes for He Dongying to get there from home.
With nothing else to do, Mu Yuan thought about going inside the shop to sit down, but it was packed full. He had no choice but to order a bowl of taro balls and eat outside.

This dessert shop had been around for as long as Mu Yuan could remember.
Back when he was a kid, his second uncle often brought him here for treats.
Mu Yuan’s favorite had always been the taro balls. He could finish five big bowls in one go.

Holding the bowl in his hands, Mu Yuan leaned against the railing by the roadside, thinking about all the old memories with his second uncle. He could not help but smile.
But as he kept smiling, a trace of sadness slowly crept into his expression.

Suddenly, a fluffy Pomeranian trotted past Mu Yuan’s legs, with a little boy chasing after it. The boy was focused entirely on catching his runaway dog and did not notice that he had rushed straight onto the busy road.

In the distance, a speeding cement mixer was heading their way. The boy’s family screamed in terror, trying to run after him and pull him back.

Mu Yuan was the closest to the boy.
He tossed aside what he was holding and sprinted toward him at full speed. One hand grabbed the boy by the waist, the other scooped up the dog, and he carried them both back to safety.

The child and the little dog were both safe, and Mu Yuan let out a long breath of relief. The boy’s parents kept bowing and thanking him, but Mu Yuan did not say anything. He just turned around and walked away coolly, planning to hide his good deed without leaving his name behind. But just as he was about to leave, someone grabbed his arm firmly.

“You there, stop right where you are!” The person shouted angrily.

Mu Yuan turned his head. The person who had grabbed him was a driver in uniform. The man pointed furiously at a Rolls-Royce Phantom parked nearby and exploded,
“I just went to the restroom for a minute. When I came out, I saw you splattered taro balls all over the front of the car. I just had it washed this morning! Look what you did. How am I supposed to explain this to my boss?”

So much for his cool exit. He had completely embarrassed himself instead.

“Big brother, um, can I explain…” Mu Yuan started.

“I do not want to hear it. You can explain it to my boss.”

“Alright, alright, I will explain it to him. Take me to him,” Mu Yuan admitted defeat.

“No need to take you anywhere. He is right over there.”

The boss the driver mentioned was much younger than Mu Yuan had expected.
The man was already walking toward them, dressed in a sharp suit, looking elegant and polished.

A complete wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Mu Yuan had only one thought in his head.
Fuck that perverted bastard!