SA 14.1

Ye Jingsheng’s injury was not minor. The bullet had hit a major blood vessel, and his stubborn refusal to rest only made it worse. By the time he was brought to Hongyun’s headquarters, the blood loss had soaked through three layers of bedding. The doctor later stated bluntly that any further delay could have cost him his life.

The warning, delivered with a scowl, was intended to teach Ye Jingsheng a lesson, one he was clearly not inclined to learn.

When Ye Jingsheng woke up, the room was filled with people standing silently, casting long shadows over his bed. Chen Chen sat by his side, calm but watchful, while his subordinates stood behind him in solemn silence, almost as if observing a moment of mourning.

“Hey,” Ye Jingsheng said with a grin, pointing at Liao Qiu. “Funerals require bowing, don’t they? You go first. Come on, pay your respects.”

Liao Qiu’s face twitched, but he swallowed his retort, remembering that this insufferable man was Chen Chen’s savior. For now, he had no choice but to hold his tongue.

“Stop talking nonsense,” Chen Chen interjected, frowning. “Your arm was almost crippled. If one day you can’t even lift that King Cobra of yours, then what?”

“No big deal. If my left hand’s gone, I’ll use my right. It’s not like I’ll stop living,” Ye Jingsheng replied, his eyes sweeping the room. He noticed someone’s absence and curled his lips inwardly. That petty man…

When he turned his gaze back to Chen Chen, he couldn’t shake a strange familiarity in his expression. It wasn’t quite Chen Chen, it was Fang Yang. Or rather, Fang Yang resembled Chen Chen. The cold, ruthless façade Fang Yang wore in public mirrored Chen’s solemn demeanor, as if they were cut from the same cloth. Of course, that was just Fang Yang’s public persona. Ye Jingsheng knew better than anyone that the real Fang Yang was a tempest of passion, dominance, and even a touch of childish impulsiveness.

Chen Chen lowered his gaze and suddenly spoke. “Everyone, leave us.”

Ye Jingsheng let out a hearty laugh, only stopping when the movement made his wound throb. “Chen ge, is this the part where you thank me? My demands aren’t high, just a few luxury properties with a good view of Victoria Harbour at night. That’ll do—”

He cut himself off when he noticed Chen Chen’s expression darken. “Why did you risk your life to save me?”

Ye Jingsheng hesitated, unable to articulate an answer. It had been instinct, a reaction as natural as breathing. Perhaps it was also tied to a certain promise he had made.

Chen Chen smiled faintly. “Do you think I don’t seem like a triad boss? That I’m not cunning enough, ruthless enough, or skilled enough? That I can’t even hold a gun properly?”

Ye Jingsheng scratched his head, not entirely denying the sentiment. It was surprising that someone with Chen Chen’s apparent lack of street smarts had survived this long. Compared to other gang leaders, he was undoubtedly more gentlemanly, even frail in some ways.

But Ye Jingsheng’s defining trait, or flaw, was his tendency to stick his neck out for others. Whether it had been his brother Ye Ling, Xiao Jie or now Chen Chen, he couldn’t help himself. And though he would never admit it, he didn’t mind this refined, scholar-like boss. In fact, he rather liked him.

“If I hadn’t witnessed my mother being bled to death with my own eyes, I might never have ended up on this path…” Chen Chen said with a bitter smile. “I admit I was useless back then. Seeing the bathtub filled with blood and my mother lying there, her face ghostly pale… Before sadness could take hold, I was overwhelmed by fear. I cried my heart out. That was the last time I could truly cry.”

He paused, shaking his head slightly. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but for some reason, when I look at you, the words just come out.”

“So that’s why you promoted him, kept him by your side as Hongyun’s second-in-command?”

Chen Chen’s lips curved into a faint smile. “And you too. I want you to stay, just like him.”

Ye Jingsheng raised an eyebrow, caught of guard. He had never considered such a proposition before. Staying with Hongyun? For life?

“I’ll let you rest. I’ll come by again tomorrow.”

Chen Chen stood, taking a few steps toward the door before pausing. “Oh, while you were unconscious, he came to see you. At the time, he was in Southern Europe, yet he piloted a helicopter across half the globe in just seven hours. When he arrived at Hongyun, he hadn’t even taken off his flight goggles. Then he pointed his gun at the doctor’s head and told him that if he couldn’t save you, his whole family would be buried with you.”

Chen Chen let out a low sigh. “Since he was thirteen, I’ve never seen him with an expression like that.”

The door slowly closed, and Ye Jingsheng suddenly felt a twinge of unease.

Why?

He couldn’t be bothered to figure it out.

Reluctantly and with great frustration, Liao Qiu was eventually reassigned to “serve” Ye Jingsheng. And, naturally, Ye Jingsheng took every opportunity to torment him mercilessly, gleefully bossing him around with a smug expression. Liao Qiu, as usual, kept his face stiff, handing him a newspaper for the eleventh time.

“Ah, finally bought the right one. Now read it to me,” Ye Jingsheng said lazily.

“What? You want me to read it?!” Liao Qiu’s face turned green. He, a figure with some standing in the underworld, had been reduced to a caretaker’s role. How humiliating!

“Hey, you know I took a bullet protecting your boss. My hand’s too sore to even lift, let alone hold a newspaper—” Ye Jingsheng paused, feigning helplessness, “but if you’re not willing, I guess I’ll have to trouble Chen ge.”

“I’ll read it,” Liao Qiu growled through clenched teeth, glaring at him. He had no idea why this man took so much pleasure in messing with him.

Ye Jingsheng listened absentmindedly as Liao Qiu read, his thoughts wandering to the man he hadn’t seen in days. If not for Chen Chen frequently coming by to keep him company, he might have died of boredom by now. They’d said he had returned on the day of the surgery. Who were they fooling?

“‘A private club on Guangdong Road recently suffered a devastating fire, resulting in 28 deaths and numerous injuries—’”

Ye Jingsheng suddenly sat up, snatching the newspaper out of Liao Qiu’s hands. The local section was filled with stories about bars, clubs, casinos, and karaoke halls being hit, all of them leaving a trail of casualties. Even a blind man could see this was the result of gang warfare.

“Fuck… so ruthless. Don’t tell me these are Zhong Qinglin’s territories?”

From what he knew, after Zhong Qinglin had lost support from Zachis, he had scrambled to ally with smaller factions and Hongyun’s old guard to challenge Chen Chen and Fang Yang. But his forces were underfunded and borrowed resources, making them appear formidable but ultimately hollow. If Zhong Qinglin was being hit this hard, it was like a fire raging in his backyard. His so-called “alliance” would likely crumble into chaos.

Ye Jingsheng asked another question, but when no one answered, he finally looked up. What he saw left him stunned.

There was no sign of Liao Qiu.

Instead, Fang Yang stood there, his usual half-dead expression plastered on his face, cold and detached.

Seeing him so suddenly, Ye Jingsheng froze, unsure what to say. He scratched his nose and finally managed to start, “You—”

Fang Yang’s face remained cold as he let out a meaningful snort through his nose. “Hmph-“

Ye Jingsheng couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. “Are you even a man?! That last time… fine, let’s say I was impulsive and messed up. But are you seriously still sulking about it with that coffin face of yours?”

“Hmph—” This time, Fang Yang even adjusted the tone.

Throwing off the blanket, Ye Jingsheng yelled, “Fine! If it bothers you so much, grab a gun and shove it in me, and we’ll call it even—”

Before he could finish, a fist landed on his face, not too hard, but not gentle either.

“Hey! I saved your Chen Chen’s life! And you dare hit me?!” Ye Jingsheng howled.

Fang Yang lunged forward and delivered a backhand slap for good measure. “You’re still talking?!” he roared, his voice hoarse with suppressed emotion.

Ye Jingsheng, stunned by the blows, was at a loss for words.

“I left Hong Kong for barely any time, and you manage to create such a mess?!”

“Chen Chen’s fine, isn’t he?”

“I’m talking about you! I told you to protect Chen Chen, not to throw your life away! Do you even have a brain? If you’d prepared better beforehand, would Zhong Qinglin have found an opening to exploit? Idiot! You lost six bags of blood during surgery. You nearly died, do you even realize that?!”