Zhang Shun was instantly solemn. He thought to himself, So I finally meet you, the man who made the little beauty weep in the wind and break his heart under the moon for more than two years!
Inside Zhang Shun’s mind, a tiny version of himself had already pinned Deputy Chief Yu to the ground and beaten him countless times. On the surface, he shook hands politely and said, “Hello, hello. A pleasure to meet you.”
Yu Jingzhong gave a sad smile and pointed to the hospital bed.
“We only saw each other once after he arrived in Beijing. He passed out before we could even talk, and he hasn’t woken up since. The higher-ups arranged for specialists to examine him. They said his three souls and seven spirits have been severely damaged. It’s possible his soul was used to refine something by the Esoteric Sect back in Japan, causing irreversible damage. The fact that he’s held on this long is just him biding time.”
Yan Lanyu lay on the hospital bed. From Zhang Shun’s angle, he could only see his profile, extremely gaunt and unconscious.
“I heard that when he was in H-City, he once risked his life to save you, so I thought you might want to see him one last time. He probably doesn’t know anyone else in China. I don’t want him to go alone.”
Yu Jingzhong sighed, and Zhang Shun nodded in understanding. “It’s no problem. I wanted to come see him too.”
He walked to the bedside and looked at the young man with his eyes shut tight under the respirator. The similar scene suddenly brought back memories of his own father’s fatal illness—day after day of being in a coma, until he finally let go. A sharp pang of sorrow struck Zhang Shun’s heart, like squeezing a bitter lemon, leaving an extremely unpleasant taste.
“I heard that when he was in Japan, he was always waiting for you…”
Yu Jingzhong probably didn’t expect Zhang Shun to know even this. He paused for a moment before saying, “Ah… is that so? …I always wanted to go get him, but life is always full of disappointments.”
He walked over and reached out to stroke Yan Lanyu’s hair.
For some reason, Zhang Shun suddenly had a very strange feeling. He stared at Yan Lanyu’s face and felt that for a fleeting moment, the expression on that face had changed ever so slightly.
—But it was too fast, and extremely subtle, making it difficult to describe.
Zhang Shun stood there stunned, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. When he focused again, there was nothing. Yan Lanyu was still lying there in a deep coma.
Yu Jingzhong leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, then pressed his hands tightly over his own eyes as if barely holding back his emotions. He took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, I just can’t imagine what I’ll do after he’s gone. He’s still so young… The first time we met, he was even younger than he is now. I never went back to find him. I thought we still had a lot of time, that the future was so long…”
Zhang Shun’s intuition told him something was very strange, but he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. He could only stammer, “Excuse me, are you two—?”
Yu Jingzhong nodded.
Zhang Shun thought to himself, the age gap between you two is huge! And how is a poor civil servant like you worthy of this little beauty? Stop robbing the cradle, Uncle! But on second thought, if Yan Lanyu himself liked him, there was nothing to be done. He had almost paid with his life to return to China; it might have all been for this man.
Thinking this, he felt very sad again.
Young Master Zhang was young, after all, and his heart couldn’t help but warm up a little. He wondered, is this thing called love really that powerful? Can it even make this young man so easily give up his young life? Then he thought about his brother and Zhou Hui, who supposedly had two kids together. How come they never showed this kind of deep affection for each other?
Speaking of which, Yan Lanyu hadn’t shown such profound feelings back in the tunnels in H-City either. Other than instructing him to give the pendant to someone surnamed Yu, he hadn’t even said a single “tell him I love him.”
As his thoughts circled, Zhang Shun felt more and more uneasy. He noticed the chain was gone from Yan Lanyu’s neck and asked casually, “Did he give you the pendant?”
Deputy Chief Yu said, “Yes, we took the pendant.”
Zhang Shun nodded without a word. Then he heard Yu Jingzhong cough and say, “Little brother.”
“Hm?”
“There’s something I’d like to ask you to help with. It’s about Lanyu.”
Zhang Shun immediately became solemn. “Please, just ask. If I can help, I definitely will.”
Yu Jingzhong pulled at the corners of his mouth, but it could hardly be called a smile. “It’s like this, Zhou Hui told me you are a ‘Buddha bone’… someone born with a particularly deep karmic connection to Buddhism. People like this usually have some miraculous qualities. For example, a high monk’s touch on the head can bestow blessings, a single breath can dispel illness. There are even records of the Fifth Panchen Lama once using his tears to heal a follower who was near death from a serious illness. That follower later lived to be over a hundred…”
Zhang Shun felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. He thought, Could the Fifth Panchen Lama be my brother?
My god! Brother, were you a monk before?!
“…I think you might have similar… miraculous qualities.” Seeing the strange look on Zhang Shun’s face, Yu Jingzhong thought he didn’t believe him and quickly explained, “I’m not putting all my hope in you. It’s just that we’ve tried every method we can think of. It’s a last-ditch effort. May I see your hand?”
Zhang Shun opened his palm. Yu Jingzhong looked at the gleaming golden swastika-shaped Buddha seal and marveled, “I heard the leader of the fifth team is a living Buddha, but even he wasn’t said to be born with a Buddha seal. This is truly amazing.”
Zhang Shun’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you thinking of having me wash Yan Lanyu with my tears too? But I can’t cry that much.”
Deputy Chief Yu asked, surprised, “Why wash?”
Zhang Shun: “…”
The two stared at each other for a moment before Yu Jingzhong coughed and said, “You misunderstood. I was hoping to borrow some of your blood.”
·
Zhang Shun felt that this whole affair was bizarre from start to finish. But the man had started by pointing out that Yan Lanyu had risked his life to save him, then appealed to his emotions, and in the end, was only asking for a little blood, not for him to give his life in return. So even if he wanted to refuse, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
He thought about it. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. There was nothing to hesitate about. So he went with Yu Jingzhong to have his blood drawn. The doctor who drew the blood, perhaps having been briefed in advance, didn’t ask a single extra word when he saw them and directly drew 200cc. What was unusual was that during the blood draw, the Buddha seal on his palm glowed exceptionally bright. Even when he clenched his fist, golden light could be seen shining from between his fingers.
After giving blood, Zhang Shun felt a little weak on his feet. Yu Jingzhong patted his shoulder gratefully. “Thank you so much, little brother. If it works, I will tell you immediately!”
Zhang Shun quickly said it was nothing, and that it was what he should do.
They came out of the blood lab and stood at the elevator entrance. Yu Jingzhong asked if he should call a driver to take Zhang Shun back. Because Zhou Hui had said earlier he would send a driver to wait for him, Zhang Shun quickly said there was no need.
He sensed that Yu Jingzhong was probably going back up to Yan Lanyu’s ICU room. An agent of this level was definitely not someone he could meet just anytime. There was no telling when he’d see him again. So, after some hesitation, he decided to seize the opportunity.
“Um… excuse me…”
Yu Jingzhong glanced sharply at Zhang Shun. “Is something wrong?”
Zhang Shun chose his words carefully before saying hesitantly, “You… should know someone named Phoenix Four, right? He’s my brother. I heard he got into a bit of trouble before… I don’t mean anything by it, I’m just worried because he suddenly left all his money to me and came to Beijing alone. I want to confirm that he’s still alive.”
Yu Jingzhong chuckled. “Did you think the organization would give him a cyanide pill?”
Zhang Shun clearly didn’t get the joke and stared back at him blankly.
“—What I mean is, Phoenix Four didn’t commit any major crime. The organization dropped the case long ago.” Yu Jingzhong smiled and said, “He did indeed come back to Beijing a few weeks ago, but he left again soon after. These team leaders are all very loosely disciplined. No one can control their comings and goings, so I don’t know exactly where he went either. I only heard from Zhou Hui that they had a fight, and then Phoenix Four went to the ‘Hell Realm’ alone to find someone named Fan Luo.”
—He went to find the Demon Lord?
Zhang Shun’s heart leaped. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why did Zhou Hui and my brother fight?”
Yu Jingzhong looked like he wanted to say something but held back.
Zhang Shun’s blood rushed to his head. Countless ominous speculations popped into his mind like popcorn, and he immediately grabbed Deputy Chief Yu and started pressing for answers. Seeing his determined stance of not leaving without an answer, Deputy Chief Yu had no choice but to pull him aside and whisper, “Don’t go asking Zhou Hui about everything… Back then, everyone in the department knew. He and the leader of the sixth team, the nine-tailed fox, were having a thing. Phoenix Four caught them in the act and left in a rage.”
Zhang Shun’s pupils dilated abruptly.
“I didn’t want to tell you, but there have been a lot of changes in the department recently. The infighting among the team leaders is intense. Many people you could trust before can’t be trusted now.” Yu Jingzhong patted Zhang Shun’s shoulder and said, “About the blood donation today, try not to tell anyone for now, to prevent those who covet the Buddha bone from doing anything rash. It would be hard to clean up the mess then—You should head back first.”
Zhang Shun’s mind was reeling. He barely knew how he said goodbye to Yu Jingzhong as he dazedly followed the crowd out of the hospital.
He walked down the street. The city lights were already on. The weather was still very hot. Little couples passed by in twos and threes, holding milk tea or ice cream cones. The sound of their playful banter drifted on the wind, making Young Master Zhang wish he could cover his ears.
Did Zhou Hui and Li Hu once walk hand in hand like this on the streets of Beijing?
No wonder my brother wanted to leave Zhou Hui. No wonder he ignored both of them back in H-City!
When Zhang Shun thought about how he had once trusted those two like friends, he wished he could travel back in time and slap himself hard across the face.
His ears were ringing. He just walked aimlessly with his head down, not even noticing a silver Lexus slowly pulling up beside him. It wasn’t until the horn honked several times that he snapped his head around. A young driver was leaning out of the car window. “Second Young Master Zhang? What are you thinking about so intently? Boss Zhou sent me to pick you up!”
The young man was in his early twenties, wearing a black shirt and jeans, looking very sharp. Zhang Shun recognized him as Xiao Liu, the driver of Zhou Hui’s Bentley in H-City. But now, the sight of anyone sent by Zhou Hui filled him with extreme disgust. He shook his head. “No thanks. Just tell me where the hotel is. I can get a taxi myself.”
“Oh, I can’t do that. You’re a registered person of interest in our department. We can’t let you wander around the streets.” Xiao Liu winked mysteriously and said, “Besides, our boss didn’t book a hotel for you. He told me to take you to a good place. You’ll know when you get in!”
Zhang Shun didn’t want to make things difficult for the subordinate, so he opened the car door and asked, “Where are we going?”
Twenty minutes later, he was standing at the entrance of a private room in Heaven on Earth, a vein throbbing in his temple.
—He really f—ing came here!
A well-endowed hostess knocked on the door for him and called out sweetly, “Second Young Master Zhang is here!” She then stepped aside, deliberately brushing her soft body against Zhang Shun’s arm as she passed, leaving a trail of perfume.
Zhang Shun was usually quite accustomed to enjoying this kind of debauched, luxurious lifestyle, but at this moment, he only felt a surge of anger and fire. He thought, You bastard, Zhou! How dare you come to a place like this when you have my brother! If I don’t beat you until the mountains and rivers of our motherland run red with your blood, you’ll never know why the flowers are so red!
He shoved the door open. The room was very dim. Colorful lights spun on the ceiling, casting a mesmerizing glow. A mixture of alcohol, cigarettes, and various unknown smells hit him in the face. Several people were already sprawled on the sofa. Zhou Hui sat in the middle, his face clearly flushed from drinking. He held a cigarette in one hand and tapped a gold-foil-stamped roster with it.
“—I booked that girl named Xiao Xi two days ago, and now you’re telling me she’s not available? If she’s not here, why are you even open for business? If you piss me off, no one’s having a good time tonight! Go! Get your manager in here!”
A few escorts dressed as students were huddled on the sofa, trembling with fear. A woman in her thirties who still had her charms, probably the madam, stood before Zhou Hui, forcing a smile. “I’m so sorry, truly sorry. A very important guest specifically requested Xiao Xi tonight. But we have several other top girls. I’ll call them all for you right now. Ah Ming and Xiao V are also very popular. They’re no worse than Xiao Xi…”
“Important guest my ass! Which important guest hijacked my booking?!”
The madam obviously couldn’t reveal guest information and was in a difficult position. Someone beside her slurred drunkenly, “Old Zhou’s temper is as explosive as ever—I know which fool dared to mess with the tiger today. It’s that grandson of the Tan family from the military commission. Came back from abroad with a bellyful of ABCs. I’ve disliked him for a long time…”
Zhou Hui, whether he was really drunk or just using it as an excuse, got up to go settle accounts with that Tan grandson. A group of escorts rushed up and desperately held him back.
“—Brother Zhou, why do you only want Xiao Xi? Aren’t the rest of us good enough?” It was probably a rule here that they would be in trouble if a guest caused a scene. Several young girls in high school uniforms started to cry as they clung to Zhou Hui. “Do you really dislike us that much? Brother Zhou, just take pity on us…”
These people were using all their strength, crying a river of tears in a most pitiful and enchanting way. Had it been Young Master Zhang, he might have surrendered.
Unfortunately, Zhou Hui was not Young Master Zhang. His pity for women was all an act. He kicked a young boy clinging to his thigh back onto the sofa and roared, “What are you wailing for? Are you trying to jinx me? I’m just going to have a drink with that Tan fella. You’d think I was dead and this was my funeral!”
The boy’s face turned white with fear. He bowed repeatedly in apology, and a few girls nearby rushed over to plead for him. Seeing that things were getting serious, a few of the other guests also started trying to persuade and calm him down. The scene became extremely lively.
Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, the madam quickly hid in a corner and said something into her walkie-talkie to the front desk. A moment later, there was another series of knocks on the door. A heavily made-up hostess poked her head in and said nervously to the madam, “The guests from Mr. Tan’s room are bringing Sister Xiao Xi over. Should we get a couple of security guards on standby?”
This meant she was afraid the guests from the two rooms would fight. They were all rich or powerful. If a real fight broke out, it would be a huge mess. If any of these princelings got so much as a scratch, people like them would lose a limb.
Even though the madam was a veteran of such scenes, her eyes were wide with fear. Just as she was about to say something, the hostess at the door was pushed aside. A group of people swaggered in, dragging a girl in a white dress with them. The leader, wearing a floral shirt and holding a bottle of wine, strode up to Zhou Hui.
Zhang Shun was pushed to the side to watch the show. He was just guessing whether the next scene would be the floral shirt smashing the wine bottle on Zhou Hui’s face when the man stopped in front of Zhou Hui, his face wreathed in smiles, and called out as if he’d seen his own uncle, “—Brother Zhou!”
Zhang Shun thought, What the f—? What kind of plot twist is this?!
“Sorry, Brother Zhou, I really didn’t know you booked this girl today. It’s my people who don’t know how to do things.” Without another word, the man surnamed Tan grabbed an unbroken wine glass from the table, deftly opened the bottle he was holding, and poured half a glass of golden liquid. “Come on, Brother Zhou, please don’t lower yourself to my level. I’ll toast you!”
Zhang Shun thought, I want a refund. F—ing refund!
“Lao Tan, you’ve been quite the player recently,” Zhou Hui said, looking at him sideways with a smile that wasn’t a smile. “It’s not that I’m being unreasonable, brother. I booked this girl two days ago. But when I came over today, they told me someone had hijacked her. I mean, even when I’m just trying to pick up a girl, I get hijacked…”
The group of princelings around them burst out laughing.
Tan’s face flushed and paled. He also forced a laugh and turned to curse at one of his men, “Brother Zhou likes that girl, what are you still standing there for!”
The man immediately went and brought the girl in the white dress over.
With the strange mentality of a brother-in-law from the bride’s side, Zhang Shun carefully sized up the girl. The hostesses in this kind of high-end nightclub didn’t use revealing clothes to attract attention. On the contrary, this girl had a certain elegance. A white dress, long black hair, a pure and delicate face with a touch of pitiable charm. The way she stood was like a demure beauty from a riverside town in the south. If a movie star was a ten, this girl was at least an eight or nine.
Zhang Shun had never seen his brother’s real face, but he had seen Maha. Although Maha was a pervert who killed his parents and ate people, at least his face was inherited from his mother. This girl, at best, was one-tenth… no, one-twentieth as beautiful as Maha.
At that moment, Zhang Shun truly felt that Zhou Hui making a scene in a nightclub over this girl was f—ing ridiculous…
What he didn’t see was that at that moment, the corner of Zhou Hui’s mouth also twitched slightly, as if in helpless frustration. But then he covered his mouth and coughed.
“Lao Tan, this is where you’re wrong. What if you scare the girl by bringing her over like this?”
Tan just stood there drinking and smiling apologetically. The people around them were also hooting and joking, saying Brother Zhou finally knew how to cherish a beauty. Some were already drunk and kept trying to hand the wine bottle to the girl, telling her to toast Zhou Hui.
The girl was truly a product of the nightlife world. Although fear still lingered on her face, she immediately smiled sweetly, filled a glass to the brim, and offered it with both hands. “Brother Zhou is in a bad mood today. Why don’t you drink this to cool off?”
Zhou Hui graciously took it and drank it in one gulp. A round of applause immediately erupted.
By now, most people had sat down in small groups to drink, some pulling over the escorts to flirt. Zhou Hui had the girl named Xiao Xi sit beside him and turned to ask Tan, “You’ve been living it up recently, huh? Did you bring your old man here?”
Tan gave a bitter smile. “No, no, I met some people through business and just came here to network a little…”
“Oh? What kind of people?” Zhou Hui smiled and asked casually, “Important enough for you to come in person, brother?”
Just as Tan was about to speak, there were two knocks on the door of the private room.
Several people turned to look at the same time. Tan said, “Oh,” and then, “President Chu! —Sorry for the delay here, just having a drink with some friends. Are you guys ordering more wine over there?”
Zhang Shun subconsciously turned his head and froze.
—Chu He was standing at the door, wearing a black suit jacket and a white shirt. He wasn’t wearing a tie, and the collar was slightly loosened. He looked very slender and casual.
He didn’t look at Tan. His gaze fell on Zhou Hui, and the corner of his lip curled up slightly. “—He was entertaining me.”
