I came to Brother Chong’s office without understanding why.
“A’Jin, sit.” He lit a cigarette, dismissed everyone around, then pulled open a drawer and threw a stack of bills on the table.
“Brother Chong… what’s this?”
“Master Rong is in Guangdong. I’ll give you the address—go find him.” Brother Chong said plainly.
“What?” I was a bit confused. “Didn’t they say the whole gang is hunting down Master Rong? So you knew his location all along?”
“Yes.” Brother Chong nodded. “Hunting him was just a smokescreen I put out.”
“But why?”
“A’Jin, I know Master Tong’s intentions. Rather than that two million, he wants you as a talent—you can earn him another two million. But if I told Master Tong this news, according to underworld rules, he’d have to go kill Master Rong. How would he recruit you then?”
I frowned slightly, still unable to understand.
“So this information can only stop with me. What to do next—you’ll have to figure that out after you see Master Tong.”
“Brother Chong, you say Master Tong wants to recruit me, but after all, I’m Master Rong’s man…”
“A’Jin, the ones with grievances are the two bosses. You’re just following orders. Master Tong can’t possibly not understand that.” Brother Chong exhaled smoke, his expression somewhat sorrowful. “It’s just that you disappointed him.”
My expression also became somewhat dim.
“Brother Chong, I’m a simple person who sticks to principles. If Master Rong is my boss for a day, he’s my boss for life. Now he’s on the run—I should go take care of him.”
“You might regret this.” Brother Chong said through gritted teeth. “Some people sound good with their words but make you do life-threatening jobs behind the scenes. Some people seem impersonal but genuinely want to keep you as a talent…”
I’m simple, but I’m not stupid.
How could Master Rong want my life?
He had me learn boxing, made me keep practicing even with broken hand bones—that was to train me.
He had me fight over thirty people alone—that was to temper me.
He had Jiu Ge and me draw lots to serve prison time for him—that was only to test me.
I’ve paid respects to Guan Yu. I understand all these principles.
“Brother Chong, thank Master Tong for me.” I interrupted him, stood up, and took the bills from the table. “I’ll find a way to repay this travel money.”
Seeing that I was impervious to reason, Brother Chong also lost his temper.
“Damn stubborn fool… go then! You’d better die in Guangdong!”
He sat in his swivel chair with his back turned, furiously waving his hand. “Get lost already.”
Before leaving, I stopped and turned back to ask, “Brother Chong, why does Master Tong value me so much?”
I saw Brother Chong’s silhouette continue puffing smoke. He pondered for a long time before finally saying faintly, “Because in this era, it’s hard to find someone with such pure ‘underworld spirit’ as you have. Kindness is kindness, grudges are grudges. You’re not doing good deeds, but you try to be a good person. You’re very much like we were when we were young.”
He pulled out a necklace from his chest and tossed it to me without looking back.
I caught it and turned it over to see a small copper medallion with the character “Tong” engraved in the middle.
“If you finish your business and want to return to the gang, this thing can help you. Now scram.”
I tucked the copper medallion into my shirt pocket and bowed deeply to Brother Chong.
There are many people in this world who have been kind to me. After I repay Master Rong’s kindness, I’ll definitely come back to repay Master Tong’s and Brother Chong’s kindness.
…
The next day, I arrived in Guangzhou.
According to the information Brother Chong provided, Master Rong was now living in a fairly upscale apartment.
Knowing he was doing well put my mind at ease.
In the evening, I knocked on Master Rong’s door.
It took a long time before there was any movement. When the door slowly opened, I saw him.
Master Rong was still the same—no different from four years ago.
“A’Jin…?”
He was first stunned, then showed a delighted expression, but then immediately suppressed the delight.
Three different expressions in just one second—his emotions seemed very complex.
Master Rong invited me into the apartment. The decor was simple, with only some essential furniture.
There was another person in the room. I thought it would be Jiu Ge.
But it turned out to be a woman.
“Brother Rong… who is this?” the woman asked.
“Jinglan, this is A’Jin.” After Master Rong finished speaking, he looked at me. “A’Jin, this is your sister-in-law.”
I bowed my head to the woman and called out, “Sister-in-law.”
Master Rong waved his hand, having the woman leave temporarily.
Before the woman left, she kept looking at me suspiciously, and I stared back at her unflinchingly.