Chapter 26

Lei Dian left, but before going he left that bag of electronic chips with Cao Yang.

He said the stuff was valuable and asked Cao Yang to keep it safe for him. Once he found the right buyer and sold it, he would split half with Cao Yang.

“Stop crying, he’ll pay you back.”

But Li Yan’s tears still fell.

“Pay back my ass! In Dongguan there’s no such thing as love or friendship. Once people leave, they disappear for a lifetime. Lending him money is like throwing a meat bun to a dog!”

“No way, I can judge people well. He’s the first friend I made after coming out here, and he even left things with me. He won’t run.”

Li Yan didn’t listen, still crying.

Cao Yang sighed helplessly: “Just think of it as me borrowing your money, alright? I promise I’ll pay you back tenfold, a hundredfold in the future!”

Li Yan still wept, saying nothing.

“Come on, stop crying, sis. People will think I did something bad to you!”

“Let’s go.” Li Yan wiped her tears, pulling Cao Yang’s hand, ready to leave.

“Go where?” Cao Yang didn’t budge.

“You’re going to just stay here waiting for them to come back and kill you?”

“This has to be resolved. If I leave, I’m afraid they’ll burn down the shop.”

“How do you resolve it? You’re just one person, they’re a whole gang!”

“Who said I’m alone?”

Cao Yang grinned, picking up a slip of paper. “Don’t we still have Brother Shanying?”

He dialed the number written on the note.

“Hello, Brother Shanying, it’s Cao Yang.”

“I’m the one you just came to collect protection money from.”

Cao Yang exposed his identity, and on the other end Shanying realized who he was.

“You brat, got the money together already?” Shanying was in good spirits, thinking Cao Yang was calling him to pick it up.

“I’ve almost got it, but the Sichuan gang came to mess with me, won’t let me open. What do you say about that?”

Shanying frowned. “Didn’t you tell them you’re under my protection?”

“I did, but they said you’re nothing, they don’t even put you in their eyes!”

Shanying roared in anger: “They really said that? You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“It’s true. Don’t believe me? Come ask them face-to-face! Not only did they say you’re nothing, they said you’re less than nothing!”

“Tell them to wait for me. Today I’ll make sure they know exactly who I am!”

Fuming, Shanying hung up the phone, then gathered his men, preparing for a fight.

He thought bitterly: Damn, I haven’t even seen a single penny yet, and I’m already about to brawl for this kid. What a loss!

But he couldn’t not go — otherwise, how would he ever collect protection fees in the future?

Cao Yang hung up, smiling cheekily at Li Yan. “Go back first. Reinforcements are on the way.”

Li Yan was still uneasy. “The Hunan gang isn’t anything good either!”

Cao Yang patted her shoulder. “I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about me. If I have to run, none of them can catch me.”

After sending her away, Cao Yang lit a cigarette and lounged comfortably in the rocking chair.

Before long, two Toyota Hiace vans stopped at the end of the alley. The doors slid open, and about twenty men stepped out, each holding long objects wrapped in newspaper.

It was the Hunan gang. Shanying walked at the front.

“You look pretty relaxed, kid!”

“With Brother Shanying here, I’ve got confidence.” Cao Yang smiled, flattering him.

Shanying laughed too, but quickly dropped the smile. “Flattery’s useless. Hand over the money.”

He held out his hand.

“What money?” Cao Yang asked, puzzled.

“What money, you ask?” Shanying’s face darkened.

Cao Yang feigned realization. “Oh, the money’s ready, but it’s with my sister. Once this is sorted out, I’ll have her give it to you.”

Shanying wasn’t pleased but didn’t press. He didn’t believe Cao Yang dared not pay.

He added: “Six thousand is just the base protection fee. This time I brought so many brothers to fight for you — each one deserves cigarettes, a meal, and a woman, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you need to add more money. Five hundred per person. We’ve got twenty-two guys here. That’s another eleven thousand.”

Cao Yang shook his head. “We don’t have that kind of money.”

Shanying smiled. “That’s fine, you can owe it. Pay when you’ve made enough.”

Cao Yang still shook his head. “No way. Too expensive. I don’t need your help fighting. You can all go back.”

“Fuck you! You think you can just say no? We’re already here. Whether we fight or not, you still have to pay!”

Cao Yang shook his head, just two words: “No money.”

Shanying flared up. If not the Sichuan gang, then at least Cao Yang would get beaten first.

Just then, a little brother grabbed him. “Brother Shanying, don’t be rash. I think this kid is the one the boss has been looking for lately.”

That underling had been present at the Nightingale Club incident and recognized Cao Yang, though he wasn’t completely sure — the lighting that night was too poor.

Shanying frowned, about to ask more, when the sound of screeching brakes came from the other end of the alley.

Another van blocked the exit. Doors opened, and more than ten Sichuan gang members climbed out, each carrying machetes.

“Fuck you, Shanying! So you’re the bastard stirring shit up here!”

The Sichuan gang leader, a vicious fat man, spat curses at Shanying. Clearly, they knew each other.

“Fuck you, Fei Long! You dare mess with a place under my protection?!”

Shanying cursed back. The two gangs had never gotten along and often clashed.

Now over thirty men were gathered, cursing, shoving, but not swinging yet.

The Sichuan gang had come for revenge, but they were outnumbered two-to-one, so they held back.

The Hunan gang had numbers, but since they hadn’t collected any money yet, they weren’t fully motivated.

Cao Yang, seeing them just bicker without fighting, picked up a rock and hurled it at Fei Long’s head.

Thud! Blood streamed from Fei Long’s forehead.

He touched it and pulled back a hand full of blood. “Motherfucker! Kill them!”

With a loud roar, both sides ripped off the newspaper wrapping, revealing gleaming machetes. The brawl exploded instantly.

Cao Yang watched leisurely from the sidelines, sometimes commenting, sometimes shaking his head, judging that some swings weren’t proper.

Maybe his act was too cocky — a Sichuan gangster couldn’t stand it and charged at him with a machete.

Cao Yang calmly kicked him flying, then leapt up onto the factory wall, continuing to watch the show from above.

The alley rang with shouts and the clash of blades. Soon men fell, blood spreading and staining the ground.

The fight started quickly and ended just as fast — barely three to five minutes.

The Hunan gang won through sheer numbers, but it was a bitter victory — five or six of their men lay on the ground, fate uncertain.

The Sichuan gang was completely wiped out. Only Fei Long remained, slumped against the wall, still cursing Shanying, daring him to kill him.

Shanying ignored him. In this business, unless there was a major blood feud, no one wanted to kill — otherwise, it was hard to explain to the boss and the police.

Scanning the bloody scene, Shanying searched for Cao Yang. Their brothers were wounded, and he meant to make the kid pay for medical costs.

But after looking around, he couldn’t find a trace of Cao Yang anywhere.