Chapter 3

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding…

The old wall clock hanging in the small convenience store chimed eight times.

A small car pulled up outside, and two thugs stepped out, heading toward the store.

Leading the way was Guizai, looking dejected and drained, followed by a chubby guy who was chattering non-stop.

The chubby guy asked, “Hey, you said that woman is so ugly no one can compare. How ugly is she? Uglier than Sister Gun?”

“Sister Gun? Way uglier than her.”

“Ugly and nasty—so she’s basically a she-demon?”

“Exactly, a she-demon!” Guizai entered the store, glanced at a man sitting in the corner reading a newspaper, but didn’t pay him much attention. He then said to the shopkeeper, “I’ll take all these loaves of bread, and give me a pack of White Arrow gum too!”

The chubby guy also turned to the shopkeeper: “I want a pack of White Arrow as well. Starting tonight, our boss Brother Sangming controls all of Hongsha Bay. You better know what to do!”

Seeing that these gangsters were clearly here to extort him, the shopkeeper awkwardly smiled. These gangs came every month to collect protection money, but how was he supposed to know who was in charge? He only recognized the low-level collectors.

“I already paid at the start of the month!”

Guizai, not wanting any trouble, quickly pulled out some cash: “Don’t mind him, boss. How much in total? Hurry up, my boss is waiting in the car.”

The chubby guy patted Guizai on the back: “Buying me smokes? What’s going on? You come into money or something? Hey, didn’t you lose your gun? Aren’t you supposed to pay for that?”

Guizai replied, “Brother Sangming just took over the territory, and Babi died so horribly. How’s he going to explain that to Uncle Tian? Best to let sleeping dogs lie!”

“Babi was killed by that she-demon, it’s got nothing to do with you. Don’t worry.”

What Guizai couldn’t admit was that he had helped the “she-demon” lure Babi onto the fishing boat where he was killed. He couldn’t tell the truth.

“Brother Guding will definitely vouch for you in front of Brother Sangming,” the chubby guy said as he lit a White Arrow cigarette, then tossed the lighter to Guizai.

But Guizai froze. Following his gaze, the chubby guy looked outside—

Another car had just arrived.

The chubby guy’s eyes lit up: “Looks like that’s Brother Sangming’s car!”

Guding, who had ridden in the same car with them earlier, got out and hurried over to open the car door for Brother Sangming.

As Sangming stepped out, Guding lit a cigarette for him and seemed to be reporting on the situation.

Guizai nervously swallowed. Later, he would have to recount the whole incident to Brother Sangming and Uncle Tian. He had never had a chance to speak in front of Brother Sangming before, and now he had to make up lies to fool these seasoned gangsters. Saying he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

In the corner sat Lian Kefeng tensed up when she heard the name Sangming.

Sangming’s real name was Qin Qiming. When he first started out, because of his good looks, he earned the nickname “Handsome Ming.” However, due to his ruthless methods, which made his enemies tremble in fear, his nickname gradually evolved into Sangming (Savage Ming).

Sangming was a top enforcer for “Wan’an Society,” one of the three major gangs in the city. He eventually fought his way to the top, inheriting the position of leader from Liang Dalong. In the book, he was notorious for his cruelty and ruthlessness!

Liang Kefeng glanced outside and saw Qin Qiming dressed in a gray trench coat, smoking a cigarette. He looked only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, younger than she had imagined.

Thin smoke curled up from the glowing tip of his cigarette. With his high nose bridge and well-defined features, Qin Qiming was quite handsome and lived up to his old nickname of “Handsome Ming.” He listened to his subordinates’ report with a slight frown but said nothing.

Standing behind Qin Qiming were three or four hulking men. This level of muscle was far beyond what Guizai and Fenchang could handle.

Liang Kefeng wasn’t confident about fighting so many people, especially with her head injury.

Her biggest worry now was—the taxi would arrive suddenly.

And, as expected, what she feared happened.

The sound of a car came from outside, and she saw a red taxi pull up just beyond the shop.

*Beep beep! Beep beep beep!*

The taxi driver honked, signaling for his passenger.

“Miss, your taxi’s here!” The shopkeeper, bagging up a large sack of bread and calculating the total, called out, “Hey pretty girl!”

All eyes turned toward the corner!

At this point, Liang Kefeng had no choice but to bet on Guizai not daring to publicly identify her.

After all, if he did, it would mean overturning the false testimony he had concocted with Fenchang, which would only harm him.

Liang Kefeng adjusted her hat to make sure the banBrothers covering her wound didn’t show. She slowly folded up her newspaper, giving Guizai a quick glance, a barely noticeable smile tugging at her lips.

Guizai’s heart leapt in panic!

Damn it!

Why was he running into this woman again here?!

Was that glance a warning?!

There was no need to warn him; even if he had the guts of a hundred men, he wouldn’t dare…

The chubby guy, who had never seen such a stunning beauty before, couldn’t help but gawk, muttering quietly, “Wow, she’s really gorgeous!”

Liang Kefeng nodded to the shopkeeper and politely said, “Thank you, boss.”

Then she headed for the door. As she passed Guizai, she gave him another glance, causing him to lower his head guiltily.

She lowered her head.

That slight feeling of guilt brought her a bit of calm inside.

Just as she stepped outside, a gust of wind blew by. Liang Kefeng reached up to hold her hat in place, without paying attention to the people standing by the roadside, and quickly made her way to the taxi.

At this time and place, the appearance of such a beautiful woman was rather unusual.

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to her, Qin Qiming included.

He glanced up and down at the woman. Her clothing was ordinary but somewhat odd. The key thing was—

Her overly beautiful face carried a hint of sickness.

“Miss! Wait a moment!”

“Miss!”

After being called out twice, Liang Kefeng could no longer pretend not to hear. She stopped in her tracks, one hand silently gripping the gun in her pocket while feigning a look of confused innocence as she turned around.

She saw Guding, who had been standing beside Qin Qiming, take a few steps back and bend down to pick something up off the ground.

It was money.

When she had reached up to hold her hat, part of the cash in her pocket had accidentally fallen out.

Guding walked over and handed the money back to Liang Kefeng. “You dropped your money.”

“Thank you.”

Liang Kefeng took the money, her peripheral vision catching Qin Qiming observing her with great interest. She turned to leave.

Guding asked, “Miss, what are you doing alone in Hongsha Bay this late?”

“Is something wrong?” Liang Kefeng didn’t answer directly, her eyes showing the unease and helplessness of an ordinary woman.

By now, Qin Qiming had already stepped forward, staring intently at Liang Kefeng.

Although she was stunningly beautiful, her face was pale, her lips nearly colorless, and she was wearing a beach hat that was clearly bought from the small store. Her entire demeanor screamed one word: mysterious.

Liang Kefeng raised her eyes to meet Sangming’s. He looked extremely refined, but his sharp gaze was full of pressure. This was not someone who could be easily deceived with a mere glance or a few words of intimidation.

The key was that he was staring at her hat.

If he forcibly removed her hat and saw the wound on her head, what would happen?

A wound alone might be fine, but she also had the guns that Guizai and Fenchang had lost on her.

Guding also sensed something was off and barked, “Take off the hat!”

After years as a spy, Liang Kefeng had seen her share of intense situations, and now she was faced with two choices…

Caught between calm and panic, she chose the latter.

“Please… please don’t report me…” Her voice trembled, weak and pleading, with a touch of sincerity.

Qin Qiming looked into the woman’s dark, tear-filled eyes. They sparkled like autumn water, filled with fear, apprehension, and a touch of vulnerability that evoked sympathy.

“I worked so hard to smuggle myself here… I don’t want to go back…”

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, all the while running through four or five backup plans in her mind. The most direct and effective one was to take Sangming hostage.

Unaware that the woman across from him was plotting against him, Qin Qiming flicked the ash from his cigarette and asked, “Are you alone?”

Liang Kefeng timidly replied, “Things got chaotic, and I got separated from my relatives.”

Qin Qiming repeated, “Relatives?”

“Mm,” she answered softly. If he came any closer to take off her hat, she could seize the moment to pull out her gun and hold him hostage.

*Beep beep! Beep beep!*

The taxi honked again, and the driver leaned out of the window, shouting, “Hey! Are you leaving or not? The meter’s running!”

Still playing her part, Liang Kefeng cautiously glanced at Sangming. Seeing no sign of him stopping her, she took two steps back and hurried toward the taxi.

Once inside, she quickly gave the driver the address. As the taxi started moving, the driver grumbled, “What a hassle! It’s tough making money, with people dithering around and wasting everyone’s time.”

Through the window, Liang Kefeng saw Guding talking to Sangming. She could read lips, and from his mouth movements, she knew Guding was saying, “That woman’s face doesn’t look right. She probably has a head injury.”

Even from a distance, Sangming kept his eyes fixed on her inside the taxi. He said, “She has a gun. As long as she’s not with the Vietnamese gang, let her go. Our priority tonight is securing the Hongsha Bay territory and ensuring Gaolaoqiang has no chance of a comeback.”

As Qin Qiming spoke, he smiled and gave Liang Kefeng a small wave.

Realizing she had been seen through, Liang Kefeng smiled back brightly and mouthed the words, “Good luck! Be careful.”

If Sangming hadn’t let her go just now, she would have taken him hostage, and who knows who would have gotten hurt. So, she figured it was lucky for both of them.

“Brother, what did she say?” Guding asked.

Qin Qiming’s lips twitched. “She said, ‘Thanks, handsome!'”

Guding chuckled. “She’s got a sweet mouth, huh.”

Qin Qiming remained silent, thinking to himself how quickly this woman’s expressions could change—faster than flipping pages in a book!

Liang Kefeng knew that she and Qin Qiming were bound to meet again. His ambition, and her mission, ensured it.

When Liang Kefeng had chosen to enter the world of the novel at a critical moment in her life, she had received her mission. After transmigrating into the book to eliminate the three major gangs in Hong Kong City before the end of the 1970s.

How could she, with her own strength, accomplish a task that had eluded the Hong Kong police for over a hundred years?

But she had no choice—either she died, or she tried her luck by entering the story, perhaps with a slim chance of survival.

It was now February 1975, with only a few days until the Lunar New Year, and five full years until 1980.

Anything was possible.

Her primary task now was to heal her injuries and obtain her Hong Kong identity card.

It took just over twenty minutes to drive from Hongsha Bay to the city center.

Liang Kefeng got out of the car at the street corner, looking at the old-fashioned bustling street scene, feeling for the first time the reality of being in 1970s Hong Kong.

It was around 8:30 PM, and the roads were busy with traffic. Neon signs lined the streets, dessert shops were packed with customers, and shops selling New Year’s tangerines and lanterns still had a few customers lingering. The aroma of stir-fried beef ho fun wafted from the food stalls, filling the air with a rich, vibrant atmosphere.

Following the address, she walked forward and asked a couple of passersby before finally stopping at “Liang Ji Mahjong Hall.”

According to a letter from the original owner’s father, this was their family’s largest mahjong hall, where her father had made his fortune, and he usually lived upstairs.

Inside the mahjong hall, many people were smoking, and the air was thick with smoke and noise. Scanning the room, she saw more than ten mahjong tables set up in the main area, all of which were busy, with not a single empty spot. Some tables had people betting, while waiters moved about serving snacks and tea, indicating a bustling business.

Liang Kefeng walked to the counter, where a young man and a man in a suit in his fifties were reconciling accounts. She asked, “Is your boss, Liang Yaozu, here?”

“What do you need the boss for?” The person replying didn’t even look up.

“I’m Liang Yaozu’s daughter.”

The man in the suit, who was likely the store manager, stood up, removed his glasses, and looked at her with surprise.

“What’s your name?”

“Liang Kefeng.”

“Oh! ” The man exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands, and quickly introduced himself: “I’m Uncle Kun, the accountant at Liang Ji. I’ve written to you before. How did you get here, young lady? Just wait a moment; the boss lives on the third floor, I’ll take you up.”

Uncle Kun was an old employee of the store; he had previously helped the boss send letters and knew that the boss had only one daughter named Liang Kefeng, who had been unable to come to Hong Kong from the mainland.

It would have been better if the young lady could have come earlier; now that she had arrived late, the place had been taken over by others. How could he explain this?

Uncle Kun sighed silently. After all, it was the boss’s family matter, and he didn’t feel comfortable commenting.