C17 - Big Boss, find yourself a partner

He Chusan was a candid person who kept his words truthful. He seriously began the “relationship” with Little He. On Saturday afternoon, they met at the gate of Tan Xiang Ge. He Chusan wore a pair of cheap, fake-elite glasses and a cheap suit, standing in the crowd of pretty girls like a crane among “chicks”. Followed by the teasing of the sisters, he held Little He’s hand with a shy smile, taking her away publicly.

“Is this a no-salary holiday or salary-included outdoor request for her?” The hall manager asked Cui Dongdong.

“Outdoor request, of course,” said General Manager Cui, “VIP special service, doubled cost, mark it under Big Boss’s name!”

Big Boss Xia in the main office abruptly had a ceiling-shaking sneeze! Pulling out the tissue, he rubbed his red nose, irritated.

Big Boss Xia was confident about his strength and dared to only wear a shirt in the temperature of the Christmas season, sleeping on the sofa carelessly for a night, and he was enraged the next morning by He Brat-San. The physical chill plus the heated mental state brought him a fever instantly in the afternoon. He didn’t tell his underling and was even too lazy to take pills. Wrapping himself into a burrito and sleeping like a corpse at his home for two days, he sweated until the sheet was cold and stinky. As soon as the temperature dropped, he thought he was much better and came to the company to check on the business calmly, working and sniffling.

Little Ma flatteringly made a call to report about the situation, “Big Boss! The brat of the Hes really went on a ‘date’ with Little He.”

Xia Liuyi sniffled majestically, “Send people to check him as well. I’ll see how he will ‘date’ – carry him back at once if he dares play any tricks!”

“Yes!”

Little Ma had many ears and eyes, which let him know the Christmas gossip immediately. However, this guy was not as intelligent as Cui Dongdong. He didn’t find it weird at all but thought Big Boss Xia invited He Chusan to have a taste of women enthusiastically, and that the brat was being bitchy. Thus, he persistently annoyed Xia Liuyi with flattery, vowing to teach He Brat-San a lesson for the Big Boss.

“Big Boss, I think this brat is truly a good-for-nothing! You brought him to Tan Xiang Ge for a taste of women, and this f*cking brat didn’t appreciate your kindness at all, and even wanted to take your mazi*!¹ I’d say we should just kidnap him with a sack, throwing him into a basement with a few Russian girls to r*pe him!”

“F*ck your a*s off!” Xia Liuyi cursed out loud with a strong nasally voice, “Who told you Little He is my mazi?! Sleeping with her for a few nights makes her my mazi?! Will you also be mine if I sleep with you tonight?! And the f*cking Russian girls! I’m annoyed the most with Russian girls! Hairy everywhere, under clothes! Is that fine?! You have only useless ideas…Ah Choo!”*²

Little Ma was spat at through the phone resentfully and turned his wrath onto his underlings who were listening carefully to his conversation around the square table, “F*ck! Who won a hand?! Get up and give me your seat!”

In the afternoon with mild winter sun, General Manager Ma rolled up his sleeves to play mahjong in front of his billiard room and was melancholic secretly – I will never step into others’ business anymore. Big Boss cherishes that brat as if he is his son. The only thing he doesn’t do is let the brat sit on his head. The brat can just change his last name and become Xia Chusan. I can’t stand him or punish him, then can’t I just hide from him?!

Actually, General Manager Ma couldn’t punish him or hide from him. As soon as He Chusan did something, he still had to report to his Big Boss obediently, “Big Boss, the kid took Little He into a mall.”

“Ahchoo! What did he buy?”

“He simply bought her a card. How poor!”

“No cr*p. Keep following.”

A call arrived soon, “Big Boss, the brat took Little He to a cinema.”

“What did they watch?”

“It seemed to be Days of Being Wild.”

“Ahchoo!” Didn’t he watch it, “Keep following.”

This time, two hours passed, “Big Boss, the brat bought Little He food on the street.”

“What did he buy?”

“Fishballs and an egg waffle. This f*cking poor kid!”

“Ahchoo!”

Big Boss hung up the call, forcing himself to put his energy into the accounts. He kept reading until the sunset painted the sky. Feeling dizzy, his phone rang again.

Frowning and digging the phone out from the tissue balls he used to sneeze in, he answered, “Where else did he go?”

“A-Hua Bing Sutt. The slinky brat stayed in the kitchen with Little He for an hour.”

“He ‘did’ it inside?”

“I don’t really know if they did, but it seemed that the brat made her a decent meal by himself…”

“Ahchoo--!”

Big Boss Xia made a world-shaking sneeze, which made his mind spin for a while – then he threw the phone away!

“F*ck!”

Giving a card, watching a film, buying snacks, cooking by hand, these totally same steps, and the “a relationship should begin with dates”.

-The puk gaai brat clearly knew there was someone following him and deliberately implied they were “dating for a relationship”!

Big Boss Xia fell backward and kicked the desk! The sneezed tissue balls spread onto the floor instantly!

F*ck the f*cking He A-San!

“Ahchoo!”

Big Boss Xia had himself burnt out from anger, and the high fever came back to him at night. This Big Boss went home quietly and slept after eating two bowls of beef entrails, intending to treat all kinds of diseases with a sleep again. In the end, he almost couldn’t get up. A few bodyguards waited in front of the building until noon but didn’t see him and thought their Big Boss was assassinated in his bedroom. They broke into the room and found Big Boss wrapped himself in the sheet, burning like coal. Despite this, he could still find his gun and pull off the safety accurately in drowsiness, determined to shoot everyone that dared to come close to him. Luckily, his bodyguards had learned Little Ma’s core spirit. Facing unnecessary sacrifices, they couldn’t hide faster.

Cui Dongdong came hurriedly with a private doctor and drove the scared bodyguards out. Then, she disarmed Xia Liuyi and pressed him down for a doctor crisply – she was not a better fighter than the bodyguards, but only she dared hack the back of the Big Boss’s neck mercilessly with her hand and even dared curse at Big Boss — “Puk gaai! Be obedient for me!”.

When Xia Liuyi woke up, Cui Dongdong was sitting on the chair beside the bed, her legs opened wide. She puffed gorgeous smoke circles to the new holes caused by gunshots on the wall.

“Hey Big Boss, do you know what it means to not have the ability to live independently? You’re a typical person that does not have the ability to live independently,” Deputy Cui said with full concern in the haunting smoke, “before killing our Dragon Head casually, please, find yourself a partner!”

Xia Liuyi was annoyed and took the sheet with his hand that was receiving an intravenous drip, covering his head.

“I think the boy of the Hes is fine, clever, and careful. At least you won’t die from hunger or illness with him. Will you try him?”

“Shut up and f*ck off.” Big Boss Xia made a hoarse order from under the sheet.

Deputy Cui had no more cr*p to say and left dashingly, but that night, when Little Ma came at the time for dinner with a grand food box, coming to see Big Boss and give his Big Boss a meal, He Chusan was following him with the little backpack!

Xia Liuyi leaned on the head of the bed lazily, smoking and watching TV. As soon as he saw them come in, he tried to kill Little Ma with a glare.

Little Ma hid back, “Big Boss! This is none of my business! Hey, brat, explain it yourself!” He put down the food box and scurried away promptly.

“I heard you’re sick from Little He,” He Chusan had his gaze lowered to the ground, “so I came to see you, Boss Liuyi.”

Xia Liuyi rolled his eyes with little strength and was too lazy to give any reaction. Only a few henchmen knew he, the Big Boss, was sick in the bed, and Little He was far from being qualified – it is absolutely Cui Dongdong’s evil idea.

He Chusan handed him a big iron container wrapped in cotton to keep the warmth from his little backpack, quietly and nicely. As the lid opened, the scent of century egg with pork congee diffused in the room instantly. He put the congee in a bowl and placed it on the nightstand and opened the grand food box from Little Ma. There were all types of side dishes and a big bowl of plain congee.

“Boss Liuyi, would you like plain congee or the century egg with pork congee?”

Xia Liuyi didn’t look at him at all and dug into the century egg with pork congee to himself – he wasn’t intending to favor He Chusan, but who would choose plain congee over congee with meat.

He Chusan took out another little oil-paper pack from his backpack. Opening it, there was a pile of marinated dishes with a scary look, “It’s salty radish made by dad. Doesn’t look good but it’s tasty. Give it a try.”

Xia Liuyi didn’t react to him. His chopsticks only picked the cabbage pork roll from Little Ma.

He Chusan sat on the chair on the side obediently, watching him eat. After Xia Liuyi dug into a bowl of congee hurriedly, he went forward to pour him another bowl. Until Big Boss Xia seemed to be half satiated and feeling better than previously, he finally said, “Boss Liuyi, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have argued with you that night.”

Xia Liuyi stopped his chopsticks and said nothing, but lifted his gaze to He Chusan with no expression.

He didn’t say anything, but what he wanted to say couldn’t be any clearer – was their problem caused by argument? Stop f*cking pretending He A-San!

He Chusan looked back at him candidly. His face was innocent, his words honest and genuine, he seemed to change after realizing his mistake, “Little He is a good girl, and I enjoy the time with her. Thank you, Boss Liuyi.”

Xia Liuyi frowned a bit and glanced at him from top to bottom several times. He really couldn’t find any flaws from this Best Actor. Eventually, he hummed through his nose as an indirect acceptance for He Chusan’s apology and appreciation.

--As long as the puk gaai brat went back to the right way and did not think about anything wild and messy, as if being possessed by a demon, he can still generously be his Big Boss.

--But he truly doubted if this brat really went back to the “right way”.

He glanced at He Chusan while having the second bowl of congee. This brat had been much more obedient this time, and stopped peeping at him with sneaky glances. After apologizing and receiving the hum, he seemed to rest assured and began turning his face to the TV with full interest.

Watching for a long while concentratedly, he turned as if he eventually realized there was a Big Boss needing to be cared for in the room, “Boss Liuyi, is the meal enough for you? Do you need to have anything else?”

Xia Liuyi casually waved his hand, gesturing that it wasn’t necessary. He Chusan quieted wisely after the good reaction and said no more words to irritate him but pushed the little paper package with marinated radish forward. Big Boss Xia scratched it with his chopsticks and picked up a small piece unwillingly —that was a sign of peace.

After serving his dinner, He Chusan tidied up the utensils and the food box. Before leaving, he hesitated, “Boss Liuyi, do you have any time next weekend? There’s a new film…”

“Nope.” Xia Liuyi was determined to eliminate any ambiguous sprouts and would not make any one-to-one interaction before He Chusan had sex. He answered, annoyed, “Go with your mazi.”

“Little He is not my mazi yet,” He Chusan explained shyly, “We just started dating. Then I will watch it with her first, and I’ll tell you if it’s good.”

“No, thank you. I’ve been busy recently,” said Xia Liuyi, “Don’t bother me if nothing big happens.”

“Okay,” said He Chusan, his face still innocent without a bit of disappointment, “then I won’t disturb you anymore, Boss Liuyi. I’m going home. Be careful with your health. Rest well, and don’t smoke.”

Xia Liuyi hummed, meaning you can shut up and f*ck off.

Listening to the low footsteps of He Chusan as he went down the stairs, he grabbed a cigarette from the nightstand. He lit it up and smoked bossily, and had his mind drift off for a while in front of the TV. Annoyance suddenly came to him.

--The puk gaai brat really had no flaws just now. He even seemed to flush when talking about Little He. Did he turn around that fast?!

He pinched off the cigarette and called with the telephone on the nightstand, “A-Yong? Did the kid go?”

“He just left, Big Boss.”

“Did he ask you anything?”

“No, he didn’t talk to anyone.”

The weather on Xia Liuyi’s face stayed unpredictable for a while. A-Yong waited for a long time, “Big Boss?”

“Drive and catch up to him, and send him home.” It was too late to walk back safely to Kowloon City.

“Yes!”

“…Wait a minute!”

“Any other commands, Big Boss?”

“Don’t send him back.”

Big Boss Xia tried really hard to be cruel —he can’t be too good to the brat, or the brat will misread his meanings!

……

Big Boss Xia didn’t lie about how busy he was. He did stay busy for a long time after Christmas and without lying in bed for a day, he had to crawl up to maintain the situation with his face blue. Time rolled forward like a flash, and a few weeks passed. They kept having no result from searching for the person who deliberately created chaos in his region, and the elders' complaints accumulated for him, expanding too fast, making too many enemies, and getting the police’s notice. Xia Liuyi let Cui Dongdong to soothe the elders with sweet words and didn’t stop fighting and disputing at all.

His main target, Fat Qi, had another big battle again with him before the Chinese New Year, destroying many of his places. He deliberately sent the Red Pole loyal to Elder Ge as the front-line role. That kid wasn’t killed or disabled, instead, he successfully smashed three nightclubs of Fat Qi and looted back a sack of cash.

Xia Liuyi called the Red Pole to a spa. The spa was reserved and they were the only people in the huge pool.

Big Boss Xia leaned against a side of the pool lazily, his face to the ceiling with a wet towel on. The big and small scars on his bare upper body were dark red in the hot water, looking even more aggressive on his smooth muscle with curvature.

This man was scared by the scars covering Big Boss Xia as soon as he came in. Coldness hit him from the back as the story of “Double-Knife Asura’s Black Children’s Day” emerged in his mind. Realizing that this Big Boss had truly killed his way from a path of blood and was a real fighter, he went into the pool with a towel on his waist, frightened.

The room was steamy, and the hot water almost boiled his bones soft. Big Boss Xia sat opposite to him, still, saying nothing. He looked at the unsmiling Big Boss and became more and more nervous.

Xia Liuyi finally said, his voice low and indifferent, “Your nickname is Big Scar Head?”

Big Scar Head straightened his back the best he could, “Yes, Big Boss, there’s a big scar at the top of my head. Someone hacked at me before.”

“And you hacked back?” Said Xia Liuyi.

“Yes, Big Boss. I did.”

“He’s also Big Scar Head now?”

“No, he has no head now.”

Xia Liuyi chuckled.

“Do you know what I called you here for?”

“Please let me know, Big Boss.”

“You are a young man with guts,” Xia Liuyi said lazily, his voice faint under the towel, “one needs not to know where a hero is from, and I will not ask about your past, but look at where you wanna go. If your direction is right, you will not only be Big Scar Head, but also Boss Big Scar. If you’re wrong, you can also only have no head. Do you know what I mean?”

Because the Big Boss had had his face under the towel since the beginning, he couldn’t show off his sincere expression. Thus Big Scar Head could only try to express his loyalty with a determined tone, “I know, Big Boss!”

“Get out.”

“Yes!”

Being in the spa for a long time and receiving a warning with Big Boss’s unclear attitude, this future Boss Big Scar left the water, filled with concerns. He tried to walk steadily to pretend he was calm, and the result was he walked so slowly and finally passed the corridor corner after a long time.

Xia Liuyi made no sounds under the wet towel and had his forehand covered with veins. Until he heard no more steps, he eventually let out a big sneeze! The pool rippled!

“Ahchoo--!”

He pulled the towel down from his face. He sneezed with it and threw it far away, “F*ck!”

His nose was f*cking stuffed and he sounded like he was sobbing while speaking, and he dared not say anything without using a towel! That dumb head f*cked off too slowly!

Little Ma ran in with crisp sounds under his bare feet, “Big Boss, Detective Xu invited you to have a meal tomorrow, on the phone.”

“F*ck,” Xia Liuyi cursed while sounding hoarse, “Asking me for money before the New Year arrives! Let Cui Dongdong go and prepare a red packet with fifty thousand. Just tell him I flew to Thailand for some crucial business.”

“Big Boss,” little Ma squatted by the pool and suggested with hesitation, “Do you need to see a doctor again? I think this looks like an allergy.”

“Can you cure an allergy?! What the cr*p could it help!” Xia Liuyi hit with his bare hand, splashing water onto his face, “Find clothes for me! Ahchoo--!”

He was sick and busy. It had been more than ten days after the fever left, but his snot was still endless and made his nose sore and itchy. He was dizzy from everything, so he had thrown the irritating puk gaai brat away from his head. Little Ma tied his tie for him and then said, “Big Boss, the New Year is coming next week.”

“Uh.” Xia Liuyi hummed a faint nasal sound.

“I am going back to the countryside of Guangzhou the day after tomorrow, and Boss Dongdong will go to Thailand next Monday. What about you…”

“F*ck off early,” Xia Liuyi carelessly said, “find the Finance people and get fifty thousand. Take it as my red packet for your grandma.”

“No, no, thank you,” Little Ma said hurriedly, “she’s in her eighties and she can’t take that much, Big Boss.”

“Stop your nonsense! Call the taxi.’

Little Ma went out flatteringly, and soon he held the door and stepped back, hesitating, “Big Boss, well, we are worried about you being alone, haha…What about going to the countryside with me?”

“I don’t like feeding mosquitoes in the field! Stop it! What the heck are you worried about! F*ck off!”

Little Ma f*cked off half a butt away and stepped back, stuttering, “Big Boss, Boss Dongdong said the kid of the Hes asked her about inviting you to spend the New Year in his home? Are you really going? I think that kid has a head of schemes and no good intentions…”

Xia Liuyi smashed him out with a leather shoe, “None of your business! F*ck off!”

—Moreover, I haven’t agreed yet!

1. *Mazi, a girlfriend. A triad term that is a little negative. (a note from the author) ↑
2. *The original author, translator, and editor do not support any form of racism. The characters’ lines do not represent the author’s idea and please remember any type of racism is incorrect. Please note that most characters in this book live in a 19th-century colony and their worldview and race-view can be different from us, who read the English translation of it. ↑