Chapter 88: Today, I Stand Behind You

Someone was here.

The knocking came urgently.

Wang Qiang was overjoyed, guessing it must be someone summoned by Boss Wang.

Dong Xiaowu was smoking when he heard the sound and told the blond-haired youth, “Go open the door.”

Before the blond-haired youth had even taken two steps, Zhu Xiaofeng was already ahead of him. He yanked off the latch in three strides taken as two, and there outside stood a thin middle-aged man, not very tall, wearing a white shirt and carrying a briefcase, with the air of a successful man.

Was this Boss Wang?

Or someone Boss Wang had sent?

Wang Qiang stared at the man’s face for a moment, but did not know him.

Yet Xiao Jian and the others stirred at once, calling out in delighted surprise.

“Great!”

“Brother Hailong is here.”

They hurried over, crowding around the middle-aged man and ushering him inside.

As the brothers all spoke at once about what had happened, Hailong’s expression grew dark.

“This is the person you invited?” Dong Xiaowu asked with a startled laugh. He had thought Wang Qiang had brought some formidable figure, but it turned out to be Hailong, the big boss of Hailong’s circle. Still, as the master of his own territory, Hailong stood a little higher than Dong Xiaowu in underworld standing, and could at least be reasoned with.

Wang Qiang was just about to speak when Hailong asked first, “Who is Brother Qiang?”

Brother Qiang?

Me?

Wang Qiang looked around in bewilderment, but no one reacted.

Hailong asked again, “Who is Wang Qiang, Brother Qiang?”

Only then did Wang Qiang realize the question was indeed for him. He quickly replied, “I’m Wang Qiang. Hello, Brother Hailong. Did Boss Wang send you?”

Xiao Jian, Xiao Wen, and the others let out soft exclamations and looked at Wang Qiang. They too had not realized the title was meant for him.

Dong Xiaowu was shaken by what he heard. He knew a little about Hailong; on the streets, Hailong was famous for being ruthless. Otherwise, he could never have kept twenty or thirty brothers in line. Yet now he was calling the owner of an arcade “brother”? Could the other man truly have a remarkable background?

Hailong came up with a smiling face, clasped Wang Qiang’s hand in both of his, and shook it firmly. “Hello, Brother Qiang, hello. My brother has caused you trouble. I don’t know the Boss Wang you mentioned, but someone did ask me to come.”

“Not just trouble for him, for me too,” Dong Xiaowu said sourly. “Hailong, your brother hit my little brother. How do we settle this?”

“Ah, so it’s Dong the Tiger,” Hailong said, as if only just noticing him. Then he went on, “If we’re settling accounts, that’s fine. Wait a bit. We’ll talk when General Liu arrives.”

General Liu?

Who was that?

Dong Xiaowu and his men exchanged glances, unable to think of any such figure on the streets. But since this person could summon Hailong in person, he must have some real influence, so they did not act rashly.

Even they did not know, and Wang Qiang knew even less. To tell the truth, even now he still did not know who Boss Wang had sent to mediate this matter.

Suddenly, hurried leather shoes sounded from outside on the steps, pounding up at a rapid pace.

Everyone turned to look, wanting to see who had arrived in such a rush.

A huge, obese man in a suit and tie rushed in at the doorway. The moment he reached it, he could go no farther. He braced himself against the frame, gasping for breath in great gulps, as if he had run the whole way.

Wang Qiang looked at the fat man in confusion and was about to ask if he was General Liu, when he saw Dong Xiaowu and the others rush forward at once.

“Brother Xiao Lei.”

“You came yourself?”

“We can handle this sort of thing. No need to trouble you.”

Dong Xiaowu moved to support the fat man.

Who would have thought the fat man would flare up and shake him off, cursing between breaths, “Dong... Dong Xiaowu, you son of a... what kind of people are you... you dare to provoke anyone?”

Dong Xiaowu was a little dumbstruck. His voice was weak as he said, “Brother Xiao Lei, I... what did I do?” If anyone else had dared call him a son of a bitch, Dong Xiaowu would probably have slapped him already. In the underworld, who did not care about face? Who could be humiliated so easily? But the man before him was not someone he could even think of striking; even if the man hit him twice, he would have to swallow it.

Why?

Anyone who had to ask why was surely not very perceptive.

Because this was the boss of his boss, the leader of the Azure Dragon Gang. Let alone calling him a son of a bitch, even if he called him a disgusting idiot, he would have to endure it.

After a while, Brother Xiao Lei finally caught his breath. He glared with bitter disappointment and said, “What do you mean, what did you do? You still have the nerve to ask? I usually tell you to watch your eyes, watch your eyes, and you never listen!” As he spoke, he even jabbed Dong Xiaowu’s forehead a few times with his finger.

Dong Xiaowu tilted his neck, wanting to dodge, but he was also forcing a smile on his face and did not dare move. He looked exactly like an aggrieved little wife, and even now he still could not figure out what was going on.

Aside from Hailong, who had some idea, Xiao Jian, Xiao Wen, and the others were all completely bewildered. They had never met Brother Xiao Lei, but that did not mean they had not heard of the illustrious boss of the Azure Dragon Gang. Why had he just rushed in and started disciplining his own men?

Brother Xiao Lei then looked at the more than twenty men holding metal rods and glared. “What are you all doing with those rods? Huh? Tired of not having enough prison food? Take them and toss them into the minibus downstairs!”

At his shout, more than twenty people hurried out the door one after another, afraid that if they were late they would be scolded again.

After those people left, Brother Xiao Lei looked at his watch and muttered to himself, “At last I made it twenty minutes early.” Then he raised his head and looked around. With a completely different manner from before, he asked gently, “Which one is Brother Wang Qiang?”

All eyes swept to Wang Qiang.

He gave a soft sound and said, “I’m Wang Qiang. Hello, Brother Xiao Lei.”

Brother Xiao Lei smiled broadly and ran over. Just like Hailong had done before, he took the initiative to grasp Wang Qiang’s right hand with both of his. “Hello, little Brother Qiang. I’m Gu Xiaolei. Just call me Xiao Lei.”

The expression on Dong Xiaowu’s face, which had been gloomy moments before, changed with visible speed to astonishment.

Needless to say, Xiao Jian, Xiao Wen, and the others were even more stunned. They looked at Wang Qiang with trepidation. The man they collected protection money from was someone even the boss of the Azure Dragon Gang had to call brother? Especially Xiao Jian; cold sweat already covered his forehead in tiny beads, and he stood there at a loss, unsure what to do.

Wang Qiang did not dare act too proudly. “No need to be so polite, Brother Xiao Lei. Um, just call me Qiangzi. Little Qiang sounds a bit...”

Everyone suddenly thought of the movie released last year, the one in which Stephen Chow held up a cockroach and shouted “Little Qiang,” and they nearly burst out laughing.

“Fine, then I’ll call you Brother Qiangzi,” Gu Xiaolei said with great cheer.

Dong Xiaowu stepped forward and asked cautiously, “Brother Xiao Lei, were you also called over by some General Liu?”

He was not stupid; he guessed it immediately.

But what he got in return was another round of harsh scolding from Gu Xiaolei. “What do you mean, some General Liu? It’s General Liu, all right? Watch how you speak!” Perhaps sensing his tone had been too harsh, he paused and explained, “General Liu is an extraordinary figure. When I see her, I still have to call her sister. When she comes later, all of you mind your manners.” As he spoke, his eyes flicked toward Hailong’s side.

Hailong hurriedly nodded and shouted to Xiao Jian and the others, “Did you hear that?”

Xiao Jian answered repeatedly, “We heard, we heard.”

The rest, including Xiao Wen, did not dare say a word of disagreement.

Wang Qiang, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed. How had one phone call stirred up such a great procession? First the bosses of two circles, and then even someone whom Gu Xiaolei had to call sister? In truth, he had no clear sense of it. To Wang Qiang, Hailong’s circle and the Azure Dragon Gang were about the same.

But if one knew the people from these two groups, one could immediately tell the difference in strength. Hailong’s circle had only twenty or thirty brothers and was relatively small, whereas the Azure Dragon Gang was different, with a full hundred or two hundred men under it and truly formidable strength.

Yet no matter how formidable a circle might be, it would be of no use. In a little while, with the campaign of crackdown, all such circles would cease to exist, or rather, would exist in another form.

Everyone waited in silence.

About two minutes later, a hoarse woman’s voice came from downstairs.

“Has Gu Xiaolei and Shi Hailong arrived?”

Some young man answered, “Brother Xiao Lei and the others are here, upstairs.”

Then there was no more sound from below.

Soon after, a clear and measured sound of high heels came up the empty stairwell, unhurried and deliberate.

Everyone turned their eyes to the doorway, Wang Qiang included. He was very curious what kind of woman had arrived.

The sound of the high heels drew nearer and nearer.

After a moment, a pair of red high heels appeared at the doorway, followed by a black dress that entered everyone’s sight.

When she turned sideways, Wang Qiang could not help his pupils contracting.

What sort of woman was this?

At first glance she seemed about twenty-five or twenty-six. As she stepped into the sunlight spilling in from the window, her skin glowed with a snowy sheen, while her dark eyes were as cold as the frozen soil of Siberia. Her high nose bridge gave her features a sharp, severe line, and her lightly pressed lips seemed to hint at a loveless nature.

“Liu... General Liu.” Hailong bent his waist in a somewhat servile posture.

Gu Xiaolei, too, put on a flattering smile. “General Liu, you’re here?”

This General Liu ignored them. Her brows, sharp as willow blades, swept toward her temples; a pair of deep eyes like an autumn pool were hidden beneath dense lashes, obscuring all of her overbearing, frosty beauty. She strolled slowly to the side of the crowd, picked up a small stool with her slender, jade-like fingers, and sat down gracefully. Her beautiful, smooth ankle stood out strikingly amid the filthy cement floor of the arcade.

Wang Qiang caught a faint fragrance. He did not know what it was, only that it smelled very pleasant.

“Wang Qiang, come sit beside me,” General Liu said lightly, yet with undeniable authority. She did not even ask who Wang Qiang was.

To be honest, Wang Qiang’s instinct was to resist, but he did not know what magic there was in this woman’s hoarse voice. After hearing it, he said nothing and sat down on the small stool beside General Liu.

Gu Xiaolei and Shi Hailong stood stiffly.

As for Dong Xiaowu, Xiao Jian, Xiao Wen, and the others, they could not help being dazzled by the woman’s beauty and failed to notice the unusually respectful look on their bosses’ faces.

General Liu rested her right hand on the small wooden table holding the television set and tapped her index finger in a steady rhythm, making a sharp knocking sound.

She did not speak, and no one present dared make a sound. In particular, Gu Xiaolei and Shi Hailong held their breaths, scarcely daring to breathe, as though a white rabbit had met a Siberian tiger.

Wang Qiang was also deeply uneasy, unable to gauge General Liu’s temper.

After more than ten seconds, General Liu finally parted her red lips and spoke slowly and unhurriedly.

“Xiao Wang.”

“Yes, General Liu?” Wang Qiang replied.

“Call me sister.”

Wang Qiang had no choice but to say, “Sister.”

“Mhm.” General Liu nodded in satisfaction. Her cold gaze swept back and forth over Gu Xiaolei and Shi Hailong’s faces before she said softly, “Who was it that wanted to make trouble here just now?”

Wang Qiang said, “It was...”

“No need to tell me.” General Liu shook her index finger, then turned her head and looked over expressionlessly. “Go up first and each give them a slap. After that, we’ll talk slowly. Today, I’ve got your back!”