Chapter 129

Chapter 129

“Wanghai Lou is under the control of Guazi San.”

Inside the Wen Hua Hotel, Yu He and Huang Shaohang sat facing each other in a private room.

Huang Shaohang, injured at his back, could only lean obliquely on the sofa. Supporting his head with his hand, he closed his eyes in exhaustion, “The people who were after me today were also from Guazi San’s group.”

Alone with Yu He, Huang Shaohang's rigid back relaxed, finally revealing a trace of vulnerability from his injuries. It seemed that only in front of Yu He could he drop the façade of being strong and formidable.

Huang Shaohang said, “I may seem to have many people around me, but there are very few I can truly trust. Today’s whereabouts were leaked by someone close to me.”

No one would pity the wounds on his body. Everyone around him was eyeing him greedily, waiting for him to show a hint of weakness or a flaw, ready to pounce and tear him to shreds.

Huang Shaohang picked up a cigarette from the table, placed it between his lips, lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled.

“Brother Yu, this is Northern Myanmar. Every minute and every second here, I long to return to our country, and I miss you.”

The young boy who used to hide behind Yu He had grown into a composed young man capable of standing on his own, just like a bamboo shoot after the rain.

The smoke filled the air, spreading gently throughout the private room.

Through the blue-grey smoke, Yu He couldn't make out Huang Shaohang's face clearly.

Yu He lowered his eyelids, his thoughts a mystery, his thumb unconsciously pressing against the knuckle of his index finger, as he asked, “Who is Guaizi San?”

Huang Shaohang looked up at Yu He: "He is my third brother, the third son from my stepfather's first marriage."

A short sentence revealed a wealth of information, hiding generations of love and hatred within the power struggles of a certain gang in Northern Myanmar.

Yu He didn’t probe further; his mind was really not in a state to focus on anything else at the moment.

He just wanted to know what Guaizi San was really after from Fu Yunzhe.

Hearing Yu He say this, Huang Shaohang actually cracked a smile.

“Brother Yu, you really don’t understand Northern Myanmar. Greed is insatiable; a wolf is never satisfied.”

Huang Shaohang extinguished the cigarette between his fingers in the ashtray, speaking lightly: “I am going now with my men to Wanghai Tower, and I will bring back the person you are looking for.”

Huang Shaohang stood up, and at that moment of stabilizing himself, the weakness from his severe injuries instantly dissipated, as if an invisible armor had covered and wrapped around his wounds.

He couldn’t feel any pain.

Huang Shaohang’s hand rested on the private room door. Before pushing it open, he slightly turned his head to speak to Yu He, “Brother Yu, I really wish you could stay in Northern Myanmar with me, but after we find President Fu, you two should hurry back to China.”

Five minutes later, over a dozen cars left the Wenhua Hotel, majestically heading towards Wanghai Tower.

Sitting side by side with Huang Shaohang in the car, Yu He still hadn’t come back to his senses.

Today felt like falling into a bizarre dream, starting from the moment he opened the back door of A Kun’s house and caught Huang Shaohang, who was covered in blood. Everything that happened afterwards was beyond his expectations.

Yu He asked, “Guaizi San wants to kill you, isn’t going there directly too dangerous?”

Huang Shaohang replied, “Although we can’t wait to see each other dead privately, on the surface, we are closer than real brothers. So, if we go there directly to ask for someone, he won’t only not make things difficult for me, but will also be very polite.”

Yu He turned his head to glance at the dozen or so black cars following behind them, commenting, “This scene is even more exaggerated than the Hong Kong films we used to watch in the cinema.”

A slight smile appeared on Huang Shaohang’s tense face: “Back when we were in school, what I looked forward to the most was you sneaking me out to play.”

Saying so, he stretched out his hand.

There was a light, yet long scar on the palm of Huang Shaohang’s right hand, almost traversing the entire palm, though shallow, it was extremely long.

At first glance, the impact was profound, resembling a severed palm.

“This is from when we climbed the wall, the glass shards cut me. Do you still remember, Brother Yu?”

How could Yu He possibly forget?

The private high school implemented semi-closed management, with walls over two meters high, but that still couldn’t stop the vigorous young men. To prevent students from skipping class by climbing over the walls, the school placed a layer of upright glass shards on top, with their sharp points facing upwards, revealing their menace.

It did have a certain deterrent effect.

But if people can escape from prisons with electric fences, how could some sharp glass stop Yu He when he truly wanted to get out?

Covering it with his school uniform, Yu He would just pretend it wasn’t there, treating it as if the wall was just 10 cm taller. Then, padding his palms with his jacket, he climbed as he would normally.

It was like those people on TV who could stand on the edge of a knife; as long as you find the right angle to bear the weight, there’s no problem at all.

The quality of their school uniforms was indeed pretty good; it held up nine out of ten times.

The only time it didn’t, Huang Shaohang happened to be there.

At that time, Yu He had already climbed over the wall and was catching Huang Shaohang below, telling him to just jump down directly.

Huang Shaohang, being faint-hearted, was already squatting on the wall but still didn’t dare to jump directly, insisting on sliding down the wall instead.

Under the force of the fall, the glass shard cut across his palm from one end to the other.

Yu He’s eyes fell on the old scar in Huang Shaohang’s palm: “I was terrified at the time. When has Young Master Huang ever suffered like this? A push in the restroom would be enough to make him cry.”

Huang Shaohang loosely clenched his right hand, as if holding the scar in his palm: “Not anymore.”

Seeing Huang Shaohang’s current state, Yu He also felt uneasy.

No wonder Fu Yunzhe always told him that he didn’t want him to grow up. Seeing the once innocent young boy losing his naivety, it was hard for an onlooker not to feel bitter and helpless.

Yu He couldn’t help but stroke Huang Shaohang’s hair.

That was how he always used to comfort Huang Shaohang back in the day.

Yu He said: “Brother Yu can’t cover for you anymore. Now it’s your turn to take Brother Yu out to show him around.”

Huang Shaohang turned his face towards Yu He, his eyes sparkling: "Brother Yu, don't overthink it. Guazi San calculated against me today, but I would have dealt with him sooner or later anyway. I just took this opportunity to settle everything at once."

When Yu He had just touched Huang Shaohang's hair, he noticed that Huang Shaohang’s hair roots were damp with sweat. He reached out to feel his forehead again, saying, “You seem to have a bit of a fever.”

Ever since learning about Fu Yunzhe's disappearance, Yu He had been in a state of panic, with cold hands and feet. Now, his cold hand rested on Huang Shaohang's slightly warm forehead. The cool and warm sensations collided, bringing comfort to Huang Shaohang, who unconsciously lifted his head to rub against Yu He’s hand.

Yu He's fingertips moved slightly, and he couldn't help but chuckle: “Why are you acting like the cat I used to have?”

Huang Shaohang’s eyes were wet, and he complained softly in Chinese, “My head hurts.”

Besides Yu He, there was only one driver from Northern Myanmar in the car, who was one of Huang Shaohang’s most trusted confidantes. However, even in front of this confidant, Huang Shaohang still spoke his native language in a hushed voice to express his discomfort.

Yu He felt a complex mix of emotions, but he didn’t know what to say.

The car fell silent, and soon they arrived at Wang Hai Building.

Huang Shaohang straightened his suit and pulled out two tissues to wipe the sweat from his forehead: “Brother Yu, wait for me in the car.”

A subordinate outside opened the car door, and Huang Shaohang stepped out, his shiny leather shoes hitting the floor tiles.

With long, confident strides, Huang Shaohang entered Wang Hai Building surrounded by a crowd, exuding charisma and vigor.

If it wasn’t for the wound that Yu He had personally stitched up, one wouldn’t be able to tell that just two hours ago, Huang Shaohang had a long, narrow knife wound on his back.

After Huang Shaohang left, Yu He grew restless in the car and got out to stand under a tree, lighting a cigarette.

His bodyguard, Brother Wang, stood behind him: “Young Master Yu, can you trust this junior of yours?”

Yu He looked around. The men Huang Shaohang left to protect him were standing about ten meters away, gathered in small groups, not paying particular attention to him.

Yu He spoke softly, “I don’t know. I don’t know anyone else in Northern Myanmar.”

Huang Shaohang was injured, yet he still led people straight to Wang Hai Building to demand someone on behalf of Yu He. Yu He owed him a favor for this.

So regardless of whether Huang Shaohang was trustworthy or if he had other motives, Yu He didn't have the energy to care. As long as he could get Fu Yunzhe back, nothing else mattered.

“I don’t have anything worth plotting for,” Yu He took a drag of his cigarette, pondering, “Besides, do I really need to use my mind to the extent of making him play such a big game?”

Brother Wang hesitated, wanting to say that Huang Shaohang’s gaze towards Yu He seemed unusual.

As bodyguards, they were very sensitive to people’s gazes, especially those directed at their employers. They needed to quickly discern whether a person’s intentions were benign or malicious through their gaze—benign intentions could be temporarily ignored, while malicious intentions required close observation.

When Yu He wasn’t paying attention, Huang Shaohang's gaze was always fixed on him.

In certain specific situations, people can't help but look towards those they care about, closely observing their reactions to adjust their own words and actions accordingly.

What kind of junior would look at their senior in such a way?

Moreover, a junior from high school, whom I haven’t seen in years, being able to bring a group of dozens of people to help their senior out, is in itself an incredibly unbelievable situation.

Wang Ge wanted to warn Yu He to be careful, but felt it was inappropriate for him, a mercenary paid to do a job, to say such things.

Especially since Mr. Fu was not present, and Yu He was indecisive, saying it out loud now seemed to bring more trouble than help, so he chose to remain silent.

Wang Ge changed the subject: “Our team leader will be here soon. He has a lot of connections in Northern Myanmar and is highly skilled. Mr. Fu said that he will follow you from now on to prevent any more troubles.”

Yu He leaned against a tree, saying, “There’s no way to guard against a thief every day. If someone really wants to harm a person, they can even assassinate a prime minister. It’s my fault for growing up on the mainland, always thinking that although foreign countries are not as safe as our own, the difference can't be too great. I was too naive.”

Wang Ge responded, “That’s because they haven’t hired our Xiao team. If our Xiao team were here, even if someone fell into a volcano, he could still save them.”

Yu He started to remember, asking, “Xiao team? Is it the one who’s really good at playing games?”

There was a time when Yu He and Fu Yunzhe were always losing at games, and Fu Yunzhe had called a mercenary friend to join them.

At that time, that person had joked, saying that protecting a life in the game cost the same as it did offline.

Yu He found it too expensive; online gaming companions only charged 80 yuan per game. He immediately wanted to log off, saying he didn’t want to play anymore.

That person was particularly addicted to gaming, probably not having many people to play with usually. Upon hearing that Yu He was going to leave, he offered Yu He 80 yuan, asking him to stay and play.

Later on, Fu Yunzhe went to work, and Yu He spent the entire day playing games with that person, advancing his rank from Gold to Diamond, and even earning several hundred yuan.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ge burst into laughter, repeatedly saying that this was definitely something their team leader would do: "That’s him, our team leader, surnamed Xiao."

As they spoke, a group of people suddenly walked out of Wanghai Tower, lining up on both sides as if to welcome guests.

A Northern Myanmar man with a crutch walked out first, personally opening the door.

Immediately following, Fu Yunzhe and Huang Shaohang stepped out.

The anxiety in Yu He's heart finally settled.

A few people stood talking at the door, Fu Yunzheng shook hands with the man on crutches, and then, with his help, the group retreated back to Wanghailou.

Fu Yunzheng and Huang Shaohang walked shoulder to shoulder down the steps, heading towards Yu He.

Yu He quickly stepped forward, disregarding the crowd, and tightly embraced Fu Yunzheng: “Are you okay?”

Fu Yunzheng patted Yu He on the back, comforting him: "I'm fine, it was just a small misunderstanding, we'll talk about it when we get back."

Huang Shaohang apologized to Yu He: “Brother Yu, Mr. Fu can come back with us first, but I've lost something. Until it’s found, you’ll need to stay with Mr. Fu at my place for a while.”

Seeing Fu Yunzheng, Yu He couldn't maintain his forced composure any longer.

He scrutinized Fu Yunzheng up and down several times, fearing that Fu Yunzheng might have lost even a single strand of hair out of his sight.

Fu Yunzheng couldn’t help but chuckle: "I'm really fine."

Assured of Fu Yunzheng's wellbeing, Yu He seemed to awaken from a nightmare, his drifting spirit finding its place once again.

Under the sunlight, Huang Shaohang’s face was pale, and he quietly and solemnly watched Yu He.

Fu Yunzheng noticed Huang Shaohang's gaze and reminded Yu He: “Xiao He, who is this?”

Only then did Yu He come back to his senses, introducing Fu Yunzheng to Huang Shaohang, and then telling Fu Yunzheng: “He was my junior in high school, Huang Shaohang. Back then, we used to skip classes to hang out together. Oh right, actually, you’ve met him before, haven’t you, Xiao Hang?”

Huang Shaohang nodded: “Yes, when Brother Yu came to Mingdu for a visit, he stayed at my house. I was only in my second year of high school then, and had the honor to attend a lecture by Mr. Fu. His speech was truly inspiring.”

Yu He didn’t notice anything, but Wang Ge, who was following behind him, sensed an almost imperceptible tension in the air.

Wang Ge thought to himself, was he overthinking things?

Why did it feel like this Huang kid was showing off something? As if being in the second year of high school was something extraordinary, as though everyone hasn't been through that phase.

Fu Yunzheng, with his sharp intuition, of course picked up on the underlying meaning of Huang Shaohang’s words.

Huang Shaohang was implying to Fu Yunzheng that he and Yu He had known each other for a long time, and were so close that they could stay at each other’s houses.

Fu Yunzheng didn’t take it to heart and politely responded: “So we have met before. I’m really grateful to Mr. Huang for mediating this time.”

Huang Shaohang smiled: “Brother Yu’s matters are my matters. This is what I should do. Being able to reunite with Brother Yu in Myanmar is fate. Please don’t be so courteous.”

This statement was even more direct than the previous one, blatantly indicating that Huang Shaohang and Yu He were closer, inadvertently making Fu Yunzheng seem like an outsider.

Wang Ge cast a glance at Huang Shaohang.

He didn’t think too much about it; this young man was simply challenging Mr. Fu.

Young people nowadays really have guts. What’s the difference between flirting with Yu He in front of Fu Yunzhe and pulling a tooth from a tiger’s mouth?

Although Yu He couldn’t perceive the underlying tension, he also felt that Huang Shaohang’s way of speaking to Fu Yunzhe wasn’t as obedient as when he spoke to him. He looked at Huang Shaohang in slight astonishment.

"Indeed, since we’re so fated, Mr. Huang must definitely come when Xiao He and I get engaged," Fu Yunzhe said calmly, turning to Yu He, "Xiao He, don’t forget to send Mr. Huang an invitation. Let’s host him well in Yun Su as a gesture of our gratitude."

While the tension between the two men was becoming palpable, Yu He remained blissfully unaware, lazily leaning on Fu Yunzhe and responding nonchalantly.

The smile on Huang Shaohang's face twisted for a moment, but Yu He didn’t notice him at all.

Yu He’s attention was fully back on Fu Yunzhe. Even though he knew this wasn’t the place to talk, he couldn’t help but whisper into Fu Yunzhe’s ear, "They didn’t make things difficult for you, did they? I’m worried. I’ll have to give you a thorough check when we get back."

Fu Yunzhe turned to look at Yu He, “I saw you from upstairs. You stood there like an adult, but the moment you see me, you start acting coquettishly.”

What’s this about acting coquettishly? If there weren’t so many people around, Yu He would want to hug Fu Yunzhe and never let go.

Yu He wanted to say more to Fu Yunzhe, but suddenly heard someone shouting in Burmese not far away.

Huang Shaohang’s subordinates suddenly rushed towards them.

Yu He quickly positioned himself in front of Fu Yunzhe, ready to protect him. As he turned around, he saw Huang Shaohang sway and then suddenly fall backwards.

A rush of concern surged through Yu He’s heart. He instinctively stepped forward and caught Huang Shaohang in his arms.

A crowd gathered around them, some speaking to Yu He, and others addressing Huang Shaohang.

Everyone around was speaking Burmese, a language Yu He couldn't understand. Their incessant chatter was giving him a headache.

Lifting his hand, Yu He was surprised to find that they all suddenly fell silent.

“Xiao Hang?” Yu He gripped Huang Shaohang’s shoulder, giving him a gentle shake.

Huang Shaohang's lips were completely devoid of color, and his black suit was slightly damp. Yu He’s hand came away with fresh blood that had soaked through from inside.

Under the sunlight, fine beads of cold sweat covered Huang Shaohang's forehead. He looked up at Yu He, his lips moving slightly as he whispered, “Brother Yu, it hurts so much.”

Yu He swiftly scooped up Huang Shaohang by his knees, lifting him into his arms.

As he passed by Fu Yunzheng, Huang Shaohang gave him a deep, lingering look.

The hand by Fu Yunzheng’s side clenched into a fist, and he locked eyes with Huang Shaohang, his expression cold and detached.

Huang Shaohang curved his lips, revealing an exceptionally provocative smile.