The Chao Yong Yi's men outside rushed in and surrounded the policemen. Several of the fiercest and most brazen ignored their pistols altogether, thrusting watermelon knives right under their noses, stopping just short of raising the blades and chopping them.
A few men getting drunk, exchanging words and blows at Lichi Garden was no great matter, but dozens of men charging in ready to fight was something Lichi Garden could hardly allow. As soon as the dozens of Chao Yong Yi's brutes rushed in, more than ten young men in black suits emerged from behind the stage and stood in front of it, watching both sides. Now Manager Jin, who had seemed timid and afraid of trouble all along, appeared once more, walking between Chan Ah-sap and the policemen with a jovial smile:
"Brother Ten, officers, we're all men here. A few raised voices after a drink are no big deal, but there's no need for one side to pull guns and the other to bring dozens of men with watermelon knives. Why make such a big fuss? How about this: each side takes a step back and gives me a little face, and we pretend nothing happened. If my face isn't worth anything, shall I invite Mr. Choi Fat out to have a word with you?"
"Of course I have to give Mr. Choi Fat face. All right, I'll take a step back." Chan Ah-sap released the policeman he had been holding, handed the pistol to Manager Jin, and stepped back.
Blood was still running down the drunken policeman's head. Though dazed, he didn't forget to make threats: "Mess with me? I'll raid your docks every day! My godfather is Cheung Wing-kam! You motherfuckers don't know me? Got the balls to chop me to death?"
When the policeman Song Tianyao had struck with a bottle uttered Cheung Wing-kam's name, Chan Ah-sap's face immediately darkened. Song Tianyao, who had been listening closely to the commotion, also frowned slightly.
Cheung Wing-kam was now the Chinese Detective Chief Inspector of the Hong Kong police force's Kowloon District. If the policeman had named a Station Sergeant or a senior Detective Sergeant, Chan Ah-sap's expression would not have darkened. A Chinese Detective Chief Inspector—there were only four in all of Hong Kong now: one each for Kowloon District, New Territories District, Wan Chai District, and Hong Kong Island District. Above the four Chinese Detective Chief Inspectors were two Chief Chinese Detective Chief Inspectors, the "Chief Chinese Detective Chief Inspectors" spoken of in films.
The post of Detective Chief Inspector was not particularly high in the Britain-led Hong Kong police force, but it was "low in rank and heavy in power." The Chinese Detective Chief Inspector of each district had the authority to mobilize every plainclothes detective in his district without reporting to his superiors. In other words, a Detective Chief Inspector needed only to give an order on his own turf, and every plainclothes officer in the district had to carry it out at once. In some respects, a Detective Chief Inspector had greater control over his district's police than the governor or the Commissioner of the Police Department. At the very least, when the governor or commissioner needed to mobilize officers, the order had to pass through layer after layer of notification. A Detective Chief Inspector needed no such complicated procedure; a single word from him settled it.
That was the main reason Chan Ah-sap's expression had changed. At present, both the Hong Kong police force and the Hong Kong underworld were divided into two factions: the Sze Yap Gang and the Chiu Chow Gang in the police, and the Sze Yap Gang and the Chiu Chow Gang in the underworld. Cheung Wing-kam, the Chinese Detective Chief Inspector of Kowloon District, was from the Five Counties, so every dock and lucrative business in his jurisdiction was controlled by the Sze Yap Chamber of Commerce and the Sze Yap gangs. The Chiu Chow gangs were already being squeezed out on his turf, and now Chan Ah-sap of Chao Yong Yi had offended his godson. If Cheung Wing-kam sent dozens or even hundreds of plainclothes detectives to make trouble for him every day, the whole gang could forget about finding work at the docks.
"Just wait for death! And you two! Weren't you so arrogant just now?" The policeman clutched his forehead and, supported by his companions, started to turn and leave, not forgetting to sneer and jeer as he went.
Chu Xiaoxin was somewhat stunned as well. He had never expected this drunken policeman to be the godson of Cheung Wing-kam, the Chinese Detective Chief Inspector of Kowloon District. This time the trouble was a little too much. As he frowned, at a loss, Song Tianyao leaned close to his ear and said in a low voice:
"Young Master Shun, if we let him leave like this, Cheung Wing-kam could easily make trouble for the chamber of commerce's businesses and the gang's many members. When that happens, you'll be in a difficult position with Chairman Chu too. We can't let Cheung Wing-kam think the Chiu Chow gangs made him lose face, because Chao Yong Yi can't withstand his anger. We have to keep this confined to a small circle. Say, for instance, you and this policeman got jealous over a singer, and Chao Yong Yi's men just happened to be there and helped you. That way, the two sides will be evenly matched: the son of the Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce's chairman on one side, and the godson of the Kowloon District Detective Chief Inspector on the other, fighting over a singer. There'll still be room to turn things around. Even if Chairman Chu steps in, it'll be easier for him to handle."
Young Master An and Gu Mei, standing nearby, both heard Song Tianyao's words. Young Master An grew even more curious about where Chu Xiaoxin had met this young man. He had never seen him before, yet he had appeared at the nightclub tonight and said only a few things, every one of which had cut straight to the heart of the matter.
In the present situation, the best course was for Chu Xiaoxin to clean up the trouble he had caused himself, without drawing the whole of Chao Yong Yi into it. Once Cheung Wing-kam went after Chao Yong Yi, the Chiu Chow Gang would effectively suffer the greater loss. Cheung Wing-kam could use the power of the police and the Five Counties gangs to deal directly with Chao Yong Yi, and the two sides might even seize the opportunity to go straight to war. But he could not go directly after Chu Xiaoxin. As long as Chu Xiaoxin said the fight had started over jealousy and a woman, and that Chao Yong Yi had merely been protecting the young master of the Chu family, once that account was established, no matter how angry Cheung Wing-kam was, he could only sit down and negotiate.
"Then what do you suggest, A-Yao?" Chu Xiaoxin turned to look at Song Tianyao and asked quietly.
Song Tianyao looked at the bottle of beer on the table. "Go over there now, Young Master Shun, and hit him again. Make it stick that you two fell out over a woman. The uglier the beating, the better. If you say something arrogant while you're at it, that would naturally be even better."
Chu Xiaoxin gritted his teeth, grabbed the beer bottle, and sprang up. He charged at Cheung Wing-kam's godson, who had almost reached the entrance. When he got in front of him, he said nothing and smashed the beer bottle against his forehead once more, then swung his fists at his eye sockets, the bridge of his nose, and the rest of his face.
Song Tianyao stood up by the table and called to Chan Ah-sap, who had yet to react, "What are you waiting for? Protect Young Master Shun!"
Chan Ah-sap and a crowd of Chao Yong Yi members surged forward at once, separating Chu Xiaoxin from the policemen. This time, though Chan Ah-sap no longer dared to act arrogantly toward the officers, the Chao Yong Yi's men all thrust out their chests and stood protectively in front of Chu Xiaoxin. Judging by their stance, even if the policemen emptied every bullet in their pistols, they might not have been able to touch a single hair on his head.