Getting into another fight

Chen Yuan had lunch at Chen Desheng's place.

Only three people sat around the large round table: Chen Desheng, Lei Zhen, and him.

The table was covered with dishes: braised fish, steamed ribs, shrimp with garlic, stir-fried vegetables, assorted seafood, and a pot of old hen soup, simmered golden with a sheen of oil floating on top.

Chen Desheng kept putting food on his plate. Chen Yuan ate three bowls of rice and drank two bowls of soup, stuffing himself until his belly was round.

After lunch, Chen Yuan put down his chopsticks, hesitated, and said he wanted to head back first.

Chen Desheng asked whether he had something to take care of. Chen Yuan explained that Sister Ezi had gone out to look for work today, and he didn't know how it had gone yet. Now that he had a job lined up, he wanted to wait until she was settled too before coming to work.

He felt a little embarrassed saying it. They had just given him a job, and here he was asking to put it off.

After hearing him out, Chen Desheng asked no further questions. He smiled and waved a hand.

"There's no rush. Come whenever it's convenient for you."

Relieved, Chen Yuan stood up and thanked him.

Chen Desheng told Lei Zhen to drive him back. Chen Yuan had been about to say there was no need, that he could take the bus, but Lei Zhen had already picked up the car keys and started walking out, so he didn't refuse again.

On the way back, Lei Zhen occasionally glanced at Chen Yuan in the rearview mirror.

"Zhao Jianguo said you took down more than twenty guys by yourself?"

Chen Yuan answered honestly. "Not that many. A dozen or so."

"A dozen or so?"

Lei Zhen snorted, plainly unconvinced.

He looked at Chen Yuan in the rearview mirror again. The kid looked like a country boy who had just arrived in the city. Nothing about him suggested he could fight.

Seeing his expression, Chen Yuan smiled without answering.

His refusal to argue or defend himself only made Lei Zhen more skeptical.

He figured Chen Yuan would be working alongside him anyway, so there would be plenty of chances to spar. Then he would find out whether it was true.

He dropped the subject and moved on to something else.

"Your job will be to work with me and keep the master safe."

Chen Yuan paused for a moment, a word instantly jumping into his mind: bodyguard.

He had only seen people like that on television.

As a child, he had watched a videotape in the village called The Bodyguard from Beijing. The man in the suit had been swift and skilled, taking on ten men at once. He had been incredibly cool.

It had left Chen Yuan fired up. He had even tried copying a few moves in the courtyard, only for his grandfather to catch him and scold him for trying to fly before his foundations were solid. He had told him to get back to practicing his stance.

"So, a bodyguard?"

Lei Zhen glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "What, is that beneath you?"

"No, no." Chen Yuan quickly shook his head. "It's just... a little unexpected."

Lei Zhen said nothing more. He drove to the entrance of the alley in the urban village, stopped, and turned to look at Chen Yuan.

"We're here."

Chen Yuan got out and thanked him. "Thanks, Brother Lei." Lei Zhen didn't answer, merely waving before driving off.

Chen Yuan stood at the mouth of the alley, watching the black sedan disappear into traffic before turning to walk inside.

When he reached the rented apartment, he took out his key and opened the door. The place was quiet. Sister Ezi wasn't back yet.

He took out his phone and checked the time. It was past two in the afternoon.

He sat on the sofa and thought back over what had happened that morning. While he was lost in thought, a sudden clatter of footsteps and loud voices came from outside.

The door was shoved open, slamming into the wall with a bang before bouncing back.

Zhou Min walked in with three men behind her.

One had dyed blond hair, was skinny as a pole, and wore an earring that swung with every movement. He was the one who had been fooling around with Zhou Min in her room yesterday.

The other two were strangers. One had a shaved head and wore a gold chain around his neck as thick as a dog's chain. The other had long hair tied in a little ponytail, a toothpick in his mouth, and his head tilted to one side.

They barged in noisily, immediately filling the small living room.

Zhou Min plopped onto the sofa and crossed her legs. Her miniskirt rode up a little, but she didn't pull it down.

The blond stood beside her with an arm around her shoulders, leaning against her as limply as if he had no bones.

Baldy and Gold Chain stood in front of the coffee table, looking around the small living room before their eyes settled on Chen Yuan.

"Well, who's this?"

Baldy's voice boomed through the living room as he turned to Zhou Min.

"Min, you've been hiding a pretty boy in here?"

Zhou Min leaned back on the sofa with her arms folded and the corners of her mouth raised, saying nothing.

The blond tilted his head, looked Chen Yuan up and down, and sneered.

"Him? He's a total bumpkin. You think Min would go for him?"

Gold Chain took the toothpick out of his mouth, twirled it twice in his hand, and stepped forward to stand over Chen Yuan.

"Hey, buddy. Who do you run with?"

Chen Yuan looked up at him. Gold Chain's face was close enough for him to smell the foul mix of cigarette smoke and alcohol on his breath.

He wrinkled his nose and said nothing.

"I'm talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Baldy came over too. Standing beside Gold Chain, the two blocked Chen Yuan like a pair of walls.

Chen Yuan glanced at Zhou Min again. She lounged on the sofa with her arms folded, a smile on her lips and a gleam in her eyes, looking ready to enjoy the show.

Anger surged inside him.

The blond took his arm off Zhou Min's shoulders and sauntered over to Chen Yuan. Bending down, he brought his face even closer, blowing smoky breath into Chen Yuan's face.

"I hear you're pretty good in a fight. Took on a bunch of guys all by yourself?"

Chen Yuan neither moved nor dodged. He simply looked at him calmly.

His stare made the blond uncomfortable. He straightened and looked back at Baldy and Gold Chain. The three exchanged glances.

Baldy cracked his knuckles and took a step forward.

"Kid, get the hell out if you know what's good for you. This is Min's place. You're an outsider. Don't you think it's wrong to keep freeloading here?"

Gold Chain put the toothpick back in his mouth and folded his arms. "Why waste your breath? Just throw him out."

The three advanced a step.

Zhou Min shifted on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other and bouncing her raised foot.

As she watched Chen Yuan, her smile grew wider.

Chen Yuan drew a deep breath, feeling helpless. What the hell was this? Looks like I'll have to fight again.

I've been getting into an awful lot of fights these past few days!

"I'll ask you one more time," Baldy said, his voice suddenly rising. "Are you leaving or not?"

Chen Yuan rose lazily to his feet. For some reason, the moment he stood upright, Baldy instinctively stepped back.

The blond also retreated half a step, then puffed out his chest again, embarrassed.

"Sister Ezi rents this place too. What's wrong with me staying here? Aren't you sticking your nose in a little too far? Who even are you?"

The question left Baldy speechless. He opened his mouth but couldn't get a word out.

He turned toward Zhou Min. Her expression changed briefly, then returned to that same look of someone enjoying a show.

The blond stepped forward and shoved Chen Yuan's shoulder. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

Chen Yuan looked down at the shoulder he had pushed, then raised his eyes to the blond.

"I'm warning you. Keep your hands to yourself."

The look in his eyes made the blond freeze, but he immediately blustered.

"So what if I don't? I'll put my hands on you if I want. What are you gonna do, bite me?"

With that, he reached out to shove Chen Yuan again.

This time, however, his wrist was caught before his hand could touch Chen Yuan's shoulder.

The blond struggled hard, but it didn't budge.

He tried again, yet his wrist remained firmly clamped, unable to move an inch.

His face flushed instantly, heat burning all the way up from the base of his neck.

"Let go!"

Chen Yuan released him.

The blond staggered back two steps and struck the corner of the cabinet. Grimacing in pain, he clutched his lower back and crouched down.

He jerked his head up, his face bright red, and shouted at Baldy and Gold Chain.

"What the fuck are you standing there for? Get him!"

Baldy and Gold Chain exchanged a look.

Baldy pulled a switchblade from behind his waist and snapped it open. The blade gleamed under the light.

Gold Chain spat out his toothpick and clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles.

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Min's expression changed at the sight of the knife in Baldy's hand.

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, tightening her folded arms.

"Kid, there's still time for you to leave," Baldy barked arrogantly.

Chen Yuan didn't move an inch.

Baldy stepped forward and thrust the knife at him.

Chen Yuan shifted half a step sideways, letting the tip pass just in front of his chest.

His right hand shot out, catching Baldy's knife wrist and pulling it toward him as his left elbow snapped upward.

Baldy's wrist was instantly locked, and the switchblade clattered to the floor.

He stumbled forward, his face nearly striking the coffee table. Chen Yuan held his wrist in an iron grip, leaving him unable to move.

"Argh!" Baldy cried, his face turning red. "Let go! Let go!"

Chen Yuan released him. Baldy retreated two steps, shaking his wrist, his face slick with sweat.

Gold Chain stood to one side, his fist still raised high, but he didn't dare make a move.

He looked at Chen Yuan, then glanced at the knife on the floor and slowly lowered his fist.

The blond scrambled up and hurried back two steps toward the door, only stopping when his back hit the frame.

He glanced back at Zhou Min. Her expression was ugly, her lips pressed tightly together. Her arms were folded across her chest, her fingers clenched until the knuckles turned white.

Chen Yuan stood in the middle of the living room, looking at the three men.

"Want another go?"

Baldy rubbed his wrist, not daring to look at him. Gold Chain averted his eyes, then glanced at the knife on the floor again. The blond stood in the doorway, his legs still shaking.

Chen Yuan bent down, picked up the switchblade, and inspected it briefly before folding the blade and setting it on the coffee table.

"Get out."

Baldy was the first to turn and leave. He was in such a hurry that he tripped at the doorway and had to catch the frame to steady himself.

Gold Chain followed with his head lowered, not saying a word.

The blond left last. At the door, he glanced back at Zhou Min. She glared at him, and he quickly ducked his head and scurried away.

The door closed, and the living room fell silent.

Zhou Min remained on the sofa, her arms folded across her chest and her expression frozen.

She looked at Chen Yuan, her lips moving as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

Chen Yuan didn't look at her. He walked over to the sofa, sat down, and picked up the glass on the coffee table to take a sip of water.

After sitting there for quite a while, Zhou Min suddenly stood and headed for her room. At the doorway, she paused with her back to Chen Yuan.

"Yuan."

"Mm."

"You... don't tell Xiu'e."

Chen Yuan said nothing.

Zhou Min stood there for two seconds, then went into her room and closed the door.

The living room grew quiet again. Chen Yuan picked up the knife, went into the kitchen, and tossed it into the trash.

He had just returned to the living room and sat down when Zhang Xiu'e sent a message: "I found a job! I'll tell you about it when I get back tonight!"

Looking at the message, Chen Yuan's lips curved slightly. He typed back, "Way to go, Sister Ezi! I found a job too. We'll talk tonight."