Meeting He Long for the first time

The Hung Hing Group's headquarters stood at the very heart of Deep City's central business district, a thirty-six-story tower clad entirely in glass.

Four large golden Chinese characters spelling "Hung Hing Group" stood atop the building. Their strokes were bold and sharp, looking from a distance as though they had been carved with a blade.

Lei Zhen drove into the underground parking garage, parked, and took Chen Yuan upstairs in a private elevator.

The elevator had a marble floor, and its mirrored walls reflected the two men, one powerfully built, the other lean.

Lei Zhen pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator rose slowly, the numbers changing steadily. Inside, all was quiet except for the hum of the motor.

"The boss gets to the office at eight thirty every morning."

Lei Zhen watched the changing floor numbers, his tone calm.

"His office is on the thirty-second floor, the conference room is on the thirty-third, and the reception room is on the thirty-first. Remember those floors. Don't go to the wrong place."

Chen Yuan nodded, silently repeating the floors to himself until he had memorized them.

Before long, the elevator doors opened onto a broad corridor. Dark gray carpet covered the floor, muffling their footsteps completely.

Several pieces of calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls in glass frames polished to a shine.

Lei Zhen led the way and pushed open a heavy wooden door. Inside was a spacious office, with a black walnut desk in the center. A computer, a stack of documents, and a blue-and-white porcelain brush holder sat on it.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay Deep City's skyline, one high-rise after another. In the distance, the sea gleamed white beneath the sun.

"This is the boss's office. Don't come in without a reason."

Lei Zhen pointed inside as he gave the warning.

Chen Yuan merely looked in from the doorway without stepping inside.

Lei Zhen then took him to the conference room on the thirty-third floor. The double doors at the end of the corridor were firmly shut, their brass handles polished bright.

"The boss will be here at nine thirty for a board meeting. The other directors should already be inside. I'll go in and check. Stay here and keep watch."

After giving his instructions, Lei Zhen pushed the door open and entered the conference room.

Chen Yuan obediently stood outside the conference room, his back straight and his hands resting naturally at his sides.

The corridor was quiet except for the rush of air from the central air-conditioning vents.

At nine thirty, Chen Desheng stepped out of the elevator in a dark suit, his hair neatly combed without a strand out of place.

Two middle-aged men in suits followed him, carrying documents and walking briskly.

When Chen Desheng saw Chen Yuan, he gave him a slight nod without speaking, then pushed open the door and entered the conference room.

Once the door closed, the sound of chairs shifting came from inside, then quickly faded into silence.

Chen Yuan stood motionless outside, like a nail driven into the floor.

Before long, footsteps sounded from the far end of the corridor. There was more than one person.

Leather shoes fell softly against the carpet, but the rhythm of the footsteps was a jumble.

As the footsteps drew closer, Chen Yuan glanced over from the corner of his eye and saw five or six people approaching.

Their leader was a young man of twenty-five or twenty-six, wearing a dark blue suit without a tie. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing a gold chain around his neck.

His hair was slicked back so smoothly that even a fly would have slipped on it. He was reasonably good-looking, but arrogance filled his face. The corners of his mouth turned downward, and whenever he looked at someone, he first raised his chin high.

This was He Long. Chen Yuan did not know him, yet the moment he appeared, Chen Yuan felt an inexplicable discomfort, an instinctive aversion.

He Long slowed as he reached Chen Yuan, tilting his head to look him up and down. His gaze lingered on Chen Yuan's face before sweeping over his clothes.

"You new here? Can't say I recognize you."

He Long spoke lightly, with a hint of mockery.

Chen Yuan did not answer. He remained standing straight, looking ahead as though he had heard nothing.

The lackeys behind He Long immediately crowded around, surrounding Chen Yuan.

One of them, a tall, skinny man with a tuft of dyed blond hair and an earring, stepped forward and jabbed a finger at Chen Yuan's chest.

"Brother Long's talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Chen Yuan looked down at the finger poking his chest, then raised his eyes to He Long. His expression barely changed, but his gaze darkened.

That look deeply annoyed He Long, but he did not back away. Instead, he edged another half step closer and raised his chin even higher.

Just then, a flustered, urgent voice rang out, tinged with fear.

"Brother Long! Brother Long! That's him!"

Liu Hu limped through the crowd.

He wore a floral shirt that day. The injuries on his face had not healed: the corner of his mouth was swollen, and blue and purple bruises marked the skin beneath his eyes. His left leg was still giving him trouble, making him limp.

Liu Hu stood beside He Long and pointed at Chen Yuan, his eyes wide and his voice rising in pitch.

"Brother Long, this is the punk who beat us up at the KTV! There's something freaky about him. He took on seven or eight of us by himself. I..."

He Long raised a hand, and Liu Hu immediately shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

He Long slipped his hands into his trouser pockets and tilted his head at Chen Yuan. The corners of his mouth slowly rose into an amused smile.

"So you're pretty good in a fight!"

Chen Yuan glanced at him and replied flatly:

"They started trouble with my friend. That's why I fought them."

His voice was quiet but steady, every word perfectly clear.

The smile on He Long's face instantly froze.

"Ha ha ha..."

He suddenly laughed, but there was no trace of amusement in his eyes. They were ice-cold.

He Long pulled a hand from his pocket and slowly raised it, spreading his fingers as he reached straight toward Chen Yuan's face.

Chen Yuan did not dodge.

His right hand shot up, fingers spread as well. When He Long's hand was less than ten centimeters from his face, he caught his wrist.

He Long's hand stopped dead.

Chen Yuan held his wrist with just enough pressure to keep him from pulling free.

The smile instantly vanished from He Long's face, leaving only humiliation.

Being held immobile by a newly hired bodyguard in front of so many of his men was more humiliation than he could bear.

He yanked his hand back, but it did not move. He struggled again in haste, his face reddening, yet his wrist remained firmly in place.

Chen Yuan's fingers clamped around his wrist like iron pincers. It did not hurt, but no matter how he struggled, he could not break free.

Fury flared in He Long's eyes. His mouth turned down, and the veins at his temples began to throb.

Just then, the conference room door opened.

Lei Zhen stepped out, swept his gaze around, and immediately understood what was happening.

His expression darkened slightly, then quickly returned to its usual impassive state.

"He Long, he works for the boss. You'd better keep your hands off him!"

He Long glanced at Lei Zhen, then back at Chen Yuan, forcing a smile. The corners of his mouth lifted, but his eyes remained cold.

At that, Chen Yuan released him. He Long hurriedly pulled his hand back and rubbed his wrist. A red mark circled it, like a red bracelet.

"Brother Lei, I was only joking. No need to get so worked up."

He Long tucked his hand back into his pocket, pretending nothing had happened.

Lei Zhen did not respond. He simply stood there, watching him in silence.

Seeing this, He Long turned to Chen Yuan and sneered. "We'll see about this." Then he pushed open the door and entered the conference room.

Liu Hu went in last. He turned back to glare fiercely at Chen Yuan, his eyes full of hatred, though fear outweighed it.

The corridor fell quiet again. Lei Zhen looked in the direction He Long had disappeared, his expression easing slightly. Then he turned to Chen Yuan and lowered his voice.

"Stay away from him. His father is He Qingguo, the boss's sworn brother."

Chen Yuan nodded.

"Last night at the KTV, I beat up He Long's man, Liu Hu. He was stopping Sister Ezi from leaving. That's why I fought him."

He recounted what had happened at Cashbox KTV the night before.

Lei Zhen glanced at Chen Yuan and frowned, warning him quietly:

"He Long holds grudges over the slightest thing. You've offended him, and he definitely won't let this go. Be more careful from now on."

Chen Yuan nodded and took the warning to heart.

Lei Zhen said nothing more and returned to the conference room. Once the door closed, Chen Yuan was alone in the corridor again.

He remained where he was, his back straight and his hands at his sides. Only his fingers were still slightly curled, not yet fully relaxed.

About half an hour later, the conference room door opened again. The directors filed out, gathering in twos and threes to speak in low voices. All wore suits and walked with unhurried ease. Some glanced at Chen Yuan; others passed straight by.

He Qingguo came out last. He was in his sixties, with graying hair, a square face, and thick eyebrows. He was not tall, but he had a commanding presence. Dressed in a dark gray suit, he walked steadily, neither hurrying nor lingering.

He Long followed behind him, his head lowered and his expression ugly. It was obvious he had been scolded inside.

As He Qingguo passed Chen Yuan, he paused and glanced at him. His gaze was deep and unreadable, resting on Chen Yuan for a second before moving away.

He Long did not stop as he passed Chen Yuan, but his eyes slid sideways to give him a vicious glare.

Chen Desheng was the last to emerge. He looked in excellent spirits, a smile on his face. Seeing Chen Yuan, he came over and patted his shoulder.

"Come on. There's somewhere I want you to go with me."

Chen Yuan followed, keeping one step behind and to Chen Desheng's side, as Lei Zhen had taught him. He asked quietly:

"Sir, where are we going next?"

Chen Desheng pressed the elevator button. When the doors opened, he entered first, with Chen Yuan following.

The elevator doors closed and the floor numbers began descending. Chen Desheng said casually:

"To see two people."