What Am I to You?

"Have someone buy a fruit basket and take it to Mad Dog." Gu Sheng pulled out two hundred dollars and tossed it to Big-Eyed Hua.

"Brother Sheng, a fruit basket for Mad Dog?" Big-Eyed Hua was baffled. Everyone knew Gu Sheng and Mad Dog were on terrible terms.

"No shit. We're still in the same gang, aren't we? I ought to make some kind of gesture. I'm not as petty as Mad Dog."

If I invite you fishing, you have to show me some respect, right?

If you don't come, you're disrespecting me. Then nobody can complain if I hack you up, can they?

He made a round of the bar. Chan Ho-nam and Chui Gai were both there.

"Give me a cold one." Gu Sheng sat at the bar and held out a hand. The bartender passed him a beer, which he gulped down before taking his boys out for a stroll. It was really just for show.

After all, they had been fighting for days, and both sides were getting tired.

More importantly, after several days of trouble, they had pushed the police's patience to its limit.

That day, the police had approached Big B and Thunderclap Tiger, Lui Yiu Yeung, separately and warned them to behave. Whoever made another move would have their establishments raided every day for a whole month.

"So Mad Dog really picked the wrong time to get unlucky, didn't he?" Gu Sheng mocked when he heard the news.

"Brother Sheng, are we still avenging Brother Xin?" one of his boys came over and asked.

"Let's see what Big B says." Gu Sheng sat by the roadside, looking utterly relaxed.

He figured things were pretty much over.

After all, he knew better than anyone that Thunderclap Tiger really hadn't killed Ah Sin.

Big B's main goal was to establish a foothold in Yuen Long. Now that the police had stepped in, the bosses on both sides would talk, and that would probably be that for the time being.

After all, money was pouring out every day. Neither side could afford to keep this up.

Of course, they would still have to say the right things in public.

Things went exactly as Gu Sheng had expected.

At midnight that night, Big B told everyone, "We're calling a temporary truce with Tung Sing. Thunderclap Tiger may not have been behind Ah Sin's death. Our priority now is finding the gunman and Ah Sin's wife.

"Otherwise, with so many of our brothers killed or wounded, we'll only have played into someone else's hands."

"Also, in a few days, we'll hold the Initiation Ceremony for Ah Nam and Ah Sheng, making them officers. The elders will be there too, so you two had better have your red envelopes ready." Big B smiled and patted Chan Ho-nam and Gu Sheng.

"Thanks, boss." Chan Ho-nam smiled, visibly excited.

"Got it." Gu Sheng nodded.

He remembered Big Tony asking Big B in the bar in the movie when Chan Ho-nam would have his Initiation Ceremony.

He hadn't expected Chan Ho-nam to have his Initiation Ceremony alongside him before that part of the plot had even begun.

This effectively moved the people having their Initiation Ceremony up a generation in the hierarchy.

As for the red envelopes, the usual amount was five thousand dollars.

"Congratulations, Brother Sheng!" Big-Eyed Hua came over with a grin.

Gu Sheng was in a great mood. After all that work, he was finally having his Initiation Ceremony.

He pulled out a few thousand dollars and tossed it to Big-Eyed Hua. "Let the boys go get themselves a late-night meal!"

"Brother Sheng, you're so generous!" The boys around him immediately cheered and showered him with flattery.

Big-Eyed Hua went out to distribute the money, then came back with a few boys to follow Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng simply took them out for a late-night meal. After eating, he went straight home smelling of alcohol and found Kong Sang curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees and sleeping soundly.

Gu Sheng flopped onto the bed and soon fell asleep.

It was almost noon again when he woke the next day, greeted by a delicious aroma.

"I made you some congee. Want to get up and have some?" Kong Sang walked over when she saw he was awake.

"No congee. I'll have something else first." Gu Sheng got out of bed, scooped Kong Sang up, and tossed her onto it.

Kong Sang gave a little cry.

"Today, I'm damn well going to show you whether I can perform."

He could put up with other things, but definitely not this.

"Wait. You haven't told me what I am to you."

"Whatever you say you are."

An hour later, Gu Sheng got out of bed feeling refreshed. He felt he could keep going. Hadn't he spent half the night with two women at once every night before?

But Kong Sang couldn't take any more. She couldn't even move a finger.

Gu Sheng got up to serve himself some congee, then said after a moment's thought, "Stay home for a while. I'm going out to find a place. This one's a bit small."

"I think it's fine." Kong Sang lay face down on the bed, her face still flushed.

"Fine, my ass. It's a pigeonhole. There's nowhere even to stand, no TV, no fridge, not even a proper toilet." That last point especially rankled Gu Sheng.

He even had to squat to use the toilet.

"By the way, you still haven't told me what I am to you." Kong Sang lifted her head from the bed, unable to resist asking again.

"A fuck buddy!" Gu Sheng was talking tough again.

"You bastard!" Kong Sang hurled a pillow at him.

After finishing his congee, Gu Sheng went downstairs and called Big-Eyed Hua. Before long, Big-Eyed Hua came running over. "Brother Sheng, how come you're out so early today? Got something for us to do?"

"I want to rent a place. Where can I find an estate agent?"

"A what?"

Big-Eyed Hua was puzzled at first. Once he understood, he said, "Boss, those property agencies all flip flats. If you want to rent somewhere, Brother Sheng, just look at the utility poles by the road. People stick their rental notices on them. Some put notices right in their windows."

Gu Sheng suddenly realized that renting property on Hong Kong Island was still a fairly primitive business at this point. Real Estate Agencies might have only just started appearing and weren't widespread yet.

That was a way to make money, though it wouldn't bring in cash particularly quickly.

Gu Sheng made a mental note of it, then had Big-Eyed Hua round up a few more boys to help him find a place.

After half a day, Gu Sheng found a flat three streets away.

A thousand-square-foot luxury home.

Over ninety-two square meters in all.

It had two bedrooms and a living room. The place was fairly new, clean and spacious, with excellent natural light.

It was fully furnished too, even with a fridge and a TV.

"This one. How much is the rent?" Gu Sheng asked directly.

"Actually, I haven't quite decided whether to rent it out..." The owner was a middle-aged man in glasses who was going to work in England, so he had planned to rent the flat out.

But when he saw Gu Sheng and his companions, who didn't look like decent people, he began having second thoughts.

"Huh? You haven't decided whether to rent it out? Are you screwing with us? You got a death wish?" Big-Eyed Hua grabbed the middle-aged man by the collar, ready to hit him.

"I'll rent it, I'll rent it! Three... two thousand a month, paid half a... three months at a time."

"We'll take it for six months to start, paid every three months." Gu Sheng pulled out six thousand dollars and tossed it to him.

Gu Sheng took the keys and pushed the middle-aged man out the door.

The flat was his now.

Of course, he wasn't the sort to bully people. He would still pay the rent he owed.

When he got home, he found that Kong Sang had actually gotten out of bed, though she was walking a little slowly. "I've rented a place. Get dressed. We're going over."

"So soon? I haven't packed anything yet..."

"What's there to pack? It's got everything we need. We can buy anything that's missing."

Gu Sheng went into the kitchen and took out the paper bag. All his remaining money was inside.

The two went downstairs, and Big-Eyed Hua and the boys immediately called out, "Sister-in-law!"

Kong Sang murmured an acknowledgment, her face filled with happiness as she hugged Gu Sheng's arm.

When they reached the new flat, Kong Sang immediately grew excited. Their old place had only been a little over ten square meters, including the kitchen and toilet.

Here, the kitchen and bathroom alone were bigger than that pigeonhole.

The light was good too, with the setting sun spilling through the large windows. The thought of waking up to sunlight every morning made her feel utterly blessed.

And it even had a fridge and a TV.