I'm willing to work for you

The church gym had originally been an abandoned warehouse, with plenty of floor space.

Lin Rui had spent some time clearing out a rest area: a few secondhand sofas in the corner, a donated double-door refrigerator beside them, and a microwave to round out the setup.

The refrigerator was stuffed with relief food he had "gotten for free"-all premade burgers, cake rolls, yogurt, and juice boxes donated by supermarkets.

The packages had "Best Before" dates printed on them. Some were already several days past, but they didn't smell spoiled and were still edible after heating.

The newly arrived Latino students had barely stepped inside, with no time even to learn where the gym equipment was, before the food in the rest area had them hooked.

Lin Rui was having an extra meal after his workout, and the kids gathered around at the smell. Once they had permission, they opened the refrigerator doors and let out delighted murmurs.

"Bro! There's food!" "Burgers! And yogurt!" "Grab some, quick!"

They each grabbed a serving and wolfed it down in a few bites, scattering breadcrumbs all over the floor. They twisted the caps off the yogurt and poured it straight down their throats, their Adam's apples bobbing rapidly.

Every one of them ate like a ravenous wolf, as though they hadn't eaten in days.

Leaning against the wall and watching the boys eat, Lin Rui couldn't help asking Adrian, "Where did you find these students? Have they gone all day without eating?"

Adrian was bent over, rummaging through the refrigerator for beer. Discovering that Lin Rui hadn't stocked any alcohol at all, he could only pull out a bottle of strawberry yogurt in disappointment, twist off the cap, and take a large gulp.

"Find them? I didn't have to look." He set the yogurt bottle on top of the microwave. "I just made a few calls and sent out your requirements and terms. People contacted me right away, lining up to sign up."

Lin Rui raised an eyebrow. "They're that easy to recruit?"

Adrian glanced at the boys sweeping through the food like a gale scattering clouds and lowered his voice. "Leon, I don't think you've seen the real hardship illegal immigrants face in New York. They really do go hungry."

Right in front of Lin Rui, a tall, skinny boy finished a burger in three bites, then grabbed two bottles of yogurt and hugged them to his chest as though afraid someone would snatch them away.

Another boy with a round face stuffed a bread roll into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel's, yet his shining eyes turned toward Lin Rui as though he were looking at a savior.

"Don't schools provide free lunches?" Lin Rui frowned. "However lousy New York's relief system is, surely it wouldn't leave kids this hungry?"

Adrian gave a scoff, bitterness in his laugh. "There's one good thing about the United States. As long as they have a birth certificate and a utility bill, even the children of illegal immigrants can attend public school for free.

"But many of these kids' parents have no legal status. They leave early and come home late, working three or four casual jobs, and barely earn enough for rent and utilities.

"Schools do provide free lunches, but what about breakfast and dinner? When the kids get home, their parents often aren't there.

"As for picking up relief food, that means standing in a long line and spending half a day, and there's a limit of one meal per person. Apart from homeless people, who has time to line up every day?"

He paused, lowering his voice further. "So no one's looking after these kids after school. Going hungry is normal for them. Even one full meal is a luxury.

"Besides, by the relief system, do you mean the one you've been secretly bleeding dry, selling off its supplies to fund your food trucks? Or did you think you were the only one skimming money out of it?"

Lin Rui fell silent, thoroughly embarrassed.

The source of the food trucks' "quality food" was no longer a secret. At least, it couldn't be kept from the people running them.

"Leon, I'm happy you're willing to set up a gym to take these kids in, too. Most parents don't want their children joining gangs."

Adrian suddenly beckoned and called out, "Juan!"

A little boy of eight or nine bounced out of the crowd. His skin was tanned the color of wheat, his eyes were large and dark, and the cartoon design on his T-shirt had been washed pale.

He ran over to Adrian and looked up. "Dad, what is it?"

Adrian pointed at Lin Rui. "This is Uncle Leon. He's sort of your dad's boss. Be polite to him from now on."

Little Juan immediately stood straight and gave a proper bow, calling out in his childish voice, "Boss!"

Lin Rui nearly choked. Looking down at the little fellow, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Uncle? Am I that old?"

Adrian laughed, then pointed at Juan as he told Lin Rui, "Leon, this is my youngest son. Count him as another recruit I've brought you.

"Help me look after him from now on. If there are any little jobs, have him do them. Of course, don't give him anything too dangerous-he's quick-witted, but he's only nine."

Looking into Juan's shining eyes, Lin Rui pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his trouser pocket, crouched, and held it out. "Here, a meeting gift. Take it."

Juan's eyes instantly went round, but he didn't dare reach for it. Only after Adrian nodded did he carefully accept it, cradling it in both hands before tucking it into his pocket, his face beaming.

The other Latino boys nearby stared, transfixed. A hundred dollars-their parents might have to work a whole day to earn that.

"Boss is fucking awesome!" "That's so generous!" "I'm coming every day from now on!"

Looking at these kids, Lin Rui suddenly felt that, in this despised, chaotic neighborhood, everything he was doing might really serve some useful purpose.

Even if it only started with a free meal of burgers.

In the gym's rest area, the air was filled with the greasy aroma of burgers and the cloying sweetness of yogurt.

Adrian waved a hand, and the Latino kids immediately took the hint. Knowing that "the adults needed to talk," they grabbed the remaining bread and drinks and ran toward the exercise equipment, laughing and chattering.

"Leon," Adrian said, his voice extremely low, as though afraid of disturbing something, "you moved pretty fast.

"I was worried that George would cause trouble for you. I didn't expect you to finish him off the very night he left the hospital."

"You've got it wrong. I didn't kill George." Lin Rui shook his head rapidly, refusing to admit it no matter what.

Adrian didn't laugh. He only narrowed his eyes slightly and grinned.

"Why don't you believe me? I'm an international student from a communist country who only recently arrived in the United States. How could I commit a serious crime like murder?" Lin Rui countered.

"I'm not trying to accuse you," Adrian said, his voice growing deeper. "On the contrary, I think you acted at exactly the right time.

"Keeping a punk like that around would only mean trouble. The sooner you get rid of him, the sooner things are clean-you established your authority and cut off future trouble."

He paused, his gaze like a knife. "I'm just worried whether you cleaned up the scene properly. I heard George and those underlings of his died... pretty horribly."

Lin Rui's expression still didn't change. "Horribly? How horribly?"

Adrian described it in a low voice. "Limbs twisted like braided dough, bones breaking on their own, blood pouring from all seven orifices. As though something had tortured them to death.

"But New York isn't Mexico. If you're going to kill someone, kill them. There's no need to torture them to death. That's a naked provocation against society. It'll piss off the cops, and it's easy to leave too many clues."

Lin Rui still shook his head, his tone so calm it bordered on indifference. "Why are you all so sure I did it? I didn't go to that orgy to kill the bastard."

Adrian suddenly laughed, low and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping sheet metal.

"Leon." He stepped closer again, lowering his voice until only the two of them could hear. "How did you know George and his crew died at an orgy?"

Lin Rui smiled faintly and said casually, "Didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't." Adrian shook his head, his gaze nailed to Lin Rui's face. "I only said they died horribly. I never mentioned where."

"Oh... then it was those students you brought who told me," Lin Rui said offhandedly.

"They only know George died horribly. They don't know where. They all think he died here at your place." Adrian felt rather pleased with himself, as though he had caught hold of something he could use against Lin Rui.

The air instantly froze.

Lin Rui's smile didn't change. "Then I remembered wrong. Maybe I heard it somewhere else. There are so many rumors in the neighborhood.

"George did die horribly, and the cause of death was bizarre, too. But Mr. Adrian, even the police haven't said anything. Why be so fixated on it?

"If you really do know who the killer is, don't go telling everyone. It's dangerous."

Adrian's relaxed expression abruptly tightened, and a little awe rose in his heart. He suddenly began to wonder: had he caught hold of something he could use against Lin Rui, or had Lin Rui deliberately leaked some inside information to intimidate him?

Recalling the strangeness of George's case, he couldn't help feeling that his probing and pressure had been somewhat too rash.

"Leon, relax." Adrian reached out and patted Lin Rui's shoulder, neither lightly nor heavily, yet as though testing something. "I'm not here to dig into your secrets.

"I just wanted to say-there's more to you than meets the eye.

"You're quick-thinking, ruthless enough, and fast to act. A man like that can accomplish great things in a place like the Bronx.

"I'm willing to work for you."

"I understand." Lin Rui pushed Adrian's hand off his shoulder and said coldly, "Don't go patting my shoulder again. I don't like it."