Song Cai

Biodata

Background / History

School Years and the Black Tide

Song Cai, Cheng Sheng, and A Bang attended the same schools from elementary school through high school, forming a close-knit “iron triangle.” All three failed the entrance exam in the same year. During high school, they used abandoned classroom buildings behind their old school as a secret base 5 7.

Using the nickname Cai and a green dolphin avatar, Song Cai sent Cheng Sheng more than a dozen disturbing video links. He had watched the videos circulating on the Dark Forum, and the footage of the Sucha Street massacre severely shook his understanding of the world 2 5 6.

Song Cai accompanied Cheng Sheng toward Sucha Street, where a police blockade stopped them from entering Kunsha District. He initially assumed the deaths were caused by the Black Tide, but their driver explained that the authorities were pursuing a human murderer. Afterward, Song Cai invited Cheng Sheng to return to martial arts training with him 5 6.

Martial Arts Training and A Yu

After Cheng Sheng left to buy supplies, a tuk-tuk driver persuaded Song Cai to visit Qingsha City's red-light district. He subsequently became absorbed in visiting A Yu, neglecting his training and spending his money on her 6 9 15.

Song Cai asked Cheng Sheng for a loan to buy A Yu a birthday phone. He insisted that she was a good girl forced into prostitution by the Red Ba Gang, while Cheng Sheng believed she was exploiting him. When Cheng Sheng could not lend him money, Song Cai asked him not to tell his parents 15 16.

Pawan Extortion Incident

Song Cai secretly took money from home to buy A Yu a phone costing nearly ten thousand Nan. He was subsequently detained and humiliated in Pawan District, where Red Ba Gang members demanded one hundred thousand Nan for his release. He called Cheng Sheng in tears for help 17 18 19.

Cheng Sheng intimidated the gang members with a switchblade, recovered the phone, took money from those present, and escaped with Song Cai. Afterward, he urged Song Cai to return the phone, replace the money taken from home, and keep a low profile 18 19.

By the time of Cheng Sheng's formal-disciple assessment, Song Cai had returned the phone and restored the stolen money. He came to cheer Cheng Sheng on, although he remained visibly anxious about encountering the gang again. Watching Cheng Sheng fight, he struggled to reconcile his friend's rapid transformation with their recent days playing arcade games together 23 24.

Family Crisis and High-Interest Debt

Later, trouble at the family's coconut sugar factory left Song Cai needing money both to save the business and to pay for his father's operation. He secretly borrowed from the Red Ba Gang at exorbitant interest. Although the agreed repayment period was one month, collectors began harassing him before it expired 65.

Cheng Sheng found Song Cai being beaten and drove off the attackers. This time, Song Cai offered only a timid thanks, explained the debt, and limped away without saying goodbye. Cheng Sheng then used his connections with Senior Brother Nalong to stop the harassment and paid off the loan himself, allowing Song Cai to repay him gradually instead 65.

Appearance

• Build: Skinny, with thin legs and limited physical strength 5 9 17.
• Complexion: Dark-skinned 5.
• Clothing: Described wearing a checked shirt in the arcade scene and a loose, baggy floral shirt when introduced by name 4 5.

Personality

Song Cai is usually talkative, playful, and habitually late. He jokes with the gym's elephant, Dongni, and openly admits that punctuality is not one of his habits. His approach to training is similarly casual: he slips away to rest, complains of exhaustion despite doing little work, and leaves early to pursue his own plans 6 7 8 9.

His attachment to A Yu makes him defensive and financially reckless. He rejects Cheng Sheng's suspicions about her and steals family money to buy her an expensive gift. The extortion incident leaves him subdued and jumpy; later, his father's illness and the factory's troubles drive him to take on dangerous debt for his family's sake 15 19 23 65.

Abilities & Skills

Basic Martial Arts Training

• Attends the Black Killing Boxing Gym's ordinary trainee classes, including fitness exercises and sparring 8 9 15.
• Has poor stamina during the documented training session, stopping to rest after one run through the sandpit course 9.
• Trains inconsistently and is badly outmatched during a later sparring session 15.
• No advancement into a named martial realm or acquisition of a secret art is documented.

Relationships

• Cheng Sheng — Longtime best friend and fellow trainee. Cheng Sheng rescues him twice from Red Ba Gang members and repays his loan, but both become conscious of the growing distance between their lives 5 18 24 65.
• A Bang — Childhood friend and the third member of their “iron triangle.” Song Cai learns of his departure to study Curses and tells Cheng Sheng 5.
• A Yu — Red-light district woman whom Song Cai believes he is dating. His expensive birthday gift to her precedes the gang's extortion attempt 15 17 18.
• Father — Owner of the family's coconut sugar factory, who promises Song Cai a job. His later illness and need for surgery contribute to Song Cai's borrowing 5 65.
• Nalong — Cheng Sheng's senior brother, who intervenes at Cheng Sheng's request to end the gang's harassment over Song Cai's debt 65.