Chapter 135: My Benefactor

I unintentionally found myself at Chong Ge's office.

“A Jin, have a seat.” He lit a cigarette, waved away the people around him, then pulled open a drawer and tossed a stack of cash onto the table.

“Chong Ge... what is this?”

“Rong Ye is in Guangdong. I'll give you the address—go find him.” Chong Ge said calmly.

“What?” I was a bit confused. “Isn't the whole gang looking for Rong Ye? So you knew where he was all along?”

“Yes.” Chong Ge nodded. “The search was just a smokescreen I put out.”

“But why?”

“A Jin, I know what Tong Ye wants. He'd rather have you—a talented person who can earn him another two million—than the two million itself. But if I told Tong Ye this, according to the rules of the jianghu, he'd have to go after Rong Ye. Then how could he bring you in?”

I frowned slightly, still not fully understanding.

“So this information has to stop with me. The next steps will depend on what happens after you see Tong Ye.”

“Chong Ge, you say Tong Ye wants to take me in, but I'm still Rong Ye's man...”

“A Jin, the grudge is between the two bosses. You're just following orders—Tong Ye would understand that.” Chong Ge exhaled smoke, his expression a bit sorrowful. “It's just that you've disappointed him.”

My face suddenly darkened.

“Chong Ge, I'm a simple guy, set in my ways. As long as Rong Ye is my boss, he'll be my boss for life. Now that he's on the run, I should go take care of him.”

“You might regret it.” Chong Ge said through gritted teeth. “Some people talk big but send you on life-threatening missions behind your back. Others seem cold but genuinely want to protect a talent like you...”

I'm not smart, but I'm not stupid.

How could Rong Ye want me dead?

He made me learn boxing, even if my hand bones broke, to toughen me up.

He had me fight over thirty people alone, to temper me.

He had me and Jiu Zai draw lots to take his prison sentence, just to test me.

I've paid my respects to Guan Er Ye, so I understand these principles.

“Chong Ge, please thank Tong Ye for me.” I interrupted, stood up, and took the cash from the table. “I'll find a way to pay back this travel money.”

Seeing how stubborn I was, Chong Ge got angry too.

“Damn hard-headed fool... go on! You better die in Guangdong!”

He turned away in his swivel chair, waving his hand in frustration. “Get out of here.”

Before leaving, I paused and turned back. “Chong Ge, why does Tong Ye think so highly of me?”

I saw Chong Ge's back still puffing smoke. He thought for a long time before finally saying softly, “Because in this era, it's hard to find someone with your pure 'jianghu spirit.' Gratitude is gratitude, grudges are grudges—you do bad things but try to be a good person. You remind me of our younger days.”

He pulled a necklace from his pocket and tossed it to me without looking back.

I caught it and turned it over—it was a small copper tag with the character “Tong” engraved in the middle.

“If you finish your business and want to come back to the gang, this will help you. Now go.”

I tucked the copper tag into my jacket pocket and bowed deeply to Chong Ge.

There are many people in this world who have shown me kindness. Once I've repaid Rong Ye's, I'll come back to repay Tong Ye and Chong Ge's.

...

The next day, I arrived in Guangzhou.

According to the information from Chong Ge, Rong Ye was staying in a fairly upscale apartment.

Knowing he was doing okay eased my mind a bit.

That evening, I knocked on Rong Ye's door.

It took a while before there was any movement. The door slowly opened, and I saw him.

Rong Ye looked the same as four years ago, no changes at all.

“A Jin...?”

He was startled at first, then showed a joyful expression, but quickly suppressed it.

In just a second, his face shifted through three emotions—it was complicated.

Rong Ye let me into the room. The decor was simple, with just some essential furniture.

There was another person in the room—I thought it might be Jiu Zai.

But it was a woman.

“Rong Ge... who is this?” the woman asked.

“Jing Lan, this is A Jin.” Rong Ye said, then looked at me. “A Jin, this is your big sister-in-law.”

I nodded slightly to the woman and said, “Big sister-in-law.”

Rong Ye waved his hand, signaling for the woman to leave for now.

As she walked out, she kept eyeing me suspiciously, and I stared right back without backing down.

I grew up around Rong Ye and never remembered him having a big sister-in-law like her.

“Rong Ye, where's Jiu Zai?” I glanced around—the place didn't seem big enough for three people.

“A Jin...” Rong Ye lit a cigarette. “A Jiu is dead.”

My pupils contracted slightly—I hoped I had misheard.

“What happened to Jiu Zai?”

“On our way escaping to Guangdong, A Jiu was killed by Fei Tong's people.” Rong Ye took a deep breath and lowered his head in regret.

What?

Jiu Zai was killed by Tong Ye's people?

My heart skipped a beat, like I had lost something important.

Flashes of memories raced through my mind, but they were like fireworks exploding in the air—I reached out to grab them but got burned.

I remembered when I was eleven, Jiu Zai grinned carefree and said to me, “A Jin, you've got the strength, I've got the brains—let's stick with Rong Ye together!”

But now, the “fist” had returned, and I was without the “brain.”

Rong Ye and Tong Ye had given me completely opposite stories—I couldn't figure it out with my own wits.

“When did this happen?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“About ten days ago.” Rong Ye shook his head. “A Jin, I let A Jiu down, and I let you down too. I couldn't go see you when you got out yesterday.”

I slowly sat down, my mind going blank.

What was really going on?

Everything felt off, but I couldn't pinpoint the problem.

Had Rong Ye lied to me... or had Tong Ye?

At a time like this... what would Jiu Zai have done?

I'm just too slow.

“A Jin, it must have been tough in prison.” Rong Ye said. “Rest here today.”

“Today?” I shook my head. “Not just today, Rong Ye—I want to keep following you.”

“Following me?”

I nodded.

“Yes, like more than ten years ago.” I said. “You're my benefactor, and I haven't repaid your kindness yet.”

Rong Ye paused slightly, and ash fell from his cigarette onto the floor.

“A Jin, don't think about it. I'll take you downstairs for some food.” He stood up and put on his jacket.

I followed him out the door.

We sat at a street-side stall and ordered beer. Rong Ye was quiet, and so was I.

He ordered braised bear paw—something I'd never even seen before.

Watching him eat it voraciously, I thought it must be delicious.

Yes, bear paw must be delicious.

If Rong Ye ate it, it's as if I did too.

After a few bottles of beer, I felt a weight in my chest.

I missed Jiu Zai—he was my brother, and after four years in prison, I didn't even get to see him one last time.

Thinking about it, I opened a bottle of beer and poured it on the ground.

A tribute to my brother.

Rong Ye saw my expression and shook his head helplessly, then stood up to pay the bill.

He seemed like he wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out. Then he noticed the sign for a video arcade nearby.

After thinking for a while, he said, “A Jin, since you don't like gambling or drugs, let me take you to a movie to clear your head.”

It was a film by a foreign ghost, called “Terminator.”

I'd never seen anything like it in my life.

Later, I thought about it—I didn't even have money for movies.

But that didn't stop me from liking “Terminator.”

Was it based on real events?

It was so thrilling that for a while, I forgot about Jiu Zai.

Even when the movie ended and the black screen showed English credits, I didn't want to get up.

What a shame Jiu Zai couldn't see this—he was so smart, he could have explained how those machines were made.

They were machines, yet they let people film them.

But Jiu Zai would never see it.

“A Jin, I want to retire from the life.” Rong Ye's voice came from beside me.

“What?” I turned to look at him.

“I'm getting old; it's not for me anymore.” Rong Ye shook his head. “You should go.”

“Go...?” I blinked. “Rong Ye, where do you want me to go?”

“Get out of this path. Go anywhere.” He smiled bitterly. “Remember? The world is vast, but narrow minds make it small.”

How could I forget?

Those words are tattooed on my back.