Chapter 20

Ever since Fang Yu became the general manager of Grand Century Restaurant, he became less involved with Jianghu matters. In the early 1990s, the commodity economy started to spread across the whole world. Going into business became a trendy term, and the gangdom’s situation was also changing.

No matter if it was Yan Ziyi or Luo Jiu, they all realized that the times were changing. Fists, knives, guns, and the streets’ territory and influence, were no longer the gangdom organizations’ source of strength. They realized that real strength relied on money and property.

So, these Jianghu bosses all started to turn towards material production. They started to make earning money their purpose and used wealth to exert influence. Those fighting and killing on the streets were low-level gangsters. They were no longer the real gangdom.

No matter if it was Fang Yu or Yang Lei, right now, they were no longer like gangdom fighters. They were more like semi-legitimate businessmen, the white-collars, “backbone,” and elite spoken of later during the 2000s.

During that time, if there were Jianghu matters, Fang Yu’s subordinates, Lao Liang, Er Hei, and Hua Mao, led people to settle all of them. These three were the toughest fighters under Fang Yu’s leadership, and they were the most loyal to Fang Yu and Luo Jiu.

Yang Lei also hadn’t personally fought in a long time. His mind was simply divided into two. Half was on Yan Ziyi’s company and half was on Fang Yu. The matters of seizing territory on the streets were the remnants of his play. He stopped doing them long ago. Ever since Chuan-zi’s wound had healed completely, if there were provocations that caused trouble, he let Chuan-zi and Li San deal with all of them. But ever since Wang Laohu had ceased his attacks, there truly weren’t many people who dared to provoke Yan Ziyi and Yang Lei. They were much idler.

So that day, Fang Yu and Yang Lei, who were half in the state of washing their hands in golden basins, were at Matai Street eating wontons. They were just eating a bowl of simple small wontons, yet it led to the unprecedented event of them fighting together.

That day, both of them were eating wontons in a little restaurant. Five or six young men were gathered at a table next to them, eating and drinking as they chatted. One, with dyed blond hair, Huang Mao, had the loudest voice. He was talking about his glorious deeds of “mingling with Jianghu,” how yesterday he had robbed how many people from some middle school of some money, and how he went somewhere and fought someone from someplace. His saliva flew as he spoke. He was beside himself with excitement, like he was the most awesome Jianghu person in Jianghai. But it wasn’t clear if all felt that stealing middle schoolers’ money wasn’t honorable or righteous, or if those fights also weren’t particularly spectacular. The audience’s excitement wasn’t very high. They all carelessly went along.

Yet on the other side, the real Jianghu legends, Fang Yu and Yang Lei, were eating wontons with refinement and not saying a word. Soon, they were nearly finished eating and were preparing to leave.

However, seeing that the audience wasn’t showing much support, Huang Mao suddenly raised his voice and said: “You people saying that you’re mingling in Jianghu all day. Have you ever seen the world? How many important people have you seen? Fuck, I haven’t only seen them. If I told you the things I’ve done, you’d be scared to death!”

“Do you know Fang Yu?” Huang Mao asked.

“How can we not know Fang Yu?” all the people at the table said.

Huang Mao’s expression was very proud.

“Who is that Fang Yu? A gold class fighter! The number one! If those who can fight in Jianghai right now were all ranked, Fang Yu would be number one or number two! He’s the acknowledged street fighting genius. His fame was bashed out one fight at a time on the streets. Right now, which of the famous Jianghu major events in Jianghai don’t include him?” Huang Mao summarized, as though giving Fang Yu an award.

Fang Yu and Yang Lei looked at each other. Yang Lei had met many gangsters on the street who idolized Fang Yu. Yang Lei always felt that they had a lot of sense.

“Enough, who doesn’t know Fang Yu? Just continue talking!” The audience was impatient.

Huang Mao suddenly changed the topic.

“Do you know where Fang Yu is right now?”

“Where?”

“The hospital!”

“Ah?”

“You know who put him into the hospital?”

“Who?”

“Me!” Huang Mao gloated.

Fang Yu nearly choked out a mouthful of wonton soup.

“You??” It was obvious that no one believed him.

“It was me. That day, I bumped into Fang Yu at XX Street and started fighting with him. At that time, he… and I… and then I…”

As Huang Mao spoke, he viciously matched it with actions, portraying it vividly.

“Then, he lay on the ground and couldn’t get up!”

Smirking, Yang Lei looked at Fang Yu’s colorful expression.

“You’re exaggerating, aren’t you?” No one believed him.

“Whoever’s exaggerating is an idiot! Just when Fang Yu fell down and couldn’t get up, another person came. A good guy. Do you know who it was?”

“Who?”

“Yang Lei!”

Fang Yu glanced at Yang Lei. This time, it was Fang Yu’s turn to smirk.

“Right. Yang Lei is closest with Fang Yu right now! Now, you’re in trouble.”

“Yang Lei is the lord who can kick someone to death! His reputation right now is right behind Fang Yu’s, but compared to me, it’s all nothing! Know where Yang Lei is right now?”

“Where?”

“The hospital! I also put him in there! Right now, he’s even lying there with Fang Yu!” Huang Mao’s expression was extremely delighted and prideful.

“Ha ha ha!”

Yang Lei and Fang Yu couldn’t hold it in anymore. They lay on the table and laughed.

Huang Mao looked over angrily. The two clean-cut young guys at the nearby table were falling over in laughter.

“Fuck! What are you two laughing at?” Huang Mao slapped the table and stood up.

“Boss, the bill!” Both of them couldn’t be bothered to respond. They put the money onto the table, laughing as they looked at Huang Mao.

Huang Mao jumped up, aggressively walking over to grab Fang Yu’s collar.

Before his hand touched Fang Yu, Yang Lei extended his leg. He stepped onto Huang Mao’s leg. Huang Mao’s foot buckled and he fell down.

Yang Lei was still merciful with this kick. If he were to step directly on his knee, Huang Mao would lie on the ground for a long time before he could get up.

Once Huang Mao fell down, Fang Yu even moved the stool to the side, making room for him to lie down.

“Fuck…!” Huang Mao pitifully got up. Everyone at his table stood up.

Huang Mao suddenly grabbed the wooden stool and was about to smash it against Yang Lei. Yang Lei sat there and hadn’t moved yet, when Fang Yu reached out his hand and grabbed Huang Mao’s sleeveless shirt. He pulled backwards, and Huang Mao fell to the side with the stool. The four or five people on the side saw that their companion was suffering, and that there were only two people on the other side. They all rushed over. Yang Lei casually picked up half a bowl of hot wonton soup and splashed it at them. All of it splashed into their eyes, causing a round of cries.

At this point, both Fang Yu and Yang Lei had not even stood up.

Huang Mao, who had fallen at the entrance of the shop, yelled, and seven or eight people suddenly rushed out of the nearby arcade. It looked like they were all a gang with Huang Mao that messed around on this street. They were all playing games next door.

These people were all like characters in the later Hong Kong movie, Young and Dangerous, with bare arms and tattoos, holding sticks and clubs in their hands and beating them against their shoulders. There were also a few pretentiously moving and cracking their necks loudly. They looked fiercely at Fang Yu and Yang Lei.

Fang Yu and Yang Lei were still sitting as they looked at these people outside.

“What kind of behavior is that?” Yang Lei really couldn’t stand the neck cracking. “Is this style popular right now?”

“Even those tattoos are stuck on. The color will fade once it’s washed in water.” Fang Yu thought that those tattoos were fake.

“Stuck on! One for twenty cents. They’re sold right below your house.” Yang Lei also commented on those tattoos.

“…Fuck! Have you two chatted enough! Come out!” Huang Mao had gone mad.

Fang Yu and Yang Lei walked out. They didn’t have tattoos, and they didn’t move their necks. They were even dressed neatly, and their hands were empty.

Huang Mao waved his hand, and over ten people carrying weapons confidently rushed forward.

It was said that there were many people who watched this fight at Matai Street that day. It was also said that there were people who applauded, because Huang Mao and this gang usually did many bad things on this street. That day, all saw what it meant for everyone to be delighted.

According to the descriptions of those who were present and watching that day, the two who were fighting more than ten young men really hadn’t come to fight, but rather to film a movie. There were also people who actually thought they were filming a movie. That group of around ten holding sticks and clubs were all extras. Otherwise, how could two empty-handed men beat them up until they couldn’t get up from the ground?

Actually, they only fought for half a minute total. The onlookers just saw one person’s legs and one person’s fists. The one with the legs knocked a person down with each kick. Those whom he kicked either got fractured knees and knelt on the ground, or were kicked back several meters, holding their stomachs and unable to get up for a long time. The one with the fists met blood with each strike. The first fist broke someone’s nose bridge. The second fist cracked open another’s eye socket, causing blood to spurt downward…

The one kicking was wearing camouflage pants. It was said that when he was fighting, there was still a cigarette in his mouth, amazingly enough. The one with the fists was even stopped by Camouflage Pants. Camouflage Pants thought that his blows were too hard.

Huang Mao fell to the ground, his face covered with blood. He couldn’t even raise the angle bar in his hands. Both of his arms were made useless by Camouflage Pants.

“Brother, do you recognize us?” Camouflage Pants squatted down to ask Huang Mao.

“…I don’t.” Huang Mao’s voice trembled. He was really afraid. He had never fought a fight like this.

“How can you not recognize us? Didn’t you say our names just now?” The black T-shirt next to him, whose fists were covered with other people’s blood, smiled.

“…!” Huang Mao was stunned.

“I’m the one you said was lying inside the hospital,” Camouflage Pants said. He pointed at Yang Lei. “He’s the one lying with me.”

“@#￥%%@！…” Huang Mao’s expression was as colorful as if he had opened a dyehouse.

If there had been a wall then, Huang Mao definitely would have hit his head against it.

It was Fang Yu and Yang Lei’s first fight together, but the ones they fought were a bunch of street gangsters not worth mentioning. Both people felt very unsatisfied.

But at that time, they really felt happy and amused. It had been a long time since the two of them had been this happy.

They had already walked very far away, but they were still unable to stop making fun of each other. Fang Yu still had a cigarette in his mouth. Yang Lei’s fists were still dripping blood.

In the crowd behind them, there were several girls who watched the entire event from start to finish.

Though Fang Yu and Yang Lei had walked very far away, a pretty girl was still standing in the same place, continuing to watch them leave.

At that time, both of them didn’t know that this happy fight would start endless troubles later.

That day, Yang Lei’s spirits were very high. He was more aggressive and impulsive in his bones than Fang Yu. Although he was now much more rational than before, every fight could still arouse his fighting spirit. Today’s fight had exercised his muscles, so Yang Lei felt good all over. At night, he went to Fang Yu’s Grand Century Restaurant and called up a bunch of friends who often went over to Fang Yu’s place to play. They first drank wine and ate together, and then they all went to Guangyang KTV to sing karaoke. Yang Lei even specially chose the song “Love Sparks,” and roared so that the whole room applauded loudly. Yang Lei selected another Zhang Xueyou song, “Drunk Sunset”:

“The sunset is drunk,

The sunset clouds are drunk,

No one can hide it,

Because my heart,

Because my heart has long been drunk…

Step back into my heart, okay?

Come back, don’t leave me alone,

Searching this life because of you,

Searching for this fate to come close…”

Yang Lei sang this touching love song with very deep emotions, fully immersed. Yang Lei’s voice was nice to begin with. When he sang, it was even more moving. After he finished singing, someone shouted: “Yang Lei, you must be dating!”

“Who’s dating!” Yang Lei laughed.

“You’re definitely dating. Bring your sweetheart so that we can take a look!” The brothers didn’t let Yang Lei off.

“Yang Lei still doesn’t have a partner.” Fang Yu helped him smooth things over.

Yang Lei nearly said, “The partner I want is you.”

Both of them had been busy. Yang Lei hadn’t stayed at Fang Yu’s place for a while. After singing that night, he first went back to Fang Yu’s house. The alcohol had gotten to Yang Lei’s head, and he didn’t want to leave. The two of them lay on the bed still chatting about Huang Mao’s matter during the day. As they started chatting, there was another fit of laughter.

At this time, the light was off and the window was open. The night was a little hot. The evening lights shone onto Fang Yu’s bed, yet it felt somewhat hot and dry.

Yang Lei talked and laughed with Fang Yu. As they laughed, in the somewhat dry and hot air, his body gradually became hot, and something rose in his heart.

Yang Lei glanced at Fang Yu. Fang Yu had drunk wine, and also felt hot. The sweat on his neck slid down to his chest, shining under the light coming in from outside.

Yang Lei didn’t speak. His throat moved once, and then he moved slightly closer to Fang Yu, turning his head to look at him, his voice low:

“…Fang Yu, why don’t we play?”