Chapter 111: The Finale and Easter Eggs

Three years later.

Portland Street has changed.

The old tenement buildings have been replaced by modern commercial districts, with glass curtain walls reflecting the blue sky.

But the Temple Street Night Market is still there, neon signs are flashing, and the wonton noodle stall owner is still pulling noodles.

At the street corner, the sign for "Chezhou One-Stop Shopping Center" shone with a warm light.

The first floor is an ice rink.

Xi Rong, dressed in a coach's uniform, was teaching several children how to ice skate.

She had grown much taller, her hair was tied in a ponytail, she had a smile on her face, and the old scars on her arms were so faint that they were almost invisible.

"Yes, shift your weight forward... Don't be afraid, Little Tiger, your sister is here!"

The children's laughter was crisp and clear.

In the office on the second floor, Li Hanzhou sat behind his desk reviewing reports.

On the table was a wedding photo, taken in the Netherlands. In the photo, Fang Che looked awkward in a suit, and Li Hanzhou smiled as he straightened his tie.

The background features windmills and tulips, a rustic yet stylish touch.

The door was pushed open, and Ah Gui poked his head in: "Brother Li, Tie Niu asked if you're going to the barbecue restaurant tonight?"

Li Hanzhou looked up: "Go. Where's A-Che?"

Fang Che is checking the goods in the warehouse and said he'll be here soon.

Ah Gui turned to leave, then stopped and scratched his head: "...Any news about Qi?"

Li Hanzhou remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

Three years after the warehouse fire, Qi's body has never been found.

The search and rescue team said it might have been blown to pieces or buried deep inside. But Li Hanzhou and Fang Che didn't believe it.

They erected a cenotaph for the seven on a mountain facing the sea outside the city.

Fang Che often went there, bringing a bottle of wine, and would sit for half a day.

Ah Gui sighed, closed the door, and left.

Li Hanzhou looked out the window.

As the sun sets, Portland Street comes alive with the lights.

In the evening, Cheng Tieniu's "Northeast-style Barbecue City" opened for business.

The shop is located on the rooftop terrace of the shopping mall, overlooking the entire Temple Street.

Ah Gui and Cheng Tie Niu's security company is next door, and Thirteen Sister's nightclub has been transformed into a music bar, with band music drifting in tonight.

Fang Che brought over a plate of grilled chives and approached Li Hanzhou: "Brother Li, try Tie Niu's secret sauce!"

Li Hanzhou took the bite, frowned, and said, "...It's too salty."

"I think it's perfect!" Fang Che stuffed his mouth full. "Northeastern flavors have to be strong!"

Xi Rong ran over, holding up her police academy acceptance letter: "Brother Che! Brother Li! I got in!"

Fang Che took a look and his eyes welled up with tears: "Great! Our family can have a policeman!"

Lu Che stood not far away, holding a beer, shaking his head with a smile.

Fang Che walked over and handed the notice back: "Brother Lu, thanks. These past few years... I've been so grateful to you."

Lu Che took it, his gaze sweeping over Xi Rong before shifting away: "It's all her own skill. I just... lent a hand."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "The police leadership has been mostly cleared out, and the Jiang family's spies have all been removed."

Fang Che nodded without saying anything.

Some debts have been paid off.

Some people will never come back.

The banquet was lively until late at night.

When the party ended, Fang Che was drunk and sang a song while hanging on Li Hanzhou's shoulder, singing off-key like a Dutch singer.

Li Hanzhou half-carried, half-helped him into the car, with Xi Rong and A Gui assisting. Cheng Tieniu shouted from behind, "Drive slowly! Come eat sauerkraut dumplings tomorrow!"

The car drove through the night...

A few days later, on a rainy night.

Fang Che was checking accounts in the duty room of the shopping mall, while the rain was pouring down outside.

He rubbed his lower back; the old injury still ached on rainy days. He prepared to close the door and go home.

As I approached the door, I saw a black umbrella on the ground.

It's pure black, with a metal handle engraved with a small "seven".

Fang Che was stunned.

He grabbed his umbrella and rushed out. The streets were deserted, with only neon lights blurring in the rain.

After standing there for a long time, he slowly retreated back into the shop and closed the door.

Holding that umbrella, my palms were icy cold.

The next day, he saw a breaking news report in the morning: a Thai warlord was assassinated at his own estate; the method was clean and efficient, and a wolf head badge was left at the scene.

It's the same as the insignia of Jiang Kun's private bodyguard back then.

Fang Che stared at the TV screen for a long time.

Then he smiled, turned around and went into the kitchen to start kneading dough.

When Li Hanzhou returned from his morning run, he saw him making dumplings, but his technique was clumsy, and the filling was leaking everywhere.

"Why did you decide to make dumplings?" Li Hanzhou washed his hands and came over to help.

"I suddenly feel like eating this." Fang Che looked down and peeled the skin. "Brother Li, do you think... in this life, we always owe some debts that we can't repay?"

Li Hanzhou paused for a moment, then took the rolling pin from his hand.

“Some debts don’t need to be repaid,” he said softly. “Just remember them.”

Fang Che looked up at him, his eyes reddening.

Li Hanzhou pulled him into his arms and ruffled his hair with his flour-covered hands.

"This afternoon, Uncle Chen set up the wedding venue in the old house garden. He only invited a dozen or so of his closest relatives. Ah Gui was the best man, Xi Rong was the flower girl, Tie Niu was in charge of grilling the meat, and Shisan Mei was the bartender."

Fang Che burst into laughter through his tears: "This wedding... is quite a mix."

"Whatever you like is fine."

"I like."

The afternoon sun shines brightly in the garden of the Li family's old residence.

The wedding was simple; there was no priest, no vows, just the exchange of rings.

Fang Che still couldn't get used to wearing suits, and his tie was tied crookedly.

Li Hanzhou smiled and gently helped him tidy up.

Ah Gui and Cheng Tie Niu, dressed in matching black suits, stood side by side like two door gods.

Xi Rong held the ring box, her eyes sparkling.

Thirteen Sister, holding up her camera: "Look this way! Smile!"

Fang Che grinned, and Li Hanzhou put his arm around his shoulder.

As the ring slipped onto my finger, the familiar sound of neon lights illuminating Temple Street drifted from afar…

Although it was only afternoon, the test lights were buzzing, mixed with faint Cantonese opera music.

Fang Che looked down at the ring, then looked up at Li Hanzhou.

"Brother Li."

"Um?"

“This world,” he said softly, “we have finally become the story we can tell.”

Li Hanzhou looked at him and smiled.

She lowered her head and kissed him.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, creating dappled patterns that dance like scattered gold.

The wind blows through the garden, and the roses bloom.

(The End)

---

[Bonus Scene: Tiger Crouching on Shoulder]

Late at night, in the new house on Portland Street, only a floor lamp was on.

The air smelled of disinfectant alcohol and ink.

Fang Che lay on the bed covered with a waterproof mat, his upper body bare.

Li Hanzhou knelt on one knee by the bed and wiped the skin on his left shoulder blade with a wet wipe.

The fingers are steady, with thin calluses.

"Real tattoo?" Fang Che's voice was muffled inside his arm.

"Otherwise?" Li Hanzhou unscrewed the cap of the dye bottle and adjusted the tattoo needle in his hand. "If I said I wanted a tattoo, then I'll get one."

The first stitch is inserted.

Fang Che's muscles tensed, and his fingers gripped the bed sheet tightly.

The stinging sensation was distinct and persistent.

Li Hanzhou stopped and leaned close to his ear: "Does it hurt?"

"……good."

"Relax." Li Hanzhou's hand landed on his waist and pressed down. "The more tense you are, the more it will hurt."

Fang Che gritted his teeth and slowly loosened his grip.

The needle moved again, outlining the tiger's silhouette.

The pain became prolonged, mixed with the warmth of the massage on the lower back, creating a strange sensation.

The only sounds in the room were the faint hum of the tattoo pen and the breathing of the two people.

Li Hanzhou was very focused.

But this focus on Fang Che's exposed skin and the rising temperature felt like a silent invasion.

His chest occasionally brushed against Fang Che's back, and his breath brushed against the thin layer of sweat on the back of Fang Che's neck.

The tiger shape is gradually becoming apparent.

Move the needle tip to the most sensitive spot on the shoulder blade.

"Hmm..." Fang Che couldn't help but tremble slightly, his waist arching back a little.

Li Hanzhou stopped moving.

His gaze moved from the tattoo to Fang Che's reddened ear tips, and then to the concave waistline.

The light cast shimmering shadows on that skin.

"Is this area sensitive?" He lowered his voice, took off his right glove, and pressed his fingertips directly onto the reddened skin, slowly making circles.

“Brother Li…” Fang Che trembled and tried to turn his head, but was pressed down on the back of his neck.

"Don't move," Li Hanzhou said.

Fingertips slid down the spine, leaving cool marks, yet igniting a scorching heat.

The tattoo pen was placed on the bedside table.

Fang Che's breathing became erratic.

Li Hanzhou's knee pushed his legs apart, his body heat pressing firmly against him.

The unfinished tiger head, its ink still dripping, rises and falls with the shoulders, as if roaring silently.

"The tiger tattoo is almost done," Li Hanzhou said, lowering his head and kissing Fang Che's sweaty shoulder. "But something's still missing."

"What is missing?"

Li Hanzhou's hand slid to his front, his fingertips brushing against his taut lower abdomen: "It needs a companion to wake it up."

Fang Che's cheeks burned, and his words were cut off by a kiss.

Li Hanzhou's lips brushed against the newly tattooed tiger head, with a force that was both tender and possessive.

"The paint... isn't dry yet..."

"Then don't let it dry." Li Hanzhou chuckled and suddenly flipped the person over.

Fang Che's vision blurred, and he met his deep, dark eyes.

Under the light, half of the tiger stripes were spread across the reddened shoulders, neck and chest, wild and beautiful.

Li Hanzhou lowered his head and used his lips and teeth to complete the other half of the "pattern".

The tools were swept aside.

The ink, still wet, was rubbed off on the bed sheet.

Fang Che's fingers dug into Li Hanzhou's back muscles, his breathing becoming labored.

Pain was replaced by waves, and every inch of tattooed skin felt as sensitive as if it were being electrocuted.

“Tiger Stripes is done,” Li Hanzhou declared, biting his lip amidst their playful struggle. “Now, it’s time for it to recognize its owner.”

Fang Che tilted his head back and ran his fingers through his sweaty black hair.

The floor lamp cast a flickering shadow on the wall, and also reflected the dark tiger that seemed ready to leap out at any moment.

The tiger tamer is declaring possession in the most primitive way.

The night is still long.

The unfinished tool lies dormant in the corner.

At this moment, focus has ignited into a raging fire.

Stop flipping through it, this time it's really over...