Chapter 24

Chen Zonghao raised his head when he heard the voice, and glanced over with cold eyes in the firelight.

Behind the woman are colorful neon lights, reflecting her graceful figure in the dim night.

The evening sea breeze from the Hong Kong River was as gentle and affectionate as the night view, blowing up the shawl draped over the woman's body, and the shawl then slid down to the crook of her arm, revealing the woman's snow-white arms.

Her hair was tied up, revealing her slender neck in a fragile and graceful manner, tempting one to put a hand on it, tighten it, and feel the pulse beating under the palm.

Going down, the small V-neck rises and falls with a round curve, and the waist-hugging skirt design makes the waist seem like it can be grasped and pinched in the hand.

The hem of her skirt was lifted by the wind, occasionally brushing against her vaguely visible ankles, a striking touch of white in the night.

Chen Zonghao extinguished the lighter with a "click", and his Adam's apple slid up and down as the woman approached.

The "click-click" sound of high heels got closer and closer. In the quiet night, it carried with it an unspeakable ambiguity, entangling Chen Zonghao like a web.

Song Shu took a few steps towards him and stopped in front of him with a look of surprise on her face, "Chen Zonghao, you're back."

The voice was brisk, like the chirping of a magpie, and the sound "whoosh" rushed into Chen Zonghao's ears, bringing up a burning feeling in his heart.

He stood up straight, his eyes quickly swept across the woman's red lips, and the hand holding the lighter paused, then put the lighter in his pocket and nodded to answer her, "Yeah."

His face still had the same expression as usual, but his voice was slightly hoarse.

Song Shu glanced at the man and the closed door behind him, wondering why the man didn't open the door and go in, and what he was doing waiting at the door. Did he forget to bring his key?

Song Shu thought about it and lowered her head to open her bag and took out the key from it. She handed it to him and said, "Here, the key. Did you forget to bring your key?"

Chen Zonghao glanced at her, took her key, and touched her fingers with his.

Song Shu's fingertips accidentally touched his fingers, and she was startled by the burning temperature of his hands. She shuddered and retracted her fingertips.

Chen Zonghao clenched the key, rubbing his itchy fingers and looked down at her.

Song Shu lowered her head slightly, her eyelashes trembling. Feeling his gaze above her head, she reached out and touched her shawl uncomfortably.

A silent atmosphere surrounded them. Just when Song Shu opened her mouth to say something, the man turned around, bent down and opened the door.

Song Shu breathed a sigh of relief, with inexplicable emotions surging in her heart. She looked up at the man with a hunched back. His broad back had a protruding spine, and downward, the line of his waist was retracted inward, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Song Shu's gaze uncontrollably paused at his waist, and she unconsciously outlined his waistline, inexplicably thinking of the dog waist that her colleague had described before.

Chen Zonghao exhaled. The sight from behind made him want to turn around and cover the woman's eyes, leaving only her delicate nose and red mouth exposed.

There was a sound of the door opening.

The voice startled Song Shu, and she came back to her senses abruptly. She turned her gaze away from the man, feeling embarrassed. Oh my God, she had been staring at someone else. She really wanted to slap herself in the face. Did her brain short-circuit just now? Chen Zonghao didn't seem to notice, otherwise she would be so embarrassed.

In order to hide her embarrassment, Song Shu quickly said, "The door is open, let's go in."

"Yeah." Chen Ronghao touched the back of her neck and unconsciously prepared to return the key in his hand to her, but stopped halfway.

Song Shu saw his action and was about to reach out to take the key, but he stopped halfway. She couldn't help but look up at him in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"Ahem." The man looked uncomfortable for the first time and said to her, "The key is broken."

After hearing this, Song Shu was confused for a while. What did the key mean? How could the key break for no reason?

Looking down, I saw the key bunch in the man's hand. One of the keys was broken in the middle, and the broken key head was inserted in the door. Looking at the break in the middle, one could guess how much effort the person who opened the door must have used to break the key so cleanly.

Song Shu moved her gaze from the key back to the man's face. Their eyes met and a silent atmosphere filled the air. It was as if the wind had stopped blowing here and the hot atmosphere continued to condense.

Song Shu wanted to say something, but when she met the man's eyes that looked somewhat deep in the dim light, she stopped talking all of a sudden. Inexplicably, she felt that if she opened her mouth at this moment, something would happen that was out of her control.

So she just lowered her head and hurriedly snatched the key from his hand, walked inside with a hurried step, opened the door of the back room without a pause, and walked in, turning on the light in the living room.

When the lights came on, the vision became clear, and it seemed as if the uneasy atmosphere in the darkness had disappeared.

Chen Zonghao stood in the night for a while, then followed behind, closed the door of the front room, and walked in.

The person in the living room stood under the light. The bright light completely revealed her graceful figure, and the originally gray living room became bright.

He looked away and closed the door. He leaned against the door a few steps away from her and said, "I'll ask the locksmith to make a new key tomorrow."

"Oh, okay." Hearing his words, Song Shu turned around and nodded.

Chen Zonghao leaned his back against the door, his left hand on the door handle, "Are you going to the party tonight?"

Song Shu nodded. She was a little surprised how he knew that. "Well, did Sister Liang tell you?"

The only person who could have told him was Liang Sao, and she didn't tell anyone else except Liang Sao.

"Yeah." Chen Ronghao nodded.

Song Shu thought about what happened in the past two days and tonight, and couldn't help but want to confide in him, "Because of the reports in the past two days, Tian Tian and I went to attend Ms. Du's banquet. You should know Tian Tian, ​​she is the female star we met at the racecourse that night..."

Song Shu couldn't stop talking once she started. She spoke for a long time. When she talked about what Ms. Du said at the banquet, her eyes sparkled. When she talked about her and Ms. Du's plan to jointly run a clothing factory, her eyes were full of excitement. "The clothing factory will be 4:6 between Ms. Du and me. I'm awesome, right? I'll be able to make a lot of money soon."

Song Shu was so engrossed in the conversation that all the discomfort she had just felt disappeared. She now only wanted to share the good news with him.

Chen Zonghao looked at the woman in front of him who was talking excitedly. The expression on her face was extremely vivid, as if all the brightness was growing on her.

Facing her gaze that was expecting him to respond, Chen Zonghao blurted out, "You're great."

"No." Song Shu got the response. She said modestly, but her face had an expression of slight pride and complacency.

Seeing her like this, Chen Zonghao couldn't help but laugh. He crossed his arms, leaned against the door relaxedly, and just looked at her lazily with a smile on his face.

The two of them kept talking in the bar, one of them standing aside and listening to her, occasionally speaking up to her, and the atmosphere was relaxed and lively.

It took Song Shu a while to stop. Just as she closed her mouth, her stomach made a "gurgling" sound. For a moment, Song Shu was stunned. When she realized that it was her stomach making the sound, she wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into and escape from here. It was so embarrassing.

Chen Zonghao looked at her expression, curled his lips, stood up straight, and stretched. He didn't realize that he was very relaxed in front of Song Shu at this moment. "Are you hungry?"

Song Shu wanted to say no with dignity, but her stomach was not willing to give in. It might be because she had talked too much just now, and she only ate a small cake at the banquet, so she was very hungry now.

So I could only nod helplessly and said, "I'm hungry."

Chen Zonghao looked at her somewhat listless face and said nothing more. He just said "I'll make you some noodles" and walked towards the kitchen.

When Song Shu saw him walk into the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile. She watched him busy in the kitchen for a while before walking towards the room, intending to change her skirt and high heels. Her feet were a little sore after wearing high heels all night.

Song Shu entered the room, changed into a loose, long, short-sleeved nightgown, hung up her bag, and walked out wearing a pair of slippers.

Walking out of the room and towards the kitchen, Song Shu smelled the smell of fried eggs and couldn't help but exclaimed, "What a nice smell."

Song Shu walked over and stood behind Chen Zonghao. She looked over and saw a perfectly fried egg on a plate beside him. Noodles were cooking in the pot, with some green vegetables dotting the noodles. She asked, "What kind of noodles are they?"

Chen Zonghao was standing lazily looking at the pot, when suddenly a faint fragrance came from behind him and the heat lingered behind him. He straightened his back and looked at the boiling soup, "Noodles in clear soup."

Song Shu didn't notice his action. She glanced at him and turned her head back. "Oh."

Clear soup noodles are just right for her now, not greasy but also satisfying.

The noodles were ready quickly. Chen Zonghao poured them into a bowl and then placed the poached egg on top. Suddenly, a bowl of green and yellow clear soup noodles was ready. It looked fresh and refreshing.

Song Shu reached out to serve the noodles, but Chen Zonghao took it before her, looked at her, and tapped his chopsticks with his chin, "The noodles are hot, take the chopsticks."

Song Shu had no choice but to walk towards the living room obediently with a pair of chopsticks, while Chen Zonghao followed behind.

Song Shu sat down on the chair, Chen Zonghao carefully placed the noodles in front of her and said, "Eat."

Song Shu realized that there was only one bowl of noodles and looked up at him, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not hungry." Chen Zonghao put his face down and prepared to take his hand away.

At this time, Song Shu listened to his words and lowered her head to prepare to eat noodles. Suddenly, she saw that several knuckles on his right hand, which he had not yet retracted, were scratched.

Song Shu grabbed his fingers and pulled his hand to stop him from taking it back. Looking at the scratches, her brows furrowed. "How did your hand get hurt? It got wet when you were washing vegetables just now. Why didn't you tell me that you were hurt?"

There was a hint of complaint in her voice, and it was unclear whether she was complaining about him not being able to take care of herself, or complaining about herself for bothering him to cook noodles for her even though she was injured.

When Chen Zonghao's hand was held by her, his fingers could not help but curl up. Seeing her frown, he took his hand back and said nonchalantly, "It's just a minor wound. It will heal in two or three days. Now, eat your noodles. I'm going to take a shower."

Song Shu looked at him disapprovingly, and when she heard that he wanted to take a shower, she glared at him, "Even if it's just a small wound, don't let it get wet. Be careful of infection."

Chen Zonghao raised his eyebrows, "It's so hot, I can't not take a shower."

Song Shu muttered softly, "If you don't want to wash, then don't wash. You sleep alone anyway."

Chen Zonghao didn't hear what she was mumbling, so he asked, "What are you mumbling about?"

Song Shu shook her head and pouted, "Nothing."

But he also knew that not letting people take a shower on such a hot day was quite annoying, so he stood up and walked to the TV table, bent down and took out the medicine bag from under the table, found a Band-Aid from it, walked in front of Chen Zonghao, looked up at him, and said, "Stretch out your hand, I'll put a Band-Aid on you."

Chen Zonghao wanted to say that it was just a minor wound and there was no need to put a Band-Aid on it. However, when he looked down at her worried eyes, he finally said nothing and reached out his hand, watching her put the Band-Aid on him.

"Okay, it's done." Song Shu pressed the Band-Aid, checked that the wound was covered, and nodded with satisfaction.

When she took her hand back and looked at his large hand, Song Shu couldn't help but turn his palm over, put her own hand on top of his palm to compare, and said, "Your hand is so big, it can completely wrap mine up, just like a big hand wrapping a small hand."

After the comparison, Song Shu was about to withdraw her hand, but at this moment, the big hand of her subordinate wrapped around her hand. The man's voice above her head sounded, teasing, "Your hands are quite small."

But when the big hand covered the small hand, they were both stunned at the same time.

Song Shu only felt that the big hand that was wrapped around her was burning hot, like a ball of fire wrapping her, and the thin silk thread on the palm of the hand rubbed her palm, causing a slight numbness.

Seeing her little hand lying in his palm, Chen Zonghao couldn't help but hold that little hand in his hand. Only when he held it in his hand did he truly experience what it meant to be as soft as boneless.

Song Shu pulled her hand back in a natural manner, "The noodles are almost clumping together, I'm going to eat noodles."

She walked to the dining table and sat on the chair, lowering her head to eat noodles, not daring to look up at him at all.

After a while, Song Shu heard footsteps fading away and heading towards the bathroom. When she heard the sound of the bathroom door closing, Song Shu stopped eating noodles mechanically. She couldn't help feeling annoyed in her heart. She was really bewitched tonight and did things that would cause misunderstandings.

In the bathroom, Chen Zonghao turned on the shower, tilted his head back and let the icy water pour over his head. It took him a while to feel the heat in his body subside.

I raised my hand and looked at the Band-Aid under the water. The image of the drooping eyebrows flashed through my mind. They were so beautiful. I couldn't help but press the Band-Aid hard with my hand, laughing at myself, how dirty it was.

＊

"Brother Hao, Brother Hao, I was wrong, please let me go, I won't dare to do it again next time." The cockscomb head knelt on the ground, his face was blue and swollen, his whole body was wet, blood and water were mixed with clear water flowing, and he couldn't tell whether there was more blood or water.

The cockscomb-headed girl cried and shouted while kowtowed to the man in front of her with her hands clasped together to admit her mistakes.

There were a few gangsters lying on the ground with bloody faces, groaning in pain.

Shitou and Awen stood aside, kicking the gangster lying on the ground from time to time, "You are so bold to harass our second sister-in-law. Do you know the rules of the underworld?"

Gangsters hate harm to family the most. After all, everyone has one or two relatives. It is understandable for everyone to fight and kill each other, but if relatives are involved, it is seeking death. After all, the big guys also have relatives.

Except for some foolish young men, no one is so stupid as to harm other people's families.

"Brother Shitou, we were wrong. We didn't mean to do that. It was Big Brother who took the money."

"Yes, it's the boss who paid us to do the work." A group of gangsters wailed.

Those gangsters all gave away their boss one after another. Even if the boss did this, he was still a failure.

After hearing this, Cockscomb Head didn't have time to refute. He was looking at the man who was staring at him, and was shaking with fear.

Chen Zonghao grabbed his hair and made him look up, then patted his face with his hand, "Stop shouting later, the main course hasn't started yet."

After saying that, he dragged him towards a large bucket of water. One of the legs of the Cockscomb being dragged was drooping, as if it was broken. There were bloodstains on the ground as he was dragged along.

The other gangsters felt terrified when they saw Cockscomb Head being dragged like a dead dog. The man's leg was crushed by his kick. The sound of the bone breaking seemed to still echo in their ears, and it seemed that all the bones in their bodies were aching.

Chen Zonghao grabbed his head and ignored his struggles, suddenly pushing his head into the water, pressing his head with his hands. Even though the cockscomb's instinct for survival made him struggle hard, he couldn't get free at all.

The cockscomb-headed man held Chen Zonghao's hand tightly, and even broke his hand, he did not loosen at all.

Only when the hand lost its strength and stopped struggling did Chen Zonghao grab his hair and pull him out.

"Huff, huff, huff." The Cockscomb Haired Man tilted his head back and panted like an old cow. The sound was like a broken bellows.

But before he could take a few breaths of fresh air to relieve his lungs that were about to explode, he was pressed into the bucket again with a "bang".

This cycle repeated itself over and over again, and he didn't know how many times he died. Finally, the Cockscomb Head was thrown to the ground like a piece of scraps. Just when he thought he had escaped, a scream of "Ah" rang out.

The cockscomb rolled on the ground in pain, his left hand tightly grasping his right hand, only to see the little finger of his right hand lying quietly on the ground.

Chen Zonghao didn't even look at the person screaming on the ground. He played with the knife in his hand and kicked the gangster lying next to him. "Put this thing away and give it to the person who gave you the money."

The gangster who was lying on the ground trembled and dared not say a word. He covered the finger with his tattered clothes and said, "Got it, Brother Hao, I will definitely deliver it."

＊

In the Tiandi Suiyue Club, in the rest room for backstage staff, a group of young ladies were changing clothes and putting on makeup, when a woman pushed the door and walked in.

A woman in stockings in the room saw the woman who came in, smiled and said, "Hey, Yan Jie, why are you still here at work? Didn't you go out to have a good time with a big boss?"

The woman called Yan Jie threw her bag on the table beside her, leaned against the wall and smoked the cigarette in her hand. Her face was full of annoyance, and she ignored the woman who spoke.

A short-haired woman who came in behind her covered her mouth and laughed, "Amei, you are out of date. There is no such thing as a big boss. Our Yan Jie was dumped by a big boss."

Li Yan glared at the woman who spoke and said, "Shut up, gossipy bitch, this is none of your business."

The short-haired woman was not afraid of her at all. "I'm just telling you the truth. I want to advise you to find a boyfriend quickly while you still have some looks. Otherwise, you will be old and ugly."

Li Yan is already in her thirties, and is considered older in the club. She hates it most when people talk about her age. When she heard this, she threw the cigarette in her hand at the woman, "Gossip, you want to fight, right? Come on, I'm not afraid of you."

"Ah." The cigarette just hit the short-haired woman's arm, causing her to scream in pain. She quickly flicked the cigarette away, and when she saw her arm was burned red, she rushed towards Li Yan, yelling, "You gossip, I'm going to kill you."

"Come on, let's see who kills who."

The two started to wrestle, and the other women in the room quickly moved aside and did not step forward to stop the fight. Instead, they watched them fighting with a smile, and seemed to be hoping that they would fight.

At this time, the door was pushed open and a gangster walked in. Seeing this, he whistled and asked, "Who is Li Yan?"

Li Yan was pushing the short-haired woman aside at this time. When she heard the voice, she looked towards the door and found that it was a gangster she didn't recognize. She asked in confusion, "It's me, handsome guy, what do you want to talk to me about?"

After hearing her answer, the gangster threw a cloth bag in his hand to her and said, "I'm helping someone deliver something to you." Then he left without looking back.

Li Yan took the cloth bag, took a look at it, and wondered who gave her the gift and what was inside it, seeing that the cloth was so tattered.

At this time, the short-haired woman who had just fought with her grabbed the thing and said, "Let me help you see what it is."

Li Yan frowned and tried to snatch it back, "My things have nothing to do with you, give it back."

But the short-haired woman had already opened it quickly. Before Li Yan could grab it back, she only heard a woman scream, "Ah."

The woman threw the cloth bag to the ground, and the things inside fell out, rolling and rolling until they landed at Li Yan's feet. Li Yan took a closer look and screamed in surprise, for the thing turned out to be a severed finger.

The other women in the room also screamed in fright.

After a while, someone spoke fearfully, "Sister Yan, who have you offended?"

Li Yan was so frightened that she collapsed against the wall and stayed away from the broken finger. How could she offend anyone? She had been in Hong Kong for almost ten years. She was very good at judging the situation and would never go to provoke trouble.

Li Yan thought about it and suddenly remembered something. No, yesterday she gave a bundle of money to Shan Gui and asked him to go to a store to collect protection fees. Could it be this matter? Apart from this matter, she has not been involved in any other trouble recently.

The more Li Yan thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. She then remembered that her fellow villager Song Shu seemed to have married a gangster. She thought that it might be the gangster who took revenge.

Li Yan's face turned pale when she thought of this. She never expected that the gangster was not just a small gangster.

She just wanted to take a small revenge on Song Shu. Who made her so enviable? They both left their hometowns and came to Hong Kong, so why is she living a good life now? She found out from the newspaper that she has become a designer, such a glamorous career, while she is struggling to make a living by selling her body.

That day, Li Yan saw Song Shu who had smuggled in. Seeing that she was quite pretty, she told her that if she followed her, she would have a chance to make a lot of money. The silly woman obviously believed her, and Li Yan waited to get a referral fee.

But she didn't expect that the woman changed her mind and disappeared for many days. When she went to look for her, she found that the woman had opened a shop and had settled down in Hong Kong.

Why, why could Song Shu live a good life, while she had to live in such a filth? She was so jealous at that time that she wanted to ruin her life, so she asked someone to teach her a lesson.

Li Yan leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, looking at the severed finger. She no longer had any hatred in her. She wished she could escape from this place and disappear in Hong Kong.