Is there anything else I don't know?
The weather is getting cooler.
Zhou Jun often opened the window, took out a lighter from his pocket, lit a cigarette, and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. The cold wind outside created a stark contrast with the temperature inside.
Lately, Zhou Junchang has been sitting alone by the window, smoking and lost in thought. Sometimes he thinks about things and people, and sometimes he doesn't think about anything at all.
"Are you scared?" a voice echoed in my mind.
Zhou Junchang doesn't know how many times he has sat alone by the window, recalling that voice, those words, and that person in his mind.
Memories kept flashing through Zhou Junchang's mind. He recalled that dark night, the person in front of him dressed in red, holding a bottle of vodka, seemingly drunk, and leaning close to Zhou Junchang, repeatedly saying the same thing.
Her lips were so red they seemed to bleed, making her appear exceptionally alluring in the darkness, tempting one to explore her recklessly.
...
Zhou Jun usually smokes three cigarettes, and by the time the last one burned out, more than an hour had passed.
"What have you been thinking about all this time?" Ah Feng said as he put on his coat.
"nothing."
"I haven't been thinking about anything for so long. I called you several times but you didn't answer." After saying that, she seemed to remember something, her expression changed, and she leaned closer and whispered, "You're not thinking about some woman, are you?"
Zhou Jun glanced at A Feng but didn't say anything.
Ah Feng took a deep drag on his cigarette, then sighed and said, "People like us can only dream. What kind of precious daughter would want someone like us?"
Zhou Jun slumped into the sofa and clicked his tongue impatiently.
"Alright, that's enough. I'm leaving."
The surroundings were quiet, and a dim yellow light shone in the narrow room.
Zhou Jun opened his eyes a crack, glanced at the pitted cement wall, and then fell asleep immediately.
I woke up again to the sound of a phone call.
I had just woken up and was still a little uncomfortable looking at the bright light of my phone screen. I squinted and barely made out the caller ID: Hu Hei.
"Hello."
"Jun Chang, are you free? The boss is playing billiards in Tian Guang Hall, wanna come over?"
Zhou Junchang glanced at the time—it was 10:02. It was time for him to have a midnight snack. He hadn't eaten dinner and had slept until now, so his stomach was empty and he felt a little uncomfortable.
"Okay, coming right away."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jun put on his shoes, grabbed a coat, and went out.
We arrived at Tianguang Hall at 10:15, which was quite fast.
Zhou Junchang easily found table number 241.
Hu Hei looked up and saw Zhou Junchang, then turned to Zhou Ji, who was bending down to aim at the ball, and said, "Boss, Junchang is here."
"Let him play a round."
Hu Hei grabbed the club from the side, took it in his hand, bent over, lowered his head, aimed at the hole, exerted force with his arm, teed off, and put the ball in the hole—all in one smooth motion.
Zhou Ji, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and joked, "Your ball skills have improved rather than declined after not practicing for a few days."
Zhou Junchang had never formally studied billiards; he had just spent a lot of time hanging out at billiard halls and had learned to play a few moves by imitation. He had also figured out the rules on his own. Over time, he had developed some skill.
Zhou Junchang plays golf skillfully and doesn't think too much. He just shoots whenever he sees a hole he can get into, without any strategy. He can pretend against beginners, but it doesn't work against someone like Zhou Ji who thinks about strategy. Zhou Ji has said to him several times, "You're just too straightforward. People can tell what you're thinking at a glance. You have to learn to hide your thoughts." Zhou Junchang remains silent.
In no time, there were only a few balls left.
As Zhou Ji was pondering how to use the pole, footsteps came from upstairs, the sound of high heels tapping on the ground.
A red high heel landed smoothly, and a woman's voice came: "I wondered who it was. What brings you here to play ball today?"
Zhou Junchang's brow twitched, his eyes fixed on the pool table.
Zhou Ji aimed at the ball and replied, "Let's play." There was a crisp sound, but the ball didn't go into the hole.
This week's average shot was as clean and decisive as usual, sinking two consecutive shots and the final black eight in a clean shot as well.
Zhou Junchang won.
"Wow, that's impressive! How come you have someone so good at billiards under your command?" the woman said, her tone exaggerated and slightly teasing.
"Xu Li." Zhou Ji called her name, with a hint of warning.
Xu Li smiled, turned to look at Zhou Junchang with a hint of appreciation, and narrowed her eyes slightly: "You play ball so well, did you study it specifically?"
Zhou Junchang bowed his head to wipe the pole, then shook his head and said, "No."
Xu Li asked, "I've never learned to fight this well. Is there anything I don't know about you?"
"No."
Xu Li noticed that Zhou Junchang's conversation seemed rather aloof. Whether out of fear or something else, she turned around and went to find Zhou Ji, adding, "Are all your subordinates this cold and aloof?"
"Alright, the game's over, let's go upstairs," Zhou Ji said.
"I've ordered all the food for you. Same place as always. See you later." The high heels disappeared down the stairs.
Once inside the private room, Zhou Jun, as usual, chose a slightly off-center spot to sit. He doesn't like crowded places and rarely goes to private dinner parties; most of his time is spent at Zhou Ji's dinner parties.
Because of this, Zhou Ji said privately several times that he would never amount to anything this way.
Zhou Junchang smiled and nodded, replying, "No, just follow the boss."
Zhou Ji said that if people hide when there are too many people, how can he work for him in the future?
Even so, Zhou Junchang still didn't intend to change, and Zhou Ji didn't care too much, since of all the brothers he had brought out, Zhou Junchang was the one he trusted the most.
At the dinner party, a group of people chatted noisily, talking about everything under the sun, and drinking non-stop.
Zhou Jun often ate his meal alone, ignoring everything else. Occasionally, when someone mentioned him in conversation, he would turn his head and nod in acknowledgment before continuing to eat.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the table quieted down a bit. Many people were drunk. Zhou Jun had an empty bottle next to him. He didn't like drinking, but sometimes he would drink a bottle or two just to show for it.
Zhou Jun would occasionally pop a few peanuts into his mouth, his thoughts drifting away.
Red dress, red shoes, red shoes—she seems to be a perfect match for the color.
The rhythmic clatter of her high heels as she walked sent shivers down one's spine.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Hu Hei stretched out his hand and swept it in front of Zhou Junchang. Seeing that he had come back to his senses, he continued, "The boss is looking for you. Go sit over there."
Before getting up, Zhou Junchang downed the wine he had poured earlier in one gulp, frowned, and complained that the wine was too strong.
He covered the cup, walked over to Zhou Ji, and sat down on the soft leather sofa.
"Boss."
"You're here." Zhou Ji glanced up at Zhou Junchang while pouring wine. "I won't be in Yangzhou tomorrow. I have some business to attend to. I'll be leaving the shop to you for the next few days. Just keep the other people in the same place as usual."
"Um."
Zhou Ji took a swig of wine and said, "If you're too busy, call a few more brothers over." Then, as if remembering something, he added, "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Xu Li. Don't just keep it to yourself all day long."
Zhou Junchang remained silent.
From the moment Zhou Ji put Zhou Junchang to work for him, Zhou Junchang was not talkative. Although he didn't talk much, he did his job well. He was meticulous in his work, and Zhou Ji always felt at ease entrusting him with any task.
Zhou Ji ignored whether he agreed or not and continued drinking.
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