Seventy EightXiao Li and Qi Xiu Yuan walked over to the car where Li Shi Qing and his bodyguards were tied up in. They opened the back door first to let the bodyguards out who—unsurprisingly wore an unsightly expression, especially upon having witnessed the scene that was meant to be the gang’s secret—knew full well that there wasn’t going to be a good ending for neither of them. However, Xiao Li said something to them and seeing as they were somehow pardon from all the confusion, they flee toward the direction into the city. One of them had even stumbled several times, mostly likely after having been frightened until his knees weakened.
After that, Xiao Li turned around to discuss something with Qi Xiu Yuan. The two looked as though they were in the midst of a small dispute before Qi Xiu Yuan finally compromised and took out a large envelope then reluctantly handed it over to Xiao Li. He glanced at the person sitting at the driver’s seat then limped back to the police car.
Since the car windows were tinted black, Li Shi Qing knew that Qi Xiu Yuan could not see him—however—when he had glanced over, it seemed as though he was looking directly into his eyes with a type of resentment that made Li Shi Qing wanted to sneer.
Once Qi Xiu Yuan finally returned to the police car and awkwardly pulled the door open to get in, Li Shi Qing finally heard the car door of where he was tied up open.
Bringing in a cool breeze, Xiao Li came in and said in the pa.s.senger seat.
Li Shi Qing slightly smiled and said, “What’s the matter? Are you reluctant to let me go and wanted to personally see me off?” He wanted to say something a bit gentler but his intense moodiness stopped him and instead he heard his own sharp and provoking voice.
Xiao Li put a thick large envelope on the dashboard before speaking with a tone that did not reveal his state of mind.
“In all the years that I have been in the gang, aside from the money already spent, the rest are all in here. I had given some of it to Xiao Yang before but he returned it. There’s also the deed to the house and car policies—”
“Are you giving it to me for my retirement?!” Li Shi Qing interrupted him, “Xiao Li, I heard you urged Yang Ze to take over the territory and venues in the South. Now, Fan Peng opened up his affairs in the West and Feng Qiang in the North doesn’t listen to my commands anymore. I really would like to hear what kind of arrangements does Li Ge have in plan for me?”
For a few seconds, Xiao Li did not speak and when he did, he said, “Feng Qiang said he will wait for you in the Northern territory and will still be your subordinate.”
Hearing that, Li Shi Qing simply sneered, not expression his opinions about Feng Qiang. “With the gang becoming like this, Chen Wu will certainly place Lu Wu’s death on my head on purpose. You’re making me return back to ten years ago in just a split second, Xiao Li.”
“Those will definitely not cause you a problem, Qing Ye.” Xiao Li gripped the door handle, “Take care.”
“Xiao Li!” Seeing his intention to leave, Li Shi Qing shouted to stop him. “Since this is considered our last words, clarify everything. Even if death is inevitable, I—Li Shi Qing—don’t want to die without knowing anything.”
Xiao Li’s hand that was tightly gripping the door hand slowly loosened. He frowned, revealing a complicated expression.
Li Shi Qing let out a heavy sigh, “Are you still worried even though I am like this now? Not to mention you will definitely leave, you won’t even say a few more words to me this last time?”
Glancing at the police car not too far away, Xiao Li lightly sighed, “What do you want to know?”
Turning to look at Xiao Li with a complex expression, Li Shi Qing was silent for a moment before he finally whispered. “Why, after so many years? All the influential power fought to win you over but you’ve never once wavered and made everyone hated you for not betraying me. I know these things. For Chen Wu’s situation, he was the one that went looking for you and you have looked sought him. I know this now. You don’t like the underworld, being a gang leader or being sought out by me but you kept on acc.u.mulating merits and ultimately used it against me to let you go. I thought that you would always be entangled with me, always be loyal to me, and always be by my side until I die or you die……I even like you like this…like you to the point of struggling with contradictions while having no benefits to me at all…Xiao Li, what changed? What made you so heartless like this?”
Xiao Li was still sitting in the pa.s.senger seat with his eyes hung low while biting his teeth. Li Shi Qing suddenly realized that since Xiao Li sat down in the car, he has never turned to look at him. Just as he was about to say something, Xiao Li finally opened his mouth to speak.
“Qing Ye, you always said you’ve met me once when I was fifteen years old. But, I actually met you before that.” Xiao Li’s voice was low but the difference was that it seemed as though he was very reluctant to speak. Li Shi Qing has never seen him speak like this before. “When I was around ten years old, my family was practically unable to make a living. At that time, you had pulled my mother and let her follow you as a procurer. Every day, my mother was always very excited and spoke of your affairs. Qing Ye, I know now that you never liked her but at that time I was still young and did not understood anything. I always thought,” he paused, “I always thought one day you would become my father.”
Li Shi Qing froze as confusion and speechlessness overtook him.
“Chen Wu was the one that told me the truth about her accident,” Xiao Li said but he still did not look at Li Shi Qing. The lights in the car were not turned on—instead—a ray of light from outside shone in, illuminating the side of his face a shade of gold. It made it look as though he was no longer himself but rather he was speaking for someone else. “She didn’t say anything aside from telling me to take good care of Xiao Yang and not to let him enter the underworld. Later on, I finally understood why she had only mentioned Xiao Yang and not me. Why did she firmly held my hands and cried like that…”
Li Shi Qing frowned. As he listened to Xiao Li muttered, a thin slender figure seemed to slowly emerge from his dusty memories. It was not a delightful or rewarding memory, so Li Shi Qing had long noticed his own himself obliviousness to that woman’s face. Instead, all he could recall was an unnaturally flattering smile, a nervous laughter, and a panic-stricken look in her eyes as she fell.
He stared at the side of Xiao Li’s face and tried to find some lost memories from his facial features, but the image of that woman remained vague. With a sigh, he said, “So as it turned out, you really liked me when you were little. But when I told you I wanted to support you for your entire life, why did you—”
“I feel very disgusted.” Xiao Li abruptly said. Then as if he could not stand to give Li Shi Qing a single glance, he completely turned away to look outside the window. “Qing Ye, in the end, you gave justice to my weak mother, cultivate me, promote me and gave me a means to provide for my brother……I’m willing to pay you back with my life but as for anything else, even after so many year, there was never a day that I did not think it was disgusting.”
This remark is extremely straightforward therefore even though Li Shi Qing had mentally prepared himself; his expression was still rather unsightly.
Xiao Li has said everything very clearly. Over the years, he has never betrayed Li Shi Qing, repaid him with grat.i.tude, stayed loyal to the gang, cared for his mother’s words and had even carried a bit of childhood adoration. Perhaps, these emotions were not enough to completely guarantee Xiao Li’s loyalty to him, but enough for him to not rely on any other influences to overthrown him.
However—that still does not explain why he had suddenly changed.
“Even if you’re……you’re disgusted, it wouldn’t have come to this?” Li Shi Qing questioned closely, “Didn’t you promise to accompany me in order to save Xiao Yang? Later, I wanted you to withdraw from the gang to accompany me yet you still did not resist. If it went on like that, you would have sooner or later been mine……Chen Wu said that he took the initiative to convince you until you suddenly agreed. In the end, why?”
Xiao Li looked as though he thought the biggest secret has already been said and everything else doesn’t matter anymore. He bluntly answered, “Lin Zi[1] is dead.”
Li Shi Qing was instantly shock, having not expected to hear such an irrelevant answer.
“That day he was severely beaten by Liu Zi Cheng,” Xiao Li said as a complicated expression well in his eyes, “I was injured and forgot to clear things for him. He just lie like that at the warehouse, slowly bleeding to death.”
Li Shi Qing frowned, “I didn’t pay attention.”
“He didn’t know anything at all. Not even what we had prepared…Hong Tou[2] and Lin Zi are the two that has stayed with me the longest. In the end, I’ve let them both down.” Xiao Li sighed, “Qing Ye, when you were not willing to save Han Jia, I was bitterly disappointed. I never thought that I’d also become such a person.”
Li Shi Qing looked at him with a little bit of shock. There were several emotions flashing pa.s.s his eyes and ultimately, he actually felt a hint of excitement as the corner of his lips slightly rose, “You don’t want to be such a person or a part of the underworld so you chose that b.a.s.t.a.r.d?” His tone increased, “What’s the difference between me and him? Xiao Li, you’ve already left the gang. I’ve also become like this now so I don’t have to return. I still have a lot of money, we can—”
Xiao Li finally turned around to look at him. As their line of sight met, Xiao Li’s eyes were clear and full of confident. “Qing Ye, you’ve said the opposite. It’s because of Qi Xiu Yuan that I don’t want to do these kinds of things anymore or become someone like you.”
Some people plunder because of love while others fall because of love. And for some people when they fall in love with another person, they want to make themselves better, to be more authentic, and more deserving of that love. Xiao Li is that type of man.
Li Shi Qing was ultimately defeated by those words. Even though the look of excitement still hung on his face, the expression in his eyes has—however—been ruined by disappointment.
When Xiao Li sensed something, he quickly turned his head toward the direction of the police car only to see Qi Xiu Yuan had somehow gotten out of the car, with one hand on the door while looking over with concern.
“I’m leaving,” Xiao Li said concisely as he opened the door without a hint of hesitation.
Li Shi Qing thought of many words to stop him: You will eventually be abandoned with nothing left. You will be killed for leaving the gang. You should not put too much trust in Sun Ze Yu. You can only succeed if you’re with me……but those words remained at the tip of his tongue. In the end, unable to say any of it, he could only sadly and weakly swallow it back down his throat.
All he could do was watched as Xiao Li closed the car door with a gesture that looked as though he was determined to leave the past behind.
Then underneath the moonlight and the light breeze that gently pa.s.sed by, he crossed the road, crossed the dim light of the night, crossed the shadows and bloodstains on the ground, and headed for the man who was waiting for him with a smile.
♡’･ᴗ･’♡
Translator’s Note:
[1] Lin Zi - Xiao Li’s close subordinate who he would at time tease. He was badly beaten in chapter 62 by Liu Zi Cheng on Li Shi Qing’s command after having been forced to say that Xiao Li was the one that ordered Da Gui’s death (Lu Wu’s subordinate).
[2] Hong Tou — he died when Xiao Li was ambushed at the Arc de Triomphe in chapters 14/15 and his death was mentioned in chapter 16