Blinded chapter 16
In the evening, Xie Li followed Chang Xiaojia to the bar.
Chang Guanshan was the wealthiest man in Harbor City. Shortly after the birth of his eldest son, Chang Xin, he established the Hongji Group. Over the years, it had developed into a conglomerate encompassing real estate, hotels, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and various other industries, virtually dominating all sectors in Harbor City.
However, the growth of the Hongji Group relied heavily on the influence of the Hong Fang faction. Besides the father-son duo of the Chang family, a significant portion of Hongji’s shares were held by several other influential figures within the Hong Fang faction.
Fengling was an old bar within the sphere of influence of the Hong Fang faction, with Chang Xiaojia being the nominal owner. Bars, teahouses, and even mahjong parlors were abundant under the Hong Fang faction.
As they stepped into the bar, a stifling mix of heat, alcohol, perfume, and sweat hit them. The lighting dimmed suddenly, with rotating beams of light flickering, illuminating the young men and women wildly dancing in the center of the dance floor. The overly intense music continuously pounded the eardrums, causing the floor to vibrate with every step.
By this time, almost all the seats in the bar were occupied.
Chang Xiaojia walked toward the interior. His attire stood out, making him look like an innocent college student who had mistakenly entered the wrong place. As he passed the edge of the dance floor, a drunken young woman grabbed his sleeve, but he casually pushed her away with a wave of his hand.
They crossed the crowd and headed toward the inner part of the bar, passing by the restroom door. They stopped in front of a door with a sign that read “Staff Only, No Entry Without Permission.” Chang Xiaojia reached for the door, but it was locked. Unable to open it, he kicked the door in frustration, creating a loud noise as the heavy wooden door shook.
Someone exited the restroom, gave them a surprised glance, and hastily left. Soon after, a person forcefully opened the door from the inside, ready to scold, but upon seeing Chang Xiaojia’s face, their expression stiffened. They changed their demeanor, bowing respectfully, “Young Master, you’re back?”
Chang Xiaojia coldly said, “Get Xu Lu for me.” Without waiting for a response, he walked inside.
Xie Li followed Chang Xiaojia and Shi Hongqiang. When the door closed behind them, they found themselves in a corridor. The corridor had seven or eight rooms on each side, and a couple of rooms had people peering out. Upon seeing Chang Xiaojia, they looked alarmed and fearful, quickly addressing him as “Young Master.”
Chang Xiaojia walked into the innermost office. He sat on the sofa, crossed his left leg over his right knee, and absentmindedly swung his left foot. Without answering, he casually flipped through the account book, seemingly uninterested in the report.
After about ten minutes, Xu Lu arrived, sweating profusely. Standing in front of Chang Xiaojia, he reported the bar’s operation over the past year, presenting the financial records.
Xie Li stood nearby and listened for a while. From Xu Lu’s report, it sounded like Fengling bar operated entirely within legal and legitimate business ventures, with no sign of any illegal activities.
Chang Xiaojia picked up the account book, flipped through a few pages, and tossed it onto the table. He said, “You don’t need to continue. I want someone else to manage Fengling. You’re done, Xu Lu.”
Xu Lu was taken aback. Beside him stood a burly middle-aged man, the security captain responsible for the bar. He spoke before Xu Lu could, “Is that necessary, Young Master?”
Chang Xiaojia tilted his head back, “are you questioning me? If you don’t want to work you can leave with him.”
The middle-aged man’s face showed a hint of suppressed anger. Xie Li noticed the muscles in his arms tense up.
Xu Lu patted the man’s shoulder and turned to Chang Xiaojia, “Young Master Jia, we’re all brothers under the Hong Fang faction. It’s not suitable to drive people away like this. Why not discuss it with Young Master Xin? Take some time to reconsider.”
Although Chang Xiaojia was leaning back, he was looking at them from under half-lidded eyes. “Fengling is mine. I’ll do whatever I want. Pack up and hand over all the reports tomorrow morning. You can leave then.”
The middle-aged man was clearly suppressing his anger.
Chang Xiaojia stood up and walked toward the door. Before leaving, he turned back and said, “If you’re dissatisfied, you can complain to Young Master Xin. I don’t care.”
As they exited the staff room, Xu Lu and others didn’t follow. It was only Chang Xiaojia, Xie Li, and Shi Hongqiang.
When the door closed behind them, Chang Xiaojia suddenly stopped and called out to Xie Li, “Xie Li, I need to pee.”
Xie Li halted and looked at him, “Then go pee. Do you want me to carry you or something?”
Chang Xiaojia said, “You have to wait for me at the door.”
Xie Li nodded, “Hurry up.”
Chang Xiaojia went to the restroom.
Xie Li saw Shi Hongqiang guarding the door, letting him wait here for Chang Xiaojia. He took a few steps outside and returned to the bustling hall of the bar.
Fengling Bar didn’t have private rooms, and the seats toward the back were more secluded. Those in the middle were fully exposed to the view of others.
Leaning against the wall, Xie Li saw on the left side, near the wall, a stout man was counting money for a young man. After receiving the money, the young man handed a small paper packet to the man and stood up.
The stout man pocketed the packet and continued drinking with his friends.
“What are you looking at?” Chang Xiaojia appeared behind Xie Li at some point.
Xie Li nodded toward that direction, “Someone’s dealing drugs.”
“Hmm,” Chang Xiaojia wasn’t surprised. “People from outside.”
Xie Li asked, “You let them traffic drugs here?”
Chang Xiaojia said, “Why not? Hong Fang is a legitimate organization, and we don’t deal with drugs.”
Xie Li found it hard to believe. “But shouldn’t you prevent outsiders from trafficking drugs in the Hong Fang territory?”
Chang Xiaojia assessed him and suddenly said with a sinister tone, “Li ge, you seem quite righteous.”
Xie Li calmly replied, “It’s against the rules.”
Chang Xiaojia sneered, “Whose rules?”
Xie Li remained silent. He recalled the tragic death of the female police officer who had infiltrated the Fengling bar to investigate drug trafficking. In the end, she lost her life in the process.
What was Chang Xiaojia’s intention in bringing her home that day? Wasn’t Chang Xiaojia supposed to be gay?
Suddenly, Xie Li reached out and gave Chang Xiaojia’s ass a firm slap. He hit him too hard, and his own palm felt numb. Even through the denim, a clear “snap” sound could be heard.
Two people who had just come out of the restroom happened to pass by, both turning their heads to look at them.
Shi Hongqiang also stopped, furrowing his brow as he looked at Chang Xiaojia.
However, Chang Xiaojia seemed stunned by the hit. After a moment, he asked Xie Li, “Why did you hit me?” His voice was full of confusion.
Xie Li asked him, “Don’t you like men?”
Chang Xiaojia didn’t directly answer Xie Li’s question, just laughed.
Xie Li silently observed him.
When they left the bar, and got into the car, Shi Hongqiang asked Chang Xiaojia if he wanted to go home.
Chang Xiaojia said he wanted to show Xie Li the night view of Harbor City and instructed the driver to go to a beautiful place.
Clearly, Chang Xiaojia’s intention to show Xie Li the night view was not effective. He sat quietly in the car for a while and then fell asleep. It was Shi Hongqiang who woke him up, asking again if he wanted to go home.
Glancing at the time, Chang Xiaojia said, “Yeah let’s go home.”
Returning to the villa by the side of Qing Shui Lake, it was already late at night. Qing Shui Lake was a large freshwater lake near the hills in Harbor City. The villa area around the lake was renowned as the wealthy neighborhood, with dozens of luxurious villas situated around the lake. The owners were all well-known and wealthy individuals in Harbor City.
In the darkness, Xie Li couldn’t see the surroundings clearly. However, as the car drove along the lakeside road, he could see distant lights reflecting on the calm lake surface like scattered stars, resembling a sky full of stars in the pitch-black night.
The car entered the automatic gate in the middle of the wall on the north shore of the lake. Inside, there was a vast garden, not fully visible under the dim streetlights. Finally, the car stopped in front of the villa behind the garden.
Someone approached to open the car door, speaking in a hushed voice, “The master and madam are already asleep.”
Chang Xiaojia only responded with a simple “Hmm.” He seemed a bit dazed and swayed a bit when he got out of the car. Shi Hongqiang quickly reached out to steady him.
Xie Li also opened the car door and got out. Taking advantage of the light, he looked up at the two villas of the Chang family. The smaller one was situated to the left and behind the larger one, connected by a garden path. It was said that these two villas were built almost thirty years ago, purchased by Chang Guanshan after becoming the leader of Hong Fang. At that time, Chang Xiaojia hadn’t been born yet.
When he was still in prison, he had thought about how to integrate into Hong Fang after getting out. However, he hadn’t expected to be brought directly to Chang Guanshan’s home just two days after his release.
Chang Xiaojia had Shi Hongqiang take Xie Li’s travel bag and then walked towards the smaller villa at the back.
Shi Hongqiang led the way, with Chang Xiaojia and Xie Li following. Xie Li noticed that this stretch of road, although short, was quite dark. Chang Xiaojia closely stuck to him.
Xie Li extended his hand in front of Chang Xiaojia, and he quickly grasped it.
It wasn’t until they entered the house that Shi Hongqiang turned on the ceiling light in the first-floor hall along with the staircase light. Afterward, he returned Xie Li’s travel bag and said, “Good night.”
Xie Li took the travel bag somewhat puzzled.
Shi Hongqiang explained to him, “My room is on the first floor.”
Xie Li asked Chang Xiaojia, “Do you live on the second floor?”
Chang Xiaojia had already let go of his hand and was heading upstairs. As he climbed the stairs, he said, “And there’s Chang Xin.”