Xiang Xi felt like he was having the unluckiest day ever.

The person chasing him had already caught up, and Xiang Xi could now clearly see the half-broken stick in his hand. Meanwhile, Cheng Boyan was still calmly sitting in the driver’s seat, just watching him.

“Can’t you see there’s someone after me?!” Xiang Xi shouted in frustration. It seemed Cheng Boyan wasn’t planning to start the car or help him at all, so Xiang Xi had to figure something out himself.

Cheng Boyan’s indifference left him a little disappointed, but not defeated—it was an expected reaction. Anyone else would probably act the same way, so it wasn’t surprising.

Xiang Xi decided to get out of the car. Since Cheng Boyan wasn’t going to help, he needed to get out immediately before the chaser caught up and damaged the car—he couldn’t afford to pay for that.

Before stepping out, his eyes swept over the back seat. He suddenly noticed a few sticks lying there, and hope flared inside him. At least he could grab a weapon!

“Can I use this?!” He lunged for the backrest, yanked one stick out, and swung it back without even properly looking at it—only for the stick to break in his hand because of the inertia.

“Fuck!” Xiang Xi shouted in despair. “What the hell is this piece of garbage?!”

“Iron stick yam ,” Cheng Boyan replied calmly, his hands still steady on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.

“What?” Xiang Xi’s voice cracked as he asked.

“Tonifies and strengthens deficiencies, expels cold and heat-related pathogenic qi, replenishes vitality and energy…” Cheng Boyan recited at an unhurried pace.

Xiang Xi gritted his teeth and clawed at the car door. “I’m getting out!”

The door was locked. Xiang Xi clawed at it twice but couldn’t open it. He turned around, about to ask Cheng Boyan to unlock it and let him out, when the pursuer reached the car. The man, holding a stick in one hand, yanked at the car door with the other, shaking it violently.

Xiang Xi felt a wave of terror. He had reluctantly decided to step out and face the beating, but seeing this man’s aggressive determination made him hesitate again.

In the few seconds of his indecision, the man suddenly raised his stick and smashed it against the car window.

“Fuck!” Xiang Xi shouted as the car window didn’t shatter but showed a large crack. The stick in the man’s hand turned out to be a steel pipe!

“Eight hundred,” Cheng Boyan remarked casually.

“What?” Xiang Xi was momentarily stunned.

Cheng Boyan didn’t answer. He unlocked the car door and, before Xiang Xi could react, had already stepped out.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” Xiang Xi panicked. Forgetting for a moment that stepping out of the car meant he’d be directly facing a steel pipe, he quickly pushed open the car door.

Cheng Boyan moved swiftly. As Xiang Xi crouched, half his body outside the car, shielding his head with his arms, Cheng Boyan had already rounded the car to the passenger side. In two steps, he reached the man, grabbing the arm that was about to swing the steel pipe down.

Taking advantage of the moment, Xiang Xi leaped out of the car and slammed the car door into the man with all his strength.

Just as he was wondering how to deal with the guy, he heard the man let out a scream.

The scream startled Xiang Xi. He turned to see Cheng Boyan twisting the man’s arm behind his back. Just as Xiang Xi was about to cheer, the steel pipe clattered to the ground. He quickly rushed over to pick it up.

The man was grimacing fiercely, struggling violently. Xiang Xi scrutinized his face. Except for the police—whom he instinctively avoided—Xiang Xi usually recognized anyone else on the streets. But this man didn’t ring any bells.

Judging by his slightly crooked mouth, he could’ve been one of Donkey Face’s guys. There was someone with a crooked mouth in that gang, but Xiang Xi couldn’t tell if this was natural or just the result of his current grimace.

Getting closer, Xiang Xi caught the smell of alcohol. Damn, he thought, Is he drunk and causing a scene?

The crooked-mouthed man was big, cursing incoherently, and thrashing about furiously. As Cheng Boyan was about to shove him away, the man suddenly swung a fist backward, shouting, “I’ll destroy you!”

Cheng Boyan wasn’t expecting it and took the punch to his eye. He frowned slightly in response.

“Who the hell are you trying to destroy?!” Xiang Xi roared, landing a punch on the man’s face.

He was about to follow up with a kick when the man let out another scream—this one far more anguished than before. The sound was so pitiful it almost made Xiang Xi feel like crying along with him.

When Cheng Boyan released the man, Xiang Xi noticed that his right arm was hanging limp. The man hunched over, leaning against the roadside railing, yelling in pain.

“You dislocated his shoulder?” Xiang Xi asked. Having witnessed countless fights and beatdowns since he was young, he’d never seen someone dislocate a person’s shoulder so quickly and cleanly. He couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

Cheng Boyan ignored him, brushing the dust off his pants before turning and getting back into the car.

 

"Hey, brother!" Xiang Xi kicked Crooked Mouth on the butt and climbed into the car after opening the door. "You’re awesome! A true orthopedic doctor—your dislocations are so professional…"

"Get out," Cheng Boyan said, staring at him.

"Brother, Dr. Cheng," Xiang Xi smiled awkwardly, "don’t be mad, okay? Listen… Your face is bleeding…”

"Get out," Cheng Boyan pressed the car horn lightly. "What? You’re expecting me to give you a ride home?"

"…Your car window’s broken," Xiang Xi said casually, not caring about Cheng Boyan’s attitude, and pointed at the cracked window. "That 800 you mentioned earlier—was that the cost to replace the glass?"

"Don’t worry about it. I’m in a rush," Cheng Boyan glanced at the time on his phone. "You can do whatever you need to do—go scam some money for your dad’s treatment or something."

The smile disappeared from Xiang Xi’s face. He was silent for a moment, then got out of the car. Before closing the door, he turned and said, "I’ll pay you back for the window."

Cheng Boyan started the car. Xiang Xi slammed the door shut, making a loud bang.

Watching Xiang Xi disappear quickly around the corner, Cheng Boyan frowned and sighed. He grabbed a tissue and pressed it against the cut on the corner of his eye. It was a small wound but bleeding a bit.

He glanced at the man still sitting by a tree, cradling his shoulder. Reaching back, he grabbed the first aid kit from the car, took out two triangular bandages, and stepped out.

"Don’t move," he said, squatting beside the man and grabbing his wrist. "Relax. If it hurts, just bear with it."

The man glared at him, seemingly still stunned.

Cheng Boyan propped the man’s elbow up with one hand, gently bending the arm upward while slowly rotating it outward. He then pushed the elbow toward the man’s chest and, finally, twisted the upper arm inward. A loud pop came from the shoulder.

"Done," Cheng Boyan said, quickly tying the man’s arm to his chest with the bandages before turning and getting back in the car.

"You’re a fucking doctor?" the man yelled after him, finally recovering from the shock.

Cheng Boyan ignored him, started the car, and drove off.

That evening, Cheng Boyan was on call at the hospital. He had left home an hour early, hoping to grab groceries and maybe even buy his mom a phone. He’d promised her one before the New Year, but half a month had passed, and he still hadn’t gotten around to it.

Now, with this unexpected incident, the plan was once again derailed.

He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. The wound on his face was small—just enough for a band-aid.

In his mind, an image of Zhan Hongtu’s face, with a band-aid under his eye, flashed by. That thought annoyed him even more.

He had actually believed that kid’s earlier stories!

About his dad with stomach cancer, about working odd jobs to pay for the treatment, about running from debt collectors, about refusing hospital admission to care for his dad after breaking a leg.

All of it delivered with such sincerity, such pitiful expressions! The kid’s acting skills were practically Oscar-worthy—good enough to brew some immortality elixir.

Cheng Boyan almost wanted to tell him, "Go hustle for some cash and sign up for acting classes. You’d dominate the entertainment industry."

By the time Cheng Boyan arrived at the hospital, his mood hadn’t improved. When he ran into Xiao Jiang, one of the nurses, the young woman stared at him for a long time before cautiously asking, "Dr. Cheng, um… that cut on your face—did you bump into something or did someone cause trouble?"

"Hit my head a bit," Cheng Boyan said as he pulled a bandage from his pocket and applied it with a smile. "Why so tense?"

"Ah, you don’t know," Nurse Xiao Jiang frowned. "Just earlier, we had a gastric perforation patient in the ER, and their family was so panicked they nearly caused a scene."

"And now?" Cheng Boyan asked.

"It’s fine now. They’ve been transferred to a ward," Xiao Jiang sighed. "Ah, during the New Year of all times."

Cheng Boyan smiled faintly and said no more. Yes, during the New Year—a time when some people gathered happily at home, others end up in the hospital, some were chased through the streets, and some had their car windows smashed…

Actually, Cheng Boyan had always found holiday shifts stressful, especially during the New Year. Late nights brought a surge of injury cases—drunken falls, drunken brawls—far more than usual.

By 11 p.m., he’d already treated three trauma cases. The third one was a young woman in her twenties, quite attractive, who got into a bottle-smashing fight at a KTV bar. When she was brought in, she was covered in blood, with fractures in her metacarpal bones and forearm. Yet she seemed entirely unfazed, still moving her arms around as if nothing was wrong.

"Don’t move," Cheng Boyan said, exasperated. "Do you want to lose that hand?"

"Sure, take it!" the young woman retorted loudly. "You like my legs? You can have those too!" She leaned in closer, squinting at him. "Hey, handsome! Leave me your number—we’ll grab drinks sometime."

The two girls who sent her to the hospital quickly stepped in, trying to calm her down. After much coaxing, she finally settled.

Once Cheng Boyan finished treating her, she grabbed his coat tag and inspected it: "Cheng Fuyan! What a good name!" Then she turned to her companions and asked, "Did you get his number?"

"Got it, got it," one of her friends replied hurriedly as they helped her out of the ER. The other girl gave Cheng Boyan an apologetic smile. "Sorry about this, Doctor."

"It’s fine," Cheng Boyan replied with a smile. "The care instructions are on the sheet I gave you—make sure to read it."

As her humming voice faded down the hall, Cheng Boyan sank into a chair, exhaling deeply and stretching his neck and legs.

*

Meanwhile, Xiang Xi had returned briefly to Zhao Jiayao but avoided Uncle Ping’s place. Ping’s family hadn’t yet left, and Xiang Xi knew that if he showed up, Uncle Ping would lose his temper. Not that Xiang Xi had planned to visit anyway—he’d practically grown up in Zhao Jiayao and knew the area like the back of his hand. If not for Uncle Ping designating Da Jian’s place as his lodgings, Xiang Xi could have easily found ten other spots to crash in the neighbourhood.

For instance, there was Tongkui Alley, three streets over from Dawali.

Despite its name, Tongkui Alley hadn’t resembled an alley in years. Like Dawali, it was a tangle of old houses, with even the illegal structures looking aged. Some had built chicken coops right by the roadside, leaving barely any space to walk.

The backside of Tongkui Alley was even worse, lined entirely with abandoned, dilapidated buildings. Deemed unsafe for habitation, they’d become storage spots for all kinds of miscellaneous junk.

Xiang Xi went around to one of the doors, reached for a thin string tucked beneath the window, and pulled it. The window opened. He reached inside and unlocked the door.

The string was his own setup. He had tied a knot in the string and left it inside the window; pulling the string caused the knot to push the window open. From the outside, no one could tell anything was out of place when the window was closed.

This house belonged to an old man whom Xiang Xi used to call Grandpa Luo when he was a child.

The first time Xiang Xi came here, Grandpa Luo had brought him. But the old man had tried to tug at his pants and touch him, scaring Xiang Xi into running away. The second time, Xiang Xi lured the old man over and forced a mouthful of filth into him.

After that, Grandpa Luo never approached him again, always keeping his distance when they crossed paths. The old man also never entered this house again.

Xiang Xi, however, came here often.

He had some belongings hidden here.

They weren’t worth much: old movie tickets, a ring he’d picked up, a slingshot someone had given him—he couldn’t remember who—and quite a few books, though Xiang Xi had never read them.

Each item had its own story, just like the bandage on his face. Xiang Xi was strangely determined to collect these things as though losing them would erase many memories—or even erase his sense of self.

Then again, he never really knew who he was in the first place.

This time, Xiang Xi didn’t come to reminisce; he came to get money—800 yuan.

For Cheng Boyan’s car window repair.

He rummaged for a while in a cabinet in the corner and eventually found a tin box.

Inside were several rolls of money that he had secretly saved. Without an ID card, he couldn’t open a bank account, nor did he trust using someone else’s ID. So, he used the most basic method: hiding cash.

After pulling out eight 100-yuan bills, he rolled the rest back up and stuffed it into the tin box.

*

When Cheng Boyan walked out of the hospital, he felt dizzy and disoriented. He stood by the roadside for a few seconds before remembering he needed to retrieve his car.

He lowered his head and took a couple of steps forward when someone rushed up from behind, spun around, and blocked his path.

He nearly ran into the person and frowned, looking up to see Zhan Hongtu.

“Can you stop jumping out of nowhere every time?” Cheng Boyan said, staring at him.

“I called you several times from behind, and you didn’t hear me. Look at your face,” Zhan Hongtu replied, frowning. “Anyone who doesn’t know better might think you’re high or something.”

“Do you need something?” Cheng Boyan cut him off.

“Yeah.” Zhan Hongtu unzipped his down jacket and took an envelope from an inside pocket, handing it over. “I don’t know if it’s enough—if not, just tell me.”

Cheng Boyan sighed. “Didn’t I already tell you not to bother? Keep it for yourself.”

“Relax. I make more money scamming people every month than you do,” Zhan Hongtu said.

Cheng Boyan didn’t respond, though Zhan Hongtu’s defiant, slightly stubborn expression was strangely amusing.

However, when he recalled the elaborate lies this kid had spun earlier, a wave of disgust surfaced. He felt foolish for sympathizing with him after that heartfelt "Brother" and those non sense stories.

“Alright, big shot,” Cheng Boyan said, pulling the envelope from Zhan Hongtu’s hand. Checking his phone for the time, he added, “Come with me to fix the car—just in case it’s not enough.”

“Fine,” Zhan Hongtu agreed readily.

Cheng Boyan retrieved his car and debated going to his usual repair shop, where prices were lower. But, considering Zhan Hongtu’s cocky attitude, he decided to head to a dealership instead—somewhere he knew they’d overcharge him.

In the car, there was a box of milk. Cheng Boyan grabbed a carton and started drinking it. "Want one? Help yourself."

"No," Zhan Hongtu shook his head. "Stomach hurts."

"Got a tumor in there?" Cheng Boyan glanced sideways at him. "Is it bad?"

"Come on," Zhan Hongtu chuckled. "You hold grudges, don't you?"

"With the way you live, it’d be a miracle if you don’t have stomach problems," Cheng Boyan pointed to the backseat. "There’s a hand warmer back there. Plug it in and use it for a while."

"Where do I plug it in?" Zhan Hongtu picked up the hand warmer. "In the cigarette lighter?"

"Yeah," Cheng Boyan replied.

"Pretty high-tech," Zhan Hongtu plugged it in. After a moment of silence, he added, "Doctor Cheng, you're a pretty decent guy."

"Really?" Cheng Boyan smiled faintly. "Depends on the person. With you, it’s just a misunderstanding."

Zhan Hongtu wasn’t offended. He clicked his tongue. "Whatever. But since you’re a nice guy to others, I’ll share a secret with you."

Cheng Boyan didn’t respond.

Zhan Hongtu fiddled with the hand warmer, then glanced at the cracked car window. "My name isn’t Zhan Hongtu."

"Oh." Cheng Boyan stayed calm. At this point, even if Zhan Hongtu claimed to be a woman, it wouldn’t faze him.

Zhan Hongtu set the hand warmer down, rubbed his hands together, and extended his right hand toward Cheng Boyan. "My name’s Xiang Xi."

"Looking for advice, are you?" Cheng Boyan glanced at him. "We’re headed east now. Wait until the car’s fixed if you want wisdom."

"I mean it. My name is Xiang Xi," Zhan Hongtu—now Xiang Xi—pulled his hand back. "My real name is Xiang Xi."

Xiang Xi? That name sounded better than Zhan Hongtu and suited the quiet demeanour he had when he wasn’t talking.

But Cheng Boyan didn’t intend to believe it.

At the repair shop, the mechanic inspected the car window and said it could be replaced immediately—they had the glass in stock.

"1,100 yuan," the mechanic said after checking the price list.

Cheng Boyan smiled and leaned against the counter without saying a word.

"That’s outrageous!" Xiang Xi muttered, pulling his wallet from his pocket. He opened it and pulled out three 100-yuan bills. "What is this, you’re overcharging because he looks rich? Or do I look too easy to push around?"

Cheng Boyan had only wanted to put on a show. Forget the 300 yuan—even the 800 yuan, he hadn’t intended to take it. He didn’t want any further entanglement with this person.

But as his gaze fell on Xiang Xi’s wallet… and the ballpoint pen scratch on the back of it… he suddenly wanted to pull out his phone and dial 110.

Police officer! We caught a thief here!

"Nice wallet," he said. "You’re really expanding your horizons, huh? Doing all sorts of things."

 

Translator : DarNan