No. 90 Clinging to a Moment of Radiance
I enjoyed a memorable lunch in that dilapidated village, a meal prepared with love and care by an elderly woman.
The food was simple, home-cooked, made with vegetables grown in her backyard. But it tasted better than anything I had ever eaten in a restaurant.
Due to the language barrier, we didn’t linger after lunch.
As we left the house, we encountered a group of kindergarten students being dismissed for the day.
It was a sight I would never forget.
A dozen four and five-year-olds, their tiny hands clasped in the hands of burly men with tattooed arms and stern faces, walked in a neat line across the deserted intersection. The children, instead of fearing these intimidating figures, chatted and laughed, their innocence a stark contrast to the harsh realities of their surroundings.
“Our boss wants to atone for his past sins. He’s paying us to escort these kids to and from school, to protect them from kidnappers,” Lan Ge explained, his voice tinged with sadness, as we watched the procession from afar. He was leaning against a broken lamppost, his shadow stretching long and thin in the afternoon sun. “I think Pai Ge brought you here to show you the struggles we face. Yi Yao, you have a family, a chance at a normal life. Go back to school, study hard. It’s not too late.”
His words struck a chord. “What about you?”
“My parents abandoned me long ago.”
He chuckled mirthlessly, slinging his arms around the two boys beside him. “Them too. We’ve been on our own since we were kids. We’ve done every menial job imaginable—construction, dishwashing, waiting tables. If our parents had loved us, cared for us, sent us to school, who would choose this life?”
His phone rang, interrupting his reminiscing.
“Excuse me.” He glanced at the caller ID and stepped aside. “Hello?”
“Oh… yeah, I understand… No, I ran into some friends. Yes, Bing is with me.”
The news from the other end of the line seemed dire.
“Okay, I’ll send them back. Yeah, tell the guys to be careful. And bring weapons.”
He hung up and rejoined us, his face grim. “We have a situation. A Mei, those guys from the other day are back. They brought reinforcements. They’re demanding to see you.”
“Those guys?” A Mei, a large, burly man with a surprisingly gentle demeanor, frowned. “Which guys?”
“The ones who tried to extort protection money from our territory.”
“The ones who claimed their boss was Dao Ge?”
“Yeah, those punks.”
“They dare come back?”
“They have dozens of men with them. They’re at the South Cross intersection.”
“They want a fight? Fine. Can you reach Lao Li?”
“He’s already on his way.”
“Let’s go. I’m not leaving until I’ve taught those bastards a lesson.”
The men, who had been like caring older brothers just moments ago, transformed into hardened gangsters, their eyes glinting with a cold fury.
It was like witnessing a group of poets discussing literature suddenly morph into construction workers wielding sledgehammers.
“Yi Yao, take Bing and go home. We have some business to attend to,” Lan Ge said, turning to leave.
But Lu Yibing grabbed his sleeve, her grip surprisingly strong.
“I’m coming with you.”
She looked like a little girl pleading with her older brother, her sweet voice and innocent demeanor a stark contrast to her words.
“Be good, Bing. This is dangerous. It’s a fight. I can’t guarantee your safety.”
What’s going on?
Lan Ge’s reaction confused me.
Didn’t they know about her strength?
“Take me with you,” she repeated, her voice soft but firm, her gaze unwavering.
The boys exchanged glances, then turned to me.
“Um, Yi Yao, can you keep an eye on Bing?” Lan Ge asked.
“What?”
“I know this is our business, but… things can get messy in a fight. If she gets hurt, Kai Ge will kill us. Consider it a favor.”
Lu Kai? The son of the real estate tycoon?
“That’s not what I’m asking.” I stared at Lu Yibing, who had returned to my side, her lollipop clutched in her hand, her expression innocent. “Are you sure she needs protection?”
She was more likely to kill someone than get hurt.
I could take on three opponents my age, but I wouldn’t last five rounds against Lu Yibing. And they wanted me to protect her?
“Just keep an eye on her, okay? Kai Ge is terrifying when he’s angry.”
They didn’t linger, their concern for their friend outweighing their confusion. They urged Lu Yibing to be careful, then grabbed whatever weapons they could find—wooden planks, bricks, anything that could inflict damage—and headed towards the other side of the village.
I followed them, my mind still reeling from the absurdity of the situation.
Lu Yibing, however, remained calm, her body pressed against mine, her presence a source of unexpected comfort.
“We’re here.”
The meeting point wasn’t far from the village. Two groups of young men, armed with metal pipes and other makeshift weapons, faced each other in a clearing surrounded by abandoned buildings and overgrown weeds.
“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up.”
A young man in a white shirt swaggered towards us, his eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on A Mei. “You’re the one who beat up my brother?”
“That’s right,” A Mei replied, his voice steady. “What are you going to do about it?”
“You have a big mouth. Do you even know who I am?”
“I don’t care who you are. You came to our territory and tried to extort protection money from us. You disrespected us.”
“Heh, well then, looks like we’re going to have to… Ugh!”
Before he could finish his sentence, a blur of motion shot towards him, a foot connecting with his abdomen with a sickening thud. It was so fast that even I barely registered the attack.
The force of the blow sent him retching, his eyes bulging, his body contorting in pain. He pointed at Lu Yibing, his voice a strangled gasp, then collapsed, unconscious.
“Boss!”
Several of his men surged forward, but another lightning-fast kick sent them sprawling to the ground.
“You…”
One of them, who seemed to have escaped serious injury, tried to stand up, but Lu Yibing’s foot, clad in a cute pink Mary Jane shoe, pressed against his chest, pinning him to the ground.
“Bing?”
Even Lan Ge was stunned. “Where did you learn to do that…?”
Lu Yibing remained silent, her gaze sweeping across the remaining men, her demeanor shifting from sweet innocence to icy dominance.
Despite her youthful appearance, she radiated an aura of power that silenced the crowd. With each step she took, the fear in their eyes intensified.
She reached the center of the clearing, her small frame a stark contrast to the hulking figures surrounding her.
“Bing… Bing Mei…”
Some of the men from the Jiangnan Association recognized her, their faces etched with confusion. No one knew what she was planning.
“Do you want to fight?”
The afternoon sun illuminated her face, highlighting the sharp angles of her jaw, the determined glint in her eyes.
The sweet, innocent girl had vanished, replaced by a queen surveying her subjects.
An instant transformation.
The air crackled with tension.
“Um… little girl, you…”
A young man, his hand trembling as he gripped a metal pipe, stammered, “Don’t force our hand. Even if you’re pretty, we…”
“Whoosh!”
Her leg shot out, a blur of motion, connecting with his head with a sickening thud.
He crumpled to the ground, blood trickling from his nose.
“Gasp!”
The crowd gasped, their fear palpable.
That speed, that power—even a grown man wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“Anyone else?” she asked, her voice cold and steady, brushing her long black hair over her shoulder.
I sensed her anger, her frustration.
And I knew, with a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that I wouldn’t have survived a single attack.
Her movements were fluid, instinctive, devoid of the telltale signs of a practiced technique. It was like watching a predator unleashed, its every move honed by instinct.
“Retreat!”
The remaining men, their bravado shattered, helped their fallen comrades to their feet and fled, their retreat a testament to her overwhelming power.
The confrontation had ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Later, Lu Yibing confessed that she had been angry because they had interrupted our “date.”
I returned home on the bus, my mind still reeling from the events of the afternoon.
My father wasn’t home. Xiaodie had prepared dinner, a simple yet delicious meal, and a stack of documents lay on the table.
“What’s all this?”
I picked up a document, noticing detailed maps of Upper Capital City, highlighting the locations of various gangs and their members.
“Information on the gangs in Jiangnan District,” Xiaodie explained, settling down beside me, her apron still tied around her waist. “Don’t think I just spent the afternoon playing dress-up. I was a member of the Jiangnan Association, remember? With the city in such turmoil, we need to be prepared.”