Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 13: Chapter 13 Judy and the Night

Editor: Larbre Studio

“Name?”

“Li Yan.”

“From where?”

“Hebei.”

“What did you come to Hong Kong for?”

“Visiting relatives.”

A uniformed police officer pinched a ballpoint pen between two fingers, glanced at the man across the table, and quickly recorded something on paper.

“In your statement, you said you were kidnapped by them, but due to infighting, then…”

The police paused, a note of incredulity in his tone.

“You killed all four of them by yourself?”

“Officer, it was self-defense.”

The police looked at Li Yan.

“Do you know those people are from the same place as you?”

“I knew. Because they were fellow townsfolk, I chatted a bit more with them.”

“Chatted a bit more? You are saying you have no connection with their case? Do I look like a fool to you?”

“Who can be sure about these things?”

“You!”

“Officer, think clearly.”

The officer, who had half risen from his seat, looked at Li Yan with his eyes slightly closed, then sat down angrily again.

Not long after this man arrived at the police station, calls came in from a law firm. The superiors were vague in their attitude, clearly someone was protecting him.

Plus, there was no evidence that this man named Li Yan was connected to the case. With the bail paid in full, it had already been difficult to keep him at the station over night.

Remembering how the man before him, appearing weak and ill, had killed four armed robbers with just a scalpel, the uniformed officer felt a chill down his spine.

An older man, carrying a teacup and with mostly white hair, pushed open the door.

“Sir Li,” the uniformed officer stood up.

“You, go out. Close the door.”

Li Yaoguang waved his hand and sat opposite Li Yan. He raised his eyebrows to neatly stack and put aside the papers on the table.

“How was your night?”

“The tea was awful. The couch too narrow.”

“This a station, did you think it was a hotel?”

Li Yaoguang stared at the man in front of him.

“To kill the Mafia we’d send a riot squad after, just with a scalpel, in a matter of minutes? Boxers from Longcheng are so formidable, you might as well reorganize the special forces.”

Li Yan didn’t speak, just calmly looked at the old man.

“How long have you been in Hong Kong?”

“Around a month or two.”

“How’s it been?”

“Fine. I don’t feel tired.”

The elderly man smiled,”I am originally from Xiamen, Fujian, but grew up in Hong Kong. My father pulled rickshaws in Yau Matei when he first came here, living a meager life. But he didn’t join gangs or engage in shady business. When I applied to be a police officer, back then everyone had to bribe the examiner, but he refused to do so. I was stuck in uniform for seven years, but I never thought he was wrong.”

He stared at Li Yan, “No matter how down on your luck, that’s no excuse for committing crimes.”

Li Yan cracked a smile, “You should’ve said those words to those dead ghosts. I haven’t been in Hong Kong long; even the streetwalkers in Temple Street haven’t seen me. But…”

Suddenly he stopped smiling, “Uncle, reasoning doesn’t fill an empty stomach. If one day Hong Kong no longer had any Mafia, do you think it would be because you talked them out of it? If someone bets their life on something and dies, it’s their loss. But there’s no need to stand on a corpse and make snide remarks, right?”

Li Yaoguang wasn’t angry, after a pause he said, “Now I’m inclined to believe you’re not involved with them. Someone with your clarity wouldn’t rob a bank.”

“You’ve got keen insight, Uncle.”

Li Yan joked, but his thoughts went to the man who died by his hand, his face indifferent as he proposed robbing a prison. Was he, clear-headed enough?

Li Yaoguang continued, “After you finish this cup of tea, once your lawyer arrives, you can leave. But speaking of which, how much do you earn boxing in Longcheng?”

“Certainly not as much as robbing a bank.”

“It’s high risk after all.”

“Boxing in the ring isn’t low risk either, and I have high expenses, barely making ends meet.”

“How about taking on an additional job?”

Li Yan was taken aback, “What are you talking about?”

Li Yaoguang’s tone remained the same, “I’m asking if you’re interested in becoming an auxiliary police officer?”

“Old man, are you joking?”

Li Yaoguang handed Li Yan a business card.

“Whenever you think I’m not joking, call this number.”

He looked down at his watch, “It’s about time. You can do as you please.”

Li Yan hesitated for a moment, took Li Yaoguang’s business card, and got up to leave.

“By the way, that gang of Mafia robbed the bank and took a batch of antiques intended for a charity auction. Most of them are now missing; did you hear them mention anything about that when you were kidnapped?”

Li Yan stopped in his tracks.

“Who knows? If it were me, I would have fenced the loot by now. Seeking fortune, one wouldn’t run around with those items.”

Li Yaoguang nodded thoughtfully.

“So the smaller items might still be carried on the person?”

“Bang!”

Li Yan slammed the door shut behind him as he walked out.

The elder pondered for a long while before letting out a wry smile.

“Everyone’s dead now, what’s the use in thinking about this.”

…

“`

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It’s all fate’s play.

Li Yan couldn’t help but sigh as he hastened through the interrogation room and saw the waiting Red Ghost.

“How’s it? Did those cops give you a hard time?”

Red Ghost was still in his usual attire, a black leather jacket that made him look somewhat youthful, his face adorned with a smile.

“Thanks for your trouble, Red Ghost.”

“It was Taishuai who helped, otherwise you wouldn’t have got out so quickly.”

“Taishuai knows about this?”

Li Yan was indeed curious about this ring fighter Taishuai whom he had never met.

“Yeah, who doesn’t know about the Yama of Kowloon City who single-handedly killed a bunch of armed ruffians? Everyone sees you as a superhero.”

“Stop joking with me. I was nearly half dead; I’m planning to go to the Heavenly Queen Temple to burn incense and repay blessings. Also, how did you explain things to Judy?”

“All’s well that ends well.” Red Ghost patted his shoulder. “The bail money was paid by Judy. You can explain it yourself over dinner.”

With that, he nodded in the direction of someone a short distance away.

Li Yan followed his gaze.

Judy was sitting at the desk, opposite the foreign lawyer who bailed out Li Yan.

This was the first time Li Yan saw Judy in formal attire. She wore a white-collared black sweater, with a top hat, resting her wrist on her neck, listening intently, her lips instinctively curled upward, exuding charm and grace.

Li Yan unconsciously touched his nose. Compared to the enchantingly beautiful Judy from that night, the woman before him now, serene as a deep blue lake, indeed gave him a feeling of being struck by something.

“I just stirred up a hornet’s nest, and now I’m going to have dinner with her; doesn’t seem right, does it?”

“Wow, she’s worth over a hundred billion, with long legs, big chest, pretty face, and she’s chasing after you. What kind of tone is that? Are you a revolutionary hero going to his execution?”

“No, listen to me…”

On the other side, Judy already finished the paperwork.

“Let’s leave it at this, Charles, we’ll be in touch if anything comes up.”

Judy stood up, reached out with her soft, pale hand to bid farewell to the lawyer, then turned her gaze toward Li Yan and Red Ghost and walked over.

She sized up Li Yan from head to toe and nodded in approval.

“The shirt’s not bad; it suits you well, just a bit thin.”

“The coat got dirty, so I had to make do. I haven’t thanked Miss Judy yet for helping me.”

Li Yan licked his dry lips as he replied.

Judy reached out to grab Li Yan’s arm.

“Come on, I’ll take you to buy a new one.”

Red Ghost took advantage of the moment to speak up:

“Then I won’t bother you two.”

Judy gave him a look: “You’re in such a hurry to see Taishuai, I couldn’t keep you even if I wanted to.”

Red Ghost gave a chuckle, patted Li Yan’s shoulder, and left.

Judy muttered under her breath, and Li Yan only caught bits of it.

“I don’t know what she has that’s better than me…”

“Miss Judy, what did you just say?”

Judy turned around, her eyes smiling as she looked at Li Yan.

“I said, you can just call me Judy from now on.”

Li Yan smiled wryly, not sure how to respond for a moment.

“Let’s go.”

Judy tugged at Li Yan’s arm, her eyebrows and eyes carrying a hint of amusement.

…

In the spacious restaurant, only Li Yan and Judy sat together, while the piano in the room played the melodious tune of Richard Clayderman’s “Autumn Whisper.”

“It’s been a long time since I bought a ready-made suit, but it looks pretty good on you.”

Under the candlelight, Judy’s eyes scanned Li Yan back and forth, with a hidden hint of… ardor?

Li Yan drank as if downing the liquor, ignoring the surprised look from the waiter nearby. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and asked, “Miss Judy, to be honest, I’m quite curious; how much do you really know about me?”

Judy, cutting a piece of black truffle steak, didn’t look up. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s put it this way, I understand why someone would spend money to promote a boxer, no matter the cost, but I don’t really get why a woman would invite a felon who just killed four people to dinner and specifically buy him an expensive suit.”

Li Yan looked at his sleeve with some distress; the suit alone cost as much as the ES Cell Enhancer.

Judy crossed her arms, her backhands supporting her chin as she thought for a moment. Instead of directly answering Li Yan’s question, she emptied her wine glass.

“How about we play a game? We each ask each other one question. No lies, no avoiding answering, and no talking about unrelated things, or else you have to drink a glass. Conversely, the other person drinks.”

“Sounds good,” Li Yan agreed as readily as when he promised He Andong to release the hostages…

Judy was the first to ask.

“When Red Ghost first introduced me to you, well, probably something about the big waterpipe of Longcheng, what were you thinking when you saw me?”

Li Yan’s nails unintentionally scratched the table. This woman’s performance tonight was obviously not as domineering as it had been in the Fuyi Building, almost sly.

So, Li Yan decided to tell the truth.

“At that time, I thought, this woman is worth billions; if I’m desperate, I could find a chance to kidnap her and squeeze out some money, which would be enough for me to live on for the rest of my life…”

“`

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