"I was born in United States but my grandmother persuaded my mother to let me stay in the country to receive my education. I was in high school when I was transferred to the States to further my studies......I was able to adapt well. Changing to a new environment was not difficult for me. Very quickly I was obsessed with rugby and wanted to join the school rugby team. At that time, the coach was called Bob, a big heavy man and he was always cursing."
He turned around and smiled at me. "He did not even give me the chance of being selected."
I was curious. "Why?"
"Old Bob was very frank. In front of my face, he told me that to play rugby, the body must be able to withstand collision movement which was not suitable for Asians who have small body frames. Little guys like me were more suitable for drinking beer on the sidelines and be part of the audience."
I did not turn away my head but stared at the man beside me who was telling a story. I held my breath, my intuition told me that the following part was something good.
"And then?" I thought for a while. "You are not the kind of person to give up so easily. What did you do?"
Kang Zixian's mouth curved slightly into a smile, firmly held on to the steering wheel. "Nothing much. Like he said, I drank beer on the sidelines and ate my hamburger."
Suddenly Kang Zixian turned his head and gave me a strange smile. "But sitting beside me was a person accompanying me as an audience."
"Who?"
"Old Bob has two daughters."
I almost jumped up from my seat, surprised and asked. "Heavens, you didn't seduce his daughters, did you?"
"Seduce?" Kang Zixian repeated the word with interest, not taking an exception and smiled. "I just happened to choose the same course as she did and happened to sit a bit closer to her only."
The man beside me made me very fearful but his open-minded attitude let people think he was magnanimous, even as the answer was clear but I still wanted to hear a different answer.
I did not give up but persisted. "You took the initiative to pursue her?"
"No, you are wrong. All this while I was attending class quietly and after school, I went to the rugby team training field to watch them train only and I did not do anything."
I rolled up my eyes. In my heart, I said that was because you did not do anything then the prey offered herself to the hunter which was considered more terrible. It seems that nothing was done but in fact, the gesture of raising one's hand had aroused the woman's interest and it would seem strange if you had not led her by her nose.
I silently cursed. When in high school, he was already this terrible......being humiliated he was still able to remain calm and collected. At an early age, he had trained himself to control his impatience and this type of personality really made one shudder.
And when I listened to him talk about his past involving him and other women, my heart really felt uncomfortable.
"Occasionally I would encounter Tracey at the side of the rugby field. Initially, we just talked and later, every day we would wait for each other at the rugby field until one day Bob waylaid me by the roadside and asked me. 'Young man, do you want to participate in the selection?' "
I widened my eyes. "Did you agree?"
Kang Zixian smiled slightly, shook his head and said. "No, I refused him."
"Why?"
I was puzzled. He had tried so hard to get close to the daughter so as to get into the team, right?
"Why? Probably my enthusiasm had waned. My rationality had overridden my impulse, realized that even if I had the opportunity to be selected, I may not be able to win over those naturally big-bodied Americans." Kang Zixian turned towards me and gave an indifferent smile, revealing his white teeth. "I think, perhaps you are waiting for me to do something astonishing that would surprise everyone, right?"
I was really looking forward to his revenge for that insult and honestly, I had always felt that this man's ability was similar to Superman. I had always been amazed and rendered speechless by his insight into the psychological behavior of a person.
I pursed my lips and honestly nodded my head.
The reality was reality........and exciting heroic stories could only happen in Hollywood.
Kang Zixian did not take exception.
"My rationale and facts told me that it was not to my advantage and once I fail, it would only prove to those people that rugby was a restricted sport for the Asians due to their small body frame." Kang Zixian turned towards me and laughed to himself. "So sorry, madam. I let you down. I did not want to be brave and was a coward, so I refused."
"But I enjoyed the feeling of rejecting Bob in public. I told him that the baseball team had invited me, this Asian, to join them which made me feel that I was on equal footing with them. I thought over again and again, and that was only the school's baseball team could give me the passion that I craved for.'
"This is a very simple story. Later I joined the baseball team and that season, the baseball team in the school league came out with the best result that was unprecedented. I think I made the correct choice."
Kang Zixian turned to face me, looked at me mischievously and blinked his eyes. "Didn't you wonder why this old man can run so fast? When I was young, I had trained for short distance running."
I gave a thumbs-up sign to this old man, smilingly said. "You don't say......that day when you cornered me in the dead-end alley, I had wanted to say that you......this old man is really strong and this young one admits defeat."
Kang Zixian smiled brightly.
After flattering him, I did not intend to miss a detail and finally, hesitantly I asked. "What about that Tracey? You.....later, were you together?"
Kang Zixian's expression showed frankness without the intention of hiding anything. "I think we have been friends all along. Perhaps at one time, we were in an ambiguous relationship and later I also admired her for being candid and warm. But we were different in many aspects and then later she had a boyfriend. Now she is a mother of two kids and last year when I saw her, she was already a 140-lb woman. The funny thing is, her husband is a Japanese-American and Old Bob's racial discrimination principle had to be redressed by his precious daughter."
I laughed and did not speak, just quietly going over the story that he told me. I was surprised that the story did not obscure the development of my vision. I had to admire this calm man, as he had also been young before and had used his innate effort, wisely utilized his good sense of appropriation. And during his high school days, he knew when to advance and when to retreat. When people gave him a slap, he had returned a fist and compared to the high school me, I only knew how to play truant and create trouble.
He was such a man that one could not decipher whether he was good or bad and I who had always viewed everything in a simple way suddenly I felt at a loss. Thinking deeply, actually, he would not make others annoyed with him but with his character, people would not dare to go near him. A feeling that could disappear at any time was not what I wanted.
When we reached Fei Ge's home, I did not wait for him to speak. I distractedly waved him goodbye, opened the car door and stepped out. I took a few steps forward and then heard Kang Zixian standing beside the door called out to me.
"Liang Liang."
Usually, he would call me using my surname but tonight he only just called me by my name. For a moment I could not adapt to that closeness. I stopped, turned around and looked at him who was a few steps away.
Under the street lamp, I could see the slight smile on his face. We looked at each other, my heart was in turmoil and he said in his nice sounding voice. "Telling you this story is actually not a good thing for me.......I just wanted you to know that everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes it is an initiative mistake, sometimes it is a passive mistake and in the process of making a mistake, when you hurt someone, at the same time you are also hurting yourself. So there will not be only a single victim......Tracey had once said that Asian men are thoroughly bad but in the end, she still married her Japanese husband." He smiled. "Believe me, one day, your little friend will be able to let go."
While I was still struggling in my heart, Kang Zixian waved at me and said warmly. "Go in and remember you still owe me."
This night I tossed and turned and could not sleep. Fei Ge who was deeply asleep flung her leg over my stomach but I did not move away and in the night, my eyes were still wide open in deep thought.
I finally understood why Kang Zixian told me this story with care and thought. As a man, he has an invisible sword in his hand. In exchange for equality he had used the sword in his hand and at the same time, he had also made a mistake. For now, in my eyes, he had carried on his back the cross of 'insidious'.
Kang Zixian had used his story to explain to me: All parties involved will one day be finally relieved.
So he had to be frank with me when he shared the story with me and to make me understand.
In the night, I slightly smiled, slowly closed my eyes and my heart quietly comforted itself: Last but not least......Jiang Li, Dong Zi and I will be relieved.
The next day was Saturday and I slept late into the afternoon. Upon waking, I hastily stuffed something into my stomach and waited for Fei Ge's delicious lunch. Fei Ge was in the kitchen singing a song and I was sitting cross-legged thinking of what to do in the afternoon to pass time. Whilst thinking, my mind would speculate on what the man was doing, maybe he was with his new girlfriend sitting at a table facing each other, drinking. My eyebrows knitted whilst thinking and suddenly the phone rang. I picked up the phone and happily I saw it was from Li Lisa from Meise Nightclub.
For a period of time, we did not contact each other. I was wondering how the beauty was doing, now. I was brimming with delight, picked up the call and in a high-pitched voice said. "Hey, little beauty.....ah, I really missed you......"
Unexpectedly, from the other end of the phone, I could hear the sounds of sobbing. The sobbing sound was quite low and sad, I was momentarily shocked. I recognized it was the Li Lisa's voice and jumped up from the couch. "Ye Sha.....? What is the matter? Say something! ! ! Fuck, what is the matter?"
"Liang Liang.......save me.......*wu, wu, wu*....."
On the other end of the phone, Ye Sha's voice was cracking like a pot. She must have been crying badly and my heart sank. I roared. "What happened? Quick tell me.....you are the death of me! ! ! "
My voice was loud enough to make Fei Ge who was busy in the kitchen, poked her head out with a green onion dangling from her mouth. "Why are you shouting so loud?! ! "
I gestured to her seriously to halt her words and Fei Ge looked at me with understanding, no longer said anything.
"Liang Liang, that bastard......he, *wu,wu,wu*..... He lost on a bet, now force me to shoot, also.......*wu, wu*, make me shoot AV. I......I'm not willing, he blackmailed me, he.......he said he will make my life miserable and I will never be able to lift my head up in public, *wu, wu, wu* "
On the other end, Ye Sha was talking intermittently because of fear and from time to time, she choked. Listening to her, my heart fiercely tugged with pain.
On seeing my serious face, Fei Ge took a kitchen chopper, walked up to me and gently asked. "What is it?"
I hissed at her.
"That bastard has gone out, *wu, wu, wu*, and said that when he comes back with the photographer, they will start to shoot the AV, *wu, wu, wu*. I am very scared! ! ! He even said that he is not afraid if I call the police, *wu, wu, wu* But I am not willing to take this from him, *wu, wu, wu*. I really cannot accept this......the last time I secretly overhead Boss Deng and his men said you are the police. I thought of you.....Liang Liang, please help me....*wu, wu, wu* If this is the way, I do not want to live anymore......*wu, wu, wu* "
Ye Sha kept on crying and I was frantic, hurriedly told her to stop. "Ye Sha, calm down, calm down. Stay alive, you must live a good life. I will not let you die, I will not let you die......"
I paced back and forth. "Where are you now?"
Ye Sha told me the room number of a hotel which was fortunately not too far from Fei Ge's house. It would take about 15 mins by car and if we speed, it was estimated we could reach the place in about 5-7mins.
But on Ye Sha's side, it seems that someone had come in and then the phone went dead. I became anxious. I hung up the phone, quickly rushed to Fei Ge's locked drawer and took out my gun. I turned around and said to Fei Ge who was closely following behind me. "Fei Ge, emergency. Get ready, this time you are coming with me and together we are coming out from obscurity."
Fei Ge tore off her apron, holding her kitchen chopper ready for battle, said. "Good, very good! Heavens help me, I, Jiang Ge Fei, had not fought for 7 years! My chopper is itching already! ! !"
Whilst she was talking, she put the chopper on the thigh and drew it back and forth a few times. At this moment, the girl in front of me was not the volleyball girl, Jiang Ge Fei but the ferocious female bandit monster, Brother Fei!
I hesitated and was thinking about whether to call the police. Even though I and Fei Ge were brave, in the eyes of outsiders, we were only weak women and could be easily subdued. Nevertheless, it would be better with real guns and the backing of the police to boost our prestige. But this way, after seeing and getting to know so many people, girls are the most concerned about their chastity and if she saw a group of policemen seeing her being molested, could she get over it?
Then if she sees a building, she will jump.........sees a river, she will jump, right?
After thinking over again and again and for the sake of Ye Sha's reputation, I decided the fewer people know, the better. It would be better to save her first and then only consider how to settle her disgraceful boyfriend. If this bastard can blackmail her, why can't we blackmail him?
I had been in the police force for more than a year and I had seen so many types of perverts. Should I fear this gambler?
I estimated that it would only be a few small thieves who were only interested in money. I and Fei Ge, the both of us would be enough to handle the lot.
Fei Ge's driving speed could not be compared to mine...... I ran all the red lights. I thought of this year's points*, all would be lost with the wind. In the car, I told Fei Ge everything concerning Ye Sha and she was indignant at the injustice of the matter.
(Points mentioned here are merit points that will be deducted if one commits a traffic offense.)
At the hotel front desk, we asked the receptionist for the room card. But the hotel front desk refused to hand over the card to protect their customers' privacy. Then with my left hand, I slammed down my police document on the counter to prove my identification and with my right hand I snapped down my gun on the document. Perhaps this was the first time the receptionist had seen these things. She stared at the gun with fright and with her hands trembling, she handed over the room card.
I and Fei Ge rushed like crazy to the third floor, running almost 100 meters sprinting speed. When we reached room 3106, I held my gun towards the door while Fei Ge holding her kitchen chopper exchanged eye contact with me. Then she inserted the room card and we both kicked in.
"Do not move! Police! ! ! " Rushing into the room I loudly shouted. The two men setting up their camera was stunned and they were so scared that they stepped backward.
After rushing into the room, I looked all around the room to quickly determine the situation and saw Ye Sha who was half-clothed, cowering in the corner of the bed. Her body was shaking like the falling autumn leaves and her tearful eyes were swollen like rotten peaches.
One of the men, with a pointed mouth and cheeks like a monkey, seemed to be the one operating the camera and the other man had his pants halfway down his legs. Under the cover of my gun, Fei Ge walked up to the half-naked man and gave him a ferocious kick and cursed. "Your mother, stinking, shameless thing! You dare to touch the woman, this old mother is going to give you a kick, you bastard!"
I was suspicious. Where is Ye Sha's bearded boyfriend? I threw a glance into the bathroom but it was empty.
I was about to try and rescue Ye Sha on the bed when suddenly I felt a kick in my back. I fell onto the bed and my face winced in pain. Upon seeing my predicament, Fei Ge turned her body around and the next second I saw the three men had surrounded her. Fei Ge struggled fiercely but she was no match for the three of them. Her chopper fell to the ground, her hands were tied and she also fell onto the bed.
My heart felt bitter for a second. I said to myself.....this is terrible.....we, two brothers cannot be finished off like this!