Cao Yang looked at the girl curiously. She was pretty—fair skin, gentle features.
"This is my girlfriend, A-Mei," A-Liang introduced her.
"And this is the new brother I met—Cao Yang."
"Hello," A-Mei said shyly, smiling at Cao Yang.
"Hi," Cao Yang replied with a polite smile.
This was the best meal Cao Yang had eaten since coming to Guangdong.Five people spent over two hundred yuan—considered high-end consumption in that era.
After dinner, the five returned to the hotel. The three men discussed whether they should act tonight and if there was a suitable target.
Cao Yang listened silently while A-Mei helped A-Liang tidy the bed.
After some discussion, they concluded—no action tonight.
Hearing that, Cao Yang felt a tiny bit disappointed.
Then A-Liang shot the three guys a meaningful glance.Cao Yang didn't understand, but Lei Dian dragged him out.
"What are we doing?" Cao Yang asked, puzzled.
Lei Dian gave him a sleazy grin. "They're about to… you know. We should give them space."
Then he and Jiawei pressed their ears to the door, listening in.
Cao Yang was curious and joined them.
Soon, A-Mei's soft moans drifted out. The sounds grew louder—no need to eavesdrop to hear it.
A-Mei was clearly being worked hard by A-Liang.Jiawei got uncomfortable listening and pulled the two others, saying they should head to the village and "help" some of the working girls.
Cao Yang was too embarrassed to go.Lei Dian didn't go either.So Jiawei went alone.
Lei Dian and Cao Yang went to a small shop, bought some tokens, and started playing the slot machines.
Cao Yang's earlier luck was gone.He burned through fifty tokens quickly.
He got reckless and exchanged two hundred more.Within an hour, those two hundred disappeared too.
He was about to exchange more when Lei Dian suddenly yelled in frustration, snapping him out of it.
Damn—he'd almost lost control again.
Lei Dian also lost everything and cursed nonstop.
"Let's go, stop before we go crazy."Cao Yang pulled the swearing Lei Dian away, and they bought some cooked food and beer.
Back at the hostel, A-Liang and A-Mei were done, and Jiawei still hadn't returned.
A-Mei had just showered; her hair was still damp, and she was wearing a spaghetti-strap dress.
Cao Yang called everyone over to eat. They listened to Lei Dian curse as they ate and drank.
When the alcohol ran out, A-Mei got up to grab another bottle. She opened it and bent down to hand it to Cao Yang.
Two hours passed. Jiawei still hadn't returned.
A-Liang took A-Mei back to her factory dorm, leaving only Lei Dian and Cao Yang in the room.
Lei Dian had drunk too much and fell asleep quickly.
Cao Yang went downstairs alone and returned to the small shop to play the slot machine again.
His luck was truly gone. Fifty yuan disappeared fast.
His heart ached—over two hundred spent on food, three hundred lost gambling…Out of the thousand he made, he had just four hundred left.
If Li Yan found out, she'd skin him alive.
He thought about his mother back home.When he left, even the two hundred yuan travel fee was borrowed by her from neighbors.
If he sent her this three hundred yuan, she'd be so happy…
That's the thing about gamblers—once they lose, they regret it,but next time… they gamble again.
Fortunately, Cao Yang stopped himself.
He went to the phone booth and called the small shop back home, asking them to get his mother.
Half an hour later, he called again. This time, his mother picked up.
They chatted for a while. Cao Yang lied, telling her he had found a job at a factory and that Li Yan took good care of him.
His mother told him to work hard and added enviously,"Yesterday, Li Yan sent two thousand yuan back home to her own mother. You should learn from your Sister Yan!"
…
After hanging up, Cao Yang had nothing to do and almost went back to gamble again.When he reached the front gate, he slapped himself hard and turned toward Nightingale Club.
Li Yan wanted him to find a job—but he slept during the day and was awake at night.Where was he supposed to job hunt?
If nothing else worked, he figured he might as well try finding work at a nightclub.
Outside the Nightingale Club, the street was buzzing—food stalls, clothing booths, accessories, and many pretty young girls wandering around.
Cao Yang squatted at the side, dazzled by the lively scene.
Suddenly, the crowd stirred.
A row of Toyota HiAce vans drove straight toward the nightclub.
With a loud clang, the door of the lead van slid open, and more than a dozen young men jumped out—each holding long, newspaper-wrapped objects—either machetes or steel pipes.
The following vans unloaded similar groups.In total, nearly a hundred men.
A food stall owner nearby almost fainted—he thought they were coming to smash his stall for blocking the road.
But the men didn't even look at him and rushed straight toward the Nightingale Club.
"What are they doing?"
"These are Hunan gang members. Looks like they're going to fight the Sichuan gang tonight!"
"I don't think they're here for the Sichuan gang… looks like they're targeting the Nightingale Club."
"You new here? The Nightingale Club belongs to the Sichuan gang."
"Tch. Hunan gang, Sichuan gang… all just criminals. What's so great about them?"
"Shh! Don't say that so loudly. You want trouble?"
"We better pack up before bullets start flying."
Hearing the two stall owners talk, Cao Yang suddenly felt anxious about Li Yan.
Just then, another seven or eight vans arrived—another hundred men jumped out with weapons.
"That's the Sichuan gang's reinforcements!"
"Exactly! Pack up quickly!"
Soon, all the vendors around began packing their things, terrified of getting caught in the fight.
Only one old man selling fried noodles lounged lazily in his chair, unmoved.
"Old Li! Hurry up and pack!"
"Pack what? They're not going to fight. Not a chance."