Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 162

Hui Ji emerged from the bathroom, immediately sensing the charged, almost “tender,” atmosphere in the room. The two on the bed had ceased their overt movements, now locked in a series of soft, smacking kisses.

The girl, her sister, clambered onto the bed, nestling beside Zhi Ji. She leaned over to kiss the man, her hand reaching out to caress his muscular arm. She knew that beneath that rock-solid physique resided a tired, perhaps even broken, heart.

Hou Longtao, his large *jiba* (penis) still nestled deep within Zhi Ji’s *Bī* (cunt) crevice, shifted his body slightly towards Hui Ji. He took her *rǔ* (breast) head into his mouth, spaghetti-strap dress and all. His right hand snaked beneath Zhi Ji, squeezing her plump *nǎi zi* (breasts), while his left hand ventured between Hui Ji’s legs, parting her panties and inserting his fingers into her beautiful *yīn* (vulva) lips.

“Mmm…” Hui Ji squeezed her legs together, caressing the man’s muscular back. “Husband…”

Hou Longtao climbed atop Hui Ji, bent his legs, and thrust his “steel spear” into her delicate lower body, kissing her deeply while his right hand kneaded Zhi Ji’s buttocks.

“The Chinese are starting to sell powder on the streets of Chinatown.” Long placed a stack of photos on the black supervisor’s desk. “I got the information from the LAPD, and the timing coincides with Hou Longtao’s arrival in the United States. As soon as he arrived, drug deals immediately popped up in Chinatown.”

“Is it a coincidence?” The black supervisor browsed through the photos, candid shots of Chinese individuals engaged in transactions in shadowy alleys.

“It could be a coincidence, or it could be that the Chinese received goods from the Russians and their original sales channels were no longer sufficient. Which scenario do you favor?”

“Many of these photos predate Hou Longtao’s arrival in Los Angeles, let alone his contact with Longhu Hall.”

“We only know that was their first face-to-face meeting. For a transaction of this magnitude, one party might initially provide a sample of the goods to demonstrate sincerity before finalizing the price.”

“Regardless, arrest people first.” The black supervisor slammed the photos onto the table.

“Let me out! Let me out!” The disheveled Long rattled the iron gate, gnashing his teeth. “Wang An! Let me out!”

Two Japanese men sat outside, playing cards. One, with long hair, glared at Long. “Baga [idiot], China pig, shut your stinking mouth!”

Long suddenly slumped to the ground, still clutching the iron gate, but appearing utterly defeated. Snot and tears streamed down his face. “Let me out, please… please, I… I can’t… can’t take it… please, give… give me… give me a little… please, I’m… I’m going to die… die…”

Though the two Japanese men didn’t understand Chinese, they could surmise the prisoner’s desperate pleas. They checked their watches. “It’s about time. Give it to him.”

“Okay.” The short-haired man retrieved a syringe filled with liquid and a thin rubber tube from the desk drawer.

“Ah… ah… ah…” Long’s eyes lit up. He quickly rolled up his sleeve, tapping the wrist of his left hand, riddled with needle marks, with two fingers of his right hand.

“No need to tie it off; you can see the veins.”

The short-haired man glanced at Long’s wrist and tossed the rubber tube aside. “This China pig is already finished.”

“Quick… quick, give it to me… give it to me…” Long stretched his left arm out through the bars. “Give… give me…”

“Not so fast.” The long-haired man stopped the short-haired man, placing a piece of paper covered in Chinese characters and a pen outside the cell door. “Sign.” He spoke the word in broken Chinese.

“Give it to me… quick… quick…”

“Sign.”

Long grabbed the pen, didn’t even glance at the paper’s contents, and shakily signed his name. “Quick… quick…” He began banging his head against the iron bars. “Give it to me… give it to me…”

The long-haired man produced another piece of paper from his pocket and compared it with the newly signed one. It also bore Long’s signature, but it was even more illegible than the recent one. “Okay, improvement. Give it to him.”

“Hmph, China pig.” The short-haired man inserted the needle into Long’s wrist, pressing down with his thumb until all the liquid in the syringe emptied into his bloodstream.

“Ah…” A look of heavenly bliss washed over Long’s face. He turned, leaned against the iron bars, slowly slid to the ground, closed his eyes, and smiled ecstatically.

*Snap*. Tian Donghua switched off the TV, walked over, and removed the videotape from the VCR. “Hahaha,” he laughed, locking the tape in the safe. “Trying to play me? I’m playing you instead.”

“What did he sign?” Shi Chun lazily lounged on the sofa.

“A piece of waste paper.”

“Sign waste paper?”

“Yes, practice. You have to practice until you can sign properly even when you’re high on drugs. One minute on stage takes ten years of practice off stage [a Chinese idiom meaning success requires immense preparation].”

“Will Hou Longtao call the police? If he does, this could become a major issue.”

“Look at this.” Tian Donghua tossed a stack of photos onto the coffee table in front of Shi Chun. They were all photos of Long sitting in a chair, clearly taken when he wasn’t suffering from drug withdrawal and his complexion wasn’t too bad. “The Japanese sent them. I’ve already selected a few to have them sent to Hou Longtao. After he sees these, he probably won’t involve the police through official channels. As long as he remains ignorant of our true intentions, he’ll continue to play the role of a loyal brother, for the sake of protecting Long’s life.”

“What? What do you mean?” Shi Chun didn’t understand the latter half of the sentence.

“Nothing special.”

“Then that Yana is now in bed with the Terminator [Arnold Schwarzenegger, a famous actor].”

“Hmm…” Tian Donghua sat down, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. “I didn’t fully anticipate this. I didn’t expect Arnold to proactively seek him out. But it’s not a major concern. At worst, Arnold will order a discreet police investigation. For a kidnapping case, the police have already missed the optimal window for intervention. All the physical evidence has vanished. Besides, the American police aren’t that intimidating, especially not for wealthy individuals like Yamaguchi Ryuzo. The American police are not scary at all.”

“What about that Tina?”

“Hmph, hmph, she’s been following my instructions, maintaining contact with me via email. She probably can’t bear to part with me, her generous employer. The Japanese have already dispatched someone to Las Vegas to retrieve her.” Tian Donghua narrowed his eyes sinisterly.

In recent days, the Dongxing Group’s intention to collaborate with the California government has dominated headlines in major California media outlets.

If Hou Longtao had his way, he would maintain a low profile, even complete secrecy, as he did during the negotiations with GM. This stems from his inherently unassuming nature. However, this time, Hou Longtao had no choice. While this wasn’t legislation requiring approval from the California legislature or a public vote—the governor’s signature was sufficient—Arnold still needed to mediate among various interest groups and appease as many dissenting legislators as possible. Consequently, “confidentiality” was impossible, given the hundreds of reporters who made a living from political news, and the unlikelihood of all legislators maintaining secrecy.

Hou Longtao recruited Zuo Wei from New York to Los Angeles to face the press, while he remained in the background, continuing to focus on Long’s situation.

Given Dongxing’s status as a Chinese company engaging in significant business with the American government, the local Chinese media in Los Angeles exhibited heightened interest. Several Chinese newspapers, radio stations, and television stations had requested individual interviews or program appearances with Hou Longtao. Zuo Wei handled all these requests.

However, a banquet tonight was unavoidable. It was a reception hosted by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, and the vice president had personally extended the invitation. He had to accept, regardless of his other commitments.

Hou Longtao had relocated from Marry’s villa to a hotel. While associating with the Russian mafia could tarnish his reputation, it didn’t prevent him from employing Russians as security guards. Numerous burly Russians occupied several rooms near his.

The banquet proceeded without incident. Everyone wore a “mask” [pretended to be someone they are not]. Several elders from Longhu Hall were also in attendance, their public personas being law-abiding, successful businessmen.

With such a concentration of wealthy individuals, bodyguards were essential. As soon as the banquet concluded, the hotel exterior was teeming with expressionless security personnel. It also became an impromptu exhibition of luxury cars.

As Hou Longtao emerged from the hotel, flanked by the Xingyue sisters, a swarm of Chinese and foreign reporters and cameramen descended upon him, peppering him with questions.

A dozen Russians surged from several SUVs, forming a protective barrier around the reporters. Two of them approached, grabbed Hou Longtao, and hurried him towards the extended Lincoln. They couldn’t rule out the presence of assassins among the reporters and dared not take any chances. The reporters, caught off guard by this scene typically reserved for interviewing criminal celebrities, didn’t pursue, instead shouting their interview requests.

Hou Longtao initially allowed the two bodyguards to guide him, but he abruptly began turning his head left and right, as if searching for something. He broke free from the bodyguards and stood there, his gaze fixed on a short-haired beauty outside the protective circle. She wore a pink and white pantsuit, held a microphone, and was accompanied by a cameraman. That distinctive and familiar fragrance wafted towards him.

The woman, there to interview Hou Longtao, was naturally observing her “prey.” Their eyes met. Her bright eyes seemed to convey a message.

“You recognized me?”

“Yes.” Hou Longtao mouthed the answer.

The beauty likely discerned his lip movements and smiled slightly, revealing two adorable dimples on her fair face.

“Brother Tao, what’s wrong?” The Xingyue sisters followed, their eyes tracing their lover’s gaze. “Hua Lang?” They, too, had detected that refreshing and unique fragrance.

“Yeah.” Hou Longtao walked towards the short-haired beauty.

“Mr. Hou,” a Russian giant extended his arm to block Hou Longtao. “Let’s leave here.” His master, Marry, had issued strict instructions regarding the safety of these Chinese girls.

“Okay, okay, it’ll be quick.” Hou Longtao pushed aside the bodyguard’s arm and approached the female reporter. She wasn’t particularly tall, about 5’8″ in heels. “Sister, you are…”

“Meixi News Field Reporter, Tang Rui.”

“Sister Tang, tomorrow at noon, I’ll grant you an exclusive interview.” Hou Longtao’s excitement was palpable. While he remained confident that the ninja he had killed previously wasn’t the real Hua Lang, a lingering doubt persisted. Now, he could finally relax, seeing the beautiful face of his savior, a truly pleasant surprise.

“Exclusive interview?”

“Exclusive interview.”

“Exclusive interview?”

“Exclusive interview.” Hou Longtao smiled, took two steps back, turned, and walked towards the Lincoln.

“Mom, when did you buy this?” Yu Qian pulled out a black, all-lace, one-piece swimsuit-style underwear from her mother’s drawer. “So sexy!”

“Oh dear, you brat, what are you rummaging for?” Feng Jie snatched the “sexy outfit” from her daughter’s hand.

“Wow, there’s more!” Yu Qian picked out a pure pink lace hollowed-out panties. “So many, have you changed your ways?”

“You brat, didn’t I tell you not to rummage around?” Feng Jie playfully slapped her daughter’s perky butt, threw the underwear back into the drawer, closed it, and sat on the sofa. “Why are you so nice today, running back to see Mom?”

“I missed you,” Yu Qian jumped onto the bed, hugged her mother from behind, and pressed her face against hers. “I came back to have dinner with you.”

“You little devil,” Feng Jie took her daughter’s fair hand. “What are you really up to?”

“What’s wrong? Aren’t daughters allowed to miss their mothers? Can’t daughters sincerely have dinner with their mothers? Does there have to be a purpose?”

“Hehe, you’re so eloquent. My bad.” Feng Jie truly adored this precious daughter.

“Please come in.” Hou Longtao welcomed the female reporter, dressed in a black pantsuit and a white tight-fitting round-neck undershirt, into his suite. “Your cameraman didn’t come?”

“Isn’t it an exclusive interview?”

“Right.” Hou Longtao looked at his watch. “But it’s already lunchtime. Can we have lunch while we do it?”

“Of course.” Tang Rui flashed her two cute dimples again.

“This way.” Hou Longtao led the woman into the dining room, helping her pull out the chair under the table laden with a sumptuous lunch. “Please sit down.”

“Thank you. Those two…” Tang Rui nodded towards the Xingyue sisters who had just emerged from the inner room. “Isn’t it an exclusive interview?”

“We won’t leave Brother Tao. Just pretend we don’t exist.” The Xingyue sisters weren’t as enthusiastic about this sudden woman as Hou Longtao was. It wasn’t jealousy, but simple distrust. Being wary of a potential assassin was simply prudent.

“Then come and sit together.” Tang Rui didn’t take the sisters’ “hostility” to heart. In her eyes, they were merely two irrelevant girls.

“Of course we’ll eat together.” Hou Longtao also helped the Xingyue sisters pull out chairs. He was in the best mood since arriving in the United States. He poured wine for the three beauties and sat opposite Tang Rui. “Sister Tang, I really didn’t expect to see you here, and I didn’t expect you to have such a baby face.”

For some reason, although this was only the second time Hou Longtao had seen Tang Rui, or the third time if you included the masked encounter, and he didn’t have any deep understanding of her, he felt no sense of unfamiliarity. It was as if he were sitting across from an old friend he hadn’t seen in a long time, a feeling of comfort and kinship.

“What should I look like? Blue-faced and fanged [a reference to demons]?” Tang Rui had the same feeling as Hou Longtao, but neither realized they shared this sentiment.

“Of course not,” Hou Longtao smiled. “Did you leave Shangchuan smoothly?”

“Are you sure I’m the person you think I am?” Tang Rui’s expression was slightly mischievous. It was hard to imagine she was a world-class assassin.

Hou Longtao sniffed deeply. “What kind of perfume are you using? Where can I buy it?”

“I never use perfume.”

“Then you…”

“I was born with this body odor. No one has ever said it smells bad.” Tang Rui wore a proud expression.

The remaining three people exchanged bewildered glances. Such a constitution was a curse for an assassin. “Does anyone else have your body odor?”

“Besides my deceased mother, there probably isn’t anyone else in this world.”

“I think you are the person I think you are.” Hou Longtao reached out and grabbed the woman’s hand on the table, shaking it firmly.

“I’ll ask a presumptuous question,” Zhi Ji couldn’t contain herself any longer. “You have such a body odor, how can you…”

“Only living people can distinguish smells. Intermediaries must abide by professional ethics, otherwise… it goes without saying.” Tang Rui’s meaning was clear.

Actually, there was one exception. Last time in Tokyo, Toyota’s people didn’t follow the rules and insisted on meeting Hua Lang in person, and then handing over the assassination target’s information in person. At that time, she was very curious about the target that could make the Japanese chaebol fear, so she made an exception and agreed. However, after meeting, she tracked Fang Jie, figured out his background, and waited until everything was done before dealing with him as well, but someone took care of it first.

“Am I an exception?” Hou Longtao cut a piece of steak and fed it into Hui Ji’s mouth.

“The only exception.”

“Can you answer my question now?” Hou Longtao fed another piece of meat to Zhi Ji.

“Nothing went wrong. They didn’t really bite me; they just couldn’t afford to lose face, so they just pulled someone at random to be me, just to have an explanation to the outside world. I didn’t expect you to be so concerned about me, running to destroy their old nest.”

“It was the right thing to do, but I still haven’t repaid your life-saving grace.” Hou Longtao was about to put the beef on the fork into his mouth when he saw the short-haired beauty opposite him staring at him with her mouth slightly open. “What’s wrong?”

“Aren’t you taking turns feeding us? They both got a share, what about mine?”

“Hehe,” Hou Longtao stretched out his arm.

“Mmm…” Tang Rui smacked her lips. “It seems to taste better than what’s on my own plate.”

“Hahaha.”

“What’s so funny?”

“If I hadn’t gone to the San Kou Association headquarters, would you have gone back to save that fake Hua Lang?”

“Of course not. He has nothing to do with me. Why would I risk my life for him? Is it interesting to fight against the second largest underworld organization in Japan alone? But I still paid a certain price. My name can no longer be used, and I don’t want the Japanese chasing after me all the time. I had to take a long vacation and then start taking on some easier tasks.”

Hou Longtao clearly felt that Tang Rui was a very complex woman. She possessed the extroversion drawn from Western culture and the loyalty drawn from Eastern culture. She had a cold-blooded side and a lively side.

“Tang Rui, how old are you this year?” Hou Longtao directly addressed her by name, without using honorifics, and asked a rather inappropriate question.

“Don’t you know that it’s impolite to ask a woman’s age?” Although Tang Rui didn’t answer, she didn’t display any displeasure, as if their friendship had deepened to the point where such questions were permissible.

Hou Longtao shrugged, looking indifferent. “I asked anyway.”

“Twenty-eight.”

“Then you look young enough.”

“What do you mean?” Tang Rui glanced down at the bulge at her chest. “Not as big as those two?”

“No, no,” Hou Longtao quickly shook his head. “I mean you look young.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. Where’s your ancestral home? Were you born in the United States? Your Chinese is very good.”

“You ask so many questions. Shouldn’t I be interviewing you today?” Tang Rui took a sip of wine.

“The interview starts after dinner.”

“OK, my grandparents are from Hangzhou, my mother is from Suzhou, where should my ancestral home be considered? Hangzhou?”

“Hangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou are the places where the most beautiful women come from. It’s true.”

“Hehe,” Tang Rui smiled and shook her finger. “Don’t hit on me.”

“I’m not.”

The four people, or rather two people, finished lunch in a very relaxed conversation. Hou Longtao and Tang Rui moved to the more comfortable large sofa, and the Xingyue sisters also sat not far away.

Tang Rui kicked off her black high heels, curled her legs up on the sofa, rested her left arm on the back of the sofa, and held the exquisite wine glass in her right hand, sitting very comfortably, as if she were in her own home.

Hou Longtao sat next to the woman, crossed his legs, rested his right arm on the back of the sofa, and looked at her without a smile. “Why did you choose this profession?”

“Reporter?”

“The other profession.”

“Don’t you think you’re asking too much? Aren’t you afraid that if I tell you, you’ll become a very dangerous person?” Tang Rui glanced around the room. “Is it clean here?”

Hou Longtao was only stunned for a moment before he understood what she meant. “The Russians checked it before I checked in. It’s very clean. I’m someone you can trust, even if there’s only one person in the world you can trust, it’s me.”

“Hahaha,” Tang Rui laughed heartily. “You’re so interesting. How can whether I can trust you be up to you? That’s my own feeling.”

“I’m someone you can trust.” Hou Longtao stared firmly into the woman’s bright eyes.

“Do you understand me? The last time I saved you wasn’t because I liked you, but because I hated your opponent. Next time, if you change to an opponent I don’t hate, it’s not certain which side I’ll be on. Have you thought about this?”

“If you really have this concern, this can be completely solved with money. It seems that you have the right to choose in your line of work. All the losses caused by you not accepting my opponent’s employment, I will compensate you double, how about it?”

“Hmm…” Tang Rui raised her eyes and thought for a while. “That’s fine too. Anyway, whose money isn’t money? Of course, the more the better. But you know my secret, maybe I won’t be able to tolerate you someday. I have to be careful, have you thought about this?”

“I’m someone you can trust.”

“I don’t even trust my father.”

“I’m someone you can trust.” Hou Longtao repeated this sentence tirelessly. For his friends, he is indeed someone they can trust…(Golden scales are not things in a pond [a Chinese idiom meaning someone is destined for greatness])