26: Crazy Flour Chang

In the afternoon, Li Zhan drove from the Gambling Den to the Lotus Residential Area in the center of Changan Town.

He had received the keys to the new apartment yesterday, and all the furniture was fully furnished.

Li Zhan parked the car, carried two bags of daily necessities bought from the supermarket, and walked into the elevator.

He looked down at his watch; it was past four in the afternoon, and he guessed those girls had been busy fussing about all day.

There were two units per floor; one three-bedroom apartment and one two-bedroom apartment, both of which belonged to them.

As soon as he inserted the key into the lock of 1501, he heard a burst of laughter and playfulness from inside.

Pushing the door open, the dialogue from a TV drama mixed with the girls' laughter rushed toward him.

In the living room, Lily was kneeling on the floor unpacking express deliveries, with various throw pillows, rugs, and scented candles scattered all over the floor.

Online shopping was becoming increasingly popular, and he guessed that in the future, one would be able to buy everything without leaving the house.

The extra-large screen TV was already mounted and was playing a recently popular romance drama.

On the bar counter of the open kitchen sat four or five half-finished takeout coffees.

"Brother Zhan is back!"

Lily looked up at Li Zhan, holding a plush toy in her hand, "Look at the throw pillow I just bought!"

Li Zhan smiled, placed the shopping bags on the dining table, and walked toward the master bedroom.

Pushing open the door to the master bedroom, A Zhen was standing in the walk-in closet, her fingers gliding over a row of brand-new dresses.

Hearing footsteps, she ran over barefoot, "Look! I can finally hang all my clothes out!"

She excitedly grabbed Li Zhan's hand, "Back in the rental apartment, many clothes had to be folded in boxes, but now..."

Her voice suddenly stopped because Li Zhan's gaze had fallen on the bedside table—there sat a photograph of the two of them together.

In the photo, A Zhen was wearing a work suit, and Li Zhan was wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

It was taken back when Li Zhan was still her bodyguard.

"Why did you suddenly put this out?" Li Zhan asked softly.

A Zhen's earlobes turned slightly red, "Just... felt like it should look like a home."

Li Zhan ruffled her hair and turned to walk toward the guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom was Lily's room.

On the vanity, cosmetics were arranged neatly by color, and several plush toys were thrown on the bed, forming a sharp contrast to the girl's usual slick and sociable image at the nightclub.

A string of decorative lights hung by the window, the wires tangled in a mess; it was obvious she had installed them herself.

Passing by the other guest bedroom, Li Zhan caught a glimpse of Xiao Xue with her head down, organizing something.

Seeing him pass by, Xiao Xue hurriedly put away the booklet in her hands, her long hair falling down to cover her flushed cheeks.

A guitar case stood in the corner with a sticky note on it: "Don't touch!"

The handwriting was delicate, and those three exclamation marks almost pierced through the paper.

Li Zhan turned and walked toward Unit 1502 across the hall.

Pushing the door open, he saw Xiao Wen hanging laundry on the balcony, the white bedsheets billowing like sails in the wind.

Hearing the door open, she was startled, her hand shook, and the hanger in her hand fell to the floor.

After seeing clearly that it was Li Zhan, her eyes lit up, and she ran over barefoot like a happy little deer.

"Brother Zhan!"

Xiao Wen threw herself into his arms, still carrying the fresh scent of laundry detergent.

She looked up, her eyes sparkling, "My room is decorated, do you want to see it?"

Li Zhan ruffled her hair and followed her toward the bedroom.

Passing by another room, he saw Feifei kneeling on the bed, folding clothes.

She was wearing an oversized T-shirt, the hem just covering the tops of her thighs. Seeing Li Zhan pass by, she deliberately leaned over in slow motion to reach for a throw pillow at the end of the bed.

"Brother Zhan, come over and sit often when you have time..."

Feifei winked at him, "My bed is very soft..."

Xiao Wen blushed and pulled Li Zhan into her own room.

On the pale pink bedsheets sat a few cartoon dolls, and textbooks and notebooks were neatly arranged on the desk.

On the bedside table sat a photo frame containing a picture of her and Li Zhan at a barbecue stall; the edges of the photo were already curled, clearly having been picked up and looked at often.

"Do you like it?" Xiao Wen looked at him expectantly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her shirt.

"Mm, it's very cozy."

Li Zhan pinched Xiao Wen's cheek; this girl could always make the most ordinary things feel like home.

Feifei's voice drifted in from outside the door, "Xiao Wen! I put your underwear in your drawer!"

Then came the deliberately drawn-out teasing, "The black set, oh~"

Xiao Wen's face turned red to the tips of her ears instantly, and Li Zhan chuckled out loud.

After hugging Xiao Wen and kissing her twice, he walked back to 1501.

Passing by the bathroom, he noticed the shelves were filled with colorful shampoos and body washes, and his own bottle of black-packaged body wash had been pushed to the very corner.

A Zhen poked her head out of the master bedroom, "A-Zhan, should we order takeout tonight? The fridge is still empty."

"Up to you, I..."

Li Zhan's words were cut off as his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

He took it out and glanced at the caller ID, his brows knitting slightly.

"Hello." He answered the phone, his voice calm.

Lao Zhou's Hunan accent came from the other end of the line, and Li Zhan's expression gradually turned cold.

"Got it, I'll be there right away."

Hanging up the phone, he turned to A Zhen, "There's something going on at the Gambling Den tonight; I'm going over there. You guys eat by yourselves."

A Zhen immediately ran out of the kitchen and grabbed his arm, "What happened?" Her eyes were full of worry.

Li Zhan smiled and reached out to smooth her furrowed brows, "Nothing major, someone was caught cheating by one of the guys."

He said casually, "Small matter, I'm just going over to take a look."

Having said that, he grabbed the car keys from the coffee table, planted a light kiss on A Zhen's forehead, and turned to leave.

The moment the door closed, the smile on Li Zhan's face slowly disappeared.

Twenty minutes later, the second-floor office of the Xinrui Entertainment Center.

When Li Zhan pushed the door open and entered, the room was filled with smoke.

Zhou Tieshan was leaning on the sofa in the corner, holding a cigarette in his mouth. Seeing him enter, he only lifted his chin and didn't get up, "Flour Chang is gathering men over there, wanting to come and smash the place tonight."

He flicked the ash, "Big Courage and Shui Sheng are still watching over there, saying there are at least thirty people."

AZu was standing by the window, his expression grave, "Brother Zhan, what should we do?"

Li Zhan walked to the sofa and sat down, glancing at his watch—two hours until dark.

He sneered, "We can't let them come over and disturb business."

He raised his eyes and scanned the group, "We'll go over and meet them."

"Little Night, AZu," he tapped his fingers on the coffee table, "each of you pull half the men, bring the gear, and get the cars ready."

Little Night frowned, "Are there enough men? They have over thirty, and we're only taking a dozen..."

Li Zhan didn't answer, his gaze turning to Zhou Tieshan.

Lao Zhou stubbed out his cigarette in the already overflowing ashtray, stood up, and stretched his neck, "It's enough. At this level, numbers aren't everything."

Li Zhan nodded, "Go make the arrangements; we leave in twenty minutes. Don't hold up business; you two take the rest of the men and stay to watch the place."

Little Night wanted to say something else, but was pulled out by AZu by the arm.

Zhou Tieshan dragged a black sports bag from under the sofa and unzipped it—inside were several machetes neatly arranged, with a long, oilcloth-wrapped object pressed at the very bottom.

"Are we really using that?" Li Zhan raised an eyebrow.

Lao Zhou grinned, the scar on his face moving with it, "Just in case."

Outside the window, the setting sun dyed the entire street the color of blood.

Western outskirts of Changan Town, an abandoned factory.

Under the dim light, Flour Chang's right cheek was still swollen high, bruises spreading from his cheekbone to the corner of his mouth, making his whole face look twisted and ferocious.

He paced back and forth in the office like a trapped beast, his leather shoes making dull thuds on the floor.

"You dare hit me?" He gritted his teeth, "That guy surnamed Li, I want you dead!"

He turned abruptly, glaring at the underling standing at the door, "Are the men gathered? We leave at dark!"

The underling shrank his neck, his voice weak, "Chang, Brother Chang... Master Bai said, let you cool off first..."

He swallowed, "After all, that's South City's territory, and Li Zhan is someone from Phoenix City. Master Bai said... he'd go talk to Old Nine from Phoenix City..."

"Talk about what?!" Flour Chang roared in fury, raising his hand to slap the underling, sending him stumbling back a few steps, "I've been beaten like this, and you're still talking?"

He gasped for breath, yanked open a drawer, pulled out a pitch-black pistol, and slapped it onto the table with a bang.

"Go! Call the men now!" He growled, madness flashing in his eyes, "Tell them all to bring their gear!"

The underling didn't dare say another word, turned, and hurriedly ran out to call the men.

Flour Chang picked up the pistol, his thumb rubbing against the barrel, the ferocity on his face gradually turning into a cold, sinister smile.

"Hehe..." He licked his split lip and muttered to himself, "I heard that guy surnamed Li has a pretty good girlfriend..."

He pulled the safety, the "click" of the bullet chambering sounding piercingly loud in the silent office.

"When the time comes... let's see how I play her to death."