Chapter Sixteen: Where Has All Decency Gone?

Counting the odd sum of four hundred yuan, Liu Jingye closed his shop, ready to reward himself with a good meal.

“It’s been a long time since I did anything like this. A bit of action and I’m already tired,” Liu Jingye stretched, feeling as if he were rusting away.

He crossed the expressway encircling the village and entered the city proper, heading straight for a Northern-style stew house he knew to be excellent—delicious food at honest prices.

It was nearly dinnertime, and the restaurant was bustling. Every table was taken, and Liu Jingye had to wait a while before securing a seat by the door.

He ordered several hearty dishes, clamped a cigarette between his lips, and sipped iced beer, utterly content. From his spot by the entrance, he could watch the steady stream of customers—including quite a few pretty young women.

Just then, a sudden outburst of cursing reached his ears. Liu Jingye turned and saw a group of young men drinking in a corner. One of them, with a face bruised and swollen, stood out in particular.

Another man, waving a beer bottle, shouted, “So what if they’re from Glory Dynasty? Nothing special about them. We’ve all got two hands and two feet—if it comes down to a fight, who’s afraid of whom?”

“Exactly! Let’s go find them later. When we do, we’ll beat them to a pulp. Take down a few, and they’ll learn to respect us,” another young man echoed, full of bravado.

A third man suddenly interjected, “Don’t be reckless. The Glory Dynasty runs this place. We can’t provoke them just yet.”

“Yeah, yeah, better wait for our boss to get back,” chimed in a pudgy fellow in the corner, his manner guileless.

Liu Jingye watched them out of the corner of his eye. Judging by their accents, they were outsiders, all in their early twenties—young and hot-blooded.

Now the bruised young man spoke up, “Getting beaten isn’t the worst of it. The real problem is that they took our goods. That was all our savings. If the boss finds out, she’ll be heartbroken.”

The man who’d threatened to risk it all grew even angrier. “The Glory Dynasty is out of control—charging us protection money, beating us up, and even stealing our stuff? They’re pushing us to the brink! And some of those videos in the stash—I hadn’t even watched them yet!”

Liu Jingye listened in amusement, using their conversation as a side dish for his beer. It sounded like these guys were in the business of smuggling adult films.

From their words, he learned more about the Glory Dynasty—a deeply entrenched crime syndicate in the city. Though their leader had managed to go legitimate on the surface, the organization still bullied and exploited people behind the scenes.

“I’ve embarrassed them twice and injured some of their men. What will they do next?” Liu Jingye wondered, weighing his options. He even considered joining these young men in challenging the Glory Dynasty.

Just then, a woman appeared before him.

She was beautiful, just over twenty, with neatly cropped hair and blunt bangs that brushed her forehead. Her eyes were large and limpid, her lips pressed tightly together, and dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth—a delicate and lovely sight.

She suddenly materialized in front of Liu Jingye, fixing him with a gaze as if studying a priceless treasure. He froze, feeling as though she might bite him at any moment.

Then, to his astonishment, tears welled up in her bright eyes. Her lids reddened, and she was on the verge of sobbing.

As Liu Jingye sat there, bewildered and helpless, the woman spoke: “Erzhu, is it really you? I’ve finally found you...”

With that, she threw herself into Liu Jingye’s arms, clinging to him as she burst into tears.

Erzhu? Liu Jingye was utterly dumbfounded. He said weakly, “Miss, you must be mistaken. I’m not Erzhu.”

The woman suddenly lifted her tear-streaked face, cupping his cheeks in her hands, her voice choked with emotion. “Erzhu, you are Erzhu—the man I love deeply. I’ve waited for you for three years. Do you know that?”

Liu Jingye stared at her, feeling the depth of her love and pain. He had never doubted a woman’s tears.

“Three years...” she wept, her voice trembling. “I’ve waited for you for three years. I missed you so much. When you left, you promised you’d come back and say ‘those three words’ to me. For that promise, I waited in agony. Erzhu, I beg you—please say those three words now. I can’t wait any longer.”

Three words? Liu Jingye grew dizzy under the force of her tears and blurted out, “I love you?”

At once, her tears gushed forth anew. She pleaded, “Louder! You said you’d declare it for the whole world to hear!”

Swallowing hard, Liu Jingye looked at her, so beautiful yet heartbroken, and felt a pang of pity. Even if it was a lie, perhaps it would bring her some peace.

Although the restaurant was crowded, he took a deep breath and shouted, “I love you!”

His declaration brought the entire restaurant to a halt. Amid her tears, the woman finally smiled—a radiant, blissful smile.

She stood up, tears streaming down her cheeks, and said to Liu Jingye, “Thank you for loving me. But we can never be.”

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Liu Jingye utterly bewildered. After all that drama, all that searching across the miles, now she says it’s impossible? What sense did any of this make?

He soon noticed that the group of impassioned young men at the other table had also slipped out one by one.

Still puzzling over these events, Liu Jingye was approached by a waiter, who handed him a bill. “Sir, please settle their table’s check as well.”

“Why should I pay for them?” Liu Jingye protested.

“Wasn’t that lady your girlfriend?” replied the waiter. “They were all together. Their meal hasn’t been paid for. You declared your love for her in front of everyone—even if she didn’t accept you, you should at least have the grace to pay for her meal.”

Grace? Liu Jingye nearly went mad. So that woman had staged the whole thing just to trick him into paying the bill.

Inwardly, he howled, “What sort of world is this? Ladies, where has your virtue gone?”