0091 Family Education

It was a pity Hou Rui did not have time to turn back again. A crisp metallic click rang out as a pistol was cocked, and the next instant a Type 92 was jammed against his head. The fat policeman gripping the gun shouted at the top of his lungs, "Go on, touch me again if you dare. If you move one more inch, I'll blow your brains out. By then even the court and the procuratorate will have nothing to say."

As unwilling as he was to admit it, the fat cop was not wrong. If Hou Rui were killed in a situation like this, the fat man would only need to slap on a charge of assaulting an officer and trying to seize a gun. Even if someone were to seek justice for him afterward, by then the weeds on his grave would probably already be a few feet high.

Choosing to endure it, Hou Rui glared hard at the smug fat man and, inch by inch and with every fiber of his being resisting, sat back down in the chair. But then the tall policeman took out handcuffs and locked Hou Rui's hands and feet tightly to the iron chair. Once Hou Rui was completely immobilized, the expected beating never came. Instead, the tall and the fat policemen exchanged sinister smiles and left the interrogation room.

Around the same time, in an ordinary-looking housing compound for civil servants in Beijing, those who truly understood the city's official circles knew that anyone able to live there was at the very least a first- or second-ranking figure in one of the municipal bureaus or departments. The residents nearby might not know it, but every morning the middle-aged man hurrying out of the compound was in fact a low-key prince of power, holding the authority over life and death in one corner of the capital.

On the eleventh floor of one of the buildings, in a four-bedroom apartment, Liu Hai was taking a shower. Outside the transparent glass wall of the bathroom, Wenwen was draped in a thin veil-like garment, dutifully preparing a change of clothes for him.

Since returning from Shrimp Fry Mountain, the once imperious Liu Hai had fallen into gloom. Especially after news spread among the spoiled rich kids that Hou Rui had not died and was still going to school, it was as if another hard slap had landed across Liu Hai's face.

Just as everyone who knew the story was waiting for his next act of revenge, Liu Hai suddenly seemed like a different person. He no longer went out to play; instead, he shut himself up at home, spending his days and nights tumbling about with Wenwen.

The truth was simple enough. Hou Rui had utterly crushed Liu Hai. He had not only shattered his pride, but also severely broken his confidence, leaving him without the courage to face him again. He could only hide himself away at home, like an ostrich, avoiding reality in defeat.

Tonight, like so many nights before, after three hundred rounds of battle with Wenwen, Liu Hai had gone alone to wash up. Now only after reaching the point of utter exhaustion could he barely fall asleep.

Stepping out from beneath the shower, he glanced casually into the mirror and saw his own pale, haggard face. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his eyes were covered with a dead, numb gray. Was this still the Liu Hai who had once been so full of swagger and brilliance? During this period, he had truly been tormented badly by his inner demons. Only at this moment, seeing himself in the mirror, did he finally feel the faintest stir of alertness.

Knock, knock, knock. Suddenly, a series of raps at the door broke his concentration. He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and headed for the entrance. "Who is it?"

Knock, knock, knock.

The answer was still the same three unhurried knocks.

"What, are you mute? Why are you banging on the door in the middle of the night?" Though he had been far more subdued lately, Liu Hai's arrogant temper, honed over many years, was not something that could be restrained so quickly. Seeing that the person outside refused to answer, his temper flared. In a few quick steps he reached the door and yanked it open.

Two people stood outside. One was an old man in his fifties, his hair combed meticulously into place. The other was a young man a little older than Liu Hai. One look at the face, seven parts similar to Liu Hai's, was enough to tell that this young man was probably related to him by blood.

"Dad! Second Brother." The moment Liu Hai saw them, his swagger vanished. He murmured the greeting twice and stepped aside to let them in.

"Dahai, your father has some time tonight, so we came to see you." The young man named Liu Tian entered first, and only after that did the silent Liu Qingyun walk in.

The old man's eyes quickly swept the room. This time, the place seemed different. It was not like the last few visits, when dirty clothes and food wrappers were piled everywhere. The stern expression on his face finally eased a little. He went over to the sofa and sat down with natural ease, his bearing calm and unhurried. At a glance, he was clearly a man long accustomed to holding a position of command.

"Dahai, what's got into you? You hired housekeepers now? Didn't you say you hated anyone touching your things?" Liu Tian, having looked around the apartment, also noticed the difference and asked.

"No. I found myself a girlfriend. Wenwen, come out and meet people." Liu Hai scratched his hair carelessly, sat down on the sofa opposite the old man, and while answering he fished a can of beer out from the cluttered table, popped it open, and took a long swig.

"Drinking at this hour?" Liu Qingyun, who had remained silent until now, suddenly barked the words out loud. Startled, Liu Hai's hand slipped, and the can dropped straight onto the carpet under the coffee table.

"You..." Liu Qingyun was just about to continue lecturing him for being hopelessly disappointing when the bedroom door suddenly opened. Wenwen, now changed into a white shirt and matching trousers, walked into the living room. She was bare-faced, her hair simply tied back, and stood before Liu Qingyun with a gentle, obedient air.

"Uncle Liu, hello. Second Brother, hello. I'm Sun Wenwen, Dahai's girlfriend." As she spoke, Sun Wenwen cast Liu Hai a tender glance, but Liu Hai only kept his head down and did not dare meet his father's eyes.

"Sit down first." After a brief look at Sun Wenwen, Liu Qingyun did not see the flimsy little tops and exposed legs of Liu Hai's former girlfriends, and so found the girl at least reasonably pleasing to the eye. Rarely, he even spoke a sentence of his own accord.

But to everyone's surprise, Sun Wenwen did not sit down. Instead, she smiled at Liu Qingyun, turned, and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later she came back with two cups of chrysanthemum tea, placed them respectfully before Liu Qingyun and Liu Tian, and then returned to fetch a shirt for Liu Hai to drape over his shoulders. Only after all this busying about did she quietly sit beside Liu Hai.

"Dahai, are you planning to hide at home for the rest of your life?" After a long silence, Liu Qingyun finally burst out.

Liu Hai said nothing. Liu Tian hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Dad, you need to watch your blood pressure. Don't get angry yet. Have some tea, have some tea." As he spoke, he also glanced at Sun Wenwen.

Perhaps because he realized that there was an outsider present, Liu Qingyun finally managed to restrain his temper. He lifted the chrysanthemum tea, took a sip, then set the cup down hard and continued, "I've never stopped you from competing with others out there on your own. But surely now you understand, don't you? There is always someone better, and beyond the sky lies another sky. Can you possibly defeat them with your own strength alone? Do you have the madness and cunning of the lowliest street scum?"

"I'm going to find him again. I still don't believe it." Liu Hai was like a trapped beast, his eyes reddening from his father's scolding, and he spoke with fierce resentment.

"Your stubbornness is still somewhat admirable, but what about your brain?" Liu Qingyun shook his head in exasperation.

"Dahai, do you know why the older generation works itself to the bone climbing upward, then pulls and nurtures the outstanding children of the next generation? It's for the family. And the Liu family is the greatest support and backing for every one of us who bears the surname Liu. I'm not saying it's wrong for you to be ambitious on your own, but when you run into an opponent you cannot overcome by yourself, shouldn't you consider the power of the family?" Taking over from Liu Qingyun, Liu Tian began to say the things that were awkward to state too directly.

"No. I want to beat him on my own. I don't need the family's help." How could Liu Hai possibly listen at this moment? He still clung obstinately to his position.

"Even if you do win in the end, how long will it take? One year? Three? Or ten? Are you really going to waste your entire life on just one man?"

""

"Dahai, you are still too naive. Father has already prepared your tickets. Go to America and stay there for a while. When you come back, I hope you'll be a little more mature." After speaking, Liu Tian shifted his gaze to Sun Wenwen and asked directly, "Miss Sun, what about your family?"

"I'm from Beijing. My father works in the transportation bureau, and my mother is in the education office." Sun Wenwen answered just as frankly.

"Heh. A girl from a civil servant family usually has better manners." Liu Tian smiled. "Dahai is about to go to America. What are your plans?"

"I'll go with him. I have an aunt in America, but arranging my papers may take some time."

"Don't worry about that. As long as you agree, I'll take care of the formalities. I also hope you and Dahai can go all the way."

"No need to hope. I've already agreed to marry her." Liu Hai, who had been enduring like a wronged fool all this time, finally found his chance to speak. But after he blurted it out, the reactions of the other three were all completely different.

Sun Wenwen was, of course, very happy, but also a little shy. Now that the matter had been made explicit, it was effectively her first time meeting Liu Hai's father, Liu Qingyun, the helmsman of the enormous Liu family.

Liu Tian first froze, then could not help laughing. Yet buried in that smile was more mockery, directed at Sun Wenwen and even at Liu Hai himself. Could the young master of the Liu family treat marriage like such a joke?

But Liu Qingyun's reaction was beyond everyone's expectations. He was neither angry nor dismissive. He merely said lightly to Liu Hai, "Then you two will go to America together. Hold the wedding after you come back."

"Dad!"

"What?"

"Really? Uncle Liu?"

But Liu Qingyun ignored the three of them. He rose by himself and walked out of the room. Liu Tian immediately hurried after him, while the delighted Sun Wenwen threw her arms around Liu Hai's neck and kept kissing him on the face.