RLTT CH 23

Chapter 23: Gunpoint · Safehouse · Car Key

But Yun Shaofeng was not a cop.

Wei Jiayi slightly shifted the aim of his gun, still trying to point it past Wei Jiaxi.

“All of you, listen up!” Wei Jiaxi suddenly raised his voice and turned to the crowd. “Yun Shaofeng is my man! If anyone dares to lay a finger on him, then they’re going against me, Wei Jiaxi! No matter who it is—if he so much as loses a single hair, I will make sure they pay for it!”

Yun Shaofeng was slightly taken aback. He turned his head to look at him, only to find Wei Jiaxi’s expression serious, his gaze fixed forward.

“He’s a police witness, here to testify against our own people, and you want to help him?” Wei Jiayi was livid. “If you’re so eager to be a traitor, how dare you even show up here?”

“He’s only testifying against you—and you’re not one of us.” Wei Jiaxi didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he looked toward Xi Ye, who returned his gaze with a look of approval.

“…What do you mean by that?” Wei Jiayi’s gun lowered slightly.

“Have you forgotten how you got to be Red Alliance’s Zuoguan^[1] in the first place?” With one hand still holding Yun Shaofeng, Wei Jiaxi took a few steps toward the middle of the road, his eyes scanning both groups. “Six years ago, my uncle passed away. On the seventh night after his death, the six elders of Red Alliance held a vote to choose the next Zuoguan. And the person they chose—was me.”

The crowd erupted into whispers.

“Uncle Xi Ye and Liu Yi were there. A Club and Xin Qing both sent representatives. They can all vouch for it.” Wei Jiaxi raised his voice to drown out the murmurs among the gang members. “Back then, Wei Jiayi got himself involved in dealings between the central government and Special District politicians. He was given a red card and forced to step down—he was never chosen as Zuoguan to begin with.”

His gaze landed firmly on Wei Jiayi, filled with both conviction and disdain.

Everyone in the Special District’s underworld knew one iron rule of Red Alliance: no politics.

Wei Jiayi had been red-carded. By all rights, he should have been expelled from the organization.

“Of course, I’m not going to argue about the six years he sat in that position for nothing—because I was the one who gave it up.” Wei Jiaxi blinked, his tone suddenly lighter. “But now, he’s k!lled someone. And he did it in Canada. The Canadian police, the Special District government, the central government—they’re all watching him. Keeping him in that position will only drag us all down.”

“I saw you shoot and k!ll someone in Canada with my own eyes,” Yun Shaofeng suddenly spoke. “I will testify against you in court.”

Wei Jiayi looked like someone had grabbed him by the throat—his face flushed red, and he couldn’t get a single word out. Yun Shaofeng was sharper than he had expected. By openly announcing his role as a witness, he had put a giant target on himself. Now, if anything happened to him—no matter who made a move—the blame would fall squarely on Wei Jiayi.

“Your leadership is illegitimate, your actions reckless. You’re only harming the interests of the organization.” Wei Jiaxi looked straight at him and spoke slowly. “So now, I—”

“Jiaxi.”

Yun Shaofeng stepped closer, grabbing Wei Jiaxi’s arm. His expression was serious as he looked at him.

Wei Jiaxi paused and met his gaze.

Yun Shaofeng didn’t say anything else. He just looked at him.

Are you really going to do this?

“There’s no turning back. Are you sure?”
“Have you thought it through? You won’t regret it?”

All these questions were buried in the silence that lasted for mere seconds.

Wei Jiaxi gave a slight nod, and Yun Shaofeng’s gaze gradually calmed, becoming serene and gentle. He loosened his grip, no longer clutching Wei Jiaxi tightly, but he didn’t let go completely either. The closeness between them conveyed nothing but trust—an unspoken reliance on each other.

“So now, I want to,” Wei Jiaxi turned once more to face Wei Jiayi, his voice resolute. “Take back my position as the boss.”

The crowd erupted into a fresh wave of murmurs, whispers blending with raised voices. Originally, today was supposed to be Hong Sheng stirring up trouble for Xin Qing, but now, not only had it turned into an internal struggle within Hong Sheng, but it had also escalated into a live coup. And the two main characters? Actual blood brothers. It was the kind of drama that sounded too absurd to be true.

This was, after all, an internal matter for Hong Sheng. As long as Wei Jiaxi’s claim was true—if he had indeed won the election all those years ago—then, in name, he did have the right to reclaim the position of boss. But power was never secured by mere titles. A disowned cop and illegitimate son—how could he possibly stand against the firstborn son, who had wielded real authority for six years? If it were just Wei Jiaxi alone, relying on a six-year-old vote, it wouldn’t be enough.

Wei Jiayi sneered. “Do you think anyone here will follow your orders? Will anyone acknowledge you, Yacht Kid?”

“I acknowledge you.”

Master Xi coughed twice and then declared, “I acknowledge Wei Jiaxi.”

The murmurs grew louder.

“What Master Xi means is,” Liu Yi stepped forward and spoke up, “if Young Master Xi takes over Hong Sheng from today onward, then all matters between Hong Sheng and Xin Qing will be wiped clean! The territories that belonged to Hong Sheng will be returned in full. The businesses that Hong Sheng took over can be renegotiated, and if we agree on profit distribution, we can continue working together.”

This was a massive concession!

Hong Sheng would regain all its lost territories, disputes would be erased, and they’d even get a share of Xin Qing’s street businesses. With such generous conditions on the table, it was likely that every elder in Hong Sheng would surrender in an instant.

“You old b*stard, are you playing me?!” Wei Jiayi wasn’t a fool. He immediately realized what Master Xi was up to. The old man and this brat must have been plotting together all along, and today, they were tearing him down right here and now! “Do you think Hong Sheng has no money?! For the past six years, this entire empire has been built by me! Every cent in Hong Sheng came from my hands! You think anyone will side with this b*stard?!”

“…I acknowledge Young Master Xi as well.”

The entire crowd turned their heads toward the voice. The one who had spoken was none other than Mo Chao, still leaning against the car door, playing idly with his sunglasses.

In an instant, the entire street fell into dead silence.

Both Wei Jiaxi and Yun Shaofeng were stunned. They exchanged a glance before turning to Mo Chao, confusion evident in their eyes.

“…Mo Chao?” Wei Jiayi’s bloodshot eyes bore into Mo Chao.

“Sorry, Young Master Yi,” Mo Chao calmly put on his sunglasses. “A wise man adapts to the times. Nothing personal.”

Wei Jiayi’s breathing turned ragged. Clenching his gun tightly, he stormed toward Mo Chao and pressed the barrel against his forehead.

“Wei Jiayi, don’t do anything reckless.”

Sensing the shift in tension, Wei Jiaxi immediately stepped forward, his entire body on high alert, prepared to intervene at any moment.

Behind him, Liu Yi silently reached into his pocket, ready to draw his weapon if necessary.

But Mo Chao merely raised both hands slowly in surrender, standing still. Behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses, no one could tell what emotions lay beneath.

The atmosphere was suffocating. The mere sixty seconds that passed felt like a countdown to doomsday.

Finally, Wei Jiayi swung his hand and struck Mo Chao across the face with the butt of his gun. Then, without another word, he shoved him aside, got into his car, and drove off.

Wei Jiaxi let out a slow breath of relief, then turned his gaze toward Mo Chao, still perplexed. The latter steadied himself with a slight stumble, raising a hand to touch his now-reddened cheek.

“…Young Master Xi.”

Mo Chao didn’t offer any explanation. He simply gave Wei Jiaxi a polite nod, acknowledging him.

Wei Jiaxi then turned to Master Xi and Liu Yi. Liu Yi, too, gave him a nod and addressed him softly, “Young Master Xi.”

Looking around, Wei Jiaxi noticed that some of Hong Sheng’s men had chosen to follow Wei Jiayi and leave. However, the majority remained, their voices echoing through the street—

“Young Master Xi!”
“Young Master Xi!”

He exhaled deeply, forcing himself to calm down.

“Disperse,” Wei Jiaxi ordered swiftly. “Notify the other two sites as well—tell the brothers to clear out quickly. Don’t give the cops an excuse to come after us.”

Mo Chao immediately acknowledged the order, bowing his head as he made a phone call. The rest of the crowd gradually scattered, except for Master Xi, who remained standing there, grinning.

“How about coming up for a cup of kung fu tea?” he offered.

Wei Jiaxi sighed heavily. Everything had happened so fast just now. Every action he took was instinctive, like a boxer reacting in the ring—split-second decisions made under pressure. Now that the immediate crisis was over, he found himself at a loss. Going up for tea didn’t seem like the most pressing matter, but at the same time, he had no idea where else to go.

“Not this time, Master Xi,” Yun Shaofeng suddenly spoke before Wei Jiaxi could decide, rejecting the offer. “Thank you for your help, but we have a lot to take care of right now.”

With that, Yun Shaofeng turned and walked toward the car without looking back. He knew Wei Jiaxi would follow.

Wei Jiaxi hesitated for a second before quickly catching up.

As he did, Mo Chao, who had been about to leave, subtly bumped his shoulder against Wei Jiaxi’s.

Before Wei Jiaxi could react, he felt something being stuffed into his palm. He turned his head, but Mo Chao was already walking away without a backward glance.

“Where to?” Yun Shaofeng asked as soon as Wei Jiaxi got into the car. Without another word, he started the engine and pulled away from the street.

Wei Jiaxi was still processing everything. Staring out the window, he frowned slightly.

“Jiaxi?” Yun Shaofeng glanced at him.

Wei Jiaxi snapped out of his thoughts, quickly considering their next move. “…Back to the safe house.”

Yun Shaofeng hesitated. “…You sure?”

“Yes,” Wei Jiaxi nodded firmly.

There was a lot to handle, but first and foremost, he had to ensure Shaofeng’s safety.

He had a good idea where Wei Jiayi was headed now. After suffering such a humiliating loss in public, his first move would undoubtedly be to run back to A Club to hold onto his backer.

As he mulled over their next steps, his phone rang. He answered, unsurprised to hear a frantic Zhong Zai on the other end, urgently demanding their whereabouts.

“We’re fine. It’s settled. Don’t worry,” Wei Jiaxi reassured him, glancing at Yun Shaofeng. “He’s with me. Calm down, we’re both safe.”

Yun Shaofeng continued driving quietly, occasionally checking the rearview mirrors.

“We’re on our way back. See you soon at the safe house,” Wei Jiaxi said before hanging up.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the crumpled piece of paper Mo Chao had slipped him. Flattening it, he took one look at the message and let out a wry chuckle.

Mo Chao, you sure know how to play your cards.

He took a picture of the note and sent it to Cheng Jiesen, without adding a single word.

By then, they had arrived at the safe house. Several WPU officers were standing anxiously on the roadside, their expressions tense.

Both men got out of the car.

Yun Shaofeng walked ahead, reaching for the car keys to hand over to Zhong Zai.

But just then, Wei Jiaxi called out—

“Shaofeng.”

Yun Shaofeng turned back to see him standing by the car door. Clearly, he wasn’t planning to go upstairs with him.

“…The keys.”

Yun Shaofeng was momentarily stunned. His hand, which was raised in mid-air, hesitated awkwardly before shifting direction, but he remained reluctant. Taking a few steps closer, he asked with a hint of sorrow, “You’re still planning to go alone?”

Hearing this, Wei Jiaxi felt a pang in his heart. He understood what Shaofeng meant.

The man standing before him had abandoned the police officers assigned to protect him, stolen a government vehicle, and driven recklessly into the heart of a gang standoff—all just to stand by his side. And now, Wei Jiaxi was pushing him away once again.

Wei Jiaxi didn’t know how to respond. He could only reach out his hand, taking the car keys from Yun Shaofeng’s grasp.

Yun Shaofeng was clearly disappointed. He held onto Wei Jiaxi’s hand for a brief moment before reluctantly letting go of the keys. Still unwilling to accept it, he spoke with a suppressed tone, “I thought that by now, our relationship would have…”

Would have made you trust in my abilities?

Would have made you accept me?

Would have made you want us to stand side by side?

Would have made it possible for me to enter your world?

“Shaofeng,” Wei Jiaxi, unable to contain his emotions, reached out and placed a firm hand on Yun Shaofeng’s shoulder. “…Trust me. Once this is over, I will… I definitely will… I definitely will…”

But he couldn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t know what exactly he was promising.

“…Alright.” Yun Shaofeng nodded, no longer pressing the issue.

He knew that one day, Wei Jiaxi would lay everything bare—his memories, his thoughts, the truth, and their future. But if right now, he wasn’t ready to say it, then aside from letting him go, there was nothing else he could do.

To be continued…