In the Blue Star City, Star Central District of Hua Country, a door caked with aged yellow newspaper fragments gradually opened in a basement, and a young man about 1.8 meters tall with short hair walked out.
He wore a faded denim jacket, tattered jeans, and sneakers.
"Dajie, hurry up and come back. Don't keep this princess waiting too long," came the lazy voice of Yin Xiaoyu from inside the room.
With a sigh of resignation, Qin Dajie closed the door, put his hands in his pockets, and made his way up to the surface.
Blue Star City is a thriving coastal city with rapidly growing economy and soaring living costs. For a construction worker like Qin Dajie, even renting a house in the neighborhood was unfathomable, let alone even their basement was shared with Yin Xiaoyu.
Just after reaching the surface and taking a few steps, Qin Dajie pulled out a Hongta Mountain cigarette from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and reached for his lighter. Only then did he remember that Yin Xiaoyu had confiscated it.
With no other options, he stepped into the nearby convenience store.
The moment he stepped inside, Liu Yun immediately shouted at him: "You rascal! It's time to pay the rent. You still owe me for the two bottles of Erguotou and a pack of Hongta Mountain you bought last time."
Liu Yun is in her early thirties and the landlord as well as the store owner. Her husband died soon after their marriage, leaving her childless. All neighbors and villagers called her Widow Liu, only Qin Dajie referred to her as Sister Yun.
"Sister Yun, wait for my salary to come in few days, I’ll repay everything," Qin Dajie said with a smile.
"I don’t believe you," Liu Yun responded.
"Sister Yun, have you noticed your skin seems to have improved again?" Dajie flattered.
"Really? Don't try to butter me up again. I'm tired of hearing the same set of lines," Liu Yun looked at Qin Dajie, her 36E chest twitching.
Given it's summer, everyone was lightly dressed. Liu Yun had a voluptuous figure and fair skin. If her temper was a bit softer, she would be a rare beauty.
"Sister Yun, I am here to buy something," Qin Dajie said earnestly.
"Alright, I'll let you off today. Just remember to payback next time, but this time, no more running a tab," she said.
Qin Jie was about to pick up a bottle of Erguotou
Chinese white spirit
, but upon hearing that no credit was allowed, he put it back down and walked over to the counter. He picked up a lighter and asked, "This is a dollar, right?"
"Two," she responded.
"Pretty expensive," uttered Qin Jie, and lit the cigarette in his mouth, "then consider it a loan, I am not buying."
Qin Jie took a quick puff and dashed out.
Thud...
The lighter hit the back of Qin Jie's head, "You damn poor kid, consider the lighter a gift from your sister."
Bending down to pick up the lighter, Qin Jie left cheerily.
He was out to buy groceries for dinner, left with fifty bucks on hand, he had to save where he could.
Around seven in the evening, Qin Jie, basking in the cool evening summer wind, strolled leisurely down the street.
Ding.. a text notification buzzed.
Pulling out his cheap cell phone, bought for fifty bucks, he opened the message.
However, his eyebrows furrowed slightly upon reading — an expression unseen on Qin Jie's face for many years. Ever since he had been kicked out of the military, despite being unwilling, Qin Jie had lived a laidback and comfortable life and had long lost his regal bearing of a military king.
But this text was from headquarters, and it was sent personally by his former leader. Qin Jie still remembered her number and the way she addressed him.
Despite never having contacted the headquarters, Qin Jie never bothered with trivial matters like how the headquarters got his current contact information.
For Qin Jie's former unit, looking for a person was as simple as can be.
Looking at the contents of the information, Qin Jie couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.
"I, the great army king, am asked to be a bodyguard? And for a twenty-year-old girl at that? Who knows what she looks like. What if she's unattractive and has a weird personality? Besides, I could tolerate all of that, but don't you guys know to pay a salary?" Qin Jie complained to himself, unknowingly arriving at the entrance of a bar.
At the same time, he also noticed the last sentence of the message: "This task is redemption for a past mistake. Do your best."
"So, there really is no salary?"
Stowing his phone back into his pocket, Qin Jie casually looked towards the bar entrance.
By the vibrant lights illuminating the entrance, Qin Jie saw a young man wearing a white suit with a gold ring on his finger emerge from the bar.
"Damn rich folks, may seem wealthy, but uglier than sin," Qin Jie grumbled.
Then Qin Jie spotted two young men, styled in outlandish fashion, gripping a woman by the arms, dragging her towards the entrance and pulling her towards a car.
He tilted his head and wondered, "What in the world is going on? Are they playing some kind of kidnapping game? But that girl is quite a looker."
"Help me, help me..." the woman suddenly cried out.
Qin Jie shrugged with a somber smile, "City girls sure know how to play. Wait, what the hell am I thinking?"
Cursing himself, Qin Jie quickly strolled up to them. Once he was near, he pointed at the woman and yelled, "Let the girl go!"
Everyone was stunned by his actions. The young man in the white suit gave Qin Jie a disdainful glance. He jeered, "It seems like every jackass fancies himself a hero these days. You've disrupted my mood. Get him!"
One of the show-offs moved forward: "Our boss wants you gone. Look at you; you're out of luck dude. This isn't a movie, and you're certainly no Wong Fei-hung."
As he spoke, the punk known as Shard was already throwing a punch at Qin Jie.
Qin Jie pushed upwards with his left palm, deflected Shard's fist, and with a precision that was unparalleled, his right hand fetched the dagger at Shard's waistband and fiercely slapped it against Shard's face, knocking him to the ground.
This series of smooth actions was accomplished in a flowing manner, and Qin Jie continued to walk forward.
"He's so cool," exclaimed the kidnapped beauty, seemingly forgetting her predicament.
"Let's get him together," four or five hooligans shouted, charging at Qin Jie with weapons drawn.
Qin Jie smoothly ran past them, and as the screams erupted, those hooligans fell to the ground, clutching their bellies and rolling around, while their weapons were all missing.
A Gui turned his head only to see Qin Jie's retreating figure.
Swish swish swish...
Daggers and iron whips kept falling from Qin Jie's hands.
"Who... who exactly are you?" A Gui, completely shocked, pointed at Qin Jie.
Qin Jie turned around, his mouth turning up into a proud smile: "My name is Qin Jie. The 'Jie' stands for robbery."
A shiver ran down A Gui's spine as he turned to run.
An old shoe flew out, hit A Gui right at the back of the neck, and he crumpled.
Qin Jie looked at the beauty in front of him and smiled: "What's your name, beauty?"
"My name is Xia Yin, thank you for saving me." Xia Yin squints her eyes slightly, revealing a cute smile.
Qin Jie was slightly enchanted, thinking to himself: what a beautiful smile, how good it would be, if the person I'm supposed to protect is her. Wait a minute, the target's name... isn't it Xia Yin?