Chapter 17: The Billiards Hall Confrontation

Before noon, Young Master Feng’s call vibrated my phone. A car horn blared from downstairs, prompting me to glance out the window. There, Young Master Feng poked his head from the passenger seat of a Ferrari, waving for me to descend.

I waved back in acknowledgment, then retrieved my down jacket from the sofa. A quick glance in the mirror by the door confirmed it: the glasses lent me an air of scholarly refinement, instantly tempering my usual lazy demeanor. I offered my reflection a satisfied smile. ‘Not bad,’ I mused. ‘Quite presentable, actually.’

As for the bruises Dragon Brother had inflicted on me earlier, they were mostly healed now. Yet, upon closer inspection in the mirror, faint traces of discoloration still remained. I estimated they would vanish completely within another day.

Another honk from downstairs spurred me to hurry down. Young Master Feng, who had been waiting in the passenger seat for some time, waved me into the car with a somewhat resigned expression as I finally emerged.

I opened the car door and settled in. A pleasant fragrance filled the interior, and the automatic seats, among other features, exuded an undeniable aura of luxury.

Young Master Feng glanced at his watch. “Tianyu Billiards Hall,” he instructed the driver. “A little faster, please.”

The driver nodded and started the engine. I sat by the window, idly watching the scenery drift past. Young Master Feng occasionally checked his watch, interjecting with bits of small talk. Our desultory conversation filled the twenty minutes that seemed to fly by.

I had been to that billiards hall before, and the streets outside the window began to look increasingly familiar. Sure enough, the driver turned a corner and pulled over. Young Master Feng opened his door and stepped out, gesturing for me to follow. I exited the car as well, and without a word, the driver started the engine and drove away.

Young Master Feng and I entered the billiards hall.

The billiards hall’s decor was rather unremarkable. A deer antler hung on the wall, and the floor was littered with cigarette butts and ash. Numerous people filled the hall, their hair uniformly dyed in a kaleidoscope of colors. A boisterous crowd played billiards, cursing and laughing amongst themselves, each comment met with a chuckle.

I watched the hunched figures playing, then glanced at Young Master Feng. He gestured for me to stay close, then walked directly towards a young man with a buzz cut.

As we approached the pool table, the buzz-cut guy was still hunched over, cueing a shot. I stood nearby, observing. The young man’s play was decent; he potted one ball cleanly and then began to aim for another.

His opponent, likely a novice, frequently conceded free balls. After one game, the buzz-cut guy’s opponent cursed and waved his hand, signaling he was done.

The buzz-cut guy looked up and saw Young Master Feng and me standing together. Young Master Feng quickly greeted him. “Hello, Brother Ji!”

This “Brother Ji” was likely Old Rooster himself. He appeared quite slender and cast a nonchalant glance at Young Master Feng. “You’re here,” he said.

After greeting Young Master Feng, Old Rooster continued to set up for the next game. This time, he had a different opponent, who played decently, certainly better than Old Rooster. Seeing Young Master Feng still hesitating, I remained silent, wary of revealing my identity, and waited quietly with my glasses on.

At that moment, Old Rooster attempted a straight shot on a half-ball towards the corner pocket. He missed terribly, skewing the shot. The half-ball ricocheted, knocking the 8-ball directly into the pocket. I watched, speechless. Old Rooster cursed vehemently, spat on the floor, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.

The young man playing against him chuckled, bending to rack the balls under the table. Old Rooster took a couple of drags from his cigarette. Young Master Feng still stood beside him, seemingly hesitant to speak, though I had no intention of prompting him. Suddenly, Old Rooster turned his head, scrutinizing me from head to toe. “Where’s this one from?” he asked Young Master Feng.

Young Master Feng froze, unable to conjure a suitable excuse. I quickly interjected with an eager smile. “I’m Young Master Feng’s younger brother,” I began. “We met today, and he wanted me to meet a few big brothers. He spoke highly of your bravery and heroism, saying it’s better to see than just hear. So I tagged along… And indeed, Brother, you possess an extraordinary demeanor! I’m even hoping to snag a free meal here…”

Old Rooster, completely ignoring my blathering, raised an eyebrow. He let out a meaningful “Oh,” then looked at Young Master Feng, a grin spreading across his face. “Taking on little brothers now, are we?” he chuckled.

A few ‘punk’ types nearby cackled mockingly. Young Master Feng’s expression turned rather sour. ‘It seems Young Master Feng isn’t doing so well in this crowd,’ I mused. ‘If I were him, I’d bring thirty enforcers up here, and these guys would quickly fall in line.’

Old Rooster smiled. The young man at the pool table racked the balls, and Old Rooster hunched over, preparing to break. After much hesitation, Young Master Feng finally spoke tentatively. “Brother Ji,” he began, “I actually wanted to ask about something… about Bai Hailong…”

Old Rooster botched his break shot, cursing under his breath. Without turning his head, he said, “Don’t bother talking about him. This time, I have a brother who’s made a name for himself. I’ll introduce you to him at dinner later. Talking about that dog, it’s just bad luck.”

Young Master Feng froze again, falling silent. He glanced at me questioningly, and I shook my head. ‘We came here to gauge his attitude, and we’ve seen it clearly enough,’ I thought. ‘Old Rooster clearly dislikes Bai Hailong, so there’s no need to press further.’

‘I wonder if we should even go to that dinner later,’ I pondered.

Old Rooster continued to play, hunched over the table for a long time, but I lost interest in watching. The two of them played with gusto, exchanging curses and shots, but to me, it looked like two clumsy chickens pecking at each other. I was actually quite good at billiards. When I first started high school, I was a good student; it wasn’t until the second semester of freshman year, after I got to know Bai Hailong, that I learned how to play pool—and how to skip class to do it.

Young Master Feng seemed unwilling to give up, and he hesitated once more.

This time, Old Rooster’s break shot was much better, pocketing several balls in a few strokes. In contrast, his opponent’s half-balls were all blocked, and with their mediocre skill, they couldn’t find an angle, essentially gifting several free shots.

After another round of back-and-forth ‘chicken pecking,’ Old Rooster finally won a game, grinning as he chewed on his cigarette. His opponent, clearly displeased, crouched to retrieve the cue rest, eager for another round. Old Rooster stood up, stretching his lower back and hips, then held his cue vertically, squinting as he chalked the tip.

Young Master Feng stood beside me, still deep in thought, likely pondering the best way to broach the topic. Old Rooster placed the chalk on the table and hunched over, preparing to break. Watching him, I felt an itch to play, contemplating whether I should challenge this guy to a game and just ‘beat him into submission.’

Young Master Feng held back for a long time, then finally asked, “Brother Ji… what do you… think of Bai Hailong…?”

Old Rooster aimed for a long time to break, then struck the cue ball, miscuing so badly that the balls didn’t scatter. My mouth twitched slightly at the sight. Old Rooster ‘tsk’ed, cursing without even turning his head. “Why keep asking about that dog?”

“He’s just a dog, dyeing his hair and thinking he’s hot stuff. If he’s so great, why doesn’t he just fly into the sky? Look at that brainless idiot. When he came out of his mother’s womb, his head was so big, it made her scream in pain, and it even suffocated her…”

Old Rooster had a real talent for stand-up comedy, delivering his lines with vivid flair. The young man playing billiards in front of him started laughing, and soon the entire area erupted in mirth. I didn’t laugh, but amidst the general uproar, Young Master Feng looked utterly mortified.

‘This guy is truly dedicated to pursuing Dragon Brother,’ I thought. Just as I was about to signal him to stop asking, Old Rooster chuckled again. “I heard Bai Hailong even has a sister? That’s rich. He never mentioned that dog-thing when we used to hang out…”

“The other day, I got my hands on some foreign aphrodisiacs, potent stuff. There’s only one pharmacy near that internet cafe, so I figure her family lives nearby. I gave the old man at the pharmacy two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes. I told him if a guy who looks like he just woke up, always wearing a green down jacket, or a little girl with white hair and a scar goes there to buy medicine, he should open the box and sell her the aphrodisiac instead. Let those two dogs go out and flaunt themselves…”

I stood listening, my smile still fixed in place. Young Master Feng’s expression, however, had turned grim, and his body began to tremble.

Old Rooster, completely unfazed, continued, “These past few days, Laizi and his crew have been staking out the internet cafe. If they run into that little girl, they’ll teach her a small lesson. She’ll have to apologize to all the brothers herself.”

The others nearby chuckled without speaking. A pockmarked man with green-dyed hair asked, “What if the girl is stubborn and won’t cooperate?”

Old Rooster sneered. “Won’t cooperate? We’ll make her take it hard, make that little b*tch swallow it, no matter what. If that doesn’t work, we’ll drug her and let all the brothers have some fun…”

A group of ‘punks’ watching the game all broke into lewd grins, and I joined in their laughter.

‘Thinking big, are we?’ I mused. ‘Just a slight issue with execution. Aren’t you afraid of getting your nuts kicked in?’

Young Master Feng’s expression was now utterly dark. “Brother Ji,” he said, “his sister has nothing to do with this. Let’s have some basic decency and leave her out of it.”

As soon as he spoke, the area around the pool table fell silent. The ‘punks’ turned their heads to look at Young Master Feng, sharing knowing smiles.

I, too, raised an eyebrow, looking at Young Master Feng. ‘Impressive,’ I thought. ‘He’s truly a man in love.’

Young Master Feng maintained his cold expression. The group watched him for a moment, then acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing. Old Rooster also pretended not to hear; his opponent had just won another game and was now crouching to rack the balls on the table.

Old Rooster hunched down to aim, then struck the cue ball with force, only to miscue again. The white ball rolled slowly, nudging a cluster of balls that merely wobbled and then stopped in place. He cursed, “Goddammit!”

I watched, truly cringing at the sight. Old Rooster chuckled without turning his head. “What’s wrong, Little Liu? Did you fall for Bai Hailong’s sister? Finish this game and treat us, and I’ll do you a favor. If we catch Bai Hailong’s little sister, you’ll be the first one to have some fun with her!”

Young Master Feng’s face was cold. “I don’t need that!” he retorted.

Old Rooster chuckled, then made a shot, speaking earnestly. “Bai Hailong is just a piece of trash. How good could his sister be? Probably not much better. Judging by that b*tch, she’s probably slept with a thousand men. It’s not worth dating someone like that. Aren’t you afraid of getting sick?”

Young Master Feng suddenly flared up, roaring, “I forbid you from speaking about her like that!”

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