CHAPTER 137: BEATING SOMEONE UP AT A FUNERAL

Xu Si took out a check, her voice clear and calm. "Actually, I quite admire your persistence—pretending to be stupid and ugly, using my photos to extort me, all without even knowing who I am."

The man’s eyes lit up at the sight of the check. He finally dropped the act, licking his back teeth and biting an unlit cigarette. "You look familiar... Let me see, let me see... I remember now! You’re Miss Xu, right?"

Xu Si looked at him expressionlessly, her smile fading, her eyes calm yet shadowed. "Enough with the act. I don’t have time to waste with you. Destroy those photos right here, and we can negotiate the price."

"Wait a second, that’s reasonable," the man smoothed out his crumpled collar, a sly, roguish grin on his face. "How did Miss Xu know it was me? I should learn from this, hide better next time. Tell me how, and I’ll give you the photos. How about that?"

"Sure," Xu Si sized him up, a faint smile on her lips. Suppressing the urge to curse, she said,

"The Underground City is so vast, it would normally take some effort to find you. But today is the funeral, and with so many people around, I decided to try my luck. It seems some people on Hong Kong Island knew in advance that I was coming. I’ve seen the photos you took; every angle is surreptitious. So, I guessed your height, found the best spot for taking such photos, and kept an eye on it to see if you’d show up. And you did.

"Besides, I’m not that famous. Anyone who recognizes me is likely from Hong Kong Island. Coincidentally, given your Hong Kong Island face and your skulking behavior, it wasn’t hard to identify you."

The photographer’s face darkened. "Wow, President Xu, quite the accurate guess. Are you playing me like a dog? Was it that mirror that gave me away? Damn, I thought you just used it to admire yourself."

The overhead light refracted through the stained glass, casting dazzling splashes of color.

Xu Si tapped her fingers on the stair railing, placing the check face down on it. Her voice was indifferent. "So, who are you? How do you know me? Did you use to live on Hong Kong Island?"

"Easy, easy," he said, squinting with a smile, his words a mix of truth and lies. "Actually, I’m not a pure Hong Kong Islander, you see. I’m half from the Underground City. Someone gave me the idea, told me to take your photos in the Underground City. They said you were very rich, and I had a mountain of gambling debt. The thought of making some money to pay it off was appealing, so I agreed.

"I can’t tell you who it was, but there are only so many Hong Kong Island businessmen coming and going in the Underground City. With your resources, you’ll find out eventually.

"But I haven’t given him the photos; they’re all with me. I was planning to blackmail you before handing them over. I just didn’t expect you to find me so quickly."

Trying to get paid by both sides?

Xu Si frowned slightly. She observed him but couldn’t discern any gang affiliations. A slight smile played on her lips. "Fine. Hand over the photos. Whatever he promised to pay you, I’ll match it. It doesn’t matter who gets the photos, as long as there’s money to be made, right?"

"Yeah, it doesn’t matter who gets them. Besides, these photos could ruin your reputation. I get that. So, add another five million, and the photos are yours." He reached behind his waist and pulled out a sealed envelope.

Xu Si didn’t waste words. She pulled out a pen and signed the check.

He took the check Xu Si handed him, glanced at it, and after confirming it was correct, he chuckled. "Alright, the photos are yours. I’ll be going then."

"Wait," Xu Si stood at the top of the stairs, grabbing his arm. Her grip was strong, her long nails digging into his flesh, the pain sharp and serious. Her voice was oppressive. "You say you’ve given me all of them. How can I be sure these are all the photos?"

The photographer cried out in pain, scrambling back and rubbing his arm, his face grim. "All the photos I took are in here. They were all sealed and ready to be sent off. Miss Xu, I’m just someone from the Underground City. What use would I have for your photos? Am I looking to get hunted down by the Triad Society?"

"That does make sense," Xu Si’s gaze shifted, a derisive smile on her face. "Is that true? I’ll remind you, I really don’t like being played."

"It’s true!" The photographer gritted his teeth, raising three fingers to his forehead. "I swear! If not, may I die a horrible death! Satisfied?"

His voice trailed off. Xu Si said nothing more. The drizzle outside the window had turned into a cold, damp chill. A half-smile touched her lips as she slowly, step by step, approached him.

The photographer, somewhat bewildered, backed away a few steps. "What are you doing?"

Xu Si lazily met his gaze, her smile vanishing. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, an indescribable coldness and irritation on her face as she stared directly at him.

"I told you, I really hate being played."

The photographer sensed something was wrong and looked down. Xu Si’s fair fingers had already risen, slowly plucking a miniature camera from his trouser pocket. It was about the size of a quarter of a banknote, very well hidden; one could hold it in their hand and hardly notice it. He’d been fumbling for a lighter earlier to hide this.

She examined it in her hand for a moment, then pried open the camera’s back cover with a long fingernail. CLICK. The microfilm inside was exposed. She smiled thoughtfully. "Still trying to get paid three times? Looks like you’re heavily in debt. How about telling me who instigated you? I’ll give you another sum of money."

The photographer’s face flushed with embarrassment. "I’ll never tell."

Xu Si’s cool gaze fell on his other pocket. It contained a voice recorder. She pressed play. It was a recording of everyone’s conversations from that day, including hers and Pei Zhen’s.

"Heh, quite well-prepared. Very professional. You must have fooled a lot of people with these tricks, haven’t you?"

The photographer was speechless.

She scoffed.

Her fingers groped behind her, closing around a decorative sculpture on a nearby stand. Before he could react, she unexpectedly raised her hand and—THUMP!—smashed it heavily on his head.

While he was still dizzy, she kicked him down the stairs with her high-heeled shoe.

The man’s heavy body tumbled. He hadn’t expected Xu Si to attack him while smiling. He rolled several times down the steps before crashing into the wall and stopping.

An overwhelming dizziness and a throbbing headache washed over him. He was no longer capable of resisting. All he could do was watch Xu Si walk down the steps towards him. Only then did he start to panic.

Xu Si slowly looked up, her gaze chilling as she stared at him. She grabbed his hair and slapped him across the face. She exuded some of the same aura she’d had back when she pinned someone to her own father’s coffin and beat them.

At times she wondered if she and funerals were cursed to clash.

Whenever there was a funeral, someone always seemed to end up getting thrashed by her.

Only when her hand was red and aching did she slowly exhale. Her voice was melodious, but her words were laced not with anger, but with impatience.

"Gambling debts, you say? The watch on your wrist is worth over two hundred thousand. You’re drowning in gambling debts, yet you dare to flaunt luxury brands? Aren’t you afraid the loan sharks will chop your hand off? You just don’t appreciate kindness. Since you love making such vicious oaths, I won’t call anyone to help you. Whether you live or die is up to fate."

She snatched the check from the conman’s hand. Xu Si tore it to pieces, her gaze sweeping over his face. She kicked him one more time. After the last trace of anger from being threatened had vented from her chest, she picked up her bag and slowly walked out of the stairwell.

After all that, not a single strand of her hair was out of place. Her lips were red, her teeth white, her eyebrows sharply defined, and her eyes bright. Her slender figure exuded an air of cool, graceful elegance.