The Black Card

Chapter 34 - Sick Driver

 

Translator: Lav

Editor: Levs

 

Shi Lei shoved Zhang Liangling into the taxi and his face was stern. 

Zhang Liangliang was still jabbering on and on. 

“Dashu, are you the head of a mafia gang? You have to be. That red fur guards the bar there. He was so polite to you, you must be his head, right?” 

Shi Lei: “......”

“He wanted to hit up on me before but I ignored him. If I knew he was working under you, although I still look down on him, but I would give you face and let him drink and sing with us.” 

Shi Lei: “......” 

“Dashu, if you hung out here, how come I’ve never seen you before? Maybe we’ve met a long time ago, like brushing past each other’s shoulders, except at that time I didn’t know you, and you didn’t know me either……” 

Again, Shi Lei: “......” 

“Dashu, why aren’t you talking! How many bros do you have under you? Are you in charge of the entire bar street? What do you do when there are people making troubles?” 

Shi Lei could no longer hold it back and yelled: “Shut up!” 

Zhang Liangliang closed her mouth obediently. Except her eyes were twinkling like stars, displaying her admiration for Shi Lei. 

Except, the silence only lasted for a minute before Zhang Liangliang asked again: “Dashu, where are you taking me? Are you going to get a room with me? I’m still of ‘original package’, you know. Although I’m usually crazy and things, but I’ve never let any men touch me before……” 

Shi Lei had a mental breakdown as this girl’s imagination completely ran wild.  

The taxi driver sitting at the front had glanced at them a few times already through the back mirror, Shi Lei could only clenched his teeth and contain his anger and explain patiently: “I’m sending you home.” 

Zhang Liangliang was expressionless for a second, but another idea popped up in her mind and she said: “Oh, so you like to do it at the girl’s house…… How do you know my Mum’s not home today……” 

Shi Lei grabbed his hair and regretted painfully. If he knew it was going to be like this, he would never butt into her business and drag her out of the bar. Originally, it was none of his business anyway as they were just ordinary strangers who came together by chance and they were not even considered as friends. Except the day when Shi Lei was at her house, he felt sympathetic towards her as she made herself like this for the sake of receiving more attention from her mother. 

He was kindhearted for an instant and brought her out of the bar, but now, Shi Lei really regretted it immensely. 

After a moment of consideration, Shi Lei decided to make it clear. 

“Firstly, I’m not some head of a gang. That red light, and his own subordinates, yellow and green light, only wanted to rob my money, but I resisted vigorously and chased them away. After that, they were afraid to provoke me. Even I wonder who’s dumb enough to find these three as their subordinates. The way they dyed their hair is like traffic lights.” 

Zhang Liangliang laughed merrily: “Damn dashu, you are funny. Traffic lights, how did you come up with that? Hahaha, it’s so funny.” 

Shi Lei didn’t smile but continued with a straight face: “Second, I’m not planning to get a room with you, not to mention make something happen between us. It’s just that since your mother employed me as your tutor and I saw that you were hanging out with those shady kids, so I planned to send you home.” 

“You are only a tutor, so you can’t just interfere with my life?” Zhang Liangliang felt that something was wrong. 

Shi Lei ignored her and continued: “Third, do you think the way you are now is cool? Especially after hurting a man who teased you and no one dared to provoke you? That’s only because your mother has a good relationship with the police. The guy who teased you just happened to be a bad one so the police was biased and helped you. Otherwise, your actions would at least keep you in the detention centre about half a year and that’s if you are lucky.” 

Zhang Liangliang widened her eyes and became impatient: “Dashu, I thought you were an interesting person before, but I didn’t think that you would be as conservative and inflexible oring like Zhang Meimei. Driver, stop the car, I’m getting off!” 

The driver slowed down, turned his head around and looked at Shi Lei. Shi Lei waved his hands and said: “Don’t mind her. Just go to Feng Hua district first.” 

Then, Shi Lei looked at Zhang Liangliang and said: “You are at a rebellious age right now. With your family’s situation, you wouldn’t think it’s strange. But you need to understand that when you run out and muddle with those people, you are using the money given by your mother. If it wasn’t for you having enough money to buy drinks for them, do you honestly think you can be fine like this? You would be fuddled and taken to a hotel and you don’t know how many times you would be raped. You are quite lucky that when you just started messing around, someone’s dumb enough to tease you and you hurt him. Your mother used her connections to settle this and even have him sent to the detention centre. But in the end, this is a place for business and amiability makes one rich so you didn’t really meet anyone that bad. But, I can be responsible and tell you that if you continue to do this, you will be at disadvantage. When that time comes, it doesn’t matter how much connections your mother has, it can’t prevent what has already happened. You think I’m trying to lecture you, you think that your mother doesn’t care about you. But if she really didn’t care, why would she think so hard to help you settle that? Without her, you would already be a piece of rotten shit!” 

Shi Lei looked as he saw Zhang Liangliang’s eyes contract violently and her pupils seemed to congeal to as thin as needle. Low hissing escaped her throat, just like the sound a puppy makes when agitated. 

Shi Lei knew that he might have been a bit too harsh on his words, but he didn’t regret it in his heart. 

“Who are you to me? Do I need you to butt into my business?” Eventually, Zhang Liangliang shouted. 

The driver pressed on the brake as the taxi gradually stopped at the gate of Feng Hua. He turned around and said: “We are here, 21 yuan altogether.” 

Zhang Liangliang pulled the door handle frantically as she wanted to get off. But the left door of taxis cannot be opened from the inside and she was pulling in vain. 

Shi Lei took out money and handed to the driver. As he waited for the driver to give him the change, Zhang Liangliang began to shove him like crazy, wanting to get off. 

The driver gave Shi Lei the change. He suddenly sighed and said deeply: “Little girl, do you think it’s cool to be a head of mafia?” 

Shi Lei and Zhang Liangliang were both in shock. Then, they saw that the driver stepped outside the car. 

Standing outside the car, the driver took off his jacket and said towards towards them: “Come, get off, I’ll show you.” 

Shi Lei got out of the car in confusion but blocked the door. As soon as Zhang Liangliang stepped outside, he grabbed her arm to prevent her from running away. 

The driver walked around with his jacket in his hand. He was wearing a tight-fitted shirt inside. 

The driver’s arms were filled with tattoos. Although they could not see it clearly in the dark, but it seemed to be two dragons coiled around his arms. 

“I also have this on my chest and on my back but I won’t show you that. Back in the days, Wu Dong had another area like this at Gu Lou. That was a bar called Luan Shi Jia Ren and we used to call that Lao Luan, you know?”  

Shi Lei didn’t know but Zhang Liangliang did as she nodded her head subconsciously. 

“At that time, I was in charge of that area and every bar had to give me money. There were also a lot of young girls like you who wanted to be mine with the same reason as you: they think that it’s cool to be around a head of a gang.” The driver lighted a cigar and his eyes displayed nostalgia towards the past. 

 

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Chapter 35 - Perverted Taste

 

Translator: Lav

Editor: Levs

 

The driver put on his jacket and he seemed to be smaller.

The previously bold and powerful man now appeared to be so fragile and vulnerable.  

“But now? Look at me, driving taxis, who the fuck even knows who I am? And I thought I was cool before. Then I killed someone, went to the jail, then I realised, fuck the underworld. In the land of China, there is no fucking underworld. Those kids are still bouncing around because the police were too busy to care. When they want to put you in order, they’ll make you regret within a minute. Bar is a good place; you can go there occasionally to vent and have a drink. But if you muddle in those places every day, something will happen sooner or later, just like what this boy said!”

 

The driver threw away his half-burnt cigar and a long strand of smoke escaped his mouth. He shook his head as he laughed, he seemed to be mysterious and his face wore the expression of unwanting to look back to the past.

 “It’s not me boasting, but if I walk into any of those bars just then, those red and green fur kids you talked about wouldn’t recognise me. But it their head saw me, he would call me Wei ge(1). The current so-called head that’s above everyone else was nothing more than subordinate to me in the past. Now he’s on the top, but one day, someone will overtake him.”

Shi Lei stared at the driver in a daze, unable to understand what kind of script this was.

Zhang Liangliang was dumbstruck and mumbled: “If you knew something was going to happen sooner or later, why didn’t you warn your subordinates? Whether they were good or bad, they worked under you.”

The driver laughed coldly, “If it was you, with hundreds of subordinates under you, would you listen to some old guy who had been to jail before? Plus, it might not be because he didn’t understand it. If he really wanted to clean his hands and quit, he might have been chopped by those youngsters who wanted to overtake him, and it’s possible that his corpse would‘ve been thrown onto the street. In that situation, he can’t escape unscathed. Little girl, from what I heard from him, you have a good family. When my gang and I meddled with those people, bullying was only one satisfying aspect of it. The point is that if we didn’t do that, we would have starved. You can have a good life yet are not living it, but meddling with these people, you’ll regret it one day. Brats like you watch too many Kong Hong gangster movies. If there’s anything correct about those movies, there’s only one thing: what goes around comes around.”

With that, the driver returned to the car and left.

Zhang Liangliang stared as the car disappeared, as if disturbed greatly.

Shi Lei was also confused. He only called for a taxi, how come he met a head of the underworld?

Suddenly, Zhang Liangliang turned around and pushed Shi Lei: “Don’t tell me that was an actor hired?”

Shi Lei rolled his eyes and said: “For you? Prepare this much for you? Do you really think that you are the sun and that everyone revolves around you?”

“If I wasn’t, why would he talk to me so much?”

Shi Lei was not bothered to talk to anymore and left her with one sentence: “What you said was right, I’m only your tutor and it’s none of my business. I saw you so I butted into your business once. Now that you are in front your place, whether you go home or go back to the bar and keep hanging out with those people is your choice.”

With that, Shi Lei put his hands in his pockets and left.

Zhang Liangliang chased after him and held his hand, said toughly: “You can’t leave!”

Shi Lei swung his arm and easily broke out of Zhang Liangliang’s grasp, “What? My responsibility only goes as far as this. Whatever you do in the future, even if I see it, I won’t butt into it anymore.”

“No! You have to! If you are taking care of me, you have to do it until the end!”

Zhang Liangliang was obviously unreasonable and Shi Lei laughed out of anger: “Why? Is everyone in the world your Dad or something?”

Zhang Liangliang raised her leg and kicked towards Shi Lei. Subconsciously, Shi Lei raised his arms and caught her leg in his palms. Her skin was rather smooth and soft. This girl was wearing a short skirt, Shi Lei really didn’t notice it before.

Shi Lei’s heart thumped as he held the soft and delicate leg in his hands.

“Pervert, let go of me!” Zhang Liangliang felt something was wrong, especially this posture made her skirt fly up as the cold wind blew into it. She knew that if Shi Lei wanted to look, she would’ve being exposed.

Shi Lei didn’t let go of her leg and said: “Are you still going to kick? Do you want to send me to the hospital or what?”

Zhang Liangliang clenched her teeth but didn’t say anything. Shi Lei took two steps back, let go of her leg, then backed away another a bit more.

“I’m hungry, you have to treat me supper!” Zhang Liangliang glared at Shi Lei, sounding as if he should.

Shi Lei ruffled his hair and continued to roll his eyes: “Do I owe you or something? I only earned one lesson’s money from tutoring you and spent a lot on the taxi, why do I have to treat you?”

Zhang Liangliang yelled: “I don’t care, if you don’t treat me supper, I’ll call the police and say that you molested an underage girl!”

Shi Lei shrugged and said indifferently: “Ok, we can just go straight to the police station and see whether your mother and police believe you or me!”

Zhang Liangliang was furious but she couldn’t do anything and said: “Fine, then I’ll treat you to supper, okay? I’m really hungry. Plus, don’t you want me to change? If you do, then you have to keep your eyes on me and be responsible!”

Shi Lei really wanted to hit her on the head. Take responsibility my ass! Fortunately, it was the middle of the night and no one was around them. If people heard it, they would’ve thought he had done something to her.

But thinking about it, he had already done so much. If it can really pull the girl away from the cliff, it is a good deed. The point was that Shi Lei saw nothing wrong with Zhang Liangliang’s nature, she was only rebellious because of her family’s issues.

“Fine, lead the way!” Shi Lei exclaimed, putting his hands on his back.

They found a restaurant nearby and Zhang Liangliang ordered a whole pot of seafood congee. She also wanted to order beer, but as Shi Lei glared, she shrank and gave up on ordering beer.

As Zhang Liangliang was waiting for the congee, she smiled mischievously and whispered into Shi Lei’s ears: “Dashu, why do you care so much about me? Don’t tell me you like me?”

Shi Lei didn’t how many times he had rolled his eyes today and said: “You are a brat who haven’t even gone through puberty yet. Do I like that you are as flat as a washboard?”

Zhang Liangliang was furious and stuck out her chest. As she wanted to protest, but looking at her rather flat physique, she was rather discouraged.

“Maybe you are a pervert who only likes pure and young girls?”

Shi Lei almost spat his tea out. This girl, she really dared to say what she wanted.

“Don’t tell me you like my Mum? I heard that some guys at your age like mature women.”

Shi Lei almost lost control and smashed the teacup, thinking that what the hell does this girl watch, please tell me she’s not a faithful reader of that old pervert author who has a fetish towards mature women? How come she knows everything?!

“If you talk rubbish again, do you believe that I’ll throw you into the pot and boil you with the congee?” Shi Lei threatened maliciously.

Zhang Liangliang laughed and said: “Are you going to strip me till naked or what? Do you want to tie me up? Dashu, you have pretty perverted taste!”

 Shi Lei’s eyes were filled with darkness as he realised he was having so much difficulty communicating to this girl normally. He said unhappily as she winked at him: “Hurry up and go to the bathroom, wash that red and green stuff off of your face!”

 Zhang Liangiang laughed and said: “I almost forgot that dashu likes the pure kind. I’ll go and wash it now.” And with that, she made a face and ran off.