I believe I still have a few 'old acquaintances' in the National Security Bureau; I'll wait for them then. I turned to Hu Qing and said, "Alright, Brother Hu, I accept your kind offer for now. I think we should cool off a bit and wait. It's been a long time since I last saw you; let's chat for a while."

Hu Qing addressed the police officers who were confronting Zhu Da and the others while holding rubber batons: "Brothers, hold up for a moment. Everyone find a cool spot to hang out, and we'll sort things out later."

Thud! It was the fat city management officer who had secretly gotten up, only to fall down again. What in the world was going on? The police were here to arrest gangsters, and these two were consulting each other like old friends, even needing to 'cool off' first!

I said to Hu Qing, "I haven't seen you or Tang Han since the New Year. Did that incident cause you any disciplinary action?"

Hu Qing lit a cigarette and replied, "I did."

I felt extremely apologetic: "If I had known, I should have taken all the blame myself."

Hu Qing sighed, "Our section chief chewed me out, saying, 'Are you all dead men? None of your brains work! Next time something like this happens, wait two hours before dispatching. Comrades, don't you ever create an opportunity for the masses?' He told us to notify him first next time, saying he'd put on plain clothes and go in to kick some serious ass, and then we could go in and clean up the mess afterward."

"Hahahaha…" At first, I was startled by Hu Qing, genuinely thinking I had caused him to be disciplined. Hell, it turned out to be something like that. It seemed this section chief was quite an interesting character.

Hu Qing continued, "After the Spring Festival, Tang Han and I actually met up once. That guy went out with a bunch of students and smashed up the Bird Country Embassy that night. When we got the dispatch order, we were smarter this time. We deliberately dragged our feet on the way, arriving two hours later. By then, they had finished burning the Golden Sun flag and were just about to leave, so we drove them over and treated them to a late-night snack."

"Did your section chief not scold you this time?"

Hu Qing chuckled, "He did. He said we were too inconsiderate; we should have at least made a show of protecting the embassy so he could explain things to his superiors. After we finished our snack, we dragged those students along and made a detour to smash up a few Japanese-funded companies. If the old man hadn't taken the brunt of the fallout for us, we'd all be facing disciplinary action."

"Heh heh, next time something like this happens, don't forget to call me."

The people of Great Dragon Country hated the GMD, and they hated the Yankee devils, but neither hatred was genuine. The real, bone-deep hatred of the people of Great Dragon Country was reserved for the Japanese devils—a hatred accumulated over centuries of blood and tears. Especially the atrocities committed by the devils on the soil of China in the middle of the last century were crimes deserving ten thousand deaths.

The two chatted and laughed heartily for a while, making the fat city management officer roll his eyes constantly. Finally, more than ten police cars arrived—the main force was here. Hu Qing clapped me on the shoulder: "You won't be going to jail later; we're going for drinks."

I gave him a sideways look: "Fine, your treat."

The people from the National Security Bureau got out. Sure enough, it was the Special Abilities Group personnel; if it had been the regular unit, I might not have recognized them.

"Old Cha!" I shouted to the leader, Cha Bengang. This guy coughed up blood fighting me with pure strength the last time he tried to arrest me. I wondered if he had recovered.

Cha Bengang's expression became very unnatural when he suddenly saw me. The misunderstanding had long been cleared up, but even though the three of them were just following orders from headquarters, the fact that three of them couldn't handle one person was quite embarrassing for them.

"Comrade Zhao, you're here," Cha Bengang said somewhat sheepishly.

"Yes, I ran into a bit of trouble and asked these friends here to lend a hand."

Cha Bengang looked very confused. This was clearly an excuse. He needed help just because three people couldn't beat him?

"Are these all your friends?" Cha Bengang pointed at Zhu Da and the others.

"They are. Captain Cha, is there something you need?"

Cha Bengang was quite straightforward: "There was just now, but not anymore." He then turned back and shouted, "Comrades, retreat! Everyone pull back! All Public Security Bureau personnel, withdraw immediately, and have the traffic police resume duty."

The National Security Bureau had a new director. On his first day in office, the new director had figured out the reason for the former director Huang Dong's downfall. The first thing he did was notify his subordinates: stay far away from that person in the future, lest they cause trouble and he ends up taking the blame. The NSB people saw that even the Special Abilities Group had been humiliated, so everyone enthusiastically approved this suggestion, which is why Cha Bengang was so quick to call off the withdrawal.

I waved at Zhu Da: "Tell everyone to go back to whatever they were doing. In the future, a hundred or so people is enough if something happens; if you bring more, you cover the travel expenses yourself."

Zhu Da stuck out his tongue toward the men behind him: "Retreat!"

A rookie brought by Cha Bengang asked, "Team Leader, are we just going to let these people leave? How are we supposed to write the report when we get back?"

Cha Bengang replied, "Do you have the ability to stop them? When you get back, write his name on the file envelope and hand it in blank."

The rookie still didn't quite believe it: "Him? Could he be that 'him'? My heavens, thank goodness you're leading us, Team Leader, or we'd have suffered a major loss today."

I said to Hu Qing, "Let's go, you're buying the drinks."

Hu Qing gave me a thumbs-up: "You're amazing, brother. You even know the people from the National Security Bureau. This round is definitely on me. Let's go."

"Brother Zhao Qian, are you going drinking again? You have an exam tomorrow," Fang Yanmeng said to me hesitantly.

I replied, "Don't worry, it's fine. I guarantee I'll get into Longteng University with flying colors."

Fang Yanmeng said, "Then I'll take Xu Chen back to school. Call me if you need anything."

As the fat city management officer was about to leave, I told him, "I know your job isn't easy; one of your colleagues was stabbed to death recently. But I believe city management and the public shouldn't be enemies. You should try to find a different perspective to handle problems. Go home and think about it. If I run into a situation like this again, it won't be as simple as having gangsters scare you. I'll hold onto that punch you landed on me for now. If we meet again, you'll know the consequences."

Hu Qing pulled me into his police car and said, "I've called Tang Han; he's waiting for us at the North Street barbecue stall. The three of us won't stop drinking until we drop tonight."

***How many true confidants does one have in this life? How many friendships last forever… Even if we cannot meet, we are still friends. Though a thousand mountains separate us across vast distances, we know in our hearts that our friendship cannot be broken.

The three of them were a little drunk. Led by Tang Han, they began tapping their glasses with meat skewers and singing. Although this was only their second meeting, all three were straightforward men who enjoyed each other's company immensely. And this song, "The Light of Friendship," was perfectly suited for bold souls to sing.

Tang Han was a junior majoring in Public Administration at Renmin University. He was also a native of Jingdu City; his parents ran a small shop, and they were doing quite well.

Hu Qing had it tougher. He lived alone in Jingdu. He was from the countryside, assigned to the Public Security system after graduating from university, and hadn't saved enough money to buy a house yet. His girlfriend was already threatening to break up with him because of his financial situation.

Hu Qing, his tongue a bit thick, asked, "Bro-brother, that MM from last time… she was really beautiful and kind. Why have you changed to someone else today? Are you… are you a playboy?"

I was quite drunk and almost poked the skewer into my nose. "What… what playboy? I… I’m very pure! The one from last time… she flew abroad a few days ago and won't be back until next week."

Tang Han’s drinking capacity was greater than the two of us combined. He teased, "Oh, so Sister-in-law is a flight attendant? No wonder she's so beautiful. Introduce me to one sometime, okay?"

I proudly declared, "The… the most beautiful woman in Air China! Am I amazing or what, brothers!"

A soft hand passed me a tissue, gently wiping the spilled wine foam from my mouth, accompanied by a slightly chiding whisper: "My world's greatest Casanova, don't drink too much. Can't you wait until after your exam to really let loose?"

"Chu Chu, why… why are you here?"

Xiao Chuchu sat down next to me, greeted Hu Qing and Tang Han warmly, and then whispered to me, "Mengmeng asked me to come. She went back to school and was afraid you’d get too drunk to get home alone."

Hu Qing slurred, a bit envious, "Is… is she… she also one of your girlfriends?"

I threw my arm around Xiao Chuchu: "Of… of course she is! Chu Chu baby is amazing!"

Xiao Chuchu's face flushed bright red, and she dared not look at the three men, "Zhao Qian, stop talking nonsense; you'll make your friends laugh."

"Laugh?" Hu Qing got a little worked up. "You mean laugh at me, as an older brother, right? You, my young brother, have three stunningly beautiful girlfriends, and I haven't even secured one yet."

Tang Han chimed in, "Tell me about it. I haven't secured one of my own either."

Xiao Chuchu sighed, "Dear brothers, we also have our unspoken difficulties. Let's not talk about this anymore. Come, let me propose a toast to you both…"

I was drunk anyway, leaning against Xiao Chuchu's fragrant body until I drifted off. When I woke up again, I was lying in a soft bed. I instinctively reached out and found someone in my arms.

When I habitually tried to reach toward her chest, a soft little hand caught mine. Xiao Chuchu looked at me with concern: "You're awake, Zhao Qian. Should I make you some tea?"

The light turned on. Xiao Chuchu was wearing a thin sleep dress while brewing tea for me. I looked around the bedroom. This wasn't my home, nor did it look like Xiao Chuchu's lounge at the company. Where was this?