Fish Head Xu

"Cut him down!"

Amidst the distant shouting, Yang Chu suddenly saw a dark figure sprinting into the alley from the outside.

The figure ran in a rather frantic manner but was surprisingly agile. Instead of slowing down to avoid a pedicab parked at the alley's entrance, he leapt gracefully over it by pushing off the seat with his hands.

As he continued his mad dash into the alley, the figure suddenly paused near Yang Chu, quickly darting to a corner of the wall.

There, on the ground in the corner, were some cardboard sheets, seemingly left temporarily by a scavenger.

The figure grabbed a piece of cardboard, skillfully folded a few of them back into a box shape, and placed them outside the corner. Then he found a larger piece of cardboard and unfolded it into a box about half his height.

Finally, he walked back to the corner and, after unfolding the cardboard box, slipped it over himself, hiding inside.

Noticing Yang Chu standing nearby, who had witnessed the whole thing, the man first put his hands together in a pleading gesture, then put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

"Hmm? Haha—"

Yang Chu wasn't particularly concerned about the man who looked like he was being chased and trying to hide. But when the man turned his head toward him, Yang Chu couldn't help but chuckle.

The man appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with thinning hair styled in a middle part. But what really amused Yang Chu was that the man was cross-eyed. When he put his finger to his lips to shush Yang Chu, the expression was indescribably comical.

"Where did that scoundrel run off to?"

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the alley, and seven or eight thugs wielding iron rods and knives came rushing in.

Before the footsteps could be heard, the cross-eyed man had already concealed himself with the cardboard box beside a garbage bin in the corner.

"Hey, did anyone just run past here?"

One of the thugs, who had a ponytail and wore a gold chain, looked to be around seventeen or eighteen. Holding a machete, he pointed it at Yang Chu and demanded.

The rest of the group, also seemingly young, stared at Yang Chu with defiant expressions.

Yang Chu calmly shook his head.

"That b*st*rd sure ran fast. Daring to hit on my boss's girl... Hmph, next time I see him, I'll chop him to pieces."

The ponytailed thug cursed in frustration, then waved to his crew, "Let's go find something to eat. I'm starving."

Once the group of young thugs had left the alley, the cross-eyed man carefully poked his head out from under the cardboard box. After confirming they were gone, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He crawled out of the box and carefully stacked the cardboard back to its original position.

Yang Chu watched the man's actions with mild curiosity but didn't say much. He turned to leave.

"Hey... brother, wait..."

Seeing that Yang Chu was about to leave, the cross-eyed man hurriedly finished stacking the cardboard and jogged over to him. "Thanks for your help just now. Have you had a late-night snack? My treat."

He spoke slowly, almost slurring his words, and combined with his cross-eyed look, he came across as a bit dim-witted. But his tone was quite sincere.

"Treat me to a late-night snack?"

Yang Chu was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected the man to offer a meal just for such a small favor.

"Of course! My boss taught me to show gratitude with action," the cross-eyed man said, nodding earnestly.

"Alright!"

Yang Chu didn't refuse. Last night, he'd only eaten a box meal from Xu Xi, and while he wasn't exactly hungry, he could use some extra energy.

"Come on, I'll take you there. I know a great night market stall with delicious food."

The cross-eyed man seemed genuinely pleased that Yang Chu agreed, patting his chest with an exaggeratedly confident expression.

However, his hairstyle, cross-eyed look, and overall demeanor were undeniably comical.

The two of them left the alley from the other side and walked through several streets.

Around Nathan Road, there were countless such alleys—some dark and eerie after early closures, others bustling and noisy.

At this time of night, some street food stalls and cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong-style cafes) moved their tables and chairs out onto the street to attract more customers.

At a night market stall with over a dozen low tables, the cross-eyed man swaggered in with Yang Chu, finding a seat near the entrance.

"Fish Head Xu, what do you want to eat?"

The greasy, middle-aged owner of the night stall, busy with his work, greeted the cross-eyed man with a bright smile as he sat down.

"Bring a three-pound grouper, some beef offal, fish balls, chicken feet, siu mai, and cheung fun… one of each," the cross-eyed man ordered casually, clearly a regular here. He then turned to Yang Chu and said, "Brother, get whatever you like. Don't be shy."

"New here? Which gang are you with?"

The greasy owner, jotting down the order, looked at Yang Chu and asked randomly.

"We just met," Yang Chu replied without fully understanding the owner's question, pointing at the cross-eyed man. "Give me everything he ordered, but double it."

"That's a lot for just the two of you. Can you finish it?" The night stall owner frowned slightly.

"Cheng, just serve it up. And bring two bottles of beer," Fish Head Xu interrupted before the owner could say more, speaking with a bold, generous air. "I'm treating tonight."

"Alright, it's your money. But all that hard-earned cash won't last long," the night stall owner muttered, shaking his head before heading back into the shop.

Before long, the small table in front of them was covered with various dishes, catching the attention of some nearby diners.

"Brother, my name's Bai Xu, but everyone calls me Fish Head Xu. Thanks a lot for your help tonight," the cross-eyed man said slowly, pouring himself a glass of beer and raising it in a toast.

"I don't drink," Yang Chu replied, pouring himself a cup of tea and gesturing with it. "I'm Yang Chu."

"Alright, Chu," Fish Head Xu didn't mind Yang Chu not drinking; he was still in high spirits and downed his beer in one go.

Yang Chu sipped his tea, saying no more, and focused on the food in front of him.

Even with beer, Yang Chu didn't dare to drink it.

He wasn't sure about this body's alcohol tolerance. If it turned out to be weak or allergic to alcohol, and his consciousness became blurry and unable to control the body, the outcome could be worse than his inability to sleep.

"Chu, let me tell you, if it weren't for my crew not being around tonight, I wouldn't have been in such a mess. Haha, I mean, look at me—who'd find me attractive or want to dance with me? It's just because I'm willing to spend money."

A few drinks in, Fish Head Xu's face flushed slightly. He seemed to get more talkative, rambling on about his experience that night.

Yang Chu barely listened, focusing mostly on the food, his chopsticks moving like lightning as he continued to shovel food into his mouth.

He wasn't particularly sensitive to hunger these days. Ever since his consciousness took control of this body, many physiological responses, such as pain or hunger, were just nervous system reminders.

If he ignored them, they could be suppressed and wouldn't trigger the kind of uncontrollable feelings usually caused by the body.

That said, when Yang Chu let himself eat freely, his appetite seemed bottomless.

And Yang Chu didn't worry about feeling too full. On the contrary, with a large intake of food, he could speed up his digestive system to convert it all into nutrients and energy, effectively rejuvenating his body.

One tray after another of food was brought to the table, and Yang Chu quickly devoured it all.

Fish Head Xu watched in amazement. "Wow, Chu, you can eat even more than those big eaters I've seen!"

"Cross-eye! You're here! Let's see where you run to this time!"

At that moment, a group of people passed by on the street.

A teenager with a ponytail in the group spotted Fish Head Xu at one of the low tables on the street and shouted loudly.