Chapter 44: Nations of Mi and Cowboy 【1】
The photos were finished. The person in charge paid Sister Xue for the day and expressed his wish to collaborate with them again. You see, with enough seriousness, we get good results.
Qin Guan entered his dormitory and collapsed on his bed. He was tired after working the whole day. He closed his eyes to rest his mind while he considered the contract.
Actually, signing a contract with Sister Xue will make no difference. Sister Xue will still find jobs for me just like she is now. Will it have any other influence on my life? I don’t think so. On the contrary, my life will become more regular.
Qin Guan couldn’t imagine becoming a superstar. He was still on the way to becoming a qualified accountant, which was a much more down-to-earth career path.
His roommates came back one after the other while he was lost in thought. Liu Xiaoyang was about to climb into bed when he suddenly looked down and noticed Qin Guan’s face.
With a cry, he jumped off the ladder, pointed at Qin Guan’s face and said, “Reveal your true identity, vampire! I can’t be wrong. Only your legendary race could be born with such a face. Show your true colours, you evil creature!”
Qin Guan touched his face helplessly and felt powder on his hand. He had forgotten to clean his face before Sister Xue had driven him back to college.
He got up and beat Liu Xiaoyang before he picked up his facial cleanser and went to the washing room.
He had to wash his face thoroughly three times before he felt clean.
...............................
What happened in the first half of 1999? A lot.
There was a conflict between the over-confident Cowboy Nation and the Han Dynasty.
College students all around the country were excited. They were angry and loud. The battle has begun! Let the storm come!
Hot-blooded students were considering participating in the war. We need some weapons! It’s rumored that the people of the Cowboy Nation are quite strong.
It was a windy night and the moon was shining dimly. Headed by the QH Student Union, the backbone of different colleges sneaked to an alley beside the Cowboy Embassy under the cover of the night.
Actually, the real story went like this: It was early in the evening, and people getting off work were heading home for dinner, when several sinister young men with worn backpacks containing bricks prepared to knock down some Cowboys.
They waited until the gate of the embassy opened and the staff members left the building. Then they separated to take action.
Ye Dong waved to Qin Guan and the others, signaling for them to follow a tall Cowboy with blond hair and blue eyes.
You didn’t read wrong. As a leader of the Student Union of the Capital University of Finance and Economics, Ye Dong was the leader among a group of weak workmates. He had been selected as a representative of his college to participate in a joint activity of college students from all over the capital.
Returning to their dormitory, Ye Dong felt restless. If they relied on his partner’s girlfriend, they could get exposed.
Good brothers shared each other’s fortunes, so Ye Dong allowed his roommates to join.
The six young men discussed it and thought of a safe plan that they were confident would work.
Following the man, they had already crossed the street and walked into the alley beside it that Liu Xiaoyang had already checked.
When they were done, they could head through the alley to the Ritan Park and escape into the night.
The man entered the alley. Ye Dong waved his hand. The girl kept watch outside as the six of them covered their faces with black cloths and launched themselves at the man.
They pressed him to the ground and beat him with their bags and fists.
Basile was confused. He had just been walking home peacefully when several masked men had attacked him and started to beat him. He was in horror as he shouted for his life, “I’ll give you my money! Stop, please!”
Liu Xiaoyang kicked him and said, “We’re not robbers. I’ll let you know when your death is near.”
“Remember, you bastard. You Cowboys will never do as you want. The people of the Han Dynasty are courageous and upright!”
Basile looked like he was about to cry. “I’m not from the Cowboy Nation! I’m from the Fragrance Nation!”
His Chinese accent sounded strangely like he was from Northeast China. By then, the students had realized that something was wrong. Ye Dong poked him with a small stick. “Can you show us an ID?”
Quivering, Basile took his wallet out of his pocket and drew a Fragrance Nation driving licence out.
Qin Guan glanced at the licence. It read “Basile”. That’s really a Fragrance name. They looked at each other. What now?
Wang Lei acted quick. He took the licence and handed it back to Basile. “Dude, have you heard of the recent conflict between the Cowboy Nation and the Han Dynasty?”
Basile nodded. Wang Lei continued his story, “You lucky dog, do you know how many Cowboy Nation people have been beaten to death in this very alley?”
Basile shook his head again. Wang Lei sighed, “Nine, including seven Cowboy men and two Clock-Tower men. People with blond hair and blue eyes get killed because they look like Cowboy men.”
He bent down to pat Basile’s shoulder encouragingly before he went on, “Do you know how lucky you are? Thank god you revealed your nationality, or you would have died for no reason.”
Basile suddenly felt happy for his luck. Wang Lei talked him into dying his hair black. “You will be safe if you follow my suggestion. You’ll avoid people mistaking you again. Others may not let you go as easily as we did.”
The six students patted his shoulder one by one courageously and left the alley quietly.
They called for the girl keeping watch at the end of the alley and ran fast toward Ritan Park. They sat on a bench in the park and took off the black cloths, looking at each other while they laughed. What the hell was that?
Hunger often followed joy. They forgot their original purpose and decided to have a good meal to celebrate their success.
The girl couldn’t bear to remind them that they had achieved nothing that day. Looking at their shining eyes, she didn’t open her mouth. Besides, they planned to take her along with them, so she just followed them happily.
Translator’s Thoughts
Lan Lan
[1] To maintain world peace, all nations mentioned in this chapter were given a nickname.