Chapter Thirty-Four: Rest Assured, I Will Handle Everything

The days of being Wukong's junior disciple passed quietly. Liu Yunfei hummed a tune as he returned to the private room, where Yu Xiaowei and Wang Qiang were still singing with gusto. Covering his ears, he sat on the sofa and took a sip of the coffee he had ordered before stepping out. He nearly spat it out—what was this, the footbath water from a hostess? Compared to the coffee of the Saudi royal family, the difference was startling.

Just as Liu Yunfei was thinking about the hostesses, one arrived. When they had come to the Grand Palace earlier, it was still early and the hostesses hadn’t started their shifts yet. Now, as the ladies trickled in, word spread that a few tall, handsome young men had arrived, and several volunteered to introduce themselves, led by a woman called Sister Red. Business was slow in the afternoon, so making a little extra money on their own was better than nothing.

"Hey there, handsome, want some company?" Sister Red sat down next to Liu Yunfei without ceremony, grabbing a Nanjing cigarette from the pack on the table and placing it between her lips. Liu Yunfei was a little annoyed—why did they always pick him to talk to? In truth, Sister Red had noticed him when they entered the club.

He looked at the girl in front of him—about twenty, average-looking, her figure decent. Though she was a notch below the four beauties beside her, she compensated with her boldness and flirtatiousness. She wore a low-cut camisole, brand unknown, but it squeezed her chest into a deep cleavage. She crossed her legs on the sofa, her thighs gleaming white under the reflected glow of the big LCD TV—undeniably tempting.

Liu Yunfei felt his self-control slipping, or rather, he realized it was practically nonexistent. Luckily, sitting down concealed his reaction. Glancing back, he saw the other two guys watching him expectantly.

He picked up a lighter and lit Sister Red's cigarette. Noticing the displeasure on the four beauties’ faces, he fished a bill out of his pocket. It turned out to be a US dollar; just as he was about to swap it, Sister Red snatched it with curiosity. "Is this a US dollar? Whose face is this, the President’s?"

"It’s not the president. The ten, twenty, and fifty have presidents, but the hundred has a scientist—Benjamin Franklin," Liu Yunfei explained, adding, "Take it as a drink on me, but you don’t need to keep us company today. We have classmates here."

"Such a generous little brother—come find me when you’re free," Sister Red teased, deliberately emphasizing "little brother," and squeezed his thigh a few times, laughing as she left the room.

"Liu Yunfei, you’re generous—did nothing and gave a hundred bucks," the four beauties gathered around, chattering. "Liu Yunfei, do you come to places like this often? You seem to know your way around."

"Not at all! Isn’t this how it is on TV? Besides, what do you expect me to do?" Liu Yunfei protested, quickly changing the subject. "Fish Tail, do you have relatives in the traffic police? I want a driver’s license but have no time for lessons."

"My cousin, my third uncle’s son, works at the highway squad. Shouldn’t be a problem," Yu Xiaowei replied.

"It’s still early—let’s go now and let them keep singing," Liu Yunfei said, pulling Yu Xiaowei out to hail a cab. On the way, he bought two cartons of Su cigarettes, wrapped them in newspaper, and tucked them under his arm.

At the highway traffic police squad, they handed over the cigarettes. Yu Xiaowei’s cousin was all smiles—not a matter of principle, after all; you could take the test without the lessons. He made a few calls to the motor vehicle office and the driving school. Liu Yunfei paid a tuition of 4,500 yuan at the driving school, and everything was settled—all he had to do was wait for a call for the exam.

By the time Liu Yunfei returned to the Grand Palace nightclub, dusk had fallen. He ignored the hostesses’ flirtatious glances, settled the bill, and left. He’d wanted to treat everyone to dinner, but no one was in the mood, all eager to go home. He didn’t try to persuade them and went home himself.

After a rest at home, Liu Yunfei hurried off to New York University. It was a bright, hot day in New York. He had planned to stay in and relax, but Park Minji, who normally didn’t like going out, insisted on taking him to Times Square since he was visiting.

In a corner of Times Square was a small shop called Denets Shop, where you could get instant photo stickers embedded in cellphone charms. The owner was very enthusiastic, endlessly praising Minji’s beauty and how well the two of them matched. Liu Yunfei felt embarrassed by the compliments, so he and Minji pressed their heads together for a photo and picked out two heart-shaped phone charms—just two dollars for both, quite inexpensive.

Next, they went to a Chinese restaurant. Liu Yunfei finally got a taste of Chinese food in New York, but it turned out to be worse than Korean food. It lacked any authentic Chinese flavor, looking unappetizing and tasting even worse—he felt as if he were eating slop.

"Yunfei, look up at the buildings on both sides of the street—they’re so tall. It feels like we’re insects trapped in a canyon, suffocated by the weight," Park Minji sighed at a Fifth Avenue intersection.

Liu Yunfei looked up as well. The street was narrow, the buildings towering overhead, oppressive and enclosing, making him yearn to break free. "When you graduate, let’s go to China, all right? Next to my city is a place called Little Yangshan, covered in great trees and birds without names, and there’s a hot spring. In winter, when snow blankets the mountain, the spring still steams. You can even dig a hole nearby, put in an egg, and it will cook in no time."

Park Minji, wrapping her arms around his waist, replied longingly, "Don’t wait until I graduate. I hate waiting most of all. Take me there this winter." But something seemed to sadden her, and she fell silent, head bowed.

After watching a movie with Minji at a Broadway cinema, night had fallen. Liu Yunfei kissed her goodbye and returned to Riyadh, flopping onto his bed. "Even fighting a war wasn’t this exhausting. If I had three girlfriends in three different places, they’d run me into the ground."

He was truly tired. When Old Prince woke him, he realized he’d forgotten to transform into Awashid. "Brother Yunfei, you can’t do that again in the future—it could cause you trouble."

"Yes, yes," Liu Yunfei agreed repeatedly, thinking to himself, What do I have to worry about? You should be more concerned for your little prince.

After transforming, he washed and dressed in the Italian Zegna suit Old Prince had prepared. Liu Yunfei rarely wore suits, but he put it on, tied the tie, then changed himself back to his Chinese appearance—he found his original look more attractive; as an Arab, he looked too rough, like a laborer in an expensive suit.

He walked out of the villa to find everything ready and waiting for him. Awari was sharply dressed in a suit as well, and Lam, whom he hadn’t seen in two days, was overjoyed at his arrival.

He brought Awari to see the old king, who patted Liu Yunfei on the shoulder. "I entrust my grandson to you. It’s a hard task, but Allah will be grateful to you, my dear brother Yunfei."

"You can count on me," Liu Yunfei replied.