He's Really So Hard to Pursue - Chapter 1

Summer in the Imperial Capital was as stifling as ever. Layer upon layer of dark clouds stacked against the horizon, pressing down so low it felt like the sky might collapse at any moment.

Thunder rumbled, signaling a torrential downpour that could break at any second.

In the south of the city lay an old street. Just a block away, skyscrapers and the bustling CBD (Central Business District) clawed at the clouds, but here, time moved to its own slow, unhurried rhythm. Most of the residents were locals who had lived here for generations, many of them well into their twilight years.

At the entrance of one of these narrow alleys, Jiang Yanci ran a bar called “Assassin.” The name sounded sharp and dangerous; fitting for a place that balanced indulgence with a hint of edge, but the decor told a different story. With its artistic flair and walls draped in lush ivy, it looked less like a dive bar and more like a serene, hidden boutique hotel.

“Boss, not leaving yet? I’ve checked out every customer today, not a single hottie in sight!”

Jiang Yanci snapped out of his daze. His phone was vibrating in his pocket. He jangled his car keys and flashed a grin at the girl behind the front desk, playing along with her teasing. “Well, whether your boss ever gets laid again depends entirely on your keen eye for talent!”

With that, he stepped down the stairs and into the ancient street.

The girl looked up at the darkening sky and chased after him with an umbrella. “Boss! It’s about to pour! Take an umbrella!”

Jiang Yanci raised a hand and waved without looking back. “If I get soaked like a drowned rat, maybe I’ll finally run into the man of my dreams. The weather’s crap! You guys should head home early today.”

The houses along the old street were low, two stories at most. Families had carved out their own little territories in front of their doors, cluttering them with odds and ends. The cobblestones were slick with green moss, smelling of damp earth and summer humidity.

His phone vibrated again and again. It seemed the person on the other end was determined to keep calling until he gave in.

At a corner, a vendor was selling fresh peaches and plums. Jiang Yanci started picking out fruit as he finally answered.

“Finally decided to pick up, have you?” a voice snapped. “Come back for dinner tomorrow. Your brother is starting preschool. You’re the older brother; the least you can do is show up for a meal.”

Jiang Yanci acted as if he hadn’t heard a word, focusing on the fruit. “Boss, give me two kilos of each. Send them to the bar at the end of the alley.”

The person on the phone exploded. “Jiang Yanci! Don’t think just because you’ve got money now you don’t have to listen to me…”

Jiang Yanci scanned the QR code to pay, his lips curling into a cold smirk. “You’re my dad, aren’t you?”

The voice paused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Then my ‘brother’ calls you ‘Dad’ too, right?” Jiang Yanci’s eyes went icy. “You want me to come back so I can pay to raise your son for you. To anyone watching, they’d think I was the father and you were the grandfather. If you two wanted another kid, that’s on you. Don’t try to kidnap me with ‘family duty.’ I don’t need him to take care of me when I’m old, so I’m not spending a single cent on him.”

He hung up cleanly, his irritation with the muggy weather growing. After sorting the fruit, he stopped by a milk tea shop, paid for several cups, and asked them to deliver those to the bar too. The local shops were run by neighbors, with fair prices and honest ingredients. The bar staff loved the stuff here way more than the supermarket chains.

“Fuck! Come on then! You think I’m afraid of you?” A harsh voice, thick with profanity, drifted from an alley ahead.

Jiang Yanci shrugged and continued his leisurely stroll over the cobblestones. As he passed the mouth of the alley, he glanced in.

Two groups. They were all in school uniforms, but the colors and badges were different, likely a school rivalry. Seventeen and eighteen-year-olds were full of hot blood; a single wrong word was usually enough to spark a riot.

However… today’s matchup was a bit pathetic.

Five against one. A blatant case of bullying.

Jiang Yanci pulled back his advancing foot and leaned against the corner. He watched as the lone teenager swung his backpack first, nailing one of them before slamming another against the wall. His moves were practiced and fluid; clearly, this kid was no stranger to a scrap.

Suddenly, a silver glint caught the light.

Jiang Yanci’s brows knitted instantly.

Jiang Xi sensed the danger too, but he was one person against five. Even using every limb he had, he could only handle four at once. He wasn’t some deity with six arms.

A gust of wind rushed toward his back. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and cursed under his breath, bracing for the hit.

But the pain never came. Instead, a series of sharp cries echoed right next to his ear.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m warning you, stay out of this. This is private business!”

“Dammit! Just our luck, catching this kid alone and then this happens…”

“Who the hell are you cussing at?” Jiang Yanci played with the confiscated switchblade in his hand. “Didn’t your mother teach you to keep your mouth clean in public? Listen, kids—a fight is a fight, but pulling a knife is a death sentence. What’s the plan? School not boring enough for you? You looking to get a free room and board from the state?”

The five punks, sporting a vibrant array of “edgy” dyed hair, looked at each other. Jiang Yanci laughed. “Man, this look died out ten years ago. I can’t believe people are still doing it. What school are you from? Which class? I’ll give you three choices: One, I call the cops. Two, I go to your school and report you myself.”

The leader, a kid with bright red hair, hesitated. Feeling like he was losing face, he puffed out his chest. “And… what’s three?”

Jiang Yanci looked down and let out a soft, low chuckle before slowly meeting their eyes.

“Beat it.”

He said the word with such casual dismissiveness that it rattled them more than a threat. The five thugs didn’t dare move forward; they turned tail and bolted.

Jiang Yanci turned to the remaining boy. “Five to one. Not bad.”

Jiang Xi grinned proudly, though it made him wince as his cut lip stung. “You bet! I took some hits, but they got it worse. I kicked two of them so hard in the balls they’ll be lucky if they can ever get it up again.”

Jiang Yanci: “…”

Jiang Xi scrambled over with the energy of a stray puppy. “You’re my big brother from now on! Brother, what’s your name? How old are you? You’re my savior! Let me buy you some BBQ and milk tea!”

Jiang Yanci: “…BBQ and milk tea?”

Jiang Xi slung his muddy, moss-covered backpack over his shoulder. “Yeah! There’s a BBQ place on the old street that’s incredible, and the spicy hotpot place next door is great too. And the milk tea, you have to have the local stuff. It’s better than anywhere else. Actually, let’s go for drinks and midnight snacks. There’s a bar on this street too. It should still be open. Come on, big brother!”

Interesting. It was certainly a unique way to repay a savior, by unknowingly putting money right back into said savior’s pocket.

Jiang Yanci watched the boy’s excitement and hooked a finger through the strap of the kid’s backpack. “Drinks? A bar? Are you even of age?”

Jiang Xi grinned. “Nope.”

Jiang Yanci frowned. He made sure his bar had a strict policy against minors. It seemed he had a leak in the system.

Jiang Xi yanked his bag back. “That bar owner is terrible at business. Most bars don’t even check IDs anymore as long as you look old enough. Who cares that much?”

The bar owner in question: “…”

Jiang Xi continued, “The year he opened, I told everyone he’d be bankrupt in a month.”

Jiang Yanci bit back a laugh. “Go on.”

Finding what he thought was a sympathetic ear, Jiang Xi got even more animated. “See! You get it, right?”

Jiang Yanci thought: I get that you’re a little brat.

“They say they’re strict, but it’s not that bad. The bar has a back door that most people don’t know about. It’s usually just for deliveries. But I grew up on this street. I know every brick and blade of grass. I have my ways of sneaking in.”

Jiang Yanci: “…” Note to self: Call the staff. Guard the back door. Maybe put a sentry there.

Jiang Xi was boasting so much he had no idea his “back door” was about to be welded shut. Starting tomorrow, he wouldn’t be stepping foot in “Assassin” until he turned eighteen.

Jiang Yanci checked his phone. He didn’t bother turning it off; he just let it vibrate in his pocket. Jiang Xi chattered on incessantly. It was a bit noisy, but Jiang Yanci didn’t mind the company.

They reached the fruit stall. Jiang Xi skillfully picked out a cantaloupe. “Split it in half and put it in two bags, please.”

The owner clearly knew him. “Buying fruit for your uncle again?”

Jiang Xi nodded and added a few oranges. “Yeah. If I don’t buy it, he won’t eat it. Grandpa Zhao, don’t you think my uncle is just getting older without getting any smarter?”

The owner handed over the bags. “I don’t know about his brain, but if he heard you say that, your head probably wouldn’t be attached to your shoulders much longer.”

Jiang Xi cracked a few more jokes and handed half the melon to Jiang Yanci.

Jiang Yanci took it, arching an eyebrow. “Is this all my life is worth to you? Half a melon?”

Jiang Xi sheepishly patted his pockets. “It’s Friday. My weekly allowance is basically gone. I’ll buy you a soda with what’s left.”

Jiang Yanci was only teasing. He wasn’t particularly fond of cantaloupe, or most fruit, for that matter.

Jiang Xi ran into a convenience store and came out with a Coke. “Here, big brother, it’s ice cold. My name is Jiang Xi. What’s yours?”

“Jiang Yanci.”

Jiang Xi’s eyes widened. “No way! We’re related! We have the same last name. Jiang!”

Jiang Yanci unscrewed the cap. “Which ‘Jiang’?”

“Jiang as in ‘river and sea,'” Jiang Xi said.

Jiang Yanci took a sip. “Then we’re not related. Different characters.”

Jiang Xi: “…You really have to be that pedantic? Anyway, I’m home! Thanks for walking me back, big brother.”

Jiang Yanci blinked, looking up at the building behind the boy. It was a two-story house sitting right at the intersection of two alleys. If you walked straight or turned right, you’d be out of the old street in no time.

But that wasn’t what caught his eye.

Jiang Yanci stared at the house. After a few seconds of confusion, it clicked. He remembered he had a property deed sitting in his drawer that matched this exact address.

He had rented out this building five years ago. Looking at it now, the tenant had turned it into a tattoo parlor. A simple wooden sign hung there with just two characters carved into it. No other decorations. Two wind chimes hung by the door, tinkling softly in the breeze.

Jiang Xi pointed at the shop. “My uncle’s tattoo shop. Cool, right?”

Jiang Yanci nodded. “Very cool. But I’m guessing minors aren’t allowed to get tattoos either?”

Jiang Xi made a face. “Why are you exactly like my uncle? You’re both handsome, but the things you say are so annoying. Big brother, let me give you some advice: guys with sharp tongues stay single. Don’t end up like my uncle, get yourself a wife soon, okay?”

Jiang Yanci laughed. “Get inside. I’m heading out.”

Jiang Xi nodded. “Come find me next time and I’ll buy you dinner. Not on a Friday, though. Mondays or Tuesdays are better; I’m usually flush with cash then.”

But before Jiang Xi could step inside and before Jiang Yanci could take two steps away, the clouds finally gave up. The torrential rain that had been threatening all day plummeted. Water splashed against the stone ground, soaking Jiang Yanci to the bone in an instant.

From behind him, he heard Jiang Xi let out a heartfelt: “Holy shit!”

Jiang Yanci gave a self-deprecating laugh. Luck was not on his side today.

Jiang Xi came running back out with an umbrella. “Brother! Come into my uncle’s shop to dry off! He stays open late anyway. He’s got a few touch-ups to finish tonight. You can wait until the rain lets up.”

Jiang Yanci didn’t refuse. It was his only logical choice; plus, he was the landlord. He might as well see if his tenant was taking good care of the place.

“Welcome! Can I help… Jiang Xi? You’re back.” The girl at the front desk had a sweet smile. “The boss is in room two doing a touch-up.”

Jiang Xi nodded distractedly. “Xiao Zhao, grab me a dry towel. My big brother got caught in the rain.”

Xiao Zhao couldn’t help but stare at Jiang Yanci. He had that specific charm of a mature man, the kind of smile that made people feel at ease. Even standing there looking a bit disheveled from the rain, he was impossible to ignore.

While Xiao Zhao went for a towel, Jiang Xi flopped onto the sofa and pulled out his phone to play games.

Jiang Yanci scanned the room. The walls were covered in sketches, various tattoo designs in a wide range of styles. The second floor was pitch black; from the first floor, he couldn’t see anything up there.

“My uncle lives on the second floor. He doesn’t usually let people up there. I always feel like he’s hiding something scandalous; maybe he’s up there drawing smut,” Jiang Xi joked, glancing up. “Anyway, brother, those moves earlier were insane! Where’d you learn that? Can you teach me?”

Jiang Yanci had zero interest in the “smut-drawing” uncle. “Self-taught.” He paused. “You learn after enough fights.”

Jiang Xi was ecstatic. “So if I get into more fights, I can be like you? Well, in that case…”

“In that case, it seems I haven’t been strict enough with you.”

The door to room two opened, and a man walked out while rubbing his wrist. He wore a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose and had a tall, imposing frame. He was dressed simply in a black shirt and trousers, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He tossed a pair of used gloves into the trash.

Jiang Yanci’s eyes locked onto him.

This was the uncle?

He was young, looked to be about the same age as Jiang Yanci himself.

The man walked over, carrying a glass of water. “I hope Jiang Xi hasn’t been too much trouble.”

Jiang Xi tried to defend himself. “Uncle, I didn’t…”

His voice died under the cold, indifferent gaze of Jiang Yi. Jiang Xi shrunk into the sofa, defeated.

Jiang Yanci took the glass. “Not at all. He’s quite the fighter.”

Jiang Yi knew exactly what his nephew was like. “Xiao Zhao, get the iodine and disinfect his scrapes.”

Jiang Xi pouted.

Jiang Yi extended a hand. “I’m Jiang Yi, Jiang Xi’s uncle.”

Jiang Yanci shook it. “Jiang Yanci.”

Jiang Yi nodded. His gaze lingered for a split second on Jiang Yanci’s wrist before he caught himself. When he looked up at Jiang Yanci’s face, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

“I’m just here to get out of the rain,” Jiang Yanci explained. “I’ll head out once it lets up.”

Jiang Yi had two more clients waiting for touch-ups and didn’t have time for small talk. He just told Xiao Zhao to get Jiang Yanci some hot water.

The moment Jiang Yi disappeared back behind the door, Jiang Yanci sat up straight. He slung an arm around Jiang Xi’s shoulder, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. “Hey kid. Your uncle… is he single?”

Jiang Xi rolled his eyes. “Yeah! Look at him, what woman would want to marry that? As far as I know, he’s thirty years old and has never had a girlfriend.”

Thirty. Single. Never had a girlfriend.

Jiang Yanci’s smile deepened. “Then…”

Has he ever had a boyfriend?

“Jiang Xi.” The door opened again, and Jiang Yi looked out. “There’s hot water upstairs. Take him up so he can have a hot shower.”

Jiang Xi froze in shock, then jumped up, energized. “Wait, what?! Uncle, you’re letting me go to the second floor? Holy shit! Brother, quick, come on! I’ll take you up!”

Jiang Yanci stopped himself from asking his question and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Jiang Xi was even more excited than Jiang Yanci, taking the stairs two at a time. “I knew it! My uncle is only mean to me; he’s actually nice to everyone else. Brother, wasn’t he totally cool just then?”

Jiang Yanci followed him up. “Very cool.”

“Though, don’t call me ‘big brother’ anymore.”

The nephew stopped dead in his tracks. “Why not?”

Jiang Yanci stepped onto the second-floor landing with a playful, lazy grace.

“Because the seniority is all wrong now!”

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