It was not actually Xia Lei's fault that he didn't see it sooner. The transvestite before him was prettier than most women and was also petite. His bum was full and curvy in his tight-fitting clothes, looking all sexy and alluring. Who would think he was a man under these circumstances?
The transvestite charged at Xia Lei while he was being disgusted, leg raised. A beautiful tornado kick swept at his head.
Xia Lei was surprised and quickly squatted to dodge.
Having missed, the transvestite twisted by his waist and his left leg flashed where his right had missed, kicking Xia Lei's shoulder heavily. Xia Lei lost his centre of balance and was sent to the ground by the kick.
What was even more dazzling was that the transvestite had also used Xia Lei's shoulder as a springboard and he performed a backflip to land steadily on his feet.
Xia Lei rolled and got to his feet, shoulder throbbing. He was on high alert. Xia Lei had been quite confident of handling this sissy man just a minute earlier since he'd looked thin and weak but this guy was unexpectedly good with his hands and feet.
"You dare come after me with your skills? If I'd known, I'd have beaten you on the streets. You made me scratch my leg! You know that can leave a scar?" The transvestite suddenly charged at Xia Lei after he spoke.
Xia Lei's eye twitched and locked onto the transvestite's body.
The transvestite shifted his weight in a kick aimed at Xia Lei's front at almost maximum speed.
Xia Lei fared better this time - he moved his shoulders, just a little and nimbly avoided the transvestite's attack.
The transvestite did not retract his leg and his thighs flashed, swinging like pendulums as he sent swishing kicks at Xia Lei, one after another.
Though the transvestite's kicks were so fast they made one's head spin, none landed on Xia Lei. He did not know that though he was quick, Xia Lei's eye had slowed everything down. Before his every kick, his shoulder, waist and thigh would move first and these movements had been caught by Xia Lei so the timing and direction of every kick could be predicted by Xia Lei. How could his kicks land on Xia Lei under these conditions?
"Cheat!" The transvestite gave up on kicks and got close with his fists to attack Xia Lei.
His fists were much faster than his kicks but his attack range was not as long as his legs. Close combat boosted his advantage in speed but he lost his advantage in distance. He hit Xia Lei a few times in a flash and Xia Lei also threw a punch of his own, and this punch landed on his face, inducing burning pain.
"You actually hit my face!" The transvestite glared angrily at Xia Lei.
Xia Lei said nothing. As the transvestite spoke, Xia Lei suddenly opened his arms and lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.
The two of them rolled on the ground, one on top one second, and the other on top the next. One punched the left side of the other's face and the other punched the right. One hit the other's lower abdomen with his knee and the other hit his balls with his knee. The previously beautiful martial-arts battle had been reduced to a street brawl with no real move to speak of; it was just a contest of strength and resistance and Xia Lei was better in these two categories.
The two of them couldn't move after one bout. Both their faces were bruised and blood trailed from their mouths.
Xia Lei rolled on top of the transvestite and used his body weight to pin him down. The transvestite tried to push Xia Lei off but he was too exhausted and was unable to move the stronger Xia Lei.
Xia Lei punched the transvestite's face, "Behave yourself!"
"Fuck! You hit my face again!" The transvestite looked like he would bite Xia Lei.
Xia Lei ignored him and pulled the briefcase from him. He opened it to check its contents; everything looked in order and nothing was missing.
While Xia Lei was checking the contents of the briefcase, the transvestite suddenly bucked and kicked forward with both his feet, knocking Xia Lei off his body in an instant. The transvestite performed a kip-up and fled to the entrance of the alley as soon as he was on his feet.
Xia Lei chased him for two steps and stopped. He had retrieved what was stolen so there was no need to fight it out with him.
"You'll regret this!" The transvestite turned and yelled his parting line at the alley entrance.
Xia Lei rubbed his flaming cheeks and retorted, "Don't piss me off, you damn tranny!"
A siren sounded in the distance.
"Fuck!" The transvestite disappeared from the alley entrance.
Xia Lei dragged his wooden legs out of the alley, then headed towards the Golden Beach neighbourhood. Before he got to the entrance, he saw a police car come wailing to a stop and Liu Ying in the main entrance, looking anxiously around.
When she saw Xia Lei appear under the lamplight, briefcase in hand, Liu Ying shouted in excitement and ran over recklessly.
Xia Lei stood under the lamplight and did not move. He looked at Liu Ying, at her swaying hands, at her swaying bosom. The range of her swaying hands were large and so was the range of her swaying bosom, like fierce currents crashing against a dike, one wave hitting before the other calmed. At that moment, Xia Lei wished very much to turn into a little boat and float quietly in these endlessly undulating waves for a while - aimlessly and simply floating.
"How about the contents?" Just as it seemed Liu Ying would crash into him, she came to a halt. She stopped, but her breasts didn't and they nearly hit Xia Lei as they bulged forward as if thrown.
"All here. I got them back," said Xia Lei.
"Ah!" Liu Ying suddenly spread her arms and enveloped Xia Lei in an embrace, so happy that her tears flowed. She was so excited that she could not speak.
Liu Ying's embrace was the softest sensation ever. Xia Lei had been wishing that he could float quietly in her waves as a little boat just a little while ago and his wish was realised. However, he did not feel like a little boat - he felt like a little squirrel which had plunged into a cream cake.
"Thank you… Thank you…" Liu Ying repeated over and over as tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes.
Xia Lei said nothing. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and have a good rest. He had run at least three kilometres and fought a difficult battle. What was worse was that he had done it all barefoot and his body was beyond exhausted. He would have collapsed if Liu Ying were not hugging him right now.
Liu Ying released her hold on Xia Lei and took the briefcase from him. She opened it to check its contents and the last bit of stone in her heart crumbled away. It was as Xia Lei had said; all the items were there.
Xia Lei could not hold on any longer. His knees buckled and he fell forward.
"Mr Xia!" Liu Ying held Xia Lei and supported his body, saying anxiously, "Are you all right? Don't scare me!"
Xia Lei responded tiredly, "I'm fine. I'm just too tired. I'd like to rest. Put me on the ground, let me lie down."
His current condition was not entirely due to the chase after the transvestite - it was also due to his continuous usage of his eye. The amount of energy he had used for his X-ray ability was no less than the energy used chasing and fighting with the transvestite.
"How can that do? I can't leave you on the ground." Liu Ying helped Xia Lei into a sitting position on the ground, then stretched her legs out and positioned Xia Lei's head on her lap.
The gentle lamplight, mature beauty and her pair of snow-white, soft thighs quieted Xia Lei like a child. It was a pretty picture.
The police rushed over, led by the neighbourhood security guard. A police officer asked Liu Ying about the situation and another then helped Xia Lei up and carried him, feet-bleeding on his back to the main entrance of the neighbourhood.
The policeman asked if Xia Lei needed to go to the hospital and Xia Lei refused, saying it was just the soles of his feet which were wounded. The policeman carried him back to Liu Ying's home.
Some officers looked around the scene of the crime, took some pictures and took statements, then got in their car and left.
The nanny was long-awake and she brought a first-aid kit, prepared to help Xia Lei dress his wounds.
"Go back to bed. I'll take care of this." Liu Ying took the first-aid kit from the nanny.
The nanny left the living room obediently. Liu Ying crouched by Xia Lei's feet and used hydrogen peroxide-soaked cotton buds to clean his wounds.
"I'll do it myself, CEO Liu. How can I trouble you with something like this?" said Xia Lei awkwardly. He reached to take the cotton bud from Liu Ying's hand but she moved it away.
"Just sit still. I wouldn't know what to do if you hadn't got my briefcase back. What is helping you to clean your wounds compared to what you have done for me?" So saying, Liu Ying used the cotton bud to clean Xia Lei's wounds. She was careful and gentle.
Xia Lei did not stop her and sat quietly. He looked at her face and the white skin below it which folded into a deep groove. He looked away awkwardly. Though she was already in her thirties, she looked no different from a woman who was 25 or 26 and had an additional mature charm. He had never touched a woman before and contact, even a little like eye contact, could make him rather sensitive.
"What about that thief?" Liu Ying asked as she carefully cleaned his wounds.
"He got away," said Xia Lei.
"That damned thief. I must get to the bottom of this," said Liu Ying angrily. She seemed to suddenly think of something and asked, "Oh, you said the thief is a man but I saw a woman. What is this about?"
Xia Lei laughed, "He definitely is a man. He just looks like a woman. I think he's either effeminate or a transvestite.
"I've never met a man who looks like a woman. Who is he?" Liu Ying wrinkled her brows.
Xia Lei thought for a bit, then said, "CEO Liu, consider the people by your side. Who knows about the automatic surfboard project? Who is most suspicious? Maybe you can deduce who sent a thief to steal your briefcase."
"I'll have to think it through carefully," said Liu Ying, "You don't have to worry about this. The police will handle it. And don't call me CEO Liu anymore - you can just call me Big Sister Liu."
Xia Lei did not hold back; he smiled as he said, "Big Sister Liu."
A sweet smile appeared on Liu Ying's face. Xia Lei had risked his life to retrieve Nice Moves Sports Equipment Company's reason for existence - this made Xia Lei a true friend in Liu Ying's heart.
A few minutes later, Liu Ying bandaged his wounds. "I'll piggy-back you upstairs to rest," she said.
Xia Lei looked blankly at her for a beat, then hurriedly said, "No, no, no. I'm very heavy. You can't carry me. I'll just make do over here for the night."
"How can that do?" Liu Ying reached to grab Xia Lei's arm and tried to pull him up but she could not move him. She smiled wryly, "You are quite heavy. Okay, I'll get a blanket and we'll sleep in the living room. I feel safer with you around."
"We?" Xia Lei looked at Liu Ying in surprise.
Liu Ying laughed, "Don't be having wild thoughts - I'll be sleeping on the other sofa."
Xia Lei was speechless.