Hualian AU ~ 2. Tales of the Half-Moon Pass

Part 3

It was strange getting the train to uni on a Sunday, specially because it was almost empty. Xie Lian sat with Hua Cheng by his side, and in front of them, Feng Xin and Mu Qing, looking angrily at them. Hua Cheng didn't mind them at all; it was as if they weren't there, which just made them even more pissed off.

"These guys used to do informal gatherings with rap battling before", Hua Cheng was telling Xie Lian.

"Isn't rap battling a bit too old school for these kids?", he asked.

"That's how they started, with DJing workshops on their local youth club or something"

Xie Lian was lost in thoughts. He, too, did DJing workshops as a teen, but as an instructor. Feng Xin and Mu Qing sometimes helped out; seeing Xie Lian didn't say anything about it, they realised he was trying to let go of his past, turning over a new leaf these days.

"These informal battles, you used to join them, and won many yourself, didn't you?", Mu Qing pointed at Hua Cheng.

Xie Lian was surprised; why didn't San Lang say anything about it?

Hua Cheng smiled at him, "Gege, the competition was a bit rubbish, that's all".

Feng Xin and Mu Qing exchanged looks; Hua Cheng started calling Xie Lian Gege just to piss them off for sure, and Xie Lian in his turn thought it was hilarious that his old mates would go for it. It was like they reverted to be teenagers again, fighting out for nothing.

"It'd be a charity, but they managed to get their project fully funded by the uni trust", Mu Qing added.

"What project is it?", Xie Lian asked.

This time it was Hua Cheng who replied, "Free coding classes for kids on low income."

"Oh that's nice!", Xie Lian said. He himself had helped out in many similar projects when he was backpacking.

"Yeah. Not out of the goodness of their hearts though. The Heavens gets some promotion, while grooming talents from an early age", Hua Cheng said, winking in a knowledgeable way.

It was late afternoon, and the student union bar was crowded, with people going in and out. There was an empty space in the middle, marked with hazard tape on the floor; it was "The Cipher", where the actual battle was, where the MCs faced each other to see who had the better verses. Rap battles could really make or break a reputation in the hip hop community.

Xie Lian tried to get closer and see who was performing; in that kind of competition, freestyling was important, but so was the performance itself as it was the cheers from the audience that determined the victor. They watched it for a while, and these MCs weren't world class. But it was still early, these were newbies warming-up the event; the real battling would happen much later.

"I'm gonna get drinks", Hua Cheng said, and left.

Still looking at his red jacket while Hua Cheng walked away, Xie Lian asked Mu Qing, "Was he good?"

Mu Qing glanced at Hua Cheng, and replied, "Yeah. On the same year he enrolled, that's when he rose to fame coming from who knows where, entering all battles, utterly destroying lots of people."

Feng Xin said, "Hua Cheng's freestyle is fucking aggressive and insulting, when he goes all-out. It's not like he lives for it though, with studying film making and all that."

Mu Qing concluded, "It's like, he goes to battle people on his shit list or something", then he added, "You'll be glad to know that includes lots of people who used to talk shit about you."

"Well", Xie Lian shrugged, "Karma is a bitch."

Hua Cheng came back with four beers, for Feng Xin and Mu Qing too, and they thanked him awkwardly; then he just stayed beside Xie Lian, looking around as if he was surveying the surroundings, expecting surprise attacks. When he noticed Xie Lian was looking, he just flashed a smile.

Their attention was brought back to The Cipher, where a girl had entered, and was rapping a presentation of the project and the night's attractions, following the style of the event. She was cute, short and oriental-looking, wearing boxer braids. She wore a hi-vis vest with THE HALF MOON PASS CREW on the back, twice her size, leggings and bright colourful trainers.

Xie Lian kept nodding at her rhyming approvingly, and said, "She's good", to no one in particular.

She finished her rhyming, the audience cheered, and passed the mic on to the next challenger, a tall skinny guy wearing a red cap. When she was leaving The Cipher, not far from where Xie Lian was, some guy went on to her; he was big and bulky, with very short hair and a tight t-shirt. He spoke to her and she shrunk, looking scared.

Aggressive attitude between challengers wasn't uncommon; these events were battles after all. But the girl was outside The Cipher and the guy totally looked like he was in a bullying rage; Xie Lian was aware girls had a hard time in the hip hop community, so he approached them, "What's up guys, what's going on?", with a friendly smile.

The guy looked at him furious, and suddenly he was surrounded by his mates, every single one as big and bulky, and the guy roars, "What's up with YOU. Mind your business", and swung his fist at Xie Lian. The punch didn't land. It was blocked by Hua Cheng, who, holding the guy's clenched hand, spoke to him in a low voice, smiling threateningly, "What's that, shoot first and ask questions later? Why don't we all calm down and have a chat instead, Mm?" 

Ke Mo, how dare you try to punch my Gege? 🤬

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