Chapter 12 "Sister-in-law" Arrives

Li Hanzhou: "..."

The flickering fire that had just ignited in his eyes seemed to be extinguished by a basin of cold water from Northeast China.

The hand massaging Fang Che's ankle unconsciously increased its pressure.

"Ouch—!" Fang Che cried out in pain. "Gently! Gently! Brother! My dear brother! I was wrong! Your technique is a family heirloom! An ancestral secret recipe! Hua Tuo reborn! Bian Que reincarnated!"

Li Hanzhou closed his eyes and took a deep breath, seemingly trying his best to calm himself down.

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze had returned to its cold intensity, though a faint blush remained on her ears.

His men continued their work, but the atmosphere had been completely ruined by Fang Che's "bathhouse theory."

The expressions of the other brothers in the room changed from subtle shock to a distorted state of wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Ah Gui turned his face away, his shoulders shaking, his inner monologue screaming: This Northeastern idiot! Brother Li's look just now clearly... Sigh! Forget it! This idiot is hopeless!

Just as the atmosphere was being thrown into chaos—

"Bang!"

The door to the outpost was suddenly pushed open from the outside, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.

Everyone was startled. Ah Gui and several brothers immediately grabbed their weapons, and Li Hanzhou also immediately removed Fang Che's foot from his leg, his sharp gaze shooting towards the door.

A figure stood backlit at the doorway.

She was an extremely beautiful young woman, wearing a well-tailored suit that accentuated her shapely figure.

Her face was filled with anxiety and worry as her eyes searched the room eagerly before finally settling on Li Hanzhou.

"Brother Hanzhou!" Her voice trembled with tears as she rushed in. "I received news that you were seriously injured! How are you?"

She completely ignored everyone else in the room, her eyes seemingly fixed only on Li Hanzhou.

Fang Che was grimacing and clutching his foot, completely bewildered by this turn of events.

Who is this?

Just then, Ah Gui subconsciously called out in a low voice, "Miss Ruoxue?"

Ruoxue? Li Ruoxue?

Fang Che's mind went blank; the lightbulb went off!

Li Ruoxue! The childhood sweetheart from the original novel who is deeply in love with Li Hanzhou and comes from a powerful family!

In the book's fan group, she was the most popular choice in the discussion about "who Li Hanzhou will end up with"!

Future sister-in-law!

Fang Che immediately perked up, ignoring the pain in his foot, and quickly pulled his leg back, his movements so swift that it was as if he hadn't been the one groaning just moments before.

He plastered a warm and harmless smile on his face, limped over, and greeted us in Cantonese mixed with a Northeastern accent:

"Oh my god! You must be Sister Ruoxue, right? I've heard Brother Li mention you all the time! I'm so glad to finally see you in person! You really are as beautiful as the legends say, like a fairy! Brother Li is fine, just a minor injury, and we brothers are taking care of him, so don't worry!"

His series of enthusiastic "sister-in-law-style greetings" completely stunned Li Ruoxue.

She looked at the boy who had suddenly moved closer to her.

Her heart sank, and her gaze toward Fang Che shifted from bewilderment to hostility.

Who is this person?

When did Hanzhou get such a person by his side?

And they trusted you so much that they brought you here?

Fang Che was completely unaware of the hostility in the other person's eyes.

When he saw Li Ruoxue's expression, his heart skipped a beat—oh no, his future sister-in-law must have misunderstood! She must be worried and heartbroken to see Li Ge injured!

This needs to be explained clearly, and I'll also try to improve my sister-in-law's favorability!

If a brother wants to be close to his elder brother, winning over his sister-in-law is the shortcut! Wang Tiezhu understands this principle!

Fang Che's smile widened, and he took a half-step forward, trying to appear harmless: "Sister Ruoxue, don't worry! Brother Li is incredibly lucky; the bullet has been removed, and he'll be fine again after a couple of days of rest!"

He patted his thin chest, almost making himself cough, "With me and Brother Gui taking good care of him, I guarantee Brother Li will soon be back to his old self, continuing to lead our Heyi Hall to glory!"

As he spoke, he winked at Ah Gui: "Brother Gui, hurry up and speak up for us! Prove our innocence and hard work!"

Ah Gui's lips twitched as he turned his face away, unable to bear the sight.

This silly guy from Northeast China, didn't he see that Miss Ruoxue's eyes could kill? And he still went up to her!

Li Ruoxue didn't listen to what Fang Che said at all, she just stared at Li Hanzhou, her voice trembling slightly: "Brother Hanzhou, is what he said true? Are you badly injured?"

Li Hanzhou frowned slightly, seemingly annoyed by the chaotic scene, and his abdominal wound was still aching.

He simply replied, "Yeah, it's nothing."

In Li Ruoxue's view, this reaction seemed more like protecting the other party.

She turned sharply to Fang Che, her tone piercing: "What's your name? I've never seen you at Heyi Hall before. Why is Brother Hanzhou with you when he's injured?"

Fang Che, whose soul is twenty-eight but whose appearance is eighteen, is, in Li Ruoxue's eyes, a "little devil" who suddenly appeared.

Upon hearing this, Fang Che realized that his sister-in-law was questioning him about his background! He had to make his older brother proud!

He immediately straightened his back (though he couldn't stand perfectly straight due to leg pain), cleared his throat, and replied in the most formal yet friendly tone, "Reporting to Sister Ruoxue! My name is Fang Che, and I'm from the Northeast! I recently joined Heyitang, and I'm so grateful to Brother Li for taking me in and treating me like a brother!"

He emphasized the word "brother," then changed the subject, "Sister Ruoxue, you don't know how amazing Brother Li was just now! He took the bullet out himself without uttering a sound! That's what a real man! A pure man! Completely different from all the cowards I've met before! Only a fairy-like person like you, Sister Ruoxue, is worthy of a great hero like our Brother Li!"

He felt that this flattery was flawless, praising Li Hanzhou's bravery, elevating Li Ruoxue's status, and demonstrating his "brotherly" stance—it was simply perfect!

But to Li Ruoxue, it all sounded different.

Li Ruoxue dug her nails into her palm.

Suppressing her anger, she stopped looking at Fang Che and turned to Li Hanzhou: "Brother Hanzhou, the environment here isn't good for recuperation. I have a quiet villa in Repulse Bay, why don't you come to my place..."

“No,” Li Hanzhou interrupted directly, “It’s safe here.”

Rejected to her face, Li Ruoxue felt embarrassed and bit her lip: "But—"

"Sister Ruoxue!" Seeing this, Fang Che felt he should help his older brother stabilize the situation and quickly interjected with a knowing look, "Don't worry! Brother Li is absolutely safe here! With me here, I guarantee not even a female mosquito can fly in! Brother Li's innocence... no, his safety, you can rest assured with me!"

His intention was to express his determination to eliminate all danger and put his sister-in-law at ease.

But to Li Ruoxue, it sounded like a direct declaration of sovereignty!

What do you mean by "even female mosquitoes can't fly in"? Is that implying she's also a "female mosquito"? And she's still claiming "innocence"?!

Her chest heaved with anger, and her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at Fang Che.

Ah Gui covered his face, unable to bear to look any longer.

Li Hanzhou rubbed his aching temples, which made the wound hurt even more.

He glanced at Fang Che, who was still convinced he had successfully mediated, and said, unable to contain himself any longer, "Fang Che, shut up."

"Huh? Oh..." Fang Che immediately fell silent, his eyes blinking innocently as he looked at Li Hanzhou and then at Li Ruoxue, feeling wronged: Why are you telling me to shut up again? Wasn't I trying to ease the tension and promote family harmony? Sure enough, the big boss's thoughts are hard to guess.

His appearance further convinced Li Ruoxue of her guess.

She took a deep breath, knowing that with this person present, she wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation.

She glared at Fang Che, her eyes clearly saying "we'll see," before saying to Li Hanzhou, "Brother Hanzhou, you should rest well. I'll come again tomorrow. If you need anything, have Agui contact me."

After saying that, she turned and left, her high heels clicking crisply with anger.

Fang Che watched her retreating figure, scratched his head, and leaned close to Li Hanzhou's bedside to whisper, "Brother Li, is Sister Ruoxue angry? I thought she wasn't very happy when she left... Women's hearts are really hard to understand."

Don't worry, I'll talk to her more often, and we'll get to know each other better! I'm best at getting along with my sisters-in-law!

Li Hanzhou kept his eyes closed, and the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly.