Chapter 61 Jiang Tianqi Approaches Li Ruoxue

Fang Che froze, his eyes wide, seemingly not understanding what was happening, yet he forgot to back away under the approaching aura.

Their breaths almost mingled together.

Just as their lips were about to touch—

"Bang!"

The door was flung open, and Cheng Tieniu burst in with a booming voice: "Che! Uncle Chen asked if we could have wonton noodles for supper—huh?!"

The big, honest-looking man stood frozen at the doorway, staring at the two people inside who were practically pressed together, not quite understanding what was happening.

The air froze instantly.

Li Hanzhou's movements suddenly stopped, then he quickly regained his composure, straightened up expressionlessly, and distanced himself, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

Fang Che jumped back like a startled rabbit, his face flushed red, and he hurriedly packed up the first-aid kit, stammering, "Eat, eat anything!"

Cheng Tieniu scratched his head, looked at Li Hanzhou, then at Fang Che, whose face was flushed, and finally belatedly realized that the atmosphere seemed a little off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he just chuckled and said, "Oh... well, then I'll go tell Uncle Chen!" After saying that, he quickly closed the door and slipped away.

The room returned to silence, but with an added sense of awkwardness and lingering unease.

Fang Che's heart was pounding like a drum, and he didn't dare to look at Li Hanzhou at all; the tips of his ears were red.

Li Hanzhou stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to him, and said in a voice that was no longer calm: "It's getting late, go and rest."

"...Oh, okay. Brother Li, you should go to sleep early too." Fang Che felt like he had been granted a pardon. He carried the first-aid kit and walked out quickly, almost as if he were walking on his own two feet.

The door was gently closed.

Li Hanzhou stood by the window, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled. The warmth and touch of the other's skin seemed to still linger on his fingertips.

Just a little bit more...

He opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a complex mix of emotions.

That kid Cheng Tieniu, he came at just the right time... but also, really not the right time.

After the wounds were treated, everyone sat down to eat.

During the meeting, Ah Gui reported on the operations at the dock.

The police acted swiftly this time, and with conclusive evidence, Jiang Tianqi's smuggling route was effectively destroyed.

“But he won’t give up.” Uncle Chen pushed up his glasses. “Jiang Tianqi is vindictive. Losing this batch of goods is a significant loss. He will definitely retaliate.”

“I know.” Li Hanzhou put down his chopsticks. “So his next target might be Xi Rong, or it might be A Che.”

Fang Che's heart tightened: "What should we do then?"

"Strengthen defenses," Li Hanzhou said. "Xi Rong has moved to the base for a while, and so have you, A Che. I'll send more people to 'Dragon Tiger Gathering'."

That's all we can do.

After the meal, everyone rested.

Fang Che lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

Although they won tonight, they angered Jiang Tianqi.

Given that madman's personality, he'll definitely resort to any means necessary next.

We need to find a solution that will solve the problem once and for all.

And then there was... that sudden accident that night...

Fang Che raised his hand and subconsciously touched the cheek that Li Hanzhou had just brushed against.

The lingering sensation was still in my palm, and it felt a little hot.

He closed his eyes, and his breath seemed to be filled with Li Hanzhou's scent.

My heart started pounding uncontrollably again.

He rolled over and buried his head in the pillow.

The image of Li Hanzhou approaching and his lingering gaze flashed through my mind.

My face got even hotter!

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Ah Che, are you asleep?"

It was Li Hanzhou.

Fang Che quickly climbed out of bed and opened the door.

Li Hanzhou stood outside the door, holding a box in his hand: "This is for you."

Fang Che took it and opened it—inside was a folding knife, the blade was black and the edge gleamed coldly.

A small tiger is engraved on the handle of the knife, with smooth lines.

"For self-defense," Li Hanzhou said. "Keep it with you at all times, never leave it behind."

Fang Che felt a warmth in his heart: "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Hanzhou nodded and prepared to leave.

Fang Che, as if possessed, called out to him, "Brother Li..."

Li Hanzhou turned his head to look at him.

Under the dim light, Fang Che's face was still flushed, his eyes bright, concealing an emotion that seemed to understand but not quite.

Under Li Hanzhou's gaze, Fang Che swallowed back the words he was about to say, and finally only smiled and said, "Thank you for saving me tonight."

Li Hanzhou's eyes flickered slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just curled the corners of his mouth, said "Get some rest," and turned to leave.

Fang Che closed the door, leaned against it, still holding the knife in his hand.

Suddenly, he couldn't help but laugh silently.

He walked back to the bedside, sat down, placed the knife beside the pillow, and reached out to touch it.

The cool metallic touch is just like the person.

The lamp wick flickered.

Fang Che laughed for a long time, but he couldn't calm down.

Finally, he rolled over and lay down, finally free from his inner turmoil, and closed his eyes.

The air still seemed to carry Li Hanzhou's scent, a comforting familiarity.

Fang Che drifted off to sleep with gradually relaxing breathing.

In my dream, it felt like I was back in that sudden, unexpected moment.

He whispered that name: "Brother Li..."

The only response he received was the rustling of leaves outside the window, carried by the night breeze.

Fang Che snuggled closer to the pillow, turning his murmured thoughts into a soft, indistinct laugh.

At the same time, in a luxury apartment in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Jiang Tianqi smashed several vases.

The floor was littered with debris; he was panting heavily, his eyes red.

"Li Hanzhou... Fang Che... Good, you are all very good."

The assistant stood to the side, not daring to utter a sound.

"Have you found out?" Jiang Tianqi asked coldly, "Who leaked the notebook?"

"We're still investigating," the assistant said cautiously. "But... it might be related to that girl named Xi Rong who works with Li Hanzhou. She went to the docks a few days ago, and then rumors started circulating..."

"Xi Rong." Jiang Tianqi repeated the name, his eyes dark. "Fang Che cares about her a lot?"

"Yes. He picked that girl up from the street and raised her as his own sister."

“Very good.” Jiang Tianqi smiled. “Then let’s start with her. Fang Che is protecting her so fiercely? I’ll make sure he can’t protect her.”

He walked to the window and looked at Hong Kong in the night.

If the hard approach doesn't work, try the soft approach.

If open methods don't work, then resort to underhanded ones.

Li Hanzhou, do you think you can rest easy after winning one game?

That's too naive.

"Oh, right," Jiang Tianqi suddenly remembered, "Li Hanzhou's younger sister is named Li Ruoxue, right?"

"Yes. Elder Li's daughter is now managing some of the Li family's businesses."

What has she been doing lately?

"I heard... he's shopping with a few rich girls and is thinking of opening a fashion boutique."

Jiang Tianqi narrowed his eyes.

Li Ruoxue... Li Hanzhou seems to care quite a bit about this younger sister.

If we could start from within...

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Tomorrow, help me arrange a meeting with Li Ruoxue."

"Young Master Jiang, she may not see you..."

“She will meet with him,” Jiang Tianqi said confidently. “As long as the method is right, there is no one she cannot win over.”

He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and drank it all in one gulp.

His distorted smile was reflected in the glass.

Li Hanzhou, Fang Che.

Let's take our time.

The next afternoon, Causeway Bay.

Li Ruoxue and her two girlfriends came out of the department store, carrying several bags in their hands.

"Ruoxue, look how good that dress suits you!"

"Yes, it would definitely look great with the shoes you bought last month!"

Li Ruoxue responded with a smile, but she was somewhat annoyed inside.

These socialites spend their days shopping, drinking tea, and comparing themselves to others—it's incredibly boring.

But she couldn't not come; the Li family was not what it used to be, and she needed these connections.

Just as they were thinking about how to escape, a red Ferrari stopped in front of them.

The car window rolled down, revealing Jiang Tianqi's face.

"Miss Li, what a coincidence?"

Li Ruoxue's face darkened: "Jiang Tianqi? What are you doing here?"

Her two sisters' eyes lit up!

A Ferrari! And the latest model!

Jiang Tianqi was good-looking and dressed smartly, which made him look quite impressive in this car.

"Young Master Jiang?" one of the sisters asked in a low voice, "Is it that Young Master Jiang from the Dong Sheng Society?"

Jiang Tianqi smiled and nodded, his gaze still fixed on Li Ruoxue: "Where are you going, Miss Li? I'll take you."

"No need." Li Ruoxue turned to leave.

"Hey, don't go!" the sister grabbed her. "You can't get a taxi now! It's so much more convenient to ride in Young Master Jiang's car!"

"Yeah, Ruoxue, it's on the way!"

Li Ruoxue hesitated, being dragged along by the two men.

Indeed, it's very difficult to hail a taxi in Causeway Bay at this time.

Moreover, if Jiang Tianqi invited her on the street and she refused in an awkward way, it would sound bad if word got out.

Jiang Tianqi noticed her hesitation and spoke up at the right moment: "Miss Li, don't worry, I just happened to be passing by and offered you a ride. Old Master Li was kind to me when he was alive."

When he mentioned his father, Li Ruoxue's expression softened slightly.

"...That's troublesome."

"It's my pleasure." Jiang Tianqi got out of the car and opened the door.

The two sisters cheered and got into the back seat, while Li Ruoxue sat in the passenger seat.

The car entered the traffic flow.

Jiang Tianqi drove very steadily and didn't talk much, only occasionally asking a few casual questions.

The two sisters in the back seat kept chattering and asking questions.

"Young Master Jiang, your car is really cool! When did you buy it?"

"last month."

"I heard you just returned from England? How was London?"

"not bad."

Li Ruoxue looked out the window, not wanting to say anything.

Jiang Tianqi didn't seem to care, and even seemed to be deliberately ignoring her.

After they were taken to the two sisters' homes, only the two of them remained in the car.

"Where does Miss Li live?" Jiang Tianqi asked.

"Portland Street." Li Ruoxue paused. "But you don't need to see me off, I'll get off here."

“That won’t do.” Jiang Tianqi laughed. “I’ll see this through to the end. Besides… I have a few words I’d like to say to Miss Li.”

Li Ruoxue asked warily, "What did you say?"

"About Li Hanzhou."

Her heart tightened: "What's wrong with Brother Hanzhou?"

“Miss Li, don’t be nervous.” Jiang Tianqi softened his tone. “I just feel that Boss Li has recently… gone astray.”

"What's the meaning?"

"He cooperated with the police and confiscated my goods for some unknown kid." Jiang Tianqi said calmly. "Do you know how much that shipment was worth? Eight figures. Dong Sheng Society won't just let this loss go."

Li Ruoxue's face turned pale: "You want to get revenge on Brother Fu Hanzhou?"

"Retaliation?" Jiang Tianqi shook his head. "I just want to remind Miss Li that what Boss Li is doing now is pushing Heyitang into a fire pit. Cooperating with the police? Black is black, and white is white. Want to whitewash yourself and go ashore? Dream on."

He paused, then looked at Li Ruoxue: "Miss Li is a smart woman, she should understand. If Boss Li continues like this, not only will he be in danger, but the entire Heyi Hall, as well as the Li family's little bit of wealth... will all be lost."

These words struck at Li Ruoxue's deepest fear.

After her father died, only she and Li Hanzhou remained in the Li family.

She had always hoped that Brother Hanzhou could lead the Li family back to its former glory, but what if something happened to Li Hanzhou...