Chapter 68 Li Ruoxue completely tears off the mask

The ship departed the port late at night.

Li Hanzhou showed the pass given to him by He Hongsheng, and only then were the two allowed to board the ship.

The cabin was empty, with only the two of them inside.

After the ship started moving, Fang Che slumped in his seat, feeling cold all over.

Li Hanzhou sat down next to him and took his hand: "Ache, look at me."

Fang Che looked up, his eyes red.

"Xi Rong and the others will be fine."

"But what if..."

“There’s no chance of anything going on.” Li Hanzhou’s voice was steady. “If Jiang Tianqi really does harm them, I will make him pay a hundredfold.”

It was already 1 a.m. when the speedboat docked.

Outside the dock, Ah Gui and his men were waiting there, their faces grave.

“Brother Li, Young Master Che,” he said as he stepped forward. “We’ve found him. He’s in an old warehouse in the back alley of Temple Street. Xi Rong suffered some minor injuries, and the children were frightened, but no one was hurt.”

Fang Che breathed a sigh of relief: "Who did this?"

“The people from the Dongsheng Society, but…” Ah Gui paused, “the leader wasn’t one of Jiang Tianqi’s men, it was Li Ruoxue.”

Fang Che was stunned.

Li Hanzhou's eyes sharpened: "Who?"

“Li Ruoxue,” A Gui repeated, “She led people to tie up Xi Rong and the others, but later somehow released them. She only slapped Xi Rong twice and warned her to stay away from you.”

Li Hanzhou's face darkened.

Fang Che understood; Li Ruoxue was taking her anger out on Xi Rong.

Where is Ruoxue now?

“In her apartment. Our people are watching.”

"Walk."

Li Ruoxue's apartment is in an upscale residential area in Tsim Sha Tsui.

After Li Hanzhou knocked on the door, footsteps soon came from inside.

The door opened, and Li Ruoxue, wearing pajamas, brightened slightly when she saw Li Hanzhou: "Brother Hanzhou? What brings you here..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Fang Che behind her, and her expression instantly turned cold.

"Come in." She turned and walked back into the house.

There was a half-empty bottle of red wine and a wine glass on the coffee table in the living room.

Li Ruoxue sat back on the sofa and crossed her legs: "You came to see me so late, is there something you need?"

"Did you do what happened to Xi Rong?" Li Hanzhou asked directly.

Li Ruoxue laughed: "So what if it is? I'll teach that tactless little girl a lesson and let her know not to get close to you."

"Do you know what you're doing?" Li Hanzhou's voice was icy. "Kidnapping, assault, and colluding with the Dong Sheng Society. Ruoxue, have you gone mad?"

"I'm insane!" Li Ruoxue suddenly stood up, her eyes red. "Li Hanzhou, I've known you for so many years! Fang Che has only been here for a few months! What makes him so special?!"

She pointed at Fang Che: "Just because of this face? Brother Hanzhou, look closely, he's a man! You..."

"Enough." Li Hanzhou interrupted her, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "My business with A-Che is none of your concern. I'm here today to give you my final warning! Stay away from my people. If there's a next time, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Li Ruoxue was stunned.

She looked at Li Hanzhou, then at Fang Che, and suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down her face.

"Fine... Li Hanzhou, you're even disregarding twenty years of friendship for him." She wiped away her tears, her eyes turning cold. "Then don't blame me. Jiang Tianqi contacted me, and I was still hesitating. Now... I've made up my mind."

Li Hanzhou's pupils contracted: "What did you say?"

"I said, I want to cooperate with Jiang Tianqi," Li Ruoxue said, enunciating each word clearly. "You want to protect him? I'll destroy him. You want to clear your name? I'll pull you back. We'll see."

Li Hanzhou stared at her for a moment, but ultimately said nothing, and pulled Fang Che away.

The door slammed shut behind me.

As they went downstairs, Fang Che asked in a low voice, "Brother Li, she really will..."

"Yes." Li Hanzhou's voice was weary. "Ruoxue has been stubborn since she was a child. Once she sets her mind on something, she won't turn back. She hates you now, and she's capable of anything."

"Then what should we do?"

Li Hanzhou stopped and turned to look at him: "From today onwards, you must have someone by your side at all times. Xi Rong and the others also need to be protected more closely. Ruo Xue knows me and the gang too well; she knows our weaknesses."

Fang Che nodded: "Understood."

It was already 3 a.m. when I got back to Portland Street.

On the second floor of the barbecue restaurant, Xi Rong and the children were all crammed into Fang Che's room.

Xi Rong had a handprint on her face and her eyes were red and swollen, but when she saw Fang Che return, she immediately stood up: "Brother Che!"

"It's alright now." Fang Che hugged her. "I'm sorry, it's my fault for not protecting you."

“It’s not Che-ge’s fault.” Xi Rong shook her head. “It was Li Ruoxue… She suddenly brought people over, saying she was going to teach me a lesson. But then she changed her mind, hit me a couple of times, and left.”

Cheng Tieniu said angrily from the side, "Che, this matter cannot be left like this!"

After calming the children down and having Ah Gui arrange for someone to keep watch, Fang Che returned to the third floor with Li Hanzhou.

After closing the door, Li Hanzhou lit a cigarette and stood silently by the window.

Fang Che walked over, took the cigarette from his hand, and stubbed it out: "Brother Li, smoke less."

Li Hanzhou glanced at him, then reached out and pulled him into his arms.

They hugged each other very tightly.

"A-Che," his voice rang in my ears, tinged with an unusual weariness, "Am I a failure? I couldn't protect Father, I couldn't protect Ruoyu, and now even Ruoxue..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Fang Che hugged him back. "Brother Li, you are the best person I have ever met. Li Ruoxue becoming like this is her own choice, it has nothing to do with you."

Li Hanzhou didn't say anything, but just hugged her tighter.

After a long while, he finally let go and ruffled Fang Che's hair: "Go to sleep, we have things to take care of tomorrow."

"What about you, Brother Li?"

"I'll have a cigarette and then go to sleep."

Fang Che knew he needed some quiet time, so he nodded and said, "Get some rest."

He walked to the bedside and lay down.

Li Hanzhou lit another cigarette and stood by the window, his back looking lonely and upright in the night.

Fang Che watched that figure from behind, his heart tightening.

He suddenly got out of bed, walked to Li Hanzhou's side, took the cigarette from his hand and threw it out the window, then grabbed his hand: "Brother Li, go to sleep."

Li Hanzhou was taken aback.

"I'll sleep with you," Fang Che said matter-of-factly, "so you won't overthink things."

Looking at his serious expression, Li Hanzhou suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, but the melancholy in his eyes had lessened somewhat.

"good."

The two lay down, and Fang Che naturally nestled into Li Hanzhou's arms.

Li Hanzhou wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer to himself.

"Brother Li," Fang Che said softly.

"Um?"

"No matter what happens, I'll be with you." Fang Che's voice was muffled against his chest. "So don't shoulder this alone, okay?"

Li Hanzhou tightened his grip on her arm.

"good."

The night was deep.

Portland Street was quiet outside the window.

But Fang Che knew that this calm was only on the surface.

Li Ruoxue's betrayal, Jiang Tianqi's threats, He Hongsheng's cooperation... everything is brewing an even bigger storm.

And he was ready.

I'll stand by Brother Li and get through this together.