Chapter 19: Securing the First Contract
The next day, it was dawn.
Fang Che practically sprang up from the broken sofa, sporting dark circles under his eyes.
It's not that the sofa is too uncomfortable... although it is indeed a bit uncomfortable!
The main problem was the fire burning inside him, which kept him awake at night.
He turned his head and saw that Li Hanzhou had woken up and was sitting on the cot, with A Gui changing the gauze on his abdomen.
The wound was healing well, and Li Hanzhou's complexion was better than yesterday, but his eyes remained deep and unreadable.
"Brother Li! Good morning!" Fang Che jumped up, ignoring the pain in his ankle, and hopped to the edge of the bed on one foot, his eyes shining. "Shouldn't we go to Portland Street today? I've already had Tie Niu prepare the contract! It's 20% higher than the market price, that's pretty sincere!"
Li Hanzhou looked up at him but did not respond.
Ah Gui's subordinate deliberately used a bit of force, but was only relieved by Li Hanzhou's cold glare.
"What's the rush?" Li Hanzhou said calmly. "Portland Street isn't going anywhere."
"That won't do!" Fang Che retorted. "Speed is of the essence! That kid Jiang Tianqi is definitely up to something. We have to get there first! Secure the leases on those old buildings and establish a foothold!"
He went over the Portland Street storyline in his mind several times last night. He couldn't remember the details, but he understood the principle of "striking first to gain the upper hand."
Seeing his impatient look, Li Hanzhou remained silent for a moment, then said to A Gui, "Let Tie Niu go with him."
"Brother Li!" Ah Gui disagreed, "Portland Street is in chaos right now. If we let him go, what if..."
"Hey, Brother Gui!" Fang Che immediately chimed in, patting his chest to assure everyone, "This time I definitely won't act recklessly! We're going to deliver money, to be good guys, and to reason with everyone! Besides, with Tie Niu around, he's worth ten of them! Right, Tie Niu?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Tieniu, who had just entered, scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Yeah! Don't worry, Brother Che, if anyone dares to touch you, I'll smash their head in!"
Fang Che: "..." The words may be rough, but the principle is sound.
Li Hanzhou seemed to have a headache from the two arguing, and waved his hand: "Go. Act according to the situation, and don't cause trouble."
"Understood!" Fang Che immediately beamed, grabbed Cheng Tieniu, and, clutching the "sincere contract," headed straight for Portland Street.
When Cheng Tieniu saw Fang Che limping downstairs, he quickly helped him up: "Che, are you alright? Or should I go by myself?"
"We absolutely have to!" Fang Che said, his neck stiff. "How can I be absent at a time like this? Let's go, buddy, let's set off!"
The two men, carrying the money and the contract, headed towards Portland Street.
Fang Che kept telling Cheng Tieniu his "grassroots theory," such as "the people's hearts are as firm as iron" and "unity is strength." Cheng Tieniu was confused, but he remembered only one sentence: "Anyway, we can't make the first move, right, Che?"
"Yes! We are civilized people, and we should win people over with virtue!"
But reality quickly proved them wrong.
They were stunned by the sight before them as soon as they stepped through the dark entrance of the old building they were targeting.
In the small lobby, tables and chairs were overturned, an old man was being pinned against the wall by two thugs, and torn pieces of paper were scattered on the floor.
The leader, a blond-haired man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, stood with one foot on an overturned stool, pointing at the old man and cursing:
"Old man! If you know what's good for you, sign here and get out of here! Otherwise, we'll send you to lie on a plank right now! Who dares to disrespect the Dong Sheng Society when it wants a place?"
The old man turned pale with fright, and the surrounding residents dared not speak out against him.
Fang Che's anger flared up instantly! This was outrageous! In broad daylight!
Cheng Tieniu tensed up and was about to step forward when Fang Che grabbed him.
"Tiezi, hold on! Watch me!" Fang Che took a deep breath, trying to recall Li Hanzhou's cold gaze, adjusted his expression, and attempted to create some momentum.
He straightened his collar and limped over.
"Cough cough!"
Huang Mao and his men turned around and were stunned when they saw Fang Che.
Where did this handsome guy come from?
"Hey, handsome, this is none of your business, get out of here!" the blond-haired guy said impatiently.
Fang Che ignored him, bent down to help the old man up, patted the dust off him, and comforted him in his broken Cantonese mixed with Northeastern accent: "Uncle, don't be scared, don't be scared, I'm here, it's okay!"
The old man looked at his overly handsome face with even more bewilderment in his eyes.
Ignored, the blond-haired man grew angry: "Hey! I'm talking to you! Did you hear me?!"
Fang Che then slowly turned around, put his hands behind his back, straightened his 1.72-meter-tall frame, and raised his chin to look at the blond-haired man: "From the Dong Sheng Society? Mad Dog Qiang's henchman?"
The blond-haired man was stunned for a second, then retorted sharply, "So what if I am? Who are you?"
Fang Che smiled slightly: "Heyi Hall, Fang Che."
"Heyitang? Fang Che?" The blond-haired man and his subordinate exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. "Haha! Who do we have here! It's that good-looking guy who got to the top by relying on his looks! What? Li Hanzhou's finished, so he sent you out to sell your ass to raise money?"
Cheng Tieniu clenched his fists as he listened from behind.
Fang Che's smile froze for a moment. In his heart, he had already cursed Huang Mao's ancestors, but on the surface, he forced himself to remain calm.
He can't make a move; if he does, it's all over, and he definitely can't win.
“Tsk,” Fang Che shook his head, revealing an expression that said, “You guys are hopeless.” “You always resort to violence, how vulgar! What era are we living in? This is a society governed by law! It’s about reason and rules!”
He pulled a contract from his pocket and waved it in front of the blond-haired man: "See this? A legitimate contract! 20% higher than the market price! Long-term lease! We're here to help this old man improve his life and build a harmonious Portland Street! And what about you? Besides flipping tables and scaring people, what else can you do?"
Huang Mao was stunned by his "reasoning" and subconsciously retorted: "What's the use of a 20% increase! What Dong Sheng Society wants is what we want!"
"Just because you've got your eye on something doesn't mean it's yours?" Fang Che raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of "surprise." "So if I take a liking to HSBC, will it become Fang's tomorrow? If you fall for the Governor of Hong Kong's daughter, does that mean she has to marry you? Young man, be down-to-earth and stop daydreaming!"
"Hahaha!" Some of the nearby residents couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The blond-haired man's face turned a deep liver color: "You! You're asking for it!" He was about to attack.
"Hey, don't get rough!" Fang Che quickly jumped behind Cheng Tieniu, poked his head out and continued to criticize, "Look at you, resorting to violence at the drop of a hat, how unskilled! We at Heyitang do things by persuading people with reason and virtue!"
He pointed to the shredded paper on the ground: "You tore up Uncle's lease, didn't you? No problem, we have a new one with even better terms! Uncle, look, it's in black and white, no deception! Once you sign our contract, if the drains in the building get clogged, the light bulbs break, or there are any neighborhood disputes, just come to Heyitang! Free service, we guarantee your satisfaction! Much better than some gangs that only collect protection money and do nothing!"
He was saying this not only to the old man, but also to all the residents in the surrounding area.
Sure enough, many residents began to whisper among themselves, and their gazes toward Fang Che shifted from fear to scrutiny and expectation.
A club that can help unclog sewers is indeed a novel concept.
Huang Mao was trembling with anger. He realized that he couldn't argue with this quick-witted "sissy" at all. The other party didn't play by the rules at all!
Seeing Huang Mao in a dilemma, Fang Che was secretly delighted and decided to add fuel to the fire.
He leaned closer and lowered his voice:
“Brother, I know it’s not easy to make a living. But is it worth making a big fuss over these few dilapidated buildings? You know Brother Li’s temper; he’s too lazy to deal with this little thing right now. If you really piss him off…”
Fang Che paused at the right moment, leaving room for imagination, "Would Young Master Jiang go to war with Heyitang for a few small fry like you? In that case, you'll just be expendable pawns."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly sobering him up considerably.
Yes, it's not worth offending Li Hanzhou for these old buildings.
Seeing his wavering, Fang Che patted him on the shoulder and said in a "sincere" tone, "Listen to me, take your brothers back and tell Young Master Jiang that Fang Che of Heyi Hall has no martial ethics, he uses money and words to deceive you, and you have done your best. It's not shameful to shift the blame to me."
Yellow Hair: "..."
Looking at Fang Che's handsome and "sincere" face, he couldn't tell whether the man was genuinely kind or trying to trick him.
But the steps were offered to me.
Huang Mao gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Fang Che, then glanced at Cheng Tie Niu's physique, and choked out, "You win! Let's go!"
After saying that, he led his men away in a sorry state, without leaving a single harsh word.
"Take care, brother! Next time you come to Portland Street, remember to be polite!" Fang Che waved enthusiastically from behind.
Cheng Tieniu was dumbfounded and gave him a thumbs up: "Che! Your tongue is more powerful than my carrying a bag! I'm impressed!"
Fang Che proudly raised his chin, feeling that his ankle didn't hurt as much anymore.
He turned around and walked towards the old man with a bright smile: "Uncle, it's alright! I chased the bad guy away! Now let's talk about this mutually beneficial contract?"
The old man looked at the young man with a warm smile, then at the generous contract in his hand, and finally nodded.
Fang Che successfully signed his first contract!
Holding the lease, and looking at the gentle, even benevolent, gazes of the surrounding residents, he felt a surge of pride.
"Tiezi! Did you see that? This is called subduing the enemy without fighting! The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans! Knowledge is power!" He excitedly waved the contract, but accidentally pulled his ankle, hissing in pain, instantly turning from "strategic planning" to "grimacing."
Cheng Tieniu quickly helped him up: "Yes, yes, Che, you're the best! Which building are we going to next?"
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