Chapter 81 Fang Che Prepares to Go to Thailand
Li Ruoxue's apartment is located in the Mid-Levels of Tsim Sha Tsui, offering views of Victoria Harbour at night.
When Fang Che rang the doorbell, the sound of shattering glass came from inside the house.
The door opened, and Li Ruoxue stood there, reeking of alcohol.
She was wearing a silk robe, her hair was disheveled, her makeup was smudged, her eyes were red and swollen, and she was carrying a half-empty bottle of red wine.
Upon seeing Fang Che, she paused for a moment, then sneered: "Coming to laugh at me?"
"I need to talk to you," Fang Che said calmly.
"What do we have to talk about?" Li Ruoxue turned and walked inside.
Fang Che followed him inside.
The living room was a mess, with wine bottles overturned, an overflowing ashtray, and several empty medicine boxes lying on the sofa.
Li Ruoxue slumped into the sofa and took a swig of wine: "So, tell me. Talk about my brother? Or how you got control of Portland Street?"
"Let's talk about Brother Li," Fang Che said, sitting down opposite her. "Let's discuss how to save him."
Li Ruoxue scoffed: "Save him? What do you have to offer? Money? Connections? Or your little tricks?"
“I have nothing,” Fang Che said, “but I dare to go.”
Li Ruoxue put down the wine bottle and stared at him for a long while: "Are you going to Thailand?"
"Um."
"Sending them to their deaths?"
“Maybe,” Fang Che said, “but it’s better than sitting here drinking.”
Li Ruoxue's expression changed drastically, and she grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it over!
Fang Che didn't dodge; the bottle grazed his forehead, smashed against the wall, and shards flew everywhere.
"What do you know!" Li Ruoxue stood up, her voice hoarse. "Do you know who Jiang Kun is? Do you know what a Thai prison is like? You're going? You're just throwing your life away!"
"So you're cooperating with Jiang Tianqi?" Fang Che retorted. "Setting a trap for him, sending people to cause trouble, trying to bring down Portland Street? Is this your plan to save Brother Li?"
Li Ruoxue froze.
"You think Jiang Tianqi will help you?" Fang Che stood up and walked in front of her. "He's just using you. Once Brother Li falls and Heyitang disbands, what use will you be to him?"
"You're talking nonsense..."
"Whether I'm lying or not, you know in your heart." Fang Che stared into her eyes. "Li Ruoxue, you are Li Ge's only family in this world. He's suffering in Thailand, and what are you doing? Joining forces with the people who harmed him to go against the people he desperately protected?"
Li Ruoxue took a step back, slumped into the sofa, covered her face, and cried.
“What can I do… I don’t know anything… Jiang Tianqi said that as long as I cooperate, I can protect Heyitang and save my brother…”
“He’s lying to you.” Fang Che’s voice softened. “Li Ruoxue, listen carefully. Zhou Wenxuan is handling Brother Li’s matter, and I’m trying to figure it out. But you have to do something.”
"What?"
"Keep Heyi Hall calm," Fang Che said. "You are a young lady of the Li family, you have the right to speak. Tell the brothers in the hall that Brother Li is fine and will be back soon. In the meantime, if anyone has any wicked thoughts, none of them will escape when Brother Li returns."
Li Ruoxue looked up, her eyes blurred with tears: "Will they... listen to me?"
“Yes,” Fang Che said, “as long as you act like a young lady from the Li family. Remember, you are Li Hanzhou’s sister, not Jiang Tianqi’s pawn.”
Li Ruoxue wiped away her tears and remained silent for a long time.
"Fang Che," she suddenly asked, "why did you help my brother? Was it for money? Or..."
“Because he is Li Hanzhou.” Fang Che interrupted her. “He gave me my life, he gave me Portland Street, and everything I have now is thanks to him. I don’t have many strengths, except for one thing… being grateful!”
Li Ruoxue smiled, but the smile was bitter: "If it weren't for Brother Hanzhou... we might have become friends."
Fang Che paused for a moment: "It's not too late now."
He turned to leave.
"Wait a minute." Li Ruoxue called out to him, taking an envelope from the drawer. "Here, take this."
Fang Che took it and opened it. Inside was a photo and an address.
The photo shows a man in his forties with a cold, hard face and a sinister look in his eyes. The background is a Thai temple.
“One of Jiang Kun’s hideouts in Bangkok,” Li Ruoxue said. “Jiang Tianqi showed it to me, wanting me to know their family’s strength. The address is on the back.”
Fang Che flipped the photo over; on the back was a handwritten Thai address, with a line of smaller print below: General Somchai's Palace.
"This is a conjecture..."
“The new warlord of the Golden Triangle, Jiang Kun’s backer,” Li Ruoxue said. “Fang Che, if you really want to go… be careful of this man. Jiang Kun is ruthless, but he follows the rules. Song Cai… is a madman.”
Fang Che carefully put the photos away: "Thank you."
"Don't thank me." Li Ruoxue turned to look out the window. "I just... don't want my brother to die."
It was completely dark when Fang Che left the apartment.
The lights of Victoria Harbour are reflected on the sea, sparkling like shattered diamonds.
He stood on the street, lit a cigarette, and looked towards Kowloon on the opposite bank.
Portland Street is right there in those lights.
His home, his roots.
The phone rang; it was Zhou Wenxuan.
"Fang Che, there's been progress in Li Hanzhou's case. The Thai police have agreed to extradition, but a family member or lawyer needs to be present to complete the formalities. I can't reach Li Ruoxue, could you..."
"I can," Fang Che said. "When?"
"The sooner the better. I've arranged a flight for tomorrow, and someone in Bangkok will be there to meet me."
"good."
After hanging up the phone, Fang Che took a deep breath.
tomorrow.
He had one more night to settle Portland Street.
Then, we went to Thailand.
Go and bring Brother Li home.
At the same time, in Bangkok, Thailand, at a private estate on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
Jiang Kun sat in a rattan chair, twirling two walnuts in his hands, gazing at the pleasure boats on the river.
He was in his early sixties, with gray hair, an upright posture, and sharp eyes.
The scar from his brow bone to his chin, a knife wound he got when he was young, looks like a centipede crawling on his face.
There was a man standing behind me.
He was very tall, at least 1.9 meters, wearing a black tight-fitting vest, his muscles bulging like an iron tower. His face was expressionless, his eyes vacant, like a soulless machine.
He had no name, only a code name: Seven.
He was Jiang Kun's trusted lieutenant, whom he had raised since childhood, and also the sharpest blade.
"How is Li Hanzhou doing?" Jiang Kun asked, his voice hoarse.
“There are people watching over him in a special prison in Bangkok.” Seven’s voice was cold and mechanical. “Zhou Wenxuan is working on his extradition, which should take at least a week.”
“A week…” Jiang Kun laughed, a chilling laugh. “That’s too long. I can’t wait.”
He turned to Qi and said, "Go there. Take care of him within five days."
He nodded seven times without hesitation: "Understood."
"It was done cleanly, like an accident," Jiang Kun said. "It's normal for someone to die in prison."
"yes."
Qi turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," Jiang Kun called out to him, "What about Hong Kong? That kid named Fang Che."
"Still on Portland Street, nothing's happening."
"Keep a close eye on them," Jiang Kun said. "Li Hanzhou would even intercept goods for him. Their relationship is unusual. If necessary... deal with them together."
"clear."
After Qi left, Jiang Kun continued to watch the river.
In the darkness of night, the Chao Phraya River was as black as ink.
He recalled how, a few years ago, Li Hanzhou's father had knelt before him, begging for mercy.
"Brother Kun, please spare my family... You can take the goods, and you can have all the money..."
What did Jiang Kun reply at that time?
"Oh," he said, "Boss Li, the rule in this industry is to nip the weeds in the bud."
So he killed Li's father, sold Li Ruoyu, and forced Li Hanzhou's family to be destroyed.
Little did he expect that a few years later, that boy from the Li family would grow into a fierce tiger and almost bite his throat off.
“Li Hanzhou,” Jiang Kun muttered to himself, “Your father can’t beat me, and neither can you.”
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