Chapter 14 The Little Beauty Who Set Fire
Fang Che groggily opened his peach blossom eyes and the first thing he saw was a piece of black fabric clinging to the outline of his strong thighs... Looking up, he saw Li Hanzhou's face, which was so handsome it was outrageous, but at this moment it was so gloomy it could drip water.
He himself was clinging to Li Hanzhou's leg like an octopus, half his face pressed against his pants, his saliva soaking a small patch.
"Holy shit!!"
Fang Che's exclamation instantly shattered the tranquility of the early morning.
He jerked away as if electrocuted, scrambling backward with his hands and feet, forgetting his swollen ankle, which immediately caused him to grimace in pain.
"Brother Li! Good morning!" Fang Che stammered, his face burning hot. "I... I might have been a little restless in my sleep... I didn't... I didn't press on your wound, did I? Your leg... no, is your injury alright?"
Li Hanzhou slowly sat up, stretched his legs which were numb from being hugged half the night, and glanced at his flushed face with his phoenix eyes: "It's better than some people's verbal attacks."
Fang Che: "..." Boss, your lame joke isn't funny at all!
Ah Gui and his brothers had already woken up and were trying not to laugh.
Seeing Fang Che get the short end of the stick, A Gui felt a little better.
"Um... Brother Li, I'm going to buy breakfast!" Fang Che tried to salvage his image, scrambling to his feet and rushing out.
"sit down."
Fang Che immediately froze and obediently sat back down on the tattered sofa.
Li Hanzhou turned to A Gui: "What's the situation outside?"
Ah Gui said seriously, "The situation isn't as tense anymore. The Dong Sheng Society thinks we've run away after being seriously injured, and they're celebrating. The old guys at the branch haven't made any moves yet, but Portland Street... Dong Sheng Society's Mad Dog Qiang led a group around several times yesterday, saying that the street will belong to Chiang Kai-shek from now on."
"Portland Street?" Fang Che's ears perked up immediately. "Brother Li! The opportunity has arrived! I told you Portland Street is a piece of fat meat!"
Li Hanzhou looked at him: "Your 'premonition' has come again?"
“This isn’t a premonition!” Fang Che perked up and leaned close to Li Hanzhou, lowering his voice. “I had a flash of inspiration last night! Those old tenement buildings on Portland Street are in a prime location. They’ll be connected to the subway in the future, and the surrounding businesses will all flourish! Taking them over now is like picking up a gold mine for free!”
As he spoke, he stole glances at Li Hanzhou's expression. Seeing that the other party did not object, he became even bolder: "The Dongsheng Society's attention is all on the open shops. We can take a covert approach! Let's start with the old buildings they don't care about!"
Fang Che pulled out the crumpled piece of paper: "Look, we can do this... First, find a few unfamiliar faces, pretend they're investors from the north, and rent the ground floors of those old buildings at high prices, preferably those connected to the back alleys! Then... hehe, once the demolition rumors start, we'll have leases in hand, giving us more room to maneuver! This is called... encircling the city from the countryside!"
Ah Gui rolled his eyes: "Idiot! What's the point of renting those run-down buildings? If you're going to fight, then fight it out!"
"Brother Gui! Fighting is a last resort!" Fang Che tried to persuade his partner, who had off-the-charts combat skills but a simple business mind, "We must win with strategy! We must obtain the greatest benefit with the least cost!"
Li Hanzhou looked at Fang Che's flushed cheeks and sparkling peach blossom eyes, and tapped his fingers on his knee.
This kid has wildly imaginative ideas, but some of them are really key.
The ownership of old buildings on Portland Street is in disarray, and the powerful Tung Sing Society tends to overlook these "leftovers".
If handled properly...
"How much money do you need?" Li Hanzhou suddenly asked.
Fang Che was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed!
So the big boss has taken his suggestion?!
He suppressed the urge to jump up and quickly did some mental calculations: "The initial rent... and bribes... will probably cost around this much."
He held up five fingers.
"Fifty thousand?" Ah Gui frowned.
"Five thousand!" Fang Che corrected. "We're going through a tough time right now, so let's be thrifty! We'll start with a small-scale pilot program, and then increase investment once it proves effective!"
He was calculating in his mind: using five thousand yuan to leverage assets worth millions or even tens of millions in the future, this deal would be a huge profit!
Li Hanzhou was silent for a few seconds, then said to A Gui, "Go find Uncle Chen and give him five thousand yuan."
Ah Gui's eyes widened: "Brother Li! You really believe him..."
"go."
Ah Gui gritted his teeth, glared at Fang Che, and turned to leave. He couldn't understand why Brother Li was so indulgent towards this Northeastern guy of unknown origin who only knew how to talk big.
Fang Che was so moved he almost burst into tears. He patted his chest and promised, "Brother Li! Don't worry! I'll use this money wisely! I guarantee it will bring you ten times... no, a hundred times the return! Once our Heyitang successfully transforms, you'll be the Li Ka-shing of Hong Kong!"
Li Hanzhou looked at his confident expression, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
When he says "Li Ka-shing," it always carries a lively, local accent.
Meanwhile, in a newly opened coffee shop near Portland Street.
Jiang Tianqi, dressed in a silver-gray suit, leisurely stirred his coffee.
His sharp gaze, behind his gold-rimmed glasses, swept across the chaotic Portland Street outside the window.
"How's the situation with Mad Dog Qiang?"
"Young Master Jiang, Brother Qiang has already contacted several key figures as you instructed, spreading the word that we are determined to take Portland Street. As for Wo Yee Tong, Li Hanzhou seems to be still recovering from his serious injuries and has gone into hiding."
Jiang Tianqi chuckled: "It would be too boring if Li Hanzhou could be so easily discouraged."
He picked up his coffee cup, his gaze distant, as if he had returned to the funeral hall engulfed in flames the previous night.
In the chaos, the incredibly handsome young man, his face smeared with soot and his peach blossom eyes flashing with a desperate ruthlessness, suddenly ripped off the white cloth, grabbed a candle, and threw it at the offerings.
His movements were reckless and resolute, completely at odds with his face.
"Have you found out who the child who started the fire?"
"There is no definite information at the moment. All we know is that his name is Fang Che, he is not a local, his accent is very strange, and he suddenly appeared next to Li Hanzhou."
“Fang Che…” Jiang Tianqi gently savored the name, his gaze behind his glasses growing even deeper. “Li Hanzhou has indeed picked up a treasure. However, treasures always attract covetous eyes.”
He put down his coffee cup, leaned forward, and turned his gaze back to Portland Street outside the window.
"Portland Street, I'm taking it." His voice was gentle yet resolute. "As for that Fang Che... I'll find an opportunity to meet him in person. I'm very interested to know what kind of magnificent spectacle that wildfire will create when it escapes Li Hanzhou's control."
He couldn't wait to see what Li Hanzhou's expression would be when he lost Portland Street and even the little spark beside him was taken away.
This struggle, because of the handsome young man who set the fire, became something he looked forward to more than ever before.
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