Chapter 97 From now on, sweetness will be plentiful!
The car came to a stop at the hospital entrance, and Fang Che almost tumbled out of Li Hanzhou's arms.
"We're here!" Zhou Wenxuan opened the car door, and the morning breeze blew in, carrying the dampness and smell of disinfectant from Bangkok.
Li Hanzhou carried Fang Che out of the car, his movements as fast as if he were snatching something away.
Qi propped himself up, the temporary bandage around his chest bleeding again, but he pushed away the help and gritted his teeth as he got out of the car.
The lights in the emergency room were blinding.
The nurse pushed in a mobile bed, and when Qi was put on it, her fingers were still gripping the car door tightly.
Old Chen tried to pry his hand off: "Let go! You need surgery!"
Qi's eyes were unfocused, but they were looking in Fang Che's direction.
Fang Che was being pressed down onto another bed by Li Hanzhou, his prison uniform soaked red by the wound on his waist.
He turned his head and met Qi's gaze.
"Seventh Brother!" Fang Che shouted, "Hang in there! We promised to have barbecue back in Hong Kong!"
Seven's fingers loosened.
He was wheeled into the operating room, and as the door closed, Fang Che saw his lips move; the shape of his mouth seemed to be—
"Enough is enough."
Outside the operating room, the benches were cold.
Li Hanzhou gripped Fang Che's hand with such force that it felt like he was about to crush his bones.
Fang Che winced in pain but didn't utter a sound. He saw the bloodshot in Li Ge's eyes, which was even more frightening than the injury on his own waist.
"Brother Li," Fang Che asked in a low voice, "Seventh Brother will live, right?"
“The bullet didn’t hit my heart,” Li Hanzhou said in a hoarse voice, “I won’t die.”
"And the wound on his chest..."
“Old wounds piled on top of new ones.” Li Hanzhou closed his eyes. “He was carrying these injuries while he was in prison.”
Fang Che was stunned.
He remembered that in the prison cell, Qi always slept with her back to him, her breathing as steady as a mannequin's... He remembered that Qi always finished showering the fastest, never letting anyone see her back... He remembered the slight tremor in Qi's fingers when she handed him the aloe vera.
That steel frame was actually just scrap metal.
"Jiang Kun's dogs," Li Hanzhou opened his eyes, his gaze chillingly cold, "are all used like this. Use them until they're worn out, then throw them away and replace them with new ones."
Fang Che's nose tingled with emotion: "Seventh Brother isn't a dog."
“It used to be,” Li Hanzhou said, looking at the operating room door. “It won’t be anymore.”
Fang Che looked at his profile, then suddenly leaned over and kissed Li Hanzhou on the cheek.
“Brother Li,” he said, “you’re so kind.”
Li Hanzhou froze for a moment, and his ears quickly turned red.
He turned his face away, his Adam's apple bobbing: "...Stop messing around."
"I'm not kidding," Fang Che laughed. "I just think my man is really handsome."
"He's injured like this and still trying to be poor."
"You have to be sarcastic when you're in pain, otherwise you'll just be too busy feeling the pain."
As the two were talking, the operating room door opened.
The doctor came out and spoke a string of Thai.
Zhou Wenxuan translated: "The bullet has been removed, about two centimeters from the heart. There was a lot of blood loss, but the rescue was timely. He can be transferred to a regular ward after two days of observation."
Fang Che let out a long sigh of relief, his whole body going limp in Li Hanzhou's arms.
"Can I go in and take a look?" Li Hanzhou asked.
"Okay, but don't take too long."
In the ward, Qi lay on the white sheets, her face even paler than the sheets.
The anesthesia hadn't completely worn off, and his eyes were half-open. When he saw someone come in, his pupils struggled to focus.
"Seventh Brother," Fang Che leaned closer to the bed, "Does it hurt?"
Qi slowly shook her head, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper: "I'm used to it."
These three words brought tears to Fang Che's eyes.
Li Hanzhou sat down on the edge of the bed, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, "Jiang Kun escaped. More than thirty people died in the prison fire. The Thai police are after him."
Seven, close your eyes.
“Your mission failed,” Li Hanzhou continued. “Jiang Kun won’t let you off the hook. From now on, you’re with us.”
Qi opened her eyes and stared at him.
"Why?"
“You saved A-Che,” Li Hanzhou said, “and you saved me too.”
"I don't need—"
“It’s not out of pity,” Li Hanzhou interrupted him. “It’s an exchange. I need someone who can fight, and A-Che needs someone who can protect him. You’re just right.”
That was a very firm statement, like a business deal.
Qi didn't speak, and closed his eyes again.
Fang Che nudged Li Hanzhou and muttered, "Brother Li, your invitation sounds like you're recruiting thugs."
"It was originally intended to recruit thugs."
“You can’t say that! You should say, ‘Seventh Brother, from now on we’re brothers who would risk our lives for each other. If I have a bite to eat, you have a bite to eat too…’”
"So cheesy."
"You..."
"I'll go take care of the formalities." Li Hanzhou stood up and rubbed Fang Che's head. "You stay here with him and don't wander off. Zhou Wenxuan's men are outside."
He walked to the door, stopped, and glanced back at Qi.
"Take good care of your injuries," Li Hanzhou said. "Once you're healed, I'll teach you how to use a gun."
Qi suddenly opened his eyes.
Li Hanzhou had already opened the door and left.
The ward fell silent.
The monitor beeped regularly, and the hustle and bustle of the morning market drifted in from outside the window.
Fang Che dragged a chair to the edge of the bed, took an apple out of the fruit basket, and clumsily peeled it, breaking the peel into several pieces.
“Seventh Brother,” he said as he chopped, “that’s just how Brother Li is, tough on the outside but soft on the inside. The fact that he’s willing to teach you how to use a gun means he really considers you one of his own.”
Qi looked at the ceiling: "I used to only use cold weapons."
Why?
“Jiang Kun said that using a gun is too easy and doesn’t show any skill.” Qi’s voice was very flat, as if he were talking about someone else. “He said that the feeling of a knife piercing flesh is what makes people remember fear.”
Fang Che's hand trembled, and the apple peel broke completely.
"Is that old man mentally disturbed?" He handed over the apple, which was cut unevenly. "Eat the apple, it's sweet."
Qi didn't answer: "I don't eat sweets."
Why?
“When I was ten, the training camp gave out candy, and I stole a piece.” Qi’s eyes glazed over for a moment. “I was hung up and beaten for three days and starved for a week. I haven’t eaten candy since then.”
Fang Che's mind was buzzing.
He forcefully shoved the apple into Qi's hand: "From today onwards, you can eat whatever you want! Sweet, salty, spicy, as much as you want! Jiang Kun is nothing, all the rules he set are null and void!"
Qi held the ugly apple, looked at Fang Che's reddened eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
Fang Che was stunned.
“Seventh Brother,” he murmured, “you have a very handsome smile.”
Qi's smile vanished instantly, and she turned her face away, saying, "Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not lying!" Fang Che exclaimed enthusiastically. "It's true! You usually have such a serious face. If you smiled more, you'd definitely charm everyone..."
Qi turned her head and looked at him expressionlessly: "You want to try?"
Fang Che choked, then gave a dry laugh: "No, no, I already have Brother Li..."
Qi looked at the ceiling again, her ears turning slightly red.
Fang Che chuckled to himself and then picked up another orange to peel.
Just then, there was a knock on the ward door.
Zhou Wenxuan poked his head in, his expression grave: "Ache, come out for a moment."
By the window in the corridor, Zhou Wenxuan lowered his voice and said three things.
First, Jiang Kun escaped from Thailand and took a smuggling boat towards Myanmar.
Second, Hong Kong was bombed.
Jiang Tianqi, together with Li Ruoxue, used the pretext of "cleaning house" to sweep away the remnants of Heyitang.
Cheng Tieniu was falsely accused of drug trafficking and arrested; Xi Rong's group of homeless children was surrounded; A Gui was stabbed twice while protecting the shop and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Third, a series of attacks suddenly appeared in Hong Kong, imitating Ah Lai's methods, and the victims were all businessmen who were rivals of Jiang Tianqi.
Fang Che clenched his fists tightly after hearing this.
"Alai...isn't dead?"
"I'm not sure, but the method is too similar." Zhou Wenxuan sighed. "If that kid is really alive, he's a ticking time bomb."
"I want to go back to Hong Kong," Fang Che said hoarsely.
“Not now.” Zhou Wenxuan shook his head. “Jiang Kun still has remnants in Thailand. If you show your faces, you’ll be sitting ducks. I’ve arranged a safe house on the outskirts of Bangkok. Let’s hide for a few days.”
"But Portland Street—"
“I have people on Portland Street.” Zhou Wenxuan pressed his shoulder. “Agui’s life is safe, Cheng Tieniu is smoothing things over, and Xi Rong and the team are hiding. If you go back now, it will only drive Jiang Tianqi even crazier.”
Fang Che knew Zhou Wenxuan was right, but his heart was burning.
That was his home, his brothers, his children.
"Does Brother Li know?"
"He hasn't said anything yet." Zhou Wenxuan glanced in the direction of the ward. "He just got out of prison, his injuries haven't healed, and he can't be subjected to any more stress. Find an opportunity to tell him slowly."
Fang Che nodded.
"Only I, Old Chen, and the three of you know the location of the safe house." Zhou Wenxuan handed over a note. "Transfer to a private hospital this afternoon, but actually go there. Remember, once you arrive, don't go out, don't contact the outside world, and wait for news."
How long will you be staying?
“At least a week,” Zhou Wenxuan said. “A week later, I will arrange a ship to take you back to Hong Kong by sea.”
Fang Che gripped the note tightly.
The note had an address written on it, the handwriting was messy.
He suddenly realized that this week would not be peaceful.
The ambulance for transferring patients arrived in the afternoon.
As Li Hanzhou helped Fang Che into the car, he frowned and said, "This is not the way to the private hospital."
Old Chen, who was in the driver's seat, turned around and smiled: "Don't worry, Mr. Li, we'll take a detour to avoid being noticed."
Li Hanzhou didn't ask any more questions, but his hand remained on his waist, where the gun Zhou Wenxuan had given him was hidden.
Qi was carried onto the vehicle on a stretcher.
When the anesthesia wore off, the pain from the wound made his forehead covered in cold sweat, but he didn't utter a sound, only clenching his teeth tightly.
Fang Che sat down next to him and handed him a bottle of water: "Seventh Brother, have some."
Qi took a few sips from his hand, then asked breathlessly, "Where to?"
"A safe house," Fang Che said in a low voice, "to hide there for a few days."
Qi looked at Li Hanzhou.
Li Hanzhou nodded, a tacit understanding in his eyes.
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