Chapter 63: Plan
Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Plan
"I’ll pick it up! I’ll pick it up right now!"
Chen Fugui felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He scrambled over, frantically gathering the scattered bills one by one. After folding them, he carefully held them up to Fang Chen.
"Count it," Fang Chen ordered.
"T-there’s no need for that, right? Your money is definitely correct..." Chen Fugui smiled obsequiously.
Fang Chen’s eyes sharpened. "I told you to count it clearly!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I’ll count! I’ll count!"
Chen Fugui shuddered in fear. With trembling fingers, he quickly and carefully tallied the cash. "One, two, three... Thirty-five thousand in total. It’s all here."
After finishing, he counted out five thousand and tried to hand it back to Fang Chen. "Boss, I... I only need thirty thousand. The interest..."
"No need," Fang Chen interrupted. "Keep it."
He stared directly into Chen Fugui’s eyes, emphasizing every word. "I’ll ask you one last time. Is today’s business settled?"
Chen Fugui’s body trembled as he answered decisively, "Settled! It is completely settled! If I, Chen Fugui, ever dare to bother Feifei... no, Miss Li again, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
"Get lost."
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss!"
Feeling as though he had been spared from execution, Chen Fugui hailed his two lackeys who were still kneeling on the ground. Together, they dragged the unconscious Old Tian up, squeezed through the crowd, and fled without looking back, terrified that Fang Chen would change his mind if they were even a second too slow.
Chen Fugui and his group scrambled out of the nightclub entrance, leaving behind a mess.
Manager Zhang immediately plastered an enthusiastic smile on his face and quickly walked over to Li Dehui and Fang Chen.
"Feifei, I really couldn’t tell! Your younger brother is... quite capable! At such a young age, his moves are so... clean, decisive, and experienced!" Although he spoke to Li Dehui, his gaze remained firmly fixed on Fang Chen.
Fang Chen’s expression was placid as he casually replied, "It’s nothing. I’ve boxed at the Geta Club for a while. You always pick up a thing or two so you won’t be pushed around so easily."
He used the Geta Club’s name as a shield.
A nightclub manager in a place like this couldn’t possibly be unaware of Golden Lane. They knew even better that the fighters coming out of the Geta Club were capable, fearless, and likely had complicated backgrounds that made them dangerous to provoke.
Fang Chen had observed Manager Zhang today. Although the man hadn’t entirely withstood the pressure in the end, he had at least tried his best to protect his Aunt Dehui earlier on, fulfilling his basic duty. By clarifying his identity now, he hoped that if the manager ever encountered a similar situation again, he would feel more confident and bolder in defending her.
Sure enough, the moment Manager Zhang heard the words "Geta Club," his eyes lit up and his attitude became even more welcoming.
"Oh my! Little brother, you box at Geta? I knew it! With that aura and that skill! I heard everyone who comes out of there is a ruthless character capable of taking on ten men at once, with incredible combat ability!
"Oh, Feifei, you must have your brother come hang out here more often! If our club had an expert like him occasionally holding down the fort, the number of blind fools trying to cause trouble would probably drop by more than half!"
His words were half flattery and half genuine.
Fang Chen smiled noncommittally. "I’ll occasionally come over to see my sister. In the future, I’ll have to trouble Manager Zhang to look after her."
"Definitely, definitely! Rest assured! With Feifei here, there will absolutely be no problems!" Manager Zhang patted his chest as he promised.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Fang Chen pulled Li Dehui to a relatively quiet corner backstage.
"Here, Aunt Dehui, hurry up and eat. The food is getting cold." Fang Chen handed over the insulated lunch box he had been carrying.
"Okay, I’m actually starving."
Li Dehui took the lunch box and opened the lid, releasing a mouthwatering aroma. Picking up a spoon, she dug in with large bites, no longer caring about her image. As she ate, she asked, "Chen’Er, did you really... gather enough for your martial arts exam registration fee?"
"I have enough. I just registered today."
"You’re so capable!" Li Dehui swallowed her mouthful of food, her eyes curving into happy crescents. "I always said our Chen’Er was the most promising one. Your Aunt Dehui didn’t misjudge you!"
Looking at Aunt Dehui’s tired yet forcefully animated face, Fang Chen felt a softness in his heart. He spoke in a serious tone, "Aunt Dehui, from now on... you won’t need to work so hard to make money. If you don’t want to work here anymore, then don’t. I’ve always considered you my closest family, and I will definitely give you a good life."
Hearing this, Li Dehui felt a sudden sting in her nose. She quickly lowered her head and shoveled two bites of rice into her mouth to hide her emotion. Her voice was slightly muffled. "Sigh, you’re going to make your Aunt Dehui cry from being so moved..."
She quickly adjusted her emotions, raised her head, and lowered her voice with concern. "By the way, Chen’Er, is everything... alright on your end?"
She was referring to his boxing at Geta.
Fang Chen understood her worry and reassured her. "There’s no problem. The outside world makes it sound crazy, but the rules inside are actually quite strict. It’s relatively stable and safe. Even if I wanted to fight more matches to make quick money, the club considers the fighters’ conditions and might not even be willing to arrange them."
"Oh, oh, that’s good then. Anyway, be careful in everything you do. Safety first."
Li Dehui felt slightly relieved.
Leaving the Pattaya Nightclub, Fang Chen hopped on his bicycle and prepared to head home. As he rode, he pondered a deeper issue.
He thought to himself, "Right now, with me at home, if anything happens to Aunt Dehui, my parents, or Minmin, I can find out in time and rush back to help.
"But when I go to the Martial Arts Academy in the second half of this year, what if something happens at home then? We’ll be separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. Communication in this world is so backward. Let alone cell phones, even landlines are far from common. How would I know in time?
"Fang Min is also starting high school in the second half of the year, and I have no idea what the school environment will be like.
"Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire."
He couldn’t expect to be lucky enough to rush back in time every single occasion. Fang Chen pondered for a long time, and an idea gradually became clear and firm in his mind.
He decided, "I need to build my own faction before I leave Jinchuan City.
"I don’t seek to dominate Jinchuan or vie to be some underground emperor, but only to have enough power to protect myself and keep my family safe. At the very least, I need to make those potential troublemakers weigh the consequences and feel some fear before they target my family, so they won’t dare to offend us easily."
He quickly filtered through the people he knew in his mind. Soon, a candidate surfaced—Luo Wu.
He analyzed his options. "Luo Wu looks fierce and seems boisterous by nature, but after interacting with him, I can tell his true essence is that of a loyal man who values his promises. His intentions are decent enough, and he isn’t the type of two-faced scoundrel to stab someone in the back.
"Furthermore, he has a certain level of fame at Geta. He should have some connections and a foundation in Jinchuan City’s underground scene."
Fang Chen formulated a plan in his heart. "I’ll ask him later if he has his own crew or a fixed circle in Jinchuan City. If he already has a certain foundation, that will save me the trouble of starting from scratch. I can secretly assist him, allowing him and his faction to grow bigger and stronger in Jinchuan City.
"After I leave, he can help me look after my family here in Jinchuan City and ensure they aren’t bullied.
"In return, I can teach him one or two practical Martial Skills, and I can also give him that Qi Blood Needle. For him, this will be an enhancement of strength and a consolidation of status. For me, it will guarantee my family’s safety.
"It’s a win-win."