Chapter 687: 672 Viceroy: I Can Also Talk, I Can Also Compromise

Following Xiao Fu sneered: "Taking a step back, my Umbrella Corporation now has nearly 9,000 employees, plus nearly 30,000 employees in San Francisco; how many people do you have!"

Sun Chu: "…………"

Zhang Li: "…………"

It seems... indeed, their two gangs were a bit weak.

Following Xiao Fu: "How about this, I won't bully you two... you two gangs send two people, and I'll send two people."

"Arena fighting!"

"Whoever wins has the reason, how about it?"

"If you win, my Umbrella Corporation won't go to your territory in the future."

"If I win, you can't stop our people from going over. If there is a dispute, don't call for fighting and killing, sit down and talk properly, how about it?"

Sun Chu: "I disagree!"

Zhang Li: "No way!"

Neither of them had confidence.

Gu Xinghua, who was the fiercest, cruelest, and best at fighting before, now had his industries under Umbrella Corporation.

They didn't know the process, but Gu Xinghua must have suffered a big loss in the hands of Umbrella Corporation.

Therefore, anyone with a brain wouldn't agree to this condition.

Following Xiao Fu was speechless, and said unhappily: "This won't work, that won't work, what do you want to do?!"

"To put it bluntly, I'll just find the police station to send you in; you won't even have a place to cry."

Sun Chu roared: "Colluding with the police force, this violates the Goodbye Jianghu morality..."

Li Fu rolled his eyes: "I'm a legal company, paying taxes legally, a legal enterprise; what's the problem with cooperating with the police force!"

"I'm talking to you now, I've already given you a lot of face."

"You are just because you are weak, afraid of me, so you don't dare to do this or that."

"If you're weak, practice more!"

Sun Chu, Zhang Li: "…………"

Li Fu's words were too arrogant!

What was even more heart-piercing was that they didn't know how to refute.

Of course, they could also hire assassins to assassinate Following Xiao Fu and the others, but Following Xiao Fu could also do the same.

Following Xiao Fu had more money!

Unless it was a last resort, they wouldn't dare to play like this.

"Ring, ring, ring~~~"

Just at this time,

Following Xiao Fu's phone rang, it was Qi Qi calling, he answered: "Hello... what, Ah Situ Jie fell in love?"

Following Xiao Fu stood up suddenly, his face full of excitement for eating melon.

Qi Qi: "He didn't fall in love, but he seems to really like a girl, delivering chicken soup every day... I'm only telling you, don't tell anyone else~~~"

Following Xiao Fu patted his chest: "Don't worry, I have the tightest mouth."

After hanging up the phone,

Following Xiao Fu bowed to Sun Chu and Zhang Li: "Sorry, my brother fell in love, I have to go back to watch the fun."

"Goodbye!"

Turning around, he took Abu and Ji Shaoqun, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh————turned into smoke and disappeared rapidly.

While running away, he was curious,

Abu: "Did Ah Situ Jie really fall in love?"

Following Xiao Fu: "Yes, hurry back, maybe we can still see the fun~~"

Ji Shaoqun: "…………"

What kind of people are you!

You like eating melon so much?

Please add me in!!

Sun Chu, Zhang Li, and a group of younger brothers behind: "…………"

Damn~~

We are actually not as important as gossip!

Vomiting blood!

……

……

That night,

Following Xiao Fu and Abu rushed back to San Francisco overnight.

As for Ji Shaoqun... sorry, he had to stay in Los Angeles to preside over the overall situation.

Ji Shaoqun: "I %￥*&……"

Good, good, good,

brothers are heart-to-heart with you, and you play tricks on your brothers!

……

San Francisco,

The next morning,

Li Situ Jie came to Umbrella Corporation, took the chicken soup from Li Qiao's hands, and drove the black Chevrolet toward the hospital.

Behind, Following Xiao Fu and Abu followed from afar.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk~~ chicken soup~~"

"Look at his posture of flying while walking, and the corners of his mouth that he can't suppress, eh~~~ the sour smell of love."

Soon, they saw Li Situ Jie enter the hospital, and they followed in quickly, not daring to follow too closely, because Li Situ Jie's intuition was no joke.

In the hospital, they asked which floor the orthopedic ward was on, and they quickly found the orthopedic ward area, looking into the rooms one by one,

Stretching their heads to look, Li Situ Jie was sitting in front of the hospital bed, talking in a low voice with a beauty on the bed.

And he was serving her chicken soup.

Eh~~ why is he so gentle?

At this time, Li Situ Jie seemed to sense something and looked back.

He saw nothing.

Li Situ Jie frowned: "Hmm?"

Zhang Chunru asked: "What's wrong?"

Li Situ Jie shook his head: "Nothing..."

……

And at this time,

Following Xiao Fu had returned to Umbrella Corporation and made an international long-distance call to Director Guan Zu.

"Hello?"

"Brother Zu, it's me, Following Xiao Fu."

"It's already 0 o'clock, you're calling, did something happen in Los Angeles?"

"No."

"No, then why are you calling, you fart."

"I'm telling you good news... Ah Situ Jie fell in love..."

"Ah?"

Director Guan Zu sat up suddenly.

Speaking of this, I'm not sleepy anymore.

"Tell me in detail!"

Then Following Xiao Fu described it blah blah blah.

"Haha~~ Good!"

"Now I'll give you a task, take photos immediately, take videos, send them back to Hong Kong immediately, I want to see what the other party looks like."

Following Xiao Fu looked disgusted: "Brother Zu, you are so gossipy..."

Director Guan Zu was righteous: "I'm not gossipy, I'm concerned about his family and marriage as a parent!"

Director Guan Zu was naturally very happy that Li Situ Jie could find a girlfriend. 【687-9

Gossip?

No, I'm not the type of person who likes to gossip!

Sister Ruan Mei and Fang Ting were woken up by the noise: "What's wrong?"

Director Guan Zu chuckled: "Following Xiao Fu just called and said Ah Situ Jie is in a relationship."

Now, none of the three could fall back asleep.

Early the next morning,

Sister Ruan Mei got up and found that Director Guan Zu was no longer in bed. She left the room and saw Fang Ting mixing formula to feed the baby.

"Where's Brother Zu?"

"He's over there!"

Fang Ting pointed to the balcony.

Sister Ruan Mei walked over and saw Director Guan Zu excitedly on the phone: "Ah Wah, let me tell you some news, Ah Situ Jie is dating."

Sister Ruan Mei: "............"

A wave of black lines appeared on her forehead.

Soon, the news spread to everyone close to Director Guan Zu; Gao Jin, Gao Gang, Wu Ying, Chen Yongren, and the others all knew about it.

"Are there photos?"

"What does she look like?"

"How old is she?"

"Is she of Chinese descent?"

Poor Li Situ Jie, he didn't even know that he had just shown a little extra concern for a woman he admired, yet the news had already reached Hong Kong, and it was getting more and more outrageous as it spread.

If he knew, he would definitely be incredibly annoyed.

……

……

In a flash,

It was the end of September.

The "Ordinance on Restricting and Constraining the Unchecked Powers of the Political Department and the Independent Commission Against Corruption" officially completed its third reading. Then, at around 4:00 PM, the documents were sent to the Government House.

However,

At this moment, our Governor was not at the Government House.

He was out hiking.

He was climbing, step by step, toward the summit of Victoria Peak.

Accompanied by his bodyguards and his secretary, Faiman.

When he reached the viewing platform at the top of Victoria Peak, the sun was setting. The evening glow stretched for miles, merging with the sea—a truly magnificent sight.

"Ring, ring, ring~~~"

A call came from the Government House; it was his secretary, Alica.

"Boss..."

"The Legislative Council just sent over that 'Restriction Ordinance'..."

Ashdown was expressionless: "I know."

Then he hung up the phone.

Ashdown stood on the Victoria Peak viewing platform, his eyes looking down into the distance. The lights of Central, Western District, Wan Chai, and Tsim Sha Tsui across the harbor were lighting up one by one in the twilight.

"Hoo~~~~"

Ashdown looked at this bustling sea of night lights and remembered when he arrived in Hong Kong to take office in March.

That time, the spring breeze, carrying the scent of sea salt, had brushed against his cheeks.

Back then, he had just taken up the Governor's scepter, his heart surging with the past glory and arrogance of the British Empire.

Back then, he looked down at this Pearl of the Orient beneath his feet, as if he could see himself carving a significant mark in the history of this colony—like Lord Palmerston using gunboats to blast open the gates of the Qing Empire, or Disraeli crowning Queen Victoria as Empress of India.

At that time, the rhapsody of imperialism was playing in his heart.

At that time, he had said to his secretary, Faiman, with great high spirits: "I will use an iron fist to carve my own inscription on the final page of this colony! Hong Kong's history will remember the name of Ashdown!"

And now...

Today...

It had been only a little over five months since then...

His state of mind had undergone a earth-shattering change.

Ashdown unconsciously rubbed the rust on the railing with his fingertips; the mottled texture felt exactly like the fading glory of the Empire in the Far East.

The lights of Hong Kong were still brilliant, but in his eyes, every light that turned on felt like a cold sneer.

The ordinance passed by the Legislative Council's third reading was now lying on the desk at the Government House.

Whether he agreed or not, Director Guan Zu had already won.

If he vetoed it, the ICAC would be nailed to the pillory of shame as a "colonial lackey" by public opinion.

If he compromised, this final chess piece would completely slip out of his control.

"Faiman..."

At this moment,

Ashdown and Faiman stood together, holding onto the railing.

Faiman lowered his head: "Boss~~"

Ashdown: "Do you know what Clive of the East India Company said after the Battle of Plassey?"

"I don't know." Faiman lowered his head.

Ashdown: "He said: 'I stand before a chest full of jewels, yet I am as terrified as a child who has stolen candy.'"

Ashdown pulled at the corners of his mouth in self-mockery.

"Only now do I understand that feeling."

"......"

Faiman didn't know how to comfort his boss.

"Faiman..." Ashdown's voice carried a hint of exhaustion and earnestness, "Do you still remember Belfast in Northern Ireland? That gray city where the winter rain never stops falling."

Faiman was slightly startled, then nodded: "I remember, Boss."

Ashdown's gaze drifted into the distance, as if piercing through time and space, returning to his youth.

"We grew up together, playing football on the playground of St. Andrews College, and you were always better at it than me."

He smiled, with a touch of nostalgia,

"Later, we both went to Oxford, you studied law, I studied politics... we were still good friends..."

Faiman was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Yes, Boss."

Ashdown turned around, looking straight into Faiman's eyes, his voice slightly tight: "Now, we stand here, facing the same enemy—Director Guan Zu."

"But recently, I always feel... that something has changed."

His tone suddenly became heavy.

"Faiman, you wouldn't betray me, would you?"

Faiman's heart jolted, and he immediately said solemnly: "Boss, I assure you, I will never betray you."

Ashdown stared at him, his gaze like a knife.

"Really?"

"Really." Faiman didn't hesitate, his voice firm, "No matter what the situation is, I will always stand on your side."

Ashdown finally revealed a weary smile and patted his shoulder.

"Good... that's good."

He turned around, looking out the window again, and muttered: "Because now, the only person I can trust is you."

Faiman was moved: "Don't worry, Boss, I will always stand on your side..."

Ashdown heard this and smiled.

He looked around.

The bodyguards were seven or eight meters away.

Ashdown whispered: "Do you think there's any possibility that we could be like that fat guy Patten?"

Faiman was stunned for a moment, an unbelievable thought rising in his mind as he looked at Ashdown: "Boss, could it be that you..."

Ashdown's gaze was deep:

"I recently learned an old Chinese saying: 'Traveling a thousand miles to be an official is only for money.'"

"Did I travel thousands of miles here just to be a good person?"

"If Patten can do it, why can't I?"

★cO

"Besides, have you thought about one question? Since Patten has already betrayed us, the 'Parasite Plan' must have definitely leaked."

Faiman was silent.

Actually, he had thought of this long ago.

Ashdown: "It seems you thought of it too."

"What a bunch of traitors!"

"Looking around, it's all traitors."

He gritted his teeth.

"You tell me, with me being with this bunch of vermin, how could I possibly beat Director Guan Zu?"

"If I can't win, even when I return to the UK, I won't have any good fruit to eat."

"Since that's the case, why can't I scrape together a little more now?"

Ever since the Legislative Council incident began, he had thought about the idea of cooperating with Director Guan Zu, but he had never made up his mind.

But today, coming to the top of Victoria Peak, the wide-open view finally helped him make up his mind.

"Faiman, what do you think?"

Ashdown looked at Faiman, his gaze fixed tightly on him.

Faiman hurriedly said: "Boss, you and I grew up together; we are superior and subordinate, but even more so, we are friends, neighbors, and brothers. Whatever you want to do, I will support you!"

Besides, Ashdown was right.

If Patten can be a traitor, why can't I?

Ashdown: "Good!"

He laughed out loud.

Faiman: "But, Boss, Alica, that person..."

Ashdown sneered: "Don't worry, I can still distinguish between business and women."

Faiman: "And the Lady."

Ashdown's face darkened: "She is even less trustworthy; she's probably thinking about how to betray me."

Faiman breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good!"

Ashdown: "You secretly contact Director Guan Zu; you need to meet him and confirm his attitude."

"As for that 'Restriction Ordinance,' I won't sign it for now. Since I'm going to sell it, I must sell it for a good price!"

Defect to Director Guan Zu? Definitely not.

It's cooperation!

It's a transaction!

He wants to make good use of this position to rake in money, and he also has to fool Major.

Faiman: "Yes, I will contact him as soon as possible!"

Ashdown patted Faiman's shoulder: "Now, you and I are brothers. This matter must absolutely not be known by anyone—not the Lady, not Alica, not the driver or the bodyguards!"

"Only I know, and you know!"

Faiman nodded: "Yes!!"

At this moment, Ashdown finally revealed a smile.

Looking again at the bustling neon lights in the distance, he felt his heart and mind open up.

Sure enough,

Once you discard your bottom line, everything looks pleasing to the eye!

Hehehehe~~~~