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The plane landed smoothly in Ho Chi Minh City at noon, under the typical Southeast Asian climate, which felt quite uncomfortable with its heat and humidity. Fei Hu glanced at Tang Lan's tightly furrowed brows, realizing he felt just as uneasy.
As soon as they exited the airport, a woman in her thirties approached them. She was quite attractive, with her long hair tied back and a slightly dark complexion. Dressed in a floral patterned dress, she stood out. Upon seeing Tang Lan, she smiled and greeted them in halting Chinese, "Miss Tang, welcome to you all."
Tang Lan chuckled and shook hands with her before introducing Fei Hu and Xiao Lan. "This is Lisa, my friend from Vietnam. They are Fei Hu and Xiao Lan," Tang Lan said.
After a polite handshake, they followed Lisa to the roadside where she drove a Toyota. The car's value indicated she was well-off. Tang Lan sat in the front seat while Fei Hu had no choice but to sit next to Xiao Lan. Lisa drove aggressively, overtaking cars on the road, making it difficult for Fei Hu to enjoy the scenery outside. Overall, he still found A City and Shanghai more beautiful; his first impression of this place was not great.
Lisa and Tang Lan chatted quietly when suddenly Tang Lan turned around and asked Fei Hu and Xiao Lan, "Are you two hungry? If not, we can go straight to Yen Port City for dinner." Of course, Tang Lan was just being polite; Fei Hu and Xiao Lan wouldn't dare admit they were hungry.
The car sped along, and Fei Hu noticed that this Vietnamese woman was quite capable behind the wheel. With frequent acceleration and braking, it was hard to sit still. He casually observed Xiao Lan smiling at the corner of her mouth, indicating she also knew how to drive. This expression made Fei Hu suspicious about her background, but since she didn't mention it, he felt awkward asking.
He remembered feeling amazed during his first trip to Hong Kong, but this time felt different; everything seemed ordinary here with little that piqued his curiosity. The people here were only slightly darker-skinned than those back home, and their clothing differed somewhat due to the climate. Beyond that, they could easily blend in with people from Guangdong or Guangxi without speaking; no one would be able to tell where they were from.
By the time they arrived at Yen Port City, it was already around three or four in the afternoon. Everyone just wanted to shower or sleep; even someone as energetic as Fei Hu felt fatigued. It seemed Lisa had booked their hotel in advance as they drove directly into it. Fei Hu couldn't recognize any of the hotel's name.
The hotel was indeed impressive, built by the seaside with not too many floors, resembling what he had seen in movies with its typical Southeast Asian style. Lisa took their documents for registration and had them escorted upstairs.
Each room was private; Fei Hu and Xiao Lan were assigned rooms on either side of Tang Lan's room in the middle—this arrangement made perfect sense. Upon opening his door, he found the room a bit small but equipped with a bed, a television, a small desk by the window, and a chair—nothing else could be found in the room. What excited Fei Hu most was that lying on the bed allowed him to see the azure sea.
The shower was decent enough! Of course, it couldn't compare to those back home. Fei Hu quickly finished washing up and changed into military green attire that made him look considerably more formidable. He threw a couple of punches in front of the mirror, feeling like a special forces soldier.
Just as Fei Hu was admiring himself, someone suddenly knocked on the door. When Fei Hu opened it, he saw Xiao Lan. It seemed she had already washed up; her beautiful hair was tied back neatly, and she wore a white casual sports shirt that made her look both fresh and lovely. Fei Hu stared at Xiao Lan, forgetting what he was about to do.
"What's wrong? Don't you want me to come in and sit for a while?" Xiao Lan smiled charmingly.
Fei Hu was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Come in and sit! Do I need to invite you?" As he spoke, he stepped aside to let Xiao Lan enter.
The room was a bit small, so Fei Hu and Xiao Lan sat on the edge of the bed. Xiao Lan smiled slightly and said, "It seems the situation here isn't that great; there's still some difference compared to the star-rated hotels back home."
Fei Hu thought for a moment and replied, "Maybe it's because we're not staying in a high-grade place; perhaps other levels would be different. But it doesn't matter; as long as we can sleep, that's fine. Besides, being close to the sea offers a nice view."
"Is that so? Don't forget why we're here. It looks calm now, but when we meet Cheng Yong tomorrow, we might not be able to sleep peacefully!" Xiao Lan said lightly as she glanced at Fei Hu.
Fei Hu sneered and said, "Who cares! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Things change unexpectedly; no one can predict what will happen." He thought to himself how strange it was for a maid to be concerned about such matters; he found Xiao Lan increasingly mysterious.
"Hey! Are you all ready? If you are, let's go down for dinner!" Tang Lan suddenly knocked on the door from outside.
Fei Hu quickly opened the door and smiled at Tang Lan, saying, "We're all set; let's go!" Tang Lan's outfit was almost identical to Xiao Lan's—both wore white casual sportswear. The two looked like sisters walking together, while Fei Hu's attire made him look like a proper security guard.
In the lobby on the first floor, Lisa had already prepared some dishes and was waiting for them. To Fei Hu's surprise, the food on the table was Chinese cuisine, which made him very happy. He hadn't eaten all day; in fact, he had been hungry on the plane but didn't want to say anything. The meal served on the flight was like a mosquito flying into a tiger's mouth. Anyway, Fei Hu had eaten it but felt nothing.
"Don't be polite; eat up! I know you're hungry, especially Fei Hu—he must be starving by now. The reason I chose this place is that they serve Chinese cuisine. If we stayed somewhere else, we definitely wouldn't get this. Since everyone just arrived and needs a good meal, I worried you two might not be used to the food here in Vietnam. The living conditions may be a bit lacking, but let's make do," Tang Lan explained, and Fei Hu understood why they chose this place to stay.
Anyway, Fei Hu was hungry; he devoured his food without savoring it. By the time he wanted to enjoy the flavors of the dishes properly, there were hardly any vegetables left on his plate. Tang Lan laughed at Lisa and said, "This is the cleanest I've ever eaten—nothing went to waste! Thank you for ordering such delicious food."
Lisa smiled and said, "It's not that the dishes I ordered are delicious, but rather that your Chinese chefs cook well." This woman, although her pronunciation was not perfect, was already doing remarkably well to speak Chinese so fluently.
Tang Lan suddenly asked Lisa, "We plan to find Cheng Yong tomorrow and catch him off guard. Do you think he will be prepared?"
"Tomorrow? Why not go today? Ouyang Hua knows a lot of people here. If word gets out, and they are prepared, it will be difficult for you. After all, she is more familiar with this place than you are. Besides, there are only three of you, and two are women with only one man. If something happens, you will be at a great disadvantage," Lisa said while gesturing, but everyone could understand her.
Tang Lan hesitated and glanced at Fei Hu. She sighed and said, "Have you all thought this through? I still want us to discuss our strategy tonight so we can fight with confidence. However, what Lisa said is also very important. If Cheng Yong finds out about our arrival, it could complicate things."
"Tang Zong, if we want to catch him off guard, I think we should set off now. If we stay here too long, it's inevitable that we'll leak information. It's better to act quickly," Fei Hu expressed her opinion first.
Strangely, Tang Lan did not make an immediate decision but looked at Xiao Lan, who silently nodded. Tang Lan sighed as if she had made a significant resolution and said, "Alright! Let's set off immediately. You two should prepare yourselves!"
Fei Hu thought to herself that there wasn't much to prepare for. Suddenly, she noticed a Swiss army knife for sale in the display case in the lobby. An idea struck her—why not take two of these? They might come in handy at a critical moment. Fei Hu walked over, and the staff babbled a lot to her. It was Lisa who was quick-witted; she came over and asked with a smile, "Do you want this knife?" Fei Hu nodded.
Lisa spoke a few words to the staff and bought two knives for Fei Hu. The size was just right; Fei Hu tucked them into her pants pocket where no one could see them. However, when buying the knives earlier, they didn't accept Renminbi; Lisa paid for them instead. Tang Lan naturally saw this and smiled at Fei Hu, saying, "It's fine; just put it on my tab."
With Lisa driving, after more than twenty minutes of travel along the coast, they arrived at a place resembling a resort. Once they drove in, there stood a five-story hotel with its name in Chinese and what seemed like Vietnamese written in parentheses below it. Fei Hu hadn't had time to read the hotel's name fully when Lisa parked directly at the entrance.
Fei Hu hurriedly followed Tang Lan out of the car. As soon as they entered the lobby, the staff immediately welcomed them. A woman who looked like the lobby manager approached with a walkie-talkie in hand and smiled as she said, "Tang Zong! Cheng Yong just arrived at his office; would you like me to notify him?"
Tang Lan waved her hand and replied, "Thank you, but I will go to his office myself." Upon hearing this, Fei Hu immediately understood that this was a purely Chinese-style hotel where even the staff were all Chinese. She felt a sense of familiarity wash over her.
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