"Because Poussoupon is also planning to build a railway."

Poussoupon, that is the name the King of Siam is known by.

Unlike Yan Daiqing’s demands, the King of Siam not only wants to update the domestic railway system but also intends to construct a cross-border railway that traverses through Siam and into S-country trading ports.

"Once the railway is built, it will bring multi-faceted benefits to Siam, such as an improvement in infrastructure, boosting the construction industry, stimulating tourism, reducing logistics costs, promoting regional agricultural and handicraft development, and optimizing regional supply and demand structures."

Tang Li understood about 70-80% of Song Baiyan’s analysis.

In summary, these would be the King’s political achievements.

Compared to billion-dollar export orders, a nationwide railway line is a visible measure that benefits the people, and as long as the railway is in use, the people of Siam will remember the reigning King of Siam.

Even though Tang Li was clueless about railway construction, she anticipated that this project would be expensive.

Siam’s economic level is probably insufficient to support this project.

So, funding for building the railway would have to come from loans.

This enormous loan cannot be recovered in just three or five years.

There’s even a need to prevent Siam from defaulting on the loan.

As for which unfortunate soul Siam set its sights on, the answer was becoming clear.

The King’s compromise with the Li Family already indicated where this loan would come from.

Tang Li, with her hands on Song Baiyan’s shoulders, instinctively clutched the shirt. After a moment of silence, she spoke, "Whether or not Siam arrests Isa is a game between the Li Family and the King of Siam, and it shouldn’t be up to you to act as the arbitrator."

Not only does this arbitrator have to smooth things over, but they also end up paying out of pocket.

Such a foolish thing isn’t suitable for Song Baiyan to do.

Moreover, there’s the mess in Nanwa.

"Having Yan Daiqing transfer Isa to S-country would be the same," Tang Li suggested.

This way, there wouldn’t be a need to haggle over the gains and losses from that pile of trouble.

According to S-country’s criminal law, Isa, if not sentenced to death, would still face life imprisonment.

But Song Baiyan said, "Isa’s crimes in Southeast Asia and even Europe and America are far more severe than those in S-country. Based on extradition treaties S-country has signed with some countries, they can request Isa’s extradition."

Although drug trafficking is a globally recognized crime, it doesn’t stop incompetent allies from emerging.

Isa isn’t just a poor, destitute drug dealer.

If Isa were extradited, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t use the opportunity to escape justice.

Therefore, letting the Siamese authorities prosecute Isa’s case is the best choice.

Given the current situation, Siam definitely wouldn’t quietly release Isa.

Song Baiyan added, "S-country has an excess of foreign exchange assets, so lending to Siam and Nanwa for railway construction is a wise use of resources."

More importantly—

"Promoting the Pan-Asian railway network wasn’t a decision made overnight."

From Song Baiyan’s words, Tang Li discerned a particular intent.

—S-country had long intended to build cross-border railways.

"S-country’s dependence on foreign oil, gas, and mineral resources is high, and constructing an inland transportation route not only reduces the risk of encountering pirates while passing through the strait but also shortens the route and saves logistical costs."

Hence, Yan Daiqing’s demand merely accelerated S-country’s plans.

The King’s involvement was a strategic response by Song Baiyan.

Nonetheless, Tang Li didn’t see it as a given.

Building an international railway is no small matter, and Song Baiyan’s immediate promise to the King undoubtedly meant making ’concessions’ in certain areas, a ’loss’ that could have been avoided.

These losses, in exchange, granted the Li Family the chance to reverse their case.

Song Baiyan not mentioning it didn’t mean she could pretend not to know.

Tang Li recalled Li Ling’s complaints—

It wasn’t that she was lucky. It was just that she had a good husband.

A husband who was willing to be serious about her.

Getting up from Song Baiyan’s lap, Tang Li entered the suite’s small kitchen.

In the fridge, there were semi-finished ramen noodles and vegetables.

Tang Li cooked a bowl of veggie and shredded meat noodles, then hid a fried egg at the bottom.

When she brought out the noodles, Song Baiyan was standing beside the desk lamp, holding two A4 sheets, seemingly comparing data analyses.

Tang Li placed the noodle bowl on the coffee table, and Song Baiyan glanced her way.

"I made this for you." Tang Li handed over the chopsticks.

"Weren’t you tired from the flight?"

"I’m okay."

There was only one bowl of noodles, and Tang Li hadn’t made herself a portion.

Song Baiyan placed the papers back on the desk and grasped Tang Li’s hand holding the chopsticks, "You’ve cooked noodles for me. Why didn’t you make a bowl for yourself too?"

"I’m just worried about gaining weight."

Song Baiyan: "..."

Realizing her intentions seemed a bit ’insidious,’ Tang Li added, "Your figure is great, and with how busy you are, you expend a lot of energy, so having a late-night snack occasionally won’t make you gain weight."

Song Baiyan chuckled, not letting her efforts go to waste.

When Song Baiyan sat back on the sofa, Tang Li squatted by the coffee table, too.

"If it’s not salty enough, I’ll grab some salt."

She seldom cooks nowadays, so inevitably she’s a bit unsure about her culinary skills.

Song Baiyan mixed the noodles and also prepared a fried egg.

In the quiet of the night, with a bowl of clear noodle soup and an egg, there’s already a sense of fulfillment and contentment.

"That’s about all I can make right now," Tang Li spoke again.

With those words, a gentle weight settled on her head.

It was a man’s large hand with a steel watch.

A somewhat coarse thumb brushed through her fine hair at the forehead: "Able to fry an egg without burning it—aren’t you more skillful than many girls your age?"

"..."

Tang Li murmured, "You see beauty in your lover’s eyes."

Song Baiyan laughed, not refuting.

Tang Li suddenly straightened up, leaned over, and planted a kiss on Song Baiyan’s cheek.

Then, she said, "I will repay you in the future."

The first step to repaying was sharing a bed. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

There were two bedrooms in the suite.

Song Baiyan suggested Tang Li sleep in the second bedroom, to prevent her from being disturbed early in the morning. Tang Li didn’t object at that moment, turned off the light, and just as Song Baiyan was about to sleep, the bed covers were lifted.

Before he could turn on the light, a soft and supple body slipped into the covers.

Song Baiyan moved his arm, effortlessly pulling her into his embrace.

The girl’s body had a gentle fragrance.

It was a familiar sensation to him.

Tang Li’s explanation came through the night: "The mattress in my room is too soft, it made my back hurt."

"It’s much better now." She said, snugging in closer.

Song Baiyan chuckled silently: "In the same suite but the mattress is different?"

"Probably because that room is often used, the mattress caved in,"

Having found a good reason, she urged, "Let’s sleep."

It was already two in the morning. Tang Li wasn’t there to cause mischief, she simply wanted to sleep together, inhaling the healthy male scent of Song Baiyan, she slowly closed her eyes.

To her—

This was good.

When she woke up, she was the only one left on the bed.

Tang Li put on a bathrobe and emerged from the master bedroom. Not long after, the doorbell rang, and she went to open the door—it was the hotel staff delivering lunch.

The desk had been tidied, and there was only a note on it.

On it was Song Baiyan’s message to her.

Song Baiyan had gone to a meeting and would probably return by ten in the evening.

The hotel had entertainment facilities.

Tang Li wasn’t in the mood for them; she just wanted to sleep again after lunch. She had eaten only half a plate of pasta when Ji Ming arrived and informed her that Queen Sithina had sent someone to invite her to the palace for a chat.

"Mr. Song mentioned that people from the palace might come, so he left a translator at the hotel."

Ji Ming added, "However, Mr. Song also instructed that if you’re unwilling to go, just say you’re feeling unwell, it’s not urgent."

Tang Li did not choose to be ’willful’ over this matter.

In the dressing room, aside from men’s clothes, there were also several dresses hanging.

Compared against her body, they were indeed her size.

Regarding the material of the dresses, most were lace, clearly reflecting a straight man’s aesthetic.

Clearly, the choice was obvious.

Tang Li picked a silk twill printed dress, ankle-length, and styled her shoulder-length black hair into soft curls, added a slightly bold makeup, giving her a touch of mature beauty.

With high heels on, she felt confident.

Seeing Tang Li’s attire, Ji Ming was secretly glad the King of Siam wasn’t at Chitralada Palace today.

It’s known that while this King of Siam was decent in other aspects, his one notorious flaw was his fondness for beautiful women.

Not just admiration, he liked to pull them into his own house.

At twenty, it’s the prime of a girl’s bloom.

In his reverence, Ji Ming had to admit Tang Li was extremely attractive, moreover, she was that type of atmosphere beauty.

Just by standing there, she made one feel she was striking.

Such attractiveness had nothing to do with facial features.

Even his own boss could be moved, and the King of Siam wouldn’t be the exception.

With the King of Siam not in the palace, unpleasant situations were avoided, otherwise, his own boss might return in displeasure.

When Tang Li met Queen Sithina, Ji Ming waited outside Chitralada Palace.

In less than half an hour, Tang Li came out.

After getting into the car, she informed Ji Ming, "The Queen told me the military has sent people to the Siamese-Myanmar border to negotiate with Yan Daiqing. If all goes well, Isa could be brought back tomorrow."

——

Goodnight!