"Young Master..."

Ning Zheyuan awkwardly touched his nose again. Although he didn't know what the two had talked about before he arrived, it was easy to tell that he must have been their topic of conversation.

"Alright, alright, stop laughing, come in."

Xia Che finished laughing, clutched his stomach, and waved his hand. "There's water and a fruit platter on the table. Feel free to eat whatever you like."

"Young Master, I..."

Do you smoke?

Xia Che braced himself against the back of the sofa with one hand, nimbly flipped over, and sat on the sofa, naturally crossing his legs. A cigarette appeared in his mouth without him noticing. With a "ding," the lighter shot out a flame, and Xia Che bent down to light the cigarette.

This combo is natural and stylish.

He picked up the cigarette pack, waved it around, and looked at it questioningly.

"No need, young master, please listen to me first, I..."

"Hey, you got a new watch? Where did the old one go? Did you sell it?"

Xia Che knew what Ning Zheyuan was going to say. He didn't want to blame Ning Zheyuan, so a smile appeared in his eyes as he deliberately interrupted him.

“I didn’t sell it, it’s at home, young master! Listen to me first, don’t interrupt me again.”

Ning Zheyuan didn't understand what Xia Che was up to. In this situation, Xia Che not only didn't cause him any trouble, but was also trying his best to change the subject. This discovery made Ning Zheyuan feel even more guilty.

He knew that today's accident was just a misunderstanding, and that the young master was only thinking of him and didn't want to put him in a difficult position. But that's precisely why Ning Zheyuan felt even worse.

The master went abroad, but he didn't take the young master with him. Although the young master kept calling him a heartless old man, he understood that the master must have had some unspeakable difficulties.

The young master, who always considers others, has never been asked what his true thoughts are?

Thinking of this, Ning Zheyuan no longer hesitated, and his expression became serious and earnest.

Immediately, he took a few steps forward, walked up to Xia Che, and knelt down with a thud.

“This time it’s all my fault. I put the young master in danger. I am the leader of the Yan Yun Gang, but the one who posed a threat to the young master was the Yan Yun Gang. I cannot shirk my responsibility for this.”

"Young Master, please punish me according to the Xia family rules. Whatever the punishment, I will accept it!"

Ning Zheyuan gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

According to the Xia family rules, if any of the retainers make a mistake, they will be dealt with strictly according to the highest level of punishment. Therefore, Ning Zheyuan accepted whatever punishment was given.

Xia Che smoked a cigarette and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

He remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on Ning Zheyuan.

A heavy silence fell over the living room.

Ning Zheyuan was determined to accept the punishment. Since Xia Che didn't speak, he didn't say anything either, and stubbornly knelt on the ground.

After a long while, Xia Che let out a heavy sigh, exhaling a long breath that almost made him exhale his lungs.

"You...why do you have such a temper, like a stinking rock in a latrine?"

Xia Che shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "It's clearly not a big deal, never mind... Your temper is just like mine, or rather, it's me and you who are very similar."

"After all, when I was little, besides the four-colored rose, you were the one who spent the most time by my side."

When the past was mentioned, Xia Che's eyes softened.

Upon hearing this, Ning Zheyuan trembled, his eyes also filled with memories. Recalling that time more than ten years ago, a contented smile involuntarily appeared on Ning Zheyuan's lips.

"Get up. I really don't blame you. Tonight's events weren't entirely your fault, so I won't punish you. There's no need to argue about that. I won't change my mind."

Xia Che really didn't take today's incident to heart. It was just a misunderstanding. Did he really want Ning Zheyuan to die because of it?

To what extent...

"Young Master, this won't do!"

Ning Zheyuan looked up abruptly, wanting to say something more, but saw Xia Che raise his hand to interrupt him: "Have you forgotten what I just said? My temper is very similar to yours. You can't change what you've decided, and similarly, I can't change what I've decided."

Are you trying to force me to change my mind? To make me do something I don't want to do?

Xia Che asked with a smile.

"This...this old servant did not mean that."

Ning Zheyuan pursed his lips, wanting to refute but unable to find a rebuttal, and helplessly lowered his head.

"Get up. This is the second time I've said it. Don't make me repeat myself a third time."

Xia Che reached out and patted the person next to him: "Sit over here, and then tell me, who exactly is it that dislikes me so much and wants to kill me?"

Seeing that Xia Che had already said this much, Ning Zheyuan felt that if he insisted any further, he would only completely enrage the young master. Helpless, he could only stand up and drag himself to sit down next to Xia Che.

Yet, a deep sense of guilt lingered in his heart, making Ning Zheyuan feel restless and uneasy. He couldn't sit down completely; he could only sit on one side and quietly lift the other.

"It's like this, young master... no one wants to kill you, nor have you offended anyone. The situation is like this..."

Ning Zheyuan paused for a moment, then recounted his meeting with Li Junyang that night in detail.

Upon hearing this, Xia Che slowly nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Oh, I see...

He considered many possibilities, but he overlooked Li Junyang.

Unexpectedly, it was precisely this person I had overlooked who was the culprit behind tonight's blunder.

"That's all? You haven't even let the female lead see you clearly yet, and you're already trying to attack me?"

Xia Che sneered. Many things that he couldn't understand before suddenly made sense at this moment.

Looking back now, it's clear that Li Junyang was definitely behind Li Hu's daring to cause trouble for him.

So this kid hates me that much...

Xia Che had only been in this world for a short time, and he believed that his plan had not yet been fully implemented and that everything was just the beginning. Yet, Li Junyang had already reacted to this.

As expected.

He truly deserves to be called the biggest beast in the original work; his heart is as sharp as a needle's point.

Doesn't that mean anyone who annoys him has a way to get themselves killed?

“Young Master, I really didn’t know that you were the one who offended him at school. I was thinking of helping him with some things first, and then slowly gaining Li Junyang’s trust in order to get the money from Qingshan Real Estate. But he actually dared to target you. I think there’s no need to keep this person around any longer.”

Ning Zheyuan's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot: "A small Qingshan Real Estate, my Yanyun Gang can take it down in just one night!"

"If you take down Qingshan Real Estate, how will you make money?"

Xia Che looked at Ning Zheyuan with a smile, his words clearly carrying a hidden meaning.

"Then... what does Young Master mean?"

"Now inform Li Junyang that the plan is going smoothly, and then we'll turn the tables on him..."