"Let's leave it at that for now. I don't need a place to stay or money right now, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Just like I said before, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll come find you when you have time."

Xia Che stroked Cao Ying's head and gave her instructions. Her smooth red hair felt like the finest silk.

"No, the Xia family has treated you like this, why should I still work for them? I'm quitting!"

Cao Ying turned her head away angrily.

"Listen to me, what did I just tell you?"

Xia Che said helplessly, "My business is my business, don't let it affect you."

"But what they did to you was too much!"

Cao Ying remained unwilling.

"Scarface said that there might be another reason why the old man left me in the country. Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed a bit unusual that they left the country in such a hurry and did not even have time to take the Xia family's assets with them."

Seeing Cao Ying's resolute attitude, Xia Che felt a headache coming on. He could only offer his guesses to temporarily appease her: "I will figure these things out, but before that, don't be too impulsive. Just do what you're supposed to do, okay?"

"I see..."

Cao Ying was a fearless little devil, but Xia Che's words were the only ones that resonated with her, causing her to hesitate immediately.

"Listen to me, when have I ever lied to you?"

Xia Che noticed that Cao Ying's tone had softened, so he pressed his advantage.

"...Okay, you're right, I'll listen to you then."

Cao Ying reluctantly agreed, then added, "But you have to promise me that if anything goes wrong, you must notify me immediately and not try to handle it all by yourself."

"Okay, okay, I promise you."

Xia Che breathed a sigh of relief and smiled helplessly.

"That's more like it..."

Cao Ying hummed softly, completely satisfied.

"Alright, I'll head back now. I need to talk to Cigarette Scar about what happened tonight... Oh! I remember now, what are you planning to do about tonight?"

Emerging from the joy of reuniting with Xia Che, Cao Ying finally remembered what foolish things the Yan Yun Gang had done that night.

"Go back and rest. You don't need to tell Cigarette Scar."

Xia Che paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Have him come to my house, and I'll talk to him personally."

His tone was calm, but a sharp glint flashed in his slightly narrowed eyes.

Xia Che really wanted to know who could bribe the Yan Yun Gang to turn against him.

Who exactly is it...?

Why do you hate yourself so much?

Judging from the methods used, the other party must have some money; the price that could get the Yan Yun Gang to take action was not cheap.

However, these wealthy people do not seem to have a high status in Jiang City. At the very least, they are not among the core figures at the top of the Jiang City Chamber of Commerce.

Otherwise, knowing their identities, they wouldn't have attacked them.

After all, even if the Xia family abandoned him, he still had Xia family blood flowing through his veins, and if they tried to harm him, the Xia family would definitely intervene.

Even assuming they were going to attack me, they wouldn't just send a few low-level thugs from the Yan Yun Gang. They would send highly skilled fighters to ensure a fatal blow. They certainly wouldn't use members of the Yan Yun Gang, because someone at a certain level knows who the real mastermind behind the Yan Yun Gang is.

How can a slave beat his master?

There are too many suspicious points here.

"I see."

Cao Ying nodded as if she understood, though she wasn't quite sure. She was also quite clever and could roughly understand what Xia Che was planning. After glancing at the time and realizing that it was indeed very late, Cao Ying smiled and waved to Xia Che, "Then I'll be going now? But before that, come over here for a bit."

"what?"

Xia Che was puzzled, but he still went over.

Cao Ying stood with her hands behind her back, looking shy and timid. Suddenly, she took a few steps forward, and Xia Che smelled a fragrant breeze on his face. Then, he felt a light kiss on his cheek.

It's soft and chewy, and seems to have a pleasant aroma.

"Okay, this is a little gift I haven't seen in a long time, hehe... I'm going now!"

With a flushed face, Cao Ying grabbed the two unconscious subordinates by the ankles and ran away in a flash.

Despite her claims of liking male models and her seemingly open-minded nature, Cao Ying's heart has always belonged only to Xia Che.

Anyone would feel shy if they could kiss someone they like.

"This girl..."

Xia Che touched his cheek in a daze, where the warmth of Cao Ying's lips still lingered. He then shook his head and smiled helplessly.

After all these years, you still have that same quirky and mischievous personality.

Time hasn't changed her, which is good.

...

Lishi Quyuan.

After returning home, Xia Che took a quick shower, then wrapped himself in a bathrobe and went to the living room. He opened the refrigerator, looked around, and after a moment's thought, put the wine back and replaced it with mineral water.

It's late at night, and I don't really feel like drinking.

"Hey, you blondie, you've been busy since earlier... what are you planning to do?"

A rabbit's head appeared on the sofa, and then a fair hand reached out and lifted the rabbit's head, revealing Chu Yuying's delicate face, who looked at her with a suspicious expression.

She was watching TV in the living room when she saw Xia Che come back and bustling around, then go to the kitchen to cut fruit, as if he was going to entertain someone.

But it's so late now, who else would come?

"Rabbit pajamas? I didn't know you had such a childlike heart."

Xia Che placed a plate of sliced ​​fruit on the table, glanced at it, and then smiled as he looked away.

"Tch, I'm a girl, okay? It's weird to have a childlike heart."

Chu Yuying rolled her eyes at him, the suspicion in her eyes still lingering: "Quickly tell me the truth! What are you going to do? Who's coming later?"

"I'm warning you, Sister Xiaoyue... uh, Brother Xiaoyue is already asleep. You're not allowed to bring back any shady characters like yourself. If you wake Brother Xiaoyue up, I'll beat you up."

Chu Yuying raised her small, white fist and shook it. Although it was a threat, her demeanor looked more like she was being coquettish.

"Brother Yue is asleep so early? Where's his sister?"

Xia Che finished arranging the food, then glanced back at Yu Shiyue's room and asked curiously.

As for his own questionable assessment...

Xia Che pretended not to hear.

"She went back a long time ago, and there's nowhere for her to stay overnight. I can't expect her to sleep with me, can I?"

Chu Yuying jumped off the sofa, slipped on her slippers, and ran over, picking up a strawberry from a plate and popping it into her mouth. "Tell me quickly, who's coming?"

“A friend, male.”

Xia Che rolled his eyes in annoyance at Chu Yuying's petty theft right in front of him.

"A man? Who is he? Is he handsome? Can I meet him?"

Chu Yuying's curiosity was instantly piqued.