Lin Rou Rou, looking happy, said, "Who's your wife? I haven't agreed to marry you yet."
"You can't be serious! Are you planning to fall for someone else?" Ye Qian pretended to be heartbroken. "That would shatter my fragile heart."
"You're the one who's not serious. Only you would fall for someone else; I wouldn't," Lin Rou Rou retorted, giving him a sideways glance.
Ye Qian chuckled and said, "No way. My heart for you is as clear as the sun and moon. This life, I won't marry anyone but you."
Just then, four young men walked towards them, led by Li Dong, whom Ye Qian had dealt with twice before. Seeing him, Ye Qian smiled slightly, thinking that Li Dong had come to bring him money. "Mr. Ye!" Li Dong greeted politely when he reached Ye Qian.
Ye Qian nodded and turned to his foster father, saying, "Dad, you and Xiaoxue wait in the car. I'll be back after I have a chat with my friend."
His foster father glanced at Li Dong and his companions, noting they didn't look like good people, but he trusted Ye Qian's judgment. He nodded and got into the car with Han Xue. Ye Qian glanced at Li Dong and walked aside. Li Dong and the others hurriedly followed.
"Mr. Ye, we've prepared the money you asked for. Here's 20,000. I hope it's enough?" Li Dong said respectfully, handing over a package wrapped in kraft paper.
Ye Qian took it, glanced at it, and then pulled out a few bills before handing it back. "Consider this my treat for you and your brothers. We're all out here hustling, seeing each other often. Let's be friends."
Li Dong was overjoyed but worried that Ye Qian might find the amount insufficient. He dared not accept it and asked cautiously, "Brother Ye, do you think it's too little? I can get more."
Ye Qian smiled wryly, "I said take it. But I do need a favor. Can you help?"
Seeing that Ye Qian was sincere, Li Dong hurriedly accepted the money and said, "Brother Ye, just tell me what you need. I'll do anything I can."
"It's nothing serious," Ye Qian said. "I just need to borrow your car for a day. My dad is being discharged, and there's a lot of luggage. It's inconvenient to take a taxi."
Li Dong, relieved that it was such a small request, readily agreed, "Of course, Brother Ye. Take it."
"No need. Just come by my place tomorrow afternoon to pick it up," Ye Qian said, then turned and walked back to the car. After a few steps, he stopped and turned, saying, "If you don't mind, just call me by my name. I'm the second child in my family, so calling me 'Second Brother' is fine too."
"Yes, yes, Second Brother, take care!" Li Dong said excitedly. Having spent some time in the underworld, Li Dong could tell Ye Qian wasn't simple. Witnessing what happened at the "Drunken" bar and knowing Ye Qian had a friend like Wang Hu, Li Dong suspected Ye Qian was not just an ordinary security guard. He believed Ye Qian would rise to prominence someday. Li Dong was more than willing to befriend Ye Qian, seeing it as beneficial for his future.
"Second Brother?" Ye Qian murmured, reminiscing about the days when his friends called him that when he first started in the underworld. He realized Li Dong wasn't a particularly bad person and thought it would be helpful to have him as an ally in SH City. Satisfied with Li Dong's reaction, Ye Qian nodded approvingly.
After having lunch with his foster father and Han Xue at a nearby restaurant, Ye Qian took them home. Initially, his foster father objected, saying eating out was wasteful, but Ye Qian's persistent persuasion won him over. Ye Qian argued it was a celebration for his father's discharge, and a bit of indulgence was justified.
In the afternoon, Ye Qian stayed home, having taken the half-day off. He chatted with his foster father while Han Xue went to her room to study for her upcoming exams. Since her foster father's hospitalization, Han Xue had had little time to study, so she needed to catch up.
Around five in the afternoon, Ye Qian informed his foster father he was heading to school. His foster father, understanding, reminded him to return early.
Catching a taxi, Ye Qian soon arrived at the gate of XX Foreign Language College. As he got out, he saw a boy with a mischievous smile walking towards him. Recognizing him, Ye Qian chuckled and muttered, "Wow, that was quick."
"Boss, long time no see," the boy said with a grin.
"Don't tell me you've been secretly watching me," Ye Qian said.
"Of course not. I've been secretly protecting you. You're our Wolf Fang leader. We couldn't just let you come to China alone," the boy said with a smile.
"Damn!" Ye Qian shook his head. He had indeed relaxed too much these days, not noticing he was being followed. "How did you know I was in China? I just notified you guys."
"Boss, you've become soft, lost in the comfort of a woman's embrace. Did you forget our phones are equipped with GPS? We always know where you are," the boy replied.