"Two years ago," Ye Rui said.

Ye Yan continued to ask, "Why did you work at the club? As a member of the Ye Family, working in that kind of place, you make outsiders look down on us. Where do we put our face? Don’t we give you living expenses every month? Why still work?"

Ye Rui faltered, then simply bowed his head and said no more.

Ye Yan hated this sort of obsequious behavior the most, especially when it was his son displaying it.

"Didn’t you hear me asking you a question?"

Ye Rui hung his head even lower, "I haven’t had living expenses for a year."

He was not lying to him; as his illegitimate son, how could Xiang Zhen truly be generous enough to accommodate him? With Ye Yan often away from home, she naturally didn’t need to show any restraint, first reducing his living expenses, and then eventually cutting them off entirely.

But he didn’t care about these things; he had his own hands and feet and could get by very well on his own.

Upon hearing this, Ye Yan frowned, his thoughts quickly turning, and he could roughly guess what had happened.

He glanced at the bandage wrapped around his hand, "How did you know I was in that private room?"

And to appear precisely when he was in danger, no less.

Well aware of his suspicion, Ye Rui said, "I saw you enter when I was in the lobby, then later in the restroom, I heard those men in black talking. I was afraid something might happen, so I hid in the corridor outside and watched."

Ye Yan tapped lightly on the table, lost in thought for a moment, then looked at him with a sharp gaze, "You risked your life to save me, do you not blame me for neglecting you all these years?"

"No matter what, you are my father; I have also received many favors from the Ye Family over the years," Ye Rui said in a calm voice.

His response was impeccable, dissipating some of Ye Yan’s doubts, but he still did not fully trust him.

Changing the subject, he showed rare concern, "How’s the wound on your hand?"

Ye Rui, "It’s nothing serious, it’ll heal in a few days."

Ye Yan pulled open a drawer, took out a checkbook and pen, and with a flourish of the pen tip, he tore off a check and placed it on the table.

"Take this money for living expenses, and don’t go to the club anymore. As a member of the Ye Family, you should not do things that are beneath your status," his authoritative tone imbued with an unyielding authority.

Ye Rui didn’t move, his emotions inscrutable, "No need, I can take care of myself."

"Take care of yourself?"

Ye Yan scoffed, a hint of scorn in his voice, "By working as a waiter for someone else?"

"To let the people of the capital laugh at the Ye Family, to let them think we can’t even support our own people?"

Ye Rui kept his head down, offering no rebuttal.

"Take the money. You know my temperament well; I don’t like being defied over and over again."

Ye Rui remained silent, then after a long pause, he stepped forward, reached out, and took the check from the table.

"Thank you, Dad," he said softly.

Ye Yan’s expression softened slightly, and he gave him a once-over before suddenly remembering something.

"I saw you getting quite close to Jiuliang before. Do you get along well with her?"

Ye Rui said, "She has helped me. We don’t talk much usually, not close."

Ye Yan hummed, striking a fatherly tone, "Jiuliang is a bit stubborn but has a good nature. You can get closer to her."

Listening, Ye Rui nodded in agreement.

"Go back and rest early if there’s nothing else. I’ll have someone send you back. In the future, come to me directly if you face any difficulties," Ye Yan said, glancing at the time.

"Understood," Ye Rui said, bowing slightly before turning to leave.

As Ye Yan watched his figure disappear at the doorway, he shifted his gaze away indifferently.

If Ye Rui got closer to Ye Jiuliang, he could indeed be a valuable piece in the game. A well-played piece can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

...

Deep into the night, a subtle fragrance drifted through the air.

The warm light shone on the window, adding a touch of coziness to the deep night.

Ye Jiuliang walked in from the balcony, phone to his ear, "I understand. Proceed as planned, protect Wang Ren for now, and pin tonight’s incident on the Qingxuan Gang. Also, hijack the goods Wang Ren supplied to Ye Yan for me."

"Yes." Xue Wu, on the other end of the phone, remembered another matter, "Master Jiu, Ye Yan is secretly investigating Ye Rui."

A son taking the knife for his father, only to end up under suspicion and investigation—no wonder the son would turn against him.

Ye Jiuliang chuckled softly, his dark eyes glinting with a hint of coldness.

Ye Yan was naturally suspicious and didn’t trust anyone. It would have been strange if he hadn’t investigated Ye Rui.

"Let him investigate. You know what to do, right? I shouldn’t need to spell it out."

Xue Wu said, "Understood."

After hanging up, Ye Jiuliang placed his phone on the table to charge.

The day after tomorrow was his master’s death anniversary. How should he break the news to Mohan?

Truly vexing.

She raised her hand to massage her temples and leaned back, sinking into the soft bed.

It wasn’t long before the door opened, and familiar footsteps approached—no need to look to guess who it was.

The bed dipped beside her, and the next second, her slender body was embraced by strong, broad arms.

"Why the long face?" Li Mochan looked down at the person in his arms, his well-defined hand weaving through her hair.

"Got a problem? Tell your husband about it."

"Li Mochan, I had a full dinner tonight," Ye Jiuliang adjusted her position, settling comfortably in his arms, "so spare me the nausea, or I might throw up on you."

"You little rascal, asking for a lesson, huh?" Li Mochan’s hand, resting at her waist, mischievously slipped under the hem of her clothes.

Ye Jiuliang was shocked and quickly pulled his hand away, "Stop it, stop it, I need to tell you something."

"Don’t want to hear it." Li Mochan lowered his body, rubbing against her face, deliberately teasing her.

Ye Jiuliang leaned back and grabbed his pillow, "Then you can take the pillow to your study."

"Not going." Li Mochan snatched the pillow and tossed it aside.

He rested his forehead against hers, his voice low and husky, "I can’t sleep well without you."

Ye Jiuliang chuckled, "How did you sleep last night, then?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"I didn’t sleep well last night. I didn’t fall asleep until after four in the morning," he said with an earnest expression that left Ye Jiuliang speechless.

Especially that deep, resonant voice, which she had heard so many times and still had no immunity against.

Seeing the conversation veering off course again, Ye Jiuliang returned to the matter at hand, "Did you make a move on the Su Family?"

He hummed absentmindedly, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

"The Ye Family and the Su Family had a collaboration recently. Could you hold off on that collaboration for now?" Ye Jiuliang continued.

Li Mochan’s eyes narrowed slightly, "Did the old man tell you?"

The Ye Family really dared to abuse his tolerance time and time again, trying to exploit his family’s little wolf pup.

Heh, they truly stopped at nothing.

Ye Jiuliang nodded her head.

"Don’t want to deal with them?" he asked.

Ye Jiuliang raised an eyebrow, her tone sardonic, "Wait a bit longer."

Li Mochan gazed at her intently, responding in a deep tone with a simple "Okay."

As long as she wanted to do it, he was going to help her.