.X. Omu8 was taken aback by his words, and his face turned alternately pale and red, feeling extremely uncomfortable. After sitting for a while, he suddenly stood up with a "腾" sound, wanting to walk out the door, but as soon as his foot lifted off the ground, he sat back down, rubbing his face vigorously with his hands, as if trying to scrub away the layer of skin that made him feel so uncomfortable. After a long time, he finally said wearily: "Hao Ran, I don't want to argue with you. Just among the people eating under the Nie family's roof, there are hundreds of them, and the relationships involved are complex and intertwined. These people, they need to survive, and they won't tolerate anyone or anything that poses a threat. If they can't be subdued, then they will only be destroyed."

  He raised his eyes and looked at Du Haoran: "Haoran, you may have some skills in gambling, but after all, you are just a commoner with no power or influence. It's as easy to eliminate you as it is to step on an ant." He pointed at Ye Yiqi and Yu Bo: "Do you think these people respect you or fear you? Wrong, they respect and fear the Nie family, because you have the backing of the great mountain that is the Nie family. Without us, you are nothing, so don't talk to me about what's fair or not. Whoever has less power will be the one kneeling on the ground kowtowing."

  After finishing speaking, he stood up and said lightly: "I've only said this much, you think about it carefully. Give me an answer tomorrow." He lifted his foot and walked towards the door, but when he reached the door, he stopped again, turned around, and his gaze was somewhat stern. "Don't think about trying to escape, these alleys are all surrounded by people. With your skills and those of Du Wang and Du Nian, you won't be able to escape." After finishing speaking, he turned around and left, and this time, his footsteps were swift, no longer slow and labored as if carrying a heavy burden.

  Du Haoran had always been in a lazy state, comfortably sitting on the chair with an expression that seemed to be smiling but not quite. He quietly listened to Nie Bowen speak. After hearing him finish speaking and seeing him about to leave, his facial expression didn't change at all. It wasn't until Nie Bowen issued his final warning in a stern tone that Du Haoran's eyebrows slightly rose, and his gaze suddenly became sharp. The gazes of Du Wang and Du Nian towards Nie Bowen also turned cold.

  Du Haoran shifted his gaze to Du Wang and Du Nian, lightly shaking his head at them before slowly straightening up his body. He raised his wine cup towards Ye Yuqi, who was standing stunned beside him: "Come on, Old Master Ye, let's have a drink." After finishing speaking, he didn't even wait for Ye Yuqi to raise his cup before downing the wine in one gulp. Then, with a smack of his lips and a nod of his head, he said: "Good wine." He raised his empty cup again, this time gesturing towards Yu Bo, who was taken aback for a moment before hastily picking up the wine jug to refill Du Haoran's cup.

  As Nie Bowen's footsteps faded into the distance, Ye Yuqi finally raised his wine cup and slowly drank it down. He looked up at Du Haoran: "Du Gongzi, what are your plans next? If there is anything that requires our assistance from the Ye family, please don't hesitate to speak." Having gone through many experiences with Ye Zhuo, this old man had long become calm and composed in the face of threats like Nie Bowen. He was no longer surprised by changes and had also developed the courage to counter them.

  Du Haoran was somewhat surprised to hear this. Ordinary people would have avoided such a situation, and Ye Yuqi had not clarified the boundary with him in front of Nie Bowen earlier, which was already quite good. Unexpectedly, he still heard Ye Yuqi's willingness to help. However, Du Haoran quickly came to his senses: since the Ye family had an excellent child like Ye Zhuo, it seemed that Old Man Ye was also a broad-minded person, unlike ordinary people.

  It's not just ordinary anymore. It's a big deal, and there are some things he can't say clearly either.

  Du Haoran took the wine jug from Yu Bo's hand and personally poured a cup of wine for Ye Yiqi. He said, "Don't worry, Old Master Ye, I also have some self-defense methods at my disposal. Wanting to leave here isn't impossible, so you don't need to worry. Come, let's drink." After finishing speaking, he raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

  Although Du Haoran didn't say it clearly, he was able to say this much, which means he didn't treat the Ye family as outsiders, and his attitude was already quite frank. Ye Yuxi nodded slightly, drank the wine that Du Haoran had poured for him in one gulp, and stopped asking about the matter, instead asking about the dangers Du Haoran had encountered in the mountains.

  When asked this, Du forgot came in spirit, and with flying eyebrows and color, he described to Ye Yuqi how they fought against the pack of wolves.

  Ye Zhuo listened for a while, then quietly retreated and went out. In the kitchen, he picked up a jug of wine, walked around to the front hall's main door, and entered.

  Ye Yiqi smiled as soon as Ye Zhuo came in, saying: "Come on, come on, Zhuo'er, you come to toast Mr. Du for taking care of you. In the Nie family, if it weren't for him, it's a question whether you could have returned safely or not. Now you must thank him properly."

  Ye Zhuo saw Ye Yuqi bring up the matter again, and knew he was a bit drunk. She and Du Haoran had taken an aphrodisiac together, and it was unclear what had happened. How could he talk nonsense like this? She couldn't help but scold: "Grandfather, how much wine have you had? I think you're really drunk." She ordered Yu Bo: "Go, tell your mother to make some sobering soup."

  "Yes." Yu Bo ran out in a flash.

  Ye Zhuo then picked up the jug and poured a cup of wine for Du Haoran and the other two, then took another clean cup and filled it to the brim. He raised it towards Du Haoran, Du Wang and Du Nian, saying: "Ye Zhuo thanks Master Du, and the two elder brothers Du for their help." After finishing speaking, he drank it all in one gulp, and showed them the empty bottom of the cup.

  "Alright, Ye Niang is straightforward." Du Wangshu was the first to speak up.

  Du Haoran smiled on his face, glanced at Ye Zhuo, and also drank the cup in one gulp. Du Wang and Du Nian then emptied the wine in their cups.

  Ye Zhuo stood up and ordered a round of dishes for Du Haoran and the others, then watched as Ye Yuqi downed a bowl of drunken chicken soup before retreating.

  "My family's Zhuo'er has opened a workshop for designing jade carvings." Ye Yuqi rarely drank alcohol, but today he had a few cups with Du Haoran and was slightly drunk, starting to ramble on about Ye Zhuo's workshop and her apprentices.

  Du Haoran ate while carefully listening, and asked a few more questions about the places where Ye Yuqi was not detailed. After half an hour, he bid farewell and left.

  Yu's sister-in-law occasionally went in to add some dishes and pour more wine, and she heard all of this. She had often heard Guan Shi complain about Ye Zhuo's marriage, but she knew nothing about what happened to Ye Zhuo at the Nie residence. The Ye family treated their servants kindly, and after Du Haoran and his two companions left, Ye Yuqi was also escorted back home by Yu Bo, so Yu's sister-in-law secretly said to Ye Zhuo: "Miss, Young Master Du is very concerned about you, he asked a lot of questions about your clever thoughts pavilion and taking on disciples."

  Ye Zhuo's expressionless face glanced at her: "What about it?"

  "... Yu's sister was suddenly speechless. Even if Du Haoran cared about Ye Zhuo, what could he do? He didn't mention anything about marrying her. Since he didn't bring up the topic of marriage, how could the Ye family possibly take the initiative to send Ye Zhuo to his doorstep? By saying this, she put Ye Zhuo in an awkward position."

  She smiled and said: "Don't mind what I just said, Miss. It's nothing." After finishing speaking, she carried the remaining dishes and hastily retreated into the kitchen.

  (I had already organized the outline for the next part, but today I wrote halfway and suddenly felt that a new idea seemed better than the original one. After thinking carefully, I couldn't make sense of it, so I'll stop at 2,000 words for now. Thanks to 彳皮岸婲, bonniekong, and certain passerby number two for the pink votes!)

  xs.o