"No... no, Brother Chu, I feel great, I've never felt so comfortable before, this... this is the first time anyone has washed my feet..."

Ye Li wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her eyes red as she spoke.

"That's good, it's quite late, get some sleep."

Chu Ge smiled slightly, without telling Ye Li that this was also his first time washing someone else's feet. Although he couldn't be called particularly chauvinistic, he did have a bit of it, like how he especially hated washing dishes, thinking that washing dishes shouldn't be a man's job, which showed this point.

But today, after doing it, he felt like it was really no big deal.

After drying the water droplets from Ye Li's feet, Chu Ge smiled gently again and carried the water basin out of the bedroom.

He emptied the foot-washing water and washed both of their socks. By the time he returned to the bedroom, Ye Li had already crawled into bed.

Chu Ge looked at Ye Li, noticing her eyes were tightly closed, but her little fan-like eyelashes trembled slightly.

Chu Ge closed the bedroom door and lay down on the sofa in the living room. Since Ye Li insisted on staying here, she would sleep on the bed in the bedroom, and he would take the sofa in the living room.

A few minutes passed, and Chu Ge heard a few footsteps. The footsteps were very light and carried a bit of cautiousness.

"Brother Chu... Brother Chu?"

Ye Li softly called out, her voice as cautious as her footsteps.

Chu Ge pretended not to hear, closed his eyes, and remained silent.

Ye Li called out a few more times, but Chu Ge continued to remain silent, fully committed to pretending to be asleep.

After a few more minutes passed, Chu Ge heard Ye Li's footsteps again.

Ye Li returned to the bedroom, and then the room fell into silence.

Chu Ge let out a sigh of relief, opened his eyes, and looked at the ceiling in the darkness. However, before he could fully relax, he heard footsteps again, followed by a "click" sound.

Ye Li had turned on the living room light, and the bright light instantly dispelled the darkness in the room.

"Brother Chu, I know you're not asleep. Can you talk to me?" Ye Li walked to the side of the sofa and spoke softly.

Chu Ge continued pretending to be asleep. He had no doubt that if he opened his eyes, Ye Li would start talking about repaying him. He didn't need Ye Li to repay him for anything, and regarding this subject, he had nothing to say.

"Alright, Brother Chu, since you don't want to talk to me, I'll tell you a story. Remember when my mom was still around, she often told me stories to help me sleep."

Hearing Ye Li say this, Chu Ge felt a bit uncomfortable. It was a complex feeling, perhaps similar to what Luo Suyun said about the traits of Cancer men. Even though he understood his feelings, he couldn't describe them, like something that could only be sensed but not explained.

"Brother Chu, I'll tell you a story about the uselessness of expertise."

Ye Li paused for a moment and then began telling Chu Ge a story.

"There was a man from the Lu Kingdom who was good at making straw sandals, and his wife was good at weaving white silk. He wanted to move to the Yue Kingdom. His friend heard about this and immediately advised him, 'If I were you, I definitely wouldn't do this.'

"The man from the Lu Kingdom felt strange hearing this and asked his friend why."

"His friend told him, 'Because if you move to the Yue Kingdom, you will surely live in poverty.'

"The man from the Lu Kingdom didn't believe it and immediately retorted, 'Both my wife and I have skills. Even if we can't live in great wealth, we shouldn't live in poverty.'"

"This friend's friend shook his head and explained, 'You are good at making straw sandals, which are worn for walking, but the people of the Yue Kingdom are used to walking barefoot. Your wife is good at weaving white silk, which is used for making hats, yet the people of the Yue Kingdom prefer to let their hair down.'

"Hearing this, the man from the Lu Kingdom was stunned. If what his friend said was true, then he and his wife's skills would be of no use, and how could they lead a good life in the Yue Kingdom?"

"I remember laughing when my mom told me this story. I told my mom that the man from the Lu Kingdom was really naive, but my mom explained a moral to me."

"She told me that for someone to utilize their talents, they must align with the needs of the social environment. If they diverge from the needs of society, then their expertise becomes valueless. Therefore, we must decide our actions based on society's needs and better apply our talents."

"Mom's words seem close by, but it's a pity she's no longer here. Even though she was my adoptive mother, she was very, very kind to me. The day she passed, I was so heartbroken, yet I couldn't shed a single tear."

"I really hate myself. I don't even know what I'll be able to do in the future. With Mom gone, who else can tell me how to walk this path of life..."

Hearing this, Ye Li sighed, and Chu Ge felt even more uneasy.

Meanwhile, in the dead of night when almost everyone had already entered dreamland, Liu Weijiang was pacing anxiously in his room, and the ashtray on the table was filled with cigarette butts.

He initially thought Long Kun was just an ordinary businessman's son and not much of a big deal, but after separating from Chu Ge and making a few calls to inquire, he realized he might have underestimated the situation.

The reason Long Kun dared to be so arrogant was because he indeed had enough reasons to be so.

Having figured out this much, Long Kun was not only a formidable gang leader himself but also the son of Long Tao, the chairman of the Liger Group, who wielded considerable power.

Undoubtedly, Liu Weijiang had kicked an iron plate today and provoked someone influential. What made him even more anxious was that he had boasted in front of Chu Ge, promising Shen Houfu that he would absolutely not let Roman Holiday close down.

Today, he had finally established a connection with He Junming through Chu Ge, and he didn't want to mess it up.

After all, if he couldn't handle this properly and either Chu Ge or He Junming found out, they'd think he was just a braggart with no real skills – a complete waste.

If that were the case, all the efforts he had put in earlier would have been for naught.

"Click."

Liu Weijiang, distressed, finally heard the sound he longed for—the door opened.

He quickly stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and rushed out of the bedroom to greet a man entering, reeking of alcohol and burping drunkenly.

This man bore about seventy percent resemblance to Liu Weijiang, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle shining with oil, dressed in a neatly pressed suit, but his figure had become notably chubby, with a round belly pushing the white shirt inside the suit up high.

This person was none other than Liu Weijiang's father, Liu Yuan, currently the director of Lidu City's Bureau of Industry and Commerce.

"Dad! Dad! You're finally back!"

Rushing to the door, Liu Weijiang called eagerly, pinning all his hopes on his father.

As soon as he entered the room, Liu Yuan coughed a few times—the smoke in the room was indeed overwhelming. Seeing Liu Weijiang, he couldn't help but reprimand, "How many cigarettes have you smoked? Trying to choke me to death? Come on, spill it, what trouble have you gotten into this time?"

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Seeing Liu Weijiang come to him in the middle of the night, coupled with his tone, Liu Yuan knew his son was looking for him to clean up his mess again.

Liu Weijiang chuckled sheepishly, feeling unsure, and took the bag from Liu Yuan's hand, "Well... can't I miss you and come back to see you specifically?"

Liu Yuan snorted, amused, and just as he raised a hand to tap Liu Weijiang on the forehead, he suddenly noticed clear marks of being hit on Liu Weijiang's face, causing his pupils to constrict and suddenly becoming much more alert.

"You were beaten? Who did it? Daring to hit my son, Liu Yuan's son! This is lawlessness!"

Although Liu Weijiang was quite hopeless, unwilling to pursue politics or learn business, Liu Yuan only had this one son. Seeing his son get hit made his anger spike abruptly; his eyes widened, and his brows furrowed tightly.

Liu Weijiang originally wanted to discuss this matter with his father. Seeing Liu Yuan's attitude, he was secretly delighted and quickly followed up, "Dad, do you know Long Kun? The son of Long Tao, the chairman of the Liger Group. He's the one who brought people to attack me."

Upon hearing the name Long Tao, Liu Yuan instantly sobered up completely, the anger on his face turning to bemusement, and his brows deepening into a frown.

"Who? Long Kun? How on earth did you provoke him? What's going on? Tell me clearly."

Detecting the change in Liu Yuan's expression, Liu Weijiang's heart skipped a beat, realizing that the situation might be more complicated than he thought.

Under Liu Yuan's erratic gaze, Liu Weijiang recounted the events roughly. After he finished, Liu Yuan didn't immediately respond but sat down on a chair in the living room, as Liu Weijiang did earlier, smoking hard while deep in thought.

Liu Weijiang stood aside, feeling anxious yet dared not urge him, secretly praying his father wouldn't mess up at this critical moment.

After finishing the first cigarette, Liu Yuan lit a second one, causing Liu Weijiang's heart to sink further.

Several minutes passed until Liu Yuan firmly finished the second cigarette, then, rubbing his forehead irritably, he glanced over at Liu Weijiang, who didn't dare to even breathe deeply and was filled with anticipation and nervousness.

"You, you! You're going to drive me to my grave sooner or later! Sigh!"

Liu Weijiang said with a distressed face, "Dad, let's put that aside for now. I've already talked big. Can you handle this or not?"

"I'll give it a try, but I can't guarantee anything. All right, don't go back tonight. Sleep here, and I'll make a call in the morning to see."

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