Shang Yan just came out of the west, and after a moment of seriousness, he resumed his usual carefree attitude, smiling obsequiously: "Even if I lost to that guy in the dark alley, didn't Old Lady Buddha always say not to judge heroes by their wins or losses? I'm sure Imperial Aunt won't change her impression of my majestic image just because of this, right?"

  This is Shangguan's usual despicable style, he can scold his opponents to death without taking off his clothes, he can lie down and work without sitting up, he advocates for the cunning rabbit's three holes, and will not easily put himself in a situation where he has to ride a tiger, he would rather lose face than suffer, people call him a villain, but he is always able to create big troubles, they call him a treacherous hero, but he doesn't have the broad-mindedness and tolerance of a great hero.

  "A hero is not judged by success or failure. You've probably been thinking about how to be a despicable villain who bullies men and women since you were young, haven't you?" Zhūyèqīng remained unmoved, calm as an ancient well, and quietly walked out of the dog fighting arena.

  Go shout at Chen Ergou's bald-headed Mong Chong, to tell the truth, if it weren't for the crippled old fox, Yan Weibai, who was hiding behind the scenes, and the long-braided old cripple's unparalleled quick knife, Mong Chong would have thrown Shang Jiamu, this young man with ulterior motives towards his master, into the Huangpu River or drowned him in the Qiantang River.

  Chen Ergou, Wei Chi Gongde, Chen Qingzhi, Chen Yuanshu, and six battle-hardened bodyguards, if they were to engage in a real fight without the beautiful and alluring Zhu Yeqing, Chen Ergou's side would still have a slight advantage. After all, if Bai Ma Tan Hua had a knife that night, Chen Ergou wouldn't have even had the chance to make a move. With or without a knife, Chen Qingzhi was a completely different person. He believed that he could take on the powerful Sun Laohu in a bare-handed fight and emerge with only minor injuries. But if he had a gun or a convenient knife, it would be a different story altogether. Moreover, Wei Chi Gongde had not stopped practicing his internal martial arts for 20 years, and after mastering the pure and refined techniques of the inner family fist, even though his physical body was weak and frail with age, he could still easily defeat his opponents with minimal effort. With the support of Chen Yuanshu, Fang Jia, and Qian Lao Yezi's three factions, Chen Ergou had plenty of confidence. The second time he faced Zhu Yeqing, he didn't feel the same fear and unease as before, but he still couldn't afford to be careless. He glanced at Shang Jiamu, who was sizing up Chen Yuanshu with a look of disdain, then turned his gaze back to Zhu Yeqing and smiled: "What brings you here?"

  "It seems that Wei Gonggong's death is not enough to let you take his place, but for now it's unclear whether the Wei family will reject a tiger at the front door only to welcome a wolf at the back door. Nanjing is indeed your lucky place, completing your original accumulation so quickly." Zhu Ye Qing said with a smile, observing with a mix of playfulness and cold detachment.

  "I'm not a freeloader." Chen Ergou smiled sincerely, his eyes clear and bright. This didn't seem like the acting skills that a young schemer could have honed, but who would have thought that he had an older brother who was a master of pretending to be crazy for over 20 years? Under his influence, Chen Ergou's ability to pretend to be stupid wasn't at its peak, but it couldn't be considered immature either. It was much more vivid and persuasive than Shang Jianwu's clumsy attempts at self-taught acting.

  "It's a bit early to say anything now, but ungrateful people will never show their true colors too early." Zhu Ye Qing smiled and said: "I stopped you because I wanted to tell you that if you can't handle this matter, I'll take care of it for you. Just a heads up, don't force yourself if you can't handle it, indigestion can be fatal."

  "Kids who grew up in the countryside, when eating something to fill their stomachs, never paid attention to cleanliness, unlike you city people who even need to wash a sweet potato or fruit multiple times before eating. I just pick it up and stuff it directly into my mouth, so after eating dirty things for a long time, my intestines are not finicky, therefore I'm not afraid of indigestion."

  Chen Ergou's words were already very clear, and the meat of the Dog Fighting Arena was too dirty and difficult to swallow, but he had to swallow it down. Looking at the woman with a look of disdain, Chen Ergou knew that for this powerful woman who controlled life and death, just using words would be enough to shake her almost unshakeable heart. Chen Ergou didn't bother to use fancy language to avoid giving her the impression that he was boastful, so he directly said: "So can I understand that you came to Nanjing this time to rob money, grain, and territory?"

  Zhu Ye Qing seemed to be amused by this description, and smiled slightly, saying: "More or less, but I don't snatch women, so you can rest assured on that point."

  "Is there no room for maneuver?" Chen Ergou asked tentatively, perhaps because he was used to being a small-time citizen and wouldn't dare to be ruthless to the point of cutting down everything without leaving any room. The killing of Guo Qie and Xia He had already pushed Chen Ergou's rationality and emotions to their limits. Moreover, he felt that Zhu Ye Qing was much more difficult to deal with than those two, and just standing in front of him made Chen Ergou almost breathless. In terms of cunning and strategy, this seemingly neurotic beauty was not inferior to Qian Lao Yezi. How could he fight her? Chen Ergou, even as a rogue, didn't want to risk being defeated by Zhu Ye Qing's enormous ambition when his own foundation was unstable. Therefore, the best approach was to stall for time.

  But Zhu Ye Qing gently shook her head.

  Chen Erdou sighed in his heart and sat back in his brand new Audi A4, frowning tightly.

  "It doesn't seem like there's anything special about it." Merchant Wu continued to fiddle with the Zippo lighter that had some years on it.

  "Presence is also determined by the person, if Li Ka-shing stood alone in front of you, he would just be an old man with some age, could he still show you his majestic demeanor? Huang Guangyu, and Yang Guoqiang and Zhou Zhengyi from a few years ago, you might have seen them at the Mission Hills or on the Langham yacht, aside from their empty title as the richest person, at first glance, they probably wouldn't leave a deeper impression than Meng Chong."

  Bamboo Leaf Qing gazed at the dust-raising cars and sighed softly, saying: "Your grandfather's servant, Old Immortal Dan Tai Fu Ping, is an anomaly. That's because he debuted at 14 and dominated the Jianghu for over 40 years. The aura of a corpse heap and the Buddhist scriptures' influence have created a unique atmosphere around him. Who can match his experience and temperament? Even Wild Fox Chan would be a master if he reached that realm. It's no wonder it doesn't take much effort to converse with that old fox who has attained enlightenment, especially with your grandfather, that great Qing dynasty elder, standing behind him, exuding an aura of authority."

  "Huangfu auntie, you're so charismatic, wherever you go, you're the center of attention." Shang Jia Wu hurriedly flattered her.

  "If you would apply your cleverness to more serious and important things, who knows, you might achieve great success. But I think your flippant and cunning nature is something that can't be changed in a lifetime. Zheng Xie said that it's impossible for mice to pretend to be tigers, but you're the opposite - with the bones of a tiger, you insist on acting like a mouse. Is playing tricks and pretending to be something you're not really so interesting? Be careful, or one day you'll truly become a mouse." Zhu Ye Qing said coldly, clearly disapproving of Shang Jian Wu's frivolous attitude.

  "Even if I'm useless, I can still have a bowl of rice to eat. Don't worry, if all else fails, I'll just rely on eating soft rice to pass the days. Old Lady Buddha has intentions for me to be the manager of the Zhejiang Merchant Rich Wife Club, she must have seen my potential in this aspect. Auntie Huangfu, rest assured, as long as I don't give up on you, I won't marry an old wife." Shang Jiamu said with a smile.

  Bamboo leaves are helpless, and indeed only such a guy who walks the side door left path can be called brother with Shanghai's big young master Fang Yiming.

  Chen Ergou drove his Audi to Cao Jingjian's new home, which she had been busy renovating and decorating for some time. She oversaw every detail, from the layout of the rooms to the selection of ashtrays and bookshelves. The final result was a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom, and one-balcony apartment. The living room was particularly spacious, as everyone knew it would be Chen Ergou's future marital home.

  Cao Jingjian had even managed to get the decoration company to secretly give her a huge huanghuali wood bookshelf, which she paired with over 400 books she had selected, including some rare ancient volumes from Shanhua Huamen. The bookshelf took up an entire wall in the living room and looked magnificent.

  Wang Huren also somehow managed to procure four fake paintings, including "Loshen Fu Tu" and "Changjiang Jixue Tu", which were so realistic they seemed authentic. Fang Jie contributed a set of purple sandalwood tea tables, a set of Longquan celadon, and a set of Jingdezhen white porcelain tea sets, all of which were simple yet elegant.

  Zhou Jingzhen even gave Cao Jingjian an antique celadon fish tank that he had treasured for years, replacing the small blue fish with two red carp. The fish tank was filled with Nanjing's most beautiful rain flower stones.

  The living room was sparsely decorated, with only a bookshelf, four paintings, a tea table, a set of tea utensils, and two purple sandalwood chairs. At first, Chen Ergou felt the space was too empty, but as he stood there, he felt a sense of elegance, like the "leaving blank" in the painting "Hanjing Dufu Tu". The decoration workers, who were mostly uneducated like Chen Ergou, couldn't help but marvel at Cao Jingjian's refined taste.

  The kitchen utensils didn't make Cao Jingqian tired, nowadays these kinds of products are not expensive at all. The few tens of thousands of yuan that Chen Ergou had left were enough to cover the expenses. Although they didn't have to spend a lot on bathroom and kitchen supplies because of the house problem, every single item was carefully selected by Cao Jingqian after comparing high, medium, and low-end products in various shopping malls. Her perfectionism and cleanliness were fully demonstrated during this process. She could spend an entire afternoon browsing through a 5-story home goods market to find the perfect curtains or bookshelf for her study. By the time Cao Jingqian felt that she had basically finished, she had almost covered all the markets in Nanjing. With her memory, she could draw a complete map of home furnishings suitable for couples of all social classes.

  Who would have thought that the magnificent Cao and Han families, with their 30-year history of only one person receiving Old Man Han's red envelope money, would produce an outstanding successor who would use advanced economic principles and obscure psychological tactics to haggle over a man for the first time? Who would have thought that this proud woman, who had been aloof for 26 years, would learn from housewives at the vegetable market how to pick fresh vegetables in order to save tens of dollars and jump with joy?

  When God wants to take a man's life, he makes him mad. If He wants to drive a wise and intelligent woman crazy, perhaps the only way is to make her fall in love with a man.

  When Chen Erdou stopped the car under the building, Cao Jingjian had just sent away the decoration workers half an hour ago and was busy carefully measuring the floor of the master bedroom. The bed was a German-designed brand, Cao Jingjian liked its simple style, and the key point was that the bed board was harder, she estimated that Chen Erdou, who was used to sleeping on a hardboard bed, would not feel awkward or uncomfortable. Except for the study which had not yet reached her desired effect, this already had the shape of a home. Cao Jingjian let out a breath and sat on the floor leaning against the wall, feeling very satisfied.

  Her cheeks felt a refreshing breeze, Cao Jing knew that Chen Ergou was fanning her with a book. She opened her eyes, stretched out her hand to rub Chen Ergou's forehead and smiled: "Worried about something?"

  "I can handle it." Chen Ergou didn't deny it either, sitting quietly beside Cao Jingjian, looking up at the exquisite chandelier she had carefully selected, feeling warm in his heart, as if he had returned to the past when he was in Zhangjiacun. No matter what he did, he always had Chen Fugui and his mother's support behind him. Now that his mother was no longer around, Fugui had joined the army and started his own life, but heaven sent him a woman who had been tossing and turning, seeking but not finding. He knew that no matter what he did outside during the day, when he returned to that nest, there would always be someone waiting for him. A city with a lamp lit just for him was the most luxurious thing he thought since coming to the big city.

  "After I returned to Shenyang from Nanjing last time, I regretted letting you take this road."

  Cao Jing wrapped her hands around her knees and said softly, "But now it seems that neither of us has taken the wrong path. If you had taken a purely commercial route from the start, not to mention one year, even three years may not have achieved today's results. The most important thing is that in one year, you have already met Wei Duan Gong, Chen Yuan Shu, Fang Jie, Guo Ge Lu, Xia He, Qian Zi Xiang, and so on. Whether it was a lesson or an opportunity, whether it was a fall or a rise, you are still young, and they are all precious wealth. Later, you will leave Nanjing, leave the Yangtze River Delta, leave the southeastern coast, and meet more vivid and lively characters than movies or hearsay. Their every word and action is far more profound than my stiff guidance to you."

  "I'm not young anymore, many guys at my age have already made a name for themselves, but the saying 'establishing a family and starting a career' is quite right, first establish a family then start a career, with you by my side I'm not in a hurry." Chen Ergou said with a smile, his mind was filled with the image of Shang Jia Wu, who was about the same age as him. Chen Ergou felt a little regretful that he couldn't learn from that man's innate arrogance and complacency, whether it was Wei Duan Gong or Qian Lao Ye Zi, they were all people who were one or even three rounds above him, Chen Ergou hunched his back but didn't feel too ashamed, but Shang Jia Wu was different, the dangerous aura of this young man made Chen Ergou very uncomfortable.

  "Why not take advantage of the situation now, you should strike while the iron is hot and make a concerted effort to take down Nanjing. Once Wang Jiefang goes to Shanghai to retrieve Xia He's core documents on Pudong International Investment, hurry up and grab as much as you can, eat as much as you can, if your mouth can't hold it all, use chopsticks to pick it up. Whatever you do, don't let Qian Zixiang and Fang Jie take the lion's share."

  Ts'ao Ching-teh sighed and said: "The mind must not be agitated, but the strokes of the brush must be swift as lightning."

  "I'll listen to my wife." Chen Ergou said with a smile.

  Here is the translation:

  "Cao didn't bother to reason with Chen Ergou's teasing, and said seriously: "A 17-year-old young man from Shantou with 4,000 yuan, in 20 years, became China's richest man three times. In '05, he was worth 14 billion on the Hurun list, and by '08, his wealth soared to 43 billion? Doesn't it sound like a fairy tale? A man kidnapped someone and single-handedly broke into that person's home, lifted up his shirt, revealing explosives all over his body, and demanded 2 billion yuan. In the end, he took away tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars, worth 1 billion yuan. The first young man to make a name for himself in Beijing was Huang Guangyu, the second was Zhang Zhiqiang, and the person whose son was kidnapped was Li Ka-shing. Doesn't it sound like a huge joke? But this is life, just not our own lives. Ergou, for men from poor backgrounds, there are only two kinds of people: those with ambition and those without. Many with ambition have made it big, but many have also died in vain. Those without ambition will forever be stuck at the bottom, envying the rich because money, cars, houses, and beautiful women will always belong to others. For these people, the stories I tell are just that - stories they can never attain in their lifetime. I don't look down on them, but I hope they can at least teach their children two things: refinement and ambition."

  Cultivation and ambition.

  Chen Ergou has always wanted to create a business that would make his descendants proud and not inferior to city people after he moved to the big city, but he never thought about what exactly he should teach them.

  "But perhaps poor people can also live comfortably in their own way, and that's a kind of completeness and happiness that doesn't allow others to point fingers." Cao Jingqiu said with self-mockery.

  "Wife, you're still like the first impression you gave me in Zhangjiashan, speaking with a lot of big principles, but it sounds pleasant to the ear, and it's easy to understand. Is this what they call 'returning to simplicity'? In the future when we have kids, education is up to you, if the kid does something wrong and you can't bear to scold them, just give me a look and I'll take care of playing the bad guy." Chen Erdou said with a smile.

  "Does what you say count?" Cao Jing's eyes were soft and gentle, her head lightly resting on Chen Ergou's shoulder, the smile at the corner of her mouth was as moving as a jar of 20-year-old daughter red wine.

  "Of course." Chen Ergou nodded and said.

  The atmosphere was warm and cozy, and Chen Ergou, who had been hiding his true intentions since early morning, seized the opportunity to hold up Cao Jing's face, which was as beautiful as a green bamboo leaf. He kissed her gently, starting from her eyebrows, then her nose, and finally her fragrant lips, which were as tender as rose petals. Although Cao Jing was a bit reserved at first, she couldn't resist after the first kiss, and with a blushing face, she let Chen Ergou do as he pleased. This was the second time in Cao Jing's 26 years that she had kissed someone, and it was still a bit awkward. However, Chen Ergou seemed to have a natural talent for this, and soon he successfully removed Cao Jing's black-framed glasses, allowing their faces to be closer together without any obstacles. Chen Ergou's skills in this area seemed to be on par with his knife-throwing abilities, and even the normally reserved Cao Jing gradually let her guard down, slightly taking the initiative to respond to Chen Ergou's advances, which were cleverly disguised as innocent and harmless.

  No idea how, Chen Ergou actually carried Cao Jingjing to the bed, and with a heart full of joy, prepared to go further. Just as Chen Ergou's paws were quietly and cleverly reaching for Cao Jingjing, she suddenly felt her body floating in mid-air, only to land heavily on the floor.

  Her cheeks were flushed, her clothes disheveled as she lay on the bed. Although she was gritting her teeth with hatred towards a certain someone who had gotten under her skin, her autumn water-like eyes sparkled with spring-like intentions. The kind of charming and alluring demeanor that could make any man risk his life to pounce on her like a starving tiger.