After the fake young master left home, he discovered that it wasn't raining at all outside.

On the dining table of Ye Yu's detached villa—

On the long table, a dazzling array of delicious food was laid out. The fact that such a large feast could be prepared to entertain guests in this remote mountain forest shows the host's thoughtfulness.

However, despite the abundance of delicious food laid out before them, and despite the exhaustion from their journey, Zhu Yan and the others still had no appetite to eat.

Being unfamiliar with the place and its inhabitants is one thing, but this is Ye Yu's territory, where the weather is unpredictable and hard to fathom.

"What, this fine wine and food isn't to your liking?" Ye Yu walked in, his black combat boots billowing in the wind, followed by two subordinates.

Seeing Ye Yu enter, Lu Ze stopped pretending and put down his chopsticks, saying, "Who knows if you've put something in this dish?"

Ye Yu had anticipated this scene, so he found an empty seat, grabbed the empty bowls and chopsticks on the table, and began to eat heartily.

"You kids are so young, but you're all so suspicious. Aren't you tired of this?" Ye Yu complained as he ate.

Ye Yu ate so recklessly, it seems these dishes are indeed safe and won't be their last meal before execution.

Even so, they still had no appetite.

"You don't look that old, why are you pretending to be a mature man?" Xu Zhiyuan rolled his eyes at Ye Yu.

Ye Yu continued chewing his food, and simply smiled at Xu Zhiyuan's question, "Really? It seems that I'm over 30 and still look young, not bad."

30 years old?!

Everyone present unconsciously glanced at Ye Yu a few more times.

Upon closer inspection, Ye Yu's face does indeed bear the marks of time, especially the scar on his face, which adds to his mature charm.

Ye Yu put down his chopsticks, poured himself a glass of water, drank half of it, and then instructed the people beside him, "You all go out and keep watch outside. Don't disturb my conversation with our distinguished guest."

The two men who had followed Ye Yu in earlier exchanged a quick glance, responded, and led their men out.

As soon as they stepped out of the gate, one of them sneaked to the tree outside the villa, looked around to make sure it was safe, and then took out his phone to make a call.

"Brother Wu, Ye Yu did bring the people back to his residence, and he treated them to good food and drink. They were all quite well-behaved. You can bring them over now."

"Alright, you keep a close eye on him. If anything goes wrong, you'll be held responsible!" Wu Yongjun's tone was full of threat.

"Don't worry, Angkor, I'll stay here until you arrive."

……

Inside the restaurant, Ye Yu was the only one eating at the table, wolfing down his food without caring about his image at all.

"Can you even eat like a human being?" Zhu Yan was afraid he would choke to death.

"It's quite delicious, want to try some? Don't waste it." Ye Yu didn't care at all about the disdainful looks from Zhu Yan and the others, and instead ate with even more relish.

"After eating so many lavish meals, for some reason, this one is still the most delicious." Ye Yu put down his cutlery, pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and turned to look at Zhu Yan. "Maybe it's because... you're here this time."

A lonely smile suddenly appeared on Ye Yu's lips.

Banquet:…

"Tsk, what's with all those expressions? I invited you all to my house today, why are you all so serious? Come on, cheers, give me a smile."

Zhu Yan and others strongly suspected that Ye Yu suffered from schizophrenia.

Although none of them touched their chopsticks to eat, they still made sure to drink, though none of them raised their glasses, leaving Ye Yu with only one lonely hand hanging in the air.

Ye Yu didn't feel embarrassed. He withdrew his hand, took a sip himself, and silently counted down in his mind:

Five, four, three, two, one.

Sure enough, at the last second, everyone present, except Ye Yu, collapsed onto the dining table.

Ye Yu sighed deeply and looked down at Zhu Yan, who was closest to him.

Zhu Yan rested her right hand on the table, tilted her head to the side and nestled it in her arm, her eyes gently closed. Ye Yu leaned down and could even clearly see Zhu Yan's long, curved eyelashes.

"The way she looks when she's asleep is quite similar to how she was when she was little," Ye Yu murmured to himself.

"You were cutest back then, blinking your clear eyes and looking at me with such curiosity. You were so adorable." A beautiful image floated into Ye Yu's mind, and he was so immersed in it that he unconsciously smiled even more.

As Ye Yu watched, he became engrossed in the scene. His long, scarred fingers involuntarily rose, intending to touch Zhu Yan's cheek, but he suddenly stopped less than a centimeter away from her skin.

"Ha, forget it. How could I, covered in filth, possibly defile your pure and flawless beauty..."

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Ye Yu's lips.

He withdrew his rough, wind-eroded fingers and looked at Zhu Yan with even more tenderness, trying to use his soft gaze to caress Zhu Yan instead of his hands.

"Ah Sen, come out." Ye Yu sighed, hesitated for a moment, and then called out, "Now take them and leave from the back, never to come back. But remember, take good care of him for me."

Ye Yu's gaze towards Zhu Yan still held a hint of reluctance.

"Brother Yu, come with me." Ah Sen was unwilling to leave alone.

Ye Yu's gaze suddenly turned serious, and his tone grew colder, "Ah Sen, are you going to disobey this last order I'm giving you?"

"But……"

"Get out of here, don't make me say it a second time." Ye Yu lost his patience.

Left with no other choice, Asen had to compromise. But just as he was about to step forward and carry Zhu Yan on his back, Zhu Yan suddenly reached out and grabbed Ye Yu.

"Aren't you going to explain this to your guests again?" Zhu Yan's eyes showed no trace of the dazed look after taking the drug; instead, they were sharper than ever before.

Not only Zhu Yan, but also Xu Zhiyuan, Lu Ze, and everyone else got up from the table and looked at Ye Yu with serious expressions.

Ye Yu was taken aback by Zhu Yan's action, but in the end he could only smile helplessly, "Sure enough, it's true that you're naturally suspicious."

Ye Yu put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the back of the chair.

"What do you mean by 'when I was little'? How much do you know about the Black Rose Organization?" Zhu Yan just wanted to know what Ye Yu meant by his strange mutterings. "Answer me."

"It's nothing." Ye Yu didn't want to explain too much. "Just get some sleep, and when you wake up, you can go back."

As soon as Ye Yu finished speaking, he took out a small syringe from his pocket and, with lightning speed, inserted it into Zhu Yan's neck. He caught it steadily, and Zhu Yan fell into his arms.

Those dirty and vile malicious intentions should not taint you.

"Young Master!"

"..."

The others panicked and immediately stood up from their seats, ready to fight Ye Yu.

"Don't worry, he's just asleep." Ye Yu pushed Zhu Yan into Xu Zhiyuan's arms. "It's good that you're awake. Take him away right away. The car is ready. Let's leave here immediately, as far away as possible."

Ye Yu's actions left everyone completely bewildered.

"What are you all standing there for? You were in such a hurry to leave before, and now that we're kicking you out, are you still not leaving?" Ye Yu said impatiently, his tone becoming harsher. "Ah Sen, take them away!"

Everyone was focused on Zhu Yan's safety. It seemed that this place was really dangerous, so the most urgent task was to get Zhu Yan away.

At this moment, Ye Yu was all alone in the restaurant, and he was so lonely that he could only keep company with his own shadow.

Little one, I saved your life, and you saved mine once too.

But this time, I took advantage of you.

I owe you, and I hope I'll have the chance to repay you in the next life.

P.S.: The next few chapters might be a bit rough, because I need to resolve the questions left over from the beginning and make the whole story more complete, so it will be more plot-driven.

As some readers might have guessed, the purpose of the complete storyline is to lead to the ending. Yes, this book is nearing its end. When I first started writing, I didn't intend to finish it. It's the encouragement and love of all you readers that has brought me to this point. Thank you all.

This book has completed the story of Qingmang Mountain. There are probably one or two more plots left, but the ending has already been planned. It may seem a bit hasty, but when I first wrote the first chapter, I had almost finished all the plots I had imagined. I don't know what else to write, but I still want to put a period to this story. I don't know if Tomato will approve it.

I've recently started working on my second book, "Global Admiration: My Subordinates Are All Loyal Dogs." This book was actually conceived earlier than Ayan's, but the implementation is delayed because I feel sorry for the male protagonist; he's a classic example of a handsome, strong, and tragic character. If you're interested, you can check it out!