After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

"Thank you so much, Boss Jiang," Gong Yuelong said sincerely.

He knew that without Jiang Yan's kind words and the face she gave him, there would definitely be a lot of trouble later on.

"It's not troublesome at all." Jiang Yan took a sip of her lemonade, her gaze falling on his face.

"You certainly know how to leverage power. You beat someone up, took the money, and then turned around and made me clean up the mess. It was all done so smoothly."

It was impossible to tell whether her words were praise or criticism.

"The situation forced me to," Gong Yuelong said frankly. "Fighting alone is useless; there has to be a resolution after the fighting is over. I can't resolve it myself, so I can only rely on Boss Jiang's help."

"The strength wasn't borrowed for nothing." Jiang Yan leaned back slightly.

"By relaying your message, I've essentially given you a stamp of approval from certain people."

"In the future, any trouble you encounter will, to some extent, be blamed on my poor judgment of character, Jiang Yan."

Gong Yuelong paused for a moment, then nodded: "I understand. So, I have to put in the effort properly, and not let Boss Jiang's stamp go to waste."

Jiang Yan looked at him, then suddenly smirked, "You're quite awake. There's been quite a commotion at the labor market, hasn't there?"

"Yes, a few foremen came over to chat with me," Gong Yuelong said without hiding anything.

Jiang Yan nodded, her expression relaxing.

He said calmly, "With Liu Heita's physique and Zhao Siyan's cunning, how did you manage to do it all by yourself?"

Who did they attack first? What kind of equipment did they use? Didn't they steal anything?

A series of questions were raised, which seemed less like an investigation into the details and more like an attempt to verify the details of a fascinating story.

The light in her eyes reminded Gong Yuelong of the way his female colleagues used to look when they heard thrilling gossip.

He paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and smiled:

"I didn't grab any weapons. Liu Heita started by talking, trying to put on airs. I grabbed his right hand and snapped it."

He tried to retaliate with his left hand, but was knocked unconscious. Zhao Siyan tried to run away, but broke his left calf.

He spoke calmly, without any embellishment.

Jiang Yan listened attentively, her eyebrows slightly raised, seemingly unsatisfied, and pressed for more information:

"That's it? There was no one else around? They just let you get so close?"

"Yes, there were three or four henchmen, but they didn't dare to make a move," Gong Yuelong added. "I kept an eye on them."

"Tsk." Jiang Yan uttered a soft syllable, leaning back in her chair and looking at Gong Yuelong with a hint of...admiration in her eyes.

"They're incredibly audacious. And incredibly ruthless. Twist it off? Barehanded?"

"Um."

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow:

"Barehanded? With Liu Heita's physique and Zhao Siyan's slippery nature, you think you can break bones and kick legs with just your bare hands?"

Gong Yuelong paused for a moment, then answered:

"I used to train in boxing for a few years. Before I went bankrupt, I hired a private coach and trained really hard."

Jiang Yan leaned forward slightly, her curiosity intensifying.

"You invited it yourself? You were thinking of fighting back then?"

Gong Yuelong shook his head, his voice deepening:

"Back then... I was pursuing my ex-wife. She was beautiful, and many men were after her. I figured that having money alone wasn't enough; I also needed to take care of my health."

He paused:

"Practice boxing, lift weights, hire the best personal trainers and push yourself to the limit."

Back then, I felt that a man should have the ability to protect people and be able to shoulder responsibilities.

She later came to me, and maybe... that was part of the reason.

Jiang Yan listened without saying a word.

Gong Yuelong twitched the corners of his mouth, the curve so faint it was almost invisible:

"Later, the company went bankrupt, and creditors blocked the door. When she left with her child... I didn't stop her. She couldn't even protect herself, so what was the point of talking about protecting others?"

Jiang Yan suddenly burst out laughing.

It wasn't mockery, but rather a kind of indescribable sigh.

"I honed all my skills, but failed to protect the person I wanted to protect..."

She shook her head. "In the end, all those skills were used to make a living. Gong Yuelong, your story is enough to write a book."

"And then what? You just say you'll pay compensation after the fight?"

Jiang Yan continued to press for answers, like an audience member urging a storyteller to continue.

"After we finished beating them and waited for them to recover, we talked about it," Gong Yuelong said. "Zhao Siyan still wanted to bargain."

"What did you say?"

I said forty thousand.

Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly, quickly picking up her lemonade to cover it up, but the smile in her eyes was undeniable.

"You know how to raise the price... and then he chickens out?"

"Yeah, I chickened out. I transferred the money." Gong Yuelong nodded.

Jiang Yan slowly drank her water, but her gaze never left Gong Yuelong's face.

It was as if she was piecing together her understanding of this man.

After a long while, she put down her cup and shook her head.

"Gong Yuelong, I used to think you were just a ruthless person driven to desperation by debt, someone who could endure hardship, had some cleverness, and was unconventional."

She paused, "What happened last night... you're not just ruthless, you're steady."

He knows when to go all out, how much to beat, how to collect payment afterward, and how to clean up the mess… Every step is meticulously planned; his mental calculations are far more precise than Zhao Siyan's.

This is not a polite compliment, but pure recognition.

She even added with a touch of self-deprecation: "If I were to do this kind of thing, I might not be able to do it so... cleanly and efficiently. Looking back and forth, calculating gains and losses, might just lead to dragging things out."

These words, spoken by Jiang Yan, carry immense weight.

Gong Yuelong was a little unsure how to respond to her praise, so he remained silent.

Jiang Yan didn't mind his silence and continued speaking, her tone more relaxed and slightly teasing:

"But then again, you've really made a name for yourself."

From now on, in that area in the north of the city, I doubt anyone will dare to easily stop your car or harm your people. You could say... a blessing in disguise?

"A hollow reputation," Gong Yuelong finally spoke, uttering two words.

Jiang Yan looked at him, her smile deepening:

"Even a false reputation is still a reputation. If used well, it becomes a real benefit. At least," she glanced out the window,

"Now it's much easier to find a few reliable people to do the work."

She slowly stopped laughing, sat up straight again, as if confirming something, and after a while:

"From today onwards, you, Gong Yuelong, belong to me, Jiang Yan."

Gong Yuelong looked up at her.

Jiang Yan smiled:

"I'm not following you for nothing. I'll give you the message, I'll support you, I'll show you the way. But you have to pave the way for me, do the job well, and turn the insight I've gained into a real reward."

She paused, her voice softening:

"Did you understand?"

Gong Yuelong looked at her for a long while, then nodded.

"clear."

Jiang Yan smiled contentedly, picked up her lemonade, and gently touched the glass in his hand to hers.

"That's good."

The cups touched, making a very soft sound.

She picked up her handbag and prepared to leave.

"I'm leaving." She stood up.

"Oh, right," she said, as if suddenly remembering something, a beautiful smile curving her lips.

"Next time there's something this exciting... remember to let me know in advance. Just hearing a retelling isn't quite the same."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Gong Yuelong sat alone in the same spot, facing the empty cup and the empty seat.

Jiang Yan's last words gave him a strange... sense of peace.

That wasn't praise from a superior to a subordinate; it was more like a skilled colleague genuinely complimenting another colleague on a particular professional skill.

He looked down at his hands.

Then he stood up and left the fast food restaurant.

The heatwave continues.