Sitting in the car, Yang Yi rested his cheek on his hand, gazing out at the passing scenery. Murong Lianxue, perhaps exhausted from the day, had curled up in his arms and fallen into a deep sleep, her sleeping posture utterly endearing. Even Li Qian, sitting beside them, couldn't help but smile faintly, yet after glancing at Yang Yi’s perpetually stern expression, she seemed to know exactly what was on his mind. Unable to offer any practical help regarding the gang’s affairs, she simply drew closer, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Yi, this truly feels like you're back," Li Qian whispered softly.

Yang Yi turned his head to look at her, a slight easing in his heart, and returned a faint smile. "Don't worry, I am truly back."

"Mmm!" Li Qian gave a soft hum, pressing herself a little closer to Yang Yi, settling right against him.

Lin Pangzi and Ye Xiaohou, seated nearby, let out an awkward groan and quickly averted their gazes.

Meanwhile, over on another side, Han Zhong had already dropped Xu Ming and Liu Qingqing off at school. After getting out of the car, Xu Ming told Han Zhong, "Uncle Han, you head back first. I'll be there shortly."

"Alright!" Han Zhong acknowledged and drove away.

Xu Ming's expression softened slightly, though a nervous tension still held him. Liu Qingqing seemed equally affected; her face held a faint blush, and she could clearly feel her heart pounding wildly—thump! thump!

"Shall I walk you to your dorm?" Xu Ming asked with a slightly foolish smile.

"Yes," Liu Qingqing replied, falling into step beside him.

They walked in silence for a while. As the distance between them shortened, neither spoke, but the atmosphere grew increasingly taut. Both felt as if their hearts might leap right out of their chests.

"Qingqing," Xu Ming suddenly stopped and called out softly.

"Mmm?" Liu Qingqing responded, halting her steps too, but she didn't turn around. Her face grew hotter, as if she instinctively knew what was about to happen.

Xu Ming attempted to compose himself, taking a deep breath. To quell his rising anxiety, he clenched his fists and spoke. "Qingqing, I like you!"

Buzz! Liu Qingqing’s mind instantly went blank, filled only with the echoing sound of his words: Qingqing, I like you. Qingqing, I like you....

"Qingqing..." Xu Ming called out again, then continued, "Actually, I fell for you during our last gathering. I never found the right moment to confess, but today, I don't want to miss it again."

Liu Qingqing trembled slightly and lowered her head, seemingly listening quietly to his confession.

Seeing this, Xu Ming took another deep breath. The tension that gripped him seemed to vanish the moment he uttered those words. He pressed on, "I know I'm heading to university soon, and you still have a year left, but... I'm scared. I’m afraid that if I let this chance pass, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life, so..."

Before Xu Ming could finish, Liu Qingqing turned to face him. Her cheeks were flushed crimson, but her eyes were brimming with tears—tears whose nature, whether of joy or sorrow, seemed yet undetermined. She took a step toward Xu Ming, closing the final distance. Seeing his slightly bewildered expression, her tears flowed faster. Yang Yi quickly embraced her, allowing her to cry into his shoulder. At the same moment, knowing Liu Qingqing's feelings, a smile flashed across Xu Ming's face.

"Hey, Number Two, do you think Number Three deliberately arranged to take Liu Qingqing home today just to sort out things between them?" Ye Xiaohou whispered to Lin Pangzi in the car.

"How would I know? But, I guess so..."

"Damn, sob, Number Two, what are the odds of Number Three succeeding?"

"I don't know either. It all really depends on Liu Qingqing..."

"The success rate is one hundred percent. Qingqing likes Xu Ming too," Li Qian chimed in, smiling faintly as she overheard their discussion about Xu Ming and Liu Qingqing, tilting her head up to address the two of them.

"Uh—really?" Lin Pangzi and Ye Xiaohou looked astonished.

"Yes, absolutely true. I just don't know how they'll handle it now, especially since Xu Ming is going to college; they’ll definitely be separated by distance. Sigh, poor Qingqing," Li Qian said quietly.

Yang Yi, who had maintained his cold demeanor beside her, showed a slight twitch in his brow upon hearing this. He said nothing, merely glancing down at Murong Lianxue sleeping in his arms. Sometimes, he truly envied her—she was just a child, free of worry and burdened by so few troubles.

Li Qian seemed to sense Yang Yi's shift in mood, tightening her hold on him and smiling gently as she rested her head back on his shoulder.

"It’s been five months since I last saw her. I wonder how she is doing?" Yang Yi subconsciously thought of someone else, letting out a quiet sigh. When it came to her, Yang Yi admitted he had been rather passive. After the car traveled for another few minutes, they arrived at the headquarters of the Black God Gang. Yang Yi carried Murong Lianxue toward the building entrance.

"Mmm? Brother Yi, is it morning yet?" As Yang Yi gently placed Murong Lianxue on his bed, she seemed to wake up.

"No, hehe, be a good girl, Lianxue, go back to sleep," Yang Yi said with a soft, gentle smile.

"Mmm, good night, Brother Yi!" Murong Lianxue was truly exhausted today. Despite her formidable strength, she was, after all, still a child.

Seeing Murong Lianxue drift back to sleep, Yang Yi stood up, slowly closed the door, and his expression immediately turned grave. He walked to his office, scanned everyone present, and returned to the seat he hadn't occupied in five months.

"Has Lin Bai arrived?" His voice was ice-cold, leaving no room for refusal, which made Feng Shi flinch.

"Young Master, he is waiting outside," Feng Shi replied.

"Send him in."

"Yes!"

Noticing the shift in Yang Yi's demeanor, Li Qian moved to his side and stood there quietly. Yang Yi shot her a sharp look, then took his seat, understanding what she was thinking.

It wasn't long before Lin Bai entered, looking panicked. He bowed with a cupped fist and knelt halfway. "Your subordinate greets the Dragon Lord."

"Rise," Yang Yi commanded sharply, taking a deep breath. "Do you know why I summoned you here today?"

"This subordinate managed things poorly; I beg the Dragon Lord for punishment!" Lin Bai immediately sank to his knees again the moment he stood up. He felt an inexpressible fear toward Yang Yi—a youth not yet twenty years old who had single-handedly taken down the two major gangs in A City overnight. He had also heard about the events in Jiangsu, and what shocked him most was how the Black God Gang had grown so powerful in just over a year, now comparable to other national-level gangs in Huaxia.

"So you know. Then tell me, how should I punish you?" Yang Yi narrowed his eyes, his expression remaining frigid.

"I..." Lin Bai truly couldn't speak. It was indeed his mismanagement that led his own men to extort the Dragon Lord of his own gang—a capital offense.

"Get up." Yang Yi took a deep breath. His primary concern wasn't how to punish Lin Bai, but rather how to establish a more effective system of control over the Black God Gang.

Within the Black God Gang, every member, whether peripheral, junior, or senior, underwent rigorous screening. Only those who met the standards were considered true members. These members received a monthly stipend without any required work other than light errands; they were not involved in major decisions. Such lapses in oversight were giving Yang Yi a headache.

"Yes!" Lin Bai obeyed and stood up, head still bowed. He dared not meet Yang Yi’s gaze, feeling unworthy and deeply ashamed.

Yang Yi remained silent for a moment in contemplation. Suddenly, he stood up and addressed Lin Bai, Feng Shi, and Han Zhong, who had entered behind them. "Effective immediately, you will issue an announcement: All peripheral members of the Black God Gang must adhere strictly to the established gang regulations. If any incident similar to today’s recurs, there will be no leniency in punishment. Furthermore... all current peripheral members of the Black God Gang must undergo a strict re-screening. I don't care what methods you use, but every potential error must be eliminated, or you will bring your heads to me."

"Yes!" the group responded in unison.

"How is the development in Jiangsu proceeding lately?" Yang Yi inquired.

"Reporting to the Dragon Lord, Jiangsu’s development is now entirely managed by Zhou Hu and is gradually getting on track," Han Zhong replied.

"Mmm." Yang Yi held high regard for Zhou Hu's competence; after all, he had once been a regional overlord. But then he seemed to recall something else and asked, "After sweeping the Black Dragon Society’s headquarters in Jiangsu, did you find Zhou Ming?"

"No. We completely cleared out the Black Dragon Society headquarters that day and did not see Zhou Ming. Zhou Hu himself led the sweep."

Indeed, during the raid on the Black Dragon Society headquarters in Jiangsu, Zhou Hu had not found Zhou Ming. For him, the annihilation of the Black Dragon Society, which had long held leverage over him, was gratification enough.

"It seems I’ll have to make another trip to Jiangsu soon. But that’s fine; I need to go there anyway. For now, I need to settle matters here," Yang Yi muttered inwardly. After a moment of thought, he continued, "Have there been any anomalies regarding the Lai Sai family?"

"No anomalies whatsoever. According to the data reported by Long Yi, the Mafia does not yet seem intent on moving against the Lai Sai family."

"Mmm, I see." Yang Yi felt that the challenges were piling up: first, securing their foothold in the Huaxia underworld; second, dealing with the remnants of the Black Dragon Society; and now, keeping an eye on the Mafia far away in Britain. The situation felt slightly disadvantageous...