It was close to eight in the evening, within a private room in the entertainment wing of the Black God Gang's headquarters. Four men sat together, their faces alight with the joy of reunion. The table was laden with a feast of fine food and rare wines, clearly showing that Xu Ming and the others had been well prepared for this occasion.

"Heh heh, you guys! Knowing I was back, you immediately prepared such a spread of food and drink. Are you planning to go a little wild tonight?" Yang Yi felt a warm current flow through him, and he spoke with a faint smile.

"Hee hee.... Boss!" Xu Ming called out smoothly, "You have no idea how long we’ve been waiting for you to return. It’s been over two months, and ever since we heard about what happened to you over in Country R, we’ve been thrilled down to our very bones. We were barely restraining ourselves from chartering a jet to meet you there."

"That’s right, that’s right! Boss, was that fight against Miyamoto Taro intense?" Ye Xiaohou asked eagerly, seeming anxious to know the details.

"Mmm," Yang Yi hummed softly and replied, "We fought for over ten hours that night. Do you think that was intense or not?"

"Damn, over ten hours?" Ye Xiaohou and Xu Ming exclaimed in unison.

The chubby Lin, sitting nearby, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother Yi, if you fought for over ten hours, how many people must have died?"

"Uh! That’s hard to say precisely. Probably a few thousand people, give or take. And even more were injured." Yang Yi truly wasn't very clear on the later stages of the battle. That night, he had been unconscious after dealing with Miyamoto Taro, and he hadn't known much about what happened afterward; in any case, he had left the subsequent cleanup to Miyamoto Sakurako.

"Damn it, I really missed out on that..." Xu Ming slapped his thigh loudly, muttering his regret.

"I know. There must have been a battlefield where tens of thousands clashed that night—a kind of battlefield you rarely get to witness in a lifetime," Ye Xiaohou murmured.

Fatty Lin pursed his lips, glanced at Yang Yi, who was smiling broadly, and inquired, "Brother Yi, how many people were there in total that night? Just give us a rough estimate."

"Well... around twenty thousand, maybe," Yang Yi dropped this bombshell of information in a tone that suggested he barely cared.

"Holy crap! That's unreal!" The three of them exclaimed simultaneously.

Seeing their expressions, Yang Yi shook his head helplessly. "You guys... opportunities like that don't just vanish. Stop sulking with those regretful faces. Just work hard; you’ll have plenty more chances to see things in the future!"

"Right!" The three realized that this was true. After all, the Black God Gang was currently in a period of expansion, and they had plenty of time ahead of them for future spectacles.

Just then, the door to the private room opened, and two beautiful women walked in. Yang Yi set down his wine glass, turned his head to look, and smiled, "You two are here?"

"You jerk, you finally decided to come back?" Li Qian darted over, sat down next to Yang Yi, and playfully spat out the words.

"Heh heh, if I didn't come back, I’m afraid my so-called home would have turned into utter chaos because of you two, wouldn't it?" Yang Yi smiled faintly, completely ignoring the three men who had already lowered their heads and were focused on drinking.

"Don’t be so smug. Other people would be honored just to have us grace them with a visit; how dare you act like you're reluctant!" Xia Shiyun, despite having an intense urge to pounce on him and bite him right then, held back because the current company made it inappropriate. With a small pout, she chided Yang Yi.

"Haha!" The three men burst into loud laughter upon seeing Yang Yi look momentarily flustered.

Yang Yi shot the laughing trio a look, then turned to Xia Shiyun and said, "Come here, my dear, let me take a good look at you!"

"Smug! Who’s your dear?" Although Xia Shiyun said that, she was already moving towards Yang Yi.

Xu Ming and the others let out a collective gasp: "Whoa, Boss is showing off on you!"

"Heh heh, you guys can be jealous all you want!" Young Master Yang smirked wickedly, staring intently at the three of them, clearly flaunting it, as if determined to annoy them into fits.

Xu Ming seemed to be handling it better, as he already had a girlfriend at hand, but Fatty Lin and Ye Xiaohou looked decidedly glum, drinking heavily and pointedly ignoring Yang Yi’s smug gaze.

"Okay, okay, you bad boy, as soon as you're back, you start causing trouble!" Xia Shiyun gently pushed Yang Yi's hand away, her face flushed as she chided him.

"Uh! Haha!" Yang Yi laughed, momentarily taken aback, and said, "Come, everyone, let's toast—to our upcoming venture into the University Path."

"The University Path? What University Path?" The group asked, utterly confused by Yang Yi’s sudden proclamation.

"Going to college!"

"Ugh! Boss, you’re too much of a comedian. Going to college is going to college; why call it the University Path..." Xu Ming replied, sounding as if his simple nature hadn't quite caught up yet.

"Right... dear, I still don't know which university you chose?" Yang Yi asked Xia Shiyun.

"Yeah, yeah! Sister-in-law, which university did you apply to?" Xu Ming also asked, sounding quite concerned.

"Hehe..." Xia Shiyun smiled sweetly and said, "I'm afraid I have to apologize this time; I won't be at the same school as you, bad boy. However, I did apply to a school in Shanghai."

"Hmm?" Yang Yi frowned slightly.

Seeing his expression, Xia Shiyun’s heart twitched; she understood Yang Yi’s thoughts in that instant. Li Qian quickly stepped in to support her: "Yi, you should let Sister Shiyun finish explaining first."

"Then tell me," Yang Yi’s voice suddenly turned slightly hoarse. This was understandable; for any man, especially a romantic scoundrel like him, possessiveness ran deep. The thought that his Xia Shiyun might not be attending the same university as him implied the possibility of separation.

"Actually... I’m majoring in music, so I applied to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and moreover..." Hearing Yang Yi’s rough voice, Xia Shiyun felt an inexplicable urge to cry.

Xu Ming and the others, witnessing this, simply kept quiet. This was clearly not an issue they could interfere with, so they maintained their silence. Li Qian, seeing that Yang Yi’s expression hadn't softened much, quickly added, "Yi, Sister Shiyun has always had a special talent for music. And didn't you know? Sister Shiyun was the acknowledged musical genius from our First High School. Most importantly, Sister Shiyun's dream is to become a musician. Can’t you understand that about her?"

After hearing Li Qian’s explanation, Yang Yi was stunned. He realized he truly knew very little about Xia Shiyun. He constantly claimed to love her, to protect her, to cherish her, yet he didn't even know what her ambitions were. A wave of guilt washed over him. Looking at Xia Shiyun, who seemed on the verge of tears, he gently stroked her hair and pulled her into his embrace, saying softly, "It’s alright, my dear, I’m sorry! I thought I knew you so well, but in the end, I still seem so negligent!"

"Mmm? Don’t say that!" Xia Shiyun shook her head in his arms.

"Heh heh, if you love music, then you should definitely study it. I support you!" Yang Yi felt deeply apologetic, but at the same time, an unreadable thought crossed his mind, and a cold, captivating smile touched his lips.

"Okay, okay! It’s rare for us all to be together like this! Come on, a toast!" Fatty Lin shouted loudly, trying to break the somber mood.

"Yeah, there are still three days until school starts; no rush, no rush!" Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou chimed in, raising their glasses.

Yang Yi released Xia Shiyun and said, "You can go to the Conservatory of Music, but..."

"Pfft!" Xia Shiyun let out a sudden giggle, as if she understood what Yang Yi was about to say. She laughed, "Don't worry, you bad boy. The school I applied to is a Women's Conservatory of Music; there are no male students."

"Damn it!" Xu Ming and the others couldn't help but express their scorn for Yang Yi upon hearing this.

Yang Yi merely chuckled wryly, thinking to himself, Good thing. Damn it, if that bastard hadn't had the eyes to run off with my precious wife one day, wouldn't I be the one losing out? Even though I’m confident, it's wise to take precautions! He entertained these rather shameless thoughts while maintaining his cheerful facade.

And so, the evening passed amid the group's fervent joy. As for why Xia Shiyun chose music, Yang Yi didn't know her deeper intentions. In her heart, she believed that only music could lead the bond between her and Yang Yi forward. As for the reason behind that belief, that would require asking Xia Shiyun herself.

Following that night, over the next two days, Yang Yi mostly stayed at the Black God Gang headquarters, catching up on the achievements of Fatty Lin, Ye Xiaohou, and Xu Ming over the preceding two months. Thanks to the efforts of Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou, the ranks of both junior and senior gang members had undergone a complete transformation, yielding breakthrough results. As a consequence, the Black God Gang had established an excellent reputation, and its commercial operations were growing stronger by the day.

The entire Huadong region had effectively become the domain of the Black God Gang, an accomplishment that far exceeded Yang Yi's earlier projections. He expressed his satisfaction to the three of them: "Heh heh, you three have truly worked hard. In such a short time, you’ve surpassed my expectations."

"Gah-gah!" The three men scratched their heads sheepishly. If Crayon Shin-chan were present, they might have been mocked even harder, as their signature grin looked suspiciously similar to the cartoon character’s.

"Damn it!" Yang Yi muttered upon seeing their smiles. "Alright, go get ready. We need to leave for Shanghai early tomorrow morning."

"Yes!" The three replied in unison.

Thus, their college era was rapidly approaching. As for the life that awaited them there, and what they would encounter, that remained to be seen. How the Chinese Underworld would evolve, what the strength of China’s mysterious Eight Great Families truly entailed, what implications the Four Great Sects would introduce, and how the entities in Britain, the United States, and even Tata Lide in faraway Myanmar would view Yang Yi—these were mysteries that would take time to slowly unfold.