At this moment, Liu Zhichen felt somewhat speechless. Old Master Liu had just said that a few days' delay was no issue, yet now he was saying not to waste the other party's time—this contradiction clearly signaled that he was being sent away.

Knowing this, Liu Zhichen still obediently left under the old master's stern gaze.

Only then did Old Master Liu nod with satisfaction and signal, "A-Liang, come over and call someone. Wang Guan will accompany you; he can certainly help you resolve this trouble."

"Brother Wang." Liu Liang rushed over quickly. He didn't care if Wang Guan was older than him; he just called him first. This typical "the one with milk is the mother" rogue nature was exactly why Liu Zhichen found him so irritating.

Wang Guan felt similarly, just not inclined to show it. He smiled and casually asked, "By the way, I still don't know, where do you live?"

"Not far, in Ezhou," Liu Liang quickly replied.

"Hmm?" Wang Guan was slightly surprised. The distance truly wasn't far; by train from the city, it would take at most two hours. What surprised Wang Guan was Ezhou itself—a place he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with...

His thoughts drifted for a moment before Wang Guan stood up and smiled, signaling, "Since that's the case, let's go then."

"So soon?"

"The sooner it's resolved, the sooner everyone can relax."

While speaking, Wang Guan bid farewell to Old Master Liu and called the junior office worker to come out. As for Liu Liang, he didn't need to be called; he was already trotting eagerly ahead to lead the way.

They first returned to the city center to buy train tickets. Once settled in their compartment, Wang Guan finally broke the silence. However, his conversation partner was not Liu Liang, but the junior office worker accompanying them.

Of course, the junior office worker wasn't truly meek; on the contrary, he possessed a somewhat fierce demeanor, otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to chase down Liu Liang alone. It was just that he wasn't as burly as Liu Zhichen, which is why he had been thoroughly suppressed. Now, outside the Liu family residence, he naturally felt a sense of relief and vindication. His gaze kept flicking toward Liu Liang with a rather malicious air.

Seeing this, Liu Liang immediately shrank back again, even preparing to loudly call for the railway police. Fortunately, nothing happened. At this point, Wang Guan spoke up, "What should I call you, big brother?"

"Li Gui."

As he spoke, Li Gui sneered, "I am the brother of the person he injured."

In an instant, Wang Guan finally understood why Liu Liang had fled all the way to Hukou, yet this man still pursued him across provincial lines—there was this connection. It seemed he wasn't just following orders but also seeking revenge for his brother.

Hearing this, Liu Liang almost managed to shrink himself completely into the seat.

"Let's talk things through calmly," Wang Guan, however, remained relatively composed. After a quick thought, he realized Li Gui might not genuinely be there for revenge. After all, if his brother were seriously hurt, he likely would have grabbed Liu Liang the moment he saw him, instead of being so calm now. Therefore, the talk of revenge was probably an excuse; the real objective was profit.

Perhaps Liu Liang hadn't been wrong; he truly was being shaken down. However, Wang Guan had no interest in digging into the rights and wrongs of the situation; he just needed to clean up this mess.

"Since I'm going with you now, we'll resolve it however it needs to be resolved then. No need to rush things."

Wang Guan smiled, "You understand the law. Don't let a moment of impulsive action turn a justified position into an unjustified one, ending up like him."

At this, Li Gui began to hesitate. He glared fiercely at Liu Liang, then fell silent.

What Wang Guan said was correct. Liu Liang was simply timid. He sold an urn box, and the other party misjudged the situation—in this matter, Liu Liang had the moral high ground and needn't be afraid. If the matter escalated, the other party would become a laughingstock. But because he was as timid as a mouse, he ended up pushing the man and running away, handing the other party a perfect piece of leverage.

Wang Guan shook his head inwardly. Seeing Li Gui quiet down, he also lapsed into silence, eventually closing his eyes as if dozing off.

The journey was uneventful. The train swayed, seemingly slow, but in reality, it arrived at its destination quite quickly. This place was Ezhou, known as the City of a Hundred Lakes, and the origin of the abbreviation for E Province.

It should be noted that the name of E Province's capital, Wuchang, originally belonged exclusively to Ezhou. During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Quan, King of Wu, traveling upstream along the river for his ambition of conquest, established his capital here with the meaning of 'be martial and prosper' (). From then on, this place became a royal seat until the early years of the Republic of China, when it was renamed Echeng and has been in continuous use since.

Of course, the issue of names wasn't a big deal, especially for Liu Liang and Li Gui, who were local-born and raised and wouldn't find anything special about it. At most, they might complain privately that if this place still used the name Wuchang, it might very well be the provincial capital now.

However, at this moment, they were surprised to discover that Wang Guan seemed quite familiar with this place. This familiarity wasn't just with the roads; he could even converse with the driver using passable local dialect—that was more than just a little familiar.

Noticing this, Liu Liang asked curiously, "Brother Wang, have you been here before?"

"I have," Wang Guan admitted with a nod, casually asking in return, "Where are we going now?"

This question was directed at Li Gui. He hesitated for a moment, immediately pulled out his phone to make a call, and after a while, turned back to say, "You're lucky. Fourth Brother is meeting someone at a nearby teahouse right now. He told us to come over."

After giving an address, Li Gui gave Liu Liang another cold sneer, making the latter increasingly uneasy. He subconsciously hurried closer to Wang Guan.

"Then let's go."

Wang Guan nodded and immediately took the front passenger seat in the taxi, leaving the other two men in the back seat glaring at each other. About seven or eight minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the teahouse Li Gui had mentioned.

When Wang Guan got out, he noticed there weren't many patrons. Perhaps the peak time for crowds had passed; looking across the ground floor hall, only a sparse handful of people were sipping tea and chatting.

"Second floor," Li Gui said casually, then stood behind Liu Liang as if afraid he would escape, urging him inside. Liu Liang naturally hesitated, his shifty eyes constantly darting outwards, clearly contemplating an opportunity to slip away and escape his troubles.

While the two were locked in this stalemate, Wang Guan paid them no mind and walked straight through the teahouse lobby, ascending the stairs to the second floor. The second floor was also a spacious hall, but the seating areas were separated by many strung bead curtains, serving as private booths.

Naturally, the atmosphere on the second floor was more refined. The surrounding windows were open; one side faced a highway with rushing traffic, while the other overlooked a lake. The water was quite clear, and many willow trees were planted along the banks.

As the saying goes, tall trees catch the wind, and so branches occasionally brushed past, drifting in through the window into the second-floor hall, bringing Wang Guan the sound of a crisp, pleasant chime.

"Where is that wind chime coming from?" Wang Guan's gaze instinctively flickered, and he was momentarily startled. In the center of the hall stood a Money Tree.

It was worth noting that this Money Tree was not a plant but a metal structure. The trunk, cast from sheet metal, was about two to three meters tall, branching out into numerous limbs, resembling a real tree. As for the leaves, they were countless golden copper coins, perhaps thousands or tens of thousands, hanging suspended among the branches.

A slight breeze drifted into the hall, making the "leaves" on the tree sway and collide, naturally producing that wind-chime resonance.

However, rather than calling it a Money Tree, it was more like a Feng Shui tree, one meant to attract wealth and treasure. Just as some shops liked to display a Maneki-neko (beckoning cat), having a Money Tree here to anchor the Feng Shui wasn't strange. So Wang Guan only glanced at it curiously before moving past, finally spotting several people seated by a window overlooking the lake.

At first glance, Wang Guan paused, then said with a touch of uncertainty, "Xing Qiu?"

"Who called me?"

At that moment, one of the men over there, a rather handsome youth with slightly long hair, looked over, a confused expression on his face.

"You are..."

When their eyes met, Xing Qiu also felt Wang Guan looked very familiar, but for a moment, he couldn't recall his name. This was quite normal; when people lose touch for a long time, memories fade. Even if the appearance is remembered, the name can be elusive.

Wang Guan understood this principle, so he wasn't offended. As he walked over, he smiled and reminded him, "I'm Wang Guan, remember?"

"Remember, of course I remember..." Instantly, Xing Qiu recalled, rushing forward with a genuinely warm smile, "It must be three years since we last met. You haven't changed at all."

"That's what I was about to say," Wang Guan replied with a smile, acknowledging the formality that their relationship was merely superficial acquaintances.

Thinking about it, if they hadn't contacted each other for two or three years, even close friends would grow distant, let alone the fact that their relationship hadn't been particularly deep two or three years ago—they were just colleagues who got along well.

Yes, they were colleagues—internship colleagues. During his final semester of university, Wang Guan interned at a company in Ezhou, staying for about three or four months. Xing Qiu was also an intern there, but they weren't classmates, nor did they attend the same university. So, after the internship ended, they naturally went their separate ways and lost contact.

It was quite fate that after not visiting Ezhou for several years, he would run into someone he knew right away.

Wang Guan was in good spirits, catching up with Xing Qiu, naturally talking about their respective jobs. Wang Guan didn't elaborate, vaguely mentioning that he was developing his career in Beijing and was now in Ezhou on business. Furthermore, he wasn't surprised to see Xing Qiu here, knowing he was a local, so developing his career back home after the internship was perfectly normal.

Just then, the others nearby, not wanting to be left out, were called upon by the leading middle-aged man: "Manager Xing, you have friends here. Ask them to join us for tea."

"Fourth Brother."

Simultaneously, Li Gui and Liu Liang slowly made their way up. This delay was mainly due to Li Gui urging and Liu Liang dragging his feet. But regardless, the two finally arrived, their reactions naturally varying.

Li Gui, having completed his task, was certainly happy, his smile wide and bright. Liu Liang, however, looked around apprehensively, ready to bolt if things looked unfavorable...