Some women have slept with a man for years, even decades, and suddenly realized they never understood their husband. Cao Qiangying had been in Zhangjiashan for less than two years, but when she gazed at Chen Ergou's peaceful face as he slept, she felt like "it's better to cry on the shoulder of the one you love for a night than to be exhibited on a cliff for a thousand years". This phrase came from poet Shu Ting's "Goddess Peak". Cao Qiangying had also thought of this line when she was alone on a ferry crossing the Yangtze River, but it wasn't as profound as it was now. She gently stroked Chen Ergou's face, which didn't have the roughness of an old farmer or the softness of a city man. To be honest, his facial features couldn't compare to those of his brother Chen Fugui or Chen Qingzhi. Cao Qiangying propped up her cheek with her left hand and carefully observed Chen Ergou's sleeping posture. When the morning light shone through the curtains, she reached out to turn off the bedside lamp, but was suddenly grabbed by Chen Ergou, who tightly hugged her in his arms. Cao Qiangying struggled symbolically for a moment, but Chen Ergou wouldn't let her escape his grasp. He teased, "Can't even a non-handsome guy make our Cao family's young lady look at him for so long?"

  Cao Jing didn't pretend, quietly leaning in Chen Ergou's arms, smiling and saying: "A man is just a piece of skin, I don't care."

  Chen Er Gou's hand wandered over her smooth, silk-like back, and he said hesitantly: "Not caring is one thing, but I think that under the same premise, a normal person would choose Chen Qing Zhi over Wang Hu Sheng. This is another matter altogether. Which woman wouldn't want their man to have both good looks and character? Or has your perspective surpassed my understanding?"

  Cao Jing nodded and said: "The heavenly secret cannot be revealed."

  Chen Ergou didn't get to the bottom of it.

  Cao Jingjing got up earlier than him, sitting weakly in front of the dressing mirror, wearing a Suzhou-style silk pajamas, tilting her head to comb her black hair, with a charming curve. Chen Er Gou may not have artistic appreciation, nor did he pretend to be elegant, but Peking Opera was what Old Master Chen had cultivated in him since childhood, so in Chen Er Gou's mind, if Zhu Ye Qing was considered the "Flower Dan", then Cao Jingjing was his most stunning "Da Qing Yi" of this life. Although she was a woman, she was charming yet elegant, with an aura that was both gentle and powerful. Cao Jingjing was indeed extremely beautiful and captivating, but what truly intoxicated Chen Er Gou was the air about her. Old Master Chen said he wanted to raise Chen Fu Gui's arrogant air, which showed that this "air" wasn't entirely a derogatory term. The Cao family, from the old lady to General Cao, and then to the woman of the Fu family, had collectively cultivated an heir, only to have him snatched away by the unknown Chen Er Gou, no wonder his mother-in-law, Fu Ying, couldn't help but feel uneasy when looking at her son-in-law. As for Li's man who was engaged to Cao Jingjing since childhood and didn't make a big fuss, it was the most puzzling thing in the eyes of outsiders. The more this happened, the more Chen Er Gou felt an abnormal sense of pleasure, like a bandit from the green forest kidnapping a princess during the Qing dynasty, with a sense of satisfaction that he had never experienced before. Lying on his bed, admiring his wife's back, Chen Er Gou finally understood the charm of "the king not rising early".

  "Has there been any news from Xiahe yet?" Cao Jing asked, turning her head.

  "I plan to make a deal with Zhuyeqing, the two chips are the Dog Fighting Arena and the Xiahe Industry, one for one. I hope that the well water doesn't offend the river water, at least keep the status quo in these three years." Chen Ergou said in a low voice, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pants, but not lighting it up, just pinching the cigarette between his two fingers. He didn't have a big smoking habit, but liked to smoke when thinking about problems. Since his wife had a cleanliness habit, he could only pretend.

  "Although I'm not familiar with the details of Zhuyeqing's side, I think that with Qian Zixuan's energy, it should be able to hold her back for a while. Do you really need to hand over Xiahe's resources entirely to Zhuyeqing? In Nanjing, you're the local snake, she's just an outsider." Cao Qiujian frowned and said.

  "I'm afraid of this woman," Chen Ergou said honestly.

  "What's wrong?" Cao Jing didn't seem to have a big change in expression, but she slowed down the movement of combing her black hair with the ivory comb in her hand. It seemed that even a proud and arrogant woman like her would still have some thoughts when hearing her man show weakness.

  "For the past three years, I didn't want to have a direct confrontation with her." Chen Ergou said slowly, leaning against the headboard. Although the atmosphere was somewhat gloomy, there wasn't a hint of frustration on his face. This was probably one of Chen Ergou's advantages over Zhao Kunpeng and Li Kuafu - he knew how to humble himself, wasn't afraid to hide and yield.

  "You're still short of a strategist." Cao Jing said in front of the mirror.

  "Wang Hu's wild road is very good, and he also has a quick wit. Chen Qing may not show any expression in front of us, but listening to Wang Hu's stories about him, it can be seen that he is a capable person who can hold his own. His IQ must be higher than mine by a big margin." Chen Er Gou said with puzzlement, unable to understand why Cao Jing would say that there was still a lack of brainy roles around him.

  It can be said that Wang Hu and Chen Qing are both mixed with black, their identity background is there, even if they want to whitewash and become a person like Wei Duan Gong, it's not something that can be done in one or two years. Now, when doing business, how can you do without government relations? So, you lack a military strategist who can replace you to participate in or intervene in government actions. Chen Yuanshu was originally suitable, but she has her own family, and every time she faces a choice, she will prioritize thinking from the perspective of her family, so it's not appropriate. Er Gou, when doing things, besides having the executive power to solve immediate problems, you also can't lack a broad vision that looks three steps ahead, just like playing chess, tactics are local and temporary, while strategy is overall and long-term. Cao Jingyu spoke with emphasis, turning his body to gaze at Chen Ergou.

  "Hmm." Chen Ergou smiled and said, "I understand the reasoning, but I'm afraid I won't be able to do it perfectly. Jingwei, why don't you just help me with this strategy instead?"

  "My skin is too thin, and I'm not suitable for this role." Cao Jingjian said with a self-deprecating smile.

  Chen Ergou was just joking, he wouldn't really let his wife show her face, he just wanted to hurry up and hide her in a golden house. He wasn't stupid, from Cao Jing's family background, just by looking at the mother-in-law who didn't give him a proper glance from head to toe, he could tell that the Cao family was definitely not lower than the Qianzi Xiangs, as for how much higher, Chen Ergou couldn't imagine, nor did he want to think about it. He had already made Cao Jing pay for the Oriental Pearl Tower once, and didn't want a second time.

  Chen Ergou likes to take the initiative, which is a habit cultivated from hundreds of battles with beasts in the mountains. So he took the lead in finding Zhu Ye Qing's side, and the location was at Ji Ming Temple, which Chen Ergou chose. Zhu Ye Qing didn't play big cards and agreed to discuss things on the same day.

  At dusk, the Ji Ming Temple was quiet and peaceful. Chen Er Gou sat by the window, gazing at the Xuanwu Lake. Chen Qingzhi and Wang Hu Sheng stayed at the foot of the mountain, which could be considered a kind of implicit sincerity and courtesy. Zhu Ye Qing walked alone into the Huo Meng Building, with no sign of the extremely aggressive bald-headed man, Meng Chong, behind her. Her charm was even more stunning, leaving the almost empty Huo Meng Building with only tourists who couldn't help but look up in awe, gasp, and drool, except for Chen Er Gou.

  Chen Ergou liked the noodles here, ordered two bowls, and Zhu Ye Qing sat down lightly. A beautiful woman has a special advantage, even if it's just a slight movement that can be seen as elegant or refined. She was late for almost half an hour, but she didn't have much guilt, saying: "I visited a few scenic spots and got delayed."

  Chen Ergou shook his head, lowered his head to eat noodles. At first, he waited with Chen Yuanshu for Zhuge Old Immortal for an entire afternoon, and 30 minutes was really nothing. Chen Ergou wouldn't get arrogant just because of a little power and money; the bloody ending of Wei Duan Gong served as a warning bell. So Chen Ergou had a good understanding of himself. Probably except for Cao Jingzhu, no one had seen this Northeastern man's majestic side. Seeing Zhu Ye Qing hadn't moved his chopsticks, Chen Ergou smiled: "Afraid I'll poison you?"

  Zhu Ye Qing rubbed the Buddhist beads on her wrist with her thumb and fingers, expressionless: "It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I don't have the habit of eating other people's things."

  Chen Ergou didn't stand on ceremony, and picked up the bowl of plain noodles in front of her to eat. Very quickly, there were only two empty bowls left on the table. To Zhū Yè Qīng's surprise, he actually ordered another two bowls, saying "I'll help you order one too, consider it as you treating me." Zhū Yè Qīng felt absurd but didn't refuse, and the man and woman ate their noodles together. After finishing, Chen Ergou got straight to the point: "I know you want to fight in the dog arena, but I won't let that happen now. There are many people who want to divide up Master Wei's assets, if you take the lead, it will be hard for me to do things afterwards. How about this: I'll give you control over the secret resources in Xià Hé's hands, and we can be allies? You'll be in Shanghai, and I'll be in Nanjing."

  "Is it to appease outsiders first and then stabilize the internal situation? Or has she lost her mind and wants to plot with a tiger for its skin?" Zhang Ye Qing said with a smile, speaking in a gentle and peaceful manner. Who could have imagined that this neighbor's wife had the qualifications to sit at the same table as Old Lady Buddha and chat with her? If not for her having an air of aloofness that outsiders couldn't understand, it's likely that everyone would take her as a canary that can be profaned just because she has money.

  "This is humiliating." Chen Ergou said with a half-true and half-false expression.

  Zhu Ye Qing nodded, glanced at Chen Er Gou and said, "When the foundation is unstable, it's common to compromise, I've done that before too. However, understanding is one thing, whether I agree or not is another matter."

  Chen Ergou's heart tightened.

  Zhu Ye Qing looked out the window and said, "You think you can use a summer river's rotten trick to make a profit from me, this ally of yours? The idea isn't bad, but when Chinese people do business and discuss deals, we most dislike uneven benefits. However, in this matter, the size of immediate benefits is not the key point. No matter what, my answer is that I won't accept it. I want to push you to a dead end, make you fight with Shang Jian Wu until one of us dies. In this world, there are many young people with ambition, and you're not the only one."

  "Is there only one way?" Chen Er Gou said bitterly.

  Zhu Ye Qing smiled with relish and said, "What's this, you want to play the trick of catching the thief by first catching the king again?"

  Chen Ergou shook his head and said, "I won't move you."

  Zhu Ye Qing raised an eyebrow and said: "Why? Am I, a woman, not easier to subdue than Xia He who has three burrows like a cunning rabbit?"

  Chen Ergou lit a cigarette, and after dinner, one cigarette was truly happy like an immortal. He leaned comfortably against the chair, chuckling: "I couldn't just strangle you to death, could I? Moreover, my family has a wife who would castrate me if I had an affair, so I'm afraid that even if nothing happens between us, I'd still lose out in both money and soldiers."

  The bamboo leaves are green and cannot be denied, smiling but not speaking, that one touch of rouge red startles the heart.

  Chen Ergou felt uneasy being stared at by her and said, "I admit it, my intuition tells me you're more dangerous than Shang Jiamu, so I don't dare to make a move on you. I'm not one of those young masters with family background and connections, afraid that once I fall into your hands, I'll be doomed forever, because a woman's revenge is far more ruthless than a man's."

  "What theory is this." Zhang Ye Qing laughed and said.

  "It makes sense what I read in those martial arts novels back in junior high school." Chen Ergou said with a grin.

  "It's good that you can still laugh about it."

  Bamboo Leaf Qing sighed, extending a finger to dip into the tea cup and writing two words on the table: "restraint". The bold and unrestrained handwriting didn't seem like a woman's. It seemed that no matter what field she was in, she had to outdo men before she could rest easy.

  Bamboo Leaf Qing gazed at Chen Er Dog, looking at his face which barely managed to appear calm and composed. She pointed to the ground and smiled: "We both came from the bottom, but you were luckier than me. As soon as you arrived in the big city, you ran into Old Man Sun, who taught you chess and left you a way out, even if it was just a quiet one. When all else failed, no matter how great the disaster, as long as you made it to the Great Northwest, no one could touch a hair on your head. I wasn't so lucky - no parents, no classmates, no friends, no mentor... I had to rely on my own two hands and brain to make a living. At first, I thought it was too hard, but looking back now, actually, no one ever wronged me."

  Bamboo leaves green words are light and clear, without a hint of vulgarity, that expression, made Chen Ergou involuntarily think of the old wine ghost playing the erhu on a wooden stump in the sunset.

  Her tone was soft and gentle, like a little girl coquettishly teasing her lover, but it scared Chen Ergou into a cold sweat. "So the hardships I suffered back then, you can't be spared from any of them. The things I got with my own hands, perhaps you won't get any more than that."