After his men retreated, Wen Bao waved his hand and said, "Sit down, sit down. What's going on?"

Xie Peng was still awkward, feeling that Brother Leopard was no longer the brother he used to be. He felt estranged, distant...

He could only squeeze out a slight smile, took out a cigarette, and offered it first. Wen Bao indicated he didn't smoke, he had quit.

Xie Peng felt embarrassed to light it himself, so he put the cigarette away, smiled along, and said thick-skinned, "Brother Leopard, you're really something now! I really didn't expect you to represent Xinlan Hospital..."

Wen Bao waved his hand, stopping Xie Peng's words, and said, "Secretary Xie, if you've come just to flatter me, then please don't say it. It's getting late, go back and rest early. There's still a pile of work tomorrow, right?"

"Uh..." Xie Peng was stunned, then looked bitter, "Brother Leopard, you don't..."

"Please call me Mr. Wen, okay?" Wen Bao's tone was mild but firm, delivering a sense of distance and unfamiliarity to Xie Peng.

Xie Peng felt entirely aggrieved, saying, "Brother Leopard..."

"Please call me Mr. Wen."

"Okay, Mr. Wen... Mr. Wen..." Xie Peng couldn't suppress the sadness on his face, shaking his head, "Mr. Wen, will we never be brothers or friends again? Has our childhood friendship..."

"Can we not mention the past? Bringing up the past, looking at you now, I can't believe you're the same person. I'll say it again: between you and me, it's purely a cooperative relationship limited to the issue of the foreign-funded hospital. No other relations exist. Your character and conduct make me decide to draw a line with you. I've even regretted what I did for you and Zhang Hongyang back then. Please go back and tell your master, I never knew you, nor him. Past matters, let them be buried in the long river of time, and nobody should mention it, especially not to any third party! Otherwise, nothing good will come of it."

His words were said with righteous fervor, leaving Xie Peng speechless.

Xie Peng stood there dumbfounded, then smiled sadly, "Alright, I'll listen to Mr. Wen, listen to Mr. Wen. Then I'll... take my leave?"

Wen Bao nodded, "Mm, you may go, and please close the door for me on your way out, no need to see you off."

"Alright, sigh..."

Xie Peng shook his head and sighed, walked to the door, then turned back and called, "Brother Leopard..."

Wen Bao couldn't even bother to look at him, simply waved his hand dismissively, the expression saying: Go on, go on, leave quickly!

Xie Peng could only feel sad in his heart, opened the door, and walked out, closing it behind him, which automatically locked from inside.

Standing outside the door, Xie Peng looked up at the ceiling, shook his head, and glanced at the window at the end of the corridor. The winter night sky of Highland was so cold and blue, so cold and blue...

Friendship had drifted away, from then on brothers became strangers.

Wen Bao's aura and stance left Xie Peng at a loss.

However, the comforting thing was that Wen Bao still gave him some reassurance!

Afterwards, Xie Peng still went to Zhang Hongyang's room to report the situation to him.

"Brother Yang, that's how it is, a brotherhood just ended like this, haha..."

Zhang Hongyang looked at the secretary's bitter smile, feeling reassured inside, but he said sternly, "Xie Peng, pull yourself together, what's with that defeatist look? He's just a guy mixed up in Southeast Asia's Black Society, getting paid to take the fall for others. Is he worth all this sadness?"