Unexpectedly, before Chen Jue could say anything, Chu Ge opened his mouth again.

"Captain Lin, did you leave in such a hurry that you forgot to bring money?"

Chu Ge asked so matter-of-factly, his face full of an "I can understand" expression, and before Lin Gaoze could respond, he started laughing to himself.

"Haha, did I actually guess right? Hey, it's quite normal. I often forget to bring money when I go out. If it weren't for my wife reminding me today, I'd probably be empty-handed too, and soon I'd be just like you, without even cab fare to get home."

While speaking, Chu Ge opened his handbag, took out a hundred-yuan bill, and handed it to Lin Gaoze, "Captain Lin, you take it first. Next time I pass by the Municipal Bureau, I'll just pop in and ask for it back."

Even someone as steady as Chen Jue had his facial muscles twitching a bit at this moment. Chu Ge's words were getting increasingly outrageous. Was he really intending to completely fall out with Lin Gaoze?

Bao Zhanhai also didn't find it amusing anymore. He focused all his attention on observing Lin Gaoze's reaction.

Looking at Lin Gaoze's iron-blue face, he prepared himself to mediate or, if necessary, intervene to pull them apart. The situation was bad enough, and he couldn't allow these two to start a fight, no matter what.

Lin Gaoze moved his gaze from Chu Ge's face to the hundred-yuan bill, his expression changing repeatedly, and the air in the room seemed to freeze. Even someone as tough as Bao Zhanhai felt his palms sweating.

What on earth is going on here? What exactly is Chu Ge thinking?

Despite the tension in the air, Chu Ge remained unfazed, with his signature smile, offering the hundred-yuan bill once again.

"Captain Lin, don't be embarrassed. And don't worry about forgetting this debt. I have a pretty thick skin. If anyone owes me anything, even if it's just one or two yuan, I guarantee I'll remember clearly and won't shy away from asking. Haha, I happen to have thick skin and a Heart Eye too!"

The atmosphere, already extremely oppressive, became even more stifling. Bao Zhanhai swallowed hard, his anxiety high enough to hear his own pounding heartbeat.

Just as the tension reached its peak and Bao Zhanhai instinctively held his breath, a hearty laugh suddenly erupted in the quiet room, shattering the frozen atmosphere and letting the nearly stagnant air flow again.

And this laughter... was actually coming from Lin Gaoze?

Not to mention Bao Zhanhai was dumbfounded for a moment, even Chen Jue found it hard to believe his eyes and ears.

Lin Gaoze actually laughed? After being humiliated by Chu Ge, he could still laugh?

Under the astonished gaze of Chen Jue and Bao Zhanhai, Lin Gaoze pushed the hundred-yuan bill back towards Chu Ge and spoke with a cheerful smile.

"Brother Chu, I found your sense of humor really needs work. I was just joking, and you took it seriously. It's rare for us to share a meal at the same table, so how could I just leave like that?"

Chu Ge smirked and put the hundred-yuan bill back into his handbag, "Actually... I was joking too. Lin, my brother, could it be that you took it seriously as well?"

Lin Gaoze and Chu Ge shared a look for a few seconds and suddenly burst into hearty laughter. Following this, they made a mutual "please" gesture and sat down in their chairs.

Bao Zhanhai was thoroughly stunned. What on earth is going on with these two? A few seconds ago, it looked as if they might start a fight any moment, and now they seem like old pals?

He blinked several times in confusion and turned to look at Chen Jue, whom he believed could handle anything, only to see Chen Jue also laughing along with the other two, his face cheerful and bright.

"As expected, Third Master must understand the subtlety here, it's just that my brain isn't sharp enough to get it. It seems I need to train more," Bao Zhanhai thought to himself, awkwardly joining in the laughter, though he had no idea what was so funny.

He didn't know that Chen Jue, too, was full of questions now.

Even if Chen Jue could think of some things, as he figured out some, more mysteries would arise; ultimately, Chu Ge seemed increasingly enigmatic to him.

In a seemingly harmonious and subtle atmosphere, Chu Ge, Lin Gaoze, and Chen Jue began chatting and laughing happily.

Bao Zhanhai quietly sat on the side, unable to get a word in and not intending to; he felt he couldn't understand the mindset of the other three at the table.

After chatting for a while, exquisite dishes were served one by one. Chen Jue initially intended for Bao Zhanhai to pour the wine, but Chu Ge picked up the bottle of Maotai first and poured it for the other three, finally filling his own glass.

Seeing Chu Ge pour the wine, the three knew he probably had something to say, so all their eyes focused on him.

Sure enough, after finishing pouring the four glasses of wine, Chu Ge stood up with his glass in hand.

Seeing Chu Ge stand up, Chen Jue, Lin Gaoze, and Bao Zhanhai also immediately stood up, but Chu Ge smiled at them, "Please, all of you sit down. If you stand, I won't say anything, okay?"

Upon hearing Chu Ge's words, the three of them exchanged glances with each other and reluctantly sat down.

"Today, first of all, I want to thank Brother Chen and Brother Hai for preparing this welcome dinner for me. Of course, I also want to thank Brother Lin for honoring me by having this meal with you. I'm deeply honored, although it sounds cliché, these are my sincere words."

No one interrupted Chu Ge. They all held their cups quietly, waiting, and when Chu Ge's gaze met theirs, they all smiled back at him.

"Today, the four of us are here, and since you three are older than me, I have to call you brothers. In the past, you've all looked after me, so as the younger brother, let me toast you three first. I'll finish mine first as a sign of my respect, Brother Chen, please don't blame me for taking the lead here, okay?"

Chu Ge smiled at Chen Jue and downed his drink in one go. The other three at the table didn't hesitate and also quickly drank their wine.

Chu Ge put down his cup and filled it up again.

"Having said my thanks, I want to bring up something more practical. That is, since the four of us are here eating at the same table, it's a kind of fate."

"I can tell that among the three of you there might have been some past conflicts. I won't say those unrealistic things like hoping you can let go of past grudges, because that's not realistic, and I don't have that kind of influence. But I hope from today onward, none of you makes it too difficult for the others."

As Chu Ge said this, the other three had somewhat unnatural expressions. Chu Ge glanced over their faces and smiled slightly.

"I know you think this is unrealistic and find it amusing, maybe even calling me stupid. But Brother Lin, let me ask you one thing, do you consider yourself truly pure? Please note, I mean genuinely pure. Have you never done anything against morality or law?"

Facing Chu Ge's intense gaze, Lin Gaoze immediately said, "Of course, I am."

Chu Ge gave a slight smile and said calmly, "Oh?"

Lin Gaoze opened his mouth again but ultimately didn't say anything more, his gaze becoming somewhat evasive.

Chu Ge didn't continue questioning Lin Gaoze and turned his gaze to the other two, "Brother Chen, Brother Hai, do you consider yourselves genuinely black?"

Chen Jue and Bao Zhanhai looked complicated, and neither said a word.

Chu Ge smirked at himself and raised his hand, pointing at his own eyes.

"I once thought there were real black and white in this world, but I gradually realized that either I was too naive, or I was too ignorant. The world that I see is gray. In my eyes, you are, and so am I."

Chen Jue and Bao Zhanhai exchanged a glance, both feeling that Chu Ge was unusually strange today and not understanding the meaning behind his words.

Lin Gaoze slightly frowned. Although Chu Ge's words seemed heartfelt, they also left him confused.

Chu Ge observed the changes in expressions on the three faces carefully, paused briefly, and smiled faintly.

"Since ancient times, there has been a saying in our country, 'If the water is too clear, there will be no fish.' Even around the world, this is considered a profound truth. Moreover, our people value stability, whether in a narrow sense or a broader context. Short-term radicalism is often for long-term stability."

Listening to Chu Ge's seemingly unrelated words, Bao Zhanhai felt even more bewildered, while Chen Jue and Lin Gaoze had some vague suspicions but did not interrupt, quietly sitting and waiting patiently for Chu Ge to finish.

"Haha, since none of you brothers have anything to say, should I assume you all tacitly agree with my humble opinions?"

Chu Ge waited a few seconds, and as no one spoke, he slightly curled his mouth, lifted the wine glass in his hand, and downed the second glass of wine in one go.

Hiss...

The other three at the table gasped. Chu Ge hadn't eaten a single bite, yet he had downed two glasses of Maotai like this, wasn't he drinking a bit too aggressively?

Ha...

Chu Ge exhaled the alcohol breath, placed the wine glass on the table with a "thud", picked up the bottle, and poured the third glass full again. The corners of several mouths at the table twitched, wondering if Chu Ge was planning to drink another glass?

"Since none of you brothers have objections to what I just said, and as the conversation has come to this point, let me say something even more practical. Actually, I hope not only that you stop making things difficult for each other, but I also hope you brothers can cooperate with each other."

Chu Ge paused for a few seconds again, slowly sat back down, tapped his finger on the table a few times, and let his gaze sweep over the faces of the three men as their expressions changed abruptly.

"That is to say, I hope... the order of Lidu can be maintained together by you brothers."