Sam was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to connect with Ms. Young, when a sudden WeChat message from his mother, Lydia, jolted him.


    The message felt like a lightning bolt striking him.


    “You little rascal! What have you done to provoke Charlie this time? Trevor from the Sun family just called me, scolding me for your antics! Charlie wants to extend your punishment in Aurous Hill to two years!”


    Sam felt the ground fall away beneath him.


    “Two years?! That’s unbearable!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    “I’ve barely spent two days in the city vige of Aurous Hill, and I already feel suffocated. I can’t imagine enduring another year. Why did Charlie suddenly decide to add another year to my sentence? What did I even do?”


    With a sinking heart, he nced at Charlie and instinctively began, “Mr. Wade, I…”


    Before he could finish, Charlie handed him a cup of tea with a faint smile and said, “Here, Mr. Kilgore, try this tea. It’s quite good; I brought it back from abroad. Drink up! If you don’t, that two years might just stretch to three, or even four or five.”


    Sam’s expression darkened immediately.


    The underlying threat in Charlie’s words was crystal clear.


    “Charlie is clearly warning me to keep quiet. If I drink the tea and staypliant, I’ll endure my two years in Aurous Hill. But if I refuse, those two years could easily turn into three, four, or even five…”


    Sam felt utterly defeated.


    “This Charlie is nothing short of a monster! What have I done to deserve this?!”


    “Could it be… because of Doris? Did I offend him by trying to make a move on Ms. Young?”


    “Ms. Young isn’t even his girlfriend! She’s just the vice-chairman of the Emgrand Group! What business does Charlie have in this?”


    As Sam sank deeper into despair, the others looked at Charlie in confusion, unsure of what he meant by two years turning into three or four.


    ire, looking puzzled, asked, “Charlie, what do you mean by two changing to three or four? I’m not following…”


    With a slight smile, Charlie replied, “Oh, dear, I was just ying a riddle with Mr. Kilgore. Thest time we met, we discovered that we both enjoy riddles, so I thought I’d pose one to him.”


    ire nodded, smiling, and asked, “So, what’s the answer to the riddle?”


    Charlie chuckled, “Oh, I can’t reveal the answer; that would spoil the fun!”


    He then pushed the cup of tea towards Sam and inquired, “Mr. Kilgore, are you interested in this tea?”


    Sam realized that refusing the tea might mean facing an extended stay in Aurous Hill for the next few years.


    To minimize his losses, he knew he had to drink the tea quickly.<fn6344> Official source is find[?]ovel</fn6344>


    His eyes welled up with tears as he thought, “Two years! Living in a ce like this, in a rundown town, feels just like a prison!”


    “It might as well be a damn jail!”


    “What sins have Imitted to deserve dealing with a beast like Charlie? Before I met him, my life wasn’t perfect, but ever since that encounter at Jasmine’s birthday, nothing good hase my way!”


    Suddenly, a realization hit him: “Oh no! I upset Charlie because I tried to pursue Jasmine! This guy is unbelievable! He’s married, with a stunning wife, yet he’s still blocking my attempts to flirt! Is he iming them all for himself?”


    Sam felt a wave of hopelessness wash over him. He had unintentionally crossed paths with Charlie too many times and just wanted to steer clear of him for good…


    In his bitterness, he had no choice but toply with Charlie. With trembling hands, he epted the cup of tea, forcing a smile as he said, “Mr. Wade, thank you for the tea. I’ll drink it!”<h3 ss="has-text-align-center" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong>