After traveling through time, the four best friends were all targeted by the boss

Ye Man was indeed in the room. He had injured his foot while practicing martial arts a few days ago, so Duan Yan let him rest. Just then, he received the news about the Cliff of Death, and Ye Man blamed himself even more, so he locked himself in the room and refused to go out.

Duan Yan wanted to come and accompany him these two days, but Duan Ran dragged her to the next town to look for someone, and she only came back today.

She knocked on the door and called out, "Aman, the master is here to see you!"

The door was quickly opened. Ye Man stood with his head down, not looking into her eyes, and whispered, "Master, you are here. Come in."

He stepped aside to make way for Duan Yan, but she did not go in. Instead, she put her hands behind her back and bent down to look at his face.

Ye Man quickly turned his head away, but Duan Yan still saw his red eyes and the bruises on the skin under his eyes.

Duan Yan asked, "Did you cry?"

Ye Man said nothing, but the answer was clear on his face.

Duan Yan pulled him to sit on the stool and said, "Can you stop being sad?"

Ye Man shook his head and said, "It was because of my sister Tao that she was arrested. As for the incident at the Cliff of Death... I don't know how she is doing. How can I not be sad?"

Duan Yan said, "I think Miss Tao definitely doesn't want you to be sad. Think about it, when she got the news about you, she went to look for you without a second thought, because she was worried about you. You are torturing yourself like this now. When she comes back and sees you like this, won't she blame herself for being careless and causing you to blame yourself like this?"

Duan Yan's logic left Ye Man stunned, but he was sad because Sister Tao ignored herself and risked her life to save him and was caught.

Now the Cliff of Death incident has happened again, and Sister Tao's life or death is uncertain. How can he not blame himself?

"Besides, you are also a victim." Duan Yan added, "Being sad won't change the situation. There is still no news about Sister Tao. We haven't found the body, so she is most likely fine!"

Ye Man pondered for a moment, nodded slowly, and said: "I understand."

Duan Yan smiled and patted his shoulder: "I'm glad you understand. How is your injury? It's my fault. I shouldn't have used so much force."

Ye Man stood up and said, "It's okay now." He took a rag doll from the bedside. It had two small braids, a small red circle embroidered on its face, and was wearing a bright yellow skirt. The doll was exquisitely made, and even its hair was woven with wool strands.

Duan Yan immediately smiled and asked, "Is that the doll for me?"

Ye Man nodded, looking a little embarrassed, and handed it to her, saying, "Yes... I didn't do it well, it doesn't matter if you don't like it."

"Nonsense!" Duan Yan held the doll, rubbed it against her cheek, and said with a smile: "My apprentice gave it to me, of course I like it. Not only do I like it, I even want to hold it while sleeping."

Her eyes flickered and the dimples at the corners of her mouth were faintly visible, making the somewhat gloomy room brighter.

Two blushes appeared on Ye Man's face. He touched the back of his neck and said in a pitifully small voice, "Master...as long as you like it."

Duan Yan was stunned. She had never seen a boy like Ye Man before. Although he was handsome, there was a hint of sadness between his brows, as if he had something on his mind.

She waved her finger at Ye Man and said, "Ah Man, come here."

Ye Man did as he was told, walked up to her, bent down slightly, and said, "Master, what's wrong?"

Duan Yan stroked her chin and looked at him, which made Ye Man's eyes wander. He didn't dare to look at her face. Suddenly, Duan Yan stretched out her hand and pinched his cheek, saying, "I told you not to keep calling me master. You've already called me old."

Ye Man was stunned for a moment, then suddenly took two steps back, looking at her in horror, stroking the place where he was pinched with one hand, his pupils trembling.

"What's wrong?" Duan Yan asked with a smile.

Ye Man stammered, "Master...Ayan, touch my...face."

Duan Yan laughed out loud and said, "Isn't it normal for a master to touch his apprentice?"

"But... there are differences between men and women..."

"Is there a difference between men and women?" Duan Yan frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "But my brother and I often do this, and he never said anything."

Ye Man calmed down a little and asked, "You and your brother, are you biological children?"

Duan Yan said: "Of course, our parents passed away early, and it was my brother who raised me."

Ye Man breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's fine, but I remember your brother is already in his twenties, so he should... also keep his distance, right?"

This aroused Duan Yan's interest and she asked, "Really? Who told you that?"

"Sister Tan Xiang." Ye Man said, "Because there are both men and women in our store, Sister Tan Xiang taught us to be different between men and women and not to cross the line."

Duan Yan nodded and muttered, "Is that so? I haven't heard my brother say that."

Seeing her like this, Ye Man asked, "Ayan, your brother hasn't married yet?"

Duan Yan shook her head and said, "Not yet. He said that fate cannot be forced."

"Well... in that case, you should..." Ye Man suddenly remembered the expression Duan Ran gave him last time, and he didn't dare to say anything for a moment.

Duan Yan shook his arm and asked, "What should I do?"

"We should... keep our distance." Ye Man suggested carefully.

Duan Yan thought back to the days when she and Duan Ran were together. They were indeed very close, but aren’t all people who have a good relationship like this?

Duan Yan looked up, puzzled: "Is this wrong?"

Ye Man didn't understand what she meant and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's not right for men and women to be intimate with each other?"

Ye Man saw that she really didn't understand, and patiently explained: "Unless it's about the relationship between Sister Nian and Master Xiahou, you can't be too intimate."

Duan Yan said: "Is that so."

Ye Man was a little surprised. He didn't expect Duan Yan didn't even understand these things. He said, "Ayan, you—have you never known this?"

Duan Yan shook her head and said, "Brother, he never told me."

She didn't tell her everything. Duan Ran not only didn't tell her, he also told her that they were the closest people in this life and they could do anything for each other.

Ye Man hesitated and said, "Ayan, have you never been to school?"

Duan Yan curled her lips and said, "I did originally go to school, but then my brother said that the teacher didn't teach well, so he taught me himself."

Ye Man didn't quite understand. Duan Ran, as Duan Yan's brother, didn't teach her these things.

Duan Yan said, "I understand. Thank you for telling me this." She changed the subject and smiled slyly, "But, you are my apprentice, I can still pinch your face."

Ye was ashamed, thinking that his young master had not listened to him at all for such a long time.

"Master, please stop..."

"Come here, let me pinch you again, or I'll punish you to squat!"

"master……"

-

At night, when Duan Ran came back from outside, Duan Yan was sitting on the couch, braiding the doll's hair.

Hearing the voice, Duan Yan raised her head and said with a smile: "Brother."

Duan Ran took off his coat, glanced at the doll in her hand, and said, "Ayan, did you make it yourself?"

Duan Yan shook her head and said, "How could I make it so well? It was made by my good apprentice A'man. Isn't it good?" She picked it up and shook it, smiling with her eyes curved.

Duan Ran paused, his eyes flashed with coldness for a moment, then returned to normal. He walked to her side and sat down, smiling and said, "Ye Man sent it? Did you go to see him today?"

Duan Yan said: "Well, he is very sad because of Miss Tao's matter. As a master, I can't just ignore it, right?"

She winked at Duan Ran, hugged the doll tightly in her arms, and said, "Brother, today Ah Man told me about the differences between men and women."

Duan Ran was just about to pick up a strand of her hair, but when he heard her words, he stopped his hand in mid-air, lowered his eyes to look at her, and said, "Did he say anything else?"

Duan Yan said: "He just said to keep a distance or something, because I pinched his face."

She asked, "Brother, should we keep our distance too?"

For some reason, after listening to what Ye Man said today, she kept thinking about the scenes of her usual interactions with Duan Ran, and she actually felt a strange emotion in her heart, suggesting that what she was doing was wrong.

Duan Ran smiled and held her in his arms. Duan Yan did not refuse. His arms were still very warm.

"No, Ayan, we are the closest people, there is no need to keep a distance, but you and other men do."