Lin Xuan's gaze swept over the photographs one by one.
It seemed that Su Hua had still been holding back while at the Night Garden.
The old butler, seeing Lin Xuan's expression, slapped his forehead.
How could he have forgotten?
Miss Su Hua had a penchant for studying human anatomy, aiming to devise the most lethal or excruciatingly painful ways to kill others.
In her room at the old mansion, she often displayed a human skeleton.
Additionally, she enjoyed torturing and killing people; these were her forms of entertainment.
The photos on the wall were of individuals she had either killed or tortured.
These were too horrifying and might scare young master Lin.
He needed to remedy the situation.
"Young master Lin, don't you think it looks quite realistic?" The old butler chuckled nervously.
"Mmm," Lin Xuan nodded.
It was a human skeleton, after all, so of course, it looked realistic.
"Actually, it's just an ordinary human model," the old butler struggled to explain. "Miss Su Hua has been unwell, and the master, having consulted a Taoist priest, placed this human model and the items on the wall in her room to ward off evil spirits. Please don't misunderstand, young master Lin."
"Don't worry, I'm not misunderstanding anything," Lin Xuan reassured him.
"If you are frightened, I'll have someone move these things away immediately," the old butler said, reaching for his phone.
"No need," Lin Xuan stopped him. "Since they're for warding off evil, let them stay."
After all, he had already died once; how could he be afraid of such things?
These items were Su Hua's hobbies, so they might as well stay.
The old butler's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
This young master Lin seemed like a weak, defenseless pretty boy, yet he had quite a bold spirit.
Indeed, the man chosen by Miss Su Hua couldn't be ordinary.
"In that case, I won't disturb you and Miss Su Hua any longer," the old butler said, his tone increasingly respectful. "If you need anything, young master Lin, please don't hesitate to tell me."
With that, the old butler exited the room and closed the door behind him.
Su Guoxiong watched as Su Hua portrayed a docile, innocent demeanor in front of Lin Xuan, causing him to remain in a state of disbelief.
"Secretary Jiang, does Hua behave this way with Lin Xuan even when she's not in one of her episodes?" Su Guoxiong asked, his face full of astonishment.
"Yes," Jiang Qing nodded. "In front of young master Lin, CEO Su is like an ordinary girl in love."
Su Guoxiong couldn't help but sigh, "I never expected Hua and her boyfriend to interact this way."
His tone was sour, as if he had swallowed a hundred and eighty pounds of vinegar. "In front of me, her grandfather, she's always serious and aloof. It seems I don't hold a candle to her boyfriend in her heart."
This was truly unbearable!
However, since Hua had found someone she truly loved, he was genuinely happy for her.
"They've been together for quite a while, haven't they?" Su Guoxiong frowned. "Why didn't you inform me?"
Jiang Qing lowered his head and remained silent.
Given young master Lin's initial apparent reluctance to be with CEO Su, how could they dare inform the chairman?
Later, when young master Lin finally committed to CEO Su, they were concerned that the chairman might look down on Lin Xuan's background and try to separate them.
That’s why they never revealed Lin Xuan's existence to him.
It wasn't until today, when CEO Su had an episode, that she dared to bring Lin Xuan along.
"You all were hiding this from me, an old man," Su Guoxiong sighed helplessly.
"Forget it, keep your secrets if you must. As long as it doesn't harm Hua, I won't meddle."
Sun Que, having witnessed Su Hua's expressions in front of Lin Xuan, had his eyes lit up.
"Master," he began, "young master Lin might be the only one capable of touching CEO Su's heart. Perhaps we could let him try to have CEO Su reveal her past experiences on her own."
"If we know the root cause of her episodes, we can treat her accordingly."
"Alright, I understand," Su Guoxiong's eyes also brightened.
In Su Hua's room.
Lin Xuan pressed Su Hua down onto the sofa, carefully applying disinfectant and medication to the wound on her hand with cotton swabs.
Then, he wrapped her hand with gauze.
Su Hua had long lost her patience. As soon as Lin Xuan finished bandaging her, she curled up around Lin Xuan like a vixen, hooking her arms around his neck.
"Little bed slave (plaything on the bed)," the enchanting woman smiled, her lips brushing against Lin Xuan's. "Remember... serve me well on the bed."
Lin Xuan exhaled deeply.
Today was destined to be a day of being utterly drained.
Su Hua led Lin Xuan into the bathroom, pulling him along.
Behind a frosted glass door, Su Hua pressed Lin Xuan against the cold wall, wrapping herself around him once more and kissing him deeply.
Though Su Hua during her episodes was quite wild and had considerable strength, her physical stamina wasn't as strong as when she was normal.
This time, Lin Xuan emerged the victor.
Five hours later, Su Hua lay deeply asleep on the soft bed.
Lin Xuan cleaned her up, took a shower himself, changed into clothes prepared by the old butler, and opened the door to head downstairs.
His steps were a bit unsteady.
Every time Su Hua had an episode, he was completely drained.
However, it also brought him a considerable amount of pleasure.
As Lin Xuan descended the stairs, several servants curiously eyed him.
Su Guoxiong had been seated in the living room the entire time.
"Sit," Su Guoxiong glanced at Lin Xuan and said sternly.
"Yes," Lin Xuan sat down on the sofa, his back straight, hands resting on his thighs, adopting the posture of a schoolboy.
Lin Xuan's heart was filled with unease.
This was his first time meeting Su Hua's family. Such prominent families often valued social status, and with his unremarkable background, he wasn't sure if Su Hua's grandfather would look down on him...
Su Guoxiong's gaze swept over Lin Xuan, and he inwardly approved.
Not bad.
He was good-looking enough and, at the very least, matched Hua in appearance.
"You're Lin Xuan, right?" Su Guoxiong stroked his beard. "Who else is in your family?"
"I am the son of Lin Chang, chairman of the Starlight Group, and his wife," Lin Xuan answered.
Su Guoxiong frowned.
He had met Lin Chang before and found him to be rather untrustworthy.
"However, I've had a falling out with the Lin family," Lin Xuan continued. "We signed a document severing ties, and they also held a press conference to announce the separation. We're no longer related."
Su Guoxiong nodded.
Severing ties was for the best.
"How long have you and Hua been together?" Su Guoxiong continued to question.
"About five months," Lin Xuan answered.
Su Guoxiong's gaze fell on a bite mark on Lin Xuan's neck.
"That..." Su Guoxiong coughed lightly into his fist. "How long have you two been... physically intimate?"
"Also about five months," Lin Xuan replied.
Su Guoxiong stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Hua's body should be capable of conceiving, yet after all this time, there hadn't been any signs of pregnancy.
Was it because Hua's libido was too low?
Or... was Lin Xuan lacking in that department?
No, he had to push the matter along.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
