In the orphanage.
Chen Ling bit her lip as she stared at her phone, which had just been hung up.
What was going on?
Why did Lin Xuan hang up on her?
Was he busy, or did he simply not want to answer her call?
Shaking her head at the latter thought, Chen Ling dismissed it.
After all, she and Lin Xuan had grown up together—there was no way he would ignore her call over something so trivial.
He must have accidentally ended the call or was too occupied to answer at the moment.
With that in mind, Chen Ling redialed Lin Xuan’s number.
Meanwhile, inside the car.
Lin Xuan’s phone rang again.
His gaze fell on the screen, and a vein pulsed faintly on his forehead.
Was Chen Ling not done yet?
He had just hung up on her, and here she was, calling again.
Lin Xuan glanced cautiously at Su Hua.
Relieved to see she hadn’t noticed his phone, he let out a quiet breath.
Just as he was about to decline the call, Su Hua’s voice cut through the silence.
“Is it the same person calling again?” Su Hua arched a brow.
“Yes,” Lin Xuan admitted. “I was just about to hang up.”
His finger hovered over the red button when Su Hua spoke again. “Wait.”
Lin Xuan looked up, puzzled. “What is it, Hua?”
Su Hua tilted her head. “If they’ve called twice, it must be important. Why not answer?”
Lin Xuan shook his head. “It’s nothing urgent—just someone irrelevant. No point wasting time.”
He moved to end the call once more.
Su Hua’s lips curled. “Are you avoiding it because you’re guilty?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I feel guilty?” Lin Xuan rubbed his nose.
Okay, maybe he was a little guilty. He didn’t dare talk to Chen Ling in front of Su Hua.
But if he insisted on hanging up now, Su Hua would only grow more suspicious.
Bracing himself, Lin Xuan tapped the answer button.
“Xuan, why not put it on speaker?” Su Hua suggested, her tone light but edged. “I’d love to hear what’s so important.”
Speakerphone?
Lin Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Noticing his hesitation, Su Hua smirked. “What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll hear something I shouldn’t?”
“I have nothing to hide,” Lin Xuan retorted, forcing himself to comply.
He just prayed Chen Ling wouldn’t say anything incriminating.
His nerves couldn’t take much more.
Back at the orphanage.
Chen Ling’s heart leaped when the call finally connected.
Lin Xuan had answered!
Swallowing her excitement, she steadied her voice, letting a sob creep into her tone.
“Lin Xuan…”
Su Hua’s expression darkened at the sound of Chen Ling’s voice.
So it was her again.
This girl really wouldn’t give up on him, would she?
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xuan asked tersely.
“Nothing,” Chen Ling murmured, her eyes reddening. “I just… I keep thinking about my dad. He’s gone forever, and I can’t bear it, Lin Xuan. It hurts so much.”
“My mom died when I was one. It was always just him and me—we only had each other.”
“I don’t know how to accept that he’s just… gone.”
Lin Xuan frowned.
Was she genuinely grieving, or was this another ploy to reel him in?
In novels, scheming side characters often used sob stories to get close to the male lead.
“Lin Xuan, could you… come see me?” Chen Ling pleaded.
“You’re the closest person I have left. I’m not asking you to stay—just an hour. Just talk to me for an hour.”
Ever since Chen Hong’s passing, she hadn’t seen Lin Xuan.
Now, whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw was him.
She missed him desperately—needed him.
With her father gone, Lin Xuan had become her only anchor.
Afraid he’d reject her again, she rushed on, “Please, Lin Xuan. Just one hour. That’s all I ask.”
Lin Xuan’s jaw tightened.
Even if Su Hua weren’t sitting right there, listening, he wouldn’t agree.
He wanted nothing to do with these messy entanglements.
Stealing a glance at Su Hua, he found her smiling, her eyes glinting like polished jade.
His pulse spiked.
That smile… it felt dangerous.
“Chen Ling, I—”
Before he could refuse, Su Hua—having unbuckled her seatbelt unnoticed—leaned in and sealed his lips with hers, swallowing his words.
She kissed him deeply, hungrily.
Chen Ling’s voice, still calling for him, faded into the background.
“Lin Xuan? Are you still there?”
The worry in her tone only seemed to spur Su Hua on.
Her fingers slipped beneath Lin Xuan’s shirt, tracing slow, teasing circles over his chest.
Chen Ling’s calls grew more frantic.
Why had he gone silent?
Had something happened to him?
Panic clawed at her as she paced, helpless.
Then, through the phone, a faint sound reached her ears.
She froze, straining to listen.
Was that… the sound of kissing?
Lin Xuan was drowning in sensation, but a sliver of awareness remained.
The call was still active.
Pulling back slightly, he moved the phone away, breaking the kiss.
Su Hua’s lips were swollen, glistening, her cheeks flushed.
“Hua, behave,” he murmured hoarsely. “Let me finish this call first.”
Su Hua’s hands didn’t stop.
“Which matters more?” she purred, her voice a velvet tease. “The call… or me?”
Lin Xuan exhaled. “You. Always you.”
“Then stop resisting,” she whispered against his lips.
With no choice left, Lin Xuan surrendered.
If he dared to refuse, Huabao would probably trap him in bed again for three days and nights straight.
Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily visits causing excessive server pressure, we now recommend switching to other top-tier sources.
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."
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.
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!
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
