Zhan Hanjue coughed twice, his sharp, hawk-like eyes fixed on Qin Beiming's back like two arrows, making Qin Beiming feel uneasy and at a loss for what to do.

Liu Guifen, standing beside Zhan Hanjue, also looked rather pale.

He stared coldly at Qin Beiming, his guard rising.

She originally thought Qin Beiming was a decent person, but she never expected that he would start talking about all sorts of random things.

What's so tempting?

How could someone with a high level of education say something like that?

That's outrageous!

The difference between humans and animals lies in the role of "instinct" in behavior.

If you can't even control your own desires, then you've truly lived a wasted life.

However, Shi Huan, hiding behind Liu Guifen, didn't think so.

She only saw a handsome and elegant man whose soul seemed to be gilded and shimmering in the dark night under the reflection of light and shadow.

This was the first time she had ever seen such a handsome man.

At first glance, she seemed to fall into his trap, unable to resist wanting to get closer to him and to learn more about him.

In her eyes, Qin Beiming was like a perfect gift bestowed upon her by the Creator, even the strands of his hair exuded an air of exquisite nobility.

"dad..."

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Beiming finally steeled himself, turned around in one go, and called out in a deep voice, "Dad."

But when he met Liu Guifen's sharp eyes, he was utterly devastated.

This must be Ling Mo's maternal grandmother, right?

He had hoped to leave a good impression on his grandmother, but now he'd messed things up. She probably already sees him as a shameless, lecherous old scoundrel.

Zhan Hanjue was speechless at this.

Just a few days ago, this guy solemnly assured her that he would never do anything that could harm her.

It's only been a few days, and you can't hold back anymore?

Shi Huan noticed the subtle atmosphere between Zhan Hanjue and Qin Beiming. In order to leave a good impression on Qin Beiming, she boldly smoothed things over for him: "I suppose this is my cousin's husband? Seeing is believing, and my cousin and her husband are a perfect match."

"..."

Qin Beiming glanced at the unfamiliar Shi Huan and nodded politely.

Shi Huan stared at Qin Beiming, who was much taller than her, her heart pounding. She then launched into an inappropriate self-introduction: "Brother-in-law, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Shi Huan, Huan as in joy, and I'm Sister Mo's cousin."

Zhan Hanjue frowned, immediately seeing through Shi Huan's thoughts.

Although he didn't usually show much affection for Qin Beiming, that didn't mean he would tolerate other girls having inappropriate plans for the son-in-law he had already accepted in his heart.

Because Shi Huan's advances were too obvious, he had no choice but to change his usual behavior and directly knock on the bedroom door, speaking slowly:

"Girl, isn't it a bit inappropriate to kick someone out of the bedroom in the middle of the night?"

Ling Mo was surprised that Zhan Hanjue would speak up for Qin Beiming, and opened the door with a look of astonishment.

The moment the door opened, Ling Mo was even more surprised to see Liu Guifen and Shi Huan present:

"Why aren't you all asleep in the middle of the night?"

"Girl, Beiming knows the child isn't well. Even if you're being stubborn, there has to be a limit. It's freezing cold; what if he gets sick from being locked outside?"

Zhan Hanjue was unwilling to speak up for Qin Beiming, but he was even more unwilling for his son-in-law to be taken away by someone else.

Left with no other choice, they had to take the initiative to salvage the situation for Ling Mo, who was neither good at flirting nor knew any of those seductive tricks.

"..."

Ling Mo frowned, looking at Zhan Hanjue, whose temperament had suddenly changed, with a puzzled expression.

Qin Beiming was also overwhelmed with gratitude at this moment.

He never imagined that Zhan Hanjue would protect him like this one day.

Liu Guifen never expected that Zhan Hanjue would allow an adult man to freely enter and leave her daughter's bedroom. She was very dissatisfied with his actions and asked him bluntly:

"Luo Lin, what's wrong?"

"Mom, don't misunderstand. Bei Ming has always been a good child with excellent character. He should be helping Mo Mo review her lessons right now."

"Can..."

"With final exams approaching, this girl is a diligent student and will probably be studying all night."

Zhan Hanjue explained patiently, and while speaking, he even quietly closed the door for Qin Beiming and Ling Mo.

Seeing that the light inside the room was blocked by the heavy door, Shi Huan dejectedly withdrew her gaze, silently retreated behind Liu Guifen, and stared blankly at the slippers on her feet.

She wasn't sure if her feelings for Qin Beiming could be considered love at first sight.

But what she was certain of was that she genuinely liked men like Qin Beiming—clean-looking, handsome, and extremely masculine.

Before coming to Linjiang, Zhu Yanyan had mentioned Ling Mo's newly acquired boyfriend to her. According to Zhu Yanyan, Qin Beiming came from a very prominent family, a major family in Beijing's elite social circle.

At that time, she did not pay attention to what else Zhu Yanyan said or wrote.

After all, no matter how outstanding Qin Beiming is, now that he's her cousin's boyfriend, she shouldn't harbor any fantasies.

But only now has she realized that she is not as kind as she thought.

The moment she saw Qin Beiming, all her principles and bottom lines turned to ashes; her mind was consumed with how to snatch him away from Ling Mo...

Inside the bedroom, Ling Mo and Qin Beiming stared at each other for a long while before slowly coming to their senses.

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