As they were talking, the old butler went into the study and began to check whether any of the items in the study had been moved.

Ruan Qingan couldn't help but frown.

She had only seen the location of the desk; after receiving news of the photo frame, Lin Chen arrived right after, and she only had time to put it in, but—

The old housekeeper probably wouldn't know about the picture frames, which were kept in a drawer, and as for the others, she didn't have time to touch them.

It all depends on what Lin Chen touches...

Thinking of this, Ruan Qing'an silently looked at Lin Chen.

Because the two of them had squeezed in, the space under the desk had become quite cramped, and they were very close together. Lin Chen keenly sensed her gaze and looked back.

His long, slender hand was still covering the girl's mouth, almost covering half of her face, making her appear even more petite.

The warm breath exhaled onto the palm, as if it wanted to say something.

Did you make a mess?

For some reason, Lin Chen seemed to have guessed what she meant, but he just shook his head slightly—he wasn't stupid, he didn't want to leave traces after doing bad things.

At that moment, the old butler, having discovered that nothing had been moved, was about to go to the bookshelf behind the desk to take a look when another servant ran to the study door.

"Butler, the master called and said to prepare dinner in advance, as he will be back a little earlier."

"I specifically instructed that this is the first time the lady has attended a dinner."

Upon hearing this, the old butler immediately stopped and hurriedly left the study, slapping the servant on the head as he did so: "I think you're just too idle. Go back and clean!"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

The servant spoke hurriedly.

After the old butler and the servant who came to inform him left, the man closed the study door with a mournful face. Even before it closed completely, you could hear his unwilling voice: "I really saw it."

The two people forced to hide under the table: Please don't see this...

Until the study door was closed and the footsteps faded into the distance, the entire manor seemed to be bustling with activity because Lin Qisheng was about to return. The two who were hiding barely escaped a disaster.

Once their fear of being discovered subsided, Ruan Qingan and Lin Chen hurriedly released their hands from each other's mouths.

"Who are you?"

Ruan Qing'an spoke up at the opportune moment, shrinking into a corner.

At this moment, Lin Chen had the leisure to notice their current posture—not a good one, it was a rather ambiguous position.

The young man was so tall that he alone could take up the not-so-large space, not to mention his two long legs, which could only be tucked up in a sorry state, leaving only a small space for the petite girl—the little bit between his arms and his long legs.

Lin Chen's palms still retained the warmth of his breath.

It's so soft, so soft...

He clicked his tongue, and the fiery and arrogant young man grabbed Ruan Qing'an by the back of the neck like he was picking up a kitten: "Shouldn't you introduce yourself?"

"Huh? A stranger in my house."

"Your home?"

Ruan Qing'an seemed to realize something belatedly: "Lin Chen?"

At this moment, Lin Chen had already lifted her to sit on the desk, and then crossed his arms and looked at Ruan Qing'an: "Hmm, a thief who breaks into a house can even steal into the study?"

"Since you're family, why are you acting like a thief?"

Ruan Qingan was not to be outdone and retorted sharply.

This was quite different from her gentle and weak appearance. Lin Chen was slightly taken aback. He thought she was a kitten that would cry if she was bullied, but it seemed to be a wild cat that could scratch people.

But he leaned against a bookshelf and scoffed, "What I do in my own home is none of your business. Get out of here right now."

"Aren't you afraid people will find out about you searching the study?"

Ruan Qingan countered with a question.

She sat on the desk, legs crossed, her bare, jade-like feet so beautiful they seemed easily graspable, swaying back and forth in front of Lin Chen, tapping up and down, as if she were somewhat bored.

Lin Chen was somewhat agitated by the shaking, and said with his eyes half-closed, "Who would believe a petty thief like you?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."

Ruan Qing'an paused, then smiled weakly: "Although we didn't get a marriage certificate or have a wedding, I'm still tied up here, and I can't even run away—"

"But they all call me 'Madam'."

When he finished speaking, the study was completely silent.

Lin Chen's expression, which had initially been somewhat annoyed, finally changed. He couldn't even hide his disgust and contempt as he looked at her: "That scheming woman, is that you?"

"According to Lin Qisheng, I am your future stepmother."

In an instant, Lin Chen's expression turned ugly, and a contemptuous sneer escaped his lips: "So, it's true what they say, any Tom, Dick, or Harry will come crawling to me. So what—"

"I heard my father locked you up, didn't he?"

Lin Chen paused, placing his hands on the table to block Ruan Qing'an's side. He bent down slightly, and the young man's overly flamboyant eyebrows and eyes appeared even more aggressive. He retorted, "Threaten me? Do you have the right, you runaway guy?"

"No, no, no—"

Ruan Qing'an raised her slender fingertips, shook them, and then pressed them against Lin Chen's chest, pushing him away.

She narrowed her almond-shaped eyes slightly: "I remember you called Lin Qisheng 'old man,' but now you're pretending to call him 'father.' Besides, you can't even go into the study, can you?"

"Don't act like I'm the only one who did it. If I tell Lin Qisheng, you'll be in trouble too."

Ruan Qing'an paused: "Besides, it seems like you and Lin Qisheng aren't very close, while he's still in the mood. If I just back down, let's see if he punishes you or me."

Actually, when he got to this point, Ruan Qingan wasn't really sure, but he maintained a certain attitude, looking like a wicked and malicious person who was up to no good.

037: [Are you not planning on being a good person at all?]

"I don't!"

It was rare for Nguyen Thanh An to be so willful.

Actually, she had a better strategy, at least she couldn't follow the old path of the original owner and Lin Chen being at odds, but—who told her to be certain that Lin Chen was Xie Huainan's consciousness?

Ruan Qing'an, who is nine-tenths rebellious, has gone against the grain.

037: [...6.]

At this moment, Lin Chen almost laughed out of anger. He grabbed Ruan Qing'an's slender neck and said, "Are you threatening me?"

"It seems that your relationship is indeed very bad."

Ruan Qing'an coughed with difficulty and said with a smile, "You can't let Lin Qisheng know that you came in. I'm in the same boat. We both have the same secret, so why don't we keep it from each other?"

"...a scheming woman."

A moment later, Lin Chen finally released his grip. His strength wasn't great, but it still left a red mark on Ruan Qing'an's neck: "Then shut your mouth, or else—"

"You know perfectly well what the Lin family does."

Upon discovering that the person was someone he quite disliked, Lin Chen lost interest in staying. He wiped his hands, turned around, and prepared to leave, even suppressing the slight flutter in his heart that had occurred during their first meeting.

But just then, Nguyen Thanh An suddenly called out to him.

"Hey, stop right there."

"Is there anything else?"

Ruan Qingan paused: "I'm going back to my room. You'll have to help me lock it up again. The bedroom can only be locked from the outside."

Lin Chen scoffed, "Why would I help you?"

"Because—you are my adopted son."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen felt a throbbing pain in his temples: ...Damn, this future stepmother really dares to call me that.

\u0005\u0005\u0005\u0005\u0005