The next morning, on the soft, dark bed, the petite girl, nestled in the blankets, lazily rolled over before sitting up and touching her slightly disheveled hair.

In just a moment, the drowsy look in her leaden eyes dissipated, and her gaze returned to clarity, sharp and piercing.

037: [Hello, hello, good morning, ancestors!]

[Am I super effective? Did you sleep well last night? I suppressed all the adverse reactions from the original owner's allergies!]

Ruan Qingan: "Wow, that's awesome!"

037: ...I was brushed off.

Noticing 037's hesitant silence, Ruan Qing'an chuckled, "Alright, alright, you're awesome."

【Hmph, that's for sure!】

037（ˉ﹃ˉ）: Hey, hehe... I got praised by my ancestors.

After calming down the sensitive mascot, Ruan Qingan prepared to get up, just as a knock came at the door.

"Madam, the master is waiting for you on the third-floor terrace."

"I see."

Ruan Qingan raised his voice in response, and the sound of footsteps faded into the distance.

Since Lin Qisheng personally removed her chains last night, and she didn't run away, she finally gained the right to walk openly in the manor—provided she couldn't leave.

Upon hearing that Lin Qisheng was looking for Ruan Qingan, 037 immediately became alert. This old man had first assaulted someone, then launched a night raid and choked them. Who knew what kind of trouble he was up to now!

Ancestors, please be careful!

"Don't worry, he's just lying low for now. That old bastard Lin Qisheng has plenty of people who want to take him down."

Ruan Qing'an slowly adjusted the hem of her skirt, a half-smile playing on her lips. Just from reading the original text, she vaguely guessed that Lin Chen had probably long harbored murderous intent towards Lin Qisheng, since Lin Chen had reduced both the original owner and Lin Qisheng to ashes in the end.

The venomous snake lurking around Lin Qisheng now is not only Ruan Qing'an, but also a silent but vicious dog that bites the most viciously.

Ruan Qing'an chuckled: "Let that old man be arrogant for now."

037 finally felt relieved—the ancestor and the main god, who were like villains to it, would teach Lin Qisheng a lesson sooner or later!

...

About fifteen minutes later, Ruan Qing'an, having finished washing up, came to the third-floor terrace. Because of the morning wind, it was a bit chilly, so she put on a shirt over her white nightgown, which conveniently covered the bruises on her arms and the marks from the allergy she had last night.

However, the exposed swan neck still showed bluish finger marks from pinching, which looked extremely frightening.

Lin Qisheng was sitting at a table on the terrace, with two exquisite Western breakfasts laid out on it. He was drinking coffee while looking at Ruan Qing'an, his gaze lingering on her neck.

They didn't care at all, and felt no remorse.

Good morning, An'an.

Good morning, sir.

Ruan Qingan spoke softly, standing awkwardly in place.

Lin Qisheng stood up and pulled Ruan Qing'an's coat up for her. He then pushed her to sit down at the table and said with a gentle smile, "It was a bit chilly this morning. I forgot to ask someone to put a coat on you. Fortunately, An'an knows how to take care of herself and didn't make me worry."

"Please don't catch a cold, it will break my heart."

Lin Qisheng spoke very nicely, but you couldn't tell at all that he had grabbed Ruan Qing'an by the neck last night and acted like a demon.

Ruan Qing'an sneered inwardly, her eyes icy cold.

But she said sweetly and softly, "My husband is busy with work every day, I won't let him worry."

"I'm relieved that An'an is such a good girl."

Lin Qisheng smiled, sat down opposite Ruan Qingan, picked up his coffee and sipped it, and said softly, "Let's have breakfast first."

"Understood, sir."

Ruan Qing'an glanced at it; none of it was her favorite. It was probably something that "Xia An'an" Lin Qisheng had mentioned last night liked. But it was still better than the seafood from last night, so she started eating it.

Lin Qisheng added from the side, "An'an, you should like Western-style breakfast, right? We'll have the kitchen make it for you every day from now on."

No, actually she prefers fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and soy milk.

Ruan Qingan munched on his sandwich, silently grumbling to himself.

However, Lin Qisheng didn't care. He was only happy and content watching Ruan Qing'an eat. He continued, "I have very important work to do in the coming days, so I may not be able to take care of you."

She thought to herself: Really? Then you'd better get lost.

On the surface, Nguyen Thanh An said with concern, "Really, sir? You've worked so hard. I won't cause you any trouble."

He met the girl's bright, watery eyes, which were full of worry.

In an instant, Lin Qisheng's heart softened completely, as if he saw his deceased white moonlight: "Don't worry, An'an, I'll be done with my work soon. Lin Chen will be with you at the manor these days."

"But...but what if he doesn't like me?"

Ruan Qing'an looked sad: "Sir, the relationship between my stepson and my stepmother has never been good, even though we are not together yet."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qisheng said nonchalantly, "It's alright, An'an. You are his stepmother, so he naturally has to respect you. If he doesn't listen to you, just give him a beating. I'll handle it."

What to do when your child is disobedient?

A beating would do the trick.

Ruan Qing'an nodded softly, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say, sir. Without you, I really don't know what to do."

"So don't worry, Lin Chen will be close to you."

Nguyen Thanh An nodded repeatedly.

Don't worry, you'll be made to wear this green hat properly sooner or later!

After giving his instructions, Lin Qisheng watched as Ruan Qing'an finished breakfast before hurriedly putting on his coat. The driver, who was already waiting outside the manor, opened the car door for Lin Qisheng, and they quickly left the manor.

Ruan Qingan stood on the third-floor terrace, his leaden eyes coldly watching the direction the car had gone, lost in thought.

She suddenly said, "Little system, that driver is white."

037: [Yes, my data has been detected.]

"So, where exactly is this?"

Ruan Qingan paused for a moment, then looked up at the vast manor. From this vantage point, all that could be seen were the manor's extremely well-equipped facilities, and beyond that, a large expanse of green forest.

The original owner was brought here by kidnapping, but she had no memory of where she was and didn't know how she mustered the courage to escape.

As she was pondering this, the maid stood behind her, head bowed, and asked, "Madam, would you like to go back to your room to rest?"

"Let's go in."

Ruan Qing'an then looked away and walked down the stairs: "By the way, where is Lin Chen? The master told me to contact him if I need anything."

"Young...Young Master?"

The maid's face stiffened, and she hesitated, saying, "Young Master is currently in the basement... Perhaps, Madam, could you wait a moment?"

"basement?"

Ruan Qing'an was slightly taken aback: "Take me to see it."

As she walked from the second floor to the first floor, her eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. She had initially thought it was an illusion, but now it became clearer and clearer. Although the smell was faint, it was very common in the previous small world. Ruan Qing'an was very familiar with it and could smell it immediately.

037: [What is it, ancestor?]

Ruan Qing'an said with a grim face, "The smell of blood."

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