Upon hearing this, Lin Qisheng couldn't help but turn his head to look at Ruan Qing'an.

The petite girl sat there, looking aggrieved but unable to speak out, her eyes brimming with tears.

She is beautiful, but seeing her weep makes one's heart ache.

But……

Whenever Lin Qisheng thought about how Ruan Qing'an had kindly tried to help him but ended up hurting him when he shouldn't have, he felt a lump in his throat, as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in his throat.

But what can you expect from a spoiled canary who only cares about her looks? Can she transform into a battlefield killing machine and start shooting?

"Father, what do you think?"

Seeing that Lin Qisheng did not refuse directly, Lin Chen asked at the opportune moment.

Lin Qisheng hesitated for a moment before saying, "Okay, we'll do it your way. An'an will stay with you for now."

"No, sir. How can I live without you?"

Ruan Qing'an immediately rushed forward, tears dripping onto the blanket. She pressed her hands to Lin Qisheng's injured thigh wound, crying with tears streaming down her face: "Sir, I can't live without you."

Lin Qisheng's face turned deathly pale, and he almost jumped up from the pain.

But Ruan Qing'an cried so pitifully that it was heartbreaking to see, and for a moment she looked even more miserable than Lin Qisheng.

Lin Qisheng's face twisted slightly, and he said with difficulty, "An'an, don't worry, take your hand away first, okay? But the situation is special right now, you should go with Lin Chen first, and then come back later."

"Waaaaah, sir, are you going to abandon me...?"

Ruan Qing'an let out a soft moan, looking as if she was about to faint from crying, but the hand pressing on Lin Qisheng's thigh wound pinched even harder, making the man's face contort in rage.

Seeing this, Lin Chen's lips twitched.

Before Lin Qisheng could speak, Lin Chen stepped forward and reached out to support Ruan Qing'an: "Stepmother, you and Father are truly 'deeply devoted' and 'incredibly loving,' but you should also think of Father's feelings."

"But I—"

Before Ruan Qing'an could finish speaking, she felt the large hand on her shoulder tighten slightly, even pinching the back of her neck with a suggestive gesture.

Lin Chen continued, "Don't worry, even if we get to Country A, I will definitely take good care of you, stepmother."

Ruan Qingan: ...He must be threatening me, right?

The young man removed her hand from Lin Qisheng's thigh, and Ruan Qing'an stopped acting up. She looked as if she had cried herself to death, and leaned softly against Lin Chen's arm.

Lin Chen then said, "Then I'll take my stepmother with me first?"

"Go on, go on, be careful on the road."

Lin Qisheng's thigh was numb with pain, but his hand gesture was decisive and resolute. Before his injury healed and before this matter was resolved, Ruan Qingan must not be allowed to return!

After receiving Lin Qisheng's permission, Lin Chen nodded and helped Ruan Qing'an, who was crying so hard she was almost fainting, to leave the bedroom.

As they were about to leave the bedroom, the girl was still crying.

"Waaaaah, sir..."

Lin Chen: This is fucking annoying.

He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he clicked his tongue in disapproval. Only after he closed the bedroom door, cutting off Lin Qisheng's view, did the hallway become empty except for them.

The girl, who had been crying just moments before, immediately stopped crying.

"Let me go! You bastard! Show some respect to your stepmother!"

Even her complaints sounded like a spoiled tantrum in her soft voice, like stepping on his cat with a soft paw pad—mischievous yet indulgent, driving him crazy...

Lin Chen turned his head slightly, pinched the back of her neck, and pinned Ruan Qing'an against the wall with his other hand, leaning down slightly.

He whispered in her ear, "Show some respect?"

"Have you had enough fun in front of that old man?"

"?!"

Ruan Qing'an was startled and quickly covered Lin Chen's mouth with her hand, lowering her voice: "Don't talk nonsense here, Lin Chen!"

The young man raised an eyebrow, his flamboyant eyes unrestrained and unruly. When his mouth was covered, only his dark eyes moved, vaguely revealing one meaning—so what are you doing messing around here?

It was only then that Nguyen Thanh An realized that their position was actually quite dangerous, so close that they could feel each other's breathing.

Unfortunately, Lin Qisheng was only separated from them by a wall.

Just then, footsteps came from around the corner of the corridor. The old butler hurried toward the bedroom, but stopped as he rounded the corner: "Young Master, Madam?"

In the hallway outside the bedroom, Ruan Qing'an and Lin Chen each leaned against one side of the wall, so far apart that the atmosphere was stiff and silent.

Seeing this, the old butler couldn't help but say, "Young master, madam, you'll all be family from now on. Please don't let things get so tense. If there's a conflict, just resolve it. Don't hurt our harmony."

"I understand, I won't cause you any trouble, sir."

Ruan Qingan coughed lightly, changing the subject.

Lin Chen didn't allow the old steward to ask any more questions, and simply said, "Father has already rested. You can go later, steward. Is the boat I asked to arrange ready?"

"Everything is ready, young master. Are you ready to depart?"

Lin Chen nodded slightly, straightening his sleeves as he said, "Go and call people, we need to get ready to leave. Country A is pressing us hard."

"Yes, young master."

But the tall young man stopped after taking only a few steps and turned around: "Stepmother, aren't you coming?"

...

Before going to Lin Qisheng's bedroom, Lin Chen had already arranged everything, from flight routes and manpower to the prepared goods, before coming to find Lin Qisheng.

Looking at the armed mercenaries, covered in the stench of blood from the battlefield, Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but follow behind Lin Chen, cautiously observing them.

"Who are they?"

"My real identity is, of course, that of a mercenary. But in the US, I'm also a legitimate businessman, so these people all have legal gun licenses. After all, I'm just a businessman."

Hearing Lin Chen's explanation, Ruan Qing'an secretly grumbled to herself.

—Are arms dealers self-proclaimed as legitimate, ordinary businessmen?

As Lin Chen was getting ready to get busy, he suddenly felt a slight tugging on the hem of his clothes, and he instinctively turned around.

The petite girl followed closely behind him, like a young deer that had wandered into the human world. She seemed a little uneasy and could only follow closely behind someone she was somewhat familiar with.

It's a feeling of being depended on.

Lin Chen, who was always harassed by this wildcat's claws, had never seen her so docile in front of him.

Actually, even after being locked up for so long, you've never really left.

Besides...did the gunfight just now frighten her?

The young man, who had been walking briskly, suddenly stopped.

Ruan Qing'an looked up in surprise, her slender fingertips poking his back: "Why did you suddenly stop?"

"Speaking of which, is this your first time leaving the manor, stepmother?"

"...When I regained consciousness, I was in the room."

Ruan Qing'an's tone lowered a bit, but before she could ask for clarification, she was suddenly lifted up and nestled in the young man's strong arms.

Without giving her a chance to resist, Lin Chen strode towards the manor's exit: "You're walking too slowly, I'll take you there."

"But you—"

Lin Chen, however, appeared much more assertive at this moment: "Don't move."

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