The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and you could almost smell the stench of blood. The peaceful manor was thrown into chaos in a short time, and the men who had come with Lin Chen on the business trip also carried a dangerous aura, as if they had just come from the battlefield.

Lin Chen had also used force, and he could smell the slightly pungent odor from the crook of his arm, but—

The young man's arm was firmly around her, and he kept walking.

The same smell, yet it was surprisingly comforting.

While Ruan Qingan was lost in thought, Lin Chen casually said, "I'll take you to the boat to rest first. Once everything is ready here, we'll set off immediately. It won't take long—by the way, do you get seasick?"

"have no idea."

"It's alright, I've prepared seasickness medicine for you."

Lin Chen was not surprised, and simply arranged everything on his own.

Only after leaving the manor did Ruan Qing'an lift her head from Lin Chen's embrace. She carefully looked around at her surroundings—only then did she realize that the center of the island was that huge manor, and outside the manor were vast forests.

Like a mist, it envelops the manor, giving it a fantastical and mysterious feel that is unexpectedly captivating.

—Although Lin Qisheng was a morally bankrupt man, he still had decent taste.

Just then, Lin Chen suddenly said, "We've arrived."

"Um?"

Ruan Qingan was taken aback and turned his head to look.

That was where the waves came from, the surging white foam like a white border inlaid on a patch of azure, then crashing into that "giant" and shattering into white flowers.

A cruise ship, three stories high, was moored on the shore. It was decorated quite luxuriously, as if they were on vacation rather than on a business trip.

At this moment, Lin Chen put her down and stood beside Ruan Qing'an. He had clearly carried her for a long time, but he showed no signs of fatigue, his face was not flushed and his heart was not racing.

"This is?"

"The cruise ship to Country A, belonging to the Lin family."

Lin Chen paused: "This is also to avoid attracting too much attention, which is why we chose this location for transportation. There are hidden spaces inside to store large quantities of weapons, so it won't affect other facilities."

Upon hearing this, Nguyen Thanh An stepped forward, looking around: "I thought you would be fully armed and heavily protected."

"...Isn't that like protesting too much?"

Lin Chen glanced at her and sneered, "Your idea is as absurd as wearing night clothes in broad daylight. You might as well put up a banner that says, 'I have something good here, come and grab it.'"

Ruan Qingan: ...That seems to make some sense.

After dropping Ruan Qing'an off, Lin Chen hurriedly left. He had many things to take care of. With the male lead of the stage play gone, Ruan Qing'an lost interest in performing and quickly went to the cruise ship, where he noticed its structure.

The cargo loading area was well hidden, while the front half of the cruise ship was purely for entertainment, somewhat resembling a Titanic set.

She went up to the deck of the cruise ship and leaned against the railing.

Before your eyes lies a vast and beautiful landscape where the sea and sky merge into one. The island stands amidst azure blue, with lush and verdant forests surrounding the manor.

037: [Wow, so beautiful!]

"Yes, the original owner of this body also didn't have the chance to see this scene."

Ruan Qing'an murmured softly, leaning against the railing like a boneless cat, looking down at the broken white waves, lazily swinging her legs little by little.

I don't know how much time passed—

The behemoth began to move, gradually leaving the private port and heading towards a more expansive sea. She was practically hanging on the railing, like a cat basking in the sun, comfortably squinting her eyes and letting the cool breeze caress her.

"If you fall, no one can pull you out."

"No, no."

Ruan Qing'an shook her head as she spoke, and when she turned around, the young man was already standing behind her, only a step away—probably a position where he could easily pull her back if something happened to her.

Seeing this, Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but chuckle softly. Ignoring Lin Chen's stubbornness, she continued to enjoy the sea breeze, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Lin Chen leaned against the side and casually said, "You're quite carefree. You've just gone through some trouble, and you're already much happier. I thought you were going to cry from fright. What a pity."

"Because it was you who did it, right?"

Ruan Qing'an paused for a moment, then said, "I feel that what happened today was something you deliberately orchestrated, but that bodyguard who betrayed you shouldn't be one of yours. After all, it's impossible for him to actually kill Lin Qisheng, otherwise you wouldn't be able to take over the Lin family in such a chaotic state."

"So if my adopted son's actions hurt me, his stepmother, how unfilial he would be, right!"

Lin, the Unfilial Son: ...

He reached out and grabbed Ruan Qing'an by the back of her neck, pulling her back from the railing: "Stepmother, think it over carefully. That old man isn't here. If you make me angry, I'll beat you up, and you'll have nowhere to cry."

"...That sounds so fierce."

Ruan Qingan promptly backed down, muttered something, and stood obediently.

Seeing her like this, Lin Chen was so angry he laughed, but he couldn't do anything about it. If he really beat her up and made her cry, he would be the one with the headache.

After Ruan Qing'an repeatedly assured him that he wouldn't talk nonsense, Lin Chen finally let go of her hand. Immediately afterward, the wildcat scurried away, as if it would be eaten if it got too close to him, and hid on the other side to continue enjoying the breeze.

Lin Chen, who was always on the go, had no idea why Ruan Qing'an was so excited, jumping for joy.

"Look, the clouds over there are so pretty!"

"There it is! There it is! A whale! Wow!"

"Hey, you cheap son, quickly take a picture of your stepmother!"

The chatter never stopped. Lin Chen hurriedly caught the camera that Ruan Qing'an threw to him. No matter how hard he tried to control his expression, it was full of helplessness. Was she the one who really came here for a vacation?

Before Lin Chen could speak, Ruan Qing'an urged him again. He subconsciously looked up and saw the girl leaning against the railing, her skirt fluttering in the sea breeze, her hair slightly disheveled, but she couldn't stop smiling, her eyes looking like they were filled with stars.

The canary, taken out of its cage, is enjoying limited, controlled "freedom," yet remains content.

"Lin Chen!"

"...Here you come. If you yell again, I'll throw you into the sea."

Lin Chen felt a throbbing pain in his temples from her calling him, but he still stepped forward and raised his camera towards Ruan Qing'an.

The girl in the photos is as beautiful as an elf.

'Click—'

He pressed the shutter, a slight, unconscious smile playing on his lips.

【Affection Level: 50】