Lin Qingbai coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes were red, and his fingertips gripped the floor tightly. "It's no use that Master Huo likes Xunting. Xunting is just a novelty for Master Huo. She loves me. She has loved me for six years. She can't let go of me easily."

"Young Master Lin can continue to dream your pipe dream." Gu Zhu disdained to continue talking to the fool, and waved his hand, signaling the guards to leave.

Lin Qingbai's gaze lingered on their departing figures, his vision gradually blurring.

Old Lin had no choice but to take his good-for-nothing grandson home, hoping that this experience would teach him a lesson.

...

...

"Mr. Huo, you're amazing! I was almost harassed by that narcissist today, but thanks to your appearance, I was rescued from a terrible situation!"

Xun Ting couldn't help but flatter him, saying that one should know how to be grateful, and that villains, who lack nothing, love to hear such sycophantic words.

"Change how you address someone."

"Change...change what?"

"What did you just call out? Hmm?" Huo Lin glanced at her, his eyes dark and unfathomable, his gaze extremely intimidating as he stared at her.

Xun Ting frowned deeply. Did the villain like those mushy nicknames? She tentatively asked, "My little darling?"

"Um."

"My darling, you've come at just the right time today."

"Still calling you that?" Huo Lin leaned back, chuckled softly, and looked at her.

Xun Ting froze for a moment, feeling a strong, different atmosphere in the air. Had her relationship with the villain changed slightly?

She shook her head, telling herself not to overthink it, and looked at the villain with extreme seriousness, "Is it because you have feelings for me?"

Huo Lin's lips curled up slightly, somewhat satisfied with this explanation. From his angle, he could see the woman's serious expression, as if her words came from the bottom of her heart.

The sunlight outside the window lazily shone on her, radiating a soft glow.

From now on, she will belong to him.

The man calmly withdrew his gaze and said, "Hmm, keep your eyes open in the future."

"Yes, yes!" Xun Ting nodded eagerly. She would naturally open her eyes wider in the future. Love and such things could go to hell. Nothing could stop her from getting rich quick!

The journey was getting increasingly strange; the place looked completely unfamiliar. Upon closer inspection, she realized the car wasn't heading back to the villain's villa, but rather was driving further and further into a remote area…

Aren't we going back to the villa?

"Go back to the old house."

"???" She was dumbfounded! Why did they have to take her to the Huo family's old mansion out of the blue?

As if sensing the woman's bewildered look, the man calmly explained, "Meeting the parents."

"Mr. Huo... you want me to go with you to meet your parents? I..."

"Don't be afraid, the parents are very gentle."

Xun Ting's lips twitched. The point of her question wasn't whether the parents were kind or not, okay? The point was why she was being taken to meet the parents!

Meeting the parents would imply a future relationship between her and the villain, wouldn't it? Would the villain's family accept someone like her—someone with no money, power, or status? They're not a good match at all!

The most important thing is that she has absolutely no connection with the villain!

She was on the verge of tears, struggling to say, "Mr. Huo, why don't you go by yourself? I'll go back to the villa and wait for you."

"Didn't you want to become conjoined twins with me?"

"I...I was using a metaphor to describe how much I can't live without you, not that I want to follow you wherever you go every day." Xun Ting felt utterly hopeless, knowing she had to fill the hole she had dug herself, even if she had to cry.

The villain is such a meticulous person, will she have to tie a belt around her waist even when she goes to the toilet?

Damn! Just thinking about that scene is... terrifying.