Upon hearing this, 037 suddenly realized what was happening.
[Holy crap, oh my god, this old man wants you to be the bait! This...this...let's shoot him!]
The atmosphere was tense, even bordering on dangerous.
Ruan Qing'an lowered her eyes and said, "Actually, when Lin Chen looked at me, he had already thought of it, which is why he suddenly stopped talking. Xia An'an is someone who can always tug at Lin Qisheng's mind. That madman went crazy because of Xia An'an, and now... I am Xia An'an's substitute."
That's why Lin Chen kept silent, as he had also considered this point.
037: [Then, are you really going? That old bastard Lin Qisheng almost strangled you before, and even used you as a shield.]
After a moment of silence, Ruan Qing'an chuckled and said, "...With Lin Chen here, I've been resting and doing nothing in this small world for a long time. If there's really a need, what can't we do?"
However, she also knew that it depended on Lin Chen's decision.
At this moment, Lin Chen was still confronting Lu Hong. The atmosphere that had just calmed down was completely shattered by this sensitive topic that almost touched the bottom line for the young man.
Looking into Lin Chen's cold eyes, Lu Hong said, "This is a matter of great importance, young master Lin. I hope you can think it through."
"..."
Suddenly, Lin Chen stood up, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions, even hinting at a sinister edge: "No need for cooperation anymore. Please disembark, Commander Lu. I won't see you off."
"Young Master Lin—"
Just as Lin Chen turned around, Lu Hong raised his voice.
The people next to Lu Hong responded immediately, quickly raising their pistols and pointing them directly at Lin Chen!
However, Lin Chen's men reacted even faster. The mercenaries hidden inside the cruise ship's cabin rushed out as soon as they heard the sound of guns being drawn outside. In the blink of an eye, they surrounded Lu Hong and his men, all holding their guns, creating a tense and solemn atmosphere.
Lin Chen seemed oblivious to this scene, or perhaps he had already prepared a backup plan, and now he walked up to Ruan Qing'an on his own.
The situation changed rapidly. The girl sat there, looking up at Lin Chen in a daze, while the young man's usually arrogant and unrestrained eyes were now as gloomy as a haze, making it hard to breathe.
"Lin Chen, you—"
"I told you, stop messing around."
Lin Chen's voice was deep and hoarse. Before Ruan Qing'an could react, he picked her up and held her firmly in his arms.
The faint sound of guns being pulled back could still be heard behind them. The mercenaries surrounding Lu Hong and his group took another step forward, raised their guns as a warning, and shouted sternly, "Back off!"
"Young Master Lin, perhaps we can talk again."
Upon hearing Lu Hong's voice, Lin Chen paused, turned around, and stared at Lu Hong: "Commander Lu, I don't want to confront the power of the nation, but—that's not a reason for you to challenge my bottom line."
“I could easily let you die here, Commander Lu.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Hong's expression darkened, and his face turned ashen.
But Lin Chen didn't even look at him. His sidelong glance was filled with subtle mockery and coldness. He turned around and carried Ruan Qing'an back to the cabin.
Seeing Lin Chen about to leave, Lu Hong gritted his teeth and slapped the hand of the man beside him who was holding a gun: "Put down the gun immediately! Did I tell you to take a gun?!"
"Young Master Lin, please wait a moment."
Lu Hong said in a deep voice, "Regarding what that young lady said just now, may I reasonably speculate that she has some kind of relationship with Lin Qisheng? If we can't deal with Lin Qisheng, will it affect this young lady?"
"Leaving aside the matter of using this young lady as bait, we can still discuss the cooperation itself, can't we, Young Master Lin?"
Upon returning to the manor, Lin Qisheng will continue with the wedding arrangements.
As Xia An'an's stand-in, Ruan Qing'an will not be let go by Lin Qisheng. Unless Lin Qisheng is dealt with, she will always be under his control.
Lin Chen finally stopped. When he looked down, he saw Ruan Qing'an leaning against him, her lips pursed in discomfort, as if she was at a loss because of what had just happened.
Her leaden eyes looked at Lin Chen nervously: "Lin Chen, what's wrong? Is there anything I can do for you?"
"...It won't involve you."
"But what if it's really necessary?"
Lin Chen paused, then carried her back to the room. Before Ruan Qing'an could speak, he had already placed the girl on the bed, stretched out his long arm, and placed it against the headboard. His extremely aggressive aura instantly made Ruan Qing'an swallow back the words she was about to say.
She bit her lip, but the young man raised his hand and pressed it against her lips, half-forcibly: "Don't bite, I'm very angry right now."
"...So how do you plan to deal with Lin Qisheng?"
Ruan Qing'an retorted, "Lin Chen, don't exclude me. If I can help, why won't you let me?"
"Because I'm worried!"
Lin Chen growled, pressed his temples, and only when he saw that the girl was frightened by him did he restrain his aura: "If I can't do it, then I'm useless, that's all. I don't want you involved. Don't you remember you almost died at his hands?!"
“My mother is a cautionary tale. Ruan Qingan, you are her substitute, but you should not become the second her.”
He paused, his hand gradually clenching into a fist. Ruan Qing'an was speechless for a moment, but the young man had already lowered his head, bent down, and buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice hoarse and trembling slightly.
"I'll listen to anything you say. I've said it before, you can do anything, and I'll cover for you. But this time, it won't work."
"I can't lose another person, Nguyen Thanh An..."
The young man's excessive protectiveness was explained at this moment.
He has lost too much—all of it, all of it was brought about by Lin Qisheng. This was true of the deceased Xia An'an, and it was also true of the past Ruan Qing'an. His excessive protectiveness was only to prevent further loss.
Thinking of this, Ruan Qingan's heart softened.
Her soft voice sounded almost coquettish: "Okay, whatever you say."
...
After calming down, Lin Chen went out again, but this time Ruan Qing'an had no idea what he and Lu Hong talked about. It wasn't until several hours later that Lin Chen returned.
They then prepared to return home. Ruan Qing'an went back to the manor to recuperate, while Lin Chen... was responsible for picking up Lin Qisheng.
Everything was like the sea before a storm.
Calm, yet filled with unease, as if awaiting the final climax, sweeping everything away with unstoppable force—like the calm before the storm.
Fortunately, we weathered the storm together and shared both joys and sorrows.
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