The maid was in a dilemma, but Ruan Qing'an was, after all, the madam. When Lin Qisheng and Lin Chen were not around, she was the most important person. She couldn't refuse at the moment and could only take her to the basement.
The original owner had been moved here for some time. Although he had tried to escape several times, he had only ever stepped out of his room. He was not familiar with the overall layout of the manor, let alone the fact that there was a basement on the first floor of the manor.
Following the servants to the first floor, and walking deeper into the corridor covered with a thick red carpet, the smell of blood gradually intensified.
At the end of the corridor was a wallpapered wall with a huge oil painting hanging on it—a typical Impressionist style. Ruan Qingan recognized the painting; it had sold for a high price of fifty million at an auction in Country A three years ago.
"We've arrived, madam."
"Is it here?"
The maid nodded slightly, pressed a button on the wall lamp, and explained, "The basement is used for interrogation and punishment. People who have done wrong but do not deserve to die will be ordered by the master to come in for punishment. There are also people who need to be pried open to get information, and they will be here."
As the wall lamp was pressed, accompanied by a slight sound of the wall moving, the giant oil painting began to slowly sink, finally revealing the dark passage behind it.
The faint light and the lingering smell of blood filled the air.
The maid stood to one side, head bowed, her whole body trembling uncontrollably, as if facing some monstrous flood: "Madam...please come in..."
"Then you stay here and keep watch."
Ruan Qingan nodded, then pulled his coat tighter and walked down the stairs to the basement.
In the deathly silence, only faint groans could be heard.
His voice was deep, husky, and magnetic; it was very pleasant to listen to.
Ruan Qing'an squinted her eyes until the steps beneath her feet disappeared, revealing an empty, eerie room with fresh blood still visible on the gray walls.
The tall young man knelt on the ground with his back to her.
The muscles on his back bulged slightly, forming a rather pleasing curve. Any more would make him look too muscular and lose his aesthetic appeal, while any less would diminish his masculine strength and aggressiveness.
But at this moment—
Lin Chen's clothes on his back were torn into strips, with bloody whip marks crisscrossing across them.
037: [This, this...]
Ruan Qingan: "Tsk, Lin Qisheng really has no humanity."
Not far behind Lin Chen was a man holding a whip in one hand. The long whip in his hand was raised high, and the sound of it cutting through the air could be heard. The force was fierce and heavy, and it struck Lin Chen's back directly.
Forty-eight.
Forty-nine.
The man paused, then lashed out with the last whip, causing Lin Chen's tall figure to stiffen for a moment. He said, "Fifty."
"Young Master, the punishment instructed by the Master has been completed."
After saying that, the man put the whip aside, lowered his head and stepped back. Lin Chen moved his stiff body slightly, but even the slightest movement caused the whip marks on his back to sting painfully, so much so that he couldn't help but stop and let out a muffled groan.
He took a breath, clearly still bleeding from the wound on his back, but slowly straightened his clothes and got up to go to the table.
Ruan Qing'an leaned against the basement door not far away. Because it was a blind spot, Lin Chen and the other person couldn't see her. But from her angle, she could clearly see what was on the table.
Cell phone, keys, wallet, and... a gun.
Ruan Qingan paused, his leaden-gray eyes narrowing.
The man in charge of wielding the whip lowered his head and said, "Young master, please be more careful in the future and don't cause trouble for the master. These fifty lashes are just a small lesson."
"Ha, who said that?"
Lin Chen asked the question as if it were just a casual remark, putting the items back into his bag without even glancing at them.
The man replied respectfully, "Of course it was you who said it, sir."
"Oh, so it's Father."
Lin Chen drawled out his words, his meaning ambiguous. He put away his things, his slender hand casually grabbing the pistol from the table. As he turned to walk towards the door, the next moment—
'Bang!'
A bullet pierced right through the man's hand that was just gripping the whip!
A bloody wound suddenly appeared on his palm, and blood gushed out. The man cried out in pain, clutching his hand, but dared not resist or fight back.
Lin Chen simply stretched out his long arm, glanced at it sideways, and casually crushed it as if it were an ant, with ease and comfort.
The man covered his hands, trembling as he lowered his head.
"Young Master, why..."
"You're nothing but my father's dog. If you're going to deliver a message, then deliver it properly. You dare to bark at me?"
Lin Chen chuckled and put his pistol back in its holster: "Get out of here, don't let your blood pollute my eyes."
"Yes, young master..."
The man seemed to wake up from the pain, and his previous arrogance in wielding the whip was gone. He staggered to the side.
After packing his things, Lin Chen straightened his back and walked out of the basement, only to find that the door had been opened at some point, and the light from the corridor shone in, casting a small, dark figure.
He paused for a moment, then looked up.
Ruan Qing'an was standing at the door, pulling her coat tighter, looking down at him. Her leaden gray eyes were watery, as docile and obedient as a newborn fawn. She seemed frightened, and ripples spread across her soft eyes, making her look pitiful.
Lin Chen paused: "What are you doing here?"
"I...I came to take a look..."
She whispered, glancing at the man with her beautiful eyes, then adopted a pitiful and weak demeanor and stepped aside: "The gentleman said he was busy with work and told me to come to you if I needed anything."
Lin Chen glanced at Ruan Qing'an's feigned innocence and walked right past her, saying, "I know."
He walked out of the secret passage on his own, seemingly preparing to return to his bedroom. Although Lin Chen was wearing an outer garment, blood could still be faintly seen seeping from his back. Moreover, the young man's tall frame, seemingly immovable, was actually quite imposing as they passed each other—
Ruan Qingan clearly saw him trembling very slightly.
037: [Is the male lead... alright?]
"Nothing's wrong, my foot! Just tough it out, might as well die from it."
Ruan Qingan inwardly grumbled.
The man in the basement had left, and the secret passage closed again. As the giant oil painting moved, Lin Chen lowered his voice and let out a muffled groan.
After avoiding people, Lin Chen revealed his weakness.
But just then—
“The old man said that if I were to do something and you didn’t listen to me, I could take it upon myself to beat up your adopted son.”
Lin Chen paused, turned around to look at Ruan Qing'an, and the petite girl standing behind him was no longer the weak girl he had been just moments before; she looked like a spoiled and mischievous cat.
—I just like to scratch him.
Ruan Qingan stepped forward and looked at him closely: "So now you can listen to me, my adopted son?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose, both angry and annoyed.
Lin Chen did indeed control his emotions quite well. Last night, when Lin Qisheng forced him to call Ruan Qing'an his stepmother, he was far less angry than this cat, who dragged out her voice and called him "cheap son" in a soft and coquettish tone.
He scoffed, "Yes, yes, hello stepmother."
"Just listen to me and come with me."
\u0001
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