Jianghai City First People's Hospital.
A scream rang out from a private luxury room.
"Ah—!"
Lin Ao suddenly jolted awake, his back drenched in cold sweat.
He'd just had a dream. In it, a golden ball had grown a hand and slapped him hard across the face.
He'd sat up too quickly and seemed to have bumped into something soft and springy, with a lovely fragrance.
He looked up.
"A ball? Two? That's not right. I remember there being one. And it was golden, wasn't it? How come these are so fair and soft?"
Lin Ao even reached out and gave them a squeeze.
"Mm~ Lin Ao, what are you doing?!"
Only then did Lin Ao come to his senses. He looked up and saw Gu Wanqing gazing at him with sultry, half-lidded eyes, her cheeks flushed.
He shuddered and hurriedly pulled his hands back.
Gu Wanqing shot Lin Ao a reproachful look. It was all because the patient gown was too small. When Lin Ao bumped into her just now, the whole front had come undone.
She hurried to button it back up. Several buttons had snapped off.
She wasn't wearing anything underneath, either.
Lin Ao stood off to the side, looking utterly awkward.
[Character's current state/thoughts: Excited. They felt so soft just now, but this is so embarrassing!] [Character affection: 90.] [Character heart rate: 150.] [H-Index: 95.]
"Lin Ao~ I'm so glad you're all right! I was worried sick."
After straightening her clothes, Gu Wanqing threw herself at Lin Ao and pulled him into her arms.
She'd been injured too, but after the examination showed she was fine, she'd stayed in his room to take care of him.
The sight of Lin Ao spitting up blood had left her shaken. She'd thought she was about to lose him again.
"Let me go!"
Lin Ao struggled to lift his head and gulped down fresh air. He'd only just woken up and nearly suffocated all over again.
"Why am I here? Where's Xiao Fan? Wasn't he pounding me into the ground?"
Lin Ao couldn't remember what had happened afterward.
He only remembered punching Xiao Fan, then getting pinned to the ground and beaten by him. He'd thought he was done for.
"You don't remember? You were the one who pinned him down and beat him afterward."
Gu Wanqing felt Lin Ao's forehead, checking to see if there was an injury the doctors had missed. Why did it seem like he'd lost his memory?
"I pinned Xiao Fan down and beat him? Tsk—!"
Just thinking about it gave him a headache. He couldn't remember a thing.
"Lin Ao, what's wrong? Are you all right? It's okay if you can't remember. You're safe now."
Seeing him like this, Gu Wanqing really thought he might have injured his head.
"I'll go let Aunt Li and the others know. And I'll change my clothes while I'm at it. You little rascal~"
Gu Wanqing gave Lin Ao a flirtatious look, held her clothes closed over her chest, and hurried out.
"Tsk—!"
Memories he'd buried came rushing back to Lin Ao.
He remembered the two passionate kisses on the Ferris Wheel. The second one had definitely been a full-blown show right in front of Xiao Fan.
It was both humiliating and thrilling.
I knew it. I shouldn't get involved with these women. The moment I do, something happens!
Otherwise, Xiao Fan wouldn't have come after me so soon!
The more Lin Ao thought about it, the more something felt off!
No, no, no! He still had to stick to his plan to keep his distance. He'd only survived this time by sheer luck.
What about next time? Would he be able to handle it when Xiao, Lin, Ye, Chu, and Qi showed up?
What did Gu Wanqing even see in him?
Why was she so determined to cling to him this time?
He felt helpless just thinking about it. Gu Wanqing was far too good at this. Sometimes, he really couldn't resist her.
Ever since she'd met him, her former cool and aloof demeanor had disappeared.
He was terrified he'd lose his virtue to her one day. Then things would really go horribly wrong.
Before long, Lin Dong and Li Wanyu walked in.
Liu Nian and a woman he recognized appeared before him as well.
She wore a fitted professional dress and sexy black stockings, her figure graceful and elegant.
Her long hair was swept into a refined bun, giving her a mature look that was still alluring and seductive.
Lin Ao's eyes widened in disbelief.
Liu Menghan???
The woman he'd flirted with the hardest when he was a villain—and hurt the most.
He felt terrible about it too. He hadn't been in control of himself. He remembered that during one period when he was free, he'd taken the chance to sneak in while she was asleep and apologize to her.
How had he run into her so soon?
"Uncle Lin Ao!"
The moment Liu Nian saw Lin Ao awake, she rushed over to him, her voice sweet and clear.
Looking at Liu Nian in his arms, Lin Ao exclaimed in surprise, "You can talk now?"
Liu Nian looked up, blinking her eyes. "Yes! I can talk now!"
Lin Dong and Li Wanyu came over too.
"Son, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? You scared your mother half to death!"
Li Wanyu stroked Lin Ao's face, her expression full of worry. This time, she'd been terrified. A Great Grandmaster had actually set his sights on Lin Ao.
Uncle Zhang and the others had chased after the man, only to find that two more Great Grandmasters had arrived to help him.
In the end, he'd still gotten away.
If they'd arrived any later, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Son, don't worry. I called your maternal grandfather! He's already sent people to investigate!"
The mysterious number Li Wanyu had called at the time was the internal hotline for the Li Family, one of the Capital City's four great families.
Lin Ao remembered. In a few years, his maternal grandfather would be assassinated with a slow-acting poison, and the Ye Family would swallow up the Li Family, becoming the most powerful family in the Capital City.
That was the family behind Ye Chen's Yama Hall.
In the previous timeline, the Capital City's Li Family should have been exclusive to Ye Chen's storyline. Now, though, they'd gotten involved on Xiao Fan's side. Could this make the Li Family fall even sooner?
Tsk—! It wasn't impossible.
Did anyone who went up against the protagonist ever come to a good end?
"Mom, just tell Grandfather not to get involved for now. I know who that person is. I want to handle this myself, all right?"
No, he had to stop this. At the very least, he needed to let Lin Ao prepare before things went any further.
He couldn't let everything get more and more out of hand.
"Can you handle it?"
Li Wanyu looked at Lin Ao with concern.
"Don't worry. If I need help, I'll tell you."
Lin Ao continued to reassure Li Wanyu.
"All right, let him handle it his way. If he needs help, he'll say so. He's an adult now. It's time he learned to face some things on his own."
Lin Dong gave Li Wanyu a meaningful look, urging her to go along with Lin Ao. Whether she actually did was another matter.
How could they let anyone get away with hurting the Lin Family's only heir? The anger wouldn't die down so easily. It wasn't just the Li Family—even the Lin Family's old master had exploded when he heard the news.
He was still raging back at the family estate, and had even given Lin Dong a tongue-lashing. If anything happened to his grandson, Lin Dong could expect to get a good beating with a rattan cane!
"Sorry~ I hope I'm not interrupting. There's something I'd like to say to Mr. Lin."
A gentle female voice rang out as Liu Menghan walked over.
She looked earnestly at Lin Ao and bowed slightly.
Her fitted professional outfit showed off her lovely figure to perfection~
Lin Ao's heart gave a thump. Was something troublesome about to happen again?
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