Keeping Wanqing at Bay

"D-Dragon Gate Master, please calm down first. We'll have plenty of chances to kill Lin Ao."

Monkey offered Xiao Fan a nervous reassurance. At this rate, he'd smash everything in the room. Would he start smashing Monkey next?

Xiao Fan whipped around and glared at Monkey. Monkey shuddered in fright. That look was terrifying.

"Heh. I'm just blowing off steam. Sooner or later, I'll pin that ant into the dirt here in Jianghai."

Xiao Fan suppressed his anger. His position wasn't secure yet; he couldn't take his frustration out on the subordinates who were loyal to him.

After this incident, some people inside the organization would probably start getting restless. He couldn't let the people around him leave.

If he ended up isolated and helpless, his position as sect master would be in jeopardy.

So he kept his tone polite with Monkey.

"Monkey, have the people of Dragon Gate lie low for a while. The Lin and Liu families are both looking for us in Jianghai. Once things die down, Lin Ao will be a dead man!"

"I'm going to recuperate at the Qin Family's for a while. Let me know if anything comes up! You can go now!"

Monkey breathed a quiet sigh of relief and hurried out of the room.

The Lin and Liu families wielded enormous influence in Jianghai. Dragon Gate's forces were spread across the country, and now wasn't the time to clash with either family.

Xiao Fan sat on the sofa, his expression gloomy, a cold smile curling his lips.

"Lin Ao! Gu Wanqing! Just you wait, Lin Family and Gu Family. And you, Gu Wanqing. You think I can't find another woman now that I've lost you?"

At the thought, Xiao Fan narcissistically reached up to run his fingers through his hair, only to find his head wrapped in bandages.

His gaze turned vicious again.

"I'm the Dragon Gate Master! How could I have only one woman? Qin Yun of the Qin Family is every bit as good as you!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Xiao Fan cackled wildly on the sofa!

Dragon Gate's Capital City headquarters.

An old man watched Xiao Fan on the screen while speaking with Elder Hong over the phone.

"Elder Hong, keep watching him for now. As the Dragon King, he'll have to win back his own face."

The old man hung up on Elder Hong.

Leaning both hands on his cane, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"If he fails again..."

He glanced at the young man behind him.

"Aotian, you'll take over in Jianghai."

With that, the old man slowly walked away.

"Xiao Fan, I never thought I'd see the day. Looks like I'll have to step in!"

The young man known as Aotian stared at Xiao Fan on the screen, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

Outside a VIP room at Jianghai City First People's Hospital.

A sultry, alluring woman had been kicked out of the room.

"You were practically swooning over me! Your H value was off the charts in the status panel, and you still put on an act and sent me away! Just you wait, I'll devour you sooner or later!"

Gu Wanqing glanced at the closed door, rolled her eyes seductively at Lin Ao inside, and stormed off.

"Good grief, who could withstand that kind of assault? She almost had my pants off just now. Good thing my muscles suddenly cramped up from the injury. Otherwise, I really would've lost my first time right here."

Lin Ao lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling of his hospital room.

He kept patting his heart, which was still pounding wildly.

Gu Wanqing had changed so much. How had he never noticed before how good she was at teasing people right where it hurt? He couldn't wrap his head around it. It all felt like a dream.

When he came back this time, she was the one who first called off their engagement. If things had followed their original course that day, he should've refused.

Given the Lin Family's power in Jianghai, the Gu Family wouldn't have agreed to Gu Wanqing breaking off the engagement, either.

In the end, they would've held their wedding six months later, and Xiao Fan would've burst onto the scene then.

"Let go of that woman! How dare you touch the Dragon Gate Master's woman? I hereby declare that the Lin Family will soon be wiped off the map in Jianghai!"

Tsk, what a domineering entrance! And that lovestruck woman—Lin Ao could hardly believe it.

"Brother Xiao Fan, I knew you'd come~ You're the only one willing to stand against the whole world for me!"

Gu Wanqing gazed at Xiao Fan with lovestruck adoration, saying something completely out of character.

"Ugh~"

Remembering it, Lin Ao nearly threw up. Who had come up with those lines?

Still, that was how things were supposed to go.

But now?

Lin Ao lowered his head with a bitter smile.

Call off the engagement? Gu Wanqing wouldn't agree to it if it killed her. Instead, she'd told him she wanted to marry him on the Ferris Wheel.

She'd nearly taken him right there, too. Terrifying.

Maybe that was why she'd crossed paths with Xiao Fan so much earlier this time. Lin Ao hadn't had time to prepare, and he'd nearly lost his life here again.

He'd said he'd stay away, stay away. And now she was chasing him relentlessly, like a beautiful death god—gorgeous, but deadly.

Lin Ao gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

From now on, he wouldn't go anywhere near her. Not even a little.

"No, the hospital's too dangerous. I need to get home right away. I shouldn't leave the house for the next few days. I need to prepare for what's coming."

The more Lin Ao thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He wanted to go home right now. He wasn't just on guard against Xiao Fan anymore, but Gu Wanqing, too. He was afraid she'd ambush him in the middle of the night and turn his stay into a late-night hospital ward drama.

His frail body couldn't take any more.

Lin Ao quickly packed up and had his family take him back to the Lin Family Manor.

Liu Menghan picked Liu Nian up, and they left the hospital.

They sat in the car, staring at each other with wide eyes.

[You have left the Destiny Path]

The message appeared plainly before them both.

Neither of them said a word, as if by silent agreement.

Back at the Liu Family home, Liu Menghan took Liu Nian to meet the Liu elders, Liu Zongyuan and Chen Yulian.

Liu Nian barely remembered the two of them.

By the time Ye Chen had sent her back to the Liu Family all those years ago, the two elders were already gone.

She'd seen them when she was little, but her memories of them were hazy.

The two elders shakily gathered Liu Nian into their arms, tears streaming from their cloudy eyes.

The days she'd been missing had nearly killed them with worry.

What Liu Nian didn't know was that the two elders had lost their beloved son a year ago. Then, a year later, their granddaughter Liu Nian had disappeared, too. Under the double blow, they'd forced themselves to carry on for another year before passing away.

Now that Liu Nian had come back, the elders would probably live much longer.

The Liu Family wouldn't so easily fall into Ye Chen's hands, either.

The two elders held Liu Nian close for a long while before finally letting her go and telling her to get some rest. They also reminded Liu Menghan to thank Lin Ao properly.

Liu Nian's heart was in turmoil. How long had it been since she'd felt the warmth of blood ties?

That only made her hate Ye Chen more.

He was the one who had robbed her of the love she should have had.

Liu Menghan carried Liu Nian away.

"Niannian, now we can have a proper talk!"

Liu Menghan had finally found a good opportunity to talk with Liu Nian. Her head was full of questions.

Liu Nian nodded. She wanted to have a proper talk with her aunt, too.

They went to Liu Nian's room.

"Well..."

"I wanted to ask..."

They both started speaking at the same time.

"Go ahead, Aunt. You must have a million questions right now."

Liu Menghan nodded with a faint smile.