The Qin Family in Jianghai City.
Lately, everything Xiao Fan had tried had ended in failure.
He'd approached the Qin Family as the newly appointed Dragon Gate Master, hoping to bring them into the fold and stir up the waters of Jianghai together.
But Elder Qin had kept giving him the runaround. He neither agreed nor refused.
He just stalled. "Let me think about it." "There's no hurry." "We can discuss it at length later." Excuse after excuse.
And Qin Yun—this woman wouldn't even give him the chance to say a few words. Over the past two months, he'd seen her for less than ten minutes in total.
Xiao Fan couldn't understand why she seemed to loathe him so much.
Sure, she was famously an ice queen, but Xiao Fan had plenty of confidence in his looks and abilities. On top of that, he was the Dragon Gate Master. Did she really dislike him that much? Couldn't she spare him a couple of words?
He had to swallow his anger and keep smiling at the Qin Family. He felt utterly humiliated.
It was all Lin Ao's fault. Just thinking about Lin Ao made him even angrier.
He couldn't help thinking of Gu Wanqing, too.
Ever since Gu Wanqing had driven him out of Gu Group, he hadn't had a chance to get close to the Gu Family again—let alone Gu Wanqing herself.
Before coming to Jianghai, Xiao Fan had always moved among all kinds of women to get what he wanted. He'd also used various methods to help Dragon Gate swallow up a family at the lowest possible cost and put it to work for the sect.
How could he accept such a change?
Dragon Gate Special Envoy Long Aotian had also arrived in Jianghai. He claimed he was there to assist Xiao Fan, but secretly, he was watching him make a fool of himself. Xiao Fan knew it.
The Old Sect Master was testing him, putting pressure on him.
That only made the already-irritable Xiao Fan even more volatile.
"Ding—!"
"The nation's goddess, Xia Qiange! Her latest album goes on sale today! A feast that will set everyone's ears ablaze—and the nation's goddess's first on-screen kiss! We'll now be showing the most exciting highlights. Maximum sweetness ahead! Please support Xia Qiange's new album!"
At that moment, Douyin pushed a notification to Xiao Fan's phone. It was about Xia Qiange, whom he'd been following all along.
All he saw were the four characters: "on-screen first kiss."
Those words sent a surge of fury through him.
"How dare she? I, Xiao Fan, haven't even made you mine yet, and you're already betraying me?! Xia Qiange! Even you?"
Xiao Fan's thought process was truly bizarre. They'd never been together, so how could she betray him?
He tapped the notification. At sunset, waves lapped against the beach. A tall, handsome figure stood by the shore as the song began. The camera shifted, revealing Xia Qiange's stunning face on the screen. In tears, she ran toward the handsome figure.
The instant the young man turned around, every vein in Xiao Fan's body bulged.
Lin Ao!!!
Why was it you again? Lin Ao!!!
Seeing Xia Qiange and Lin Ao locked in a passionate kiss wasn't just adding fuel to the fire. It was like ten tons of TNT exploding inside him.
First, Gu Wanqing had put on a live performance for him. Now Xia Qiange was striking from behind a screen!
Xiao Fan's twisted face looked terrifying. He glared at the frozen image.
The Old Sect Master had sent Long Aotian to Jianghai, putting Xiao Fan under immense pressure. He knew the Old Dragon King had lost faith in him.
So he'd devoted all his time to dealing with the Qin Family and Elder Qin, hoping to get the family's support. But Elder Qin kept putting off giving him an answer.
He'd gone to great lengths to get close to Qin Yun, leaving him no time to keep tabs on Lin Ao and the others.
And now he'd seen the man he hated kissing the woman he'd already claimed as his own!
"Lin Ao! You took advantage of this time to stab me in the back? Just wait! Gu Wanqing, Qin Yun, Xia Qiange! You'll all pay!"
"You first, Qin Yun. You forced my hand. Once I've had my way with you, let's see how you can resist me!"
Xiao Fan looked like a beast about to devour someone. He'd completely lost it.
He looked toward Qin Yun's courtyard, his gaze full of menace.
Then, with a sudden change of face, he walked toward Elder Qin's courtyard with a warm smile.
Lin Ao had told Xia Qiange to release the highlight clip first. It was a publicity stunt, so they might as well put it out early and build some buzz. The whole point was to make sure Xiao Fan saw it.
And Xiao Fan was bound to see it. There was no need to guess: his anger would surely turn toward Lin Ao again.
Lin Ao just hadn't expected Xiao Fan's first target to be Qin Yun.
He was still lounging around at Lin Family Manor, waiting for Xiao Fan to come knocking.
Gu Wanqing didn't usually pay much attention to the entertainment world, so she hadn't yet found out that Lin Ao had filmed an MV and kissed the nation's goddess.
But Qin Yun surely knew by now. After all, she and Xia Qiange were close friends.
"Qiange, that man really is Lin Ao from Lin Corporation Group? He's pretty handsome. How did you get him to agree to film the MV?"
Qin Yun was on the phone with Xia Qiange, her mind buzzing with curiosity.
"It wasn't a big deal. We happened to be filming at his place and borrowed the location, so we got to know each other. He was so handsome that I thought I'd ask him to join us. He was probably bored, so he agreed."
Xia Qiange didn't dare admit that she and Lin Ao had been involved. As far as everyone knew, Lin Ao had a fiancée, and Xia Qiange's stern father would never approve.
If her family found out she'd really slept with Lin Ao, she could forget about ever returning to Jianghai.
"Ooh, so our Miss Xia is just irresistible! Is he as cold and moody as the rumors say?"
Hearing Qin Yun describe Lin Ao that way, Xia Qiange couldn't help laughing.
"Not at all. He's more like an innocent young boy. Would you believe it? Hahahaha!"
The two chatted away, completely unaware that this man had countless ties to both of them.
Qin Yun also had no idea that Xia Qiange's MV with Lin Ao had put her in Xiao Fan's sights.
Lin Family Manor.
Lin Ao lounged in the courtyard, eyes half closed as he basked in the sun.
A small hand covered his eyes.
Lin Ao smiled knowingly.
"Niannian, I know it's you."
He grabbed the owner of the little hand, pulled her into his arms, and started tickling her.
"Hahahahaha! Grandma Li, Auntie, help me! Uncle Lin Ao's bullying me!"
Niannian laughed and squirmed as Lin Ao tickled her.
Just then, outside the courtyard gate, Li Wanyu walked in, holding Liu Menghan's hand.
"You brat, let Niannian go. You're a grown man, yet you're still acting like a child."
Li Wanyu walked over and picked Niannian up.
"Rotten uncle, you've been gone for so long and didn't even bother to call me! You came back without telling me, either. If Grandma Li hadn't told me, I wouldn't even have known you were back!"
Niannian was full of complaints. Lin Ao really had forgotten about the little girl. At the same time, a question crossed his mind: why did Liu Menghan seem so close to his mother?
Niannian seemed to notice his confusion, and a sly smile tugged at her lips.
That was all thanks to Niannian's roundabout approach.
If she couldn't get close to Lin Ao, she'd start by getting close to Li Wanyu, then gradually work her way into Lin Ao's family.
She kept bringing Liu Menghan along and making sure Li Wanyu saw her. Liu Menghan was gentle, well-mannered, and cultured, so Li Wanyu had grown quite fond of her.
As they spent time together, Li Wanyu also learned that Liu Menghan, as head of the Liu Family, carried the family's business on her shoulders.
She was equally at home in the kitchen and the boardroom, so Li Wanyu naturally liked her. She'd also sensed that Liu Menghan seemed to have feelings for her son. In their conversations, Liu Menghan had brought Lin Ao up now and then, and Li Wanyu had caught a whiff of something unusual.
She hadn't tried to talk Liu Menghan out of it. As a mother, she was delighted that such an outstanding young woman liked her son. The younger generation could handle their own affairs, so she'd simply pretend not to know.
If Lin Ao was capable enough to marry them all, all the better. Li Wanyu was more than happy with that.
"Lin... Lin Ao, it's been a long time..."
Before leaving, Liu Menghan had even made a bold promise to Niannian. But the moment she saw Lin Ao, she immediately lost her nerve and could barely get the words out.
When Lin Ao saw Liu Menghan, he remembered the video Niannian had sent him.
That scene... Seeing her in person made it all the more shocking.
He forgot to reply for a moment and stared at her until Liu Menghan grew uncomfortable. A blush crept up to the tips of her ears.
A glint of wisdom flashed in Niannian's eyes.
[Character's current state/thoughts: What a nice rack. I want another look.] [H-Index: 90.]
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