"Menghan, you can let go now. I can barely breathe."
Lin Ao was now completely certain that Liu Menghan was just like Xia Qiange. The difference was, he hadn't spent much time with Xia Qiange before, but he and Liu Menghan had been intimately close for a while. They'd probably gone through it several times.
"Lin Ao, this time, let me be the one to pursue you."
Liu Menghan let go of Lin Ao and looked at him seriously.
Lin Ao fell silent for a moment. How should I answer her? Should I just say yes, or play hard to get? He had always felt protective of this girl, but he'd only just let Gu Wanqing into his world. Now Liu Menghan was right behind her, and he really did look like a scumbag.
"Menghan, actually, I..."
Lin Ao tried to explain again that he had the same memories as Liu Menghan.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening rang out.
Like startled rabbits, they immediately let go and sat back in their original places.
"Uncle Lin Ao, are you really hot? You're sweating just from sitting in the sun. And Auntie, why is your face so red? Is the ultraviolet light that strong?"
Liu Nian's seemingly innocent words kept needling the two people on the chairs.
"Ahem, I guess it is a bit hot. I'll go inside and get some water."
With that, Lin Ao hurried back into the house.
Liu Nian looked at Liu Menghan, whose eyes darted everywhere, with a mischievous grin.
Liu Menghan felt completely ill at ease under Liu Nian's gaze.
"W-what? If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you staring at me?"
Liu Menghan was a little embarrassed and annoyed, but her heart was sweet. She had finally said it to Lin Ao.
"Auntie, you finally made your move! Want to go inside and press your advantage?"
Liu Nian teased Liu Menghan. It was already quite an achievement for her to have gotten this far.
"M-maybe next time. Lin Ao still doesn't seem able to accept what I told him."
Liu Menghan thought Lin Ao needed time to process the information.
Lin Ao went back inside and took a strategic drink of water. As he sorted through everything that had happened lately, he realized that this time, everything had changed completely, which undoubtedly made him even more confident about his plans going forward~
"Ding—!"
"Sweetie, it's someone's birthday in my family tonight, so I might not be able to chat with you. Make sure you think of me!"
Lin Ao's phone chimed. Qin Yun had sent him a message on Feixin.
"No worries~ You go take care of things~"
After replying, Lin Ao wondered whose birthday it was in the Qin Family.
Was it Elder Qin? If so, they would surely invite all the big names in Jianghai City.
Just then, Li Wanyu came out, so he could ask his mom.
"Mom~ Is someone in the Qin Family having a birthday banquet today?"
If it was an important member of the Qin Family, they would definitely have informed his family.
"Oh~ It's Elder Qin. Didn't I have Menghan go out with me today to pick out some gifts? Even though our family has some bad blood with them because of Xiao Fan, we still have to keep up appearances."
After hearing Li Wanyu's answer, a sly smile tugged at Lin Ao's lips.
So he'd guessed right. In that case, he could have a good face-off with Xiao Fan tonight.
"Aotian, this is your chance. If Xiao Fan fails, you'll take his place. Don't disappoint me. And remember, think things through before you act."
A stern voice came through the phone.
"Yes, Old Sect Master. I know what to do!"
Long Aotian let out a quiet breath and hung up.
He had just arrived in Jianghai City and discovered that Xiao Fan was cowering in the Qin Family, while Dragon Gate's plans had ground to a halt.
When Dragon Gate's leadership had changed hands, he had been Xiao Fan's biggest rival. Unfortunately, he had been no match for Xiao Fan in combat and had been defeated.
Now that Xiao Fan had hit a wall, this was the perfect opportunity to reclaim his position.
The fittest survived, and the weak perished. The defeated could wait to go straight to hell.
Tomorrow was Elder Qin's birthday banquet. It was time to pay their sect master a visit.
Long Aotian grinned crookedly, his heart brimming with anticipation for the future.
"Get the car ready. I'm going to prepare a gift and wish Elder Qin a happy birthday tonight."
That night, luxury cars filled the area outside the Qin Family home.
Nearly every prominent figure in Jianghai City had come.
Lin Ao and Gu Wanqing attended the Qin Family's birthday banquet together.
Earlier that day, he'd told Li Wanyu that he would attend on behalf of his parents.
Lin Ao and Gu Wanqing drew most of the guests' attention as soon as they arrived. Everyone was especially curious about the legendary young master of the Lin Family.
"Welcome, Young Master Lin. Please come in."
"Welcome, welcome~"
Standing at the entrance were a refined-looking middle-aged man and a beautiful woman in a qipao. They were Qin Yun's father, Qin Haoran, and her mother, Xie Mengting.
So Qin Yun had inherited her taste in clothes from her mother; they both loved qipaos. I wonder if she inherited her personality from her mother too. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
"Hello, Uncle Qin, Auntie Xie. This is our gift for Elder Qin's birthday."
Lin Ao handed their gift to a Qin Family servant standing nearby, then led Gu Wanqing inside.
"Lin Ao, why did you want to attend this banquet? My parents were supposed to come."
Gu Wanqing couldn't understand why Lin Ao had suddenly called her and said he wanted to attend Elder Qin's birthday banquet with her.
"Is there anything wrong with a younger generation coming to offer their congratulations?"
Lin Ao smiled without revealing his real reason. He took her inside, found them a seat, and scanned the room for the person he was looking for tonight.
"You're so weird~"
Gu Wanqing stayed with Lin Ao in the hall. From time to time, people they knew came over to greet them, all business acquaintances.
"Stay here for a bit. I see a few friends I know, so I'm going to chat with them~"
With that, Gu Wanqing went over to talk with a group of girls dressed to the nines.
"Strange, why haven't I seen Xiao Fan yet? Isn't this just his kind of scene?"
Lin Ao sat on the sofa and yawned.
He still hadn't seen that punk Xiao Fan. He was waiting for him to show up and do the sort of things a villain was supposed to do.
"Pardon me for interrupting, Young Master Lin!"
A strange voice sounded beside Lin Ao. He turned his head and saw a handsome young man walking toward him with a wineglass. Lin Ao searched his memory, but he had never seen the man before. He turned away, too lazy to bother with him.
"Young Master Lin, my name is Long Aotian. I'm an envoy from Dragon Gate."
Long Aotian sat down opposite Lin Ao, crossed his legs, and wore an arrogant look.
"I heard you beat up that good-for-nothing Xiao Fan. Don't worry, I'm not here to avenge him."
Lin Ao was baffled. You don't even count as a supporting character here, do you? Why are you acting even more like the protagonist than the protagonist himself? If you're not here for revenge, what are you here for? He had no good feelings toward anyone from Dragon Gate.
"I came here simply to make your acquaintance, Young Master Lin."
As he spoke, Long Aotian crossed his other leg over the first, fixed his eyes on Lin Ao, and flashed a wicked, domineering grin.
Lin Ao shivered. Could he be into men? Damn, is there not a single normal person in Dragon Gate?
Before you continue