Call more people over?
He hadn't even finished warming up?
Feng Dayou stared in terror at his men writhing and groaning on the ground, then at the young man whose breathing hadn't changed in the slightest. An icy fear clenched his heart.
This wasn't a human being!
This was a monster wearing human skin!
Feng Shijie was scared out of his wits. Clutching his dislocated wrist, he trembled uncontrollably, his legs shaking like leaves as a warm, foul-smelling wetness spread through his crotch.
Chen Lin took a step forward.
Just one step.
Feng Dayou and Feng Shijie shuddered as though an invisible hand had seized their throats, then both jumped backward in fright.
"Y-you... stay away!" Feng Shijie's voice was shrill and distorted, with an unmistakable sob in it.
Watching this ridiculous yet satisfying scene, Liu Ruyan felt years of pent-up resentment drain away at once, leaving her whole body wonderfully relieved.
Song Qiuya's reaction was different. Stars seemed to sparkle in her beautiful eyes, and her lovely face shone with unconcealed pride.
Look.
That was her man.
"My friend doesn't want to see you again."
Chen Lin stopped. His indifferent gaze swept over the two men before he tipped his chin toward Liu Ruyan behind him.
Feng Dayou understood immediately. He grabbed the still-trembling Feng Shijie and forced his head down with all his strength, nearly driving his face into the ground.
"Apologize to Ms. Liu, now!"
"S-sorry! Ms. Liu! I was wrong! I'm not even human! I'm worse than an animal! I swear I'll never dare show my face in front of you again!" Feng Shijie looked utterly miserable. Cold sweat from the pain mingled with his tears and snot, but he didn't dare mumble a single word.
Wen Qingqing had also gone pale with fright. She bowed frantically alongside him. "Ms. Liu, we're sorry! We were wrong!"
Liu Ruyan snorted coldly and turned away in disgust.
Even one more glance at them felt like it would sully her eyes.
Chen Lin waved impatiently.
"Scram."
One word, obeyed as though it were law.
As if granted a pardon, Feng Dayou immediately hauled up the nearly limp Feng Shijie. With the thugs who could still move in tow, he scrambled into the cars, and they vanished into the night.
The farce was over.
"Ruyan, go home and get some rest!"
Chen Lin and Song Qiuya hailed a taxi and said goodbye to Liu Ruyan.
Inside the car, Song Qiuya stared at Chen Lin without blinking, her bright eyes sparkling and her face practically overflowing with pride.
A little embarrassed by her gaze, Chen Lin reached out and affectionately brushed a finger down her nose.
The taxi drove smoothly and soon arrived outside Song Qiuya's apartment building at River View Splendor Mansion.
They got out into the slightly cool evening breeze.
Song Qiuya stepped forward and gently hugged Chen Lin, resting her cheek against his chest as she greedily savored the warmth and security only he could give her.
Chen Lin wrapped his arms around her slender waist, the fresh scent of her hair drifting around his nose.
Everything was quiet, apart from the occasional distant bark of a dog.
The woman in his arms stirred and tipped her head up.
Chen Lin looked down into her shimmering eyes, brimming with deep affection.
Unable to hold back any longer, he bent down and kissed her.
At first, their lips merely touched gently.
Soon, the kiss deepened.
Then Song Qiuya suddenly stiffened.
Her cheeks flushed instantly.
"You rascal!"
She hurriedly pushed Chen Lin away, leaving him with that flustered rebuke before turning and running into the building. Her figure soon disappeared into the light of the stairwell.
Chen Lin stood there in the cool evening breeze, a wry smile appearing on his face.
This body really was young and full of vigor.
He shook his head helplessly, hailed another car, and headed straight for Peach Blossom Island.
After retrieving his Qin Plus, he had just started the engine to head home when his phone rang.
The caller ID showed Liu Ruyan.
Chen Lin answered. Her voice on the other end was slurred and heavily nasal, without a trace of her cool, capable daytime demeanor.
"Chen Lin, could you come over?"
Chen Lin's hand paused on the steering wheel. "Ruyan, is something wrong? It's really late. How about..."
Before he could finish, a series of suppressed, heartbreaking sobs came through the phone.
Chen Lin immediately felt a headache coming on.
He could handle any number of thugs with ease, but he had very little experience dealing with a crying woman.
"Um... Ruyan, please don't cry..."
Through heavy sobs, Liu Ruyan complained in broken sentences, "That bastard Feng Shijie cheated on me with my best friend... and now even you don't want to see me... Am I really that awful...?"
Chen Lin was completely at a loss.
What did one thing have to do with the other?
The woman who had tried so hard to maintain her strong, successful image in front of him earlier that day was now crying like a helpless child.
Something tender inside him stirred. In the end, he sighed and changed his answer. "Where are you, Ruyan? I'll come over."
Ten minutes later, Chen Lin drove into Beautiful Shore Residence.
It was a well-known riverside residential complex in Yicheng's Xiling district, home to the wealthy and influential.
Liu Ruyan had apparently already spoken to the guards at the entrance. His Qin Plus entered the underground garage without a hitch.
Following the address Liu Ruyan had given him, Chen Lin found her home.
It was a three-hundred-square-meter, single-floor apartment.
The door stood ajar.
Chen Lin gently pushed it open. A strong smell of alcohol, mingled with a rich feminine fragrance, washed over him.
In the living room, Liu Ruyan was curled up on a large sofa, holding a precariously tilted glass of red wine.
She had changed into a thin white silk nightdress, its V-neck revealing a dazzling expanse of pale skin. Her long, straight legs were crossed, gleaming like ivory beneath the lights.
An unnatural flush colored her exquisite face. Her beautiful eyes glistened, but their rims were noticeably red and swollen.
When she saw Chen Lin enter, her dull eyes instantly lit up, and childlike delight spread across her face.
She put down her wineglass and stumbled over, grabbing Chen Lin's arm and pulling him onto the sofa.
"You finally came."
An astonishing softness and warmth pressed against his arm. Through the thin fabric, the sensation was so distinct that Chen Lin stiffened.
The heat that the evening breeze had finally dispelled showed signs of returning.
This woman was poison on legs.
Chen Lin quietly suppressed his distracting thoughts and tried to pull his arm free.
"Chen Lin, am I not pretty?" Liu Ruyan only hugged his arm tighter, as though afraid he would run away. She leaned most of her body against him, her soft curves pressed snugly around his arm.
"You are. Of course you're pretty, Ruyan," Chen Lin answered hastily, but his gaze strayed involuntarily toward the coffee table.
One wine bottle was already empty, and another was almost drained.
It hadn't been long since they had parted at the bar. In less than an hour, she had drunk nearly two more bottles of red wine.
"If I'm pretty, why won't you look at me?" Liu Ruyan muttered unhappily. With her other hand, she forcibly turned Chen Lin's face toward hers, making him meet her eyes.
Her tear-streaked yet breathtakingly beautiful face drew close to Chen Lin's. Her warm, wine-scented breath brushed his face.
Chen Lin felt his scalp tingle. He gently held her shoulders, trying to push her a little farther away.
"Ruyan, you're drunk!"
"I'm not drunk!"
Liu Ruyan twisted, trying to break free of Chen Lin's hold, but her meager strength was nothing compared with his.
"You just don't think I'm good enough! You're disgusted with me!" After several failed attempts to struggle free, all Liu Ruyan's hurt came bursting out.
"Of course not. You're such an amazing woman, Ruyan. Why would I be disgusted with you?" Chen Lin explained helplessly before finally stating the truth. "I already have a girlfriend."
Those words seemed to flip a switch.
Liu Ruyan stopped moving.
A second later, her eyes reddened, and large tears rolled down without warning, landing hot on the back of Chen Lin's hand.
"You're lying to me..." she choked out. "That bastard Feng Shijie lied to me too..."
"On our wedding day... he and that bitch Wen Qingqing were in the restroom... Disgusting! So disgusting!"
"You all lie to me..."
The more Liu Ruyan spoke, the more agitated she became. Fueled by alcohol, the pain and humiliation she had bottled up for so long finally broke free.
So that was what had happened.
Chen Lin understood. Without realizing it, he loosened his grip on her shoulders and slid his hands to her back, patting her gently and awkwardly to soothe her trembling body.
No wonder she had treated those two that way.
"Ruyan... I'm not lying. You really are beautiful, and you're an amazing woman." Chen Lin comforted her awkwardly. He truly wasn't very good at consoling crying women.
His words seemed to help-or perhaps she had simply exhausted herself crying.
Liu Ruyan buried her face deep in Chen Lin's chest and wrapped both arms tightly around his waist, her body still shaking with sobs.
Her warm tears soon soaked the front of his shirt.
Chen Lin was caught in a dilemma.
Pushing her away seemed too cruel.
But leaving her there made their position far too intimate.
He could only remain stiff and let her cling to him, inwardly tormented.
He didn't consider himself a man who fooled around, but this was certainly the first time he had ever faced a situation like this!
Before you continue