The footsteps outside had already faded away, but inside the living room, it was still dead silent. All eyes were focused intently on Su ngqing’s face.
"ngqing, don’t listen to your dad! He must be out of his mind!" Zhang ili’s chubby face turned livid, no longer showing any trace of happiness.
"Sister, could it be that Lin Fan secretly beat up Dad and then threatened him to say that?" Su Gang’s face was grim as he guessed through clenched teeth.
"I’m sure that’s the case! That bastard Lin Fan just doesn’t want Director Su to have a better life, to beco soone he can’t even hope to reach!" Yang Tingting nodded vigorously, speaking with certainty. "He’s truly malicious, a despicable piece of work!"
"Haha, my future? Su ngqing’s future? How could it possibly be controlled by a re Lin Fan?" Su ngqing’s face looked as if she had swallowed a dead fly. She took a deep breath, and her rage gave way to a cold laugh.
Lin Fan, are you really that fragile? Are you that afraid I, Su ngqing, will rise again and trample you underfoot?
"Everyone, don’t take it to heart. Let’s eat and drink," she announced, scanning the room. "I will personally find Lin Fan tomorrow and make him give up this delusion." With that, Su ngqing picked up her glass of red wine and gulped it down in one go.
"Exactly, exactly! I think Old Su is just temporarily confused. What father in their right mind would ask his daughter to be a mistress?"
"He must have been threatened by Lin Fan! I heard that bastard is surprisingly skilled in a fight!"
"Forget about Lin Fan! Once we get rich, who will give a damn about a kept man and a loser like him?"
The crowd laughed, smoothing things over. They returned to rrily eating and drinking, their conversation becoming lively again. They completely missed Su Hua, who had just walked in, his expression a mixture of alarm and disbelief. He had just paid the taxi fare for the "Prince" and had casually asked the driver where he’d picked him up, wanting to see where this "Prince" was staying.
Goddammit, it turned out to be a godforsaken dump on the outskirts of so alley in Southern City!
「The night deepened, and the heavy rain had stopped.」
Lights were still on in the clinic, illuminating four sleeping mats spread out on the floor. In a small partitioned room, Lin Fan lay on the only bed. He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts a tangled ss.
Stubborn Su Gang had returned, carrying a large bag of late-night snacks. He had proudly called over Master Feng and the other two to enjoy them. The four of them were now gathered together, shouting and yelling as they played a rowdy ga of cards, making so much noise that Lin Fan couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning in his bed.
I just can’t figure it out. How could my mother, who was always so gentle and refined, be connected to a notorious organization of assassins? And not just connected—she might have been the forr Human Tower Master!
The thought of his grandmaster, whom he had never t, the renowned dical Sage Lin Aochang, only confused Lin Fan further.
If Mom wasn’t lying, and this Vermilion Bird Ring was a gift from my grandmaster... then he must also have deep connections with the Human Tower! Mom, Grandmaster... what else are you hiding from ?
Lin Fan gave a silent, wry smile.
Then there’s the missing Adele. And the Ying family in the Imperial Capital, not to ntion the Holy Poison Sect lurking in the shadows like a predator.
"Forget it. I’ll take it one step at a ti," he murmured to himself.
Shaking his head, Lin Fan exhaled a heavy breath, then sat up cross-legged and began to ditate, circulating his Qi through the Great Heavenly Cycle.
「The next day dawned bright.」
A sharp knocking on the door startled Lin Fan awake. He got out of bed to open it, finding Master Feng already awake and alert, who gave him a wary nod. Yuan Ruohai and the other two were still spread-eagled on their sleeping mats, snoring their heads off.
"Excuse , is this the Suxin Clinic? I’m looking for Lin Fan."
Lin Fan lifted the rolling tal shutter. Standing outside was a stunning young woman with shoulder-length hair who exuded a cold elegance. A tight-fitting black leather jacket and pants accentuated her tall, devilish figure, while her purple eyeshadow and fiery red lipstick made her all the more alluring.
"I am Lin Fan," he said, frowning slightly as he glanced at Master Feng, who was now approaching. He already had a good idea of who this woman was.
"Ahem, Young Master, this is the Left Protector of our Human Tower, Wu Miaomiao. Her codena is ’Zi Ying’," Master Feng explained with an embarrassed expression, shooting an irritable glare at the woman. "Didn’t I tell you to drop the flashy getup? Hurry up and wash your face before you pay your respects to the Moderator!"
"Him? Old Crow, are you insane? You’re actually calling him the Moderator?" The woman, Wu Miaomiao, sneered. "If you want my loyalty, you’ll have to show you’ve got the goods!"
As she spoke, the corner of her mouth twitched, and she made an unexpected grab for Lin Fan’s lower body.
"Stop ssing around! The Young Master is incredibly powerful, you—" Master Feng’s face turned green as he bellowed, but it was too late.
SLAP!
Lin Fan’s eyes darkened as he whipped his hand around and seized Wu Miaomiao’s wrist. He squeezed, and an invisible Qi Force pulsed from his grip, causing her expression to change instantly.
"You’re fast with your hands," she remarked, clearly not ready to give up. "Must have been single for a long ti, huh?"
She swung her left hand forward. Five long, black-painted fingernails flashed with a cold light, reflecting a chilling, deadly gleam.
"Try that again, and believe , I’ll shove your head in a mop bucket," Lin Fan said, his face darkening as he yanked her forcefully toward him.
Wu Miaomiao lost her balance and stumbled forward, crashing into him.
THUMP!
For a mont, they were so close they could feel each other’s breath, their posture undeniably intimate.
"You rogue! Taking advantage of the mont we et!" Wu Miaomiao’s face flushed a deep crimson. Facing Lin Fan’s indifferent gaze, her heart pounded like a drum. The scent of this unfamiliar man made her body feel soft and hot. Mortified and annoyed, she turned her head away, chewing furiously on her gum.
"Forget it. If you don’t want to pledge your loyalty, I won’t force you," Lin Fan said, his face still grim as he let go of her. He tilted his head toward the alley entrance. "There’s not much Serenity Powder to go around anyway. It’s better to save it. You can go. Let’s just pretend we never t."
"Wait! You... you have Serenity Powder?!" Wu Miaomiao’s eyes went wide. A look of shock and imnse joy washed over her face, and she imdiately dropped to one knee before Lin Fan. "Subordinate Zi Ying, Wu Miaomiao, pays respects to the Young Master!"
"Don’t. I’d rather not have people calling a rogue," Lin Fan said, nearly laughing in exasperation as he sidestepped her.
So these old mbers of the Human Tower would call anyone with milk ’mother’. It seems the power of this Serenity Powder is far greater than I ever imagined.
"No, no, no! As a subordinate, isn’t it perfectly right and proper for the Young Master to take so liberties?" Wu Miaomiao said, quickly getting to her feet. She spoke with a newfound earnestness, pushing her chest out to accentuate the full curves beneath her leather jacket. "If the Young Master is still angry, why not... feel for yourself?"
"...Alright, you win." Lin Fan shuddered, the shalessness of the offer catching him completely off guard. His mouth twitched. He twisted the compartnt on his ring open, used a silver needle to pick out a tiny speck of Serenity Powder, and held it out to her.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry and thank the Young Master for his gift of dicine!" Master Feng, who had been left thunderstruck by the exchange, hissed, his mouth hanging open. Seeing Lin Fan offer the powder, he frantically signaled to Wu Miaomiao with his eyes.
"Thank you, Young Master! I pledge my loyalty to you! I’ll do anything you want!" Wu Miaomiao’s eyes lit up as she nodded ecstatically, her voice shifting into a saccharine, coquettish coo. She eagerly took the silver needle and carefully placed the tip between her red lips. As if savoring a lollipop, she closed her eyes and let out a soft, blissful hum.
"...Are there any normal people left in the Human Tower?" Lin Fan asked Master Feng, utterly speechless.
"Who says there aren’t? I, Shi Potian, am perfectly normal!"
Before the thoroughly abashed Master Feng could respond, a loud voice bood from the alley entrance. A short, slender middle-aged man in a suit and tie, carrying a leather shoulder bag, strode in. His hair was combed immaculately. He pulled a brochure from his bag and smoothly presented it to Lin Fan. "Young Master, this is our company’s new real estate developnt, Lishui Garden. Would you be interested in learning more?"
Then, he handed a brochure to Master Feng and Wu Miaomiao as well.
"A... a real estate agent?" Lin Fan muttered, holding the glossy paper, montarily stunned. He turned to look at Wu Miaomiao.
"I’m just disguised as a nightclub DJ," she explained with a bashful smile. "But deep down, I’m still a ruthless, cold-hearted assassin!"
"...Maybe the Human Tower should just disband."
Lin Fan fell silent. After a long mont, he shook his head, having made a difficult decision.
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