Ning’s father was instantly furious and returned in a rage. The couple sighed the entire night. Today, they had intended to call Ning Yuncheng to come back and clarify the situation, but unexpectedly, their daughter and son-in-law returned before they could even contact him.

Ouyang Zhentian was currently in the throes of his infatuation with Gu Yingxi. Ning Yunhuan guessed that Ning’s parents had run into him, so she wasn't surprised. Her calm demeanor only solidified her father's suspicions, making him pound his chest in anger.

“I don’t know how many men she needs to seduce before she’s satisfied. That man looked quite refined, yet I didn’t expect he’d be willing to do such a shameless thing!” Madam Ning spat. Hearing this, Ning Yunhuan felt something was amiss. “Refined?”

Ouyang Zhentian had the look of a rugged man, tall and strong, coupled with an artist’s self-proclaimed aura. Not only did he dress like a vagrant, but he also sported long hair and, the last time she saw him, a full beard. Under no circumstances did he look refined. Ning Yunhuan asked with some curiosity, and Madam Ning nodded with a sour expression:

“Exactly! He wears glasses, looking like someone learned and scholarly. I never realized people’s hearts are hidden behind appearances. As they say, a man wearing glasses might just be pretending to be decent!”

When Ning Yunhuan heard this, she knew her parents had likely misunderstood. Ouyang Zhentian didn't wear glasses. In contrast, among the group of men, Song Minran wore glasses and fit the image Madam Ning described!

“I don’t know what their parents were thinking, to raise a son willing to be debased like this. That woman from the Gu family truly has skills. Gu Xian certainly knows how to raise a daughter…” Madam Ning kept muttering curses. Ning Yunhuan had no time to inquire further. She realized she had overlooked something. Previously, she had only assumed Song Minran was with Gu Yingnuo. For Gu Yingxi to get with Song Minran, she thought it would have to be after Gu Yingnuo’s death, knowing Gu Yingxi’s personality best. Though she had many men in her past life, Ning Yunhuan believed she wouldn't proactively seduce her sister’s admired boyfriend.

Except for Lan Jiu, whom she genuinely loved and wanted, all her other men had initially forced themselves upon her. In the end, she merely stopped resisting and enjoyed it, even while verbally protesting. Despite their shamelessness, Ning Yunhuan always thought she still had some bottom line.

Gu Yingnuo’s supposed date of death should have been sometime after October this year. Ning Yunhuan had fully expected Gu Yingxi to wait until after October to be with Song Minran, but what if she was wrong? What if Gu Yingxi wasn't as she imagined, and had already been with Song Minran before Gu Yingnuo died in the previous life?

The thought made Ning Yunhuan unsure whether to laugh or curse herself. In her previous life, Gu Yingxi never shared the intimate details of her room with her. It wasn't until the following year that Song Minran and his father officially joined her inner circle. Thus, Ning Yunhuan instinctively felt their union happened later. But it was fortunate her parents encountered this situation while visiting Ning Yuncheng; otherwise, she might have continued taking things for granted indefinitely.

“Mom, don’t worry about other people’s affairs. If Ning Yuncheng is willing to share a wife, worrying is useless. You think his life with Gu Yingxi is bad, but perhaps he feels that being with Gu Yingxi is much better than being with relatives like us!” Casually throwing another slight dig at Ning Yuncheng, Ning Yunhuan inwardly sighed when she saw her father’s face turn ashen and his expression cloud with sorrow. This only strengthened her resolve to remove Ning Yuncheng from the Ning family.

“A grown son doesn't listen to his mother. Just pretend in this life that you owe Gu Yingxi from the last, and let Ning Yuncheng repay that debt for you.”

Her saying that only made Madam Ning’s eye twitch involuntarily. “……”

This son wouldn't listen to his parents; it was impossible not to consider him willful. Though Ning’s father and mother were heartbroken, since Ning Yuncheng had pulled many such foolish stunts over time, it became a habit, and they quickly moved past the initial distress. They originally wanted their daughter and son-in-law to stay for dinner, and Ning Yunhuan didn't particularly want to leave either, but Lan Jiu still had some unresolved matters to discuss with her and wouldn't let her evade them now. Therefore, she declined Madam Ning’s suggestion.

Lan Lingyan always maintained a placid expression; it was impossible to tell from his demeanor whether he was displeased or content. Seeing his stiff expression as his daughter departed, his pleading look suggested he wanted to ask them to stay. Judging by Ning Yunhuan’s appearance, her father guessed something must have happened between the couple.

His daughter had always been sensible and obedient; logically, she wouldn't stir up trouble. Her father never imagined she would do anything wrong after marrying. However, he felt he understood Lan Lingyan’s personality—he wasn't the type to get angry over trivial matters. Moreover, the father had witnessed how Lan Lingyan had treated Ning Yunhuan and taken over the Ning family company because of her over the past six months. Thus, he didn't suspect Lan Lingyan had bullied his daughter. Seeing Ning Yunhuan’s pleading look now, he instinctively felt his daughter was at fault.

Even Lan Lingyan’s tolerant attitude towards Ning Yunhuan seemed to have provoked his anger. Though Ning’s father didn't know what was wrong, in this situation, he would certainly side with his son-in-law. If not for the fact that the couple hadn't said anything explicit, he would have already reprimanded Ning Yunhuan. Following the incident with Ning Yuncheng, Ning’s father deeply feared Lan Lingyan criticizing his parenting.

That’s why he remained silent when Madam Ning invited them for dinner. Seeing his wife about to speak again, Ning’s father smiled, “Young people want to go out to eat, let them go. Why bother sticking around us old folks?”

Madam Ning always obeyed her husband. As soon as Ning’s father finished speaking, Madam Ning’s lips moved, but she held her tongue. Ning Yunhuan shot her father a mournful look, bit her lip, and allowed Lan Lingyan to half-carry, half-guide her to the car. Even after the door was shut, she lingered by the window, watching for a long while.

“Miss home?” As soon as they were in the car, Lan Lingyan slowly unbuttoned his cuffs and tossed his jacket aside. The air conditioning was on in the car. He unfastened a few more buttons on his shirt, his chest faintly visible. Only then did he look at Ning Yunhuan, tense by his side, and smiled, pulling a bottle of spring water from the small refrigerator to take a drink.

Ning Yunhuan was rigid all over. She didn't have the capacity to dwell on Gu Yingxi; instead, she started contemplating her own predicament. Lan Lingyan hadn't brought up their marriage upon arrival at the Ning residence, but that didn't mean the issue was easily dismissed. Furthermore, his current demeanor was unfathomable. Though his expression was languid, Ning Yunhuan sensed danger, remaining taut and afraid to relax.

“Apple?” After drinking his water, Lan Lingyan opened the refrigerator again and took out a large, clean apple, offering it to Ning Yunhuan with a small lift of his head.

He acted as if nothing had happened, a relaxed and pleasant smile playing on his lips. When he tilted his head to look at her, a playful glint appeared in his deep, narrow black eyes, suggesting a very relaxed mood. Dressed in a pure white silk shirt, he was currently informal, with buttons undone and sleeves rolled up, revealing glimpses of his defined, strong chest beneath the fabric. The gesture of holding the apple showcased the powerful lines of his arm, his manner elegant and captivating.

Ning Yunhuan wasn't afraid of him acting normally; she was afraid because he was acting normally. The more he appeared this way, the more frightened she became. She wished she hadn't challenged him. Since they already had a history, and he wouldn't kill her, she shouldn't have pushed her luck. After all, enduring it once, what was enduring it for a lifetime? Yet, somehow emboldened, she had impulsively declared she didn't want to marry him, and now it was too late to regret it.

She shook her head, her expression cautious and fearful. Lan Lingyan smiled, returned the apple, and pulled out a tray of baked cookies. “Snack?”

How could she eat anything now? So, she cautiously shook her head again.

Lan Lingyan looked into the refrigerator. From the side, one could see his lips were pressed together, and his drooping bangs completely obscured the thoughts in his eyes. Looking from her angle, Ning Yunhuan could only see half of his handsome profile and the shadow beneath his eye.

“Juice? Vegetable juice?” Lan Lingyan asked again. Just as Ning Yunhuan was about to shake her head, he poured a glass of juice. He slapped the refrigerator door shut and leaned his upper body heavily toward her:

“You don’t want anything? Or is there something you want that you’ve never told me?” It was always like this—he was the one guessing, and she never actively revealed what was on her mind.

Tears were close to spilling from Ning Yunhuan’s eyes. She tried to lean back, but her back hit the seat, leaving no room to escape. She tried to curl up, but Lan Lingyan was already pressing most of his weight onto her, his expression dangerously cold. Trembling, she managed to choke out two pools of tears: “I want milk.”

The refrigerator in the car was stocked for when she was bored after classes or during drives, containing everything from artisanal snacks to prepared fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, and milk. Lan Lingyan forbade her from touching sodas or junk food. Since she had asked for milk, she wasn't worried about it not being there.

Once she spoke, Lan Lingyan’s anger subsided. He smiled and agreed pleasantly, returning the items to the fridge. He retrieved a bottle of fresh milk, opened it, and handed it to her. He initially intended to bring it to her lips, but she took it herself. His hand paused briefly before moving to rest lightly on the top of her head, stroking her hair.

“Don’t be afraid. I just want to know what you’re thinking.” He wasn't sure what he was feeling himself. He was angry at her defensiveness, unwilling to indulge her as he had before, yet he couldn't bear to see her afraid of him. No matter how capable or insightful Lan Lingyan was, he had lost his composure on this matter.

Ning Yunhuan nodded vaguely, not quite hearing him. The milk bottle she held came from a ranch Lan Lingyan had established outside the main city specifically to supply her with fresh milk and meat from livestock. This batch had just been delivered that morning, rich and mellow. As she drank, her heart grew heavy, as if something was weighing it down.

It was only now she realized how thoroughly Lan Lingyan seemed to have considered everything for her—her favorite foods, her preferred drinks, every detail accounted for. If she couldn't have something, it was because she hadn't thought of it herself, not because it wasn't readily available. In their more than two years together, Lan Lingyan knew her preferences and temperament inside out. But what he liked, Ning Yunhuan realized she still hadn't discovered.

She hadn't considered this aspect before. But for some reason, after his sternness today and seeing him now tenderly offering her milk, her eyes suddenly felt teary.

Lan Lingyan watched contentedly as she finished the bottle of fresh milk. He took the container back and set it aside, then noticed a trace of white foam lingering at the corner of her mouth. He leaned in to kiss it away, unable to resist parting her lips and intimately entwining their tongues. Her mouth carried the rich scent of milk, and her tongue, cooled by the chilled milk, felt incredibly smooth and delicate. As he entangled her tongue, feeling her obediently leaning against his chest, yielding and compliant, his heart instantly softened.

He truly loved her. Someone of his background was always attended to. Although he had navigated years of brutal experiences, when had Lan Jiu ever served anyone? Everything was managed by others; he rarely had to attend to mundane tasks. To put it bluntly, even when he should have humbled himself to curry favor with Father Lan for his own advancement, he never catered to anyone this way. Yet, for this girl, he did everything personally. Even dressing her or wiping her mouth, he did with blissful devotion. Even his mother, Lin Min, had noticed this and felt disgruntled. Yet, this girl completely failed to acknowledge the depth of his affection. When she echoed his doubts—that he might spoil her as Father Lan spoiled Lin Min—Lan Lingyan felt a significant sense of defeat. But perhaps his disguise was too good; she still hadn't realized it.

“When are we having the wedding?” Ning Yunhuan cautiously glanced at Lan Lingyan, her hands climbing onto his arm, leaning softly against him. At this point, she had lost all pretense of resistance. She knew what he wanted to hear, what he loved to do, so she brought up the very thing she had been avoiding just moments ago.

“Not scared anymore?” Seeing her like this, he couldn't stay angry. Lan Lingyan couldn't help but pinch her nose. The young girl was perfectly maintained; the specialists who regulated her body worked from the inside out with various tonics. Her skin was supple, almost bruising if gently pinched, her cheeks full and translucent, flushed with a healthy pale red—utterly captivating.

“Not scared anymore.” Ning Yunhuan looked at his inscrutable expression, unsure if his anger had truly passed. In their two years together, she had never initiated anything. Thinking about it made her face burn, so she actively snuggled closer to him, still slightly afraid, and said in a trembling voice, “I know I was wrong, and I know you’re good to me, but you forced me at the beginning, that’s why I was afraid of you.”

It wasn't entirely true. She hadn't told the whole truth. Lan Lingyan could see her fear stemmed from more than just that, but he was aware of it and wouldn't break her confidence by exposing it now. For her to show even a fraction of her fear to him in these two years was not easy, especially for such a guarded girl. While he didn't know why her defenses were so high, her current vulnerability satisfied him. After all, one eats a meal bite by bite and walks a path step by step.

“If I didn't force you in the beginning, do you think you could ever escape my grasp later?” He had a premonition that this time, it wouldn't be the girl escaping his control, but rather he escaping Ning Yunhuan’s grasp. The interest sparked the first time he saw her wasn't just because she was scared and wanted to hide; many people feared him, yet they didn't end up clinging to him. The first meeting had led him to hold her in his arms. It just wasn’t her first time either, though she didn't know it.

Ning Yunhuan was oblivious to the complex thoughts hidden in Lan Lingyan’s eyes. Hearing Lan Jiu’s bold words, she grit her teeth spitefully: “I never intended to escape, anyway.”

She lied shamelessly, feeling apprehensive, but thankfully, Lan Jiu didn't press her further. He simply held her close, his hand gently stroking down from the crown of her head, the sensation gradually changing as it began to roam over her body.

Engaging in something so intimate twice in a car within one day—if Ning Yunhuan hadn't been slightly fearful, she would have ignored him entirely. But one must not speak carelessly or push their luck. Her showing him an inch of respect had resulted in him taking several miles. For several days following, Ning Yunhuan was completely dominated in their interactions, especially during intimate moments, where she had no room to refuse.

She hadn't slept well, and she had school the next day, so she didn't have time to manage the Fu family property acquisition immediately. Though she already knew all her university coursework, she still needed to make appearances. If she was marked absent constantly while everyone else suffered misfortune, it would attract too much attention.

Insisting Lan Lingyan drop her off at school early the next morning, Ning Yunhuan dragged her aching legs into the classroom. Before class started, she opened a file on her tablet and began documenting points to consider for transforming the Fu family holdings into an entertainment company. Though she hadn't actively managed the Fu company lately, she knew Lan Lingyan would keep an eye on things for her, and perhaps he was already making adjustments based on her stated preferences. Maybe all the personnel were already in place. She wasn't particularly keen on managing anything; at most, she would borrow some successful ideas from her previous life and utilize the entertainment programs and classic films/TV shows from before her transmigration. She decided to play around with it while the interest lasted.

In two lifetimes, she had almost no personal hobbies. In the first, she was naive and hadn't thought that far ahead. In the last, she was solely focused on altering her destiny. It was only in this current life, knowing Lan Lingyan would protect her and eliminate any life-threatening danger, that besides accompanying Gu Yingxi, Ning Yunhuan felt a genuine spark of interest in something, naturally devoting more thought to it.

She listed the names of television dramas, movies, and entertainment programs she remembered from her first life, along with shows that became hits later on. Just as she became lost in thought, a shadow appeared beside her. Ning Yunhuan started, startled. Due to her past experiences, she deeply feared anyone lurking in the dark. She was usually highly aware of people approaching her vicinity, but she had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed someone come up beside her.

Ning Yunhuan quickly looked up and saw Li Panpan staring curiously at her tablet. She seemed to have seen her fingers typing, but it wasn't clear how much she had observed. “Huanhuan, what are you doing?”

Although curiosity flickered in Li Panpan’s eyes, her upbringing ensured she wasn't ill-mannered, so despite her curious question, her gaze didn't linger on the tablet. Ning Yunhuan wasn't afraid of her looking. Her notes were always messy, only recording things that triggered memories or inspiration. Li Panpan might have read the title of a show, but she wouldn't necessarily grasp Ning Yunhuan’s intentions.

“I’ve already bought the Fu family assets. I plan to turn it into an entertainment company for fun,” Ning Yunhuan smiled, deciding to state her plan openly. She didn't believe Li Panpan was unaware she had purchased the Fu family assets. Even if Li Panpan hadn't inquired herself, many people eager to please her would have actively informed her about Ning Yunhuan's dealings with the Fu family. Rather than waiting for a question, Ning Yunhuan preferred to deliver the news directly, leaving Li Panpan speechless for a moment before she finally managed a smile.

"You truly have no talent for beating around the bush. If you had known you were aiming to acquire the Fu family's company, why didn't you let me help? We could have had the Fu family hand the company over to you. I doubt they'd dare refuse!" Although Li Panpan was kind-hearted, she wasn't entirely ignorant of the unspoken rules and the dirtier dealings of high society. She understood everything perfectly; she simply hadn't wanted to expose it before. To bring down the Fu family's company, she barely needed to lift a finger—a tax audit, or perhaps suggesting a flaw in the Fu family's products, would be enough to put them in serious trouble. They might even end up handing over Fu's father's assets, and she herself could end up facing jail time.

ps: The surging desire to write explicit scenes churns within my chest, but I dare not tempt fate by breaking the rules, nor do I wish to sing the blues from behind bars... So, how does one deal with this feeling of living death right now?