Lin Ran finally managed to send Zhou Yi’an away. She walked into the bathroom, took a shower, and went to bed to rest.
But just as she was about to fall asleep, Aunt Lan knocked on the door and brought her a glass of milk.
“Ranran, be good. You must stay far away from your uncle—farther and farther.”
“Your uncle isn’t like your brother. He really could throw you into a pile of zombies.”
“Aren’t you the one who fears zombies the most? Then stay far away from your uncle.”
“Your uncle doesn’t have a very good temper. He hates noise the most.”
“When he looks unhappy, he really is unhappy. But when he looks happy, he might actually be even more unhappy.”
Aunt Lan kept nagging in her ear for quite a while.
In the process, she successfully rekindled the curiosity Lin Ran had just managed to suppress.
So the male lead’s unpredictable temper… he learned it from his uncle.
Still, it was only curiosity. She decided she would bury that curiosity deep in her heart.
“You absolutely—absolutely—must not go bother your uncle.”
“Consider it Aunt Lan begging you! You must behave yourself, alright?”
Looking at Aunt Lan, who was sincerely worried about her, Lin Ran nodded solemnly.
“I promise I’ll stay far away from uncle from now on. I’ll avoid being alone with him whenever possible. Is that okay?”
Xie Jilan pulled Lin Ran into her arms with relief.
“My Ranran has grown up. Such a good girl!”
After seeing Aunt Lan off, Lin Ran was no longer sleepy.
She sat cross-legged on the bed and began sensing her ability cores.
On the surface, she was a Level 3 spatial ability user and a Level 1 water ability user.
But in reality, both her lightning ability and spatial ability were Level 3.
As for the remaining abilities—metal, wood, fire, and water—they were all Level 2.
She flashed into her space and began training her abilities.
What happened with the cloaked zombie today made her realize—
only by becoming stronger herself could she truly be safe.
Fortunately, the space was enormous, with plenty of room for her to train.
Whenever her abilities were exhausted, she would drink spirit spring water to quickly recover, then continue practicing.
The abilities she possessed had all been copied from others, meaning she had mostly leveled up while lying down, without effort.
So although her ability levels were high, she was not skilled at using them at all.
Just as she was training with great enthusiasm, someone knocked on the door again.
Zhou Wangye was standing outside.
He kept knocking, but there was no response from inside.
Had Lin Ran already fallen asleep?
Zhou Wangye stubbornly continued knocking.
The scene from earlier flashed uncontrollably before his eyes again—
the glance his uncle had given Lin Ran.
It had been extremely fast, so fast it could easily have been mistaken for an illusion.
But Zhou Wangye had caught it.
It was a cold gaze, almost like a predator examining its prey.
It made his heart suddenly turn cold.
Lin Ran… after all, was not truly part of the Xie family by blood.
In his uncle’s eyes, bloodline was the only protective talisman, and she didn’t have it.
With someone like his uncle, if he really took an interest in her, he would never hesitate for even a moment before acting.
Although that incident had been carefully hidden by his grandfather, Zhou Wangye still knew about it.
And besides… his uncle…
Zhou Wangye didn’t even dare continue thinking about what that “besides” might imply.
Xie Peijin’s past and his methods were a taboo topic throughout the entire city of Beijing.
Right now, Zhou Wangye only knew one thing—
no matter what that dangerous look meant, he had to stop Lin Ran before things reached an irreversible point.
That foolish girl who didn’t know the depths of danger had no idea what kind of person she was dealing with.
His uncle, Xie Peijin, was not someone like Zhou Wangye—
someone you could joke with, argue with, or occasionally offend and still be forgiven.
He had to warn her.
Immediately.
The knocking grew more urgent.
“Lin Ran! Open the door!” he finally shouted in a low voice.
Unfortunately—
Lin Ran, who was completely focused on training inside her space, heard none of it.
Instead, the noise attracted Gu Xiangwan’s attention.
She hid behind her door, watching Zhou Wangye’s nearly frantic behavior.
Her eyes were filled with jealousy.
That stupid, shameless woman Lin Ran—
why did she deserve everyone’s protection and affection?
Even President Zhou’s attention was now drawn to her.
No.
Absolutely not.
The moment she stepped one foot out of her room, He Sheng immediately walked over and stopped her.
“Secretary Gu, please return to your room.”
Gu Xiangwan glared at him.
“What do you mean by this? Are you monitoring me? You’ve been acting strange ever since we returned to the villa. I’m President Zhou’s personal secretary—you have no right to restrict my freedom.”
Seeing He Sheng’s expressionless gaze, Gu Xiangwan suddenly understood.
“President Zhou told you to monitor me, didn’t he?”
Did President Zhou suspect her?
Did he think she was the one who released the zombie into the bathroom?
But at the harbor, President Zhou had already said he wouldn’t pursue the matter.
Why now?
It must be because Lin Ran said something that made President Zhou misunderstand her.
Seeing the rapidly changing expressions on Gu Xiangwan’s face, He Sheng silently sighed.
Secretary Gu was capable, but unfortunately she always used her mind for scheming—refusing to walk the proper path and instead repeatedly testing crooked ones that led nowhere.
Was President Zhou really someone she could try to climb up to?
Before, he hadn’t noticed her ulterior motives and had thought she was simply being responsible toward the boss.
But the incident in the harbor bathroom had finally made him realize certain things.
Even so, he couldn’t reveal the boss’s real intentions.
Following instructions, he said solemnly,
“President Zhou instructed that Mr. Xie prefers quiet. Everyone is asked to remain in their rooms and not move around freely.”
As he spoke, his gaze subtly shifted toward a tightly closed door on the first floor.
Two bodyguards stood on either side of the hallway like statues.
Even though they were inside the safety of the villa, their nerves remained tense.
Their eyes scanned the surroundings like hawks.
There was a faint killing intent lingering around them.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier, sending chills down one’s spine.
Yet this strict level of security actually calmed Gu Xiangwan’s anxious heart.
So that was the reason.
Because Mr. Xie was present, President Zhou had restricted everyone’s movement.
As long as the restriction wasn’t directed specifically at her, it meant President Zhou still trusted her.
As for why President Zhou had specifically gone to Lin Ran’s room—
a knowing cold smile appeared at the corner of Gu Xiangwan’s lips.
It must be because earlier in the living room, Lin Ran had foolishly kept questioning Mr. Xie, practically courting death.
President Zhou was probably annoyed and had gone to scold her.
After convincing herself of this, the small uneasiness in Gu Xiangwan’s heart completely vanished.
She calmly returned to her room to get some rest.
There were only three hours left before the plane departed, so she needed to recover her energy.
Showing up with dark circles under her eyes—especially in front of that Mr. Xie—would be extremely improper.
More importantly, she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of President Zhou.
Seeing Gu Xiangwan obediently return to her room, He Sheng secretly let out a sigh of relief.
If she had insisted on leaving to find President Zhou, stopping her would have caused noise.
If that disturbed Mr. Xie’s rest, he would not be able to bear the responsibility.
Zhou Wangye stood outside the door for fifteen full minutes.
The door still didn’t open.
Suddenly, he laughed.
He really had lost his mind.
Wouldn’t it actually be better if Lin Ran angered his uncle?
Then she would disappear silently, and no one would bother him again.
What exactly was wrong with him?
Just then, a voice sounded behind him.
“President Zhou, Mr. Xie asked you to come to his room.”