After holding her small hand, Cao Cheng found himself reluctant to let go.
The distance between them subtly shortened under his deliberate control. He could faintly smell the fragrance of her shampoo, a gardenia scent, fresh and pleasant, even a little intoxicating.
“I… I…” Su Jinhe’s voice dropped to a whisper as she lowered her head, stammering, unable to form a complete sentence.
Because she noticed that the way Cao Cheng looked at her was the same way he looked at other alluring women.
She might not have experienced such things herself, but in this age of overflowing information, she had at least seen enough to understand.
Her pretty face grew hotter and hotter.
With her thoughts in complete disarray, she simply didn’t know what to say.
“Xiao He, I’m asking you something. Do you want to go back to how things were before, being able to come and go freely? Or…” Cao Cheng paused briefly, then added, “…follow me like before.”
“I… I want to.”
She wanted to regain her freedom in the house, and even more, she wanted to repay the Cao Family for raising her. She also wanted to fulfill the request given to her by Cao Cheng’s parents, to stay by his side and keep an eye on him to prevent anything from happening.
Cao Cheng looked at her intently. “Then help me with something.”
“W-what kind of help?” Su Jinhe raised her head.
The sudden motion allowed Cao Cheng to clearly see her face. The usual delicate, innocent girl now resembled a pure white bud wrapped in fresh green edges, like a blooming gardenia, exuding a refreshing fragrance.
Looking at her gentle and lovely appearance, Cao Cheng blurted out, “Come back to my room with me right now!”
Su Jinhe was instantly stunned by his blunt words. Her face flushed so red it seemed ready to drip blood, and her previously chaotic thoughts were wiped blank.
Only shock remained in her eyes.
Why was he so direct? Couldn’t he be a little more tactful?
But… why did she feel a hint of happiness?
Still, in the middle of the day… was he really that impatient?
Cao Cheng was indeed a little impatient. This world was a wish-fulfillment novel world, and who knew how many different kinds of protagonists existed?
What if he encountered a protagonist who had returned from a cultivation world? With the “great villain aura” hanging over his head, wouldn’t he be finished? After all, the system had warned him that any protagonist who saw him would instinctively develop hostility.
Against weaker protagonists, he might still have control, but if a powerful one encountered him, wouldn’t they be able to crush him with a mere flick of a finger?
So he needed to complete his choice as soon as possible to obtain rewards, then go out and try his luck to see if he could trigger more system options to strengthen himself.
“Ah!” Su Jinhe let out a startled cry.
While she was still in shock, Cao Cheng had already wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up.
Then he stood and strode toward his bedroom on the second floor.
“A Cheng, A Cheng… please don’t do this, okay? If Uncle and Aunt find out you’re treating me like this, they’ll be angry…” Su Jinhe struggled in his arms, her hands pressing against his chest, even bringing up his parents in an attempt to stop him.
But her strength was too weak, and her resistance barely had any effect in his embrace.
Moreover, Cao Cheng knew very well how much his parents liked Su Jinhe. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have placed her by his side.
So not only would they not be angry, they might even celebrate.
“Or should I just find a way to drive you out?” Cao Cheng said calmly.
Hearing this, Su Jinhe immediately stopped struggling. A trace of panic and resignation flashed in her eyes.
Because when Cao Cheng said “drive her out,” he didn’t just mean sending her away from his side, but completely expelling her from the Cao Family.
Although she wasn’t too afraid of his threat, since his parents treated her well and she didn’t believe he would truly drive her away, at most sending her back to them, she still didn’t want him to cause trouble.
If things escalated and affected the Cao Family, she wouldn’t be able to face his parents.
Moreover, although everything was happening suddenly, she did harbor a small amount of affection for Cao Cheng, and had even once fantasized about being with him…
So now, letting him have his way meant she could stay by his side and prevent him from doing anything reckless. To her, this was the best choice.
And perhaps, it was also the ending she had secretly longed for.
…
Bang!
The bedroom door closed.
The two maids at the entrance exchanged glances, then quietly shut the villa’s main gate.
The security guards outside tightened their patrol.
[The female lead Su Jinhe has developed fear toward the host. Favorability -60.]
Creak… creak…
Two workers struggled to carry a broken bed upstairs.
After glancing at the now-empty truck, Wang Long took out his phone and called Cao Cheng.
The phone rang twice before being hung up immediately.
Wang Long frowned and was about to call again when Xu Qingrou walked down from upstairs.
“Thank you for your hard work. You’ve been busy all this time,” Xu Qingrou said.
“No trouble, it’s nothing,” Wang Long replied with a smile, waving his hand. Then he added, “By the way, Miss Xu, are you satisfied with the house?”
“I’m satisfied.”
“As long as you’re satisfied. Here are the keys.” Wang Long took out the keys from his pocket and handed them to her. Xu Qingrou accepted them somewhat timidly.
“Also, let’s exchange contact information. Once I find another place, I’ll contact you immediately?”
After thinking for a moment, Wang Long shook his head. “No need to contact me. This house belongs to my young master. You already have his contact, right? Just reach out to him directly.”
“But…”
“Alright, Miss Xu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”
Xu Qingrou opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but then thought that compared to Wang Long, it would indeed be better to contact the young, handsome, and gentle Cao Cheng. She could also ask him if there was any news about her son. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Alright.”
After that, she said nothing more.
Wang Long nodded, stood under the midday sun for a moment, then took out his phone to check the time. “It’s already noon. Miss Xu, how about treating us to a simple meal?”
“Ah? I… I think I’ll pass. The house is still quite messy,” Xu Qingrou said awkwardly. She had no desire to dine with someone like him.
Wang Long wasn’t offended, nor did he dare to be.
He still hadn’t figured out what Cao Cheng’s intentions toward this woman were.
Did he like her or not?
Normally, if Cao Cheng took a liking to a woman, he would immediately order Wang Long to act and send her straight to his bed.
But this time…
Yet if he didn’t like her, why treat her so well? Helping her move, even arranging a house for her.
Wang Long certainly didn’t believe this was out of kindness.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became, unable to grasp Cao Cheng’s deeper intentions.
So he simply smiled. “Alright then, Miss Xu. You go ahead. I’ll leave after the workers come down.”
Xu Qingrou visibly relaxed, turned around, and hurried upstairs without looking back.
Watching her retreating figure, Wang Long curled his lips in disdain.
Did she really think she could escape?
He hadn’t truly intended to eat with her. It was just an excuse to get her out so he could ask Cao Cheng what exactly he wanted to do with her.
Should he kidnap her directly… or use some drugs… or…
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Wang Long took out his phone again, preparing to call Cao Cheng once more. But before dialing, he saw a message.
It was from Cao Cheng, containing only one word.
“Get lost.”
“Fine, I’ll let you jump around for a few more days,” Wang Long muttered, sighing.
…
[The female lead Su Jinhe frowned tightly. Favorability -10.]
[The host has completed the selected option. Reward: 2 Villain Aura points.]
[The host has significantly affected the plotline. Reward: 1,000 Villain Points.]
[Ding! Interception successful. This action has directly caused all Luck Value that Su Jinhe would have provided to the protagonist Chu Fan to disappear. Chu Fan’s Luck Value is temporarily suppressed by 100 points.]
[The female lead Su Jinhe favorability -5.]
[The female lead Su Jinhe favorability +6.]