136: Chapter 136 Returning to America, I discovered there was another woman in my house.
The gates of Elysium Manor slid open slowly to both sides, emitting a faint sound of mechanical gears clicking into place.
The black Rolls-Royce drove along the winding private driveway, flanked by neatly trimmed shrubs and precious flora transplanted from all over the world. The fountain reflected a rainbow-like luster under the setting sun; everything appeared so quiet, luxurious, and orderly.
But Chen Yuan keenly perceived a hint of something being amiss.
It was too quiet.
Normally at this time, Sophia should have already been leading a group of maids in a line at the entrance to welcome him, while Rosa or Ada Wong would be patrolling the perimeter with the guards.
But now, the entire front courtyard of the manor was empty.
“What's going on?”
Chen Yuan frowned and pushed the door open to step out of the car.
He looked up toward the master bedroom on the second floor.
There, the French windows were wide open, and the faint sound of cheerful music could be heard, along with... a series of dull thuds, like heavy objects hitting the floor.
“Bang! Bang!”
Chen Yuan's expression instantly darkened.
Has someone broken in?
“Alice.”
He gave a low command.
Behind him, Alice immediately entered a combat-ready state. Her eyes glowed with a red light, and the tactical briefcase in her hand instantly transformed, turning into a sci-fi-styled energy rifle.
“Scanning shows one high-energy thermal signature inside the main building... No, there are two.”
Alice's voice was somewhat hesitant. “One of them... seems to be Tyrant No. 1?”
The Tyrant?
Chen Yuan's brow furrowed even deeper.
Tyrant No. 1 was left behind by him to guard the house. Without his command, even if the sky fell, this fellow wouldn't move an inch.
“Let's go up and see.”
Chen Yuan strode into the villa's main hall.
As soon as he entered, the rich aroma of popcorn assailed his nose.
The originally spotless marble floor was now covered in potato chip crumbs and soda cans. Several expensive antique vases had been carelessly pushed into a corner, replaced by several large shopping bags printed with the logos of 'Chanel,' 'Hermès,' and 'Gucci.'
The entire hall was a mess, looking like a luxury shopping mall that had just been ransacked.
“This...”
Victor followed behind, his eyes nearly popping out as he looked at the mess. “Boss, have we been robbed? Or did some death-defying rich heir come here to throw a party?”
Chen Yuan didn't speak.
He followed the source of the sound and went straight up to the second floor.
The door to the master bedroom was slightly ajar.
The moment he pushed the door open, Chen Yuan froze.
He had imagined countless possibilities.
Like some blind assassin taking hostages, or a bold business spy sent by a competitor.
But the one thing he hadn't expected was the scene before his eyes.
He saw Tyrant No. 1—the creature that usually only tore through tanks on the battlefield—currently sitting on the carpet like a docile gorilla. In its massive hand, which was capable of crushing steel pipes, it was carefully holding an exquisite white porcelain teacup.
And on the sofa in front of it...
Sat a young girl with her legs crossed.
She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with long golden hair tied casually in a ponytail. She was wearing a men's white dress shirt that was clearly a size too large—it was Chen Yuan's shirt.
The hem of the shirt barely covered the top of her thighs, revealing two fair, slender, and dazzlingly beautiful legs.
She was clutching a large handful of potato chips, stuffing them into her mouth while indistinctly commanding the Tyrant:
“Big guy, pour the water! Can't you see I'm thirsty?”
“Roar...”
A low whimper came from Tyrant No. 1's throat as it actually, obediently, handed the teacup over. Its movements were incredibly gentle, for fear of crushing the fragile porcelain.
“Good boy!”
The girl patted the Tyrant's bald head as if rewarding a pet and casually stuffed a potato chip into its mouth. “Follow me from now on, and I'll make sure you're living the high life.”
Chen Yuan: “...”
Victor: “...”
Alice: “...”
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.
The three of them stood at the door, looking at this scene filled with incongruity and absurdity, not knowing what to say for a moment.
That cold-blooded killer Tyrant was actually being kept as a pet?
And being fed with potato chips?
“Ahem.”
Chen Yuan finally couldn't take it anymore. He made a fist and coughed twice by his mouth, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed anger.
“Even though I am a relatively hospitable person...”
He strode into the room, his leather shoes making a dull sound on the carpet.
“But to intrude upon private property without the owner's permission and treat my security guard like a dog...”
Chen Yuan walked up to the girl and looked down at her with a cold gaze.
“Miss, shouldn't you give me an explanation?”
Hearing the voice, the girl slowly turned her head as if she had only just noticed there were extra people in the room.
It was an extremely exquisite face.
Her features were three-dimensional with deep contours, carrying the typical nobility of Anglo-Saxon blood. Those emerald eyes were clear and bright, yet they held an innate arrogance and pettiness, as if the whole world owed her five million dollars.
She looked at Chen Yuan without showing any panic or the embarrassment of being caught red-handed.
On the contrary.
She tossed the bag of potato chips aside, brushed the crumbs off her hands, and then stretched, revealing a section of her snow-white waist.
“You're Chen Yuan?”
The girl looked him up and down, her gaze as critical as if she were picking out cabbage at a market. “You look decent enough; even a bit more handsome than in the photos.”
“However...”
She wrinkled her small nose and pointed at the trench coat Chen Yuan hadn't had time to change out of.
“Your taste in clothes is terrible. Black makes you look old; pick another color next time.”
Chen Yuan was amused by the sheer audacity.
Where on earth did this eccentric come from?
Eating his food and drinking his drinks in his own home, and now she was turning around to criticize his taste?
“It doesn't matter who I am.”
Chen Yuan leaned down, his hands propped on the sofa's armrests, boxing the girl into his shadow. A powerful masculine pressure instantly enveloped her.
“What matters is, who are you?”
“Why are you in my house?”
“And...”
Chen Yuan reached out, his two fingers pinching the collar of the oversized shirt she was wearing, giving it a gentle tug.
“Who gave you permission to wear my clothes?”
The girl was startled by his sudden action and instinctively shrank back a little.
But she quickly regained her composure.
She raised her head and looked directly into Chen Yuan's eyes—dark as an abyss. Not only was there no fear on her face, but she also wore a self-righteous expression, as if everything were perfectly natural.
“I ran away from home.”
She blinked her beautiful large eyes and said in an extremely natural tone:
“I have nowhere else to go.”
“So, you have to take me in.”