20: Chapter 20: The Ex-Wife is Stunned: Her Substitute is Actually a Charming Beauty

Rose Garden Apartment.

Lin Yuan pushed open the door.

A rich aroma of food wafted towards him.

In the kitchen, the range hood was buzzing.

Su Xiaonuan was wearing a pink teddy bear apron, and the green onions on the chopping board were being sliced with a rhythmic thumping sound.

Beside her, Wang Ya, wearing a solid black apron, was tossing the wok.

"Sister Ya, Mr. Lin prefers a lighter flavor. Isn't there too much soy sauce in this braised pork? It's not good for your health to eat too much of it."

Su Xiaonuan put the chopped green onions into a prep dish, her tone laced with thorns.

Wang Ya didn't stop her movements, skillfully stir-frying the food in the pan, her tone gentle:

"Miss Su, you haven't been married, so you don't understand how to take care of a man." Wang Ya picked up the seasoning box and added another small spoonful of salt,

"Men expend a lot of physical energy and need heavy oil and salt to replenish it. I'm stewing it until it's soft and tender; Mr. Lin will definitely like it."

"My husband from before... never mind, Mr. Lin is far better than him."

Lin Yuan closed the door behind him and changed his shoes.

He didn't even glance at the kitchen.

His gaze swept across the living room.

His 26 points of Mental Energy allowed him to keenly detect a girl, who looked like a middle school student, crouching in the corner of the sofa.

The girl was wearing a faded school uniform.

She was too thin, her chin sharp, and her complexion pale from long-term malnutrition.

On her arms, exposed by her short sleeves, a few dark red cigarette burn scars were faintly visible.

Sensing Lin Yuan's scrutiny, the girl shrank back violently.

She stood up, kept her head down, hurried to the shoe cabinet, took out a pair of slippers, and placed them neatly at Lin Yuan's feet.

Then, she quickly retreated back to that dark corner, her hands gripping her hem tightly.

Lin Yuan knitted his brows.

"Wang Ya."

The sound of cooking in the kitchen came to an abrupt halt.

Wang Ya hurriedly turned off the stove, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked out quickly.

Following Lin Yuan's gaze to her daughter in the corner, Wang Ya turned pale and nervously twisted her fingers.

"Mr. Lin... although Li Hongda has left, those debt collectors are still hanging around the neighborhood."

"I really didn't dare to take Tongtong back, so I had to be thick-skinned and..."

Lin Yuan looked at Wang Ya, expressionless.

He was used to betrayal and schemes.

Wang Ya was bound by the system's favorability, which could provide attribute bonuses.

He was willing to spare her a bite to eat.

But what was this girl?

In the apocalypse, bringing along a burden with no self-protection ability was like putting a noose around one's own neck.

"This is not a shelter," Lin Yuan said in a flat tone.

"Take her and get out."

The air blowing from the air conditioner in the entire living room turned cold.

Su Xiaonuan stood at the kitchen entrance, holding the kitchen knife stained with green onions, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Wang Ya swayed, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Just as Lin Yuan was about to walk past Wang Ya toward the living room.

[Ding! Target: Li Mo Tong (Beauty Potential 95), Favorability -2%, Current Favorability: -2%!]

Lin Yuan's footsteps paused.

He looked at the little girl.

The system actually reacted to her?

This girl was only about twelve or thirteen, not fully grown, withered and thin; she couldn't possibly meet the requirement of 85 beauty.

Then he realized, the system was judging her future beauty potential.

Wait... Li Mo Tong?!

A chill ran down Lin Yuan's back.

The Mutant Queen?!

When the apocalypse descends, most people will turn into zombies.

A small portion will awaken Superpowers just like humans.

They are called Mutants.

And Li Mo Tong was the cream of the crop among Mutants, awakening an SS-rank Superpower, commanding millions of the Zombie Horde!

In his previous life, if her body hadn't been too fragile, causing her to be taken down by several top experts at the cost of their lives, she would have almost evolved into a Zombie Emperor!

Lin Yuan stared at the girl huddled in the corner.

Kill, or keep?

The Li Mo Tong in the corner suddenly moved.

She keenly sensed the killing intent radiating from Lin Yuan.

She didn't run away.

Instead, she rushed out, spread her thin arms, and blocked firmly in front of Wang Ya.

She bit her pale lips, facing Lin Yuan's scrutiny without taking a step back.

This was the first time Lin Yuan truly locked eyes with this future Mutant Queen.

Lin Yuan took a step forward, looking down at the scrawny girl.

He extended his right hand.

Li Mo Tong didn't dodge, just stubbornly tilted her head up.

Subconsciously, she prepared to receive a slap.

A voice screamed frantically in the depths of Lin Yuan's heart:

Kill her.

She is a monster who commands millions of the Zombie Horde. Stifling the threat in the cradle is the safest course of action.

Lin Yuan's breathing became somewhat heavy.

But the next second, he laughed again.

He, who had killed countless people, lived a new life, and possessed the Beauty System, was actually afraid of an undeveloped middle school student?

A disaster that hadn't happened yet—what kind of threat was that?

What if he could turn this future Mutant Queen into the sharpest dog leash in his hand?

If her favorability didn't meet the standard, he could just kill her before the apocalypse arrived, along with Wang Ya.

"If you want to stay, you can. From today on, you will take my surname, Lin."

Lin Yuan withdrew his hand and threw out his condition,

"I want your absolute obedience, and never betray me."

Su Xiaonuan, at the kitchen entrance, was stunned.

Wang Ya was also bewildered.

Change her surname?

Absolute obedience?

Why would he make such a request to a middle school student?

Li Mo Tong didn't agree immediately.

She looked up, staring into Lin Yuan's eyes with a calmness far beyond her peers, and asked in return.

"If I agree, will you protect my mother?"

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes and spoke:

"As long as you are obedient. In this world, no one will be able to touch a single hair on your heads."

Thump!

Li Mo Tong didn't hesitate in the slightest, her knees bent, and she knelt before Lin Yuan.

"From today on, my name is Lin Motong."

[Ding! Target: Lin Motong (Beauty Potential 95), Favorability +7%, Current Favorability: 5%!]

Listening to the concrete increase in the system's value.

Lin Yuan's tense muscles finally relaxed.

The future Mutant Queen, the nightmare of humanity.

Intercepted in advance!

"Eat." Lin Yuan put on the slippers on the floor and walked toward the dining table.

Wang Ya looked at her daughter, who had been forced to change her surname, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

As long as Tongtong could live in the sunlight and stay away from that gambling-addict father, she would accept it even if she had to sell her soul to the devil.

Su Xiaonuan came out of the kitchen carrying dishes; the kitchen knife was nowhere to be seen.

She displayed the professional demeanor of a "Head Housekeeper," helping Lin Motong up with a sweet smile.

"Mr. Lin, since Lin Motong is staying, I will go pay her school sponsorship fees tomorrow."

Lin Yuan nodded.

At the dining table.

Su Xiaonuan diligently served soup for Lin Yuan, and Wang Ya naturally used a tissue to wipe away the soup that had dripped on the table for Lin Yuan.

Lin Motong shoveled rice into her mouth on the side, looking at the long-lost rosy glow on her mother's face, and secretly vowed to study hard so that she could become a useful person under Lin Yuan in the future and consolidate her mother's position.

After dinner.

Lin Yuan leaned back on the sofa, lit a cigarette, pointed toward the master bedroom, and said to Wang Ya:

"Go to the master bedroom, wash up, and wait for me. There are some 'new things' I need to test with you."

Wang Ya's cheeks turned bright red instantly, and she nodded obediently before turning and walking into the master bedroom.

Beside her, Su Xiaonuan was cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks, feeling inexplicably itchy in her teeth.

[Ding! Target: Wang Ya (Beauty 88), Favorability +2%, Current Favorability: 26%!]

...

When Su Xiaonuan finished cleaning up everything and was about to go take a shower.

Bang, bang, bang!

A rush of pounding on the apartment door suddenly rang out.

Accompanied by the sound of high heels kicking the door forcefully.

Su Xiaonuan frowned, walked quickly to the entryway, and pulled the door open.

Standing outside the door was Shen Qingyue, dressed in a luxurious trench coat and wearing sunglasses.

She used thick foundation to cover her haggard appearance, forcing herself to maintain her usual high-and-mighty posture.

"Get lost."

Shen Qingyue pushed aside Su Xiaonuan, who was blocking the doorway, and just like in the company before, she strode into the living room in her high heels.

She took off her sunglasses and looked at the apartment's decor with disdain:

"What kind of dump is this! It doesn't even have a decent sofa. Lin Yuan, your bitter-meat scheme is acted out a bit too realistically, isn't it?"

She walked to the center of the living room and threw her expensive handbag onto the coffee table.

"Lin Yuan! I know you are doing all of this to force me to admit my mistake."

Shen Qingyue raised her chin and shouted toward the master bedroom:

"As long as you help me solve the current trouble with the company, I can consider letting you move back to the villa, and we can start over."

A private investigator had told her that Lin Yuan had returned.

She was certain that Lin Yuan was just playing hard to get and was probably hiding behind the door feeling guilty right now.

"Stop throwing a childish tantrum. Take it while it's good; do you really want me to kneel and beg you?"

However.

The door to the master bedroom was pushed open.

Lin Yuan walked out with an expressionless face.

The way he looked at Shen Qingyue was like looking at a clown performing hard in a circus.

Immediately after.

A woman walked out from behind Lin Yuan.

Wang Ya had just finished showering.

She was wearing only one of Lin Yuan's T-shirts, the hem just barely covering her thighs.

She had gone in in a hurry and forgotten to take a change of clothes, so she had to borrow one of Lin Yuan's to make do.

Her hair was wet, draped over her shoulders, and the neckline was open, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin and deep cleavage.

The charming, sultry allure of a mature married woman who had been thoroughly moisturized was displayed vividly at this moment.

Wang Ya stood obediently by Lin Yuan's side.

She was emitting the fragrance of shower gel.

The arrogance on Shen Qingyue's face instantly stiffened.