25: Chapter 25 Zhao Ya's Top-Tier Fawning Skills

Su Xiaonuan held half a glass of red wine, her entire body frozen in place.

Lin Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly, his deep gaze sweeping quickly across both their faces.

He had read Su Xiaonuan's file and knew that her parents had passed away; this was also the reason he had occasionally looked after her when he was at Xinghui Group.

However, he truly hadn't expected that she would have a blood relation to this future "Ice Empress."

The memories that Su Xiaonuan had forcibly suppressed surged back into her mind.

Her father, who was addicted to gambling and had been kicked out of the Su Family;

Her mother, who had coughed up blood and died in the cold, leaking shantytown in the South City.

And the Su Family, which stood high and aloof, watching the life and death of her and her mother with cold indifference…

Su Xiaonuan's body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, her eyes turning red, and the red wine in the goblet in her hand rippled in circles as she shook.

Just at this moment, Zhao Ya, who was following behind her, displayed the ultimate "sycophant" skills.

Although Zhao Ya didn't know exactly what had happened, she could tell at a glance that Su Xiaonuan's emotions were off.

She immediately stepped forward, using her body to block the space between Su Xiaonuan and Su Muxue, a fawning smile instantly piling up on her face.

"Oh my! So it's Xiaonuan's aunt! Hello, hello! Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!"

Zhao Ya nodded and bowed, speaking at a rapid pace,

"President Lin is our Xiaonuan's boss. You two go ahead and chat. We still have some business over at our private room, so we won't disturb you!"

After saying this, Zhao Ya didn't give Su Muxue any chance to speak. She hooked her arm through Su Xiaonuan's and half-dragged, half-pulled her away from this battlefield.

"My dear auntie, take a deep breath. President Lin is handling business; we must not cause trouble at a time like this…"

Zhao Ya whispered to soothe her, walking quickly in her high heels.

She was terrified that if she walked one step too slowly, she would anger that cold-faced god of slaughter.

Su Muxue subconsciously stood up, wanting to chase after them.

"Let her be for a moment." Lin Yuan sat in his original seat, speaking in a flat tone.

The steps Su Muxue had taken forward stopped. Watching the figures disappear at the end of the corridor, a trace of complexity flashed in her cold, clear eyes.

She slowly sat back down, picking up her lemon water to hide the slight trembling of her fingertips. After a long while, she spoke in a husky voice.

"Xiaonuan is a good child."

Su Muxue's voice was somewhat low,

"Although we are a generation apart, our ages aren't that different. When we were little, I often took her out to play."

Lin Yuan leaned back against the chair, his fingers gently rubbing the rim of his water glass, listening quietly.

"My eldest brother was so blinded by gambling back then that he mortgaged the family's old house. The old master of the Su Family got ruthless and kicked their family of three out on the street, not even letting them take a change of clothes."

Su Muxue's brows furrowed slightly, carrying a sense of disgust for the past,

"Xiaonuan's mother was an honest and decent woman who suffered for half her life following him."

"It was only later that I found out she had no money for treatment and was dragged to her death."

"No one in the Su Family cared. They felt it was shameful."

"At that time, I had just started my internship at the hospital. I would sneak off to Xiaonuan's school and slip her some money for meals."

"But I don't know why, I would always run into my eldest brother."

"He was like a vampire, finding all sorts of ways to ask me for money."

"Later, I entered the Emergency Department. Work became busier and busier, and I didn't even have enough time to sleep. Slowly, we lost contact."

Su Muxue sighed, her gaze once again turning toward the direction of the corridor,

"Counting it up, I haven't seen her for four or five years. I didn't expect that she would be working for you now."

Su Muxue raised her eyes, looking at Lin Yuan with a hint of inquiry and curiosity:

"Didn't you leave Xinghui Group? How are you still with Xiaonuan?"

Lin Yuan did not hide it; his tone had no fluctuation.

"She is my Chief Steward."

"Chief Steward?"

Su Muxue was stunned for a moment. This title sounded a bit out of place in modern society.

"She is currently in full charge of helping me stockpile supplies and building a doomsday fortress," Lin Yuan said bluntly.

Su Muxue was dumbfounded for two seconds.

Subsequently, she couldn't help but chuckle.

This smile was like an iceberg melting, like a spring breeze brushing against one's face. It was stunningly beautiful and moving, as if even the dim lights around them had brightened a little.

She only assumed that Lin Yuan was joking.

"Doomsday?"

Su Muxue shook her head, "That sounds even more unreliable than that 'AI Healthcare' thing from earlier."

But looking into Lin Yuan's eyes, which were devoid of ripples, she knew this unfathomable man wasn't talking nonsense. Perhaps this was the code name for some kind of rescue plan?

Just like how he saved Lu Xixi.

Su Muxue said half-jokingly:

"However, I am quite interested in this 'Doomsday Survival' game. If your fortress is built, remember to invite me to visit."

Lin Yuan's gaze flickered slightly.

He picked up his water glass and gently clinked it against Su Muxue's goblet.

"It's a deal."

In Lin Yuan's eyes, this joke from Su Muxue was equivalent to her voluntarily delivering herself, this future S-rank Esper, into his inescapable net.

The fish wanted to swim into the fish tank of its own accord.

For the remainder of the dinner, neither of them drank any alcohol.

As an Emergency Department doctor, Su Muxue had to remain clear-headed at all times to deal with emergencies.

And Lin Yuan had even less need for alcohol to numb his nerves; he needed to maintain absolute control over this body, whose power was surging, at all times.

This dinner, without the catalysis of alcohol, instead gained a touch of sophisticated ambiguity due to the restrained yet direct communication between the two adults.

At nine in the evening, the dinner ended.

The two walked side by side out of the entrance of the Jiangjing InterContinental Hotel.

The night wind in Jiang City carried a hint of chill, and the putrid, sour smell left behind by the rare hailstorm seemed even stronger in the air.

Lin Yuan hailed a taxi and opened the car door for Su Muxue.

Su Muxue sat in the car and rolled down the window.

"Thank you for tonight."

Su Muxue looked at Lin Yuan, a faint glimmer shining in the depths of her eyes.

She was not only thanking him for getting her out of the awkward blind date but also for listening to her pour out those old stories from the past just now.

"Remember that you owe me a favor," Lin Yuan replied indifferently.

The taxi started and slowly merged into the flow of traffic.

Looking through the rearview mirror at that tall, cold figure standing in the night wind, the corners of Su Muxue's mouth turned up involuntarily.

[Ding! Target Su Muxue (Appearance 90), Favorability +2%, Current Favorability: 10%!]

Listening to the crisp system notification sound in his mind, Lin Yuan turned around and walked back into the hotel.

He hadn't forgotten that he still needed to pick up his Chief Steward.

Following the private room number Su Xiaonuan had sent, Lin Yuan took the elevator to the third floor.

The corridor was covered with thick wool carpeting, and one could vaguely hear the howling coming from the various private rooms.

Lin Yuan walked down the corridor with his hands in his pockets and a cold expression, preparing to head to the V08 private room at the end.

Just as he reached the corner of the corridor.

Suddenly.

"Bang!"

An extremely crisp sound of shattering glass came from the V08 room, even penetrating the thick soundproof door.

Immediately following that was Zhao Ya's sharp and angry exclamation.

"What are you doing?! Don't touch her!"

"You bitch, get lost! I'm coming over to toast you because I think highly of you poor students; don't act all high and mighty!"

A strange man's foul language, emboldened by the alcohol, rang out crudely.

"That's right, weren't you quite good at acting earlier in the corridor? Come on, let brothers check; so flat... how does your man develop you? Teach us…"

Another strange man's voice carried a disgusting, lecherous laugh…

In the corridor, Lin Yuan's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

His gaze instantly sank.

Lin Yuan strode forward with his long legs, walking toward the V08 room.

Without any wasted words.

Bang!

Lin Yuan raised his leg,

and kicked the thick door of the V08 room.

With a thunderous bang!

The sturdy solid wood door, along with the metal hinges on the door frame, was kicked flying by this unreasonable force, smashing heavily onto the round table inside the room and shattering all the foreign liquor and fruit platters on the table!

Everyone's movements instantly froze, and they looked in terror at the man standing at the doorway, who looked like a god of slaughter descending.

Lin Yuan stood at the door, his gaze cutting through the mess and locking directly onto the corner.

Su Xiaonuan was forced into the corner of the sofa, her hair messy and her eyes red.

And Zhao Ya was blocking firmly in front of her, clutching half a broken beer bottle in her hand, her whole body trembling like a sieve.

She wasn't protecting Su Xiaonuan; she was protecting her own life—if Su Xiaonuan lost a single hair tonight, that devil named Lin Yuan would absolutely skin her alive!

"Which hand touched her?"

Lin Yuan's voice was not loud, but it clearly entered the ears of everyone in the room, carrying a cold, murderous intent as if he had returned from hell.

"Cut it off yourselves. Or, I will help you cut it off."