Lin Xiao followed the man's gaze.

Standing at the entrance to the villa's living room was a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six. He had a refined look and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His clothes were well-tailored and bore no labels, but Lin Xiao could tell at a glance that they were expensive.

He obviously comes from a distinguished family. Lin Xiao mused. Then again, that makes sense. Anyone who can get into Chu Xiangxue's villa is no ordinary person.

Noticing Lin Xiao's gaze, the man gave a faint nod in acknowledgment, and just like that, they had exchanged greetings.

Just as the man was about to look away, he seemed to spot Su Qingning standing next to Lin Xiao. The moment he saw her, his eyes widened dramatically as if he had seen something utterly shocking.

Lin Xiao knew the man was stunned by Su Qingning's beauty. It couldn't be helped. For a woman as gorgeous as Su Qingning, any man who wasn't shocked at first sight was either a eunuch or not interested in women.

Feeling uncomfortable under the man's stare, Su Qingning instinctively tightened her grip on Lin Xiao's arm.

"Don't be nervous, your hubby is here," Lin Xiao said with a smile.

His words seemed to carry a magical power, and Su Qingning truly did calm down.

Just then, the villa's door was pushed open, and Chu Xiangxue ran out, practically bursting with excitement. She threw her arms around Su Qingning in a huge, enthusiastic hug. After letting go of Su Qingning, she moved to hug Lin Xiao.

But Lin Xiao deftly dodged out of the way.

A single phone call last night had already made Su Qingning jealous. If he hugged another woman now, who knows how possessive she would get? To avoid such a scenario, Lin Xiao decided it was better not to embrace Chu Xiangxue.

"Lin Xiao, you're being a little stingy! You won't even give a girl a hug!" Chu Xiangxue said with a playful pout.

Lin Xiao didn't indulge her. "Are you kidding? Hugging another woman right in front of my wife? Xiang Xue, are you trying to get me killed?"

Pfft.

Chu Xiangxue burst out laughing, her whole body shaking like a blossoming branch in the wind.

Su Qingning turned her head away in embarrassment. But for some reason, Lin Xiao's words filled her heart with a sweet warmth.

"Lin Xiao, you're hilarious!" Chu Xiangxue laughed.

Lin Xiao knew that Chu Xiangxue was only addressing him by his full name because there were others present. He wasn't bothered by it at all.

Just as he was about to speak, the refined-looking man suddenly walked over.

"Xiang Xue, who are these two?" the man asked with a gentle smile.

"Oh, they're my friends! Very good friends!" Chu Xiangxue said with a smile, giving Lin Xiao and Su Qingning a meaningful look.

"And this is?" Lin Xiao asked.

Chu Xiangxue slapped her forehead. "Look at me, I forgot to introduce you all. This is Wang Zhuo. Wang Zhuo, these two are Lin Xiao and Su Qingning!"

Wang Zhuo was taken aback. "Su Qingning? You mean *the* Su Qingning? The number one beauty of Jinling City?"

At his words, Su Qingning became even more embarrassed.

Lin Xiao, however, just smiled and said, "My wife, I had no idea you were so famous!"

Wang Zhuo gave a slight smile. "It's not that, it's just that a good friend of mine is quite fond of Miss Su!"

"Don't tell me your friend's name is Xue Jingdong, is it?" Lin Xiao said, his eyes twinkling.

Wang Zhuo was slightly stunned. He clearly hadn't expected this man, who looked like a beggar, to know of Xue Jingdong.

Wang Zhuo nodded. "Unfortunately, my friend had an accident a couple of days ago and left this world prematurely!"

Su Qingning was shocked. Xue Jingdong is dead? When did that happen? How did I not know anything about it? Didn't I just see him at the club in Jinling City? That was only a few days ago!

"That's a real pity!" Lin Xiao said, his face a mask of regret.

Wang Zhuo shrugged. "It's nothing. Everyone has their own fate. We might all be alive and well right now, but who knows? In the next second, it might be you who's gone, Brother Lin Xiao."

As soon as he said this, the expressions of both Su Qingning and Chu Xiangxue turned cold. However, Wang Zhuo's gaze was fixed on Lin Xiao, so he failed to notice.

"You certainly have a sense of humor, Brother Wang Zhuo," Lin Xiao said with a smile.

Wang Zhuo finally noticed Chu Xiangxue's unpleasant expression. He suddenly realized he had misspoken. After all, Chu Xiangxue always gave the impression that she was smiling, that she never got angry. Unless, of course, you truly infuriated her.

"Xiang Xue, it was just a joke! Don't take it seriously!" Wang Zhuo quickly said with an apologetic smile.

Chu Xiangxue replied bluntly, not giving him any face, "There's a limit to joking. You'd best not make trashy jokes like that again."

Wang Zhuo nodded with a smile, seemingly unfazed. But the slight tremor in his hand betrayed his true feelings.

"Qing Ning, you're here at the perfect time! Let me give you a present!" Without another word, Chu Xiangxue pulled Su Qingning into the villa.

Soon, only Lin Xiao and Wang Zhuo remained in the vast courtyard.

"Brother Lin Xiao, shall we have a chat?"

"Sure," Lin Xiao nodded.

They sat down under a large sun umbrella, and Wang Zhuo lit a cigarette. "Want one?"

Lin Xiao waved his hand.

Wang Zhuo nodded. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he suddenly said, "Wang Xiaotian was my cousin."

"Oh," Lin Xiao replied nonchalantly, his gaze fixed on the sky before him. He acted as if Wang Zhuo had said something utterly trivial, even though the words were an obvious declaration: *I know you're the one who killed my cousin.*

"Let's be clear. What is your relationship with Xiang Xue?" Wang Zhuo asked again, his tone perfectly calm.

"What do you think our relationship is?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile.

"I don't know. I can't figure it out. But I know your relationship isn't a shallow one. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten so angry when I made that joke."

"What's this about? Are you in love with Chu Xiangxue?" Lin Xiao suddenly asked.

Wang Zhuo nodded.

"Are you in love with her, or her family background?" Lin Xiao asked with a sly smile.

"Both."

Lin Xiao looked at Wang Zhuo with newfound respect. "You're quite honest."

Wang Zhuo stubbed out the burning cigarette with his fingers. "Here's the deal. The Wang Family is a prominent force in Jinhai City. You killed Wang Xiaotian in their territory, and the Wang Family will certainly seek revenge for that."

"Mhm, got it. Since we're being honest, I might as well tell you something else. I killed Xue Jingdong, too," Lin Xiao said, his tone light and breezy.

Wang Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. The way he looked at Lin Xiao finally changed. Lin Xiao, however, continued to gaze dreamily at the distant sky.

"So, after all this, are you trying to tell me that the Wang Family is very powerful and that I should stay away from Chu Xiangxue?"

Wang Zhuo was startled again. This man is frighteningly perceptive. How could he see through my intentions so easily?

Lin Xiao seemed to have anticipated Wang Zhuo's reaction and just smiled faintly. "Let me give you some advice: don't waste your effort. You'll never win her over."

"Why not?"

"Because she's in love with me. So in love that if I said the word, she would strip naked and wait for me in bed."

A terrifying, cold glint flashed in Wang Zhuo's eyes. As if he had suffered the greatest humiliation imaginable, he shot to his feet.

"Kid, are you looking for death?"

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