Xiang Nai watched Lin Xiao, overwhelmed with fear.

"What kind of deal are you proposing?"

"Simple. Be my dog," Lin Xiao said coldly.

Lin Xiao was not a sadist, but he also wasn't one to treat people from the Cherry Blossom Country as human beings. That was why he had proposed such a condition.

Xiang Nai was instantly enraged. Though she was from the Cherry Blossom Country, she spoke the language of the Nine Provinces fluently and knew exactly what he meant.

Enduring the agonizing pain, Xiang Nai said furiously, "You can kill me, but you will not trample on my dignity!"

Lin Xiao scoffed with disdain as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Dignity? You have the gall to speak of dignity? Someone who wouldn't hesitate to betray others just to stay alive dares to talk to me about dignity?"

His words struck Xiang Nai speechless.

"Cut the crap. If you want to live, you'll obey my every word from now on. Otherwise, I can take back your worthless life at any moment."

Xiang Nai fell silent, but fat tears began to stream down her face like a bursting dam.

Lin Xiao, however, couldn't be bothered with her. With a wave of his hand, the Xuantian Needle pierced halfway into the space between her brows.

That's right, he was neutralizing the poison.

The excruciating pain in her body subsided at a visible rate, vanishing without a trace in mere moments. She stared at Lin Xiao in utter shock.

Lin Xiao smoothly withdrew the Xuantian Needle.

"Don't get too comfortable. I only neutralized two-thirds of the poison. The remaining third is more than enough to take your life. Whether you live or die depends on your performance from here on out."

Before Xiang Nai could even feel a moment of happiness, she was plunged back into immense pain.

She knew with chilling clarity that she was now nothing more than a puppet to the filthy man before her, a puppet at his complete mercy.

At that moment, Xiang Nai felt a deep, profound despair.

Yet, the thought of helping this man go against her own father, perhaps even the entire royal family, sparked a strange and inexplicable thrill within her.

Yes, it was excitement. It felt like the forbidden thrill of cheating on her husband.

Just then, Xiang Nai's phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, then looked back at Lin Xiao as if seeking his permission. "It's the person I contacted earlier."

"Answer it. But I trust you know what you should and shouldn't say."

Xiang Nai nodded obediently and quickly answered the call.

After a hurried exchange, she hung up and looked at Lin Xiao, her expression grave.

"He's not coming."

A heavy feeling settled in Lin Xiao's heart. "Did you betray me?"

Xiang Nai's eyes widened in terror. "No! I didn't, I swear I didn't!"

"Hmph. As if you'd dare. If he's not coming, so be it. I have all the time in the world to deal with him. Now, I have a task for you."

"What is it? Tell me!"

"First, from now on, you will call me Master."

Xiang Nai blushed and nodded.

"Second, contact the people who entered the Nine Provinces with you for the Dragon-Slaying Plan as quickly as possible."

"I will."

"Good. Third, investigate the roster for the Dragon-Slaying Plan. I want it to be as detailed as possible."

Xiang Nai's expression faltered for a moment. The filthy man before her suddenly wanted to take on everyone involved in the Dragon-Slaying Plan.

However, she didn't refuse. In fact, she didn't even *want* to refuse. The thrill buried deep in her heart sent shivers through her body.

"I will."

"Then it's settled. I'll notify you if anything else comes up."

Xiang Nai nodded vigorously.

"You can get lost now!"

After leaving her with those words, Lin Xiao got into the car. With a stomp on the accelerator, he drove away from the abandoned warehouse with Su Qingning.

When Su Qingning opened her eyes, Lin Xiao had already gotten a new vehicle from Tie Shankao.

There was no other choice; the front end of the brand-new Cullinan was wrecked. While it was still drivable, Lin Xiao didn't want to be seen in a beat-up car. It wasn't that he disliked the car; he was just worried Su Qingning would ask too many questions if she saw the damage.

So, by the time she opened her eyes, she was already sitting in a new car.

The new car was a Mercedes G-Class, specifically a Brabus model. She hadn't yet realized they were in a different car. She just stared blankly at Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao smiled. "Honey, you're awake!"

Su Qingning nodded. "Where are we?"

"Oh, we just got back to the place we stayed at last night," Lin Xiao replied with a smile.

He had originally planned to take her back to Chu Xiangxue's concert. But after such a major incident, he worried she would be in a terrible mood when she woke up, so he decided to simply bring her back here instead.

"How did I get here?" Su Qingning asked, puzzled.

"You don't remember?"

Su Qingning looked at Lin Xiao with suspicion. Suddenly, a memory seemed to surface.

In the next second, Su Qingning threw herself into Lin Xiao's arms, clinging tightly to him, her warm, soft body pressing against his.

Lin Xiao was a bit taken aback by her action. Just as he was about to speak, Su Qingning burst into tears.

He understood instantly. She clearly remembered the ordeal from a few hours ago. He held her tight.

"You remember now?" Lin Xiao asked gently.

Su Qingning nodded vigorously.

"Honey, I'm sorry," Lin Xiao sighed, his heart aching. "I failed to protect you."

Su Qingning shook her head. She lifted her face, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at him. "It's not your fault. I was careless. I thought they were staff members, but they turned out to be criminals. If I'd known they were bad people, I wouldn't have fallen for their tricks."

"How did they trick you?"

"They said Xiang Xue was going to make a surprise appearance from inside a box for the fans. They claimed she was busy with rehearsals and asked me to take her place for a test run. I believed them, so I got in the box. Then a woman gave me an injection."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao felt a surge of both anger and pity for her. He reached out and gently wiped her tears away.

"Shh, don't cry. It's all over now. Those bad guys have been brought to justice."

Su Qingning shook her head again. "I'm not crying because I was kidnapped. I'm crying because I was afraid I'd never see you again!"

BOOM.

Her words, a confession in all but name, hit him like a physical blow. His mind went completely blank, and his heart skipped several beats.

Lin Xiao stared at Su Qingning, his own excitement palpable.

Su Qingning's dewy eyes met his.

They drew closer and closer, until they could feel the warmth of each other's breath.

Su Qingning slowly closed her eyes.

It was a signal, and Lin Xiao received it loud and clear. He leaned in and kissed her passionately.

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