Su Qingning was frantic. Even after Lin Xiao finished his call with Xiao Shixiong and relayed that he had agreed to help and would rescue her mother as quickly as possible, her anxiety didn't subside.

Lin Xiao understood. It was her mother, after all.

"Honey, if you're really that worried, let's head back to Jinling City now," Lin Xiao said softly.

Su Qingning's eyes lit up, and she nodded hurriedly.

Although Su Qingning knew perfectly well that only Xiao Shixiong could handle this and that she would be of little help even if she returned to Jinling City, right now, all she wanted was to go back. She had to do *something*, even if it was just contributing her meager strength to the search for her mother.

Seeing her agree, Lin Xiao wasted no more words and immediately started driving toward Jinling City.

They hadn't been on the road for long when Lin Xiao's phone rang. It was a call from Xiao Shixiong, which Lin Xiao quickly answered.

"Is it done?" Lin Xiao asked, getting straight to the point.

Xiao Shixiong said respectfully, "Yes, it's been handled. Miss Su's mother has been rescued and is safe!"

Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had absolute faith in Xiao Shixiong and his ability to handle the matter, a part of him had still been worried until it was officially resolved. His fear wasn't that Xiao Shixiong would fail to find Bai Bufan or rescue Su Qingning's mother. Rather, he was worried that a cornered Bai Bufan might do something desperate, like killing his hostage. But now, it seemed his fears had been unfounded.

"Where is my mother-in-law now?"

"I've already taken her back to Hidden Dragon Villa."

"Alright, I understand. Thanks for your hard work."

"Don't mention it, sir."

Lin Xiao hung up the phone and turned to Su Qingning with a smile. "Honey, don't worry. Mom is back home, safe and sound."

Su Qingning was instantly overcome with excitement. She threw her arms around Lin Xiao and planted a firm kiss on his cheek. Then, like an overjoyed child, she began wildly pumping her small fists in the air.

The sudden kiss was so electrifying he almost lost his grip on the steering wheel. He hadn't anticipated that being kissed so proactively would feel this exhilarating.

Lin Xiao glanced over at Su Qingning and noticed her eyes were already moist. She was crying, but these were tears of joy. She had been bracing herself to say goodbye to her mother forever, yet the crisis had been resolved in the blink of an eye. She couldn't help but be ecstatic.

Since her father's death, she and her mother had relied on each other for everything. If anything had happened to her, Su Qingning wouldn't have wanted to go on living. But miraculously, heaven had been kind, and her mother was safe.

Lin Xiao gently reached out and wiped her tears away. "Silly girl, don't cry. This is a happy occasion. You should be smiling!"

Su Qingning took his hand, her voice thick with an emotion she couldn't hide. "Husband... thank you."

Her word, "Husband," sent a powerful wave of warmth sweeping through Lin Xiao. It wasn't the first time Su Qingning had called him that. But previously, she had only done so in moments of desperation, usually when he was in danger and she was trying to shield him. This was the first time she had called him 'Husband' with such deep, genuine affection. Naturally, Lin Xiao was thrilled.

He grinned. "Darling, say it again."

Su Qingning's mood finally relaxed completely. Being called "Darling" by Lin Xiao sent a sweet warmth through her, but when faced with his request, she just gave a playful huff. "Nope!"

"Just once? Please?" Lin Xiao begged.

"No!"

Lin Xiao was speechless. Good thing we're in the car, he thought. If we were in bed, I'd give that cute butt of hers a few spanks for being so disobedient.

After their playful banter, Lin Xiao made a call to Shao Mei'er. She picked up quickly. The enchanting and mesmerizing singing voice of Chu Xiangxue instantly came through the line.

"Stinky Daddy, are you missing me?" Shao Mei'er asked with a flirty smile.

Lin Xiao was dumbfounded. Thank God he hadn't put the call on speaker. Just hearing the words "Stinky Daddy" would have been enough to make Su Qingning leap out of the moving car.

"When are you guys finishing up?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Ten-thirty. Why?"

"My mother-in-law ran into some trouble, so my wife and I are heading back to Jinling City right now. I'm calling to let you know that Qingning and I won't be able to make it to the celebration party tonight. You guys have fun without us. Her bar is reopening tomorrow night, so I'll throw a make-up celebration for you all then."

Shao Mei'er sounded a little disappointed. She had been planning to drink a bit at the party and use the opportunity to get cozy with Lin Xiao, but he had to leave early. Still, Shao Mei'er knew this wasn't the time to be willful. Su Qingning's mother was in trouble, after all.

"Stinky Daddy, what happened to Qingning's mom? Do you need my help?"

"No, it's already been handled. Just enjoy the concert. Oh, and say hi to Pei Donglai for me."

"Okay, Stinky Daddy!" Shao Mei'er said in a coquettish voice.

Her coquettish tone instantly conjured an image of her seductive face in Lin Xiao's mind, and he hurriedly ended the call as if scalded. He turned his head to glance at Su Qingning, only to find her beautiful, peach-blossom eyes gazing at him with an incredibly complex expression.

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat. Did she hear what Shao Mei'er just called me? There's no other reason she'd be looking at me like that. The realization sent a jolt of panic through him.

He was just about to explain when Su Qingning spoke, her voice tinged with an odd melancholy. "You and Shao Mei'er seem to be quite close."

"But not as close as we are!" Lin Xiao said with a forced smile.

He honestly didn't know what to make of her comment. Was she jealous? Or hinting at something else?

"Hmph! How could my relationship with you be as good as yours with Shao Mei'er?" Su Qingning retorted huffily.

"Honey, what makes you think my relationship with her is better than ours?"

"Intuition!"

Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed it was his tone of voice with Shao Mei'er that had made her jealous, not that she had actually overheard the nickname.

Lin Xiao smiled. "My silly darling, don't ever say that again. You have to know, no one in this world is more important to me than you."

Su Qingning shuddered as a primeval wave of warmth crashed through her heart and flooded her entire body. She felt as if she had fallen into a pot of honey, a sweet sensation spreading everywhere. A sudden, inexplicable happiness washed over her.

She stared at Lin Xiao, her beautiful eyes turning red and misty before she even realized it.

Just as she was about to speak...

BANG!!!

A deafening noise shattered the moment. Along with the impact, the car Lin Xiao was driving shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, propelled by an immense force. It slammed violently into the highway guardrail

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