The speaker was, of course, Shen Jingzhe, who was currently sitting in the back seat. Her eyes, visible through a thin veil, were filled with resentment.

One couldn't really blame her. After all, anyone who had just witnessed Lin Xiao kissing Su Qingning would have been devastated. She was holding up well, though, merely protesting instead of breaking down.

Su Qingning was very thin-skinned, so at Shen Jingzhe's words, her pretty face immediately flushed with embarrassment. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Lin Xiao, on the other hand, was incredibly thick-skinned and just laughed heartily, not taking Shen Jingzhe's protest to heart.

Seeing Lin Xiao laugh so brazenly, a mortified Su Qingning gave him a light smack. "Keep your voice down!" she protested under her breath.

Lin Xiao chuckled and started the car, which slowly pulled away from the airport.

Suddenly, Shen Jingzhe, from the back seat, tapped Lin Xiao's shoulder with a slender finger.

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat. What does this mean? Is she going to try something right in front of Su Qingning?

Just then, Shen Jingzhe tapped his shoulder again.

Lin Xiao discreetly adjusted the rearview mirror and glanced at her. Knowing he could see her, Shen Jingzhe extended her delicate hand and pointed to the left.

Lin Xiao followed her gaze. A black minivan was driving parallel to them. It was completely black, with heavily tinted windows.

He immediately understood. Shen Jingzhe was warning him about the vehicle.

Lin Xiao nodded. He knew she wouldn't point out the car for no reason. She must have sensed something is wrong. After all, her cultivation is much higher than mine now. It's only natural she can perceive things I can't.

"By the way, honey, how did you know my flight?" Lin Xiao asked with a smile.

He appeared perfectly serious, but his hand had already come to rest on Su Qingning's beautiful leg. To be fair, her legs were the very definition of temptation: perfectly rounded, long, straight, and without an ounce of fat. Back in that small hotel, the sight of those legs had been his undoing, rendering him unable to resist.

Su Qingning wasn't used to his touch, and to be more precise, it made her heart flutter. If Shen Jingzhe hadn't been there, she might not have been able to stop some embarrassing sounds from escaping her lips.

She gave Lin Xiao a bashful, flirtatious eye-roll while firmly grabbing his hand to stop it from moving any further. Then, feigning composure, she said, "Shao Mei'er told me!"

Lin Xiao chuckled. "I see. I was planning not to tell you so I could sneak back and give you a big surprise!"

"The fact that you're back so soon is already a huge surprise for me. Besides, I wanted to see you as soon as possible, too!" Su Qingning said with a gentle smile.

Lin Xiao's heart soared. He never expected Su Qingning to be capable of saying such sweet things. If they weren't on the highway, he would have been overwhelmed with the urge to kiss her senseless.

"By the way, Lin Xiao, how is Xiang Xue's grandfather?" Su Qingning asked curiously.

Lin Xiao laughed. "With me on the case, of course it was a piece of cake!"

"You're amazing!" Su Qingning said, looking at him with undisguised admiration.

Yes, she truly admired him. The act of saving lives moved her deeply, and she felt an immense sense of pride for Lin Xiao.

She used to think Lin Xiao was just a braggart, but ever since witnessing his extraordinary medical skills, her opinion of him had gradually changed. Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time together, but she slowly began to discover his many virtues. He was kind, principled, and though he liked to boast, he had never hurt anyone. Most precious of all was the way he treated her—a genuine kindness that came from his very core. He always protected her, terrified she might suffer the slightest wrong.

She wasn't sure when it started, but a feeling had begun to grow in her heart that she had married the right man. And that feeling was getting stronger every day. She loved being with Lin Xiao now. Even though most of their time together consisted of the scoundrel either teasing her or stealing kisses, she was still happy to be with him. She even felt like they were genuinely dating.

Was this feeling just an illusion?

Lin Xiao stared at Su Qingning, dumbfounded. They had only been apart for a dozen hours or so, but she seemed like a completely different person. Still, he had to admit, her praise was incredibly satisfying, filling his heart with a honey-sweet warmth.

It wasn't just Lin Xiao who noticed the change in Su Qingning. Even Shen Jingzhe felt she had become someone else. She had always been so reserved about her feelings, but today she was being unbelievably direct.

Seeing Lin Xiao staring at her as if she were an alien, Su Qingning's face reddened. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lin Xiao smiled. "No reason. I was just thinking my wife seems to have gotten even prettier!"

Joy instantly bloomed in Su Qingning's heart, but she pouted playfully and said, "Hmph, smooth-talker!"

Lin Xiao just chuckled.

"Hey, have you two forgotten I exist?" Shen Jingzhe protested coldly.

Su Qingning's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

Lin Xiao was amused. "Nope, we're just teasing you on purpose!"

Shen Jingzhe shot him a frigid glare. If looks could kill, Lin Xiao would have been pierced by a thousand arrows.

Sensing her ferocious gaze, Lin Xiao smiled and changed the subject. "Shen Jingzhe, nothing unexpected happened last night, right?"

"No!" she replied coldly. She wanted to tell him that with her around, nothing could possibly go wrong, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Unlike Lin Xiao, she wasn't that thick-skinned.

"That's good. Thank you for protecting my wife."

Hearing this, Su Qingning chimed in, "Yes, Jing Zhe, thank you for protecting me all this time!"

"What, are you two trying to kick me out?" Shen Jingzhe asked frostily.

"Nonsense," Lin Xiao said hurriedly. "I'm counting on you to keep protecting my wife."

The situation was growing more dangerous, and his own cultivation was still sealed within Su Qingning's Dantian. Letting Shen Jingzhe go was simply not an option.

"Then spare me the useless chatter," Shen Jingzhe said flatly.

Lin Xiao smiled. "Alright, I'll stop!"

Shen Jingzhe let out a cold snort. Just as she was about to say more, her eyes fell on the minivan that had been tailing them. Its window was sliding down.

A dark muzzle appeared, aimed straight at Lin Xiao's head.

Shen Jingzhe's heart leaped into her throat. "Lin Xiao, watch out!" she screamed.

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