Inside the Ling Family estate—

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Crash!

An expensive vase shattered against the wall.

Ling Han, the patriarch of the Ling Family, stood in the middle of the destroyed living room with rage written all over his face.

Sitting calmly on a nearby couch...

Ye Chen crossed his legs while maintaining an indifferent expression, almost as if the chaos around him had nothing to do with him.

Only the faint smugness hidden in his eyes revealed his true thoughts.

Nearby, Qin Ruobing hurriedly tried calming her husband down.

"Dear, please relax," she said softly. "Little Shuangxue was probably traumatized after tonight’s incident. Her emotions weren’t stable..."

"Shut up!"

Ling Han instantly backhanded her across the face.

The loud slap echoed throughout the living room.

Several nearby maids immediately lowered their heads in fear.

Qin Ruobing stumbled slightly before holding her reddened cheek silently.

Meanwhile, Ling Han continued roaring furiously.

"My own daughter dares treat Young Chen like this?!"

His chest rose and fell violently.

"Young Chen’s master was my benefactor!"

"And this is how my own blood repays his disciple?!"

"Ungrateful! Absolutely ungrateful!"

Ye Chen silently nodded inwardly.

’Exactly, this is how people should treat me. Respect. Fear. Admiration.’

His thoughts became increasingly smug.

’This old man at least understands how things work. Unlike that cold woman.’

Ye Chen’s eyes flickered slightly.

’Still... once I eventually take over the Ling Group and marry Ling Shuangxue, I’ll let the old man retire peacefully.’

Maybe let him hold a few grandchildren too.

Thinking of that future, Ye Chen’s mood instantly improved.

Meanwhile, Ling Han suddenly turned toward a nearby maid.

"Where is that unruly girl?!"

The maid immediately trembled in fear.

"I-I don’t know, sir..."

Ling Han looked ready to explode again.

Seeing this, Qin Ruobing silently stepped away while suppressing the tears in her eyes.

After leaving the living room, she quietly took out her phone and sent a message to her daughter.

—————

Qin Ruobing: Where are you?

Ling Shuangxue: About to be home. Why?

Qin Ruobing: Your father is having another episode again. The bodyguard you fired is also here.

Ling Shuangxue: Then kick him out.

Qin Ruobing: Your father highly values this young man because of his master. Don’t come home tonight. Stay somewhere else for now. I’ll calm your father down somehow.

Ling Shuangxue: ...Alright.

—————

Seeing the final message, Qin Ruobing finally let out a sigh of relief.

At the very least, her daughter wouldn’t return home tonight and walk directly into her father’s rage.

Truthfully, Qin Ruobing understood why her husband had become like this over the years.

The Ling Family was falling.

Business partners were withdrawing.

Enemies constantly attacked them from every direction.

The pressure on Ling Han had only grown heavier with time.

And now...

After years of desperation...

They had finally found what seemed like a saving grace.

Someone powerful enough to protect the Ling Family without needing to marry their daughter off to one of the other major families.

Qin Ruobing walked back into the living room.

This time, she remained silent.

She simply stood nearby and watched as her husband gradually lost steam after his earlier outburst.

Meanwhile, Ling Han finally turned toward Ye Chen with guilt written across his face.

"Young Chen..."

He sighed heavily.

"I’m truly sorry for how my daughter treated you tonight. I swear I’ll make things right."

Ye Chen immediately stood up.

With a calm smile, he gently grabbed Ling Han’s shoulder.

"Mr. Ling, my master saved your life all those years ago. So helping the Ling Family is only natural for me."

His expression appeared upright and sincere.

"I don’t blame Miss Ling. She was traumatized by tonight’s situation. She simply wasn’t thinking clearly."

Ling Han’s eyes instantly filled with even more appreciation.

The more he looked at Ye Chen...

The more satisfied he became.

Powerful.

Calm.

Understanding.

And most importantly...

Connected to that mysterious old benefactor who once saved his life.

"You really are mature beyond your years," Ling Han praised sincerely.

"A true dragon among men!"

He let out a hearty laugh while patting Ye Chen’s shoulder heavily.

"With you protecting my daughter... I can finally feel at ease."

Ye Chen smiled modestly on the surface.

"Of course, Mr. Ling."

However, internally.

’After all, she’ll belong to me sooner or later, anyway.’

Ye Chen almost laughed out loud.

Honestly, he was extremely satisfied with how things were progressing.

Despite some missteps...

His master truly had vision.

Sending him down the mountain and arranging this opportunity was basically handing him a shortcut into high society.

Sure, the Ling Family was declining.

But so what?

With his abilities, saving them would be easy.

And once he did?

The entire Ling Family would naturally become his stepping stone.

Including Ling Shuangxue herself, who would just fall into his harem.

Before Ye Chen could continue fantasizing about his glorious future.

Bzzzz.

His phone suddenly vibrated violently in his pocket.

Ye Chen frowned slightly before taking it out.

"Mr. Ling," he said calmly, "please excuse me for a moment."

Ling Han immediately nodded.

"Of course. Take your time."

Ye Chen walked a few steps away before glancing down at his phone.

At first, his expression remained indifferent.

"...Hm?"

His brows slowly furrowed.

Something was trending.

Curious, he tapped the notification.

The moment the screen loaded...

Ye Chen froze.

His pupils contracted sharply.

The smug expression on his face instantly vanished.

An ugly expression slowly twisted across his features.

Bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes.

His jaw clenched so hard that grinding noises could almost be heard.

Crack.

The phone screen shattered slightly under the pressure of his grip.

Yet Ye Chen barely noticed.

"...Impossible."

His breathing slowly became heavier.

Nearby, Ling Han immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Young Chen?"

A trace of concern appeared on his face.

"Are you alright?"

Without saying a word, Ye Chen slowly turned the cracked phone screen toward him.

Ling Han looked over.

Then froze.

Even through the damaged screen, the contents were perfectly visible.

It was a social media post.

And it had completely exploded online.

Over a million likes.

Hundreds of thousands of comments.

Reposts flooding endlessly.

Even many influential figures within high society had already begun discussing it.

Because the image attached to the post was incredibly clear.

It showed...

Ling Shuangxue walking side by side with Shen Tian inside a hotel lobby.

And in the photo...

Her usually cold expression looked strangely soft, despite her trying to contain it...

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(Author: Thank you so much for reading! Every Powerstone, comment, and review truly helps support the novel, and the more Powerstones we get, the more Chapters I’ll release!)