Chapter 27: Something's Not Right

"Mr. Gao, don't!"

Li Xue shot up from the bed, only to find she was in her own room.

'Am I home? Wasn't I drinking with Gao Yi at Huangshang Huang?'

'I remember Gao Yi drugging me... What happened?'

She quickly checked herself over. Looking closely, she found no marks; she was still untouched.

She looked at the time. It was already past nine.

CREAK. The door opened, and her mother, Lin Jiajia, walked into the room.

"Xiaoxue, how are you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Should I call a doctor?"

Li Xue shook her head, trying her best to appear calm. "I'm fine. But how did I get home?"

"The security team brought you back! I told you before, a young woman shouldn't go to places like that. No matter what I said, you wouldn't listen. See what happens? If the bodyguards hadn't been there, you... you..."

Mrs. Li's expression turned grim as she recalled Li Xue's disheveled state when she arrived home.

"It's all thanks to them! I'll be sure to thank them properly. If it weren't for them, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to show my face in public anymore."

In her last moments of consciousness, she had heard the chime of a phone starting to record. That pervert Gao Yi probably didn't just want to sleep with her once; he likely wanted to use the video to blackmail her and make her his slave completely.

It was terrifying.

"Your father gave them a bonus, but that's not enough. When you go to work tomorrow, remember to thank them formally, you hear?"

Li Xue pressed her lips together. Those bodyguards were truly one of her most successful investments.

'They completely turned the tide in such a desperate situation.'

'If only my business investments went this smoothly.'

Just then, a barely audible noise came from the room, and a blush crept onto Li Xue's fair face.

"You must be hungry. You wait here, I'll go get you something to eat! I just made some shrimp wontons. You can try my cooking."

Mrs. Li headed downstairs. Li Xue threw back the covers and tried to stand up, but she felt weak all over. She had to brace herself against the wall just to move.

She hadn't had a single bite to eat before Gao Yi's drug knocked her out. It had been nearly ten hours since noon; no wonder she had no strength!

Holding the handrail, she slowly made her way downstairs. Halfway down, Mu Lin happened to come home.

The sight of Mu Lin instantly soured Li Xue's mood. She snapped, "You have the nerve to come back?"

Mu Lin looked at her innocently. "Of course, honey! This is my home, why wouldn't I have the nerve to come back? You're being weird!"

Li Xue was fuming. His every utterance of "honey" felt like a jab. 'You idiot, do you have any idea how close you came to being cuckolded?'

But the truth was, Mu Lin had warned her that Gao Yi and Wu Long were connected, and that both were unscrupulous characters she should watch out for.

And what had she done? She thought of herself as a strong, career-oriented woman who was always careful. She thought nothing could go wrong.

And yet, such a disaster had happened. If she had just listened to Mu Lin from the start—by either not going or taking a subordinate with her—the outcome probably would have been much better.

For no reason at all, a pang of guilt pricked Li Xue's heart. But she was too proud to admit it, so she scrambled for an angle to save face. "Rein in that carefree, undisciplined nature of yours! You have work tomorrow. If people find out you're wandering around in the middle of the night instead of coming home, it's the Li Family that will lose face!"

Mu Lin tilted his head. "Didn't we agree to live our own separate lives? Since when did you start caring about my private life?"

Li Xue was so incensed by Mu Lin that she nearly lost her footing and tumbled down the stairs. She managed to grab the handrail for dear life.

Too proud to let Mu Lin see her weakness, she slowly continued down the stairs, sat at the table, and started to eat.

"Mu Lin, you're back. I made wontons, do you want some?"

"Thank you, Auntie, but no need. I already ate out."

Mrs. Li's face grew stern. "What's this 'Auntie' business? Call me Mom!"

'Looks like Mom's impression of Mu Lin is getting better by the day.' Li Xue had a bad feeling about this.

'What if Mom changes her mind and wants this sham marriage to become real, making Mu Lin a true son-in-law of the Li Family? Wouldn't I be stuck with him for life?'

'Don't be fooled by Dad being the head of the family. There are some things where he can't stand up to a woman's nagging and pestering!'

"Mom! I want some chili oil, can you get it for me?"

With that interruption, the matter of Mrs. Li wanting Mu Lin to change how he addressed her was dropped for the time being.

Mu Lin felt like something was missing at home. He glanced at the shoe cabinet; Old Li's shoes weren't there.

"Where's Grandfather?" Mu Lin asked.

"He went out with your dad. They didn't say what they were up to."

"Alright, then I'll go wash up and go to sleep!" Mu Lin put special emphasis on the word "sleep," sending a shiver of dread down Li Xue's spine.

'What is this guy trying to do? Does he really think he can have his way with me?'

Li Xue's face darkened. 'As if I'd ever let you succeed,' she thought.

When Mu Lin woke up the next day, he immediately felt the terrible atmosphere in the house. The mood at the breakfast table was incredibly heavy.

"Dad, it's all my fault..."

Li Yinhe's face was grim, but he couldn't bear to speak harshly to his daughter. He softened his tone. "This isn't your fault. Gao Yi is the one who's not human. We underestimated his shamelessness."

'Gao Yi?' Mu Lin's ears perked up at the name. 'That name shouldn't be coming up again. Jiang Hong was supposed to have already taken care of him for me.'

"What happened with the company?" Mu Lin asked.

Li Yinhe shot Mu Lin a glance. "Whatever happened with the company has nothing to do with you. We won't dock a single cent from your salary!"

Li Xue glared at Mu Lin. "What good would telling you do? Would you even understand? Could you help the company? If you had that kind of ability, would you be stuck in the Special Projects Department playing house with a bunch of rich kids?"

Li Yinhe raised a hand to stop Li Xue, but she went on, "I know all about what you do in the Special Projects Department. It's no different from little kids playing in the mud. Let me tell you, that's not how you do business!"

Mrs. Li patted Li Xue's hand, reminding her she had gone a little too far.

Li Xue also felt she was in the wrong and fell silent.

Mu Lin felt something wasn't right. This wasn't what he had expected. 'Could that old fox Jiang Hong have lied to me?'

'I warned him so clearly, and he still dared to protect Gao Yi?'

A savage, murderous glint flashed in Mu Lin's eyes. Li Xue felt a wave of discomfort and scolded him, "What's with that look in your eyes? It's disgusting. Do you think I was wrong?"

Mu Lin stood up. "I'm done eating!" He turned and walked away without another word.

Special Projects Department.

When Chen Xi saw Mu Lin approaching, he greeted him enthusiastically. "Brother Lin, look at me!"

He spun around on the spot. All of his scars were gone, and he even looked a lot stronger.

If he were to face the same situation as last time, taking on three guys at once would be no problem.

Mu Lin smiled and asked, "All healed up?"

"Of course! When Brother Lin makes a move, you know it's the real deal! I never thought I could heal this fast. Not only are my injuries gone, but my physique has gotten stronger too. Brother Lin, you're a miracle worker!"

"You must have some secret formula, right? How about we partner up and open a pharmaceutical factory? You provide the formulas, I'll handle production, and we'll make a killing!"

'You, a second-generation rich kid? I'd be burning incense and praying if you just managed to stay out of trouble, and you want to open a pharmaceutical factory? Do you even know which way the door to the business administration bureau opens?'

"There's no secret formula. It's mainly because your constitution is remarkable, so you absorb medicine quickly. Alright, go on back to work now."

Mu Lin's words were basically an order to scram, telling Chen Xi to stay put and stop messing around.

With that said, Mu Lin leaned back in his chair at his workstation, his mind drifting as he thought about the conversation at the breakfast table that morning.

Chen Xi fell silent and just hovered near Mu Lin, watching him. The Special Projects Department was super idle anyway. With nothing to do, what was the difference?

Suddenly, the office door opened. A stern-looking woman, who was clearly going through menopause, stood in the doorway.

"Where is the head of the Special Projects Department? Report to the conference room for a meeting!"

What the hell? Chen Xi's mind went blank, and he immediately ducked behind a desk.

"Brother Lin, my injuries haven't quite healed yet. How about you go in my place?"

He hated meetings. They always brought back painful memories of being in class back in school.

"I don't think that's a good idea... After all, you're the department head. If I go, it would be overstepping my authority. People will talk..."

"You have the department head's authorization! Who would dare to gossip? Go on, don't worry. I've got your back!"