Chapter 418 417: Dying of Regret

But Mu Lin didn't pay much attention to what others were thinking.

"Uncle He, Liang Chengfei must have made a huge mistake. His company is sure to be forced out of the market for a while. Are you confident you can take over his territory?"

He Chen's eyes lit up. This was indeed an excellent opportunity for expansion, a chance to implement many of the changes he had wanted to try in the past.

"Yes, I can. Don't you worry!"

'Mu Lin is still looking out for me,' He Chen's heart was racing. 'Even if we can't become family, there's still hope of maintaining a good relationship.'

Li Xiaoyang was filled with admiration for Mu Lin. He spoke to Mu Lin with a mixture of respect and fear, "Brother Mu, do you think I could get your number?"

Mu Lin chuckled and gave Li Xiaoyang his number.

Li Xiaoyang let out a long sigh of relief. At least now he would have something to report to his father.

Although his father already had Mu Lin's contact information, getting the number himself held a different significance.

"Dad, I want to go home!" He Zheng said. Everything happening now had nothing to do with her. She was a complete loser, and staying here would only make her more of a laughingstock.

Liu Ye Zhen's face was filled with regret; she wished she could just strangle herself.

He Chen said, "Mu Lin, you two can grab a cab. I'm going to take my family home first."

Mu Lin nodded at them in agreement.

He Zheng walked out, utterly dejected, and forgot to even say goodbye to Mu Lin.

Now, only Mu Lin and Xiao Hongling were left in the private room.

Xiao Hongling asked, "Are you close with the mayor of Lanyang?"

Mu Lin said, "Not really. But I did save his wife once, and he's been looking out for me ever since. If you're asking if we have any real friendship, not really."

Xiao Hongling slowly nodded. "I see."

The two of them took a cab back to Jiangbin Villa. Inside, all the furniture and appliances had been set up, and a housekeeping service had given the villa a thorough cleaning.

Mu Lin said, "You can take the master bedroom."

Xiao Hongling said, "But what's one person like me going to do in such a big room?"

Mu Lin said, "What, were you hoping I'd sleep with you? I'm a busy man. Don't even think about it."

Xiao Hongling said, "What I mean is, I can take a regular room, and you can have the master bedroom. My safety depends entirely on you, so it makes sense for you to take it."

Mu Lin said, "That won't do. You're the daughter of the richest man in the country; I can't possibly let you be uncomfortable. Uncle Xiao would have my head!"

Xiao Hongling sighed. She knew she'd never be able to convince Mu Lin.

"I get it. I'll take the master bedroom, then. Good night, Mu Lin."

"Good night, Miss Xiao."

After speaking, Mu Lin turned and walked toward a guest room. It was still quite close to the master bedroom, so he could rush to the rescue immediately if anything unexpected happened.

Seeing how nonchalant Mu Lin was, Xiao Hongling felt quite stifled. 'I'm a natural beauty, so why doesn't it have any effect on him at all?'

'Is the problem with me or with him?'

This was the first time she had ever lived alone under the same roof with a man her age.

Mu Lin didn't care what Xiao Hongling was thinking; he had more important things to do.

After returning to his room, he sat cross-legged on the bed and began his breathing meditation. With the five centers of his body facing the heavens, he emptied his mind and began to hone his Yin Spirit.

The Yin Spirit slowly began to float up. Mu Lin's consciousness drifted out of his body, and his surroundings were no longer an obstacle.

He had only taken a few "steps" when he passed through two walls, and suddenly, something felt wrong.

This was Xiao Hongling's master bedroom. She had just taken off all her clothes and was about to take a shower.

Every detail was perfectly, unbelievably clear.

Mu Lin hurriedly withdrew his Yin Spirit. 'Whoa, I can't be doing this sort of thing often. My poor heart can't take it.'

'How could I use the Yin Spirit for something like this?'

But when he tried to meditate again, he found it hard to calm his mind.

Mu Lin could only try his best to meditate, hoping to suppress this wicked fire with his cultivation.

But it wasn't very effective. He couldn't stop thinking about that scene with Xiao Hongling. *Sigh*.

The night passed with some difficulty. Mu Lin went out early to buy breakfast, and he also made a trip to a pharmacy.

When he got back to the villa, he prepared the medicinal herbs according to a specific formula and started to decoct them over a flame.

It was almost noon when Xiao Hongling finally hurried downstairs. She said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I woke up too late."

Mu Lin smiled. "It's fine."

Mu Lin placed the clay pot in front of Xiao Hongling, got a porcelain bowl for her, and poured a serving. "This will help with menstrual cramps. Give it a try."

Xiao Hongling stared at Mu Lin, her face flushing red. She felt as if he had seen right through her.

This was her most private issue; not even her parents knew about it.

Mu Lin said, "I'm a healer. This is no challenge for me."

Xiao Hongling thought about it and found his explanation acceptable.

"Do you go to medical school?"

Mu Lin shook his head. "Nope. I never even went to elementary school like you city folk. I grew up in a village; we didn't have such good opportunities."

Xiao Hongling was suddenly in an awkward position, truly at a loss for words. 'Should I drink it or not?'

Finally, she steeled herself. 'I'll just drink it. I'll consider it a sacrifice to get on Mu Lin's good side.'

'Mu Lin probably wouldn't use poisonous herbs, so the worst-case scenario is just a bit of discomfort.'

Tilting her head back, she downed it in one go. It felt... okay. Although it was bitter, there was a feeling of clarity that spread through her.

It was actually quite pleasant.

Around noon, Patriarch Xu called Mu Lin to ask where he was. He felt rather awkward staying at the Qiao Family Villa by himself.

Mu Lin could only make an excuse that he had something to take care of. Left with no choice, Patriarch Xu went to get a hotel room for himself.

Xiao Hongling leisurely watched some shows, and when she felt it was about time, she ordered takeout.

When Mu Lin felt it was time to eat, he was planning to cook something.

He asked Xiao Hongling what she wanted to eat.

Xiao Hongling said, "I already ordered takeout."

"Alright then, I'll just whip up something simple for myself."

Xiao Hongling shot Mu Lin a glance. "Would I really let you starve? Can't you use your head?"

Mu Lin rubbed his nose, looking completely helpless, and said, "Well, thank you then, Miss Xiao."

"Don't mention it," Xiao Hongling said. "That medicine is starting to work a little."

Mu Lin smiled. "That's good."

A short while later, the food arrived.

Mu Lin was shocked. It was food from that same grand hotel as yesterday, and there were seven or eight dishes, completely covering the round table.

"This is too much... Miss Xiao, you're too generous!"

Xiao Hongling blushed slightly. "I didn't know what you liked, so I ordered a little extra."

Mu Lin laughed. "I'm not picky. Don't worry, I can finish it all."

The two of them each got a bowl of rice and began to eat slowly. Mu Lin ate very quickly. At first, he left some of the dishes for Xiao Hongling, but once she finished eating, he polished off everything that was left.

Xiao Hongling stared, wide-eyed. "Mr. Mu, are you full? Should I order more?"

Mu Lin waved his hand and laughed. "No need, no need. If you let me eat my fill, I could devour a mountain. Being about seventy percent full is just right."

Xiao Hongling's expression shifted again and again. Her impression of these powerful experts was undergoing a massive change.

Mu Lin was planning to ask Yun Cheng to help investigate Baiju Group, but an unexpected development forced him to change his plans.

The call was from Wu Jiao, also known as the Hundred-Change Nether Monarch. He had once been hired to harm Madam Qiao, but Mu Lin beat him so badly that he surrendered on the spot.

Since then, he had been helping Mu Lin protect the Qiao Family.

He had discovered that someone was trying to harm Madam Qiao again, so he immediately used his precious Spirit Puppet to intercept the assassin.

The situation was now clear, which was why he was reporting to Mu Lin in a hurry.

Mu Lin knew he had to go back, so he hurried over.

Qiao Canhua was back as well, comforting his wife.

Madam Qiao had suffered minor injuries, and the servants had already bandaged her wounds.

But the villa was now a complete mess. In such a state of disarray, it was impossible to live there for the time being.

Inside lay a corpse—the attacker. Even in death, his presence was still formidable.

Mu Lin handed Elder Wu a glass of water, which he took and drank without a second thought.

"Elder Wu, you've worked hard. If you hadn't stepped in, I'm afraid things would have become much worse."

Wu Jiao shook his head and smiled faintly. "If I hadn't stopped him, I'm afraid he would have killed me too. So, saving myself was really the only option."

As he spoke, Wu Jiao felt a warmth spread throughout his body, and his wounds vanished.