After everyone was reborn, I was strictly disciplined.

Lu Chengyuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze filled with disgust, and the atmosphere around him was frighteningly oppressive.

He stared intently at Xie Xingran, who had barged in without permission, and his thin lips uttered icy words: "What are you doing here?"

The disgust and wariness in his tone were almost overflowing.

Xie Xingran seemed not to hear his question. With her hands tucked into the sleeves of her brocade robe, she slowly turned around, her gaze sweeping over the cramped little house.

The walls were mottled, and a half-sack of grains and old farm tools were piled in the corner. A wooden table with peeling paint took up most of the space, and bowls, chopsticks and other miscellaneous items were piled up haphazardly, making it feel cramped even to step on.

He couldn't help but click his tongue twice, his disdain undisguised: "So shabby! So small! So rudimentary."

As soon as he finished speaking, he chuckled again, his gaze sweeping over Lu Chengyuan, his tone sarcastic: "A place like this would be too small even for stray dogs on the street, how can you possibly fit in?"

In her previous life, Xie Xingran owned a golden retriever, which she cherished dearly.

To make the dog comfortable, he specially built a 120-square-meter doghouse in a secluded spot on his estate. It was fully equipped with a bathing tub, a temperature-controlled food bowl, and a toy storage shelf. He even hired someone to clean and maintain it every day.

In contrast, the room in front of me was no more than twenty square meters. The air was filled with a faint smell of mildew and medicine. The clutter was piled up to almost reach the ceiling, making it so messy that it was suffocating.

"Heh, of course I can't compare to you, my precious young master."

Lu Chengyuan twitched the corners of his mouth, his tone full of cold sarcasm, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force, forcibly suppressing the embarrassment and anger in his heart.

Xie Xingran was not angry at all. Instead, she seemed to have heard something interesting. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Chengyuan with great interest.

He could clearly see the gloom and anger surging in the other person's eyes, like kindling that had been lit, yet the other person was stubbornly holding back from exploding.

This restrained demeanor made Xie Xingran's lips curl into a slight smile, revealing a dazzling yet somewhat wicked smile that made his exquisite face even more striking, yet also more enigmatic.

Looking at his smile, Lu Chengyuan frowned even more, his heart filled with confusion.

His words were so impolite that, by all accounts, this pampered young master, who couldn't bear the slightest grievance, should have slapped him like he did yesterday, and then had the guards beat him up.

But what does this smile mean today?

"Slap slap."

The crisp sound of a slap broke the deathly silence in the room.

Xie Xingran clapped her hands, her gaze falling on Lu Chengyuan. Like a hunter who had found his prey, her eyes brimmed with undisguised joy and passion, making Lu Chengyuan feel extremely uncomfortable.

I like your personality.

He extended his long, slender finger, pointing directly at Lu Chengyuan, his tone tinged with amusement.

"Your tenacity, your refusal to bow down even when trampled underfoot, is exactly my type."

Finally, he muttered to himself, his tone full of excitement: "This will definitely give me a lot of villain points."

He blinked his charming eyes, and without giving Lu Chengyuan time to process what he was saying, he continued on his own:

"I had someone investigate your background yesterday. Your mother is bedridden, your younger sister is still young, and you were kicked out of the family and have no one to rely on."

Xie Xingran paused, her tone becoming increasingly flippant, as if she were examining an insignificant object:

"365 days a year, there's not even a bit of meat on the table. Life is really miserable."

These words were like a sharp knife, precisely piercing Lu Chengyuan's most hidden shame.

His face instantly turned ashen, the chill around him intensified, and his hands clenched into fists, his fingers and even the bones between them throbbed with pain.

His family is the softest concern in his heart, and also the most sensitive spot that he cannot allow others to pry into or ridicule him.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Lu Chengyuan's voice was extremely hoarse, filled with suppressed anger, and the warning in his eyes was almost tangible.

He wanted to bear his grievances with Xie Xingran himself, and he absolutely did not want his frail mother and young sister to be involved and suffer this humiliation.

"Of course I'm here to bring you warmth."

Xie Xingran's smile grew even brighter, but his eyes concealed a deep malice. He took two steps forward, his delicate eyebrows curving upwards, his tone cruel:

"I see you're living such a pitiful life, and you're so kind-hearted, I'd like to transfer you to the Saintess's Residence to be my dog."

He took a few steps forward, his warm breath brushing against Lu Chengyuan's ear, his voice low but piercing:

"As long as you behave like a dog for me and bark at me a few times every day, I guarantee your mother's medicine money will be plentiful, your sister will be able to wear pretty clothes and eat her fill, and she will no longer have to set up a stall on the street and suffer from the cold."

[Ding! Negative emotions of the Chosen One have surged, Villain Value +100!]

[Ding! The Chosen One's sense of humiliation intensifies, villain value +200!]

The system notification had barely faded when Lu Chengyuan roared, "You're dreaming!"

Overwhelmed by rage and humiliation, he suddenly sprang up, his robust body like a beast poised to pounce, charging towards Xie Xingran with unstoppable momentum.

He would rather risk his life than suffer such humiliation, and he would never trade his family's safety for anything.

But just as he was about to throw a punch, an invisible, powerful pressure slammed down like Mount Tai, instantly stopping all his movements.

The bones were being compressed, making a faint cracking sound. All the strength in his body seemed to have been drained away, and he could no longer hold on.

"Thump!"

A dull thud echoed through the small house.

Lu Chengyuan fell heavily to his knees, his knees hitting the cold, hard ground with a crisp, cracking sound. The intense pain spread from his knees throughout his body, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

The guard beside Xie Xingran glanced expressionlessly at Lu Chengyuan, who was kneeling on the ground, his eyes as indifferent as if he were looking at a stone.

A moment later, he withdrew his gaze and remained standing in place like a statue, radiating a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

"I knew you would agree."

Xie Xingran walked up to Lu Chengyuan with a smug look on her face, leaned down to look at his profile, which was tense from the pain and humiliation, and spoke with a tone full of boastfulness.

"Look, you've knelt down now, haven't you? Even if you were forced to, you've still knelt down before me."

He reached out and patted Lu Chengyuan's cheek, the force not strong, but full of humiliation: "Don't worry, even if you kneel down and beg me like this, I will still have mercy and take you as my dog."

"Xie Xingran!"

Lu Chengyuan let out a heart-wrenching roar, his voice filled with despair and rage. His bloodshot eyes stared intently at the person in front of him, almost spitting fire.

An unprecedented sense of humiliation overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. He had lived so long and had seen mean people and greedy people, but he had never seen anyone as vile and shameless as Xie Xingran, who took pleasure in trampling on the dignity of others.