I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Seeing his daughter's despondent state was even more painful for Chen Sinian than seeing her have an emotional outburst.

He gritted his teeth and decided to say the news that might upset her, but also perhaps pull her out of this empty state.

"Leah," he said softly, but each word was clear, "do you know?"

"Mr. Gu... has been kidnapped."

As soon as she finished speaking, Cecilia's lifeless, icy blue pupils finally trembled slightly, like ripples spreading across an ice lake after a pebble has been thrown in, regaining their focus.

Chen Sinian was overjoyed and quickly pressed his advantage: "It's the Lin family."

"It was that crazy girl named Lin Jinyu from the Lin family in Jinghai who did it."

"This is absolutely outrageous."

"But don't worry, Dad will never let them succeed."

"Does the Lin family want to monopolize Master Gu?"

dream!"

"The Empire will not allow it, and our Chen family will never agree to it."

"Dad will definitely find a way..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Cecilia's hand, which had been resting on her lap, suddenly clench into a fist.

The knuckles turned white from the exertion, and the neatly trimmed nails dug deep into the delicate flesh of the palm.

Soon, a stinging crimson trickle seeped from between her fingers and dripped onto her pristine white silk nightgown.

Chen Sinian felt a pang of anxiety, a mixture of heartache and nervousness.

He both hoped that his daughter could come back to life because of this, even if she was angry, and he was also afraid that she would completely lose control of her emotions like before.

However, the anticipated outbreak did not occur.

Cecilia simply lowered her head, staring at her blood-stained palms for a long time.

It took so long that Chen Sinian almost couldn't help but step forward before she slowly, little by little, loosened her fist.

She raised her head, and the ripples in her icy blue eyes had completely vanished, replaced by a calm that was deeper and colder than before, as if all emotions, whether anger, sadness, or jealousy, had been forcibly frozen in the deepest part of her pupils.

"understood."

Her voice was soft and flat, "I'm tired, I want to rest."

"Father, please leave."

Chen Sinian opened his mouth, wanting to say something more to comfort or encourage her, but when he met his daughter's calm, almost indifferent, icy blue eyes, all the words stuck in his throat.

He could only sigh heavily, stand up, and leave the room, looking back every few steps.

The moment the door closed gently, the dejection on Chen Sinian's face was instantly replaced by ruthlessness.

He walked quickly to the end of the corridor, took out his phone, dialed a number, and spoke in a very low voice.

"Pass down the order: activate the Candle Dragon Secret Order."

"Pass on my message to all those forces, partners, and friends in the underworld who are affiliated with the Chen family."

"Regardless of nationality, status, or means!"

"Who can bring Master Gu Yan back to my Chen family unharmed?"

He paused, then spoke each word with resounding conviction: "I, Chen Sinian, swear in the name of the current head of the Chen family that this person will forever be the supreme guest of my Chen family, enjoying all the same privileges and resources as the head of the family."

"The Chen family's treasure vault is open to them for use three times."

"And you may make any three demands on my Chen family that do not violate the bottom line and morality of the empire."

"These words are witnessed by Heaven and Earth."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Sinian looked out the window at the deep night, his eyes flashing with cold light.

For his daughter and for the future of the Chen family, he was truly willing to pay any price this time.

……

Meanwhile, the jet-black Maybach was speeding along the highway.

In the back seat, Lin Jinyu was practically hanging on Gu Yan.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Gu Yan's waist, resting her head on his not-so-broad but slender and comfortable shoulders. Her long golden hair fell down, with a few strands even playfully slipping into Gu Yan's collar.

The girl's warm, soft body pressed tightly against his, her amazingly full curves pressing down on Gu Yan's arms and side without reservation. With the slight bumps of the vehicle, they brought waves of sensations that made his heart race.

Gu Yan's body stiffened, her ears turned bright red, and she dared not move.

"Jinyu! You're a girl, you should be mindful of your behavior."

"This, she's not even married yet, what kind of behavior is this?"

Even Lin Zhenting, who was driving, couldn't stand it anymore. He glanced at it in the rearview mirror, his face ashen, and coughed twice.

"Aren't you getting married soon?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Dad, you're so old-fashioned!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jinyu not only didn't let go, but hugged her even tighter, refuting her claim with righteous indignation.

Seeing Lin Zhenting speak, Gu Yan quickly echoed, "Mr. Lin is right!"

"Sister Jinyu, we...we haven't officially defined our relationship yet, so this really isn't appropriate."

He tried to pry her hands open a little.

Lin Jinyu blinked her beautiful golden eyes, then exclaimed as if suddenly realizing something, "Oh."

"Xiao Yan means she's lacking a formal title?"

"That's easy."

"I, Lin Jinyu, hereby formally announce..."

"Gu Yan is my boyfriend."

"Alright, you've got the official status."

She immediately sat up straight, cleared her throat, and announced loudly to her father in the front row in a tone as if announcing important news.

This move made Lin Zhenting's hands tremble violently. He looked at Gu Yan in the rearview mirror, his eyes practically spitting fire.

Lin Jinyu couldn't care less about all that.

After saying that, a triumphant sweet smile appeared on her face. She turned her head, and her alluring red lips, carrying a warm breath, moved closer to Gu Yan's lips.

"Stop! Wait a minute!"

Gu Yan was so startled she almost jumped up from her seat. She quickly put her hand on her shoulder and urgently called for a stop.

"What's wrong now, Xiao Yan?"

Lin Jinyu pouted, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Sister Jinyu, I... I'm a rather conservative and traditional man."

"I believe that feelings and intimate contact should be based on mutual respect and a gradual approach."

"Some things are not about how fast or slow they are, but about the willingness to wait and cherish them."

"At least, at least we should wait until after we're married, don't you think?"

Gu Yan took a deep breath, trying her best to look very serious and focused.

Damn, he kissed someone who looks like a female protagonist in a romance novel, does he even want to live anymore?

Looking into Gu Yan's clear and determined eyes, Lin Jinyu felt a hint of resentment, but eventually she slowly withdrew her face from the close gaze.

She pouted and muttered softly, "Okay... I'll listen to Xiaoyan."

"After all, he's my future husband; I have to respect him."

But what she was thinking was something else entirely.

After we got home, and after Xiaoyan fell asleep...

Then it wouldn't be considered disrespectful, right?

You can kiss however you want then.

Yes, the plan works.

Seeing that Lin Jinyu had temporarily abandoned the surprise attack, Gu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead.

To be honest, in his past life he had witnessed couples falling in love in hotels, breaking up at dawn.

But in his view, the body is not a bargaining chip, and desire should not be an excuse.

If you uphold certain principles, you might miss out on some momentary thrills, but at least you can be true to your conscience and face that person with less guilt and more peace of mind in the future.

The situation is really tricky right now.

The car has already left Shanglu City and is heading towards Jinghai City at full speed.

Judging from this, Lin Jinyu planned to drive this modified mobile fortress all the way back to Jinghai.

Indeed, with the unfathomable ancient martial arts master Lin Zhenting and the terrifyingly powerful Lin Jinyu in charge, even if a monster ranked among the top three in the global combat power list came, he probably wouldn't fare well.

The car has been driving for a day and a night.

Gu Yan knew that the Empire would never stand idly by while she was kidnapped and would intervene sooner or later.

But he couldn't just sit and wait for his doom; he had to find a way to save himself.