What to do if you're forced into love by a powerful man?!

Xie Zhizhou put his phone back in his pocket, said goodbye to Lin Zhiyuan and Zhou Yan, and walked towards the school gate.

The campus was still lively in the evening, but he paid no attention to the stares and whispers. His mind was filled with Zong Ran's unyielding tone on the phone.

There were many cars parked at the school gate, but Xie Zhizhou spotted the black SUV at a glance. It wasn't the extravagant convoy from last time; there was only one, but that one was enough.

The car body gleamed with a cold luster in the evening light, making it look like it had wandered onto the wrong set when parked among the other family cars around it.

The driver's side window rolled down, revealing Ah Gui's rugged face covered in tattoos.

He saw Xie Zhizhou grin.

"Mr. Xie, please get in the car."

Xie Zhizhou walked over, bent down, and got into the car. As he closed the door, he noticed a faint sandalwood scent wafting through the air.

He fastened his seatbelt, placed his hands properly on his knees, and sat up straight.

Ah Gui started the engine, and the SUV roared to life as it merged into the evening rush hour traffic. He glanced at Xie Zhizhou, who was sitting in the passenger seat like a primary school student, through the rearview mirror, and his lips twitched.

"Mr. Xie, you don't need to be so nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Xie Zhizhou said, trying to appear calm.

Ah Gui didn't expose him, he just smiled and turned the steering wheel with one hand.

The car was silent for a few seconds before Xie Zhizhou couldn't help but speak.

"Um... is your boss's injury getting better?"

"Much better," Ah Gui said. "The stitches were removed, and Dr. Chen said the recovery is faster than he expected."

Xie Zhizhou said "Oh," then thought for a moment and asked, "Does he...get injured often?"

Ah Gui didn't answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment, as if weighing what to say and what not to say, and finally chose a reply that wasn't really an answer: "I've followed the boss for so many years and seen him get quite a few injuries. But he's fine, he's tough, even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take him."

Xie Zhizhou glanced at him. How much must a person have gone through to make his subordinate say the words "tough" in such a tone?

The car quickly drove out of the city, the street scene changed from bustling to quiet, and the surrounding buildings became increasingly sparse. Xie Zhizhou, looking at the road rushing past the window, finally belatedly asked, "Where are we going?"

"The manor," Ah Gui said. "The boss said he'd treat you to dinner at his house."

Xie Zhizhou frowned slightly when he said the word "manor".

He recalled the convoy he had seen on the mountain road that day, and the location of this meal sounded unlike any other dinner party he had been familiar with over the years.

As the car entered the hillside area of ​​the western suburbs, the plane trees on both sides of the road grew taller and denser. Then Xie Zhizhou saw the first checkpoint—a black roadblock across the middle of the road, with two people in black uniforms standing next to it. When they saw A Gui's car, the two men lowered their heads at the same time, and the roadblock slowly slid away.

Xie Zhizhou found it somewhat novel.

The second checkpoint is 500 meters away, and the third checkpoint is at the gate. The gate itself is already quite imposing—a heavy black iron gate with the same dark gold totems as those on the vehicle. On either side of the gate are tall stone pillars, each topped with a stone beast whose face is obscured in the twilight, yet it is still incredibly intimidating.

The gate slid open slowly to both sides, and the SUV drove into the tree-lined avenue. The plane trees on both sides were already lit up with ground lights in the twilight, and their canopies intertwined in mid-air to form a long arcade, like a tunnel leading to another world.

At the end of the tree-lined avenue, the main building of the manor emerged in the last rays of sunlight, larger and more silent than Xie Zhizhou had imagined.

The building features strong European-style lines, with ivy climbing half of the wall. In front of the main building is a huge fountain plaza, where the water jets shimmer with a silvery-white light under the lights.

Ah Gui parked the car in front of the fountain, turned off the engine, and turned to look at Xie Zhizhou.

"We've arrived, Mr. Xie."

Xie Zhizhou sat in the back seat, looking at the behemoth in front of him through the windshield. He suddenly remembered that day on the mountain road when he asked Zong Ran, "What kind of company do you run?" Zong Ran turned his head and glanced at him and said, "You'll find out later."

So "later" came so quickly.

Ah Gui had just parked the car when the main building's main gate opened.

Before Xie Zhizhou arrived, someone was waiting behind the door. Upon hearing the sound, the door was opened immediately. A middle-aged man with a robust build walked out. He was wearing a well-tailored dark Zhongshan suit with a wrinkle-free ironed collar and neatly combed hair. He had a perfectly polite smile on his face, so polite that no one could find fault with him.

Chen Du strode out of the door. Having followed Zong Ran for so many years, there were few things that could make him quicken his pace, but this was one of them.

He walked to the right side of the SUV, bowed slightly, and reached out to open the rear door.

"Mr. Xie." He bowed slightly, his tone gentle. "I am Chen Du, the steward of the main family. The head of the family sent me to greet you."

Xie Zhizhou had just unbuckled his seatbelt when a stranger suddenly opened the car door and bowed to greet him, causing him to freeze for a moment. He quickly got out of his seat, his movements a little clumsy, and he even tripped over the door sill when one foot touched the ground. Chen Du subtly reached out and steadied him, his action extremely natural.

"Th-thank you." Xie Zhizhou smiled at Chen Du after regaining his balance, looking a little embarrassed.

Chen Du nodded slightly.

Xie Zhizhou also gave a slight bow, his movements a little stiff: "Hello Uncle Chen, thank you for your help."

"This way, please." Chen Du gestured for him to enter.

Xie Zhizhou followed Chen Du up the steps. Two security guards in black uniforms stood on either side of the gate, dressed the same as the guards at the foot of the mountain. They lowered their heads in unison when they saw him coming.

Xie Zhizhou paused for a moment, then forced himself to continue walking forward. The instant he crossed the threshold, he almost thought he had entered a museum.

The hall was larger than he had imagined. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the high dome. The staircase directly opposite was curved, with dark red carpets on the steps, spiraling up to the unseen depths of the second floor. Several oil paintings hung on the walls, depicting landscapes that Xie Zhizhou couldn't understand, but those who could understand them were very expensive. There was a very faint woody scent in the air, which made him unconsciously slow down his breathing.

Xie Zhizhou stood in the center of the hall, still clutching his phone. He looked like a small animal that had accidentally wandered into a lion's territory—trying to maintain a calm facade, but his eyes had already scanned every possible exit around him.

Then he sighed silently—he couldn't get out.

Chen Du stood beside him, observing his reaction without making a sound, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Mr. Xie, the head of the family is still in a meeting. Please have a seat for a while."

He led Xie Zhizhou to the reception area on one side of the hall, where a set of dark brown leather sofas was placed. A cup of steaming tea and a small plate of delicate snacks had already been placed on the coffee table. "Just call me if you need anything."

Xie Zhizhou sat down on the sofa, put his phone on the side of the coffee table, then felt that it wasn't quite right to leave it there, so he picked it up and put it back in his pocket. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, but it burned his tongue so much that he pulled the teacup back.

Chen Du watched his series of actions without saying anything, but simply bowed slightly and stood a short distance away.

He stood there quietly, like a piece of furniture that blended into the old house—inconspicuous, yet omnipresent.

Xie Zhizhou sat on the sofa, unsure where to look, until his gaze finally landed on a plate of pastries on the coffee table. They were several flaky pastries shaped like flower petals, with layers of thin, translucent pastry sprinkled with fine icing sugar, so exquisite they looked as if they had been served directly from the window of some high-end dessert shop.

He thought to himself: So what exactly is the meaning of this meal? What is this person trying to do?